34 Mr, E. B. Denison, [Feb. 11, 



have agreed to compose a little difference which they left unsettled 

 a year ago about this Public Office business, over the dead body 

 of Mr. Scott and Gothic architecture. After some vain struggles by 

 his late colleagues to deny that they did leave the matter " in a dead 

 lock," Sir B. Hall resisting that pleasant job of his superiors for 

 setting aside all the Westminster Hall prize-men together in favour of 

 a gentleman who was assumed to be architect to the Government by 

 divine right or special appointment, Lord Palmerston boldly took the 

 bull by the horns, pushed his defenders aside, and declared that it was 

 all perfectly true, that he did want to employ Mr. Pennethorne, and 

 that he did so "because he thought his plan the best adapted to the 

 requirements of the case ; and that he still retained that opinion." 

 Well, so much at any rate for the pretence of objecting to the choice 

 of an architect or a design because it did not get the first prize — or 

 rather the second ; for it is another peculiarity of this case, that it is 

 not the first prizeman after all, but one of the two seconds, wliom these 

 warm supporters of the Westminster Hall judges now select to fight 

 their anti-Gothic battle with ; knowing very well that the first will not 

 do, in spite of Lord Palmerston's facetiousness about the unsportsman- 

 like notion of preferring a horse which is all but first in every race 

 to that which wins in one. Without pretending to know more about 

 racing than he does of architecture, I humbly venture to doubt, on 

 mere principles of common sense, whether the experts in that line will 

 agree with him. The first prizeman ran for £800, and got it ; if you 

 want to see how, you can read the evidence about the proceedings of 

 the judges : it does not follow that we are to presume him capable of 

 all other victories, when there were other races to be run, for which 

 he did not start. And the case of the second classic prizeman is 

 still worse, because he did run in the other race, and in the opinion of 

 all the judges was " nowhere." 



As for Lord Palmerston's preference for Mr. Pennethorne's plan, 

 over all the prize ones, as a matter of taste, why, that is hardly a 

 thing to argue about ; it is one of those measures of his taste which I 

 said he had been kind enough to give us. That design was exhibited 

 in the committee room last year ; and those who saw it and sat there 

 for the very purpose of examining it do not appear to have been very 

 much of Lord Palmerston's opinion about either its beauty or fitness. 

 But setting aside the question of taste, there is a small matter of fact 

 connected with it, of which he might as well have been informed before 

 he assured the House of Commons that it was quite a mistake to sup- 

 pose there was the least inconsistency between himself and his right 

 honourable friend, the late Commissioner of Public Works. That fact 

 is, that the said Commissioner had specially and very effectively 

 devoted himself in the Committee to the blowing to pieces of this 

 identical plan of Lord Palmerston's architect, by showing that it was 

 particularly ill " adapted to the requirements of the case," and did not 

 and could not comply with the prescribed conditions j with which it is 

 admitted that the Gothic plan chosen by the present Government did 

 comply entirely. 



