The Oxford Museum. 283 



tified the capitals with devices fresh and original. Thus, by a 

 pleasant co-operation, the building has grown up a noble monument 

 of skill and endeavour and social goodwill. We trust it may en- 

 tirely fulfil the intention of its promoters. It does not yet fulfil 

 all that we should like to see carried out in a great national 

 building, nor reach the grandeur of a Pantheon or a Glyptothek, 

 it expresses and embraces the modern element in its material. 

 Sculptors, architects, workmen, University men have done their 

 best with the sum they had at their command. The building is 

 such a building as Goethe supplied in the Wanderjahre — a great 

 quadrangle surrounded by an open arcade. Every part is signifi- 

 cative, and it only differs from the Goethean conception in this, 

 that it does not open on a flower-garden, but on an avenue of 

 trees. Occupying the great quadrangular space in the centre is a 

 museum, which is roofed with glass, and resting upon solid cast- 

 iron columns lengthening out into aisles. Along the spandrils of 

 these aisles twine and intenvine in wrought ironwork, leaves with 

 flower and fruit of chesnut or lime or symacore or walnut or palm, 

 — and in the capitals, or nestling in the trefoils of the girders, 

 leaves of elm, of briar, of water-lilly, passion-flower, ivy or holly. 

 The open arcade which runs round the quadrangle is the fairest 

 and most architectural part of the building. It consists of two 

 storeys — from the upper one the roof springs, so that both are 

 open to the court. " In each of the arcades are seven piers, forming 

 eight openings, and carrying eight discharging castles, within 

 which are tw T o lesser arches, resting on the pier, and at their 

 junction with each other is a shaft with a capital and base." 

 Taking the upper and lower floor the court is surrounded by 125 

 shafts. The number of shafts on the western or entrance side 

 being distinct from the eastern side, which is incomplete. 



The geological structure of the British rocks is prettily illustrat- 

 ed by the pillars. The Professor of Geology will tell us what to 

 see : 



["In the arrangement of the many valuable and curious exam- 

 ples of polishable stones which the liberality of our friends has 

 enabled us to bring together, we have always desired t<> employ so 

 much of system as to make these ornamental parts of the fabric 

 really and obviously useful as a part of the exhibition of natural 

 objects, Regarding the recks as of aqueous or igneous origin and 

 of unequal geological dates, we wished to exhibit these relations 

 in our building by giving to each group an appropriate place. 



