1853.] OF THE ROYAL INSTITUTION. 271 
fectly realised. The Ionic order is probably of foreign origin, and 
is decidedly a dereliction from the purity of Grecian architecture. 
Dr. Layard has found some capitals at Nineveh strongly resembling 
it; and as the Ionic order arose among the Asiatic Greeks, who 
were not so pure as their brethren in Hellas, one may reasonably 
suppose that it was really an innovation derived from a barbaric 
source. 
Turning to the arched construction, there can be little doubt 
that the arch was independently invented in several widely distant 
ages and countries. Such at least seems to have been the case in 
China, in Egypt, and in Italy. And unsuccessful attempts at its 
formation are found still more extensively, not only in the two latter 
countries, and in Grcece and Asia Minor, but also in the mysterious 
ruined cities of Central America,and in some of the primitive remains 
in Scotland described by Dr. Daniel Wilson in his ‘ Archeclogy 
-and Prehistoric Annals.’’ The arched form must be accurately 
distinguished from the arched construction, as the apparent arch 
often occurs, which has the form, round or pointed, but which is 
merely composed of overlapping stones cut into that shape, not of 
voussoirs mutually supporting one another. Numerous varieties, 
both of the apparent arch, and of attempts at constructing the real 
one, will be found in Dodwell’s Views, and in the more recent 
works of Sir Charles Fellows. And it is worth noticing that the 
pointed form seems to have been attempted quite as early, if not 
earlier, than the round. Indeed, if the first attempt, as seems not 
unlikely, took the form of overlapping stones inclining to a point, 
it would clearly be more easy to cut them away into a pointed 
than into a round shape. The complete form of the pointed arch 
is found in a gateway at Thoricos, and a very near approach to 
its construction in one at Tiryns. It would seem however that 
the attempt never quite succeeded, and that the greater apparent 
strength of the round arch drove the designs back upon that form, 
which was at last brought to perfection both in Italy and Egypt. 
Whether such was the case in Greece appears extremely doubtful. 
At all events neither in Greece nor in Egypt did the invention 
ever give birth to a truly arched architecture. The arch was 
freely used in Egypt when constructive necessities required, but it 
never entered into the system of decorative architecture, which 
was always constructed on the principle of the entablature. The 
honour of producing a system of architecture of which the arch 
should be the leading feature was reserved for Italy. Those Roman 
buildings in which decoration was not aimed at, present, in their 
square piers and round arches, all the elements of a good and con- 
sistent style of architecture. But, as a general rule, the Roman 
architects in their ornamental structures endeavoured to effect an 
union of their own system of piers and arches with the Greek 
system of columns and entablatures, producing an inharmonious 
