THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL 



39 



HARLAXTON. 



When we stated, in onr review of " Dr. Dibdin's Tour," that Mr. 

 Gregory's splendid new mansion at Harlaxton, near (iranthani, was 

 begun "by Mr. Blore, we had fallen into a mistake, which we now 

 correct. The architect originally employed, when ihc building was 

 commenced in 1832, was Mr. Salvin ; and although the execution 

 of the work has since been committed to other liands, his designs 

 liave been adhered to. Mr. Blore was called in, but only to be con- 

 sulted ; and Mr. Burn, who was afterwards engaged to complete the 

 edifice, had only to erect what remained to be done, in strict con- 

 formity with that half or portion whicli had been built by Mr. 

 Salvin; consequently, to the last-mentioned gentleman belongs 

 whatever reputation this mansion may acquire as a piece of archi- 

 tecture; and, notwithstanding that it is in a style to which, as a 

 style, we are by no means partial, we are free to confess that it is 

 infinitely more to our taste than almost any other specimen of it we 

 are acquainted with. 



The principal or entrance front — that facing the north — is, indeed, 

 a most picturesque and masterly composition, presenting a refined 

 ideal of the style, where all its "best qualities are brought out and 

 blended together, and where features, which, taken by themselves, 

 have no pretensions to grandeur or elegance, are made to c(ratribule 

 towards the richness and stateliness of the ensemble. The true feel- 

 ing of an artist manifests itself throughout every part of this lag.ide. 

 It is so perfect a picture that all onr prejudices against the style itself 

 not only are silenced before it, but serve to enhance our a(hniration. 

 when, contrary to all our preconceived ideas, we behold what may be 

 produced out of it when treated with geniality of taste. AVe shrink, 

 however, from the task of attempting to convey, by mere words, any 

 intelligible idea of so complete and varied a compositi(m as this 

 front. In description, the whole would aj)pear little better than 

 profusion and confusion ; whereas, in the design itself, notwithstand- 

 ing the great number and diversity of its features, the whole is per- 

 spicuous and harmonious. The centre compartment, flanked by two 

 turrets, and crowned by a larger one of highly decorative character, 

 jiresents itself as almost one entire mass of ornament, yet without 

 seeming in any degree crowded ; there is nothing superfluous, 

 because there is notliing that does not evidently conduce to the cha- 

 racter here aimed at. The other principal front, which is not quite 

 so lofty, being raised on a terrace occupying the depth of the 

 ground-floor on the entrance side, is that facing the west ; and here 

 the lower part, or that on the level of the terrace, is occupied 

 through the whole extent from north to south by the gallery, that is, 

 by what Dr. Dibdin describes as the drawing-room. This gallery 

 measures 97 feet by 25, exclusive of the norlhern oriel, besides 

 which there are two bays and a lobby comnnmieating with the terrace 

 on the west side. On the other side of the gallery are two fire-places, 

 one facing each of the bays just mentioned, and between them a 

 door leading into an ante-room, (25 feet square,) beyond which is 

 the dining-room, 40 feet by 25, exclusive of an additional space 37 

 feet by 1(5, and further extended by oriels, and recesses with win- 

 dows, which latter are in the turrets at the angles of the centre com- 

 partment of the north front. Behind this dining-room is a spacious 

 hall or reeeption-room (78 feet by 27, and iwo stories in height), 

 whose lofty oriel and other windows form such conspicuous and 

 characteristic features in the elevation of the south front. The \irin- 

 cipal drawing-room (.30.6 X 25) is at the west angle of this front, 

 where it f(n-ms a projecting wing, between the great hall and the 

 gallery, with the principal staircase at the rear of it. This latter 

 communicates w ith the ante-room between the gallery and dining- 

 room ; thus affording a line of upwards of a hundred feet, from the 

 tire-place in the ante-room to the south bay of the drawing-room. 



IRISH RAILWAY COMMISSION. 

 {Continued from page 15.) 



The Irish Railway Commissioners speak of the port of Havre, in 

 France, at page 6G, thus : — 



" We know that it is a question of doubt still pending whether 

 Havre, or some other place in France, or a port of tlic Britisli Empire, 

 shall henceforth become one of general resort for tlie business to 

 America for a great part of the continent of Europe, and a favouralde 

 result for our own country can oidy be obtained by the establishment 

 of facilities manifestly superior to those of Havre or other French 

 ports." 



In looking over the very few pages which the Railway Commissioners' 

 Report contains regarding the best harbour on the western shores of 

 Ireland, which should be selected as the port to communicate with 

 America, and the very few and limited observations tbcy have given as 



to the success of an intercourse by steam with the new coniinent. The 

 total want of any kind of exposition on the very extended range that 

 steam navigation across the Atlantic will naturally assume with all the 

 large commercial sea ports situated on the western shores of Europe, 

 with those on the eastern coast of America. The extremely objection- 

 able system of railways, which the Royal Commissioners have laid 

 down, to connect the three largest cities in Ireland, viz., Dublin, 

 Limerick, and Cork, shows thu the Commissioners have not been able 

 to elucidate in a full, clear, and satisfactory manner, even any one of 

 those very interesting subjects, although " My Lords have full evidence 

 from the character of the gentlemen appointed to form the commission, 

 that their labours will be conducted in a satisfactory manner." 



The position assumed by the (Commissioners as to a general port or 

 ports, either on the south or west coast of Ireland, to communicate 

 with America by steam, and to be a general port for a considerable part 

 of Europe, is not shown to be based upon any reasonable grounds for 

 such an assumption ; and in merely assuming that this will he so it has 

 been recommended by them not only to connect Dublin, Limerick, and 

 Cork, by railways, amounting to ;U0 miles, but also to make a new 

 railway "through Wales, not less than 140 miles long, and which will 

 cost more than ten million sterling. 



The Commissioners' report strongly recommends that the Govern- 

 ment should make no less than 45() miles of railway, or nearly double 

 the length from London to Liverpool* for the principal object of 

 endeavouring to make Cork, as they state, the general point or port m 

 Europe for communicating by steam with America. I am thoroughly 

 convinced that when the British parliament examines those magnificent 

 projects of the Royal Irish Commissioners that it ought not to advance 

 one sinjle penny towards the execution of a line of railway through 

 Wales of 140 miles in length, or to the making of 310 miles of rail- 

 way through the southern part of Ireland for the mere hazardous cliance 

 tha't one of the southern ports of Ireland might become the port ot 

 general communication by steam between Europe and America. Does 

 not reason announce that such has been the success of steaming from 

 America into Bristol and Liverpool, that no western or southern har- 

 bour in Ireland is ever likely to become, in the present condition of 

 commerce, the general port to communieate with America by steam, or 

 for any portion of the continent, Great Britain, or even Ireland hcisclf. 



From the triumphant success which has attended the voyages of the 

 Great Western and other steamers in navigating across the Atlantic 

 between Europe and America, it must be quite clear to every person 

 at all acquainted with the progress of steam navigation, that all the large 

 British ports which may have business with the states of America, to 

 .any extent, such as Bristol, Liverpool, Glasgow, London, 8;c., will all 

 have their own American steamers in the course of a short period. 

 This is fully established by the present condition of steam navigation 

 between London, Cork, Belfast, Dundee, Inverness, Hamburgh, St. 

 Petersburgb, Portugal, Malta, Egypt, &c.,&c. 



Let any one acquainted with the rapid progress of maritime steam 

 navigation during the last -25 years, read the extract at the head of this 

 article and say if it does not lead to conclusions and speculations of the 

 most absurd and ridiculous kind. To state that people in America re- 

 ti: 



to arrive at an Insli port in pr 



carries its own refutation. I can venture to tell the Government of 

 this country, the Royal Irish Commission, as well as those who are 

 concocting this very extraordinary job, that France will have her own 

 steam vessels for American intercourse as well as Britain. France is 

 too powerful, too great, too maritime, too commercial, and too ambitious, 

 not to avail herself of all those advantages which steam intercourse witli_ 

 America will confer and offers to other nations. The noble harbour of 

 Brest lies nearly under the sanre longitude as Falmouth, and is niuch 

 more westerly than Bristol, Liverpool, or indeed any port in England 

 e.\cept the first, and a steamer sailing from Brest only requires 1-2 tons 

 of additional coal for a voyage to America to reacir the longitude ot 

 the most westerly harbour in Ireland, while on the other hand the 

 parallel of Brest is a much better climate than that of Ireland to navi- 

 gate from for America ; besides tlie port of Brest would be the best for 

 Central Europe to communicate by steam with America, and possess 

 many advantages in this respect over any of the southern or western 

 ports or harbours in Ireland. Even the ports of Havre and Bordeaux 

 will yet have steamers plying regularly to America. 



Looking at the immense revolution which the application ot the 

 steam en"me to navigation has so successfully achieved in all the seas 

 of Europe and North America , looking again at St. George's Channel 

 and the Irish Sea leading from the Atlantic to the port of Liverpool ; 

 to the Bristol Channel running from the main ocean to the port of 

 Bristol ; to the English Channel reaching up to near the port of London 



mosL ausuru auu iiuiciiiuiis i^iijii. a^j aimc n.wi- ^t^yj^t^ ... .»...^..^«. ... 

 turning to England, France, Belgium, Germany, &c., would be desirous 

 to arrive at an Irish port in preference to an English or a French one 



• The expense ot makins the Liverpool, liirraingham, and Lonilun Hailwa.v (about 

 SIO miles long.', has Ueeo stated at ten luUlicnii sterliDg. 



