1839.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



173 



equivalent to saying that the other terms — at least such of them as 

 occur, are brought in, not because at all called for by the professed 

 object of the book, but merely to swell it out, and to induce persons, 

 upon a liasty inspection of it to imagine that it is far more copious and 

 complete tlian its title gives it credit for being. 



Wliat, liowevcr, I most strongly protest against is the disingenous 

 and even trumpery artifice, for I can give it no better name, of pre- 

 tending to give tlie corresponding terms in otlier languages, but in- 

 variably omitting them in the case of strictly technical words, wliose 

 meanings are seldom to be ascertained from consulting French, Italian, 

 or otlier dictionaries ; whereas had they been uniformly introduced, 

 and also indexed, so that tlicir English meanings might be instantly 

 ascertained, the Dictionary would liave been really useful for reference ; 

 even in reading foreign architectural books. What is not the least 

 surprising is that these omissions extend even to such terms as belong 

 peculiarly to Gothic architecture, for instance, " corbel," " hood- 

 moulding," " mullion," "pendant," "spandrel," "transom," "tra- 

 cery," in fact to almost all the terms of that class, although more es- 

 pecially required, because for the foreign ones which answer to them, 

 it is almost useless to look in dictionaiics. I lately met with the 

 German terms " Dobel," " Glaspfalz," and several olliers (of which I 

 may at some other time, perhaps, send j'ou a list, as some of your 

 correspondents may possibly be able to explain them) they evidently 

 refer to parts of Gotiiic windows, but what may be their precise mean- 

 ing I cannot say, nor does Britton's Dictionary afford me the slightest 

 clue, for in vain have I there referred to all the English terms, with 

 which the ones above-mentioned are at all likely to correspond. 



On the other hand, of what use is it, I ask, to give the Fiencli, Italian, 

 &c., of such general terms as " architect,"' " house," and a hundred 

 others, which the commonest dictionaries supply, and forwhich no man, 

 who at all understands the language in which they occur, can have 

 occasion to refer to a dictionary at all. The truth is all that Mr. 

 Britton has done in this respect amounts to more than idle, and I may 

 add, exceedingly silly parade, since nearly all the foreign words arc more or 

 less disfigured by blunders that convict Mr. Brittou ; of being utterly 

 ignorant of the languages themselves, some of these blunders may be 

 errors of the press, but then it is evident that he was unable to detect 

 them, because an author's attention is always more particularly directed to 

 such matters as foreign words or quotations, it being there that com- 

 positors are most likely to make mistakes. In addition to blunders of 

 the above kind, which are so numerous, as to be on that account alone quite 

 disgraceful, there are others which prove more completely that he com- 

 piled without the least understanding what he was copying. Should 

 he ever have any German or French readers how will they stare ac 

 finding " raum," and " chambre," given as the words respectively 

 answering to our English one of room. A Frenchman would, 1 

 conceive, more frequently than not employ the term " piece ; " cer- 

 tainly in speaking of a building architecturally, while if a German were 

 to make use of the term " raum," he would not be understood at all. 

 The above is far from being a solitary instance of the kind, but it will 

 serve to show what reliance is to be put upon a dictionary, the com- 

 piler of which speaks, in his preface, so ' d'haut en has' of other works, 

 of which he has, nevertheless, availed himself so largely, that to them 

 he is indebted for almost all that is of any value in it. 



Aegus. 



ROYAL EXCHANGE. 



" The Joint Gresham Committee beg to inform Architects who arc desiroud 

 of submiUlng Designs for the intended Royal Exchange, that they may obtain a 

 J.ilhographic Plan of the intended Site, with other particulars, upon payment 

 of one piiunri, at the office of the Surveyor to the Committee, Mercers' Hall, 

 London." 



A very great delay has certainly taken place asoto the progress of 

 the Exchang-e itself, but the several committees, in their laudable 

 anxiety to keep the public amused, have either by themselves or their 

 frie ids, appropriated the site to a temporary shrine of Pasquin. 

 Lately, some wag ainuscd himself with a caricature representing the 

 site to be let, imtil wanted, for a Royal Exchange; but now we are 

 in<lebted to thejoint Gresham Committee for a much better burlesque. 



At the head of our article will be found the announcement on wbat 

 terms architects can obtain the necessary information; and tint for 

 the modest disbursement of a sovereign, they can have a lilhograplied 

 jilan of the site, and the printed particulars. The modesty of tbrse 

 terms cannot be sufficiently lauded, for we doubt if even any priut- 

 seller could have contemplatetl such profits of more than cent, 

 per cent. At any rate, tor 50/. a thiusand copies of the plan 

 might have been struck oil", and as many of the proposals ; and 

 supposing all these to have been applied for,' still it would have made 

 but 50^. The Greshara Coin mittee, however, " a poor but honest man, 



my Lord" could not alf ud the expenditure of such a ."sum, ami still less 

 could it resist the temptation of pocketing the dilierence from the 

 two or three hundred competitor-. 



The paltry tueaunf ss of such a shabby imposition is as conteiuptihln 

 as it is dishonest, and it is equally a gross di reliction of pubhc duty, 

 and an nifencc agaii.st the conventional laws of common courtesy. Do 

 not tliemcmliers of the Gresham Coriiniittee know, that instead of con- 

 ferring a fivour that they are certainly entailing- a heavy expense 

 upon ninctv-nine out of a hundred competitors? or can they consider 

 thetnselves as acting with common justice towardsi persons who are 

 already exposed to a heavy outlay? Many indivirhial architects will 

 lie put to a much greater expense than the Gresham Committee merely 

 ill preparing their drawings, inilepciidcntly of the loss of tiioi. conse- 

 quent upon thc-ir attention to them. There are sacrifices iii.ide it is 

 true lor a personal object, but still as certainly ciuiducivc to public 

 advantage, and alaiusr as inconteritihly productive <>l iiidiridual loss. 



The commodities supplied for this nefarious bargain are ad- 

 inirahly in keeping witli its other details, and are as remarkable for 

 their in- oiiipleteiiess as they are f jr their worthless character. There 

 are no sections of the streets or sewers in the ncig'ihonrhood, so as 

 to show the d;pth necessary to go for foundations, and no inforniation 

 as to the cotnpariuive lieiglits of the neiglibouring buihlinns, which 

 niiisl esprcise an iinpm-tant influence on the design. Tn an iu-i:hitect 

 ill the country these must be serious ioipediments, and the very fiu-ma- 

 tiun of the site is besjt with sudicieiit obstacles not to require the 

 intervention of u ore. The Globe Insurance-ofliie, houeVer new, 

 ought to come down, so as to leave ihe site unrestricted to its present 

 hag-like appearance. It may be very doublfiii also, whether th- .site 

 selected for the peispective view is positively the best, and whether it 

 might not have been preferable to have made the elevation fronting the 

 Bank the principal f'ai;ade. 



We regret to see that this print-shop is set up in a place where last of all 

 we should have expected to see it. It is inelanclioly that one of the 

 most respectable meinhers of the profession, also a Vice-President of 

 the Architectural Sucicty, should have allowed himself to he made the 

 medium in furihf ring sucli an insult and au imposition. It was his duty 

 towards the profession, so far from fostering such a job, at once to have 

 resisted it, and to have dcnoancid to the Coiniuittee such a barefaced 

 insult to his brethren. 



We think that there is a laxity in the operations of the Royal 

 In-.titute of Briiish Architects, or, taking such an interest in competi- 

 tion as they assume to do, they should have been more active with 

 regard to this edifice. Uiiiiiiig among- themselves many of the most 

 eminent aichitects of the empire, they ought to take a decided part in 

 the regulations ot cmnpetitioiis, on uhicli, by the bye, thiir last i-eport 

 is by no means satisfactory. To exercise a beneficial influence on 

 public opinion they must he more decided ; and one of the best steps 

 they could take on the occasion of a competition, would be to send a 

 deputation to the Managing Committee to eff'jct a proper arrangeinent 

 of the ni.inner and terms of competition. 



Below, we give a copy of the regulations of the Gresham Committee, 

 and at our ofTice may be seen a copy of the plan from which any mem- 

 ber of the proftssioii Is at liberty to take a tracing. It will always be our 

 endeavour to resist proceedings injurious to the profession, tVoiii what- 

 ever quuitcr they come ; Laud we call upon our readers to show an 

 equally strong opposition to an attempt at imposition so barefaced and 

 so ioiquitous. 



Sesoluiions of the Gresham Committee, as t/islruciions to the Archlteds. 



1. That architects be invited to ofFtr designs for the re-building of the 

 Royal Exctiange i i general competition, and that premiums be ottered for 

 three designs adjudged by the committee to be the best. 



2. That the lithographic plan shows the site approved of by the Lords of 

 her Majesty's Treasurv, and that a copy of such plan, with the resolutions 

 and instructions, be given, on the payment of one pound, to any architects 

 wisliing to furnish designs, on his applying at the office of the Gresham 

 Trust, Mercers' Hall. 



3. That the new building be of the Grecian, Roman, or Italian style of 

 aichitecturc having each front of stune of a hard and durable (pialily, 



4. That the desij;ns ofTered by the several candidates must .ill be drawn 

 to the same scale, \'n., ten feet to one inch and a half, exhibiting the plans 

 of each story, witii an elevation of each front, and longitudinal and transverse 

 sections toi'ether with au interior elevation. That a copy of llio lithogra- 

 phic plan be also sent by each cjnJidate, draw-n in Indian ink, to the same 

 scale as the designs, and sliowing correctly the outline of the proposed 

 buildino-, the site thereof tinted red, and of all adjacent buildings. In ludian 

 ink ; that all the drawings sent by each candidate shall be tinted with brown 

 Indian ink only, ar.d that no perspective drawings of the design shall be re- 

 ceived, except two, which shall be taken from the situations specified on tlio 

 lithographic plan to be delivered to the parties. 



