218 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[Junk, 



No. 1210, " Design for a public building fit Rugby," T.L. Donald- 

 son, is clever both as a drawing, and as a specimen of the style 

 adopted, namely tlie Tudor. No. ll!50, " The office of the Monmouth- 

 shire Merlin, now erecting at Kewport, Monmouthshire," E. 13. Lamb, 

 is a design of more than ordiutiry merit — a veiy happv and tasteful 

 application of the better Italian style ; and although sober in point 

 of decoration, picjuant and rich in cft'ect, the style being treated 

 willi great ability and feeling. It is indeed very much superior to 

 any thing of the kind, or we may say to any thing on the same scale 

 in the metropolis. Nearly the same may be said of No. 1122, 

 "Design for a Chapel proposed to be erected at Buxton," by the 

 same architect, which although very dilTerent in style, the facade 

 consisting of a Grecian Ionic portico, is stamped by considerable 

 originality, and by a freedom and spirit both in the general ideas 

 and details, which our builders of porticoes would do well to en- 

 deavour to emulate, instead of hashing up the prints of Stuart's 

 Athens till we absolutely nauseate them. Instead of the usual 

 string of columns before a wall, we have here depth of portico and 

 inner columns, which occasion a variety in the perspective appear- 

 ance of the most delightful kind. This and the other design are 

 two of the redeeming points in the exhibition; nor is it the least 

 of their merit that tliey prove how much may be accomplished within 

 a very moderate compass. 



Donaldson, Lamb, Fowler, and Kendall, are the only members of 

 the Institute, we believe, who have contributed towards the present 

 exhibition. The Professor of Architecture himself has not sent a 

 single drawing. Of the other two architect-academicians, Sir R. 

 Smirke takes care to keep safe out of the way of criticism by never 

 sending any thing, and had Sir J. Wyatville (his year followed his 

 example, neither he nor any one else would have" been very great 

 losers, for his three drawings of parts of Windsor Castle, do not 

 excite any great expectations with regard to the publication, for 

 which we are informed they are intended. By Gandy there is not 

 even a single di-awing, though he has almost invariably exhibited 

 one or more every season \mtil now. We hope that 1840 will, if it 

 should not prove more prolific than poor I83'J has done, for in regard 

 to number there are enough or more than enough of things hung 

 upon the walls— produce more that is of higher qualitv. AVe 

 hope to see the same proportion of good and bad, only quite reversed, 

 the bad bearing the same ratio to the good, that the good now does 

 to the bad ; and with this wish for its better success, we take our 

 leave of the exliibition. 



THE ROYAL EXCHANGE. 



Sir, — As there is no reason to suppose that the dispute between the 

 Government and the Gresham Committee arose from a desire in 

 either party to secure the patronage for anotlicr job, it is fair to con- 

 clude tliat both parties were desirous that the New Royal Exchange 

 should be built in a style worthy of the olijcct, particularly as the 

 Gresham Committee are merely trustees, and tlie public are to be taxed 

 to the amount of ±'150,000 for' the approaches. 



It seems that the committee of the House of Commons either 

 omitted to make their intentions clear, or the Act of Parliament was 

 not quite so iirtelligible as an Act ot Parliament ought to be. But ther-e 

 is an end to the dispute, and the Gresham Committee have invited 

 architects who wish to compete for the design to pay them one pound 

 for their instructions. The sum is paltr-y, and no reasonable excuse 

 can be made for the exaction. It has bcerr the practice vvitli 

 auctioneers, when aboirt to sell property which has excited pirblic 

 crrriosity, to sell their catalogues, as a tax on the cruiosity of those who 

 Irad rro intention of purchasing. But no such restriction could be 

 reipiired in this case, because they might have reqrrired the name and 

 addre-:s of the parties applying for the instructions ; aird it would be 

 but an act of justice to return the pound to the unsuccessful competitors. 

 As I have borne my share in competitions, and do not mean to compete 

 again, I trust I shall be excirsed for inviting those who mav, to take the 

 proper precautions, before it is too late, to secure them a fair and com- 

 petent tribirnal. Conditions were sold by the Government, and broke, 

 which I have proved in my letter to Lord Duncarrnon ; designs for the 

 Post-office have been selected for premiums, arrd afterwards rejected, 

 and another design adopted, bearing a strong resemblarrce to one of the 

 designs to which no premium was awarded, which I have made known 

 in my letter to Lord Melbourne; and the tr-ansactions relative to the 

 Nelson Testimonial have placed tlrree talerrted artists in the disagreeable 

 position of receiving premirrms out of a sirbscription for designs which 

 have been pronounced useless. 



Of what use, then, would the most explicit instructions be, or the 

 most peremptory conditions as to modes of drawing — points of per- 

 spective and uniformity of scale, if they should be disregarded by the 

 judges. To i)revent this evil, I would respectfully suggestthnt the com- 



petitors appoint by ballot one judge, the Gresham Committee another', 

 and the city of London a third. The designs should all be exhibited 

 to public view ; the three jirdges should afterwards select tlirce designs, 

 to be referred to a person appoirrted by the Crown, whose opinion 

 should be fiiral. 



A more pirblic exhibition would not protect the competitors against 

 favouritism and partiality. As it is possible that the public pre-s might 

 be misled by the opinions of those to whom their ar-cbilectural department 

 may be cimfidcd, of whose names we should be ignorant, and conse- 

 quently incapable of knowing the degree 'if credit to which their opiirions 

 are entitled. 



Dr. Johnson, in exposing the Blackfriars Bridge job, which had, 

 under the pretence of a prefer'ence to an elliptic arch, Uecn made the 

 means of irrtroducing a favourite, makes the following observations : — 



" Those who are acquainted with the mathematical ]irirrciplos of 

 architecture are not many, and yet fewer ai'e they who will upon an)' 

 single occasion eridui'e any laborious stretch of thought, or harrass their 

 minds with •nacciistomed investigations. * ' If in opposition to 

 the ar'gnments, and fn defiance at once of right reason arrd general 

 authority, a design should at last be chosen, what will the wor'ld be- 

 lieve tirarr that some other motive than reason influenced the determi- 

 nation. *" • He that in the list of the committee chosen reads many 

 of the most illustiions names of this great city, will hope that the 

 greater number will have more reverence for the opinion of postei'ity 

 than to disgrace themselves and the metropolis of the kiirgdom in com- 

 pliance with any man, who aspires to dictate, perhaps without any 

 claim to such sirperiority, either by greatness of birth, dignity of em- 

 ployment, extent of knowledge, or largeness of fortune. In questions of 

 general concern there is no law of govei-nment or rule of decency that 

 forbids open examination and public discussion." 



This was Johnson's opinion, drawn from facts ; may not the Gres- 

 ham Committee fall into the error which he exposed ? 



THOMAS HOPPER, 



40, Conuaught Terrace. 



PUBLIC STATUES IN THE METROPOLIS. 



Nothing perhaps can be a greater ornament to a city, or a higher 

 pr'oof of the glory of a country, than to see in its streets testimonials 

 of the great men who have immortalised their own geirius and shed a 

 lustre on their native land. Like benevolence, the performance of 

 this noble duty brings its own pleasure along with it, and we can 

 never regret the expense of what is an object of beauty in our eyes 

 and a source of gi'atification to our minds. The weak may feel a 

 consolation for their inactivity when they see that Sparta has so 

 many better men than they, and those of exalted genius, although 

 they want not this excitement, may see that they will not fail in 

 their reward. The placing of these nremorials in localities with 

 which the living heroes have been connected gives a greater interest 

 to the work, and invests the scene with a visible classicalily. No' 

 place than London has been more negligent of this, and there 

 are none which has possessed more men kno« n to fame, more time- 

 hallowed sites, or more native genius. 



Just to give an idea of what might be done in this way, I will 

 imagine the grand liire of road from London to Westminster Br'idges, 

 the viii sacra of London, laid out in this way. On approaching the 

 foot of London Bi-idge, llie foreigner, entering London by that grand 

 entrance, should be reminded that he stood on sacred ground. Near 

 the Dover-r-oad should be a group of Beaumont and Fletcher-, with 

 their arms inteidaced. and arr iusci-iption '' To the Twins of Eliza- 

 bethan Dramatic Literature, which flourished near this site. Francis 

 Beaumont, born — , died I6I5, and buried in Westminster Abbey, and 

 John Fletcher, bor-n in London, loiTf), died 11325, and buried in St. 

 Saviour's." Passing near the site of the Globe and Bankside Theatres, 

 and of St. Saviour's, where Gowei', Massingei-, and Fletcher lie 

 interred, the spectator would be on the spot where (according to tra- 

 dition) the bard held horses, a statue of Shakspere near the scene 

 of his greatest triumphs, with the inscriptioir " To William Shaks- 

 pere, the Prince of Dramatic Poets, born at Stratfor-d-on-Avon, died 

 lliKi." On crossing thcbridge, at the junction of Gr'accchur-ch-street 

 with King William-street (although it should have been whcr-e the 

 pr-oposed statue of the Duke of V\ ellinglon is to stand), near' Lombard- 

 slr'cet, the phu'c of Iris birth. Pope, with the inscription, "To Alex- 

 ander Pope, the Prince of Translators ; born in London, 1088, and died 

 there, 17-14. '' At St. Martin's-le-Grand, near Bread- street, the place 

 of his birth, and leading to Bartholomew-close and Cripplcgate, 

 where imich of his life was passed, Milton: " To John Milton, the 

 Prince of the Modern Epic Poets ; born 1 608, in London, and died lliere 

 Iii7-1, and buried in St. Giles, Cripplegate." At the Ludgate-hill 

 end of St. Paul's, "To Sir Christopher Wren ; he found London in 

 ashes, and raised it to immortal fame. Spectator, look about and see 



