20-1 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[Al'GUT,S 



tlial all else sliDiilil be merely accessory to that main object. The artist has 

 therefore so comiiosed this design, as that the eye shall almost involuntarily 

 fix itself at once u|ion the statue ; auil he has enilcavmu'cd to rcjiresent the 

 hero in that calm and dignilied attitude, which appears to be best fitted for 

 a nionunient.ll structure. 



Tu denote his country, a group of statues representing Britamiia exultingly 

 rising from the waves, supported by Freedom and Order, is pljiced in front ; 

 to mark the scenes of his triumphs, (he Allantic with the Tagus and the GnU 

 of TBolhnia, and the Mediterranean with the Nile ami the Tiber, enrich eitlier 

 side; and, especially to point out that deep sense which lie enlerlained. of 

 having been raised by Providence to scourge and to subdue the enemies of 

 his country and of social order, the Fates are represented as weaving tlie 

 tissued thread of his career. 'JTie plintli course is proposed to be decorated 

 with bassi-relievi of his achievements, 



MonF.L No. 51, Fic/iard Kelsei/ mid Samuel AV,ron. — It appearing to be 

 very desirable that the mommient, and its accessories, should be made to 

 ajipear a eoniponcnt part of the original design for the National Gallery ; in 

 tlie general an-angement of the whole area, this olijcct is kept in view, and it 

 is proposed that the gi'oiind should be excavated to the jioint of lowest level, 

 that the retaining wall on the north siile should form one terrace line, and 

 the centre he occupied by a wide ascent, or scala regia to the National 

 Gallery. 



It is suggested that the stejis should be bonndeil ou either side, by a tier 

 of colossal lions only, or of monuments to distinguished nava! commanders, 

 in which colossal lions should bear a prominent jiart ; and it is anticipated 

 that such ail avenue would not only, in itself, be magnificent, but lead the 

 eye gradually forward to rest upon the portico of the Gallery, and liring it 

 into the picture. It is proposed that in the centre of this avenue, an enlarged, 

 hilt exact model of Ponipey's Pillfir at Alexandria, should be erected; that 

 the statue of Nelson should be placed in front of it, so as to be distinctly 

 visible; tliat his achievements and those of his brother officers should be 

 sculptured in l)asso relievo upon the sub-plinths which support the column ; 

 that the pillar should be surmounted cither by a Victoi'y or a Britannia ; and 

 that the whole .should be made to form one majestic trophy, in that style of 

 simple grandeur which best accords vritli the character of all great men. 



It is conceiveil that not only do the sinipUcity of its composition, the 

 gi'accfulness of its jiroportion, and the artist-like breadth of its foliage, render 

 it peculiarly applicable for such a purjiose ; but that the circuiustances of his 

 first great victory having been achieved almost at its very foot, of his title 

 heing inchssolubly united with Egypt, of the familiar acquaintance which 

 mariners of all European nations have with it, and of the facility with which 

 they miglit recognize and hail it as an old friend ; appear to jioint it out as 

 more appropriate for a memorial of " Nelson of the Nile," (ban any other 

 example of ancient art, or any column composed liy a modern architect coidd 

 possibly be. 



Designs Nos. 57 and CO, Walter L. li. Grntirillc. — The triumphal cohinni 

 1 propose as a memorial to Nelson is of the Corinthian order, after the an- 

 cient remains of the Temple of Jujyiler Stator at Konie, w Inch I'alladio con- 

 sidered to be superior to any work he had ever seen, and anterior to the 

 temple of Mars Vllor. It rises on a sub-basement to tlie height of 218 feet, 

 including the statue.^ 



The entire .shaft is of cast-iron, cumposed of 26 courses of a proper thick- 

 ness, and 111 fl, 3 in, high. It rests on a square pidtstal, the die of whicli 

 is 23 feet wide and Ifl feet high; and this again upon an ocl.igonal sub-base- 

 ment, lU feet above the ground, covering an area of nearly 32.000 square feet. 

 The base of the shaft and the capita] are cast in brass. The former is 6 it in. 

 high, the latter, M ft, 9 in. From the lop of the capital, a round pedestal 

 15 feet high, made of cast-iron, and ornamented ivith brass festoons, supports 

 the statue of Britannia Tonnns standing on a gluije, hurling the thunder-ljults 

 as emblems of naval power w ilh her right hand, and holding in her left hand 

 the sceptre of the sea. This figure, typical of ihe pre-eminence of Great 

 Britain on the ocean, has been deemeil a more appropriate termination to a 

 lofty column raised to the glory of the first naval commander ihat ever li\ed, 

 than the statue of the hero himself, whose lineaments could not be perceived 

 at such an elevation. It was consequently sulistituted for the litter. It will 

 be 25 feet high, and it is proposed to make it of cast-iron gilt, or of yellow 

 bronze, like some of the most recent monuments eructei! on the continent. 



The pedestal of the column, 36 feet in height, is of masonry and solid stone, 

 cased in by statuary marble; of the latter material are the four sides of the 

 die, at the angles of w hicli four colossal cariatids, in marble, stand to support 

 the massive cornice ami ornaments of the pedestal. They represent, liy 

 appropriate emlilems, the figiu'es of Spain and Denmark weeiiing over the 

 defeat of their navies, and of the genius of Cape .St, Vincent and of the N i le, 

 as witnesses of the two great naval fights bearing tIio,se names. Resting on 

 each angle of the cornice of the pedestal is an ancient rostrum, to gi\e 

 character to this great naval column, and rich hanging festoims link the (cnir 

 rostra together ; all which ornaments are to 1 e of lirass. On the south t;ice 

 ct the die the hero himself, seated in the triumphal chair of slate, holding 

 the Iruncheon of command, and having just receiveil from his country the 

 imperishable laurel. oceu])ies the centre. He is clad in classical cosuune.aiul 

 by the well-known lineaments of bis countenance, caretullv preserved tjy the 

 scidptor, and placed vvithin roach of the eye, will remind tlie belmlder of the 

 cherished ol)ject of ibis monument, (Ju ihe broad plinth of Ihe pedestal, 

 hov^'ever, and within a wie;iili supported liy Vtctories, llie name of Nelson is 

 inscribed. The east and wesi faces of ihe die will represent, in alto relievo, 

 the Ijaltles of ihe Nile and Copenhagen; while on Ihat of the north side, over 

 the entrance door, the closing scene of Nekson's immorlal career, will present 

 its naked and impressive trulli to the multitude Ihat daily passes in trout of 

 the National Gallery. The sub-basement, of an oclagunal form, is emichcd 



ttilh 2t projected blocks close to the ground, intended to serve as plinths, to 

 receive, hereafter, the statues of those naval commanders who most distin- 

 guished themselves during the last protracted war ; or short pedestals, with 

 Ihe colossal ImsIs only of such commanders, might be substituted for the 

 statues on the blocks in question, A space is left between each statue on the 

 faces of the octagon, whereon to inscrilie the name, and a short epitome of tlie 

 deeds of those commanders. In its interior, this octagonal sub-liasement 

 oilers four .spacious rooms 41 by 25 feet each, ;uid 19 feet high (besides smaller 

 aparlments for the accommodation of keepers), which being well lighted from 

 the top ]iresent an excellent oppmtnnity for forming a naval library, and 

 gallery ot pictures. The .sh.afl of cast-ircm is 13 feet 6 inches in iliameler 

 close to its liase, and under the astragal 1 1 feet i inches, A band 4 feet wide, 

 beginning at the base of Ihe shall, rises spirally to the height of 62 feet, de- 

 veloping a superficial length of 721- feet of cast-iron bas-reliefs, representing 

 the Fasti of Nelson, and those of the naval history of Great Britain connected 

 w ith his career. The figures will be 3 feet high. The llutings of tlie shaft 

 descend from below the astragal to where the spiral terminates. A light 

 geometrical staircase of wrought iron, 3 feet wide, runs all the way from the 

 ground up to a door in the round iK'destal which supports the statue. The 

 door opens into the upper part of the capital, so arranged as to form a gallery 

 for the visiter, — thus avoiding the usual unsightly appendage to insulated 

 columns of a top railing which disfigures the abacus in most of those monu- 

 ments. The staircase will consist of 365 steps of very light construelion, and 

 be lighted by lot'p-holes, or sotiphaUs.vA^neiX in ditlerent parts of the spiral 

 band as well as among the llutings. The great entrance door, at the north 

 side of the octagonal sub-basement, v\ill be seven feet high by three ieet and 

 a half wide; and will afford immediate access to the staircase, through a 

 .spacious waiting-room. 



To this description I have only to add that I have selected iron as the ma- 

 terial for my column, because it is the emblem of strength — because it may 

 be supposed to proceed from the iron cannon captured by the hero to whom 

 the column is erected— because it is not only the most abundant metal found 

 in Great Britain, but also that in the working of which the English has out- 

 stripped every other nation — lastly, because the use of iron for so gigantic a 

 structure, otters (be character of originality, and the more important quality 

 of economy. The Prussian and the French governments have felt the truth 

 of this, and wliile the former raises pyramids and obelisks in cast iron, the 

 latter is now occupied in erecting colossal fountains in the Place de lu Con- 

 corde, with the figures made of cast iron. 



Since my first proposition of a cast u'on column, objections have been started 

 against the employment of that material, on the grounds, first, of its heing of 

 an easily oxydizable nature ; second, of its being likely to be struck and 

 damaged by lightning. Tlie latter gi-oimd, I am happy to state, is considered 

 by some of the first philosophers in this oounlry, who have been considted 

 on the subject, to be purely imaginary. On the contrary, as the iron shaft 

 from its apex will be continuous down to the ground, — should the electrical 

 fluid be at all attracted by the colunui, the fluid will be transmitted, as in the 

 case of the ordinary protecting rod on the top of houses, to the earth, and 

 there dispersed in silence. As to the first ground of objection, that of the 

 easily oxydizable nature of iron, it is happily done away with Iiy the most 

 recent discoveries of chemistry. Many are the processes now in use for pro- 

 tecting the surface of iron in the most ett'eetual manner ; and without enter- 

 ing into the most scientific of these manipulations, it may lie stated that the 

 preparation employed by the Prussians in all their public monuments of cast 

 iion, has hitherto preserved them most completely. 



RECAl'lTULATIO.N OF THE SEVF.KAL MEASUKliMENTS OF THE NELSON COLUMN. 



Feet. In. 



Sub-basement 19 



Pedestal 36 



Base « 9 



Shaft Ill 3 



Capital li 9 



Meta 15 



Statue with the globe 25 



Total 217 9 



F.STIMATF. 



I was proposed to erect the foinier column for the .sum of 25,000^ ; but in 

 e(mscqueoce of Ihe increasetl (juantity of sculptured marble in the pedestal, 

 and the adililion of the .sub-basement in the present column, the sum n quired 

 will be 29,500/, 



CUMI'ARATIVF ALTITUDE OF TEN TRlUnil'U.-VL COLUMNS IN EUROPE, 

 INCLUDING THE INTENDED ONE TO NELSON, 



Feet, In. 



1. Duke of York (London) 123 6 



2. K.nrl Grey's Cidumn (Newcastle) 134 



3. Place Vendome (Paris) I3fi 



4. Alexander Column (St, Petersburg) .. 141 



5. Trajan Column (Rome) 145 



6. Col'unnede Juillet(Paris) 148 6 



7. Anionine Column (K(nne)' 150 



8. Melville Column (Kdiuburgh) 150 5 



9. City Monument (London) 202 



10. Nelson Memorial (London) 217 9 



Design No. 64, Thomas BeHamy. — The erection of a memorial to the 

 hero of Trafalgar being at length determined upon, the country will doubtless 

 ere long lie enabled to look upon a monument worthy ahke of Nelson and of 

 the arts ; and honourable to that national feeling which, after the lapse of 33 

 years, is now awakened to record imperishably liis brilliant exploitis. 



