428 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[November, 



clmivli <i('S(. Mary RLHlcliffe, to Dr. Nutliaiiiel Bridges. This hitter 

 was put u|i by subscription in 1S35. 



Chatterton's nionunient for whicli a ch'sign was obtained by comjie- 

 tition some time ago, is not yet (>rected. It will stand outside St. 

 Mary's Chnrch, near the north porch, the scene of the extraordinary, 

 lint, mis-spent labours of that child of song and sorrow. The church 

 of St. Mary Redclitfe, that 



Maystrie of a human hand, 



The pride of 13rystowe and the A^'esterne lande ;" 



ft most excellent specimen of the architecture of the 15th century, — is 

 sadly marred as was formerly the case with most of our old buildings, 

 by the introduction of an organ screen of pseudo-classic design, con- 

 structed at a period when pointed architecture was not understood, 

 and therefore not properly appreciated. The present excellent 

 churcliwarden Mr. William Ringer, who has fortunately a correct 

 taste in these matters, has projiosed a plan for casing this eye-sore in 

 strict accordance with the style of the church; and 1 mention it here, 

 altho\igh jjerhaps not exactly connected with the object of the present 

 letter, with the hope that by drawing attention to the circumstance on 

 the ])art of other of the influential iidiabitants of Bristol, it may assist 

 liis praiseworthy purpose. 



Among various matters in progress at Bristol, is a large Chapel for 

 the followers of Irving. It presents a well jjroportioned portico of 

 six colunnis, (from the Choragic monmnent of Lysicrates,) on a lofty 

 stylobate. It is constructed of stone from the designs of Mr. Pope, 

 but offers nothing beyond the portico calling for remark, the flank 

 walls and the interior being perfectly plain. An enormous hotel, 

 called the Great Western, has been lately built by the same architect: 

 liaving among other embellishments a range of 12 lofty Ionic columns. 



The proposed Suspension Bridge over the Avon at Clifton is in a 

 state of ])rogress, the pier to receive the suspending chains on the 

 Clifton side, is nearly completed, and of that on the opposite rock 

 where much more preparation was necessary, the foundation is brought 

 up nearly to the level of the intended roadway. If happily completed, 

 and there is no reason to apprehend otherwise, it will form one of the 

 most noble moiuunents in England of modern skill, and will add leaves 

 even to the laurels of Brunei. 



At the risk of telling an oft-told tale, I cannot avoid referring to the 

 charming little cottages at Bristol, known as Blaise Hamlet, Henbnry, 

 intended for charitable purposes. They were built as long ago as 1811, 

 by the late Mr. Nash, and are so remarkalile for picturesque beauty 

 that no architect should visit Bristol without seeing them. They are 

 ten in number, constructed of stone with tiled and thatched roofs, and 

 are enclosed so as to be cpiite cut oft' from the neighbourhood except- 

 ing through a lodge. If one wished to play at Arcadia, this is certainly 

 a spot that might be selected as the scene. 



At Bath, where several important edifices are in progress, such as 

 "Queen's College," by Mr. Wilson, and a Scientific Ins'titution, I ob- 

 served nothing more (through want of time) than that the works on the 

 Great Western Railway are proceeding with rapidity. The pointed 

 style of architecture seems to have been adopted at this portion of the 

 line in designing the bridges and buildings. 



The Church of St. Nicholas at Bath, built a few years ago by Mr. 

 Manners, is certainly a very successful modern (jothic building. The 

 spire is especially admirable, and all the details are liold and gooil. 

 The style is the early pointed, the Temple Church, London, being the 

 model in respect of the parts. Mr. Manners in his restorations 

 at the Abbey Church, where he was engaged two or three years ago, 

 used with success a colouring matter to render the new parts similar 

 in appearance to the old,— an example which in many cases might be 

 advantageously followed. 



There is a new Market-house at Wells, built as I was told, about 

 two years since by Mr. Carver of Taunton. At tlu; Cathedral, repairs 

 are being made to the wood and lead work of the roof over the choir, 

 under the direction of Mr. Wainwright of Shepton Mallet. The stone 

 work of the exterior greatly requires attention. 



Salisbury Cathedral is under repair in ])art. The magnificent 

 spire, known to be considerably out of ni>right, was plombcd a few 

 weeks ago, and found to be remaining stationary. Within-side the 

 Cathedral is a clever canopied altar-tomb, recently designed and ex- 

 ecuted in memory of the Rev. Thomas Burgess, U.D., Lord Bishop of 

 the diocese, by Mr. Osmond, a sculjjtor of Salisbury, who has paid 

 much attention successfully to Gothic architecture. 



In concluding these surface remarks it may be well to observe, 

 although perhaps almost supererogatory, that it is not to be imagined 

 because nolhiug is here said of bad taste, lack of invention, or errors 

 in construction, and no real objections are taken to any of the various 

 buildings mentioned, that none of these things are to be observed, or 



if observable, were quite out of the sight (d' the writer. Brieflv to 

 tell the truth, he went ont not to look for defects, but for appearances 

 of progress, and has been content succinctly to notice wdiat appeared 

 to iiim to be such, — welcoming the much, witliout complaining at the 

 moment that it was not more. 



I am, .Sir, yonr's, 



George Godwin, Jun. 

 Bromplon, Oclohcr 2, 1839. 



BRITISH MUSEUM.— No. III.— ETRUSCAN SCULPTURES. 

 (From The Times.) 



Among the votes of Parliament relating to the British Museum in 

 the present year, is one for 6,570/., part of which has been expended 

 in the purchase of a collection of Etruscan monumental sculptiu'es 

 i'ounil by Siguor U'Anastaci, in Tuscany, the ancient Etnu'ia. They 

 are at present placed in the grand central and in the Phigalian saloon, 

 and are well worthy of attention, as they enable us more distinctly to 

 trace, by being placed in conjunction with others within that ediKce, 

 step by step, the im]n-ovements in the art of sculpture, which perhaps 

 having had its origin in China, appears gradually, in proceeding 

 towards the west, to have been improving in its march, till it attained 

 the zenith of its perfection in the classic climes of Greece and Italy. 

 The origin of the jieople to whom these early works of humanity are 

 ascribed, has been matter of question among both the ancients and 

 moderns ; it is doubtful whether they were Pelasgians from Greece, 

 or Lydians from Asia, or a race indigenous to Italy. Herodotus says 

 they came from Lvdia, oppressed by an exuberance of popidation, and 

 were called Tyrennians, from Atys, their leader; Cicero, Strabo, and 

 Plutarch assert the same ; Count de Caylus gives them an Egyptian 

 origin, and Dempster and Bochart suppose tliat the original nucleus 

 was increased in numbers by emigrations of Pelasgic ccjionies from 

 Thessaly and Arcadia ; Maffai and Monboddo liold the same opinion ; 

 Humboldt thinks they were a connecting link between the Iberian and 

 Celtic race, and later authors have attributed their origin entirely to 

 the latter. The language which they spoke, it is certain, was dift'e- 

 rent from that of any of the nations mentioned. It has been attempted 

 to explain the inscriptions on these tombs by the aid of the Greek, 

 the Latin, and the Hebrew, but it has failed ; and lately by the Celtic ; 

 how far that has succeeded is doubtful. Niebur asserts that their 

 language had no aflinity with any known form of speech, and that this 

 is true is proved by its continuing to be spoken for many centuries 

 after their subjection by the Romans ; and it may be gathered from 

 Lucretius that books continued to be read and written in it, and Aulus 

 Gellius says it was familiar in the Augustan age. Their literature 

 presents tlie singular phenomenon of an alphabet almost entirely de- 

 ciphered, and a language unintelligible ; we think that whatever 

 attempt may be made to understand it, will fail without the discovery 

 of bilingual inscriptions, as are on the Rosetta stone; the attempts 

 that have been made without such help to read the inscriptions of 

 Persepolis and the arrow-headed language of the bricks of Babylon, 

 have been entirely unsuccessful. 



The Etruscans, in their most prosperous period, inhabited Etruvia 

 Proper and the countries aliout the Po ; the Rluetian and other Aljiine 

 tribes were of the same origin as those who occupied the territory of 

 Venetia before the building of Petavivum. Niebur, in his history of 

 Rome, savs, the name "'I'uscan" and "Etruscan" was foreign to 

 them, as also that of Tyrennian, and that they called themselves 

 Rosillani. Till the introduction of Christianity they continued to 

 instruct the Roman youth in the science of divination, and haruspices 

 of Rome were of their race. The works of their hands still remain 

 the astonishment of posterity ; the waUs of their cities were formed 

 of Cyclopean masonry, and jierhaps the largest stone ever hewn by 

 human labour is the lintel of the Theatre of Fiesule. 



The artists of antiquity availed themselves of everything capable 

 of modelling, carving, or casting, and accordingly several of the Etrus- 

 can monuments now placed in tlie Museum are made of clay liaked ; 

 sometimes different materials were intermixed in the composition for 

 the drapery or ornaments, which was called polychromic sculpture, 

 and those com])osed of a variety of marbles, polytUica. In the Nea- 

 politan Museum are some statues of the same material as those found 

 in the tombs, the size of life. Whence the Etruscans derived the 

 origin of their sculpture, (and tliat they had all sorts, Dempster, Gori, 

 an(r the Academy of Cortona have proved, Pliny also mentioning a 

 statue at Bolsena of 5U feet in height), is dillicnlt to determine ; the 

 greater part have but little allusion to Grecian st<n-y, and their style 

 is entirely ilifferent. Strabo has a passage in which he notices the 

 resemblaiice between the works of the Egyptians and the Etruscaus or 



