ARCHITECTURE. 



straight lines. The Romans became so 

 enamoured with them, :is to spring them 

 from the base capital of a column, which 

 is intended sold) tor perpendicular sup- 

 port^uKlnoUo counteract lateral pressure. 

 From OIK- a!>stirdii\ to anothcrmorc gross, 

 their original purity became almost ex- 

 tinct. The orders, which had already 

 become overloaded with ornament, were 

 scarcely able to support the unmeaning 

 trappings with which they were disguis- 

 ed, and their ingcnuit \ , being almost with- 

 out bounds, discovered and added traits 

 to their character not much unlike the 

 Gothic. This anarchy in the state of 

 architecture was happily relieved by an 

 interregnum of the Gothic style, which 

 branched forth its delicate limbs and 

 beautiful tracery. A short time previous 

 to the incursions of the Goths and Huns, 

 a decidedly new character appeared in 

 the art. The basilica: of all the great 

 cities of the empire were converted into 

 Christian churches, keeping up the same 

 form of rectangular parallelograms, di- 

 viding the cell into aisles by two rows of 

 columns, with arches springing from their 

 capitals to support the roof; wings were 

 added to the flanks of these buildings, 

 forming on the ground plan the Latin 

 cross, which has continued to be the mo- 

 del of mostchristian churches to this day. 



It is very certain that the declension of 

 Roman architecture began to make its 

 appearance in the reign of Constanstine, 

 shortly after his conversion to Christianity ; 

 but it does not appear that he favoured or 

 promoted this style in the foundation of 

 his city of Constantinople. 



During this period, until the sixteenth 

 century, Gothic architecture continued to 

 supplant all other styles, and during a few 

 centuries was practised throughout Eu- 

 rope. Charlemagne introduced it into 

 France, when many magnificent churches 

 were erected, which continue to be the 

 ablest specimens of the style to this day. 

 The Roman style again revived, when the 

 term Gothic was applied, in derision, by 

 the Italian school of Palladio. 



The variety offeatures it underwent, in 

 its application to church architecture, has 

 given rise to many speculations of men 

 of science and learning, as to its rise and 

 progress. One of the theories, and not 

 an improbable one, is, that, during the 

 crusade, worship was conducted in the 

 groves, and in order to procure shelter 

 ami shade, they bent the limbs of opposite 

 limbs together at the top, and bound 

 them at the intersection, thereby produc- 

 ing the pointed arch, a continuation of 



\\liifh met IKK! from tree to tree would 

 furnish a complete Gothic, irade. Thr 

 Savin and Norman Gothic, was the first 

 practised, and seems to have been con- 

 structed with considerable rcti-n -m e to 

 the Roman style of its time. The pillar. 

 massy, and consisting of several shafts, 

 cylindrical, and octagonal, supporting a 

 heavy decorated cornice, ornamented 

 with diamond net-work. The capitals 

 composed of leaves and flowers. 



One of the finest features of this style, 

 and which in many instances form tho 

 most striking ornaments of a city, is the 

 tall tapering spire ; they were first built 

 of wood by the Normans, and since with 

 as much dexterity, by their descendants 

 in stone, as in Salisbury Tower and spire, 

 being 400 feet in height. 



The most remarkable properly bo- 

 longing to the Gothic is magnitude ; as it 

 never succeeds in producing its charac- 

 teristic beauties when projected on a 

 small scale, and should always be con- 

 structed of stone or wood. 



Buildings of a public nature ought to 

 express, in the design, the uses and pur- 

 poses to which they are erected and ap- 

 propriated, so that strangers, when they 

 behold a church, bank, court-house, 

 prison, &c. may understand them to be 

 so, from some external characters, with- 

 out the aid of a painted sign or inscribed 

 tablet. 



Allegorical representations, applied to 

 architecture, is a source through which 

 we always derive pleasure and informa- 

 tion, by calling forth the taste, judgment, 

 and literary acquirements, to the inter- 

 pretation of objects in the fine and dig- 

 nified arts. In a young country like ours, 

 where its inhabitants are scattered over 

 an immense tract of territory, a great por- 

 tion of which is unsettled and uncultivat- 

 ed ; and where its only resources rc 

 drawn from agriculture and commerce, 

 distributing and equaJi/.in-^ we.tlth , it 

 cannot be reasonably expected that archi- 

 tectural works of great magnificeiv ; 

 duration should be constructed, 

 any kind of comparison with tho 

 cuted under the controul of a despotic 

 power, where materials, labour, and 

 funds, are directed by sovereignty and an 

 independent priesthood. 



The associations of men of wealth for 

 the construction of edifices of a public 

 nature, and in the establishment < 

 t-.itions for the promotion of the line art* 

 a:ul sciences, are highly honourable t f > tho 

 taste and libcraliu of ' 

 racter : and it is cntin o such 



objects and exertions, that we can trace 



