ARCHITECTURE. 



21 



by a sorrowing population, is about to embark 

 for Europe. Then, the ' ; last scene of all," ac- 

 complishing his " strange eventful history," we 

 see him on his death-bed, attended only by a 

 nun and some priests, who administer to him 

 the consolations of religion. His son stands be- 

 side him. In the thickness of the door itself 

 niches are formed at certain intervals, and in 

 these are small whole-length figures of the great 

 contemporaries of Columbus kings, statesmen, 

 ecclesiastics, and warriors. In the centre, close 

 to each other, are two such lines of niches, 

 while on both sides a single row of figures, one 

 above the other, fills up the intermediate space 

 between the outer edge of the panels and the 

 door post. The large bosses, so often seen on 

 doors, are here the heads of those historians 

 who have written on the discovery of Ameri- 

 ca. The ornaments below each niche are heads 

 of animals indigenous to the country, with fruits 

 and flowers entwined. 



In London, a new building for the Interna- 

 tional Exhibition of 1862, is being hurried to 

 completion. From the published view, archi- 

 tecturally, it cannot be considered a success ; 

 but the immensity of the space occupied, and 

 the dimensions of some particular parts of the 

 buildings, may produce an effect which cannot 

 be even suggested by a drawing. 



The following statistics are from the official 

 account : 



The buildings cover in the whole more than 

 26 acres. The principal picture gallery, which 

 is in Cromwell road, is 1,150 feet long, 50 feet 

 wide, and 50 feet high above the ground-floor ; 

 being about as long as the gallery at the Louvre 

 in Paris. The construction of this is of brick- 

 work. The walls are lined with wood, and pic- 

 tures may be hung, if desired, to a height of 30 

 feet. The entrance to this gallery is through 

 three very large recessed arcades, each 20 feet 

 wide, and 50 feet high. The visitor enters a 

 vestibule and hall, 150 feet long, and together 

 110 feet wide, which leads to the Industrial 

 Halls and Galleries; whilst two flights of steps, 

 20 feet wide, lead on either side up to the pic- 

 ture galleries. The auxiliary picture galleries 

 are 25 feet wide, and about 30 feet high, and 

 jointly, 1,200 feet long. 



The industrial buildings, constructed chiefly 

 of iron, timber, and glass, consist of the follow- 

 ing parts : two dnoieeagonal domes, which 

 will be 160 feet in diameter, and 250 feet high, 

 the largest of ancient and modern times. 

 The dome of the Pantheon is 142 feet in diam- 

 eter, and 70 feet high ; the dome in the Baths 

 of Caraealla was 111 feet ; Brunelleschi's, at 

 Florence, is 139 feet in diameter, and 133 feet 

 high; the dome of St. Peter's is 158 feet in 

 diameter, and 263 feet high from the external 

 plinth; the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral is 112 

 feet in diameter, and 215 feet high. The domes 

 will be of glass, with an outer and inner gallery. 

 The vista from dome to dome, through the 

 nave, is 1,070 feet. Each of the domes springs 

 from the intersections of the nave with, the two 



transepts. The nave and transepts are 100 feet 

 high, and 85 feet wide ; the nave is 800 feet 

 long, and the transepts are each about 635 feet 

 long, including the domes. They are lighted on 

 both sides by clerestory windows, 25 feet high. 



At 25 feet from the ground, a gallery runs 

 at each side of the nave and transepts. There 

 is more than a mile and a half of upper galle- 

 ries, some 50 feet, and some 25 feet wide ; two 

 courts, each 250 feet by 86 feet; two courts, 

 each 250 feet by 200 feet ; two central courts, 

 that at the north, 150 feet by 86 ; that at the 

 south, 150 feet by 150 feet. All these glass 

 courts are 50 feet high, and lighted from above. 

 The entrances to the industrial buildings are 

 constructed in brick, and each entrance is 55 

 feet wide. The iron castings are estimated to 

 weigh nearly 4,000 tons ; the wronght-iron 

 used chiefly in the great domes, and for the 

 roofs, about 1,200 tons. 



For the top lighting of the galleries, 45,000 

 feet superficial of frames and glass are in prepa- 

 ration. For the clerestory lights of the nave 

 and transepts, nearly a mile length of frames, 

 25 feet high, is preparing ; and for the courts, 

 upwards of 30 miles of sash-bars and glass. 



The roofs are covered with slates for the 

 great picture galleries, and elsewhere with felt, 

 except in parts, to show how ornamental roofing 

 may be hereafter applied. The contract is of a 

 threefold character : for the use and waste of 

 the buildings, a sum of 200,000?. is to be paid 

 absolutely ; if the receipts exceed 400,000?., 

 then the contractors are to take up to a further 

 sum of 100.000?. ; and if this sum is fully paid, 

 then the centre acre of the great picture galle- 

 ries is to be left as the property of the Society 

 of Arts, who will pay the "1851" Commis- 

 sioners a ground-rent calculated at the rate of 

 2-407. per acre, per annum. Lastly, the con- 

 tractors are bound to sell, absolutely, the re- 

 maining rights over the buildings, for a fur- 

 ther sum of 130,000?., which may possibly be 

 paid by the surplus receipts of the Exhibition, 

 if the success be great. 



Comparing the extent of the present building 

 with that of 1851, the latter occupied nearly 

 23 acres; that now erecting covers a little over 

 26. The flooring space in 1851 was jast short 

 of a million feet. In the new building there 

 will be 1,140,000 ; but as it is intended to ex- 

 hibit machinery and agricultural implements 

 in a wing especially built for the purpose, prac- 

 tically there will be some 500,000 feet of floor- 

 ing more in 1862, than in 1851. The greatest 

 height in 1851 was 160 feet, and the main nave 

 60 feet high by 72 wide. The greatest height 

 of the new building will be 260 feet, and the 

 nave 85 feet wide and 100 feet high. The total 

 length of the first exhibition building was 1,800 

 feet by 400 wide. The present one, 1,200 long 

 by 700 broad, exclusive of the space set aside 

 for the display of agricultural implements, which 

 is, in rough numbers, 1,000 feet long by 220 

 broad. 



ARIZONA. (See TERBITOBIES.) 



