CIVIL ARCHITECTURE. 



ESS 



two lions, twea or eight fret hy h, standing upon plintht, 

 and apparently all of one block. Tbil second court i . 

 circrly 100 geometrical pace* in length, and about half 

 tKn in breadth. At the entrance of the court are other 

 two columni of white marble, decorated with dragon) 

 ia relief, and two tmall wiogi placed a little below a flat 

 aad very Urge capital. From I hit there wai passage in- 

 to a third court twice the length of the second, and a little 

 wider, by five gateways similar to the former. The gates 

 ate very thick, and covered with iron plates, which arc 

 fattened by means of rows of copper nail', with heads 

 larger than nun's fif. All these buildings are ele- 

 vated on a socl^ or plinth about the height of a man, 

 built with pieces of reddish prey marble badly polished. 

 All the courts are surrounded by low buildings, covered 

 with yellow tiles. At the termination of the third 

 court wai an edifice of moderate length, flanked with 

 two pavilions, each two stories high, encompassed by 

 gaUerie*. These are connected by wings terminated by 

 two pavilions similar to the former. The lower story of 

 this edifice is raised on a platform of brick about 35 

 feet high, crowned with a parapet with small inclosures. 

 The base of the platform, to within six feet of the lower 

 story, is built with marble ; its lowest part is pierced 

 with vaulted apertures, hut by gates similar to those al- 

 ready described, only that the brass nails and fastenings 

 are gilt. Having passed these three courts, a fourth, 

 of about 80 geometrical paces squire, is entered : this 

 is encompassed by galleries occasionally intercepted by 

 small open saloons, opposite to which are staircases 

 with balustrades of white marble. This court is inter- 

 sected by a small canal, lined with white marble, and 

 Having marble balusters along its edges : there are four 

 or fire bridges over this canal, each of a single arch of 

 white marble, decorated with mouldings and has reliefs. 

 At the extremity of the court is a magnificent saloon, 

 approached by three staircases similar to those already 

 described. In a fifth court, of dimensions and shape 

 similar to the last, is a square perron of three stories, 

 and at each story encompassed by a white marble balu- 

 strade, the height is about 18 feet : It is built on a socle 

 er plinth of coarser marble, about six feet in height ; the 

 ascent is by three staircases, the middle one of which is the 

 most considerable. Eight bronze vases, about seven feet 

 bigh, adorn the summit of this perron. At its base, near 

 the principal staircase, are two enormous figures of lions 

 in bronze ; this edifice stands opposite a magnificent hall. 

 From hence passed through two other courts differing 

 Itlle from the last j and from thence through a door on 

 the right into an eighth court, about 200 paces in 

 length ; at the end of this, a large open hall on the left ; 

 and from thence into a ninth court, rather smaller than 

 the last ; at the extremity of this, there was an edifice of 

 an oblong form, of two sturies high, like the former, a 

 sort of causeway raised sis or seven feet, paved with 

 Marble, and protected by a balustrade of the same ma- 

 terial, led to the edifice which contained the emperor's 

 apartment. 



W. Chambers states, that the Chinese do not dis- 

 Mnguiih thrir places of worship by any particular form. 

 Thus, the Ting or Tong enters intu all sorts of build- 

 mfi, in almost all temples, all palaces, over gates of ci- 

 ties, and in every place where a display of magnificence 



nded. In temples, three sorts are met with, and a 

 fourth in most garden*. 



The Ting of the pagoda of Cochin China is raised on 



!, and approached by three flights of steps; 



the plan is square, encojnptwed by 24 columns, which 



support a roof which has a balustrade* to protect a gal- r. 

 lery quite round the building. The upper story is of *~**\~^* 

 the tame form and dimensions, having dragons at tin- 

 angles of its rev.! ; tin- lin-.uhli, including the columns, 

 .jii.il to the height ; the body of the building occu- 

 pies two thirds of this space ; the height ui tl 

 t , ni thirds of the breadth of the body; the height of 

 the second story is two-thirds of the first ; the columns 

 are nine diameters high, the bases two diameters ; the 

 beams and consols, which occupy the place of a capital, 

 are one diameter ; the entrelas, or frieze, under the first 

 roof, is alo one diameter in height. 



The second sort of Ting differs only from the former Second 

 by its upper story having neither gallery nor balustrade, <>" of 

 and in the covering- of the colonnade, being brought close l'' n fr 

 against the wall. 



In the third sort, the lower story is also nearly the Third tort, 

 same ai in the first ; but in the upper story, on two 

 bides, there are advanced columns which form galleries. 

 In this Ting the lower columns are eight diameters high, 

 the base one. All the columns, with the exception of 

 those at the corners, have eight consols or brackets, 

 which form a sort of capitals ; the columns of the se- 

 cond order have their diameters about f of the lower, 

 and are about 6i diameters high. They have no bases. 

 Under the roof 13 an entrelas composed of squares and 

 circles ; the comers of the roof are ornamented with dra- 

 gons and foliage, the top with two dolphins at the end;, 

 and a flower like a tulip in the middle. 



In some instances, the building is closed in front by 

 moveable doors, and has five advanced columns ; in 

 other cases, the building is quite open in front, with four 

 columns to support the roof. la two instances in the 

 court of one of the pagodas at Canton, there are two 

 pavilions covering two iron vases, used in the sacrifices 

 of gilt paper to their idols on festival days ; they are 

 both octagonal, and have each eight colnmns supporting 

 a roof, upon which there is a lantern and other orna- 

 ments. One of these pavilions is a little elevated, and 

 surrounded by steps ; the columns stand on bases whose 

 profile differs little from that of the attic ; a frieze, with 

 inscriptions in large Chinese characters, goes round un- 

 der the roof ; the lantern, which is octagonal, has a 

 top in the form of a semi-inverse, finished with a small 

 globe surrounded by flowers. The other pavilion is 

 raised on a socle or plinth, and inclosed by an entrelas 

 of artificial stone, made of a species of potter's clay, 

 cast in wooden moulds. The pieces are fitted with so 

 much ingenuity, that the joints can scarcely be discern- 

 ed ; the columns are without bases, and under the first 

 roof is an ornament of interwoven lozenges. The lan- 

 tern has eight small columns without bases or capitals, 

 which support a conical covering, decorated with a dol- 

 phin over each column : The apex of the building con- 

 sists of a pierced ball, with a flower upon it. 



The fourth sort of Ting, found in gardens, consists Fourth 

 of twelve columns. The one in the middle of a small sort, 

 lake at Canton, stands on a basement, and is encompassed 

 by a balustrade ; the bases of the twelve columns re- 

 semble the Tuscan ; the covering which rests upon the 

 columns is crowned with a lantern ; the beads of the 

 shafts of the columns are pierced with the beams which 

 support the roof, and their extremities are decorated 

 with small grotesque heads and bells ; a frieze, orna- 

 mented with an entrelas, runs immediately under the 

 roof. Another pavilion had ten columns, with a roof 

 and lantern in form of a cone, and terminated by a ball. p LATI 

 In Plate CLV. will be found elevations of two of these CLV. 



