1840.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL 



285 



ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS. 



The closing meeting of tlie Session of the Institute of British .Architects 

 was held on ilonday evening, the 13th of July. The chair was taken by the 

 President, Earl de Grey, who was supported I)y a numerous attendance of 

 the Meml)ers of the Society and their visitors. 



The proceedings of the meeting derived a ]iecnHar interest from the pre- 

 sence of Mr. Morrison, of Dublin, Vice President of the lately established 

 Institute of Irish .\rcliitects, who was announced as the representative of that 

 body ; Mr. Morrison is also a Fellow of the Institute of London, and the pre- 

 sent occasion being the first on which he had attended since his election, he 

 was admitted in due form by his Lordship, who then addressed him as fol- 

 lows : — 



Mr. Morrison, I assure you that I am extremely happy at being al)le to 

 attend here to night as President of this Society, to receive you as the repre- 

 sentative of the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland. We have the same 

 feelings and views as yourself and your colleagues : namely, to promote the 

 arts essential to the profession, and at the same time to elevate the character 

 of tlie Professors themselves. 



It will be remembered by many of those who hear me, that your Society 

 when first projected, was intended to form a brancli of our own. The word- 

 ing of our charter, or some technicality, combined with the distance by which 

 we are separated, rendered it impracticable to efiect that unioii. But though 

 we were thus forced to adopt separate names, we coincide and unite in one 

 common fecUng ; and I do not hesitate to say that by co-operation we can 

 always mutually be of service to each other. 



The utility of such an institution is I tliink obvious. The benefit resulting 

 to the profession is not confined to any particular portion of it : the juniors 

 as well as the seniors piofit by it ; for at the same time that the jimior mem- 

 bers are thereby furnished with opportunities of hearing tlie opinion, and ac- 

 quiring information from those who are of longer standing than themselves, 

 it is by no means devoid of utility to the seniors by inducing them to com- 

 municate amongst one another the result of their more extended experience. 

 The Association of the Honorary Member is not without its utility. It affords 

 to us, who were not educated for the profession, an opportunity of becoming 

 acquainted with many of the most eminent men in the various branches of it, 

 whilst, we in return, may occasionally have it in our power to assist them, 

 by afibrding a facility of meeting with persons, and assembling at places 

 which they might not otherwise have an opportunity of doing. "With this 

 feeling I accepted with readiness and pleasure the complimentary offer from 

 the Irish Institute, of electing me an honorary Fellow, and I hailed with 

 satisfaction the appointment of a very intimate friend. Lord Fitzgerald, as its 

 President. He, like myself, was not brought up to the profession withwiiich 

 he has thus been associated ; but, with the talent which he possesses, I have 

 no doubt that his friends and colleagues will derive much advantage from his 

 connection with their Society. 



I look upon this, and our sister Institute in Ireland as one ; though sepa- 

 rated by St. George's Channel, we have but one and the same object in view, 

 and are pursuing the same road for its attainment. !n my double capacity 

 therefore of member of hoth Institutes, I beg leave again to repeat the |)lea- 

 sure I experience in seeing you, Sir, (to whose exertions I believe I may say 

 our sister Society, is very mainly indebted for its present position, and whose 

 own private and professional character is so deservedly eminent.) now present 

 to take your seat amongst us, as one of our own raemliers. .Vnd I feel con- 

 fident that I express the unanimous sentiments of every one who hears me, 

 in offering to you, and through you, to the Royal Irish Institute our most 

 cordial wishes for continued prosperity. 



Mr. Morrison said, — In rising to return thanks for the kind reception I 

 have met, on the occasion of this my first visit to your Institute, and for the 

 obliging expressions which your Lordship has addressed to me, while I feel 

 that I am indebted for both to the position which I hold with relation to he 

 sister Institute in Ireland, I am not less proud of the honour done uie, or less 

 grateful for the manner in which it is conferred. 



It is, indeed, my Lord, to me a most gratif)ing circmnstance to find, that 

 the cttbrts I have made to estabUsh, on a proper footing, an Institute of 

 Architects in Ireland, are appreciated by your Lordship and by a Society such 

 as this ; and that the success wdiich has crowned my exertions is hailed by a 

 body of gentlemen so qualified to judge of its importance. It assures me, my 

 Lord, not only that the unnatural state of depression, in which for so long a 

 period the professors of our art have been placed in the sister kingdom, was 

 deplored with the sympathy of generous feeling, by our professional brethren 

 in this country, but that by those whose judgment on such a matter must 

 l)e decisive, it w'&s/eit, as it is pronounced to be, undeserved. 



I have never, my Lord, for a moment, mistaken the claims of the archi- 

 tects of Ireland, to hold the position and to participate in the honours which 

 in this and in other countries, are conceded to the instructed professors of 

 our beautiful art. In literature, in science, and in the display of poetic taste 

 and feeling, Irish genius has not been behind that of other lands, in earning 

 for itself " a station and a name ;" and in our art, which demands the union 

 of both taste and knowledge, its Irish professors, as far as opportunities have 

 been afforded them, have (I trust I may say) shewn themselves not unen- 

 dowed with the admitted talent of their country. I have, then, ever felt, 

 that it has been owing to other unhappy causes, and not to want of ability 

 amongst us, that in Ireland architectural science has been depressed, as it 



has been undervalued. The dark cloud which, from whatever cause, has 

 hung over the destinies of that country, has discouraged the eft'orts, as it has 

 depressed the spirits of her children ; but still, amidst her darkness, beatitiful 

 structures have sprung up from time to time, to testify that architectural 

 taste and ability were there, wliicli under happier auspices, would shed a 

 lustre on the land where they were protected ; and record, with enduring 

 monuments, the histoi-y of her reviving prosperity and social j)eace. 



It was with this feeling that, while I regretted the past depression in Ire- 

 land of the art I loved, and with the cultivation of which I associated the 

 brightest visions of my country's happiness. I felt encouraged, tnider the 

 awakening aspect of Irish prosperity, in making an effort to" exalt my pro- 

 fession in Ireland, liy vindicating the true dignity of its educated members. I 

 do not wish to dwell njion a subject which woidd, by implication, attach 

 discredit to those, who from their station in society, should he the natural 

 protectors of native talent ; suffice it to say, what alas ! is too well under- 

 stood, the architects of Ireland have not been valued or encouraged by the 

 wealthy and educated classes of their own countrymen ; and tiicyjiave now 

 sought to win the favour, and the respect, which have been unjustly and im- 

 wisely withheld from them, by showing that ttiey understand their own pro- 

 per merits, and that they have learaed to respect and to do justice to them- 

 selves. 



Such, my Lord, has been the origin of the Royal Institute of .Architects iu 

 Ireland, to which your noble Society has generously held out the right hand 

 of fellowship, and of frieridship ; declaring that you esteem us " as a branch 

 of your own Institute in every thing except the name." 



For myself, then, and for the Members of the Irish Institute, which has 

 Ijcen so honoured and encouraged by this approbation, allow me, my Lord, 

 to retm-n my sincere and grateful thanks. We feel, indeed, that in encour- 

 aging and promoting the success of the Irish branch of our profession, they 

 have consulted our conunon interests, by vindicating the dignity of an art, 

 which we, in common venerate ; but while their conduct towards us, has been 

 wise, as it has been generous, we are not from our sense of its prudence, on 

 that account the less grateful for its manifestations. 



To all and to each of the members of this Society, I return the respectful 

 and earnest thanks of the body over which I have the honour professionally 

 to preside. Where there are so many who have honoured us, aiul from whom 

 approval and encouragement are, indeed, so flattering, it is difiicidt to name 

 individuals to whom we would in particular, he desirous to render our ac- 

 knowledgments. I may, however, venture to mention one whose ap])robation 

 is no less valuable from his acknowledged attainments, than from his rank ; 

 and whose esteem is equally flattering, as, emanating from his goodfeehngor 

 from his good taste. I need scarcely say, I allude to the noble President of 

 this Institute, one of the first in tliis country who hailed tlie establishment 

 of the Institute of Irish Architects, and of wdiose support and patronage, ex- 

 tended to a scientific association such as ours, it may truly be said, " .iuctor 

 preciosa facit." 



To Earl de Grey then, the Vice Presidents, and the Members of the Royal 

 Institute of British .Vrchitects, I return the warmest acknowledgments I can 

 express, from myself, and from the body which 1 represent. 



Letters were read, from Mr. C. H. Smith, accompanied by a specimen of 

 white marble from .\merica, imported for the first time. — Fiom Mr. Chantrell, 

 of Leeds, on a remarkable case of decay in oak timber, and several other 

 communications from the members and correspondents of the Institute. 



Jlr. Fowler read a paper on the mode of warming and ventilating the 

 Custom House on Dr. Arnott's principle, which eUcited a well merited com- 

 pliment to Dr. .\rnott for the liberality with which he has placed his scientific 

 inventions at the disposal of the public at large. 



The noble President then congratulated the Society on the success which 

 had attended the proceedings of the session. The accession of ten Fellows, 

 nine associates, one honorary member, and two foreign members, suflicienlly 

 attested the estimation in which the Institute was held by all classes con- 

 nected with architecture. With regard especially to the interest taken in the 

 proceedings of the Institute by foreign architects, his Lordship adverted to 

 the valuable paper on Greco-Russian ecclesiastical architecture, contributed 

 to the literary funds of the Society by Herr Hallmann, which had been ac- 

 knowledged by the presentation of a medal to that gentleman. It was further 

 to be observed witli reference to the manner in which the Institute bad been 

 snppoi'ted in this respect during the session, that no lectures had been de- 

 livered in the rooms — and however desirable the delivery of lectiu-es might 

 be, in bringing before the members in a condensed form, much information 

 on subjects for the study of which they could not otherwise afford time, yet 

 it was undoubtedly to be noted as a proof of the increasing prosperity of the 

 Institute, that the influx of communications on professional subjects had been 

 such as to occupy the meetings during the whole session, and leave no oppor- 

 tunity for hearing lectures. (Jf the value of the papers read it was not ne- 

 cessary to speak, but of the advantages resulting from the mere circumstance 

 of professional men uniting together, an instance had been afforded during 

 the present evening, when in consequence of a conversation which had oc- 

 curred at a former meeting on the subject of the remarkable arch between 

 the Western towers of Lincoln Cathedral, one gentleman had produced a 

 drawing of the arch, and another, a resident at Lincoln, had explained its 

 construction ; and thus, said his Lordsliip, information is elicited and science 

 promoted. His Lordship then adverted to the volume which had been an- 

 nounced of the Transactions of the Institute. The question had sometimes 

 been put to him, " what were the Institute doing ?" The former volume of 



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