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THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



TSkptembkr, 



disinterested atl'ection; but tlie living may profit much by so noble an 

 exam|ile. Another tbing that displeases me, is the manner of the in- 

 scriptions, which frequently mistake the very design of engraving tliem, 

 and as frequently give the lie to themselves. To pore one's seTf blind 

 in guessing owt JEltrrue meiiiorite sacrum is a jest, that would make 

 Heraclitus laugh ; and yet most of them begin in that pompous taste, 

 without the least reflection that brass and marble cannot preserve 

 themselves from the tooth of time; and if mens' actions have not 

 guarded their reputations, the proudest monument would flatter in 

 vain. 



I do not say these things because I am an enemy to the custom : so 

 far from it, no one can admire it more ; but what I intend is, to place 

 every thing on its right principle, and recommend the properest means 

 for the consequence. It is certain there is not a nobler amusement in 

 the world, than a walk in Westminster Abbey, among the tombs of 

 heroes, patriots, poets, and philosophers; you are surrounded with the 

 shades of your great forefathers; you feel" the influence of their vene- 

 rable society, and grow fond of fame and virtue in the contemplation : 

 it is the finest school of morality, and the most beautiful flatterer of the 

 imagination in nature. I appeal to every man's mind that has any 

 taste for what is sublime and noble, for a witness to the pleasure he 

 experiences on this occasion ; and I dare believe he will acknowletlge, 

 that there is no entertainment so various, or so instructive. For my 

 own part, I have spent many an hour of pleasing melancholy in its 

 venerable w alks ; and have been more delighted w ith the solemn con- 

 versation of the dead, than the most sprightly sallies of the living. I 

 have examined the characters that were inscribed before me, and dis- 

 tinguished every particular virtue. The monuments of real fame, I 

 have view-ed with real respect; but the piles that wanted a character 

 to excuse them, I considered as the monuments of folly. I have wan- 

 dered with pleasure into the most gloomy recesses of this last resort 

 of grandeur, to contemplate human life, and trace mankind through all 

 the wilderness of their frailties and misfortunes, from their cradles to 

 their grave. I have reflected on the shortness of our duration here, 

 and that I was but one of the millions who had been employed in the 

 same manner, in ruminating on the trophies of mortality before me ; 

 that I must moulder to dust in the same manner, and quit' the scene to 

 a new generation, without leaving the shadow of my existence behind 

 me ; that this huge fabric, this sacred repository of fame and grandeur, 

 would only be the stage for the same performances ; would receive 

 new accessions of noble dust ; would be adorned with other sepulchres 

 of cost and magnificence ; would be crowded with successive admirers ; 

 and at last, by the unavoidable decays of time, bury the whole collec- 

 tion of antiquities in general obscurity, and be the monument of its 

 own ruin. 



Yet in spite of these sage reflections, this plain prospect of general 

 deciiy, I must own, it is a great pleasure to me to see a new statue 

 added to the last ; to see another name of glory increasing the catalo- 

 gue : it is a taste I am particularly fond of, and what I congratulate 

 the present age for encouraging so much. I am always one of the 

 first to survey a new monument, to criticise on its beauties, and point 

 out its defects. I have sometimes the pleasure of observing a beauty, 

 antl often a fault in our modern artists; and should be glad to take an 

 occasion of applauding the first, and mending the last. I would have 

 all w orks of ornament perfectly beautiful and elegant ; or else they 

 disappoint the very intent of their being. I would have all statuary-, 

 in a peculiar manner, excellent. A polite people are most distin- 

 guished as sucli, by their buildings, their statues, and their inscriptions ; 

 and I am sorry to say it, we are generally defective in all. There is 

 one noble lord amongst us indeed, who ha's taken great pains, and been 

 at vast expence, in improving our taste in one of these particulars ; 

 but I do not find so eminent an example has influenced many more to 

 an emulation of what has done him so much honour. In a word, sepul- 

 chral monuments should be always considered as the last public tribute 

 which is paid to virtue ; as a proof of our regard for noble characters; 

 and most particularly, as an excitement to others to emulate the great 

 example. In a word, I cannot look upon that which is raised over the 

 ashes of Sir Isaac Keuton in any other light: his honours were all 

 owing to his own merit ; neither is it in the power of the finest statue, 

 or the sublimest inscription, to attbrd him any addition. Had his re- 

 mains rested without a name, like Milton, or Shakespere, or Shafts- 

 bury, or Nassau, it would have been a new reproach to an ungrateful 

 ]3eople, but no injury to him. On the other hand, the utmost magni- 

 ficence of funeral honours woidd only be a credit to us, without doing 

 him any service. Having lately observed that this stately mausoleum 

 had made the entrance into the" choir irregular; it was answered, that 

 if we waited with an equal name among fhe modems to make it uni- 

 form, it would hardly be so to etemitv ; and if an inferior was to be 

 ranged with him, it would be a disadvantage to both. It is most cer- 

 tain, that there are fewr characters that approach any thing near to an 



equality, and the many vain trials that have been made for his epitaph, 

 are the highest compliment to his desert: it is a proof that language 

 was too weak to express it, and hyperbole itself too faint for the ad- 

 miration that was due to his accomplishments. 



THE KELSON MONUMENT AND TRAFALGAR SQUARE. 



The Select Committee (of the House of Commons) appointed to in- 

 quire into the Plan sanctioned by the Commissioners of the Woods 

 and Forests for laying out the vacant space in Trafalgar Square, in 

 front of the National Gallery, and wdio were empowered to report 

 their Observations, together with the Minutes of Evidence taken 

 before them, to the House, — have considered the matters to them 

 referred, and have agreed to the following Report. 



Your Committee must begin by observing, that the nature of the 

 projected works in Trafalgar Square not having come under their con- 

 sideration till after those works were begun, they found themselves in 

 a position less advantageous for the performance of the task which 

 was placed in their hands, than had the field of inquiry been com- 

 pletely disembarrassed. They endeavoured, however, to free their 

 minds from all extraneous circumstances, and only to consider what 

 would most contribute to the embellishment of that part of the town. 



They felt, that under the terms of their appointment, all that was to 

 be done within the area of Trafalgar Square came within the limits of 

 their inquiry, and that they should have ill discharged their duty to 

 the House and to the public, had they not adverted to wdiatever works 

 were designed for that situation ; a situation which is indisputably 

 one of the noblest in the metropolis ; an area which has been obtained 

 at a great cost, and the final decoration of which must have so large 

 a share in determining the character of that conspicuous part of the 

 capital. 



Your Committee will begin with adverting to the plan for laying 

 out the area itself. They find that, so long as 1837, a plan for laying 

 out Trafalgar Square was submitted to and approved by the Lords of 

 the Treasury ; but, for reasons which do not appear, was never begun. 

 In the course of April, 1840, the plans supplied by jSIr. Barry, for the 

 same object, were approved by the Woods and Forests, and are now 

 in progress. The estimate for these works amounts to £11,000, inde- 

 pendent of the pavement of the square, and of certain ornaments of 

 bronze, which, in the judgment of Mr. Barry, are desirable. The chief 

 features of Mr. Barry's plan are, the levelling of the area from front to 

 back, and the construction of a terrace 15 feet high, on the south side 

 of the street, in front of the National Gallery. The etfect of this ter- 

 race will be greatly to improve the appearance of the National Gal- 

 lery, by giving it the elevation, for the want of which it has been 

 chiefly censured. Mr. Barry, on being questioned by your Committee, 

 gave it as his opinion that the appearance of the National Gallery- 

 might be further improved, by continuing the order of pilasters 

 through the whole length of the front, and relieving the baldness of 

 the cupola, by encircling itw'ith pillars, and giving it a bolder cornice; 

 which additions, he is of opinion, the existing walls would be capable 

 of supporting. 



Your Committee having satisfied themselves that Mr. Barry's 

 plan for laying out the ground in front of the National Gallery was, 

 under all the circumstances of fhe case, well adapted to reconcile the 

 various ditliculties of the spot and attain the desired end, proceeded 

 to inquire what effect the column which is about to be raised by the 

 Nelson Committee in the centre of the south side of the square, would 

 have upon the National Gallery ; how far a column of such dimensions 

 would be seen to advantage in such a position ; and how far it would 

 contribute to the embellishment of that part of the metropolis. In 

 order to assist their judgment on this important point, they called 

 before them several architects of acknowledged merit, and availed 

 themselves of the opinions of eminent sculptors and men of taste. 

 These gentlemen were allowed an interval of two or three days to 

 consider the subject : at the end of which they all sent in their opi- 

 nions in writing. In the opinions of these gentlemen, as might be 

 expected in a matter of taste, there is not perfect unanimity ; but your 

 Committee feel to have derived great advantage from having con- 

 sulted them, and by carefully weighing their opinions and examining 

 the principles upon which these opinions are based, have arrived at 

 conclusions of their own. 



Your Committee are of opinion that such a column so situated 

 would have an injurious eftect upon the National Gallery, by depress- 

 sing its apparent altitude, and interrupting that point of view which 

 should be least interfered with. 



