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THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[Fbb. 17, 



hour were constructed in imitation of the stone ones, and to have 

 been formed of brides on account of tlie comparative cheapness. 



The circumstance of many of these pyramids being carried up in 

 degrees or steps, agrees with a passage in Herodotus relative to 

 the mode of building the large pyramid, which he describes as fol- 

 lows : "This pyramid (the large one)," he says, "was constructed in 



the manner of steps, by some called parapets, by others little altars; 

 such being its original construction, they raised the remaining stones 

 with machines made of short pieces of wood, from the ground to the 

 first layer of steps, and when the stone was let down on this, it rested 

 on a second machine standing on the first layer, from this it was drawn 

 to a second layer, where another machine lay to receive it, for there 

 were just as many machines as layers of stones, or perhaps, continues 

 Herodotus, they transferred the same single portable machines to each 

 layer on removing the stone, and thus the upper part of the pyramid was 

 first finished off, then the next part, and last of all the lower ground 

 part. Now these parapets as they are termed corres|)ond with the 

 side degrees or pi itforms, as we would call them, seen in these pyia- 

 mids, and on which the machines were placed; for the small steps 

 formed by the sets-off of each course, as were seen in the large pyra- 

 mid, previous to the insertion of the casing stones, would not have 

 been wide enough for the machines to rest on." 



The word parapet, as used in the translation, does not mean a pro- 

 tecting wall to a platform, as we in general understand it, but evidently 

 the platform, and in the North of England it is so applied at the pre- 

 sent time, and the foot pavement is called the parapet. 



As connected with the pyramids, Colonel Vyse has given an ac- 

 countof Captain Caviglia's excavations in 1818 in front of the sphinx; 

 when he discovered the steps, and a small temple in front of this 

 gigantic figure, which is cut out of the solid rock. The paws stretch 

 out 5U ft. in advance, and are built of masonry. That the monument 

 is imposing in its aspect, cannot be doubted ; but in its defaced state, it 

 is dilhciilt to perceive (to quote the words of the explorer) "the 

 contemplative turn of the eye, the mild expression of the mouth, and 

 the beautiful disposition of the drapery at the angle of the forehead," 

 which rivetted so much the attention of Captain Caviglia. 



Mr. Pf rring has annexed some remarks on the measure by which 

 the ]ivramids were built, with reference to the cubit. The length of 

 the ordinary cubit, as the name implies, was the distance from the 

 elbow to the middle finger, containing six hands breadth, each of 

 which was divided into four finger breadths. Mr. Perring says the 

 dimensions of the pyramid agreed with a cubit as described in Ezekiel 

 chap. xl. V. 5, " In the n)an'shand a measuring reed, of six cubits long 

 by the cubit and a hands breadth," and therefore contained seven 

 hands breadth, equal in English feet to 1'707 ft., and that by this 

 measure a general agreement is obvious in the dimensions of the 

 building. 



The stone arched tomb near the great pyramid, named after Colonel 

 Campbell, the Consul in Egypt, was next referred to; by some called 

 the Nile girt tomb, being placed in a pit 30 It. Gin. by 26ft. Sin. wide, 

 and 53ft. deep, surrounded by a trench or narrow canal 5 It. 4 in. wide 

 and 73ft. deep. The bottom course of slabs 5ft. in length was 

 bedded on a layer of sand 2 ft. 6 in. thick, (another instance of 

 this mode of forming an artificial foundation), and the side walls were 

 formed with small stones. The ceiling of the chamber is formed 

 of slanting stones, with a horizontal one or stretcher between, making 

 the middle part of the ceiling flat and the sides inclined. Immediately 

 above this ceiling an arch commenced, which covered in the upper 

 chamber ; the intrados of this arch formed the segment of a circle 

 which had a radius of lift. 2in., and a span of 11 ft., was 3ft. lOin. 

 thick, composed of four separate courses, each well breaking joint. It 

 had not been built upon a centering observes Mr. P. (but how he ascer- 

 tained this does nut appear.) The stones were '1 ft. long and 15 in. 

 broad. Those of the first course had been cut to fit the joints, which 

 radiated from the centre; vv'ith this course great care had been taken, 

 but in the other rings the stones were rectangular and packed up at 

 the back vith chips. Each course was separately grouted with fluid 

 mortar. The masonry was beautifully worked, and the joints were 

 scarcely perceptible in the interior. The undersoil of the stones of 

 the inner course of the arch have had the arrisses taken ott", and were 

 tooled round so as to resemble rusticated work. 



There were indications that the central excavation and the trench 

 also was covered by an arch, and the whole was probably covered by 

 a pyramid. From an inscription on this monument, the tomb was 

 made for a scribe named Ohaikop, either during the reign of Psam- 

 metichus II., anterior to 61.14 B.C., or of Apries, posterior to 570 

 B.C. This tomb contained three sarcophagi: one of the granite and 

 a fragment of the basalt one is now in the British Museum. 



This arch being in the present day one of ordinary construction 

 would not have required so full a description, if it were not about 



the oldest stone one we are acquainted with ; it shows that the prin- 

 ciple of the arch was well understood at the time, and that many 

 arches had been previously formed. The brick arches in the tombs 

 at Thebes are of much older date, according to Sir Gardner Wil- 

 kinson. 



It was worthy of notice that the arch of Campbell's tomb has no abut- 

 ments and stood by itself, and its resemblance to the form of the 

 sewers in the City of Westminster, must be apparent to every one 

 conversant in that mode of building. 



It was singular the Greeks, with these examples before them, did not 

 construct arches (the curved form for ceilings being much used), and 

 that the introduction of the arch was not, with these exceptions, more 

 general, at least, in Egypt ; and Mr. Scoles expressed himself on this 

 account sceptical on the subject of the antiquity of these arches. He 

 was of opinion that the arrangements and dates of the dynasties by 

 Egyptian antiquaries, was not so satisfactorily based as to make it clear 

 to his mind that the periods in which the kings lived, in whose reign 

 these arches are said to be built, was free from the suspicion of error, 

 and he concluded his paper by remarking, that the descriptions he 

 had given of the pyramids, and other buildings, was entirely taken 

 from Colonel Vyse's work, and that in general be had used the very 

 words of the text. 



REVIE^ATS. 



Architecture or the Reign of George III. and the Regency. 

 Pictorial History of England. 



Hisloria quoqito modo dekciat, says the great Roman orator; but he 

 would probably have greatly altered his opinion, had he lived to read 

 history as it is sometimes written now-a-days. Most assuredly we 

 have not received so much dekctalion or disapi)ointment from the 

 concluding — and what we hoped to find the most interesting chapter 

 of all on the history of English architecture and art in the "Pictorial 

 England," the ground to be passed over being quite fresh, and eonse- 

 quenlly affording scope for original remark, and something more 

 stirring than the mere echoes of long established opinions. We 

 should have thought that any writer qualified for the task at all, would 

 eagerly have availed himself of the opportunity so offered, to enter 

 tolerably into ciitical remark upon the several architects and their 

 works, of the period under review. Possibly we may wrong the 

 writer himself, for the work being by various hands and literary as- 

 sistants, subject to the control of the editor in chief, it is not at all un- 

 likely that his manuscript may have undergone a good deal of pru- 

 ning and curtailment ; and should such be the case, we really compas- 

 sionate him, it being one of the hardest miseries of authoiship, except 

 to a mere hack, who cares for nothing beyond his pay for the job. 



However, we liave only to take what we find, just as it is; and 

 must therefore report of it as being an exceedingly rapid and con- 

 densed sketch, in which several names are merely culalogui;d, without 

 comment of any kind — so that tliey stand like shadowy ghosts, of 

 whom we are left to guess whether they are destined for Elysium or 

 Hades. 



Sir John Soane, indeed, may be said to be here put into the former 

 place, and he is spoken of at much greater length than any one else. 

 He is, besides, the only architect complimented witli his portrait; 

 but his spirit, we suspect, would not be a little perinrbed, could it 

 behold it, since this must be some degrees more offensive than the 

 milucky one painted by Maclise, which caused at the time such ire 

 and so much rumpus. 



But before we proceed to the estimate of Soane's professional 

 character, we will quote an excellent remark from the opening para- 

 graph of the architectural portion uf the chapter. 



"The exquisite refinement of Greek art, as it had been revealed by 

 the gnat work uf Athenian Stuart, and tlie other researches and pub- 

 lications to which it had given rise, had suddenly alfected the public 

 mind in a manner which left little room fur the exercise of the judg- 

 ment, and Greek art was unfortunately adopted, not as a. pniiapit, but 

 as ii/as/uoii. The reproduction of its forms was demanded without 

 reference to the (propriety of their application, or to the relations 

 which essentially constitute the beauty of architecture. A system 

 which reduced the art and science of aichiteclure to the appropriation 

 of ready-made temples, and dispensed with so much of the burden of 

 study and I bought — a faith, in art, whose yoke was so easy — could 

 scarcely fail to attract disciples; and Greek architecture (so called) 

 came into existence in England in the most abuilite shape in is/t/ch the 

 narruwtst ^pifit of imilatwn could product il," 



