THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[January, 



disputes if? Most assuredly not we, since it is on that very account 

 thai we here take such especial notice of them, and exhibit examples 

 of throe of the varieties of them. Undoubtedly they may be said to 

 be in an exaggerated style, — even extreme and outre, composed with 

 examples of the Falladian, or a rival Italian school, whose windows 

 exhibit little or limited diversity in regard to the general composition 

 of their dressings and the proportions observed for them. Those 

 proportions, as is very evident, are greatly exceeded here ; the jamb- 

 dressings, or upright border along the sides of the aperture, being 

 unusually wide, and ditferently composed from what is the ordinary 

 practice; and to the expression of luxuriance thus produced is added 

 that of carved and sculptured enrichment, — the first for some of the 

 architectural surfaces, the other for ornamental foliage, as in the 

 centre windows of the south front of the building. Probably it was 

 the embellishment of this latter kind that suggested the " picture- 

 frame" conip:irison, yet here it is no more than what is in keeping 

 with other sculptured decoration in the general design. 



If what is here done seems to some to be in certain respects over 

 done, it is easy to correct excess of tli.it kind by simplifying ; nor 

 ought they on that account to withhold their commendation from wliat 

 is so well entitled to it, for it is a very great matter to obtain some 

 fresh ideas, and to be convinced that it is possible to break through 

 the trammels of ordinary rules, not unsuccessfully : of course, 

 those who can judge only by currently established rules and standard 

 authorities, are not likely to praise what transgresses limits which 

 they have taught themselves to consider inviolable. But, we think, 

 on examination it will be found that although treated witli arlistical 

 freedom, are not justly chargeable with being ca|)ricious compositions. 

 Less orthodox Italian than Mr. Barry has given they undoubtedly are, 

 for, if the truth may be spoken, Barry has not showu himself ambi- 

 tious of decided originality. Refinement and elegance of taste seem 

 be chiefly his forte; and, as far as Italian is concerned, he showed his 

 taste in such manner as to obtain credit for originality, by introducing 

 into this country a species of Italian previously unknown to if, and 

 markedly different from the Palladian species. 



One thing in the Exchange windows tliat is r:iflier contrary to Ita- 

 lianism, is the heads of the windows, and the whole of the dressing 

 above them being neither straight nor fully arched, but curved seg- 

 menfally. To such modes as an occasional variety we do not object, 

 and here, perhaps, the curves serve to give an appearance of " springi- 

 ness" that takes away the heaviness that might else have attended 

 the same composition. 



Should we be able to give the design of the windows within the 

 merchant's area, we may then perhaps go more fully into the subject, 

 but must here conclude for the present, and merely subjoin — 



Aperture. Entire Dressing. 



High. Wile. High. Wide. 



Centre windows of south front 11 lOJ 5 li 16 3 9 lOi 

 Other . . do. 11 lOi 5 7i 15 7i 10 o' 



Centre windows of north front 11 74 5 4* 16 9 14 



CANDIDUS'S NOTE-BOOK. 

 FASCICULUS LXI. 



" I must have lilerty 

 Withal, as large a charter as the winds. 

 To blow on whom I please." 



I. Among the odd and out-of-the-way conceits that have come into 

 my head, I have scmetimes fancied that it would not be amiss were an 

 Hospital or Sanitoriuin to be established for architectural patients, 

 where fliey might be treated accordingly as their particular case 

 might require. He, for instance, who was simplieity-niad, and whose 

 sickly palate could relish nothingof higher flavour than the mere water- 

 gruel of the art, would stand in need of a regimen of generous stimu- 

 lants to give a healthy tone to his puling taste; whereas another might 

 require to have a good dose of simplicity infused into him. Some 

 there are whose microscopic vision allows them to see only the merest 

 minulisE : they can tell you to the hairbreadth fraction of a " part" the 

 legitimate breadth of every moulding and fillet, but are quite unable 

 to discern any thing more, and unable even to comprehend what is 

 meant by ensemble — character — eflfect. Others again, there are who 

 labouring under quite a contrary defect of optics, have no eyes at all 

 for detail ; any common-place stuff of the kind will satisfy them just 

 as well as the best; — Bairy is to them no better than Nash. But it is 

 to be feared that no hospital could benefit either of these two classes. 

 It is also questionable if any treatment in a Saniloriura could bring to 



their senses or to common sense, the lunatics who rave on the one 

 hand about Vitruvins and Palladio, or on the other, about architectural 

 mysticism and precedent. As for Sir R. S. it is evident enough that 

 lie, poor man ! is hopelessly incurable. The only thing to be done 

 with him is to keep liim from doing further mischief. 



II. Architectural descri|ition, or what purports to be such, is some- 

 times so unintelligible as to be quite incomprehensible — impossible to 

 be made out at all without some interpretation of it. If we are ac- 

 quainted beforehand with the building spoken of, then, indeed, we 

 know what is meant to be said, but otherwise are left quite in the 

 dark. A pretty strong instance of the kind is furnished by the ac- 

 count that has been given in an English publication of the new struc- 

 ture at Kelheim, in Bavaria, called the Be/reiungs-Jialle, or Hall of 

 Deliverance, and which is now in course of erection from the designs 

 of Gartner, the eminent Munich architect. ''The wliole building," 

 it is there said, " will become a rotunda, of ancient Italian style, sur- 

 mounted by a cupola, and surrounded with a grand archway forming a 

 polygon of eighteen angles"! How this maybe expressed in the 

 original— it being no doubt, done into English from the German — I 

 know not, but in itself it is palpable nonsense, it being impossible that 

 i; great archway — a single one— should surround a building. The blun- 

 der, however, here happens to be of a kind that may beeasily accounted 

 for and rectified, there being no doubt that what is meant — not in 

 deed by the translator since he stands convicted of ignorance — is that 

 that polygonal part of the exterior consists of eighteen sides, each of 

 wdiich has a large arch or arcade, whereby a continuous arcade of 

 eighteen arches is formed around the entire building : which issurelya 

 very different malterfrom a single "large archvaij," the last-mentioned 

 term expressing some sort of arched galcmay. That explained, some 

 idea is afforded of tliat inaiu division of the structure; but then again 

 we are left quite at a loss to understand what can be the design of 

 the basement or substructure ou which it is raised, for all that we are 

 told concerning it is, that it consists of" three great divisions," whose 

 added heights amount to 24 feet. Hence the probability is that the 

 substructure is a solid mass, and the divisions formed by so many ter- 

 races, with flights of steps from one end to the other, — probably after 

 the manner of those of the " Walhalla," so that the basement spreads 

 out below, far beyond the superstructure. Yet surely a word or two 

 just to say so, and to inform us whether the basement itself is square, 

 or of the same form as to its plan, as the body of the edifice, would 

 not have been superfluous. The diameter of the building is said to 

 be 236 feet, but whether this includes the greatest extent of the base- 

 ment, below, is not specified ; nevertheless that such is the case may 

 be presumed, the diameter of the "cupola" being stated to be only 

 lOU feet, than which the rotunda or "spherical large room" — as it is 

 termed — within, is probably no more, atleast not as measured within 

 the columns. These last are eighteen in number, — corresponding 

 with that of the angles of the polygon, but they seem to be exceedingly 

 low in proportion to the space covered by the dome, being only 24 

 feet high — if that measurement be correct ; — and as they are also 

 stated to be four feet in diameter, we mustconclude that they are of the 

 Doric order — another circumstance that might just as well have been 

 distinctly specified; — although such order is not the most suitable for 

 a circular plan, and one covered by a hemispherical vault, more espe- 

 cially as a considerable degree of Roman magnificence seems to cha- 

 racterize this interior in all other respects, a "Victoria" being placed 

 before each column, the floor being a mosaic marble pavement, and 

 the eye of the dome (which is 25 feet in diameter) a "gorgeous win- 

 dow," — which epithet would lead us to suppose that it must be filled 

 with stained glass. 



III. Of architectural description it is not easy to find a more com- 

 plete and satisfactory specimen than that of the Royal Exchange, 

 which appeared in the "Times," and was thence transferred to this 

 Journal. Although of newspaper extraction, it is very far above the 

 average of newspaper quality, particularly on such a subject. It is 

 in many respects as precise and definite a description of the kind as 

 is usually the very reverse — vague, indistinct, and full of gaiis. One 

 is able to follow it, pencil in hand, and sketch out at least all the 

 separate elevations. Well worthy was it therefore of being pre- 

 served in a far more convenient as well as less perishable form than 

 that of an article in a daily newspaper. 



IV. As an instance, on the contrary, of what may be called "de- 

 sciiption non-descriptive," is that which an eminent travelled critic 

 has given of the portico of the Glyptothek at Munich, nothing further 

 resjiecting it than that it has twelve columns of the Ionic order. The' 

 number ol columns stated correctly, but the slightest architectural know- 

 ledge would have apprised any one, that unless their arrangement also 

 was explained, a most erroneous ide.i of the sort of portico might be 

 conveyed. Although they are all dissimilar in plan, in every one of 

 the following examples the portico has twelve columns, y'u., the 



