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THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[January, 



a poetry of sculpture, a poetry of architecture, a poetry of music, a 

 poetry of science. The definition of "poetry" has been frequently 

 attempted and confessedly hitherto without success. The reason of 

 this ill success appears to us obvious. It is impossible to resolve 

 into simple elements a fundamental principle of the mind. Poetry, 

 using the word in the general sense as tlie appreciation of beauty, is 

 in nature as elementary as one of the seven senses; and we conceive 

 it as impossible to give an idea of poetry to one totally unpossessed 

 of it, as to realise the idea of music to a deaf man, or to explain 

 touch to any destitute of that sense. 



Whence the feeling of poetry arises is a question too metaphysical 

 for onr purpose. The form may, perhaps, be born with us and in us 

 as the senses are ; but, however this may be, it is obvious that both it 

 and they will be powerfully affected by subsequent impress/ons. 

 Concerning the poetry of form, and especially architectural form, to 

 which we are here to confine ourselves, it seems plain that, as ideas 

 of form are received from the view of external nature, nature must 

 be the source, or at least the standard of architectural beauty. 



Here a question arises. — Is it to follow then that the exact imita- 

 tion of nature will produce the beautiful in art ? — By no means. One 

 great source of our pleasure in viewing nature is the obvious subser- 

 viency of every part of her creations to the object in view. Exact 

 imitation of nature in art would be continually repugnant to this great 

 source of a perception of the beautiful utility. Here, then, another 

 great principle comes to our aid, idealization. By it, instead of 

 exactly imitating nature, elaborate as it were, all accidental acces- 

 sories, and borrows only those ideas (independent frequently of actual 

 forms) which idealization teaches us are the elemental sources of 

 beauty. It is somewhat difficult to give separate examples of ideali- 

 zation ; take, however, the case of architecture. We are taught by 

 nature that one source of beauty is distant perspective ; another, sym- 

 metry; another, alternation of light and shadow: all these sources 

 of the beautiful have been naturalized by poetical architecture. Of 

 course, in the embodiment of beautiful in architectural form, ten thou- 

 sand other ideas must be received and modified from nature. Tliese 

 ideas will, for the most part, be so impalpable — they will be instilled 

 into the human mind unconsciously, not by any reasoning process but 

 by the mere powers of perception. The instances, however, which 

 we have adduced are sufficiently obvious to allow being reasoned 

 upon, and therefore answer our purpose as illustrations of the mental 

 operations which in every branch of art extract the heau ideal from 

 nature. 



Now, if we have been successful in sliowing by the above brief ex- 

 position tliat the beautiful is not an accidental feeling of the mind, 

 but is borrowed from a fixed source by fixed principles, we are in a 

 position to admit the testimony of observation respecting the intrinsic 

 beauty of classic and christian architecture. We might, perhaps, be 

 able to show by reason, independent of the aid of testimony, many 

 instances in which the elementary and natural principles of beauty 

 are practically and systematically violated in all but those two modes. 

 The subject, however, would be a distasteful and prolix one, and if 

 the above views be correct, we shall have no difficulty in admitting 

 the innumerable and concurrent testimonies of indisputable authority, 

 from the enthusiasm of the poet to the untutored admiration of the 

 unlettered, in adjudicating the beauty and sublimity of these noblest 

 effort of human genius, classic and christian architecture. 



Hera we close onr review. The Camden Society are about, we 

 believe, to publish their periodical in a new form. 



" Qualis ubi in lucem coluber mala graraiiia pastus 

 Nunc positis exuviis, nitidus que juventa 

 Lubrica convolvit sublato pectore terga." 

 With all their talents and knowledge we have many reservations in 

 wishing them prosperity in their undertaking. If any one of their 

 body should chance to read these remarks, he will, doubtless, set them 

 down as the production of an iconoclast, an admirer of penny litera- 

 ture, a dissenter, or a republican (for people have a strange way of 

 coupling these together). But the present reviewer is neither one of 

 these. He certainly has a great admiration of steam-engines, but 

 prefers a cathedral town to a manufacturing one, he reverences old 

 customs, confesses to folios, and indulges in black letter; and yet for 

 all that h? cannot believe in modern miracles, nor deem the Reforma- 

 tion " heathen impiety." He would yield to no Camdenian in true 

 reverence for the Church, but he cannot feel in a Chancel the awe of 

 a Brahmin entering the shrine of his idol-god. 



^ V YVTirrf "*''* ■ " ^™'"^ National Exliibition, ^c 4c Parts I— 

 X aXVIII. 



Notwithstanding that it is a curiosity in its way, we have cut sbor 

 the very prolix title-page, which we must say is no great recommenda 



tion to the work, it being in insufferably bad taste, — by far too much in 

 the strain of Macassar oil advertisements. What we have to say is, 

 that this "Grand National Exhibition" is itself now cut short, for 

 without any previous intimation to that effect, it has been suddenly 

 wound up, — not like a clock in order to be kept going, but in order to 

 bring it to a stop at its 38th number. Most assuredly this has not 

 happened because materials for it were exhausted, since many of 

 the very best and most interesting subjects of all, at the same time the 

 most fresh, and which were probably looked forward to with eager- 

 ness by many, have been left untouched, while a considerable propor- 

 tion of those which are represented have little to recommend them 

 as architectural scenes, neither are they at all set off to advantage 

 by any beauty of execution. This last consideration, together with 

 the want of judgment and taste shown in selecting subjects for the 

 pencil, may the better reconcile us to that being abandoned which, 

 although an excellent idea in itself, was very badly carried out. 



On the other hand, the consolation so derived is greatly diminished 

 by the apprehension that what has been so ill-done, will now preju- 

 dice against and deter from any other series of similar subjects being 

 undertaken. It certainly ought not to do so, because there is room 

 for something much better ; yet if \\m field is left open, the market is 

 not so, — at least will not seem to be so to those whose business it is 

 to supply it ; and thus it not unfrequently happens that by pre-occu- 

 pying the ground inferior publications stand in the way of better ones 

 — for a considerable time at least, and prevent their being brought 

 out. We have heard this remarked with regard to Gwilt's Encyclo- 

 paedia, — that it blocks up the way against wliat might be more judi- 

 ciously planned, and much more satisfactorily executed. 



As to the "Interiors," — the work seems to have been carried on 

 without any plan at all, or as if it were intended to be carried on in- 

 definitely so long as any subjects could be found for it; since had not 

 such been the case, greater care and discretion would, no doubt, have 

 been shown in selecting them, in order to secure the appearance of 

 those which are of greatest intrinsic interest, whereas a course di- 

 rectly the reverse has been pursued. That the " entire scheme has 

 not been realized," is admitted in the wrapper advertisement to the 

 last Part; yet when we find assigned as a reason for the discontinuing 

 — there called the completion of the work — that " to have carried 

 the undertaking further, would have been merely adding to examples 

 without extending the classes of the London Interiors," we cannot 

 help considering it a lame one; inasmuch as there are several classes 

 which are now not represented at all, — for instance, bazaars, shops 

 and show-rooms, the Pantheon Bazaar with its picture galleries 

 and its Conservatory, — the new Saloon at Williams and Sowerby's, 

 Oxford Street, Brown's Gallery in University Street, the Pantechnicon, 

 new Exeter Change, &c., which would have furnished many views far 

 more pictorial than most of those which are given. — As to the literary 

 part of the work, we have already expressed our opinion not unfa- 

 vourably in the note at page 253 of our present volume, where we 

 gave some extracts from the description of Goldsmiths' Hall. At 

 some other time we may perhaps bestow further notice on the archi- 

 tectural remarks and opinions which occur in the letter-press. In 

 the mean while we give as a specimen of their free uncompromising 

 tone, the concluding sentence of the very last article, when speaking 

 of the British Museum the writer says: " The idea of thrusting for- 

 ward two ranges of mere dwelling houses as wings to the main build- 

 ing, when the most dignified and classical character ought to be kept 

 up throughout, seems to us such a solecism in taste, that were it not 

 for the approved adage De giistibua ^c, we should bestow on it some 

 exceedingly harsh epithet; — at all events our taste differs antipodi- 

 cally from Sir Robert Smirke's, and for that, though without thanks 

 to hiin, we are thankful." Poor Sir Robert, and poor British Mu- 

 seum ! — what between Barry and Tite, between the Palace of West- 

 minster and the Royal Exchange, both Smirke and his building 

 will now cut but a sorry figure. 



METROPOLITAN BUILDINGS ACT. 



This A.ct will come into general operation on the first day of the present 

 year; it embraces many very important provisions that were not con- 

 tained in the old Building Act, such as relate to health. It enacts that 

 every new building must be provided with drains, and if practicab'e to lead 

 into a sewer if within 100 feet, and that the basement floor must be of such 

 level as will admit of drainage ; it also provides that rooms in the basement 

 to be used as separate dwellings, shall have a fire-place and a window, also an 

 area on the outside, the paving of which must be at least 3 inches below the 

 level of the floor. It also regulates tlie width of streets and alleys ; the 

 former must not be of a less width than 40 feet, and alleys and courts less 

 than 20 feet. 



