1847.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



139 



be coQsidercd at all favourable to their pretensions of fulfilling their duties. 

 They are virtually irrespunsible in the discharge of individual duties, and 

 individuals are powerless against them ; while being appointed by popular, 

 and often by parly election, they will take no measures, which by increas- 

 ing the rales, may secure a better slate of affairs, but endanger their tenure 

 of office. 



It is scarcely possible to walk down a main street without seeing the 

 various tastes of these ^enlleuien exhibited in the shape of specimens of 

 granite, macadam, wood, or asphalte, in every variety of form, often so 

 badly constructed as to en<langer the lives and limbs of passengers and 

 cattle, and always in such a filthy condition as to be a serious and objec- 

 tionable nuisance. By the dirty state of the streets and roads, the houses 

 are bespattered with mud, and shopkeepers are deterred from adopting 

 light and expensive paintings and decorations. The dust created is blown 

 into the houses to the deterioration of books, linen, and furniture, and in 

 the case of tradesmen, to the very considerable injury of their stock. As 

 to passengers, in summer their eyes, mouths, and nostrils are filled with 

 dried horse dung under the name of dust, and in winter their clothes are 

 spoiled by the accumulations of mud ; whereas, under a proper system, it 

 has been practically shown, there is no reason why even the most crowded 

 thoroughfares should not be kept clean, summer and winter. 



Upon the wasle of manure which takes place in the metropolis, we will 

 not dilate. It suffices that it is disgraceful to a practical country like 

 this, that such large resources should be lost to our agriculture. 



We must say, that if an amalgamation of commissioners is to take place, 

 we can see no reason why it should not include the metropolitan roads and 

 the county bridges, which should certainly not be separated from the juris- 

 diction of a competent authority. 



We are free to admit, as we have already said, that it may be a matter 

 of question how far Government control should extend, but we do not think, 

 on a fair and impartial investigation, there can be any doubt that a con- 

 solidation should take place under one body of the jurisdictions for drain- 

 ing, paving, lighting, and cleansing the metropolis. 



Whether that should be under a Government board, or whether under 

 an elective board, we are not prepared to determine, though each would 

 have its advantages and disadvantages. 



A Government board would be virtually irresponsible, and would in- 

 volve the disposal of a considerable amount of patronage, over which at 

 the present time no effectual control could be devised. 



An elective board might want unity, might court popularity by avoiding 

 the discharge of disagreeable duties, and might dispose of its patronage if 

 not for political purposes, at any rate for jobbing purposes. 



Some of the evils of an elective board might be readily cured by making 

 the election, not annual, but for a period of four years, thereby securing a 

 certain degree of permanence of character in the board, and at the same 

 time leaving each member at a proper period to answer to his constituents 

 for the discharge of his duties. At present, the commissioners of sewers 

 are irresponsible, and no Government board could be so bad in that re- 

 spect. 



An amalgamated board might be formed from representatives of each 

 great division of the metropolis, those from the City of London being 

 named by the corporation, and those from the large divisions, as St. Pan- 

 eras and St. Marylebone, being named by the vestries. There could be no 

 more difficulty in electing members of such an administrative and repre- 

 sentative body than in electing guardians for poor-law boards, and we 

 know of no objection to the adoption of such a course. 



Under such circumstances, the distribution of patronage would be less 

 obnoxious, and would most probably be faithfully complied with. 



If such an elective board were formed, there should be no controlling 

 power on the part of the crown, for that would destroy the energy and re- 

 sponsibility of the board without transferring it elsewhere. We should, 

 however, be disposed to allow to the Crown a complete power of inspec- 

 tion, which for all practical and useful purposes would be quite as effective 

 as control, and would bring the proceedings of the board within the cog- 

 nisance of parliament. 



At all events, whatever may be our views as to the parties with whom 

 power should be intrusted, we have no doubt it is for the interest of the 

 public, and for the interest of archilects, engineers, and surveyors, that the 

 general principles of Lord Morpeth's bill should be adopted and carried 

 out. 



THE ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA, COVENT GARDEN. 



One of the most important architectural events of the season has been 

 the recouslruclion of Covent Garden Theatre, as the Royal Italian Opera. 

 This has been executed under the direction of IMr. Benedict Albano, 

 hitherto better kjiown as an engineer, in which profession he has already 

 acquired much repulalion among us. The transition from flax-mills, 

 sleam boats, anrl railways, to an Opera-house, is a sudden, perhaps a 

 violent one, but Mr. Albano has shown that in the fine arts and the uselul 

 arts he has equal powers of design and execution. 



Covent Garden was previously known as one of our largest theatres, 

 but it did not afford the extent of acconimodatiuu required by the new 

 lessees, and Mr. Albano therefore laid before them three plans, one by 

 which It would have been Iransfoniied into the largest theatre in the world, 

 surpassing San Carlo and La Scala, a second smaller ihan those theatres, and 

 a 'bird which, though it gave additional tiers of private boxes, left the 

 theatre of its original size. It is the second plan which has been adopted, 

 though we wish, for Mr. Alhano's sake and our own, he had been allowed 

 to eclipse our foreign rivals, and redeem us from Byron's old reproach of 

 inferiority to theatres which will each accommodate nearly 41)00 persons. 



The old Covent Garden Theatre, it will be remembered, was constructed 

 by Sir Robert Smirke, afler the fire in 1808. He, also, wished to have a 

 larger theatre, but was overruled by John Kemble, who was fearful that 

 if the theatre were larger nobody would be seen or heard. Sir Robert's 

 object was therefore to construct the smallest possible interior or auditory 

 within as large an available exterior as possible. His interior stood against 

 fire and harm during the long theatrical generation of nearly forty years, 

 but has succumbed at length, before the hand of Mr. Albano, to an unhappy 

 fate, that of the destruction of works, which is likely to attend Sir Robert 

 Sinirke, as it has Sir John Soane. Sir Robert modelled his building, ac- 

 cording to his statement, on the Parthenon at Athens, and the exterior 

 possessed considerable merit. 



We must now proceed to give what sketch we can of the building, 

 though we cannot go into any detail, in consequence of our engravings not 

 being compleie for the present number, which prevents us fi oiu making 

 ihe necessary references to illustrate our description. 



It must be observed ihat the great design has been to convey the idea of 

 grandeur and imposing magnitude, and this has been most skilfully carried 

 out; while all that constructive skill could do, and all that attention to 

 comfort demanded, has been completely etfected. 



The plan having been settled, Mr. Albano proceeded to pull down the 

 whole interior of the audience part and parts adjoining, and to re-arrange 

 it. He has thus been able to get an enormous auditory, and a grand range 

 of saloons with suitable approaches. 



In the grand front, beyond what we have already noticed, the chief alter- 

 ation is the carrying of a carriage-way beneath the portico, whereby 

 visitors are saved the annoyance of getting out of their carriages in the 

 wet, and the street approaches are widened. 



On entering by the grand front, a magnificent hall and staircase attract 

 attention. These are decorated with columns painted in imitation of Sienna 

 marble, and lighted from lofty bronze candelabra. 



At the head of the staircase is a range of saloons level with the grand 

 tier, and 130 feet in length. Preceding these is the Shakspeare room, with 

 a statue of the poet; the next is the ante-room communicating with the 

 saloon or crush-room, forming three compartments by means of Ionic 

 columns, and with a quantity of large mirrors on the walls. As the walls 

 are papered with green, the gilding produces an exceedingly good effect, 

 while comfort and luxury are consulted in the ottomans and couches. 



On entering the theatre, it is seen that its dimensions are on a very large 

 scale, as to height and breadth. The breadth between the boxes, (JO feet 

 diameter, is particularly striking, and also the extreme height of the house. 

 The pit has been sunk, and the tiers of boxes now rise six in number, 

 forming a colossal amphitheatre of unaccustomed proportions. 



The dimensions of the house are 80 feet from the curtain to the front of 

 the boxes, and 60 feet in breadth between the boxes, and the width across 

 the stage between the columns of the proscenium 46 feet. 



The ceiling is one of the attractions. Its dimensions are 70 feet by 62 feet. 

 From the centre depends the enormous chandelier, one of the largest in Eng- 

 land, and which is almost the only source of light to the house. It con- 

 sists of several rings of light, and twelve clusters of twenty to five-and- 

 twenty jets, producing the most brilliant light, while the reflection and 

 polarization of the drops and pendants increase the picturesque effect. The 



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