1843.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



25 



that it is to these last he objects, and that he is disposed to class Sir 

 Jeffry Wyatville with another " incompetent architect," for he has 

 omitted his name as well as that of Wilkins in his list of architects, 

 as he has likewise that of James Wyatt; which omissions cannot 

 have been other than intentional, and are therefore peculiarly signifi- 

 cant. However lightly we may now estimate him, James Wyatt is 

 most indisputably an historic name in the annals of English architec- 

 ture, and very far less of a mere shadow and nominix umbra, than 

 some of those who are registered and catalogued by the historio- 

 graphers of art, and of whom there is very little more than their 

 dates to record. The name of Schinkel ought to have been inserted, 

 unless the list was actually printed before his death was known in this 

 country, which as it comes nearly at the end of the volume, we can 

 hardly suppose to have been the case. We are aware that Schinkel 

 is no favourite of Mr. Gwilt's ; but favourite or not, his fame has 

 spread throughout Europe ; and if names so distinguished are to be 

 omitted at pleasure, we may perhaps, ere long, see that of Palladio 

 expunged from a table of eminent architects. 2 At any rate the pre- 

 cedent is an unfortunate one. 



It cannot be expected that we should pretend to go regularly 

 through a work so comprehensive, or have as yet thoroughly ex- 

 amined it ; therefore — for the present at least — our readers must be 

 content with our pointing out some of the passages and remarks 

 ■which we noted in looking over the work. Among them are some 

 which hit hard at the new Royal Exchange, animadverting on the 

 want of judgment manifested, in leaving that portion of it which is 

 intended for the Exchange itself, uncovered ; which, however, he ad- 

 mits to be a matter of taste ; " for if our merchants prefer exposure 

 to the inclemency of the seasons, it is not our business to complain of 

 their fancy." But that is not all ; for after speaking of the Bourse at 

 Paris, as an excellent model for buildings of that class, he adds, " the 

 merchants and city of London disgrace themselves by allowing [only] 

 £ 150,000 for a similar purpose here ; and even for this sum they cut 

 up their building into little slices, to reimburse themselves by rents 

 for the miserable outlay. So much for the spirit and liberality of the 

 British merchant !" Though that spirit will most assuredly not ob- 

 tain for its writer the freedom of the city of London, or any other 

 civic honours, we freely vote it our approbation, since we must own 

 that, compared with the flourishing promises that bid us look for a 

 structure worthy of the first commercial city in the world, the Royal 

 Exchange has sunk down into insignificance. 3 



With equal justice do the Church Commissioners come in for a 

 very severe reprimand from Mr. Gwilt, who, in one place, says, "if 

 ever a death blow was aimed at the art, that was done by the com- 

 missioners for building the recent new churches;" and in another, he 

 talks of "true honest churches, one whereof is better than a host of 

 the brick Cockney-Gothic tilings that are at present patronized, 

 wherein the congregations are crammed to suffocation and not ac- 

 commodated." It is, indeed, mortifying to reflect that although they 

 have afforded employment to numbers in the profession, the buildings 

 alluded to have not at all benefitted architecture itself. 



But what shall we say of the severe strictures at page 642, on the 

 present modes of architectural drawing, which contain so much for 

 consideration that they would afford us matter for a separate paper 1 

 That in both exhibition and competition designs there is, now-a-days, 

 an affectation of powerful pictorial display, by means of meretricious 

 colouring, exaggerated and unnatural shadows and tricky effects — 

 amounting sometimes to downright falsification, cannot be denied, and 

 is likewise to be deprecated as an abuse, because it imposes on the 

 eye, and draws away the judgment from a sober examination of the 

 design itself. Yet while we deprecate the abuse, we are not quite 

 disposed to go along with Mr. Gwilt into the other extreme, and for- 

 bid not colouring alone, but shadowing also. Very far, indeed, too, 



perhaps, because their opinion of it is no better than Mr. Gwilt's — we shall 

 probably take up the subject ourselves. 



2 The omission of such names is all the more extraordinary, because that 

 of Brettingham is inserted, notwithstanding the discredit attached to it even 

 by Mr. G. himself, who remarks that he had the unparalleled assurance to 

 send out to the world as his own, Kent's Designs for the Earl of Leicester's 

 seat at Holkham — a contemptible and dirty trick, but not an unparalleled 

 one in the history of architectural publications. 



3 Since shops there must be, the very least that can now be done is to 

 take care that they shall be as little obtrusive in appearance as possible, to 

 ■which end prohibitory clauses ought to be introduced into the leases, for- 

 bidding not only show-hoards, but all display of articles at the windows, 

 where only blinds should be allowed, with the names and business of the 

 respective tenants paiuted on then). This could not he complained of, 

 because the restrictions would be imposed alike upon every one, and no 

 one is compelled to become a tenant if he should object to the conditions. 



are we from being of opinion that architectural drawing Ins deteri- 

 orated since the time of Jones, Wren, and Vanbrugh; for we should 



as soon think of saying that architectural engraving has declined since 

 the days of Holler. That Mr. Gwilt is perTectlv sincere in what he 

 says, cannot for a moment be doubted ; for, though he may be aware 

 that they are not likely to be very popular, he utters his sentiments not 

 only without disguise, but in a tone sufficiently emphatic; for instance, 

 — ' the greatest curse that in these days has fallen on architecture, is 

 the employment of draughtsmen, who, with their trumpery colouring 

 and violent effects, mislead (he silly men and common-place critics 

 that usually decide upon the merits of their works." This is severe 

 enough, nor is it entirely free from prejudice— a little overcharged, 

 perhaps, both in opinion and expression, therefore Mr. Gwilt must not 

 be very much surprised if some should attempt to retaliate, and 

 charge him with making use of very coarse language; be that aa it 

 may, we ourselves do not like his work the less for its occasional pun- 

 gency of expression, which, even when we dissent from the sentiment, 

 is more, to our taste than the smirking, wishy-washy style of many 

 other writers. 



The more practical part of the work contains a great deal of infor- 

 mation—of course not entirely fresh, and therefore more or lesf fa- 

 miliar to professional men; but it renders this Encyclopaedia a com- 

 plete elementary course for the student, affording" him, in a single 

 volume, the instruction that he must else gather for himself from a 

 variety of publications. Still, it is questionable whether it would not 

 have been more advisable to publish some of the sections separately, 

 in the form of a supplement to be bound up with the rest by those 

 who choose to take it, because so much matter of that kind', incor- 

 porated as it now is in the volume, may deter not a few from be- 

 coming purchasers. 



( To be continued.) 



JIncient and Modem Architecture. Edited by M. Jules Gailua- 

 baud. London: Firmin Didot, and Co. Part 3. 



Another part of this excellent work has appeared, which is fully 

 equal in interest to the former numbers ; it contains a rich specimen 

 of the Lombard style, the Carthusian Church near Pavia, Italy : the 

 facade is covered with most elaborate ornament, which is shown 

 in detail in another plate. The third plate is a view of the Cathedral 

 of Bonn, in Germany, a fine specimen of the Norman style ; the 

 principal elements, however, present in general, the characteristics of 

 the modified Byzantine style, but not so pure as that style. The 

 eastern apsis, with its two towers, seem to belong to the close of the 

 eleventh century or the beginning of the twelfth. This edifice con- 

 tains some excellent points, from which the architect may glean with 

 advantage, and turn to good account for some of our new churches. 

 We kuow of no work that will add so much to the taste of the archi- 

 tect as the one before us. 



learning and Mechanical Manipulation. By Charles Holtzapffel, 

 A. Inst. C. E. Vol. I. London: Holtzapffel & Co., 1848. 



We have been able only to give a cursory glance at this work, but 

 from what we have seen, we have no hesitation in pronouncing it to 

 be a work of the highest use, both to the practical man and the ama- 

 teur. Next month we shall return to it. 



SEWERS OF THE METROPOLIS. 



We are heartily glad that some agitation has taken place on this 

 subject, having been introduced by the |Boot Law Commissioners. 

 We are sorry that we cannot insert Mr. Donaldson'- defence, as chair- 

 man of the Westminster Commissioners, but we horrf to advert to it 

 next month; for although we do no/ agree with Mr. Chadwick in 

 many points, we strongly hold that the present system of sewer ad- 

 ministration is susceptible of improvement, so as greatly to relie 

 proprietor and builder, and induce parties to construct sewers who 

 now shrink from such a responsibility. 



