]843.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



195 



studied in its details, so as to be perfectly homogeneous in character, 

 and to combine sober grandeur with richness, and with a far more than 

 ordinary degree of picturesqueness and scenic effect also. The de- 

 sign, moreover, engages entirely by its own merits, for though care- 

 fully and ably executed, the drawing itself is not at all striking or 

 showy, and has not even the ordinary allurement of colour to attract 

 the eye to it. Not always is it that a public structure which is of 

 imposing architectural character externally, presents a corresponding 

 one within ; but in this instance the whole will be of a piece, and not 

 only as regards the degree of effect, but also the species of it. In this 

 Corinthian hall, not only is the style of the exterior kept up in regard 

 to the order and decoration, but also in regard to what is a happy 

 novelty in itself, namely, the closing up the lower part of the inter- 

 columns with ornamental screen walls. 



Of Grecian design we have another specimen in Nos. 1102 and 

 1322, the former being " A south-west view of the mansion now 

 erecting at Silverton Park, Devonshire, for the Earl of Egremont," the 

 other of the " Central hall in it," by J. T. Knowles. The first, being 

 placed over a door, is unfortunately too high to allow us to see more 

 than its general composition; for though the drawing itself is of con- 

 siderable size, the architectural scale is but moderate. Speaking of 

 the mansion, in the last No. of the Gardener's Magazine, Mr. Loudon 

 says, " it is eminently classical, abounding in colonnades and porticos 

 without a single vulgar feature externally ; " and that there are co- 

 lonnades and porticos we can plainly see, but that it is therefore 

 "eminently classical" we will not decide, because we cannot make 

 out the other features very distinctly, nor can we judge at all of the 

 quality of the detail. The interior, Mr. L. informs us, he had not an 

 opportunity of seeing, and so far we have the advantage over him in 

 some degree, being here shown what is, no doubt, the most striking 

 part of the interior — perhaps is made rather more so than it ought to 

 be. This " Hall " is carried up the height of two floors, and on the 

 level of the upper one has a peristyle of Corinthian columns. Taken 

 by itself this arrangement is effective enough, though not particularly 

 novel ; but we are of opinion that the general design would have been 

 more classical had the lower order in pilasters been omitted. We do 

 not approve of the introduction of two orders, particularly of two such 

 distinct ones as Doric and Corinthian, in interior composition. To us 

 it generally seems to destroy that degree of unity which we naturally 

 look for in an apartment, and to cause its sides to appear too much 

 like external elevations. We think, too, that in the present instance 

 the Doric pilasters carry with them an air of plainness that contrasts 

 rather harshly with the richly decorated and painted ceiling. The 

 best excuse, perhaps, for the introduction of them is, that they serve 

 to divide the walls on which the upper gallery rests, into compart- 

 ments, each of which is occupied by a large figure on its pedestal (ten 

 of them in all, or five on each side;. Though decoration has not been 

 spared, it strikes us that there is a certain poverty of feeling and 

 poverty of form — perhaps owing to the endeavour to obtain sim- 

 plicity, in some of the separate parts ; the doors, for instance, would 

 have borne to be made more important and richer features. 



One of the principal subjects in the Grecian style is No. 1197, 

 "Design for an alteration of the National Gallery by effecting, at a 

 small outlay a more imposing elevation." — D. Mocatta. The " small 

 outlay" is somewhat questionable, nor is the alteration here suggested 

 so satisfactory, upon the whole, as it might have been rendered by the 

 outlay of a little — by which we mean a good deal more study upon it; 

 still we think it would produce a decided improvement with regard 

 to the portico and centre of the facade, bestowing on that part of the 

 composition greater loftiness and also greater importance in other 

 respects, though the dome is removed ; but that is a feature that can 

 very well be spared, because while it contributes scarcely at all to 

 give the front any dignity in regard to height, it is in itself as insig- 

 nificant as it is tasteless. In order to increase the altitude of the 

 portico, the columns are here elevated upon a podium added to the 

 present stylobate, by which means their capitals are raised to the 

 same level as the cornice now is, so that the entablature of the octa- 

 style would clear that of the rest of the front. Thus the centre would 

 be more conspicuously marked in the general outline, and the pitch 

 of the pediment being somewhat increased, and bold acroteria and 



f roups of sculpture being placed above it, the augmentation as to 

 eight would be considerable, at least as far as effect is concerned. 

 Besides the embellishment just mentioned, the pediment itself is 

 filled with sculpture ; and it would, in our opinion, be a further im- 

 provement were some enrichment of the kind bestowed on the podium 

 on which the columns are raised ; for while it would give the portico 

 a very unusual and here most appropriate degree of richness, sculp- 

 ture in that situation would show itself to very great advantage, and 

 would serve to give importance and finish to the plain wall or" stylo- 

 bate below the portico, to which it would become an ornamental 



crowning frieze. Another very considerable alteration here proposed, 

 as regards the portico, is the covering in the ascent up to it on each 

 side, by carrying the steps behind columns so placed as to form wings 

 or loggias immediately attached to the centre octastyle, but retiring the 

 space of an intercolumn. Thus the whole of the centre, if not exactly 

 the portico itself, would thus be greatly extended in breadth, and be 

 rendered a picturesque piece of polystylar composition. So far we 

 are very well satisfied with Mr. Mocatta's suggestions, but in his 

 alterations of the rest of the facade he has been by no means so happy. 

 Instead of being at all improved, the windows are made little better 

 than bare apertures, therefore, instead of contributing at ail to beauty, 

 tend rather to impoverish and impair the general effect. Of this de- 

 sign we have spoken somewhat minutely, because it possesses, for 

 ourselves at least, an interest of a peculiar kind, being not merely a 

 work of fancy, but an attempt to correct a rather important public 

 building which is now very unsatisfactory in many respects. What is 

 good in Mr. M.'s project seems worth consideration ; we should, there- 

 fore, like to see a model of the centre compartment on an enlarged 

 scale. 



Besides the subjects we have mentioned, there are scarcely any in 

 the Grecian style, and not very many in the Italian; for Gothic of 

 various kinds, Tudor and Elizabethan, greatly preponderate, and of 

 designs for churches, mansions, almshouses, &c, in those styles we find 

 more than the average compliment: and among those for churches 

 are several interiors, one of the most striking of which is No. 1185, 

 " Design for the restoration of the Church of the Holy Trinity, Hull," 

 T. Allom. As may be supposed, the subject loses nothing of its in- 

 terest by being treated by so able a pencl as that of Mr. A., but it is 

 also an attractive one in itself, and of a character likely to be consi- 

 dered most horribly extravagant by "Church Commissioners." Not 

 knowing what the structure actually is in its present state, we are 

 unable to say what is and what is not the work of restoration; we 

 presume, however, that the fittings-up — pulpit, seats, &c, are entirely 

 so, and they are of a superior kind. 



On looking over the catalogue again, and seeing how many names 

 there are of designs for churches, we almost reproach ourselves for 

 negligence in having marked so very few for notice of any kind — 

 either for approbation or the contrary ; yet such being the case, it is 

 evident that unless put out of sight, the productions of that class did 

 not strike us as possessing in general more than negative merit — that 

 of being not bad, without being positively good, at least not in regard 

 to any fresh ideas. No. 1247, "Interior of the church about to be 

 erected at Whitstable, Kent," R. C. Carpenter, is of better character 

 than ordinary, plain, but neither impoverished nor tame ; on the con- 

 trary, marked by considerable vigour of style, and by much pleasing 

 expression. No. 1274, " Design for a church in the Norman style," 

 Gough and Roumieu, shows some fancy, and as represented in the 

 drawing, is a more picturesque composition than usual. No. 1317, 

 " Interior of the Cemetery Chapel erecting at Cambridge," E. B. 

 Lamb, is, though small as a structure, of very superior quality as a 

 design, and is, withal, characteristic of its purpose. Excepting the 

 painted window and the inlaid pavement there is little of actual de- 

 coration. Although few, the features are so well marked, so well put 

 together and contrasted, as to give value to each other, and produce 

 a degree of artistic effect, that we could wish to find much more 

 frequently than we do where the means for obtaining it seem to have 

 been far more liberally afforded. This design furnishes an excellent 

 idea for a small private or domestic chapel in the same style. 



( To be continued.) 



Sinking of the Caspian Sea. — A communication was lately received at 

 the Academy of Sciences from M. Hommaire-Dehel, on the difference of the 

 level between the Caspian sea and the sea of Azof!'. Several scientific men 

 have been charged by the Russian government to ascertain the level between 

 these two seas ; but the results have differed su much that a verification was 

 necessary, and this was undertaken by M. Hommaire-Dehel, in 1838 ; but it 

 was not until September, 1839, that he could establish his points of survey. 

 M. Hommaire-Dehel now reports that 1830 metres is the difference of level 

 between both seas. It results, from the observations made by M. llommaire- 

 Dehel on the shores of the three seas of southern Russia, at the mouths of 

 the different rivers and streams in the steppes of Astracan, and at the sea of 

 Azofl', that the Caspian sea had formerly a much higher level, and that it « as 

 united with the Black sea at a period anterior to any existing historical re- 

 cords. Already this idea as to the junction of the two seas has been main- 

 tained, but it was said that the Black sea had become luwer by piercing its 

 way through the Bosphorus, and shedding its waters into the sea ot Siar- 

 mora. The sinking of the Caspian sea has been accounted tor by the lower- 

 ing of the basin, but M. Hommaire-Dehel gives an explanation ot this, which 

 he conceives more natural, by observing that the Caspian sea has very few 

 tributaries, and that a diminution in the waters of the Oural and the Volga 

 has been_a sufficient cause for the lowering of the level of this sea. 



