!«-J6.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



85 



with a fountain, a |jicture gallerv, a divan, a saloon, an eating-room and 

 i|i|jurleiiances, a sli:eping and dressing room, and a liath with an arched 

 ruof, decorated with pendants. The conservatories and porticoes are of cast 

 iron, very slender, and richly ornamented ;■ — in tlie same taste, the con- 

 stirvatonus divided into two aisles, containing various rare flowers, alut 

 against two pavilions, surmounted by glazed octangular cupolas, for tmpieal 

 plants ; — the entire extent is about 350 feet ; at the end of the conserva- 

 tories the porticoes commence, which form the enclosure of a flower-gar- 

 df 0, for the private use of the king. 



Mr. C. Fov\ler, Fellow, on presenting some plans and designs relative to 

 the proposed Thames Embankment and railway street, read a paper on the 

 piojecti'd lines of railway in the metropolis about to be submitted to Parlia- 

 ment. Mr. Fowler stated that he was indebted for most of the details to 

 Mr. .Austin, the engineer (Hon. Secretary to the Metropolitan Improvement 

 Society), who had been at considerable pains to prepare a plan of the whole 

 of those linei for which the deposits had been completed. He need scarcely 

 say, that there had been a number of other schemes, which had not survived 

 the fatal effects of the panic ; of those that remained, it appeared from the 

 plan tiiiit there were iwenly-onf diffimU lines, comprising 100 miles of 

 proposed railway, within a circle of five miles from St. Paul's. The spaces 

 scheduled for termini w ithin a circle of fourteen miles of St. Paul's, together 

 with that necessary for the construction of so much of the lines, constitute 

 an area of little short of 20U rcres, being equal to that portion of london 

 extending from High-street, Whiteehapel, to St. Paul's Cathedral, included 

 between Leadenhall-street, Cornbill, the Poultry, and Cheapside, on the 

 nortli, and the river Thames on the south : nearly equal to one-third of the 

 City, and little less than one-half of that devastated by the conflagration of 

 1C66. On a moderate calculation, it would involve the destruction of be- 

 tween 9,000 and 10,000 houses, and cause an expendituie, for the purchase 

 of pKiperty alone, of about fifteen millions sterling, Mr. Fowler stated, 

 tliai a memorial on the sul'ject bad been forvrarded to the First Coramis- 

 kioner of Woods and Forests by the Metropolitan Improvement Society, 

 suggesting that the Metropolitan Improvement Commission should take the 

 suljject into their consideration at an early period ; and observed that it he- 

 hovei not only all piofessional men, but all who desire to see a right direc- 

 tion given to this extraordinary movement, to assist in promoting the same 

 in order that this branch of railway communication may he dealt with sepa- 

 rately and distinctly, so that a comprehensive and systematic plan may re- 

 sult from what at present is aheap of confusion, arising from the fact that 

 each line has been separately laid down, without reference to, or the know- 

 ledge of, what is proposed by any other. Mr. Fowler alluded to the new 

 principle of railway streets, and to the double object that the Thames Em- 

 l)ankinent and Railway Junction Company had in view in adopting it, namely, 

 that of carrying out a great public improvement in conjunction with the ex- 

 tension of railway communication ; likewise that, in ttie event of Govern- 

 ment acceding to a separate and distinct consideration of metropolitan lines, 

 an opportunity was at present afforded which could never again occur of 

 effecting the improvement of this great metropolis, as to salubrity, con- 

 venience, and splendour, without, probably, any sacrifice ou the part of the 

 Government. Mr. Fowler adverted to his design for carrying a railway over 

 London-bridge, as one of the means proposed to connect the lines now ter- 

 minated at the south end of the bridge with that projected through the City 

 from Hungerford-market to the Blackwall line. This was proposed to he 

 elfected by the addition of arcades ; covering the footways with iron frame- 

 work, extended over the carriage-way to carry the rails : the former of these 

 additions had been projected by him in one of the designs submitted to the 

 House of Commons, when the reconstruction of the bridge was under con- 

 sideration. 



February 9. — Mr. Tite, V. P., in the Chair. 



NEW MODEL OF THE PARTHENON. 



A discussion took place which excited more than ordinary interest, nnd 

 attracted a very crowded meeting of the members of the Institute, the sub- 

 ject being the consideration of certain questions respecting the original 

 arthitecture of the Parthenon, suggested by Mr. Lucas's models recently 

 dejiosiled in the British Museum. 



Mr. Lucas commenced the discussion by reading the following paper, of 

 which he has obligingly furnished us with a copy. 



.^lr. President and Gentlemen, — I beg to oiler you my best thanks for 

 your obliging courtesy, in the opportunily thus ali'urded me of introducing 

 the subject of the Restoration of the Parthenon, before it may be, the most 

 s vire, but at the same time certainly, the most competent tribunal — and I 

 bring this subject before you wilh much anxiety, conscious as I am Ihat 

 Ihe poriion of my work you are most likely to sit in judgment on, is that 

 111 which my previous studies had been but cursorily directed, and but 

 Ihat I appear before you rather to court correction than to impart infurma- 

 lion, 1 should now feel as though 1 were bearding the lion in his own 

 den. Sir, it is our lot to live at a period when improvements in every de- 

 partment of science have been carried to great results ; and though in Ihe 

 line arts, a commensurate development of successful energy is not yet ap- 

 parent, the time is now come when the artists whose works are Ihe must 

 tnduringchrouiclesuf the great events of their period, should bestir them- 

 selves, for it cannot have escaped our observation, that within the last few 

 years simultaneously and apparently without any connection, a general 

 tendency to revive the study of high art has sprung up in (he most intellec- 

 tual parts of Europe, in Germauj, England, Denmark, France — while in 



England, from many happy circumstances, arl appears likely to assume % 

 high position. 



i have. Sir, in the course of my reading met wilh Ihe observation Ihat to 

 have a difiicult subject Ihoruughly investigated, we should set to the task 

 one who has a fitting amount of natural qualifications, but who is entirely 

 ignorant of the theme ; place at his disposal all means and appliances of 

 study, and if it be his aim (as mine is) to investigate solely for the pro- 

 duction of the truth, jou may then gel the subject treated with all the leal 

 of the advocate, united to the calmness and sobriety of the judge, even 

 ihoiigh the subject matter be so important as the master work of Ictinus, 

 or the profound science displayed in the Iriiimph of I'hidias ; a theme so 

 glorious immediately roiijcs in the mind of the investigator all the latent 

 or dormant energies of his nature, with no inaccurate early impressions to 

 remove from his mind, no erroneous foregone conclusions to bias his judg- 

 ment, he surveys with ardour and enthusiasm, but records with calmness 

 and indifi'erence, untramelled by the vividness of early impressions; he is 

 compelent to seize and to anahze all the salient points of controversy, and 

 to arrr'. e by inductiou at sound conclusions. 



Ijiil iVom this mode of proceeding one defect may be anticipated which 

 ought to be guariled against, namely, that in investigating the details of 

 an inleretting subject, a few points already too partially iuvesligated may 

 be liiken for granted, and therefore some matters not apparently important 

 to the high bearings of the case may be overlooked or underrati d ; but it 

 is my good fortune to introduce Ihe result of my labours wheu the spirit 

 of them will be fairly appieciated, will for minor blemishes not materially 

 pfl'e"t Ihe whole performance in its general appeal to :\,e ondersianding, and 

 lam sure that you. Sir, will always appteci;.ii5 a work accordii.g to its 

 merits, and judge the artist wilh respect to his iulenlions, and Ihe peculiar 

 circumstances under wliiJi his work was executed. Our subject, Sir, 

 appe.iis naturally to resolve itself into a recapitulation of the known and 

 ndiiiifted facts of the case, includmgits general history^ architeciral con- 

 structi(m and sculptural adoriimenls, with a consideraliot. of the doiibiuil 

 or uncei tain portions, !n(duded in w hicli is lo be placed the qupslion i elal''. e !o 

 the interior of the Temple, its polychromatic adjuncts, the Chrys-elephaa tine 

 statue of the Goddess, the central portion of Eastern Pediment, with the 

 missing metopes frieze-shields, &c. and having examined these matters 1 pro- 

 pose very briefly to investigate the principles that f tided these great 

 artists in Ihe adornment of th»ir works. It is necessary for the unity of 

 the subject I should notice the known parts, but only very brielly. 



It is V ill known that the Parthenon was erected at Alliens about B.C. 410, 

 in the most nourishing and glorious period ol Ihat g: 'jat republic, under 

 the auspices of her greatest statesman, Pericles, and from Ihe designs of ihe 

 greatest sculptor and of the most celebrated architect of the ancient world, 

 Phidias and Ictinus. It stood on the summit of the Acropolis, was a 

 Doric temple, 227 feet in length ou the upper step, by 101 feet in breadth. 

 It was conslructed entirely of Peutelic marble, and, including a slylobale 

 of four steps, was GG feet in height; it was called Hecatompedon, or tl;e 

 building of a hundred feet ; and trom its united excellencies of desigu, de- 

 coraliou and material resulling from the fine taste, unbounded means and 

 munificence of Pericles, it may be recorded as the most perfect that was 

 ever executed. In ihe Parthenon was consummated the noble triple 

 union of architecture, sculpture and painting; in it was the artist'r 

 triumph complete, and art reached its acme. 



In the construction of the columns of the exterior much subtlety of 

 management appears lo ha\e been used, such as the well known facts of the 

 inclination of the columns ] J inch inwards, and that of the outer or angu- 

 lar ones of the exterior being larger by 2^ inches diameter than the others ; 

 and I have also been informed that the enstasis or swell is dissimilar ia 

 Ihe dillerent columns, and that the diameters of others besides the end ones 

 are also different; but the most curious circumstance is the last I have 

 heard, and which I believe a talented member of your Institute, recently 

 arrived from Athens can testify to you, viz., that all the viipitals on the south 

 side of Ihe temple are 6 inches smaller llian any others, and 1 hope also 

 now to learn if the diminution of these capitals be confined to Ihe ovolo 

 under it, or whether it serve to increase llie entasis of the columns gene- 

 rally ; other further peculiarities of structure may here he alluded to. Mr. 

 .1. Per.nelhorne in his w'ork obseives, Ihat he found the upper step of the 

 I'arthenon to form a simple curve rising S inches in the cenire, that liigher 

 iu the front the curve changes its character, and in ttie architrave becomes 

 a curve of a double curvature. And Mr. liracebridge informed me that fin 

 stretching a string from the two ends of the front lower steps he found that 

 the cenire of it receded two inches from the string, 



[Mr. Lucas then detailed at sonie lengih the history of Ihe Parthenon 

 from the time when the Acropolis was beseiged by the X'enetians iu IfiHT, to 

 the time of Lord Elgin — the general character of the sculpture, kc, hut as 

 these points are fully considered in Mr. Lucas's pubII^Iled observations, 

 they are here omitted. After a minute exaniiaatioii of the designs of the ' 

 sculpture in the pediment, the lecturer proceeded as follows.] 



In restoring the Parthenon the question that is most difficult to grapple 

 with, and least likely lobe successfully investigated, is the interior of 

 the Temple, it having undergone so many transformations, each possibly 

 leaving some trace or vestige, and those vestiges so comniinated together 

 Ihat little satisfactory information can be expected to result from the most 

 determined application, 'i'hose most competent to judge on this mittter 

 generally arrive at different coiulusions. As regards Ihe roof, some sup- 

 jiose it was open, and nthcrs Ihat it was enlirc'y closed, and that Ine 

 natural light of the heavens was supplied by artificial light, but both these 

 suppositii'"S appear lo be untenable; the open roof hypothesis being met 



