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THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[Ma*, 



angles of the crystals of fusion. Whilst a chemical substance usually 

 crystalii/.es in forms pertaining to the same class and order, it may never- 

 theless, as has been already shown, assume a great variety of forms, if 

 reference be had only to the number of bounding planes ; and these forms 

 constitute what may be termed the genera of the author's system, which 

 were shown by reference to diagrams, as also the symbolic nutation recom- 

 mended by the author. 



The author concluded by exhibiting bis goniometer, consisting of a 

 double refracting prism, placed in a vernier revolving round a graduated 

 circle, and applicable either to the microscope or to crystals placed on any 

 convenient stand. He stated, that in must cases of crystallisation, particu- 

 larly under the microscope, some crystals will be observed presenting the 

 prismatic or hexabedral form ; and knowing that the gubernatorial axes of 

 any prism must terminate in the centre of the sides of that prism, we are 

 at once directed to the position and length of the axes in any given crystal ; 

 whilst, by examining the angles formed by the sides of the parallelogram 

 constituting the section of Uie prism with the goniometer, we may deter- 

 mine the inclination of the several axes. In all natural octahedrons formed 

 by inaxial planes, the axes will be found, as shown by the crystallonome, 

 by taking the points where four planes meet. Although octahedrons may 

 be mathematically formed by biaxial planes — that is, by bending in the 

 sides of the prism — it is believed that such octahedrons do not occur in 

 nature, as it would contradict the general laws of symmetry, inasmuch as 

 that, whilst the perpendicular axis terminated at the meeting of four 

 planes, the middle and transverse axis would be situated in the centre of 

 an edge bounding two planes — a state of things that could not certainly 

 occur in the regular system ; the general condition of natural symmetry 

 being, that whatever disposition takes place at any one extremity of an 

 axis of equal length, the same will take place at its other extremity, and 

 also at the extremities of every other axis of equal length. 



REVIEWS. 



Parish Churches, beiiif! Perspective Views of English Eccksiatlical 

 Structures, accompanied by Plans, drawn to a uniform scale, and letterpress 

 dtscriptions. By R. and .J. A. Brandon, Architects. Bell, Fleet-street, 

 1846. No. 1, 8vo., pp. 12 ; fourteen lithographic plates. 



Messrs. Brandon are already favourably known to our readers as authors 

 of the Ayialysis of (iothick Architecture, reviewed in this Journal for 

 August 1844. The publication now before us is the first of a series in- 

 tended to illustrate " such Churches as from their beauty of design and 

 peculiar fitness for the sacred purpose for which they were reared, seem 

 worthy of being adopted as models by those engaged in Church building." 

 The principal distinction between the present work and the " Analysis," 

 is, that while the latter was exclusively confined to the exemplification of 

 architectural details, the new series gives views of entire buildings only. 



Our old English Churches are so beautiful, and contain such treasures 

 of architectural science, that we naturally commence the examination of 

 any work, which professes to contribute to our knowledge of them, with a 

 favourable prepossession. We cannot suggest a work which we should 

 study with greater personal gratification than one which gave a compre- 

 hensive, systematic, and minute record of all that is valuable in our national 

 church architecture. Such a work, however, to be satisfactory, must be 

 conducted with liberal and extended views ; it should be a very cyclopEe- 

 dia in which nothing is left out that deserves a place in it. The chief 

 value, or to speak more truly, almost the only value of such a publication 

 would heUs completeness. Of course we do not mean that the work should 

 be a confused mass of facts— a collection of knowledge so ill assorted and 

 so crammed and crowded together, as to become, like certain modern 

 cyclopa-dias, that we wot of, absolutely unintelligible. But we repeat a 

 deliberately formed conviction that the most valuable contribution to archi- 

 tectural literature which could now be made, would be a digested and 

 complete pandect of church architecture — not concocted hastily as a pub- 

 isher's speculation to meet a transitory mania for old churches, but ar- 

 ranged, slowly and carefully, from a mass of information collected by 

 pains-taking and unwearied research. 



The work before us certainly does not reach this mark. The plan of it, 

 as far as we can see, does not make any pretensions to system, and is by 

 no means comprehensive enough. Each number of the series is to can- 

 tain eight perspective views of churches, selected at random from different 

 counties and in different styles, and the work will be completed in twelve 

 parts: so that, altogether, we shall have ninety-six churches delineated. 

 But what are these among so many ? If Messrs. Brandon would multiply 

 the proposed number by ten or twenty, their undertaking might assume an 

 importance commensurate with the object in view. Not, indeed, but that 

 he work is in many respects a valuable contribution ; and if we speak of 



it in terms of qualified praise, it is on the score of sins of omission, not 

 commission. The views here given are not absolutely faulty, but there 

 are numerous drawing-books, published as first lessons in pencil drawing 

 which frequently contain sketches which are quite as good. The letter- 

 press descriptions, again, are not nearly copious enough, and this defect 

 might be remedied the more easily as the authors state that they intend to 

 visit personally every church illustrated. In the number before us, the 

 description of each church is comprised, on the average, in thirty lines. 



One other point to which we must allude is important. The authors 

 state their intention of selecting churches which seem '' worthy of being 

 adopted as models." AVe hope they will give up this part of their plan. 

 Nothing can be more fatal to the progress of architecture than the mo- 

 dern idea of model churches. Let us study the principles and the 

 forms devised by our ancestors, and their modes of combiniug them with 

 the zeal and reverence of learners ; but let us not grow mere copyists of 

 ancient churches. This contentment with mere reproduction marks the 

 lowest ebb of artistic feeling — the very last stage of architectural degene- 

 racy. The vilest modern plaster-gothic travestie is better than absolute 

 copying; these abortions, hideous as they are, mark at least a desire to 

 regain something of the glorious art lost among us during the Reformation; 

 but mere mechanical imitatiou argues absolute hopelessness — the indolence 

 of despair — that we have given up all endeavour to recover the ancient 

 excellence of our national architecture, because satisfied by experience of 

 the absolute futility of the attempt. 



Besides, even supposing the copy to be fairly made, and to be a faithfal 

 transcript of the original, there are ten chances to one, that some local cir- 

 cumstance, an irregularity in the site, the proximity of secular buildings, 

 or even local customs and requirements, may render it inconvenient or 

 unfit for its purpose. Our ancestors did not design churches and stick 

 them down anywhere : on the contrary, they examined the site of tlie new 

 building, the nature of the soil, the particular wants intended to be sup- 

 plied, the character of the surroitnding scenerij, and a thousand accidental 

 local circumstances, before projecting the form to be adopted. A church 

 built on a hill top would, according to their exquisite feeling of propriety, 

 require different treatment to a church on a hill side or in a valley. A. 

 church hemmed in by woodland scenery would of necessity be different 

 from one built on a wide open plain. Modern practice does not recognise 

 these subtle distinctions. We get up a dozen or score of designs for new 

 churches, send them to a picture exhibition to be duly admired by fashion- 

 able visitors, and duly be-paragraphed in the newspapers, and are fully 

 prepared to execute our plans (any or all of them,) in any given spot of this 

 island, or if need be, in the most distant quarter of the globe. They are 

 building now, in Calcutta, a cathedral with roofs as sloping and windows 

 as numerous and large as those suited for a similar edifice in latitude 51°. 



Even if we conceded the principle of adopting architectural models, we 

 certainly ought not to take those selected by Messrs. Brandon. A model 

 church ought, at least, to have a uniformity of plan — a consistency of de- 

 sign in it. The examples before us show, on the contrary, such a remark- 

 able diversity of style, that we might almost suppose them selected for 

 that very peculiarity. The first church delineated, Little Caslerton, Rut- 

 landshire, is Early English, with Norman piers and arches. Perpendicular 

 clerestory, and a Decorated piscina^ the second, Apstoti Church, in the 

 same county, is Perpendicular externally, with the exception of some De- 

 corated windows ; in the interior, the arches on the north side of the nave 

 are circular. Duddington, Northamptottshire, the third specimen, is in the 

 transition from Norman to Early English, with a north aisle Norman, and 

 a Perpendicular clerestory. Heme Church, Kent, is apparently the most 

 unmixed in style, being almost entirely early Decorated, with, however, 

 some Perpendicular details. Brampton Church, jS'ortliamptonshire, the 

 last example, has an Early English chancel and a Perpendicular nave; this 

 church, by the by, has (on paper at least) somewhat too much of the prim 

 pert look of modern Gothic. 



We hope that as the work proceeds, the plan of it will be extended, and 

 that all idea of furnishing models will be abandoned. It certainly would 

 be preposterous to re-construct buildings which, like those here pour- 

 trayed, are the growth of successive ages. The authors of the present 

 work are fully capable of contributing largely lo the science of mediaeval 

 architecture, and we trust will greatly extend the limits which they have 

 assigned to their undertaking. 



Reply to " Observations" of the Great Western Railway Company on tlie 

 Report of the Gauge Commisioners. Vacher, Parliament-street. 1846. 

 8vo. ; pp. 75. 



This rather long " reply" is ia the form of a pamphlet, which, if we mis- 



