IS42.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



151 



I 



earliest buildings were circular, octagonal, or polygouic. Afterwards 

 thrt exterior became a square, although the internal plan remained a 

 circle or octagon. In Sta. Sophia, built by Justinian, in the erection of 

 which ten thousami men were employed, tlie internal plan became a 

 cross of four equal sides, known as the Greek cros*, and this building 

 was for a long time the model on which other structures were founded.* 

 Elongated cupolas, superimposed tiers of small arcades, columns in 

 recesses, larger arches, or circular-headed openings containing within 

 them two or more smaller arches, and plain square or basket-worked 

 capitals to the columns, are some of the details that were then 

 introduced. "In this new shape," says a French writer, (M. Vitet,) 

 " which in truth causes the exclusive admirers of antique purity to 

 shudder, but nevertheless is entitled to the more indulgent praise of 

 the true lovers of the beautiful, the genius of the old Greek architects 

 awakened; less correct, less severe than before, but brilliant willi 

 vouth and life — more daring, more marvellous. For the second time 

 the Greeks seized dominion over the grand and beautiful art of archi- 

 tecture: it was from them the Arabs received the secret of it; it was 

 bv them that its first lessons were imparted to all Europe." 



It is somewhat curious to find that Theodoric, King of the Goths, 

 was educated at Constantinople, and ever retained a love of the arts 

 lie had there seen practised.'!' Ravenna, which was the seat of the 

 Gothic court, vied in magnificence with Rome ; and here we find many 

 admirable structures erected both then and in after times. To ascribe 

 this style of architecture and all that it led to, to the Goths, as some 

 Italian and other writers have done, seems absurd, and has long ago 

 been combatted ; we must go back to Byzantium for its origin. 



In the vear 553 the Goths were conquered, and Italy was once more 

 united with the Greek empire. Soon afterwards great part of Italy 

 was seized by the Lombards, who made Pavia the seat of royalty, and 

 raised many structures. To ascribe to them, however, the origin of 

 the style of architecture which prevailed in the mis-called dark ages, 

 seems to be equally erroneous ; they but copied and further modified 

 the architecture of Byzantium. 



Charlemagne raised many edifices in imitation of Byzantine struc- 

 tures, surmounted with cupolas, in Mayence, Aix-la-Chapelle, and in 

 various other parts of Germany and France, by means of which archi- 

 tecture, which had fallen into abeyance, revived, and received a fresh 

 impulse. The church of St. Front at Perigueux, restored on the 

 original model probably about the 11th century, is one of these. Like 

 the church of Sta. Sophia, the plan is a cross of four equal arms, sur- 

 mounted by five cupolas on tambours, but which are now hidden 

 externally by a wooden roof. The windows are in threes, connected 

 by a label : each front of the edifice originally terminated with a gable 

 or pediment, but this was in later times filled in, so as to form a straight 

 line round the building, and to receive the wooden roof before 

 spoken of. 



Churches on a circular plan, in imitation perhaps of that built by 

 Helena over the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem, are not uncommon in 

 France. The church of Charron in the department of Vicnne, of 

 which some fine ruins remain, is a good example. The greater part 

 of the structure, as now seen, is of the 11th or l'2th century : at the 

 west end are two turrets with conical stone roofs in scales, similar to 

 those at Notre Dame de Poitiers. 



To recall the connection with Byzantine architecture apparent in 

 the buildings more specially spoken of in this and the foregoing chap- 

 ters is, perliaps, unnecessary : the series of small arcades and sculpture 

 in the principal front, the mosaics, the use of external painting, and 

 the occurrence of cupolas, are all fresh in the mind of the reader. In 

 Germany, where perhaps more than in any other countrv Gothic 

 architecture, as we now see it, was earliest developed, all the older 

 buildings are decidedly Byzantine. In Cologne, especially, the deri- 

 vation is so strikingly apparent, that none who visit that most inte- 

 resting city can fail to observe it. In Saxon England, it seems certain 

 that Byzantine architecture was the model chiefly followed. The abbey 



' St. Mark at Venice, built by a Greek aichitect. was one of its ufi'spring, 

 u was llie Rasilica at Visa, also by a Greek archilccl. 

 T Runsett's 2-iist, of Modern Europe, vol. i. 



church at Hexham, built in the seventh century by Wilfrid, was sur- 

 mounted in the centre of the transept by a cupola ; there were galleries 

 for the women ; the arch of the sanctuary and other parts were deco- 

 rated with histories and images ; and the stone work was painted 

 with a variety of colours. The fact that the term more Romano was 

 constantly applied to the buildings of this period, does not seem to 

 contradict the position. Constantinople was regarded 'as a second 

 Rome, its citizens were termed Romans ; moreover, we know this 

 description is repeatedly applied by early writers to this very building 

 at Hexham. 



We reach truth slowly, and by painfuUv small degrees : some few- 

 detect a fact, otliers corroborate it in part, information bearing on the 

 point is collected, inferences become apparent ; and ultimately a mind 

 arises to lay hold of all that has been said previously, to get rid of the 

 difficulties, and digest the whole into a system. A very few years 

 ago the greatest obscurity prevailed with respect to the semi-circular 

 style, and it was universally called Saxon in works specially devoted 

 to the subject, to distinguish it from the pointed, which was then 

 termed Norman. Writers afterwards, in an equally erroneous man- 

 ner, as I humbly conceive, termed every building wherein the serai- 

 circular arch was used Norman, without any regard to the country 

 where it was found, or the period which produced it. And even at 

 this time, when so much is being done for the elucidation of archi- 

 tectural history, many still remain with very confused ideas upon the 

 subject, and vacillate between the terms Romanesque, Lombardic, 

 Norman, and Byzantine, often applied indifferently to the same edifices. 

 Let us seek for the truth. 



THE NEW PALACE OF MOORSHEDABAD, IN BENGAL. 



Erected for His Highness the Nuwaub Nazim, 



By Major-Gekeral M'Leod. 



(With an Engraving, Plate f.J 



At one of the evening meetings at the commencement of the pre- 

 sent session of the Institution of Civil Engineers, our attention was 

 attracted to the exhibition of two very splendid water-colour drawings 

 by Mr. John Edward Jones, being perspective views of a palace built 

 in India for one of the subsidiary princes. Upon inquiry we ascer- 

 tained that this palace had been recently erected, entirely from the 

 designs and under the immediate superintendence of Major-General 

 M'Leod, who, in consequence of an application from us, very hand- 

 somely directed Mr. Jones to favour us with whatever drawings we 

 were desirous of having for the service of the Journal. For this 

 purpose we selected the plan of the principal floor, and the elevation 

 of one of the principal fronts. We have also subjoined the report of 

 the Committee appointed by the Indian Government to inspect the 

 new palace ; it fully describes the nature of the building, and to what 

 purpose the several rooms are appropriated. Without entering into 

 a minute criticism of the architectural character of the building, it 

 must be admitted by all to be one of unusually princely magnificence, 

 and one that will be a lasting honour to the talented General to whom 

 the erection was entrusted. 



Report of the Special Comimtlee of Inspection, 

 dated Calcutta, Wlh Nov. 183S. 



We have the honour to submit, for the information of his hononr 

 the Deputy Governor of Bengal, the result of our proceedings conse- 

 quent upon the receipt of your letters of the l'2th, lOth ult., and with- 

 out date, received at Moor.-hed.ibad, from the Governor General's 

 agent, in regard to the Nizamut buildings at Moorshedabad. 



The new Palace is in length l'^.) feet, by 200 feet in breadth; and 

 of one order of architecture throughout the whole of its exterior, with- 



