1842.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



.337 



Architecture " ami its legislator, the character of " Le plus credule et le plus 

 ignorant des corapilateurs " ! consequently, if such be his opinion of the idol, 

 we may take it for granted that he entertains no great respect for the intelli- 

 gence shown by the worshippers of it — by Vitruvius' translators and com- 

 mentators, or any of those who look to his writings as oracles. It mav, 

 however, be suspected that a very great many who have the name of Vitru- 

 lius always in their mouths, know ver>- little of his writings, and would be 

 strangely perplexed if asked to explain what they bad learned from them, or 

 in what way the study of them has conduced to more enlightened views of 

 the art. Far easier would it be to show how such study has cramped archi- 

 tecture, and has tended to render it a plodding pedantical system, governed 



not by principles and artistical feeling, but by merely conventional rules by 



rules which, if implicitly followed, without regard to the circumstances of 

 the particular case, may operate most injuriously. 



HI. In architectural history, it is almost invariably the practice to make 

 a full stop at the very point where preceding writers have left the suliject, 

 and from which it is most of all desirable that it should he taken up afresh, 

 and carried onwards. From the commencement of the 18th century, every- 

 thing in the shape of a connected history of the art ceases. What informa- 

 tion relative to it is to be obtained at all, is scattered about in fragments 

 through numerous publications, either literary or graphic ; nor has any one 

 yet thought it worth while to collect and arrange, to add to and extend such 

 materials, and work them up into consistency and shape, .\lmost might it 

 be supposed that the art was now altogether extinct, and that since the 

 period above-mentioned, scarcely anything above the feeblest mediocrity has 

 been produced ; things 



'• Toij vile to praise, too decent to lie damned ;'' 



albeit some of them have been puffed off in their day as first-rate, classical, 

 and everything else that is excellent. 



Even a mere matter-of-fact chronicla would be serviceable in its way 

 though immeasurably short of a critical history, which, by fearlessly pointing 

 out the errors of the past, might lead to improvement for the future. So 

 long as there was no Royal Institute, there was little hope of architecture 

 receiving that attention to which— whether justly so or not— it is supposed 

 to be entitled as an artistic, intellectual, and icsthetic pursuit ; and since the 

 Institute has been established, there is not one ray of hope more ; therefore, 

 even less hope than ever of such proving the case. Sorry I am to say that 

 the Institute seems to be quite satisfied with having got the pap of Royal 

 patronage— whiaii I suspect to he worth about as much as Don Armado's 

 remuneration. 



IV. Putting aside elementary or technical works, there has of late been a 

 strange dearth of architectural publications in this country, which, to what- 

 ever else it may be owing, can hardly be attributed to the paucity of build- 

 ings erected within the present century— many of them of a kind too, which, 

 let them be what they may, are of considerable pretension, and ought, there- 

 fore to be well-wortli studying for their design and the taste exhibited in 

 them. Undoubtedly no immediate, nor very tangible advantage would be 

 derived from the pubUcation of their works to the actual authors of them. 

 Those who have sliown the greatest ability, have, least of all, occasion to 

 advertise themselves and their productions ; and as an affair of pounds, 

 shilhngs, and pence, they show their prudence bv not doing what they 

 m.ght m the end be out of pocket by. But then, on the other hand, those 

 who have done the most and the best, can generally verv well afford so to 

 tax themselves-if only for the sake of showing that they have aimed at 

 sometlung more than professional emolument; and that while thev look 

 back on their productions with the feelings of artists, they also look forward 

 to extended fame from them, and that not merelv at home, hut wherever 

 the art is cultivated. Would the names of Schinkel and Klenze have been 

 already so well known in this country-and, indeed, throughout all Europe, 

 haa not their designs been published .> Hardly ; at least, had thev not been 

 so given to the world, comparatively few would be able to judge what thev 

 really are. or to profit by the studies they afford, and the ideas thev haply 

 may suggest to other minds. This last circumstance, bv-the-bve, is "one of 

 greater importance than is generally conceived : collections of' architectural 

 designs seemed to be looked; upon by>ost persons-not excluding profes- 

 sional ones, as little better than books of patterns, of no other use than as 

 something may be copied out of them at once. Hence, not onlv the open 

 plagiarism which in any other would be stigmatised as disrespe'ctful, but 

 frequently the vilest botching also. Wide, indeed, is the difference between 

 taking something out of another man's design, and seizing hold of an idea 

 suggested by what maylthere be shown, which idea, so far from being bor- 



rowed may be altogether so different from anything shown in what gave rise 

 to it, as to render it impossible for any one to trace it to its pmctum saliens. 



MARTIN'S CEMENT. 

 In our last number we slightly alluded to the above cement ; since then 

 we have been able to obtain some additional particulars, which we now lay 

 before our readers. 



The common qualities of the cement are noticed in the circiUar in general 

 terms, and the method of working it for common purposes explicitly laid 

 down. It is, therefore, only necessary for us to point out here its various 

 applications. 



First, then. Floors. These are formed with the cement laid on a bed of 

 concrete or arching. The cement is mixed with fine river sand, or with tile 

 dust or puzzolana, as may be most Hked, and laid on the concrete about 

 f inch thick. If Portland or Bath stone is wished to be imitated, the grit is 

 mixed with the cement. After being properly trowelled, it is jointed to 

 imitate stone. If, however, an ornamental floor is wished, a ground work of 

 cement and sand is laid upon the concrete about ^ inch thick ; colours are 

 then mixed (dry) with the cement, and the floor may be laid either to repre- 

 sent octagonal tiles or alternate squares as may be desired in anv colour and 

 any pattern. If an inlaid border should be preferred, the pattern is cast in 

 slabs, and the colours let in the spaces left according to the design. Some 

 elaborate mosaic in imitation of tiles found in one of the courts of the 

 Alhambra, the colors of which are blue, white, and burnt sienna, and the size 

 about eight inches wide, can be executed (as they have been already) at about 

 2s. 3(f. per foot run. Of course, a more simple pattern with less variety of 

 colour would cost less. 



Stairs. The steps are formed in York stone, rough, and covered with the 

 cement to imitate Bath, Portland, or any other stone; or simply by itself, 

 as executed by Mr. T. Cubitt with great success. 



JValls generally are worked in the manner described in the directions for 

 use in the circular. At the New Sun Fire Oflnce, and generally, the panels 

 are worked in the cement mixed with sand, and the mouldings run in the 

 pure cement. It is, of course, easy to imitate any stone or colour. At the 

 Swindon station of the Great M'estern Railway, it is) intended to finish the 

 walls of the engine house of a light buff colour, rubbed down and stopped, and 

 fiuish it with slight polish ; the cost of this would be about 4s. 6d. per yard 

 super. 



Architraves, surbases, skirting, and every description of moulding can be 

 worked in it. It presents a finer face and cleaner aris than wood ; requires 

 less paint ; neither shrinks nor cracks ; is not so liable to injury ; and while 

 in the most simple descriptions of work it is cheaper, in the more elaborate 

 its economy renders it far superior to that material. Chimney-pieces, columns, 

 pilasters, and every description of work can be executed in this cement 

 with poUsh and splendour of appearance equal to scagliola in imitation of any 

 marble ; and while the cost of scagliola varies from 5*. to 8*. Od. per foot, 

 super., this cement does not exceed 4.v. 6,/. It is equaUy as easy to remove as 

 marble, and is as readily repaired when injured. Great beauty might be 

 derived from a judicious employment of mosaic with the imitation marble. 

 The Grecian fret in white or blue (Prussian), let in imitation sieuna or glaUo 

 antico in the jambs of chimney pieces, the archivolts of doors, friezes, panels, 

 &c., can easily be conceived. The cost of such work, if the pattern were not 

 very elaborate, involving a great variety of colours, would not be so great as 

 if executed in finished scagliola without mosaic— merely the simple marble. 

 In cases where polychrome decoration is sought, as in some Gothic cathedrals 

 and the varieties of the Lombard style, the advantages of this cement is 

 apparent ; being as hard as marble, and the colours equally as durable. Gothic 

 pillars can be worked round a core of brick work, and an endless variety of 

 ornament which is characteristic of the style either cast or moulded in this 

 cement may be executed at a cost trifling in comparison with either wood or 

 stone. 



3 B 



