134 LETTERS FROM A TRAVELLER AT BERLIN. 



even built of brick, fo that all together they disfigure, 

 the place where they appear to an extraordinary degree,. 

 The elegant Dahnhof fquare, the fquare of the palace;, 

 the gens d'armes market, are all deformed by thefe 

 niean objects. That the art of laying out a fpot for 

 this purpofe fo as to be really ornamental, is not here, 

 underftood, plainly appears, from the Wilhelmfplatz, 

 which, ■ in many refpects pleafes me much. It is plaa- 

 ted with trees, and the four ftatues of the generals, 

 which fland one at each corner, are fo covered with 

 the branches of thefe trees, that they feem perfectly 

 fmothered, and one muft be at fome pains to get a fight 

 of them. In general, the fcarcity of materials is a 

 great hurt to thefe buildings : the houfes are conftructed 

 of brick, to which is added a covering of plafter ; and, 

 as the whole is carried on with as much celerity and 

 cheapnefs as poffible, the builders take no, uncommon, 

 pains about the execution ; and the canfequence is, 

 that they are extremely flight. In a fhort time after the, 

 removal of the fcaffolds, pieces of the plafter in various, 

 parts fall down, fo that a whole ftreet of new houfes 

 looks as if it had been run up in hafle for fome public, 

 rejoicing : for at the light of fuch erections it is impof- 

 fible to get an idea of firmnefs and duration. Another, 

 effect of this hafte is bad workmanfhip* The antients 

 ilgnalized themfelves not only by their malterly forms 

 and relations, but alfo by the accurate finilhing of 

 every lingle part : this is what we are forced to admire 

 in all the remains of their works. Here, on the con- 

 trary, all this is totally wanting, nothing is finifhed tq 

 a proper fharpnefs ; and I particularly found the capitals 

 ot the columns throughout extremely bad. 



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