7 
three sides. The observations I have before 
made, as to the treatment of that verandah, will ! 
eo far as the openness of the cross one will allow, 
apply to its finishing. But the space, or what 
Borne would term the yard, enclosed within the 
court, may become a dull monotonous surface 
of brown gravel, or present that wearisome 
geometry of pebbles in which some tastes find 
relief. Far preferable is it to lay that space out 
in one single bed of covering flowers. Any of 
the ground-creepers — especially the verbena — 
will afford green leaves, and scarlet, and lilac, 
and white, and almost every variety of colour, 
from which may spring the rose in its infinite 
variety ; or what other flower the eye may most 
like to rest on. I remember reading some time 
back a traveller’s ecstatic description of such an 
interior as I have mentioned. It was in Algiers. 
He was tired with the heat and choked with the 
dust ; when, passing through a gateway, he 
found himself suddenly in the cool delicious 
shade of a small quadrangular verandahed space, 
within which a scarlet blossomed tree lighted 
up the centre, and gave that pleasure to the eye 
which the gurgling of a small fountain by it 
afforded to the ear. It was worth while being 
hot and dusty to feel the relief of such a scene ; 
but I fear that until Mr. Alderman Jeays suc- 
ceeds iu bringing the waters of the upper Bris- 
bane to our good city, there is little chance of 
fovntains here. 
Returning to the fireplace, it is singular to 
me how much we run on in the old groove, 
sticking to the monotonous chimney breast — 
the low square opening — the whitened brick 
within, like a white spot in the centre of the 
room — or the black fronted register to throw a 
gloom over it. Why not line the sides and back 
with some of those rich encaustic tiles which 
you can get from home for about 6d a piece 
now ; and thus give variety and life even to this 
unpromising portion of the domestic economy. 
The moveable grate, or, for wood, fairly de- 
signed iron dogs, will serve all the purposes that 
your register stove could, and look far more 
lively and cool. We have a sense of some de- 
ficiency about this part of the house, or why 
do young ladies cut coloured paper into strips 
and make fantastic and inartistic lumps of all 
sorts and sizes to fill in grates and nail to 
chimney backs. If the want is felt of colour 
and decoration, why not combine it with the 
thing itself. I recollect seeing a very 
charming effect produced once in a library by 
turning the flue to the side of the chimney 
breast and inserting a window in the space over 
the fireplace. As it happened, the view over 
which the window looked was one rarely 
equalled in England ; and that might have had 
some effect in heightening the satisfaction one 
felt at this mode of treatment. The hint 
afforded, however, might be turned to account 
in many ways. 
T fear you will be fatigued with this long and 
rather discursive paper, and I therefore bring it 
to a close. Let us recall briefly the whole basis 
of the principles laid down. Space, shade, and 
adaptation of the material around us to the 
wants we feel. I am satisfied that an earnest 
investigating course of action on the part of our 
artists and architects would lead to a very differ- 
ent style of dwelling to any that we have yet 
seen. I do not say we could rival anew the 
glories of ancient Greece, but we might do 
this — we might make our architecture as cha- 
racteristic of our time and locality as was done 
there. Until this is achieved there will be much 
loss of comfort — of enjoyment — even of intel- 
lectual progress. When we begin to apply a 
true artistic analogy to the construction of our 
own homes, we may hope to see public edifices 
worth looking at without a slavish copyism 
from the palaces and churches of the old world ; 
but without that beginning such a hope were 
the vainest of all delusions. We cannot com- 
mence the process of improvement too soon. 
Printed by W. Faibsax, “Guardian Office,” Brisbane, 
