120 ARCHITECTUR E. 
A crefccnt is on hh forehead, denoting the influence of wings, differing in form and dimcnfions. The flatues of 
the moon on its waters, and his temples are adorned with the attic reprefent America breathing defiance, with the' 
crowns, tridents, and other marks of royalty. Thames is three.other quarters of the globe loaded with fruits and 
on the right of Ocean; a majeltic mafk, crowned with other tributary treaf tires; and thefe are crowned with the 
billing ('wans, and luxuriant garlands of fruits and flow- Britifli arins on a cartel, furrounded with fea-weeds, fup- 
ers. The hair and beard are nicely drefted and plaited, ported by Tritons armed with tridents, and holding nets 
and the features are expreflive of good fenle, good hu- containing fifli and other maritime productions, 
mour, and every fpecies of urban perfection. Humberts This truly magnificent budding is conltruCted for the 
the next in order to the right of the centre ; a finking con- purpofe of tranfatling the bulinefs of feveral of his maje- 
traft to the Thames. It is an athletic hardy countenance, 
with the beard and hair difordered by the fury oftempeits. 
The cheeks and eyes are fwollen with rage, the mouth is 
open, and every feature diftovted, expreflive of the boifte- 
rous intractable character of that river. Next are the 
Merfey and the Dee ; one crowned with garlands of oak, 
the other with reeds, and divers aquatic productions. The 
four firft of thefe are executed by Mr. Wilton, and the 
laft by Signor Cariini. 
The mafks which decorate the arches on the left fide, 
are, firlt, the Medway ; a head fimilar to that of the 
Thames, but expreflive of lefs urbanity, more negligently 
drefled, and bearing for emblems the prow of a (hip of 
war, with feltoons of hops, and fuch fruits as enrich its 
banks. Tweed is next in order ; a ruftic mafk, with lank 
Jiair, a rough beard, and,other marks of rural fimplicity; 
yet hath the ingenious fculptor artfully given it a charac¬ 
ter of fagacity, valour, fortitude, and ftrength. It is 
crowned with a garland of rofes and thirties. Thefe are 
by Mr. Wilton. Tyne and Severn are the remaining two. 
Tyne is a head-drefs artfully compofed of falmon, inter¬ 
mixed with kelp, and other fea-weeds. Severn is a fimi¬ 
lar head-drefs, compofed of (edges and cornucopias, from 
whence flow abundant rtreams of water, with lampreys 
and other fiflt that abound in that river. Thefe are by 
Signor Cariini. 
The floor conlirts of a principal, and a mezzanine ; and 
before the windows of the building is a balluftrade. They 
are belides ornamented with Tonic pilarters, entablatures, 
and pediments ; and the, three central ones have large ta¬ 
blets, covering the architrave and frize, on which appear 
medallions of the king, the queen, and the prince of Wales, 
fupported by lions, and ornamented with garlands of myr¬ 
tle, oak, and laurel. The windows of the mezzanine floor 
are only furrounded with architraves. The attic confirts 
of three divilions, feparated by ColofTal figures, placed 
above each of the columns. The figures -reprefent four 
venerable rtatefmen, in fenatorial robes, each having on 
his head a cap of liberty, and in their hands they bear the 
emblems of ftrength and power, derived from unanimity, 
and maintained by juftice, prudence, moderation, and va¬ 
lour. The attic is crowned with a group, confiding of the 
imperial arms of the kingdoms, one fide of which is fup¬ 
ported by the Genius of England, and the other by Fame, 
founding her trumpet. 
The front of this building, towards the principal court, 
is confiderably longer than that towards the Strand, being 
near two hundred feet in extent. The centre of this front 
is alfo better diftinguifhed than that towards the Strand : 
jt exhibits, a plainnefs and repofe, whereon the eye may 
j with pleafure, as on a principal. It is compofed of a 
corps de logis , with two projecting wings : the ftyle of de¬ 
coration is however nearly the fame ; the principal varia¬ 
tion confiding in the doors, windows, or lmaller parts, 
which are of other forms, and of different dimenfions. 
The five mafks on the key-ftones of the arches reprefent 
tutelar deities of the place, executed by Mr. Nollekens. 
Near this front are two funken courts, furrounded with 
elegant arcades, lowing to give light to the bafement dory 
of the royal academy, the royal fociety, and the rooms 
wherein are depofited the national records. In the middle 
of each of thefe courts is a refervoirof water, for the pur¬ 
pofe of ferving the apartments helow, and to be ready in 
cafe of fire. They tire fupplied from the New River. 
The buildings towards the court form three fides of a 
-tquare ; the ftyle .of architecture, and the decorations of the 
fly’s public offices, viz. the privy-leal and fignet, the navy, 
navy-pay, victualling, lick and wounded, ordnance, (lamp, 
lottery, falc-tax, hackney-coach, hawkers and pedlars, the 
furveyor general of crown lands, the duchies of Cornwall 
and Lancaft’er, the two auditors of imprefts, the pipe, 
comptroller of pipe, clerk of the edreats, and treafurer’s 
remembrancers. Here are houfes for the treafnrer, the 
pay-mafter, and fix commiffioner-s, of the navy. Alfo for 
three commiffioners of the victualling, and their fecretary ; 
for one commiflioner of the damps, and one of the Tick and 
wounded ; and other.apartments for inferior officers. 
That part of the edifice which fronts the Strand is it* 
po Hellion of the royal fociety, the antiquarian fociety, and 
the royal academy of artifts; and here the annual exhibi¬ 
tion of paintings and fculpture is held. Thefe refpeCtable 
bodies are alfo accommodated with halls and apartments 
for their libraries, models, &c. with rooms for their offi¬ 
cers, and every other requifite which their national con- 
fequence could demand from an enlightened- and liberal 
government. 
The buildings which contain the above-mentioned pub¬ 
lic offices form the principal court. They are grand, ele¬ 
gant, and lofty, of great extent, and drikingly indicate an 
exertion of great inventive faculties in the architect, Sir 
William Chambers ; while the general difpofition affords 
a pleading fatisfaCtion. The front towards the Thames is 
truly magnificent; it is finidied with a noble terrace, with 
a balluftrade towards the river, and an extenfive gravel¬ 
way for carriages to go all round the external fronts of the 
whole building. 
The next noble ftruCture, which does honour to the na¬ 
tional character, as well as to the caufeof religion, is the 
cathedral church of St. Paul. This amazing edifice is 
fituated upon a riling ground, between the entrances of 
Cheapfide and Ludgate-ftreet, in the very centre of the 
city of London, and upon the feite of the old cathedral, 
which was burnt to the ground in the general conflagra¬ 
tion of 1666. Sir Chriftopher Wren was the architect; 
and he was defired to prepare the plan of a new fabric, 
that fliould excel every building in the univerfe for mag¬ 
nificence and fplendour. To give effeCl to the execution 
of fo grand a defign, the chamber of London was made an 
office for the receipt of contributions to defray the expen- 
ces; into which, in ten years only, was paid thefumof 
126,000k Charles II. generously gave a thoufand pounds 
a year out of his privy-purfe, befides a duty on coals, 
which produced 5000I. a year, over and above all other 
grants in its favour. Sir Chriftopher prepared a defign 
well dudied and truly magnificent, conformable to the bed 
ftyle of the Greek and Roman architecture, which all ap¬ 
proved except the bilhops, who thought it not diffidently 
laid out in the cathedral fafhion. The defign was there¬ 
fore varied in many refpeCts, until the plan of the prefent 
mighty ftruCture, which is in the form of a long crofs, was 
unanimoufly approved ; foon after which the building was 
put in hand, and the firft (tone was laid by Sir Chriftopher 
himfelf, on the 21ft of June, 1675. 
The foundations being laid, Portland (tone was chofen 
to complete the fuperftruCture. The walls are wrought 
in ruftic, and ftrengthened, as well as adorned, by two 
rows of double pilarters, one over the other; the lower 
of the Corinthian order, and the upper of the Compofite. 
The fpaces between the arches of the windows and the ar¬ 
chitrave of the lower order, are filled with a great variety 
of grand enrichments, as are alfo thofe above. The weft 
front, towards Ludgate-ftreet, has a molt noble appear- 
s since,. 
