K I 
Ing of two (lories, built a good many year 9 ago, I believe, 
from the deligns of Mr. Goupy. It is commonly called 
the Houfe of Confucius. The lower (lory confifts of one 
room and two clofets; and the upper ftory is one little 
faloon, commanding a very pleafant profpeft over the lake 
and gardens. Its walls and ceiling are painted with gro- 
tefque ornaments, and little hiftorical fubjefts relating to 
Confucius, with feveral tranfabfions of the Chriftian mif- 
fionaries in China. The fopha and chairs were defigned by 
Mr. Kent, and their feats and backs are covered with the 
f tapeftry of the Gobelins. In a thicket, near the ltoufe of 
Confucius, is erected the engine which fupplies the lake 
and bafons in the gardens with water. Itarifwers perfect¬ 
ly well, railing, by means of two horfes, upwards of 3600 
hogfheads of water in twelve hours. From the houfe of 
Confucius, a covered clofe walk leads to a grove where 
is placed a femi-oftagon feat, defigned by Mr. Kent. A 
winding walk, on the right of the grove, leads to an open 
plain, on one fide of which, backed with thickets, on a 
rifmg ground, is placed a Corinthian colonade, called the 
Theatre of Augufta. The Temple of Viftory is the next 
building which offers itfelf to view. It ftands on a hill, 
and was built in commemoration of the victory obtained 
on the-firft of Auguft, 1759, near Minden, by the allied 
army under prince Ferdinand of Brunfwick, over the 
French army commanded by the marfhal de Contades. 
The cell, which commands a pretty profpeft towards 
Richmond, and likewife over Middlefex, is neariy finifhed 
with ftucco ornaments. Thole in the ceiling reprefent 
ftandards, and otherFrench trophies. The whole was de¬ 
figned by mre, and- executed under my infpeftion, in the 
year 1759, f° on after the above-mentioned battle. As 
you pafs along from the Temple of Victory towards the 
upper part of the gardens, are feen the ruins of an arch, 
furrounded with feveral veftiges of other Itructures. Its 
defeription will be given hereafter. 
“ The upper part of the garden compofes a large wil- 
dernefs ; on the border of which ftands a morefque build¬ 
ing, commonly called the Alhambra, confiding of a faloon, 
fronted with a portico of coupled columns, and crowned 
with a lantern. On an open l'pace, near the centre of the 
fame wildernefs, is erefted the tower, commonly called the 
Great Pagoda. The defign is an imitation of the Chinefe 
Taa. The bafe is a regular oflagon, forty-nine feet in di¬ 
ameter ; and the fuperftrufture is likewife a regular offagon 
on its plan, and in its elevation compofed of ten prilins, 
which form the ten different ftories of the building. The 
lowed of thefeis twenty-fix feet in diameter, exclufiveof the 
portico which furrounds it, and eighteen feet high; the fe- 
cond is five-and-twenty feet in diameter, and feventeen feet 
high; and all the reft diminifh in diameter and height, in 
the fame arithmetical proportion, to the ninth ftory, which is 
eighteen feet in diameter, and ten feet high. The tenth 
ftory is feventeen feet in diameter, and, with the covering, 
twenty feet high ; and the finifhing on the top is feven¬ 
teen feet high ; fo that the whole ftructure, from the bafe 
to the top of the fleuron, is one hundred and fixty-three 
feet. Each ftory finiflies with a projecting roof, after the 
Chinefe manner, covered with plates of varnifhed iron of 
different colours ; and round each of them there is a gal¬ 
lery inclofed with a rail. All the angles of the roof are 
adorned with large dragons, being eighty in number, co¬ 
vered with a kind of thin glafs of various colours, which 
produces a moft dazzling reflection ; and the whole orna¬ 
ment at the top is double gilt. The walls of the building 
are compofed of very hard bricks ; the outfide of well-co¬ 
loured and well-matched grey flocks, neatly laid, and 
with fuch care, that there is not the lealt crack or frac¬ 
ture in the whole ftruCture, notwithstanding its great 
height, and the expedition with which it was built. The 
ftair-cafe, which leads to the different ftories, is in the 
centre of the building. The profpefts open as you ad¬ 
vance in height; and from the top you command a very 
extenfive view on all fides, and in fome directions up= 
Von. XI. No. 788. 
: w.. f>gf 
wards of forty miles diftance, over 3 rich and variegated 
country. 
“Near the great pagoda, on a riling ground, backed 
with thickets, ftands the Mofque. The body of the build¬ 
ing confifts of an oCtagon faloon in the centre, flanked 
with two cabinets, finifhing with one large dome and two 
fmall ones. The large dome is crowned with a crefcent, 
and its upright part contains twenty-eight little arches, 
which give light to the faloon. On the three front Tides 
of the central octagon are three doors, giving entrance to 
the building; over each of which there is an Arabic in- 
feriprion, in golden characters, extracted from the Alco¬ 
ran by Dr. Moreton. The minarets are placed at each 
end of the principal building. In my defign of them, as 
well as in the whole exterior decoration of the building 
itfelf, I have endeavoured to colleCt the principal particu¬ 
larities of theTurkifti architecture. With regard to the 
interior decoration, I have not fo fcrupuloufly'adhered to 
their ltile in building, but have aimed at fomething un¬ 
common, and at the fame time pleafing. The walls of the 
cabinet are painted of a rich rofe-colour, and thofe of the 
faloon are ltraw-coloured. At the eight angles of the 
room are palm-trees modelled in ftucco, painted and var- 
nilhed with various hues of green, in imitation of nature; 
which at the top fpread and lupport the dome, reprefented 
as formed of reeds bound together with ribbons of filkv 
The cove is fuppofed to be perforated, and a brilliant fun¬ 
ny fky appears, finely painted by Mr. Wilfon, of Covent- 
garden, the celebrated landfcape-painter. In the way 
from the mofque towards the palace there is a Gothic 
building, defigned by Mr. Muntz ; the front representing 
a cathedral. The Gallery of Antiques was defigned by 
me, and executed in the year 1757. Continuing your 
way from the laft-mentioned building towards the palace, 
near the banks of the lake, ftands the Temple of Are- 
thufa, a fmall Ionic building of four columns. It was de¬ 
figned and built by me in 1758. Near it there is a bridge 
thrown over a narrow channel of water and leading to the 
iiland in the lake. The defign is, in a great meafure, 
taken from one of Palladio’s wooden bridges. It was 
erected in one night. In various parts of the garden are 
erected covered feats, executed from two deligns com¬ 
pofed by me in the year 1758. There is alfo ereCfed 
in the garden of Kew a temple in commemoration of the 
peace of 1763. The portico is hexaftyle Ionic; the co¬ 
lumns fluted ; the entablature enriched ; and the tympan 
of the pediment adorned with baft'o-relievos. The cell is 
the form of a Latin crofs, the ends of which are clofed 
by femicircular fweeps, wherein are niches to receive fta- 
tues. It is richly furniftied with ftucco ornaments, allu- 
five to the occalion on which it is ereited. The Ruin at 
Kew was defigned and built by me in the year 1759, in 
order to make a paffage for carriages and cattle over one 
of the principal walks of the garden. My intention was 
to imitate a Roman antiquity, built of brick, with an in- 
cruftation of ltone. The defign is a triumphal arch, ori¬ 
ginally with three apertures, but two of them now doled 
up, and converted into rooms, to which you enter by 
doors made in the fides of the principal arch. The foffit 
of the principal arch is enriched with coffers and rofes, 
and both the fronts of the ftrueture are ruftic. The north 
front is confined between two rocks, overgrown with bri¬ 
ars and other wild plants, and topped with thickets, 
aniongft which are feen feveral columns and other frag¬ 
ments of buildings ; and a little diftance beyond the arch 
is leen an antique ftatue of a mule. The central ftrudure 
of the ruin is bounded on each fide by a range of arches'. 
There is a great quantity of cornices, and other fragments, 
fpread over the ground, feemingiy fallen from the build¬ 
ings; and in the thickets on each fide are feen feveral re¬ 
mains of piers, brick walls, &c.” 
Theft gardens are opened every Sunday, from midfum- 
mer to the end of autumn. The Exotic Garden, fince 
’ fir William Chambers wrote his account, has been en- 
8 P • ricked 
