It had long been subject of regret, that the top of Leith-street, adjoining Shakespeare-square, and the Register Office, which had become a very crowded thoroughfare, was so narrow, and it was hoped, that in the improvements then in contemplation, of which the Regent Bridge formed a part, the street front towards the west would be kept considerably behind the original line; but so far from this being the case, the new front was brought considerably in advance, and it was only by the spirited interference of some private individuals that the new fronts of the bridge were sent back to their present situation, after a considerable part of the substructions had been built. As Leith-street and the Regent-bridge meet at a very acute angle, nearly in the same manner as Cornhill and Lombard-street, in London, the intervening houses dwindle into a very diminutive front, leaving but little scope for architectural decoration or effect. The vile contracted appearance of the two porticoes that terminate the bridge towards the west, is not altogether to be attributed to Mr Elliot, although we think that a much finer and more appropriate front might have been casily designed for the present limits of the ground. Another of the boasted improvements of Edinburgh isthe North Bridge Buildings, a work, we believe, originally projected with a view solely to the encrease of the municipal treasury, with out any reference to beauty or taste. As far back as the year 1774, the Register Office was begun, from the designs of the celebrated Adam, in a situation which terminated the vista from the Old Town, at the end of the North Bridge; and it had always been regretted that this edifice, to this day the finest specimen of architectonic composition, and of the taste of the artist, which the city possesses, should have been obscured by the intervention of any object whatever, which at first only obstructed the view of the wings, even at a considerable distance; but as an opportunity offered of encreasing the revenue of the city, by about two hundred and fifty pounds, it was considered unnecessary to give way to any feelings of delicacy where so important an advantage could be obtained; the magistrates accordingly consented to sacrifice this beautiful edifice, and to permit the erection of a line of buildings, which, both as to its own intrinsic demerits, and its encroachment on the beauty of the city, will remain an indelible stain, we fear, on the character of the Northern Athens; and the Register Office, a model of general symmetry and individual elegance, now appears with one wing entirely obscured, the other partially visible, a monument of any thing but good taste and liberality. Of Mr Playfair's designs for finishing the College, we have already taken some notice. The improvements in Parliament Square are chiefly remarkable for a very singular circumstance, namely, the omission of a carriage entrance from the west, which has induced the necessity of taking down the Tolbooth Church, a fine Gothic building, a measure, which, we understand, has been resolved upon, in order to supply this deficiency. We shall conclude with a few observations on the proposed National Monument, or Church, now proposed to be erected in the Scottish metropolis, in commemoration of the navál and military achievements of the late war-a subject which has of late occupied much of the public attention. The committee for conducting this business have published a report, containing a plan for the proposed edifice from the designs of Mr Elliot, to which we have several objections to offer; and although it is professed. Before discussing the plans them. selves, we shall offer a few general observations connected with the subject. In the first place, in a great national ob. ject like the present, it appears to us an act of injustice to the arts of the country, as well as tending greatly to in jure the undertaking, to give any limitation as to the persons who shall be permitted to offer plans, and we think it would have been much more be coming to have renounced any appearance of favour, or rather of prejudgment, and announced by public advertisement, a competition open to all the talents of the country; and although even none of the designs might meet with the unqualified approbation of the committee, it is obvious that such a number of hints and suggestions would be given, as would be of infinite value to a committee, who, having, of course, no private partiality to gratify, only sought conscientiously to discharge the duty they had taken on themselves. ⚫ The design of Mr Elliot is from the Pantheon at Rome, an edifice which had been recommended by the late Mr Opie of the Royal Academy, as a most appropriate model for a national monument. The Pantheon, however, in our humble apprehension, is not without defects, which, in any imitation, we should wish to see corrected, rather than in in any degree magnified. It is a vast circular building, about 150 feet in height, and nearly the same in diameter; the roof is an exact he misphere, with a radius of course of 75 feet, occupying the upper half of the whole altitude of the building; the remainder forming the vertical wall on which the dome rests, also 75 feet in height, has first a zone of the Corinthian order, with its entablature, columns, and pilasters, to the number of 28, rising from the pavement to the height of about 48 feet; and above this, another zone of the same order, but of about half the dimensions, and having only pilasters at shorter distances, to the number of about 64 in the whole circumference, the entablature of which marks the termination of the vertical wall, and the line from whence the dome springs. Now it appears to us, that the hemisphere is an improper form for a dome, as either encroaching on the relative height of the walls, or adding unnecessarily to the altitude of the whole; but what we consider a greater defect, is the subdivision of the wall into two zones, and the endless variety of small parts and insignificant features resulting from this arrangement; not to mention the arches, recesses, altars, and niches, which destroy the grandeur and simplicity of its effect. We are therefore of opinion, with all our admiration for the ancients, and for this specimen of their taste, that it would have had a much grander effect, had one great order been substituted for the two lesser, and the dome, with its present diameter, been only half the height. A greater conformity would thus have been obtained between the immense pannels, into which the dome is divided, and the columns below; while, by this reduction of height, the effect of it as a whole would have been more readily perceived by the spectator without any painful effort, and In a letter published in his works, and which originally appeared in a periodical work, called the "Artist." It contains many admirable suggestions, well de serving the attention of those proposing to superintend a work of this description. the unpleasing effect of the perspective always resulting from the point of light being too near the object. For this reason, the increased altitude which Mr Elliot has given to his design, and which, according to the "Report," is considered indispensible, appears to us an unnecessary deviation from the model, highly injuri ous to the effect, and for which we cannot at present discover any suffici ent reason. The two orders, and the other small parts, which we have mentioned above, are retained; but what we dislike most of all, is the exterior, which, making allowance for the dif. ference of proportion of the square basement, on which it stands, is a very bad paraphrase on the mausoleum of Adrian. We are aware, that Mr Elliot is accustomed to declare, with no small exultation, that every part of his design is sanctioned by the authority of the ancients. This we not only deny, as contrary to fact, but have also to add, that a successful imitation of the ancients consists not in following the letter but the spirit of their principles-not in borrowing trifling details, capitals, volutes, friezes, cornices, and the like, which would degrade the artist to the level of the artizan, but in an enlarged view of their style of composition, and in the skilful adaptation of it to existing eircumstances; moreover, although taste in the arts was much more general in the best ages of antiquity, than in our own times, yet it is obvious, from many remains of ancient art still extant, both in Greece and Italy, that there were, as at present, artists not much distinguished either for taste or a true feeling for art. With regard to the design for the exterior, we are of opinion that it appears to have been borrowed from the Mausoleum of Adrian above mentioned. The principle of composition is, however, completely subverted by the omission of the immense square basement, which forms so important a feature in the original, nor do we recollect any other ancient authority for a circular building of two orders above each other; but from whatever source it may have been drawn, we conceive that the plain heavy appearance of the Pantheon, with all its defects, would have been infinitely preferable to the design in question. As the church, attached to the monument in the ground plan, is kept entirely out of sight in the ele vation, we presume that it is intended, from motives of economy, to restrict the decorations entirely to the monumental part, to the prejudice of the rest. If such be the intention, we think it extremely injudicious, and that it would be preferable, either to reduce the scale, or leave out some of the more expensive ornaments, in order to preserve due uniformity and congruity throughout; as nothing is more unpleasant than the disappointment arising from a splendid imposing exterior associated with poverty and nakedness within. We have had an opportunity of inspecting other two plans designed for the same purpose, on which happily we can bestow more unqualified ap probation; the one is by Mr Thomas Hamilton, the other by Mr Robert Reid. The design of Mr Hamilton, like that of Mr Elliot, embraces the twofold object of a monument and church, and is remarkable for the magnificence and taste which it displays. It consists of a large circular building, surmounted by a dome, the peristyle of which is of the Corinthian order, and the utmost simplicity is preserved by leaving out all small details, and continuing the entablature unbroken round the whole circumference. From this centre, three different buildings radiate, of equal magnitude, and at equal distances, and presenting three fronts, each of which is nearly similar to the Decastyle Temple of Jupiter Olympius at Athens. With regard to the interior, one of the divisions or projecting buildings is occupied by the grand entrance, and is designed for the reception of monuments, sculptural ornaments, tablets, and inscriptions. The main building in the centre forms one great circular gallery, ornamented in a suitable style; but its chief decorations are left to be supplied by the two sister arts, Painting and Sculpture, and to consist of national subjects commemorative of striking examples of public virtue, patriotism, and valour. In order to dis. play those works to the greatest advantage, the gallery is lighted only from the centre of the dome. The other two divisions, or projecting buildings, are intended to be occupied as churches. This is the general outline of the monument; but it remains to exhibit a very important part in a prac tical point of view, namely, the artist's views with regard to its situation, and the buildings in its immediate vicinity. It is well known, that a plan has been arranged for feuing the grounds situated at the base of the Calton Hill, between Leith Walk and the Eastern Road to Leith; now, as the ground is at present unoccupied, it is proposed that this edifice should form the centre of the new buildings, and that the surrounding streets shall be decorated in an appropriate style, so as to form part of the design, and thus the value of the property in the neighbourhood would be so much enhanced, as great ly to counterbalance the expence of the ground the edifice would occupy. The area of the monument is surrounded by a great circus, consisting of handsome dwelling-houses, externally decorated with suitable magnificence. The access to this circus is by three streets, each fronting one of the porticoes of the monument, by which ar rangement a very splendid termination to each street is obtained; and the further end of the street, which leads to the main entrance of the monument, is adorned by a triumphal arch. We conceive that the ideas thus suggested by Mr Hamilton are, in every respect, worthy of consideration. We know nothing that would be more advantageous to the arts of this country, than some such sanctuary as that proposed for their reception; the situation and manner of laying out the ground are admirable, and would no doubt speedily attract a respectable neighbourhood. The plan proposed by Mr Reid is simply to erect, on a conspicuous part of the Calton Hill, a correct transcript of the Parthenon, or Temple of Minerva, in the Acropolis of Athens. The massive greatness and breadth of parts, which peculiarly distinguish the Grecian Doric order, (of which this edifice is one of the purest examples,) as well as the noble simplicity of the form of the edifice, in a peculiar manner recommend it for so commanding a situation. The Parthenon is too well known to require any description; but Mr Reid, in order to convey a more complete idea of its appearance, as viewed from every point, has constructed a very beautiful model, which embraces the whole exterior of the building, and must satisfy every one, duly impressed with the conviction of the excellence of ancient art, that nothing could be more appropriate for such a purpose, nor more worthy to occupy a station, from which it would be seen at such a distance, and to so great advantage. Mr Reid has taken some trouble to show, that it would not interfere with anything at present erected on the hill; and we should be sorry if it injured Mr Playfair's beautiful little edifice, the Observatory. But it would be a great advantage to the appearance of the city, were the nondescript building, dedica ted to the memory of Nelson, (which at present encumbers the most prominent part of the hill,) to be swept away, and this design erected in its place. This could be objected to by none, provided a nobler monument were imme. diately erected to our great Admiral, and would be highly gratifying to all persons of taste; while those who stickle for the authority of the ancients, would not only have the details after the most approved standards, but an entire edifice, according to the model of the most perfect specimen of the finest era of ancient art. It has always been regretted, that Edinburgh, standing on so singular and picturesque a situation, in the midst of so much beautiful and roman tic scenery, has received so little assistance from the hand of art, and that the structures which have been erected with a view to architectural decoration, have in general tended only to disfigure and degrade the finest situations. The erection of the Parthenon, according to Mr Reid's proposal, would do more to supply deficiencies, than the turrets and pinnacles, and all the other frippery of a thousand Gothic chapels. Having no personal feelings to gratify, but deeply impressed with the conviction of the dignity and importance of this, as well as the other branches of the Fine Arts, we have stated, with freedom and impartiality, our sentiments on this subject, a duty which we consider the more necessary, on account of the many injuries which have already been committed against good taste in the public edifices of this magnificent city. |