front; but the Architect states that he had nothing to do either with the putting it on or taking it off.

Such is the unsatisfactory state in which this large and costly structure stands, from being begun without a plan which had been maturely considered, from injudicious alterations and changes having been made during its progress, and contrary, as it appears by his own statement, to the opinion of the Architect; but under whatever direction this work may have proceeded, there can be only one opinion of the work itself; and although your Committee cannot clearly ascertain to whom the blame attaches, the system cannot be good which has produced such a result. It, therefore, now remains a question, how it can either be left as it is, or how it can be completed on the end towards the North; for, as to the project of balancing it by a symmetrical and similar range of pavilion and building on the other side of Downing-street in King-street, with a decorated arch connecting those two streets, such an addition will probably never be required for public utility, nor does it seem desirable that it should be ever carried into effect.

The name of Lord Viscount Goderich having been frequently mentioned in Mr. Soane's evidence relating to the new Council-Office, your Committee requested his Lordship to inform them as to his recollection of the circumstances coneected with that building, which is given at length in his evidence. In this place it may be sufficient to observe, that with the exception of the line so inadvertently taken, the other defects could not have occurred, if the suggestion made by Lord Goderich in one of his conferences with Mr. Soane had been adopted, which was, to refer to the general design of Inigo Jones for the Palace of Whitehall, and to select such a division or portion from it as might be adapted, in the interior distribution, to the purposes of the Trade and Council Offices, and might adorn the street, by a front not discordant from the style and character of the only portion of that grand building which now remains, and decorates the opposite side.

The absurdities of this building, we take it, must be pretty equally divided between the Treasury and Mr. Soane. This gentleman is, as every body knows, an infallible architect, who, throughout a long life, has been multiplying his mannerisms under every possible variety of situation and object. Whether the building to be erected is a bank or a mausoleum, a court of law or a church, a hospital or a palace, the arrangement and the ornament must not be determined by their adaptation to the purposes of the edifice, but to the universal idea of beauty pre-existing in the mind of Mr. Soane. This gentleman has, from his earliest years, been engaged in the concoction of various ingenious devices for Soanifying the British metropolis;-and he has had the felicity of being employed, to some extent, in carrying these agreeable fancies into execution. In some cases, we grieve to say it, he has been "cribb'd, confined;"—and thus his genius has been held in subjection to common-minded men, who have dared, for instance, to think, in contravention of his canon, that the façade of Westminster Hall ought to be Gothic. But Mr. Soane, very properly, scorns to work upon any other than a grand plan; and he has, therefore, published a series of elaborate designs, with the laudable purpose of shewing how some fifty millions of money might be advantageously spent in erecting a series of monarchical edifices, according to the "sixth order" of architecture. Agreeably to these magnificent plans, a new palace is to be built on the top of Constitution Hill, (which, we honestly confess, is greatly superior to Nash's palace in the Swamp,) and from this the King, on his way to Parliament, (according to Mr. Soane's un

equalled description,) sets out with his cortège some fine Monday morning, taking a peep, en passant, at naval columns, and Waterloo monuments, till he reaches "the grand triumphal arch," connecting the Park with Downing-street,-thence past a fine series of aërial edifices in King-street, on a line with the present Council Office, and, finally, entering the House of Peers by Mr. Soane's gorgeous "gallery." Now, this our accomplished and imaginative architect calls "a dream of his early morning;" and hence it arises, that the Council Office and Board of Trade, of which the Committee so loudly complain, has no relation, in its present line, either to Whitehall or Downing-street, but that its alignment is perfect with the paper palaces and triumphal arches of this dream in Mr. Soane's superb folio. This gentleman's evidence before the Committee is the most curious thing in the world. He is eternally confounding his instructions for a specific building, with his visions of what he wishes to do with reference to some new buildings, which the Government tell him they shall never want; and thus is he suffered to erect an edifice, utterly out of line with all the buildings about it, spoiling Downing-street and Whitehall, because he has a plan for conducting the King and his cortège through triumphal arches which he will never be permitted to erect. Our readers will not think that a little of this farcical dialogue is very tedious :— The present line of your building in Downing-street does not follow the old line of the street?-It does not.

With what view was that line made by you?-The line of the building in Downing-street is necessarily at right angles with the front of Whitehall; the direction of which was altered from what was originally proposed by me. By whom?-By some of the Lords of the Treasury.

Where would your line have gone; would it have gone further into the street or further back, or would it have kept the old line of the street?-By the original line the width of Downing-street is considerably increased, I cannot explain that fully without the plan. The front of the Board of Trade, if continued according to my original line, would have cut into King-street several feet; this was objected to, and I was directed to alter the line of the front of the Board of Trade, so that if continued, it would cut about five feet on the house the corner of King-street and Downing-street. I set back about five feet from Whitehall upon the Office of the Secretary of State for the Home Department; my object was, that if it should be considered desirable to make the Secretary of State's Office a part of the grand design, I should do nothing to prevent that idea being carried into execution; no such idea had ever been stated to me at that time, but it occurred to me that it might; I took no notice of the width of the Treasury passage, that I might be enabled to adapt it in any way I wished. After this line had been so determined, and the Office for the Board of Trade had been erected, it was then said-We must have a pavilion of, I think, six columns, and at the angle of Downingstreet must have another pavilion; making the front of the Secretary of State's Office to correspond with it.

You stated that your building is at right angles, but the effect in Downingstreet is, to leave the two sides of Downing-street not parallel the one to the other?-Certainly.

It was not your intention to leave it so ?-No; certainly not.

What were your ulterior determinations respecting Downing-street ?— I am prepared with plans to explain that.

Were any of those, plans that have been approved of by the Treasury ?— No; they have been before the Treasury, but nothing settled upon.

All which has been built, is all that is approved of by the Treasury?—Yes. Did you state to the Treasury, that by this line you had taken, it would not be parallel with the other side of Downing-street, if they went no further than the plan they had sanctioned?-Downing-street was considered as a secondary object; they are miserable old houses that must come down; the object was, that the whole might open a way from this building to Westminster Abbey.

Was that an understanding by the Treasury, or your own design?-My own design brought forward.

Again :

Did you state to the Treasury the objection to taking that line in Downingstreet, and that you would be compelled to take such line, if you varied the line in front of Whitehall?-The new building unavoidably takes a different line from the old line of Downing-street, but leaves that street considerably wider than it was.

If your building be produced in a straight line, will it not cut the door of the Colonial Office ?-Very likely.

Did you state to the Treasury all the objections to varying the line in the first instance, and the consequences that it would have in taking the present direction in Downing-street?—I certainly did not; because I saw no objection then, nor do I see any objection now, to the line in Downing-street.

Did you consider that the Secretary of State's Office was to remain as it now is, that the building was to terminate in Downing-street, as it now does, and that it was to be exactly as it is now, and that there was to be no alteration?-Exactly; nor do I propose any now.

Did you state to the Treasury that that might have an unsightly appearance? I could not state that which I do not believe to exist; I do not think it will. I think, so far from it, it will be very handsome.

Do you consider it at present a complete design ?—I think that what is done is part of a complete design.

Do you consider it a complete design, in contemplating an addition to be made; or do you consider it as a complete building now?-At the very moment when I was directed to add a pavilion next Downing-street, I contemplated the plan which I have now before me [producing a plan.]

Will you explain what that plan is?—This plan is in effect to carry on the line of the buildings to Westminster Abbey, making Downing-street eightyfive feet wide at the entrance.

Did you state to the Treasury, that in order to give due effect to your building, it would be necessary to make this alteration of Downing-street?No, I could not do it-my plans were not then prepared. Those plans required much consideration.

After you had matured those plans, did you state that this alteration of the line of the building would make it necessary to pull down the houses on the other side of Downing-street, to make that street eighty-five feet wide at the entrance, and to carry on the plan you have now mentioned?—Those plans have never been directly before the Treasury.

Did you lay that whole plan before the Treasury, and explain the further objects you had in view in the partial plan which you have carried into effect?-Undoubtedly; particularly one in which the Triumphal Arch was introduced; it was introduced in different parts, and Mr. Robinson was so pleased with it, that I had all but directions to carry it into execution.

Then in that plan you did contemplate that this was not to be left in its present state; but that, in order to carry into effect that whole plan, Downing-street was to be altered, the buildings on the opposite side were to be pulled down, and triumphal arches erected in different parts of Downingstreet?-Most undoubtedly; and I believe it will be found, by consulting

the Acts of Parliament, that you have an Act to pull down that side of the street. If I had not contemplated this sort of plan, which gives an originality and variety of effect to this line, I should have urged many objections to this portico.

Would you not still more have objected to leaving that unsightly corner in Downing-street, which seems to answer no purpose at present, supposing you had not had that further plan?-According to my design produced, the buildings on both sides of Downing-street are similar.

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Really, the mental hallucination which this unfortunate gentleman displays is very awful. If there be any art or science above all others dependent upon existing circumstances, and referable to practicable objects, it is architecture. Mr. Soane has instructions to build a Council-office and a Board of Trade; in addition to these edifices, he has firmly made up his mind to widen Downing-street eighty-five feet, to pull down King-street, and to carry on the line to Westminster Abbey. Not one word of all this does he say, officially, to the Treasury; but he proceeds with his incongruous line, as if the whole matter were finally approved. He talks of the grand design,—and my own design;" "I contemplated the plan which I have now before me," and "most undoubtedly, in order to carry into effect that whole plan, Downing-street was to be altered, the buildings on the opposite side were to be pulled down, and triumphal arches erected in different parts of Downing-street." We apprehend that practically it will be found necessary to pull down much of the actual erection, for the vulgar purpose of making it take a line with the buildings upon which it abuts; but then it was " part of a complete design," which existed in Mr. Soane's most fertile imagination; and lest the gifted architect of the Board of Works should have his fancy shackled, the erection went on "coute qui coute." Would to heaven his genius had lighted upon a colder clime. He might have built snow-palaces for Russia, instead of deforming London with edifices that have one wing at Whitehall and the other in the clouds.

But let us hear Lord Goderich upon this matter:

I perfectly remember representing to Mr. Soane, that I very much wished that in forming his plan he would have reference to the opposite building of Whitehall Chapel, and the general designs of Inigo Jones for a new palace at Whitehall, which, notwithstanding some defects in the details, was nevertheless so grand in its proportions, and so harmonious in its general effect, that it appeared to me it might furnish suggestions very applicable to those new buildings about to be erected in the immediate neighbourhood of Whitehall Chapel. The design which Mr. Soane first produced, in consequence of this communication, did not appear to be founded upon this suggestion.

Inigo Jones, indeed! Talk to Mr. Soane about Inigo Jones! We are astonished at the presumption of Lord Goderich; and that he should have even dared to offer an architectural opinion to an artist who he well knew has twice gone the length of bringing criticism into courts of justice, that he may maintain his infallibility!

What's Inigo to him, or he to Inigo !

But let us look a little further at the extent of Lord Goderich's most unprecedented doubts.

When the details of the building were subsequently more thoroughly ex

plained, I was very much struck with its want of height, and I stated my feelings upon the subject very decidedly to Mr. Soane. I suggested to him two modes by which this defect might be obviated; one was to raise the basement story, which, being partly underground, was not intended to be more than three feet above the ground, to at least the same height as the basement story of Whitehall Chapel, which cannot be less than ten or twelve feet. Mr. Soane objected to this proposition, that it was contrary to good principle and good taste, that where three-quarter columns were used, the base of them should be so much elevated above the ground, and he did not seem to admit that the example of Whitehall Chapel, on the opposite side of the street, was a sufficient answer to that objection. He persisted in his objection to give an elevation to the building by such a change in the plan. I then proposed that the elevation might be obtained by making the windows of the two stories between the columns of equal heights, the effect of which would have been to have increased the length and the proportions of the columns, and to have given the necessary elevation to the building. To this proposition Mr. Soane objected, that there was no example to be found in the works of the best Italian architects, particularly Palladio, of any building with columns so attached, where the two rows of windows were of the same size; and he shewed me two or three volumes of Palladio's works, which, as far as the example of that artist goes, confirmed his opinion as to the fact. It did not, however, convince my judgment; and I referred him to a building at Rome, which I believe to be a very magnificent one, and of which the modern wall erected between the antient columns is pierced with three rows of large windows of a uniform size, and of which the effect, judging from drawings, (I never saw the original,) appears to me to be very handsome. Mr. Soane, however, maintained his own opinion as an architect; but I think it necessary to observe, that the question of any difference of expense between two stories of equal height and two of unequal height never arose, and would never have been considered by me as any objection whatever to the adoption of the plan of alteration which I suggested.

Having made all these representations to Mr. Soane, together with my own suggestions of the best mode of remedying what appeared to me to be a defect, the utmost that I could induce him to assent to, was to raise the basement story from about three feet to its present elevation of about four or five feet. As the building advanced, the defect, in point of height, became apparent, and the upper part of the building was so visible from the opposite side of the street, as to constitute a great disfigurement to the whole design. It was then suggested, but not by me, that the only mode in which the defect could be cured would be by forming two pavilions, one at each end of the building, with an attic, whereby the wall connecting the chimnies would have at least the appearance of some utility, as connecting together the two flanks of the building. This suggestion was much considered, and Mr. Soane was directed to prepare a plan, by which some idea might be formed of the effect which it was likely to produce. This plan was accordingly prepared by Mr. Soane, and it was determined that it should be carried into execution with the Pavilion at each end, one towards Downingstreet, and the other in front of the Secretary of State's Office.

After this plan had been determined upon, Mr. Soane suggested to me an additional scheme, according to which, he proposed to make a grand entrance into the Park through Downing-street, with a triumphal arch thrown across Downing-street, at the point where the present new building terminates; and a building, corresponding in style with the Privy Council Office, was proposed to be erected on a line towards Westminster Abbey. This design looked very well upon paper, but I always expressed to Mr. Soane the most decided objections to it. First, it involved the pulling down of every house in Downing-street; and if that objection were to be met by