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eftablishing it. In fact, and fo it was urged there, as the members on their admiffion paid the fees required, and figned the book obliging themselves to obferve the ftatutes contained in it, and the Society on their part had affociated them, and made them members, they could not degrade or reject them, unlefs on their refufing to perform the obligations they had entered into.

Another propofition made by the Council, which stood alfo for difcuffion by the members at this meeting, was, that all members, hereafter to be made, thould pay feven guineas infiead of five, for their admiflion fee, and three guineas annually inttead of two; and thole who compounded for their annual payments, were to have paid 36 guineas infiead of 26." This the meeting would readily have adopted; but the Council, difappointed of receiving the larger fum, that would have come almott immediately into the treafury, by aflefling their prefent members, withdrew the propofal. “

likely to receive the approbation of the perfons for whom it is defigned; and the members would very readily, bea plan I fhall hereafter fuggeft, have farnifhed the neceflary fund, if any additional fource fhould have beca wanting.

It will readily be admitted, that, in efiimating the value of any work of art, its utility, or being adapted to anfwer the intended purpofe, must be confidered as one of its confiituents; and that the mere splendour of its appearance will very ill compenfate for the lofs of this property. In the work here alluded to, the Hiftory of the Cathedrals, this, a grand principle, is facrificed, or at the leati made greatly fubordinate to splendour and elegance.

The work confifts, as is well known, of a hiftory and defeription of the cathedrals; delineations, or exquifitely engraved plates, reprefening the fronts, fides, diflections, and all the ornaments external and internal, with explanations of the plates, all printed on a fuperb atlas paper, fo large, that it is impoffible to read either the account of the buildings or expla nation of the plates, but in a flanding pofture; and the print (Bulmer's type) fo fharp and beautiful that no eye can bear it longer than a very few minutes; and as the explanations of the plates are printed alfo with a large type, and take up much pace, the book is not calcu lated to be bound, as from the fize of the leaves they cannot without injuring them be turned backward and forward, as you may have occafion to refer 19 the explanations. Each of the cachedrals as far as they have gone are diffected through the roofs, the whole length of the buildings, and again across the arms, or from North to South, to fhew the internal firucture of thole parts.

It has been intimated above, that the pecuniary embarrafliments of the Society, which led them to make thefe propofals, arofe from the very great expence incurred by their late publications, particularly their delineations and accounts of our cathedrals, now carrying on; and this was frongly and very properly urged by the members of the Council, and doubtles had its due effect upon the minds of the members. But, on the other hand, it was obferved, that, as the Council have the fole management of the income and funds of the Society, they ought to have taken care, before they entered on a speculation of fuch great magnitude, to have calculated the coft, and feen whether it could be brought within the compafs of their abilities if not, they fhould have first drawn up a profpectus of their work, with an eitimate of the expence, as near as it. But if one of the buildings only had could be calculated, to be given to been thus minutely diffected and delieach of the members, defiring their neated, and fmall parts of the others obfervations and fuggeftions in order (where there was any material diffeto its perfection. To this might have rence in the fiructures) given, a very been added, fuch proposals as they large portion of the prefent expence of might think likely to be efficient to engraving would have been faved, not enable the Society to carry the plan, if only without any deterioration, but approved, into execution. Had this with a manifeft improvement in the been done, there can be no doubt but work; as it would not then have been the work would have been executed loaded with repetitions of objects, in a manner much less expenfive, and either exactly the faine, or fo linle vayet fo as to be more valuable, and ried as fearce to be diftinguished one confequently more worthy, and more from the other.

The

The expence of thefe fuperfluous plates has doubtles been one of the caules why the Society have not beel

able to give perfpective views of the buildings, for want of which, the work, though enormously expenfive, is extremely defective.

from the Council to each of the mem-. bers, explaining their reafons for altering the form of the publication as to the letter prefs, and their intention of giving perspective views of the buildings, and propofing that on delivering the republication of the defeription of Having peken this fredly of the the buildings already given, with a execution of the work, and fewn perfpective view of one of them, (lay what appear to be its imperections, it Exeter,) the members thould each of will be expiced that I fond explain them pay one guinea; and on deliverin whit nommer it might have been ing each of the following perspective made meie perfect, or how the error views, Bath and Durham, they should already cottontted may be remedied, pay 10s. 6d.; and one guinea on reand die work completed, fɔ as to rea-ceiving the account of every new cader it more affal, convenient, and thedral, with the perfpective and other agreeable, without deftroying any part engravings. of its elegance or beany; and as the Society have rejected the plan propofed by the Council for failing the money neceflary for prof cuting the work, whether any other may not be devited more equitable, and confequently more likely to meet the approbation of the members in general.

This propofal, the members fhould be informed, would be difcuiled at a meeting of the Society; and there can be little doubt but they would be as unanimous in adopting it, as they were in rejecting the propofal to raife the annual payment. It is alfo highly probable that the Society would fell a inuch greater number of copies of the work in this form, than in the prefent; for, being more convenient, many more of the members would keep them, and confequently there would be fewer at market. More than two thirds of the members, known to the writer of this paper, have parted with their copies; and it is extremely probable the number thus coming into the hands of the bookfellers is not lefs than 300; and it is plain the bookfellers will fell thefe copies to their cuftomers before they will have recourse to the Society.

To aufwer thefe purpofes, I would recommend, that the hiftory and defeription of the cathedrals, with the explanations, fhould be printed in a quarto fize; infiead of the prefent enormous folio. They would then be read with convenience; and the expence of this part, filling much the largelt number of pages, would be reduced to less than half what it at prefent cofis. The engravings to be contrived of the fame fize, and on the fame beautiful paper, as thofe already publifhed; but infiead of giving repetitions of fections of the whole roofs, fides, &c. of the buildings, as at pre- If this paper, Mr. Urban, is thought fent, to give only fuch parts of thein to be fufficiently interelling to procure as have a e any thing peculiar in the work- its admition, I fhall for your next man hip, or as recommend themfelves number prefent you with fome firicfor their beauty, and to give perspec- tures on the internal management of tive views of each of them. This, in the Society, particularly on the choice the first infiance, would be attended of members for the Council, in which with a fhall additional expence, as the they feem (as in the publication we deferiptions already given muft, for the have noticed) to facrifice utility to fake of uniformity, be reprinted. This fplendour; that is, they pay more rerepublication, with a perspective view gard to the wealth or rank of the perof one of the cathedrals already fous they propofe, than to their learnfinished, (fay Exeter,) might furnishing or ability, or the probability of the next delivery; then perfpeclive their attending to the duties of the views of Bath and of Durham; and, office. until there are done, no more of the cathedrals should be engraved, but the artifts might go on taking their

drawings.

In refpe&t to the mode of raising the morey neceffary for completing the work, a letter might be fent round

Mr. URBAN,

Dec. 30. SEND you the following deferip tion of the interior of Buckingham Houfe, which may be confidered as the only town refidence of their Majefties, St. James's being merely used as a

place

place of audience and for purposes of

ftate.

The hall of entrance is upon a fcale fuitable to the dignity and spacioufnefs of the dwelling, which is fo amply stored with the finest paintings, that the walls of even this apartment are covered with them. Views of cities in Italy, efpecially thofe by Canaletti, prevail here. The pavement is of white and dark coJoured marble. Three very large and fuperb lanterns, in the fashion of forty or fifty years fince, hang from the cieling. Eight lamps in glaffes are placed on carved pedeftals, very well painted in imitation of bronze. The ftory of Eneas and Dido covers the walls of the ftaircafe. On the landing place of the chief floor, without any anti-room, opens the door of what is called the Japan room, in which their Majefties and the Princeffes breakfast. Here are the comforts of a family room, with the grandeur and fome of the ornaments of a palace. Three large paintings occupy three of the compartments, and with feveral others leave not much place for the curious Japan lining, from which the room takes its name. Vandyke is the favourite mafter here, and perhaps it is not too much to call thele three lofty pictures his beft works. That neareft the fire-place reprefents Charles I. Henrietta Maria, and their family, all in whole length. The next is the portrait of Charles I. on horfeback, with a page on foot. The third is the Duke of Alva on horfeback. A time-piece occupies the centre of a beautiful marble chimney-piece. The curtains are velvet, painted by the princess Elizabeth, in ades of brown and maroon, in imitation of cut velvet. Here the elegance of the furniture ends. The tables and chairs are of a very plain and old fashion. The cold and hard-rubbed floor is without a carpet, a luxury of which his Majefty deprives himself in almoft every apartment, from the opinion that car pets and other theans of great warmth are injurious to health. Many of his fubjects would find this deficiency very lamentable, if they were to pafs a day at Buckingham houfe. A piano-forte is on one fide of the room; a large organ completely fills up a compartment by the fire place. Several little ftands of the height of a table, to hold a breakfast cup or a work bag, are placed in the corners. From this apartment extends a fuite of rooms along the whole back-front of the houfe, all nearly co

vered with the finest pictures, which have, however, been so often described, that we shall not notice them individually. Reubens, Vandyke, and Claude, are the chief mafters. In every room the encouragement given by his Majesty to ingenious conftructors of time-pieces is apparent, and the King's fondness for their art may be well accounted for by his known punétuality; in which probably none of his fervants or fubjects ever equalled him. We do not recollect that there is one room without a clock; certainly feveral have two or three. There are at least fifty in the house; all confiantly wound up, according to their periods, by a trufly fervant, and all in fuch correctnefs, that a difference of half a minute cannot be found amongst them. Weather-glatles, of different fizes and constructions, alie occur frequently, and their indices correfpond almoft as well as the hands of the clocks. On this Weltern fide of the houfe are the King's and Queen's warm rooms apartments fo called because they have the diftinétion of carpets, of which there are only four in the whole houfe, though not lefs than twenty of the rooms are in frequent ufe by the Royal Family; the others are in the dining-toom and the Queen's bed-room, but none of thefe completely cover the floor. The furniture of this fiite of apartments is otherwife extremely remarkable, and for the very qualities oppofite to thofe that might be expect ed. Inftead of being magnificent, ele gant, or fashionable, it is of the very plaineft form into which good materials can be worked; and even the materials are not always fo confpicuoufly good, feldom fo beautiful, as would be required in the houfes of many opulent individuals. And yet, though old enough to be far out of any late tatie, it bears no ftamp of a venerable antiquity. The damafk of the curtains and chairs is much faded : the mahogany of the latter is not beautiful; it is even fo dull that it much resembles walnut; and the latter are made with curving legs, and clump or rather knob feet, not well carved. The tables are of fimiliar (afhion. Several old and very plain armoires and efcrutoires encumber the rooms, The appearance of the whole is very firiking to a vilitor, if he has been infpecting any of the magnificent dwel lings, called the Shew-houfes of our opulent nobility, and has had his eve accuftomed to gold mouldings, tat

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South View of Ravenstonedale Church in Westmoreland.

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