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this be, to, whether the king, or nation? Surely a trifle, comparatively fpeaking.

As to a palace in lieu of St. James's, it has been already so much agitated, it were fuperfluous to fay any thing at all about it here; nor will I touch on any other of his Majesty's palaces or gardens, except indeed, on immediate recollection, one little particular, viz. that two or three years ago happening to walk in Hampton-Court garden with a lady on a vifit there, I took notice when on its noble terrace that gives on the water, and leads to the pavillions, that it was pity there were not some low brushy trees on the water-fide, the fame as there were on the other, which would make a fine old-fashioned avenue, in character with that noble old-fashioned palace and gardens: The lady told me that Brown had fuggefted the fame thing, I believe to his Majesty. I venture then to fling this out here, for thought, at leaft, of any future, whether Prince or other, who may ever refide there, and in the strange event of things, fee this writing too;-it could coft but a few guineas to do it, and done in a moment; what its effect let any one fay. If I am at all right in my ideas about Hyde-Park, or even enough fo for better judges to improve them, the clue is I believe enough, as in very many other objects, whether of art or nature; of which it full often may be said, Il n'y a que le premier pas qui coute; but of these or whatever analogous things that fhould be effected in, and for, our great monarchy and nation, would it not be followed up by, after they were effected,

"These are imperial works, and worthy Kings!"

In our land of liberty, no command can, as in France and other more fingly monarchical governments, regulate the mode of building new streets or fquares, or any other edifices belonging to private proprietors; elfe, what a capital might England now boaft of! As it is, I fhould imagine it, on the whole, the first city of the prefent world, perhaps of the paft. Pity however is it, that our new buildings on the other fide of the road have, as they naturally must have done, fallen into the hands of carpenters or other mechanics, whether called builders or any thing elfe; men over whom ima

gination

gination never fhone a ray. They have confequently, done what they have. So far is however noble, as it happens, every where; I mean the breadth and piercings of almost all the nobly-prolonged streets; nay, it must be allowed, and the many handfome edifices too; but ftill deficient, in my tafte at least, to a wonderful degree, I mean in the almoft total rejection of architectural ornament; but it is the ton of the times; I mean, that of even the great to build almoft without them. A ftrange idea feems to have prevailed of some years, about heaviness in buildings; in truth they do not now err that way; and I fear they fomewhat confirm the fufpected characteristic of my worthy countrymen, as to the attribute of magnificence. The Duke of Manchester's charming houfe (charming in the infide at least, for loving those things, I contrived to fee it) in the Square, of his name, has not a fingle ornamental member of architecture; if I remember right, its windows, &c. are perfectly free from them. Yet how ftrange this, ye nobles and others! while you have before your eyes those admirable, nay admired, nay by yourselves admired, models of the Banqueting-Houfe, and the rest of Inigo Jones's noble ftructures at Whitehall, where all the orders of architecture are introduced, and never crouded; confequently, productive of their neceffary effect, even that of united grace and grandeur! As to the Square itself, which happens to be quite regular, and is therefore very pretty fo far, (except indeed that the spaces on either fide of the Duke's house, not to mention the two ugly fide houses, to me want fome ornamental partial filling) is no more ornamented, all through, than would be, or is, any farmer's better fort of houfe in the country; yet even a few ornaments, though about the windows only, would have done a great deal in effect, and added extremely little in expence of building. As to the Duke's house, let me fo much farther animadvert too, as to fay, that a Venetian window, in front, seems rather to belong to a garden-front than the principal one, more especially of a town-houfe; which, let me add alfo, might always be allowed to approach much nearer to that heavinefs fo much reprobated at prefent, (and I fay not quite unjustly) than a country building.

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We have other fquares, which though not regular or complete, are called, and are, noble Squares; I mean Grofvenor and Portman fquares. They both

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too have charming gardens, much to the use and pleasure of the inhabitants; but my ideas of the requifites to a Square, as a public building, are, as far as I know, peculiar to myfelf; I will however venture to expofe them to the whether public or private opinion, if not cenfure. First then, I imagine. that I am not particular in requiring regularity as well as a certain degree of ornament in the buildings; but next, I know not if the fame, when I add, that a Square fhould have no garden; and for the very reason that it is a Square, and its four lateral fides confequently to be connected mutually to each other, by correfponding buildings and ornaments, even as the hall or room of your house is. A Square with its four lateral buildings is not four things, but one thing, as the hall or room of your house, I say, is; confequently too, then, is to be both viewed and admired as fuch; and therefore, must have free space to be fo. But how is Grosvenor-Square to be viewed and admired as a fine Square by me, when, walking or driving down on either side, I fee not the oppofite fide at all, and the two others partially, which is methinks ftill more exceptionable? that fide then must have the effect of a row, with the country before it; fo that in effect, (if this be right) when you build a Square as an ornamental thing for a great city, you build what never can be feen as fuch.

Another particular relating to Squares, in my mind, is this; that each one should have a proportionate fize, and may be too large as well as too little. Oh no, (say you, perhaps) the larger the better, and the more noble;'

and yet, be you who you will, you doubtlefs (on a little more reflection) will

not say that its oppofite fides fhould have a mile between them. Both Portman and Grofvenor Squares are to my tafte (though I would look again ere I decided) too large; is this confidered, that in proportion as you extend the intermediate space, which you fay gives noblenefs to your Square, you really in fact take from that noblenefs; fince in the degree of greatness given to the extent of ground, you take away from fize, and confequently grandeur, in your buildings. I mean in appearance, nay indeed in reality, fince nothing is either great or little per fe, but only from comparison; and there then I think is my entire idea of Squares. I know there are other

fpacious

fpacious Squares, but I only mention thefe, as belonging to our first people. To our city, one unavoidable evil must happen; I mean, that it cannot have its buildings of stone;-in my eyes, I own, the fine qua non of magnificence: granting, however, its humble fubftitute of ftucco to go much further towards it than brick. See what noble edifices it gives to many of the cities on the continent! what a coup d'oeil does the town of Ferrara give to its paffenger! with alas, what a reflective contraft, from its depopulation, of weeds and nettles growing in its ftreets! Melancholy occafion for philofophy's then too far extended, nay and too mournful, reflection, in the wretched union of fuch uncongenial and piteously contrafted present, with past, and loft, existence! But one word more, as to our eminent capital,-it is this; do our nobles manifest much personal, and in them becoming, consciousness, and laudable pride, in their fuperiority, by fome attention and care of their noble edifices, that are to do honour to their dignified ftations? See in the outer walls of Bedford-Houfe, wild plants joined in with dirt, their encourager, fhooting out from them or its gateway! I mention this one inftance, and there are many. A hundred times have I drove by Holland-House with this mental exclamation of If that noble old manfion, confpicuous to every traveller of one of our greatest public roads, were mine, with its appertenances, it should not have that filth, nettles, and naftiness, and even unrepaired decay, that now offends my fight on its outfide wall, nor that ruft and fomehow unvenerable old, fince dingy, nafty, appearance, it now has, fpread over the front of the mansion itself; inftead of fome proper tricking up, by a man of tafte, congenial to the character of the old, then pleafing, as well as antique magnificence, it is capable of.' I cannot here well express my ideas and my wish; perhaps fome reader may luckily a little guefs at them, if happily any how at all congenial with his own. I end all this by defiring to be understood as venting only my own private sentiments in all I have ventured to fling forth on thefe objects, not, the least in the world, of reasoning, but of taste and opinion; in which, nothing more poffible, than that many may be found erroneous, by better judges than myself.

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But when I animadvert fo much and fo long on what I fuppofe wanting, shall I neglect and overlook what must be the very contrary; if I really have any taste in my compofition? No certainly; nor was it ever in my thoughts. In the old Roman triumphal proceffions, it was the General with all his paraphernalia that closed it; fo here,-and in familiar phrase, let me join, this is my even preserved bonne bouche,

Yes Sir, your Royal Highness has, even as a Prince fhould, erected the edifice of a Prince. Say, ye bourgeois wife-ones, are a great Prince's ideas to be measured by yours; or guided by your (if you will call it fo) oratory? Carlton-Houfe is what I have been fo long faying is not; though long absent from courts, which I have seen, and not quite averfely, I have from many causes, quite unneceffary to my reader, never had the honour of presentation to this; yet have I seen and minutely the interior of Carlton-Houfe; and I dare fay from the not improper introductor to it, even its chief projector and contriver: and, as far as my little tafte goes, it is all it should, or almost I think can be; even, adapted to its poffeffor, as he is to it.-Oh! what pity, what infinite pity, that locality was, even from neceffity, here wanting! that it could not have been carried even very confiderably back, I conclude; and because, it is not.

I can have no intereft or motive to fay what I do, or may fay, on the great object I am fallen upon; nor fhall I probably ever be in the honourable prefence of his Royal Highness; nay himself in my fight even: all objects here most probably, will to me foon be as objects in the moon, during my fhort day; yet will I indulge in a few words on this great fubject, though it were only from one motive of, may I not say, publicity, nay future expectation to the younger generation of the future monarchical fituation they have to look forward to in its future poffeffor; I mean, from these very ideas he manifefts now, and prognofticates for the future, of appropriate grandeur and regal dignity; free I dare say, then, from its own deftructive excefs. The extended good tafte we all know the Prince has in every thing, feems, I fay, to foretell this luftre for future generations;-his dress,

his

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