simple and severe in its design, glitters with gilding, mosaics, and paintings; or even with that of St. Geneviève, at Paris, which is a splendid monument to the memory of Soufflot, its architect, St. Paul's appears cold and meagre, and there are but few persons who do not regret that the munificent offer to adorn the interior with paintings, which was made by certain members of the Royal Academy during the presidency of Sir Joshua Reynolds, was not accepted. It appears that this idea was started by Reynolds in 1773, with a view of convincing the public of the advantages that would arise from adorning cathedrals and churches with paintings, and so to afford an opening for the encouragement of native art. Six members were chosen to undertake the task, namely, Reynolds, West, Barry, Cipriani, Dance, and Angelica Kauffman. The Dean and Chapter, and the King highly approved the scheme; but the Archbishop of Canterbury, with the Bishop of London strongly objected to it, as savouring of Popery, and likely therefore to produce popular clamours, and it was in consequence abandoned. Of the grandeur and immensity of the interior of St. Peter's, two hundred feet longer, and one hundred feet higher than St. Paul's, the latter conveys no idea,1 and all writers concur in stating, that the effect ultimately produced by it upon the mind is powerful in the extreme.2 In the first instance its magnitude is not usually appreciated, and the reason ordinarily assigned for this is, tha the figures and accessories being formed of a size propor 1 See a print of the comparative proportions of these churches, published by Weale, London. 2 Woods in his interesting "Letters of an Architect," has instituted a comparative review of the two cathedrals. tioned to the building, the comparison which we, supposing their size to be known, involuntarily institute between them and the cathedral, in order to judge of its height and length, misleads the mind: Byron, however, says most beautifully, when alluding to St. Peter's, that this occurs 'Not by its fault-but thine: our outward sense That what we have of feeling most intense Fools our fond gaze, and, greatest of the great, Till, growing with its growth, we thus dilate Our spirits to the size of that they contemplate.' ' 1 To the introduction of Monuments within St. Paul's Church as a means of decoration, many impediments were offered at first; but in 1791, on an application for leave to erect a statue to the memory of John Howard, a general consent to their introduction, always under the supervision of the council of the Royal Academy, was granted, and many to the memory of distinguished individuals have been consequently erected. In the south transept appear those of Sir Ralph Abercromby, a spirited composition, (by Westmacott)-Lord Collingwood, (Westmacott)— Earl Howe, (Flaxman)—Elliott, Lord Heathfield, (Rossi) -Sir John Moore, (Bacon)-Captain Faulkner, (Rossi)— Captain Rundell Burges, (Banks)-Sir W. Hoste, (Campbell)-Major General Gillespie, (Chantrey) and others. In the north transept, the principal are those to the memory of Lord Rodney, (Rossi)-Captains Mosse and Riou, (Rossi)-Captain Blagdon Westcott, (Banks)— 1 Childe Harold. Canto IV. stanza 158. General Ponsonby, a most graceful composition, (Bailey) -Major General Arthur Gore, and John Byne Skerrett, (Chantrey)-Major General Hay, (Hopper)-Earl St. Vincent, (Bailey)-General Picton, (Gahagan)-Admiral Duncan, an elegant figure, (Westmacott)-and MajorGeneral Dundas, (Bacon). Under the great arch, which separates the choir from the area of the dome, is a monument commemorative of Lord Nelson, (Flaxman,) of which the following engraving is a representation. |