A SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE SERIES OF WORKING DRAWINGS OF THE NEW OPERA HOUSE NOW BUILDING AT PARIS, PRESENTED TO THE INSTITUTE BY THE ARCHITECT, M. CHARLES GARNIER.

By THE PRESIDENT, THOMAS L. DONALDSON.

Read at the Ordinary General Meeting of the Royal Institute of British Architects, April 4th, 1864.

THE PRESIDENT said, during his visit to Paris, in December last, he was able to obtain a considerable amount of professional information, and amongst the rest, some which he thought was of interest to this Institute. Amongst other large public works in course of prosecution in Paris was the New Opera House, designed and now being carried out by the architect, Mons. Charles Garnier. Being desirous to obtain some particulars respecting it, as well as to gratify himself by an inspection of the operations as far as they had proceeded, he went to the office of the architect on the works, and that gentleman very courteously accompanied him over the whole of the building. He afterwards showed him a vast number of drawings of all the details of the work, so far as it was then executed. Having remarked that they had no such class of elaborate drawings prepared for works in London, and that therefore he should be glad to be favoured with a few of them, to show his professional brethren the minute study and remarkable care, which had been bestowed upon all the details of that great work, M. Garnier promised to present some copies, which were now on the walls, to the number of 167. As was usual, the drawings had been prepared with a kind of autographic ink, capable of being transferred to stone or zinc, from which as many impressions could be taken as the architect required. Every architect of a large building in Paris had his atelier on the works, with a number of draughtsmen employed in preparing the drawings; and the dimensions of every stone are given, that its due value might be estimated when worked up in the building. At the time of his visit to Paris the building had only reached the first floor; and if the drawings for the entire structure were carried out in the same elaborate manner they would probably number over 500 or even 1000. However, he was very glad to get this instalment, for he felt it was to the interest of the Institute to have them, and he trusted they would be put together in a volume for future reference.

Having made a somewhat minute personal inspection of the works, he would, by the aid of the drawings, describe what he knew with respect to this New Opera House. They were aware that Napoleon III., like Augustus of Rome, was really rebuilding Paris; and though marble was not the material employed, still the works were carried out in good sound stone, and were constructed altogether in a style surpassing anything previously executed in that capital. The class of stone employed. was superior, being got higher up the Seine, and from other quarries; and the works were in every way sounder both as to material and execution. They were aware, with respect to the "coupe des pierres," that no school in the world was so celebrated as the French. There was the most elaborate design of all the parts and joints, and it was necessary to have men of very superior ability to carry out that class of construction. Many present would doubtless recollect in the constructions at Versailles of the period of Louis Quatorze, there were staircase landings of very elaborate structural combination. In England, large landings were simply slabs of Portland or Yorkshire stone, without any peculiarly geometrical combination of parts, and merely pinned into the walls to hold them up; but at Versailles there were landings six or eight feet wide, composed of comparatively small stones, with a complication of arches, so put together, that, though greatly projecting from the wall, they were perfectly solid and substantial.

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As he had said, Napoleon was re-building Paris. In addition to piercing the city with large open streets and thoroughfares, he had built an immense number of theatres. In the Place du Chatelêt, on the bank of the Seine, and on the line of the Boulevart Sebastopol, the municipality had erected two large theatres-one on each side-and many others in other parts of Paris. Among these operations had been commenced this grand New Opera House, opposite the end of the Rue de la Paix, and on one side of the new Boulevart Malesherbe. The building itself occupies nearly 2 acres of superficial area. We must estimate such monuments by acres, and the streets by miles. And it was in this grand style that the present Emperor took up these operations, which for magnificence and extent were worthy of the time of Augustus. It was not to be imagined, however, that this building was very much larger than some of the greatest ancient theatres. He recollected measuring a theatre at Dramyssus, in the Epirus, the diameter of which was 400 feet; but this building was 490 feet long, and the extreme breadth 328 feet.

The President then proceeded to describe many of the drawings, particularly the plan. In the first place, was the front arcade, 189 feet wide, and with an avenue behind it 12 feet broad. This led to another vestibule, 224 feet long and 30 feet wide, which again conducted to an inner vestibule 18 feet wide. The crowd would come in at different entrances, so as to prevent an insufferable degree of pressure at any time; and they were gradually brought from the points of entrance to the interior. The area of the principal staircase was 52 feet square. The steps rose from the centre and turned off right and left, being 15 feet wide. There were also three secondary staircases, with flights of steps each 8 feet wide, so that abundant room was provided for entrance and exit. All this was devoted to the entrance into the theatre, which constituted the great difference between the theatres on the Continent and those of London. They afforded greater capacity of circulation, whilst in this country the greater portion of the area was necessarily devoted to the audience part, so restricted were the plots appropriated to our theatres. A side entrance and private staircase was appropriated to the Emperor and his suite. Here was a circular hall, 45 feet diameter, leading to the private staircase, which led up to the Imperial box, in connexion with which was a magnificent circular saloon, 45 feet in diameter, sufficient to receive a cabinet council, should affairs of state require such a contingency. The lower corridor, 17 feet in width, opened into a lower range of boxes. He gave these dimensions for the sake of comparison with the narrow corridors of accommodation generally prevailing in the theatres of this country. Here they had another staircase and smaller staircases right and left. With regard to the theatre itself, the width between the fronts of the boxes is 68 feet, and the width between the walls behind the boxes is 100 feet 6 inches; the depth of the house is 100 feet. The width of opening of scene is 52 feet; the depth of stage, 98 feet; admitting of an extension of 57 feet, making a total depth of stage of 155 feet (unequalled in any other theatre) for effect in grand spectacles. The extreme width of the stage is 175 feet. The French arrangements for the machinery at the sides were of great perfection, and had lately been, to some extent, imitated in this country; and the whole body of science and skill had been brought to bear to make the entire combinations of this remarkable building as perfect as possible.

He should state, with regard to the new theatres in general, great study had been given to the lighting and ventilation. In the theatre of the Place du Chatelet, the lights were placed above the ceiling of ground glass; but, as far as his experience went, he considered such a light rather obscure; and he thought the introduction of the intermediate screen was not altogether successful. At present, the system of ventilation was very much one of experiment; they could hardly say whether, in each particular instance, it would be successful or not; and it required a good deal of practical knowledge and science, and he would add, patience, to succeed in carrying out a well ventilated building. Whether in a

single room, or in an entire building, or on so large a scale as in this theatre, the subject of ventilation was still one of the most difficult of problems.

The President then directed attention on the drawings to that part of the building, which was appropriated to the administration of the establishment, and the rooms for the various classes of artistes, the number of which were immense, and admitted of that disposition of the several classes of artistes and theatrical property, which was so necessary to realise, and which would enable the most judicious arrangements in that respect to be carried out by a complete and systematic classification. As this building was only now as high as the first floor, he could not lay before the members the complete drawings and plans of all the parts, but from the 176 drawings which had been presented they could judge of the magnificence of the design and execution of this work, and the elaborate study that had been bestowed upon it. There was a profusion of taste and imaginative faculty, which some might consider had perhaps been carried to luxuriant excess. The estimated cost of the building was from £700,000 to £800,000, but there was no doubt it would cost at least £1,000,000; and with the many appliances and means of execution at command, it would be an European monument of the greatest magnificence.

He had given them this general information, not having had time to study or even to obtain more minute details from the architect. Assuming these plans to be correct (and the French were remarkably correct in their drawings as well as in reduced drawings) he now wished to draw attention to a comparison of the sizes of the principal European theatres. Here was a table shewing the area of the New Opera of Paris to be 2.65 acres; that of the Old Opera, 1·50; Madrid, 1·00; Covent Garden, 0.70; St. Petersburg, 0.75; Bordeaux, 0.75; Carlo Félice (Genoa), 1.00; Parma, 100; La Scala (Milan), 0.90; S. Carlo (Naples), 0.90. The width of scene was, in the New Opera of Paris, 52 feet; Old Opera, 40 feet; Madrid, 55 feet; Covent Garden, 40 feet; St. Petersburg, 45 feet; Bordeaux, 38 feet; Carlo Félice (Genoa), 40 feet; Parma, 40 feet; La Scala (Milan), 45 feet; S. Carlos (Naples),* 45 feet. Another great feature of this New Opera consisted in the great depth of stage provided for, which was necessary for the due display of scenic effects in the present taste for melodramatic representations. The Italians were the first to make these great depths of stages, owing to the dramatic character of their ballets, while the French ballets consisted principally of dancing only, rendering a greater depth of stage necessary in the former case, by which the aerial effects of distance in pictures were capable of being produced upon the stage.

In conclusion, the President said he had given these general dimensions; he could not vouch for their precise accuracy within a few feet, but they would serve to give a general idea of the leading principles, which directed the construction of such buiidings, and they saw how far those principles were realised by different nations; and they must look to the genius and tendency of the people by considering the size of their theatres, and the manner in which they carry out their dramatic representations. He hoped these few particulars would not be without interest, and they could not but feel very grateful to Mons. Charles Garnier, the generous architect, who had given them these studies of his art-evidence of great merit.

Upon the motion of Mr. KERR, the thanks of the meeting were accorded to the President for his communication, and a special vote of thanks to Mons. Garnier for his valuable contribution to the collection of the Institute.

* Mr. Fergusson, in his able work on the "History of Modern Architecture," gives an useful table of comparative dimensions of European theatres, which, however does not include the Italian ones.

SOME ACCOUNT OF RECENT DISCOVERIES OF PLACES AND BUILDINGS OF THE FOURTH TO THE SEVENTH CENTURIES IN THE HAURAN, NEAR DAMASCUS, AND IN THE COUNTRY ABOUT ALEPPO AND

ANTIOCHEIA.

BY THE PRESIDENT, THOMAS L. DONALDSON.

Delivered at the Ordinary General Meeting of the Royal Institute of British Architects, April 4th, 1864.

THE PRESIDENT said that he had recently had the opportunity of making, through Mons. Longperrier, Conservator of Antiquities at the Louvre, the acquaintance of the Comte de Vogüé, author of the work on the Churches of the Holy Land, and who had lately returned from a visit to Syria, exploring more especially the Basaltic Deserts of the Hauran to the south of Damascus, and the less arid districts to the north, about Aleppo and Antiocheia. M. de Vogüé had showed him the engravings of buildings for a fresh work he was about to publish, opening out a new subject for consideration of a period, of which we have no idea in this country, and which had never been illustrated, though mentioned by travellers. He thought this might be interesting to the members of the Institute, and he ventured, in a conversational manner, to communicate to them the few facts, of which he became possessed.

Having pointed out upon a map the geographical position of the region under consideration, the President went on to remark, that the Holy Land had already been searched thoroughly. It had recently become celebrated from the visit of the Prince of Wales. A great many of the principal buildings were pretty well known; but the district of country-the Auranitis and Trachonitis of the ancients had never been properly explored. Mr. Cyril C. Graham read a paper before the Royal Geographical Society on 22nd February, 1858, in which he gave a highly graphic account of his travels in the desert east of the Hauran, and in the ancient Land of Bashan. Mr. Graham alluded to previous travellers, who had gone through that country; it was, therefore, necessary to consider the discovery of these ancient cities in chronological order. M. Seetzen, attached to the Russian embassy, visited the Hauran in 1805. Burchardt was struck by the account contained in Seetzen's description to Baron Zack, and determined in 1810 to explore the country. His travels in Syria contains a very detailed account of the numerous ancient towns in the wilderness of rocks in the great desert on the eastern limits of the Land of Bashan. He was succeeded by the superficial Buckingham. But we are indebted to Mr. Porter, our consul at Damascus, for the more perfect description of these parts in 1853. Mr. Cyril C. Graham rapidly explored this country in 1857, and communicated the results of his journeyings in the paper read before the Geographical Society on the 22nd February, 1858. One of his opening passages is very graphic.

"I think if you were to tell the most phlegmatic person, that from an ancient castle perched on a hill, and which had been the turning point of all travellers, a wide plain extended, which as far as the eye could reach was dotted over with towns, which were known to have been uninhabited for centuries, but which no person on record had entered, his enthusiasm would be kindled, and he would be desirous of sallying out on a journey of discovery into this plain. But when that castle perched on a hill is Salcah, and that hill the Hill of Bashan,' and those cities in the plain the cities of the Land of Moab far and near,' the very cities of which the Prophet spoke when he said, 'The cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein '—then an irresistible desire comes upon one to go out among

these cities, and see the habitations of a once powerful people, who have so completely passed away, that as far as we know no descendants of them are now to be found."

It would appear that these towns, constructed of stone, and many of the erections being built of huge squared blocks of hard basalt, retained their buildings in a wonderful state of preservation; in fact, so much so, that the Druses, driven to these wild parts for shelter from their oppressors, had very little to do to render them quite habitable, for frequently even the very doors, formed of a stone slab six feet high and twelve thick, with hinges as tenons wrought out of the solid, remained in situ. A specimen of these doors exists in the British Museum. Flights of stone stairs are found outside and

inside the buildings.

The President then proceeded to illustrate the method in which the stone roofs of the buildings in this district were constructed. In the entire absence of trees in this basaltic region, the roofs were built with frequent arches, springing from piers at a very little distance apart, and covered with slabs of stone after the manner of the Egyptians.

Mr. Graham alludes particularly to the enormous city of "Um el Jemal," to the south of Bosrah, and probably the "Beth Gamul" of scripture, and which stands alone in the desert.

"This is, perhaps, among the most perfect of the old cities which I saw. It is surrounded by a high wall, forming a rectangle, which seems to enclose as much space as the walls of the modern Jerusalem. The streets are many of them paved, and I saw here what I do not think I saw anywhere else, open spaces within the city such as we should call squares. There were some very large public buildings; but although I diligently sought for inscriptions, I only found three one of them in red Greek letters on a large tower, which I fancy was a prison, or perhaps in later times a convent, as there were many red crosses upon it. The houses were some of them very large, consisting usually of three rooms on the ground floor, and two on the first story, the stairs being formed of large stones built into the house walls, and leading up outside. The doors were as usual of stone: sometimes there were folding doors, and some of them were highly ornamented.

"On reaching this city (as indeed it was my practice in all such places) I left my Arabs at one particular spot in charge of the dromedaries, and posted sentinels on the towers to watch the approach of any foe; then, taking my rifle with me, I wandered quite alone in the old streets of the town, entered one by one the old houses, went up stairs, looked into the rooms, and in short, made a careful survey of the whole place; but so perfect was every street, every house, every room, that I could almost have fancied, as I was wandering alone in this city of the dead—seeing all perfect, and yet not hearing a sound that I had come upon one of those enchanted places that one reads of in the Arabian Nights,' where the population of a whole city had been petrified for a century.

"In Um el Jemal there is a fine arch, like the triumphal arches in Roman cities, and under it lies a mutilated inscription in Latin, almost the only one in that language I saw in the Haurán. No doubt this city, from its size and the richness of the soil about it, must have been a most important place under the Roman rule, as in times long before. There are numerous reservoirs here, but, like those in all the other towns about there, they are quite dry. The tombs are outside the walls of the city, so that here, as at Palmyra, they practised extramural burial.”

Mr. Murray enumerates the several towns he explored, and concludes with a brief allusion to Umer- -Rumán.

"This was a very curious old town. I had heard a good deal about it from the Arabs, but in this case I found the account they had given about its beauty correct. The houses were in a very ruinous state, but the tombs were more than usually handsome, and decorated with carvings of fruit. Yet they were certainly not Rumán, but resembled some of the more beautiful tombs outside Palmyra. Leaving