day, it is beyond its powers to inspire, or, at least, to impress permanently that chivalrous and enthusiastic feeling of patriotism which a great, and beautiful, and conspicuous national monument is alone capable of producing. It is of importance, therefore, to consider what is the fittest model to be adopted, since the occasion is obviously of too great moment to admit of experiment, especially as we have by no means unlimited funds: and we are naturally led to take the advice of those who are allowed, on all hands, to be the best qualified, by their studies and pursuits, to give a practically correct and safe opinion. The authorities which, on this occasion, are entitled to the greatest attention, are, men of high reputation as artists, accomplished classical travellers, and all those who, without being either artists or travellers, have given much of their time and attention to such subjects. And it happens most satisfactorily to be the case, that all the artists who have been consulted upon this point; the travellers who have visited both Athens and Edinburgh; and many gentlemen whom this interesting topic has stimulated to reflection and inquiry, are of opinion, that no model, of which we have any knowledge, is so well calculated as the Parthenon, for the National Monument; and that the Calton Hill is not only as well fitted for its reception as the Acropolis was for the Temple of Minerva; but that the situation, of which we have here the command, actually possesses some striking advantages in size, figure, and situation, over the position on which the original temple has stood, the wonder and admiration of all ages. In support of these assertions, it will probably be deemed satisfactory to quote the opinion of a gentleman whose reputation in this city * It is by no means the opinion of the supporters of the present plan, that Nelson's Monument should be removed, the effect of that monument, with all its faults, being certainly very fine. There is ample room for the Parthenon a little to the northward and eastward of Nelson's Monument, oh a spot overlooking Prince's Street, towards which one end of the Temple would be directed. stands deservedly high; and whose authority is of importance in this discussion, since he is well known as an artist, a traveller, and an amateur. "Is it too much, then," says this animated writer, after expatiating on the beauties of his own romantic town,-" is it too much, then, to expect that a fac-simile, or a restoration of the Temple of Minerva, may yet crown the Calton Hill, as a monument, to proclaim to distant ages, not only the military glory, but the pure taste which distinguishes our country in the present? Is it too much to expect, that an enlightened patronage may call up genius, kindred to that of ancient times, and may direct our native talents to efforts similar to those which gave splendour to the age of Pericles? Such an example of perfection would purify the general taste of the country in all subsequent undertakings, and do more to ennoble the age than all the trophies of victory.' Dr Clarke observes, when speaking of Edinburgh, that, in order to render the resemblance between it and Athens complete, nothing is wanting but a temple of great dimensions on the Calton Hill. The authority of our best archi, tects is in favour of the expediency of this restoration, in preference to any experimental building; an opinion which does no less honour to their taste than to their liberality, since this plan is the least expensive that could be chosen. That the present is a fit moment for making this great addition to the beauty and importance of the capital, will be very apparent, when it is recollected that the public taste is not taken, as it were, by surprise, but has been invited to come forth, and to develope itself by regular, though not slow, degrees. The time is not very distant when the most wealthy and fashionable inhabitants of this town were content to reside in wynds or alleys, which their servants would now disdain to lodge in. A taste for higher comforts having sprung up, the New Town rose to gratify it; this indulgence naturally begot still farther refinements: and the new churches and chapels were soon erected to the great advantage and ornament of this singular city. It was next considered, that, to such a magnificent town, the back of the Canongate was but a despicable approach, and the Regent's Bridge and the Calton Road were formed as if by magic. Then followed works of pure taste; the Observatory, the County Hall, the new designs for the College; in short, since the public taste expanded, in proportion as it had worthy objects to exert itself upon, we may infer that, if we take advantage of the liberal spirit which now prevails, and secure in the centre of the city an exact restoration of the most perfect model of art which the world has ever seen, we shall furnish our country with the means of extending the national taste beyond any assignable limits. We are therefore, it appears, just arrived at that happy moment when we can apprêciate such a building as the Parthenon; a building which, to use the words of Mr Dodwell," is the most unrivalled triumph of sculpture and architecture that the world ever saw. The delight," he adds, "which it inspires on a superficial view, is heightened in proportion as it is attentively surveyed. If we admire the whole of the glorious fabric, that admiration will be augmented by a minute examination of all the ramified details." It has the further and important advantages of being constructed on the most durable principles; or, as Mr Dodwell says, contrived for eternity." Plutarch remarks, "That the structures of Pericles are the more admirable as being completed in so short a time, they yet had such a lasting beauty; for as they had when new the venerable aspect of antiquity, so now they are old, they have the freshness of a modern work: they seem to be preserved from the injuries of time by a kind of vital principle, which produces a vigour that cannot be impaired, and a bloom that will never fade."+ • Dodwell's Travels, Vol. I. page 321. + MS. of Plutarch, in the King's Library at Paris, quoted by Mr Dodwell, Vol. 1. page 328. It is not necessary to detain your Lordship with any observations upon the advantages which may be looked for at the present moment from a judicious cultivation of our local pride in these matters; because the fact of our consequence, our wealth, and our useful population, having increased with the improvements and embellishments of Edinburgh, is generally felt and admitted. It is also evident, that our manners have been improved, and that learning, refinement, and intelligence of every kind in Scotland have been most wonderfully advanced by the recent augmentation and improvements of the capital. a Many people are not aware of the facilities which we possess for undertaking such a work as is proposed. In the first place, it is not generally known, that the freestone of Edinburgh is considered, by judges fully qualified to decide upon such question, as being quite as good for a great building as the marble of Mount Pentelicus, of which the original Temple of Minerva is built. This stone, of which we have such an unbounded command, though not absolutely white, is of as fine a colour as the Athenian marble, after it has been exposed to the air; it is equally hard; it works as well under the chisel; and is held to be at least as durable. To these advantages we may add that of the quarries being close at hand, actually open, and at this instant wrought by experienced workmen, who can produce with certainty blocks or shafts of any required dimensions. It is further the opinion of practical men, that our masons and stone-cutters have acquired a neatness and precision of chiselling, which give promise of success in the imitation of any sculpture whatsoever. In the next place, it is known that there are, in this country, plans, drawings, and measurements of the Parthenon, made with the utmost care upon the spot by the celebrated Mr Cockerell, by Mr Basevi, and by Mr Saunders. Why, indeed, should we despair of producing in this country, by due encou ragement, workmen equal to those sculptors who executed, with such exquisite finish, the tracery of our Gothic cathedrals? The most important point, however, is the choice of an architect; and here we must allow no consideration whatsoever to interfere with the freest competition; for, if we employ an architect who does not possess, in a considerable degree, the genius and taste of the ancient artists, and who has nothing but mechanical power of execution to recommend him, we may be certain that this great restoration can never be accomplished so as to become an honour to this age and country. But, although it were too much to expect that the occasion should all at once call into being a British Phidias, yet it were a most unworthy deterinination to stop short because we are doubtful of commanding the highest degree of excellence, or to take it for granted that this great and free country, which has produced such statesmen, and warriors, and poets, and philosophers, and great artists in every other department, should be incapable, upon due encouragement, of sending forth an architect not less worthy of the age in which we live. At all events, the Committee are bound in justice, not only to the subscribers, but to the whole country, not to trifle with the national reputation in this matter, but to encourage, by every means in their power, the fairest competition; to circulate invitations, not only to architects, but to men of genius of all descriptions, to come before the Committee, in order to substantiate their claims to the great honour of restoring the Parthenon. If this be done in an honest spirit, as we feel confident, from the known characters of the leaders in this national undertaking, it will be done; if all jobbing and favour be excluded; if a sufficient time be given; and if able, upright, and public-spirited judges be appointed by the Committee to investigate the claims of candidates, and to distinguish between the mere mechanical copyist and the man of genius; we feel assured that this appeal to the country will not be made in vain. Such, then, being the fitness of the occasion for raising a National Monument; the advantages of situation for placing it; the model from which to copy it; and the materials wherewith to construct it; and such the expectations of procuring a fit archi tect; there does really appear no solid objection to its being immediately adopted by the Committee, except the want of funds for so great an undertaking. But a moment's consideration will serve to show, that this very objection is, in fact, one of the strongest arguments in favour of the immediate and unqualified adoption of the Parthenon as the model, and the Calton Hill as the situation, of the National Monument. Even the lowness of the subscription is an indubitable and striking symptom of the justness of the public taste; for there is no man, whatever be his politics, or whatever his patriotism, who ought to subscribe so freely, when doubtful of the uses to which his money is to be appropriated, as he would do when he has a distinct assurance that it would certainly be devoted to an object countenanced by persons of taste, knowledge, and public spirit, under the direction of an architect of genius and talents. This is not only obvious a priori, but is strictly consonant to the fact in the present case, as all who have heard the subject discussed in company will admit. We hear in every quarter people asking, "What is to be the plan of the National Monument ?" "Who is to be employed to build it?" Some lamenting that they have subscribed before the plan was fixed; others declaring that they will not subscribe at all unless the Parthenon be adopted, and unless every possible competition be allowed before appointing an architect; and many more promising to double, treble, and even some very eminent individuals have been heard to declare, that they will quadruple the amount of their subscription whenever these important points are finally settled. It is exceedingly important that such feelings should not be allowed to subside, without due advantage being taken of them; and the Committee may rest assured, that, if they allow the moment to pass, they can never hope to restore the valuable tone which now prevails amongst all classes and parties, and which only wants a little well-directed impulse to give it the irresistible momentum, that never fails to accompany the exercise of right public opinion in this country. The same reasoning will apply to our settlements abroad, particularly in India, where there is not only wealth, but a very pure taste for Grecian architecture, and where, as I can testify, from having resided some time in that country, the motives just adverted to may be expected to act most powerfully. At all events, the experiment is well worth trying; and if, in the end, the funds shall not prove sufficient, we shall not be in a worse predicament than we are at present. But of this there is little fear, because the Parthenon is considered by skilful practical men to be the least expensive form which could be selected; and it is thought, that, for thirty or forty thousand pounds, the whole temple might be restored in the manner proposed; and that, for ten thousand more, suitable sculpture might also be added. It is evident that, with this sum, it would be hopeless to aim at distinction in any other known style of architecture. And here one reflection occurs, which it is right that every lover of his country and of the arts should attend to, namely, that, if the present project fails, there is no hope left that it will ever afterwards succeed in this country. No such opportunity as the present can ever arise again in our day; and it is in Edinburgh alone that this great edifice can be restored; because in this city, and in no other, all the requisite advantages are to be found. In the first place, it is in the capital alone thata National Monument ought to be placed; in the next, Edinburgh is adapted most wonderful ly, by its picturesque physical situation, as well as by its eminent moral rank in the scale of cities, for the reception of a great Classical Temple; and, lastly, it commands exclusively an unlimited supply of the finest possible materials. Were the Temple of Minerva, indeed, entire, there might be some doubt whether it would be right to attempt such an imitation as is proposed; but, alas! the original is fast disappearing, and in a few years will be totally lost to the world. This arises, as is well known, not at all from the nature of the structure itself, which is of a character to promise unlimited duration, but entirely from local circumstances; so that to restore, and to perpetuate in this country, and in a perfect manner, an edifice which has contributed proba bly more than all the other buildings in the world, to the refinement of taste, were of itself an object worthy of any age or country. If, then, as is most earnestly to be hoped, the Committee shall lose no time in publishing to the world that they have decided upon adopting the model proposed, and inviting subscriptions on that understanding, it is material that they should attend to the following points, without a due recollection of which, they must not hope to see the subscriptions in the smallest degree augmented. It ought to be distinctly stated to the public, not only that the Parthenon is to be adopted as a model for the National Monument on the Calton Hill, but that it is not to be a church. This assurance is altogether essential to the success of the proposed measure, as will be apparent to every one who recollects, that the objects of this building are to record and commemorate deeds of military renown, to foster and rouse the national pride; to keep alive that lofty and daring spirit, which has for its object the advancement of national glory, the resistance of foreign enemies, and, in short, the encouragement of every patriotic and energetic feeling which the recent war called into such useful action; and without the operation of which we should probably have become a province of France. Now, although there is nothing in these patriotic feelings incompatible with our religion, there is not a little inconsistency, in selecting a place devoted to such objects, as a house of worship. Such an appropriation would be destructive of those objects, and the National Monument of Scotland would soon merge in the Calton Church of Edinburgh: Whatever, indeed, tends to alter its original purpose would infallibly lessen, and eventually obliterate, its effect; and we should soon cease to regard this monument in the spirit which it ought to be estimated, were we to make it a place of daily or weekly resort, not with a view of reflecting on the national objects for which it was raised, but to carry our thoughts to considerations of an infinitely higher and more sacred character, and which have no connection whatsoever with the monument in question. It is no answer to this to observe, ed, where are the monuments that that, in comparison with these exalted commemorate the services of Duncan, reflections, the objects of a National of Abercromby, of Moore? Where Monument are absolutely as nothing; those which tell us of the discoveries -it is on this very account that we of Napier, or Gregory, or Maclaurin, wish to keep these feelings separate; or that are to record the celebrity of to prevent the certain destruction of our lamented contemporary Playfair? the one, without the chance of advan- And why is the memory of such wricing the other. ters as Smith, Robertson, Ferguson, or of such poets as Thomson, Home, and Burns, and of numberless others dear and honourable to Scotland, and which, in any other country, wouldhave been consecrated by superb monuments, thus entirely neglected in a land where nationality is so deeply cherished? But there is still another objection, which, in justice to a large proportion of the public, cannot be surmounted. If a Church be determined on, to what persuasion is it to be appropriated? On what principle can it be maintained that it should be of the Church of Scotland? Are the Episcopalians not fully entitled to participate in all the advantages of the National Monument? Have not all other persuasions a similar claim? They have all contributed their share to the glories which this Monument is intended to record; and there ought certainly to be nothing done upon this occasion to imply that there is, or has been, any shade of difference in national spirit. In point of fact, there is no such distinction; it were a libel on the country to suppose it possible; and it would be a wanton and profitless insult to propose a measure which should virtually take for granted so humiliating and unworthy an aspersion! As a matter of policy, too, this idea (if it ever was seriously entertained) must be speedily abandoned. The numerous and wealthy members of the Church of England here, though possessed, as we know, of the highest public spirit, and the most praiseworthy zeal and liberality in every thing that relates to the embellishment of Edinburgh, cannot be expected to subscribe to a Scotch church. The same will apply, but with still greater force, to all other persuasions. But, while we deprecate the idea of devoting the National Monument to that part of our religious observance which consists in periodical service, we would by all means recommend that the spot should be consecrated, and that it should be devoted to sacred purposes alone. The want of a fit receptacle for tombs or cenotaphis, or, indeed, any kind of memorial in honour of eminent men, has long been felt in this country, and never more than at the present moment. Where, for example, it may be ask England, to her infinite advantage, has Westminster Abbey, and St Paul's, but we in Scotland have absolutely no spot on which to raise a monument to any of the distinguished philosophers, statesmen, or warriors of Scotland, who have so greatly contributed to bring our country to its present degree of knowledge, security, and glory. In every point of view this is a most important national desidcratum, and it is impossible not to see how admirably it would be supplied by devoting the National Monument exclusively to this sacred object; an object which, it may be remarked, could not be accomplished, were the Monument to be a Scotch Church, because the usages of this persuasion forbid all such appropriations. The value of such a public receptacle for monuments in sustaining the national character is so well understood, that it is needless to dwell upon it here; but it may not, perhaps, have occurred to every one how directly it would contribute to the improvement of taste, by the encouragement it would instantly give to sculpture; for, independently of the numerous monuments which public respect, pride, and gratitude, would be happy to raise to departed learning, valour, and talents, many families would be stimulated by such an opportunity, to erect monuments to relatives who may have fallen in the service of their country. Let those who have lost friends in battle recollect how consolitary is public sympathy and respect, and how dreary and comfortless is the idea that so much worth and valour are to be forgotten, or to be recalled only to the recollection of some vil |