the entire scope and bearings of a great question, to
which minute details, how- THE Committee for erecting a Monument to NELSON have again chosen Mr. RAILTON'S column, to which was awarded the first prize in the pre. ever important as parts, are necessarily subordinate.] An Etymological and Explanatory Dictionary of the Terms and Lan- vious competition ; thus virtually setting aside the fresh competition. g The new competitors are aggrieved and insulted, and public opinion, ouge of Geology; not made great progress in that Science. By GEORGE ROBERTS, which condemned the first decision by acclamation, is set at nought: LymeRegis," and Master of a Grammar but what of that ? The soldiers and sailors on the Committee had set Author of "The History of School in that town, their hearts on this column, and who should say them nay ? It was L So far as appearances go, this is a well-got-up little work, on a necessary mili- determined that Mr. RAILTON should have the job, and he has got it: jeet ; for there are few, we imagine except masters of geology, who are not con- and a very good job it is—for him. To make a decent show of deli- banally stopped by its technical terms, even in books of a miscellaneous elm- beration, a new drawing was made ; the trumpery railing round the top meter. The derivations of each word, especially those from the Greek, are was taken away, and the base slightly altered; but the thing is sub. stantially the same ; and these modifications might have been made in the first instance without changing the character of the design. Character, however, it has none ; indeed, its destitution of ornament, fitness, or originality of any kind, was its chief recommendation to the Committee-there was nothing to put them out. Commonplace is a safe retreat for artists without ideas and judges without knowledge. A lofty column can hardly fail of being a fine object, if the architect be discreet enough to select a good one-and there are plenty ready- made to his hand. Mr. RAILTON'S is a most respectable post, and tall enough to lift the effigy of NELSON out of sight as well as a better ; so that it won't much matter what sort of a statue is stuck at the top. The pedestal is to have a bas-relief on one face-30,000I. would not afford more-representing NELSON'S death ; thus insinuating of the hero, that "no act of his life became him like the leaving of it,"-rather an equivocal compliment.
The decision was settled by ballot; so that the country will not know to whom they are indebted for this magnificent and appropriate testi- monial,-for the aristocracy know the value of the ballot-box as a screen too well. But, from the taste shown in the selection, we may fairly conclude that we owe it to the enlightened connoisseurs in the architecture of redoubts and the sculpture of ships' figure-heads.
Previous page
