The Express.
London, England, 1859-03-28 00:00:00

TSB RATIONAL OALLIRY.

The whole of the building which is at present
divided between the Royal Academy and the Inman] exhi-
bition of the National Gallery of pictures by old muter* will,
at no distant date, be at the disposal of the last maenad
hosititutlon. A project has emanated from the Department
of Science and Art, shown/ how the edifice in Trafalgssr-
square might, with the "modest* outlay" of 24,0004,
be merle to hold three times as large a oollection u that now
led jed Is the western pert of the building.
la the first plan, it is proposed to unite the two sets of
=gray* at peanut separated by span of 130 feet,
a astral hall, which is big without grandeur, and
neaten without ornament. Yew persons will require toting
that a toplight is desirable for paintings. Now, this great
central space, adieding with its hell and passages sa ana of
8,000 nun fleet, out of the entire 22,000 on which the
ingettetendspene to be the best piece of top-lighted
were the . To understand how this valuable
spa may be from barren ugliness, and turned to the
joist account of use end beauty, it will be aseessary, at the
entree time, briefly to consider the meal plan.
The door of the galleries is 23 feet above the foot-pave-
nisei onside. This height is &Hafted by a flight of steps
nader the portico, and • staircase on either side of the pre-
sent bell. But If, by removing the exterior flight of steps,
as menace be made three inches only above the pavement, a
Slmight be raised which should waned those hitherto
ogan ter different purpose, and then would still be
t 'Dough far a new ball below. A well-lighted natl.
bele to this hall can be formed by replacing with a light
Ow and iron ceiling the stone-flagged floor of the portico.
It is farther proposed to carry buck the hall hate what is now
the sculptors-room of the Royal Academy, from the en-
larged skylight of which, am well as from a series of windows
in freer, an ample supply of light would be gained. The
stairoues which now Mad from the annul, hall to tither
set of galleries above are enelned between walls, sad are
latterly deadest of antritsetural dignity. Is pace
poLctz
in bat set the same dieadvantegeotis poositiou, It is
to gnu four stamens, each eight fast wide, at the four
several erases of the hall.

The sew sad emellently lighted apartment which would
enneoast the entrancerkaLleaght, ft is ouggested, to be ap-
to the purpose of a melee oetrref—sa adjunct
ffrystutcnows to Magnet' galleries of art. Vahan te
oondaestal &Wes bum ale remember with delight the
room in which is centralised the rand and most exquisite
wealth of coasumnals geodes and panuaremt skill. The
salon earn mid* by the Feist* before no, would be
bestowed as thelfatimal Qty would be of nobler propor-
does then that of the Louvre, sal would in other respects
hare •midway over the Parishut chamber. A deep
ream wea/d be formed on seek side of the sew apartment,
lodine mob way to an uninterrupted eerie" of rooms, the
widened doorways of which might easily be brought epos
one central Use, thus throwing open a magnificent vista of
4.50 feet, a the entire length of the building. To increase
the effect of this plan it is proposed to treat the o
with column and arches, after the meaner of the it=
placed openings in the Vatican.
But each dada. as we have described is not all that the
scheme proposes. There are lower rooms, which, bora the
enfavanrabk circumstance of their being reached from the
metre] hall by dark, descending stain, have fallen into
public discredit, as being little better than osUars. In reality
they see good roam enough, with the single drawback of a
side light, which is but a very little drawback in the ease of
sketches and the lighter character of dodge. By the fortue-
lion of the new mammy these rooms would be shove in-
stead of below the flooring of the bag; and the impression
derived from the new mole of entering them would be conse-
quently far more agreeable.
So much for the interior &iterations. The proposed change
Is the exterior consists piaptliy in the of the stare
already mentioned, sad y In • autetitation clan at&
story for the meagre nurnesaieg dome, and its flaking
pair of pepper-restore. The dirret. of the entire facade
is boron ins ; and though there to • look of bareness and im-
poverished decoration In the bong hodsontal Hass, we meet,
on the whole, concede merit to the denims, if only for getting
rid of the paltry inoombeassies which at mar at break a
part of those tines, but add no pees sad gin ao important
relief. The other improvements of the exterior would consist
in ceeniag forward the depressed post= tithe wage to •
WM with their small projectiag Met
We have mid that Me estimated east of all the changes le
34,0001 , but we may aid that from this sent a reduction is
counted an ix old material.