The Sun.
London, England, 1839-11-04 00:00:00

THE NEW ROYAL EXCHANGE.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SlR—We have ourselves only to blame if our public,
monuments do not equal in splendour and design in,
most distinguished edifices of foreign natizytis. A
miserable parsimony has, almost always wit Lout
Lion, blighted the geniusexeep-
of our archit,:etsp and com-
pelled them to adopt expedients to realize the views of
their employers, whether the Government, Committees,
or public Companies, at once disgraceful nail
ing. Tate New Palace and the National Gallery are
signal instances of the national character for art being
sacrificed to a sordid economy. Our artists have nal,
in vain devoted years to their earlier studies, and vvan-
dered far and wide to cull the beauties of ancient and
modern art ; it is not for nothing that they have en-
dured fatigues, undergone dangers, and suffered
tions in the pursuit of instruction. We arc of opinion
that our architects of the present day are equal to any
intellectual effort, and only want a discerning and
liberal public to foster their genius. It has of late years
been the fashion_ with the critics in certain literary pe-
riodicals to vaunt up the merits of foreign buildings,
and to decry the productions of our own architects.
They little consider the millions which have been ex-
pended on the modern edifices of France and Ge'-
many, and the inadequate means placed at the .
posal of the English artist. At home our buildin-,,s
are
diminutive in size, devoid of their necessary zchitec-
tural embellishments. Abroad the productions of the
pencil and the chisel come in aid of the architect, and
the union of the three arts produce those impressions
on the wind of the traveller which he in vain looks for
at home.

These reflections have arisen in consequence of
the competition of designs for rebuilding the New
Royal Exchange, and the subsequent discussion whio'.
took place in the Common Council on Thursday 1.05 t,,
when Mr, Donaldson presented a memorial praying for
a revision of his design. Here the artist has confess-
edly rendered himself equal to his subject, as /Ur,
Barry did in his design for the Parliament Hous.,s,
Ile has shed a new light upon the subject, and sh.dwr
that the Royal Exchange should not be a mean, ccto
mon-place affajr, a mere house of business 'with fifes
of columns, without use or propriety, wi...11 rows of
but that it is capable, any sacrifice of useful
many tiered windows, like a merchant's si.op and store
withou..
ness, of combining the cla:,sic spieno.ours of ancient art
with all the requisites of modem usages. The Ex-
alange should be a rocal point, surpassing in import-
ance and grandeur all the surrounding architectural
groupes. It should not be second to the Mansion-
house in size, nor inferior to the Bank in embellish- '
ment. It should not be a mere echo of the Globe, nor
a repetition of Princes-street or the Post-office. We
want new sensations—a departure from the beat, „ track, Well, directly such a design is offered, i', i,
savagely anatomised by the architect judges, ay ,d
„_ jected by the Committee on the score of . :
_,
ense What, are we to have an Exchange secondp
to that ot
do the citizens 1
tYur provincial
uPnaersisoforLoi‘f.erSpto.olPoerte.T4sibasugrgov;--?infewrio.hrr..tto
require ? Is
gen'.us of commerce, 1
of the first commercial city in the, world
it not a temple, as it were,
.to t 1„
which her merchants may vw.c with a proud conscious- I
ness, and not be ashamed t,o display to every fot eigner. I
What are a few thouFands in comparison with thu
object of having a noble Royal Exchange ? Mr. /
Lambert Jones ItA out of the bag on Thursday that the 1
Committee had had a design, pre.viously made, laid
before them, upon which they originally founded their
opinion of the turn which such a building ought to cost.
Upon whose authority was such a design prepare('
.! I
What is the name of the architect who designed .4 ? ,
Has all this competition been a mere farce, in ord rat
length to bring in the fortunate author of this NVOD.. I
drous design ':' Have 38 architects expended "won-
;
t;neir exertions
three and four thousand pounds, and dev.oted. th„,,
months of hard labour, merely that
might be cruelly analyzed, their profe'dsional character
tainted, and their hopes dec;lived, fr the purpose of
introducing a favourite architect, ',low behind the cur-
tain ? The Committee seem. to be mere tools of a ,
designing e,nd intriguing mind. Let them have their I
eyes open, their wits about them. Let them judge for i
themselves, and do their duty.
I am yours, &c. 1

OBSERVED

THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON'S 1:CIP. EIGN
ORDEIIS OF KNIGHTHOOD.—HiS Grace It Knimia
Grand Cross of the (Austrian) Order of I‘l,mir. There,4, Knight of the (Danish) Order of the F;teph"‘lnt, Knight
C` cost, Knight
of the (French) Order of the ii•jiy
Grand Cross of the (Portuguese) Order of the Tower
and Sword, Knight Grand Cry) Order
of the Order of tile
Prussian Eagle, Knight of tkie first class of the (Roc-
slat!) Order of St. George,, Knight Grand Cross of the
(Sardinian) Order of t! t;
Annunciation, Knight of the
Order of the Rue:gown of Saxony, Knight of the
(S4nlian) Order of St. Ferdinand and of Merit, Knight
Grand Cross of the (Spanish branch) Older of um,
Golden Fleece, and Knight Grand Cross of t)
(Swedish) Order of the Sword.
A tragical event has occurred near Cone!Ater,. The
Count de Champ, who was to have been riumied in „
day or two to Mademoiselle Montaigu de Mardore,
went on a shooting party to procure g-Aole for the wed-
ding
feast, and was 'returning home., when, at a brook
which he had to cross, his dog refused to proceed, lie
took up the anim,dl to throw it over, but his gun getting
between his leo went off, and wounded him in the side.
He expire:l in a few minutes.—Patriote de Soane
Loire. ct

deorge Hanson examined—lreside at No. 32, Castle-
lane, and am a plumber. My sister lodged in the house,
in the second floor front ; her name is Ketorea Hanson.
Benjamin Hanson is my nephew. I was in the house
No. 10, William-street, on Friday ; I went there about
four o'clock in the afternoon, and remained until about
twenty minutes to eight. I was that time in my sis
ter's room, on the second floor, when I heard an explo-
sion, which shook the table and chairs, and the paper I
teas reading fell off the table. The next moment we
were nearly suffocated by the smoke and sulphur toge-
ther. My sister fell down by the concussion, and I took
kter dow stairs. She called out for Abraham Hanson,
stir soft, who was in the parlour.
A person bore said the Jury were under the impres-
-01 ljaat tke sister of the witness was dead, whereas she
ilkne ,fill alive.
`Eke Coitow expressed the utmost surprise at the
rotate:rant, as ]se had sworn the Jury to inquire into the
cause of her death.
Crow, the summoning officer, said he had been de-
ceived by the witness, the names of the deceased having
been furnished by him.
The SoaoNER said it evidently was a mistake.
Examination continued—When I went down stairs
I was obliged to return on account of the smoke, on
thigh I got out of the landing window, and fell on the
top of the parlour. I lay for ten minutes, or there-
abouts; before I came to myself. A person in a regi-
mental dress then helped me down into Castle-lane,
where I lay on the pavement for some minutes, being
hart by the fall.
By the CORONER—There was in the house, the
firework-maker, Arthur SteinkoptY, or Harding—he was
a middle-aged. man ; and Eliza, his wife ; Ann Hitchins,
who was turned fifty, and lived on the second floor, as
well as my sister ; Eliza Jenkins, a middle-aged woman,
who lived on the first floor, over Steinknpff's rooms ;
Abraham Hanson, aged 15, who lived with his mother,
but was assisting Steinkopff. I do not know the names
of the other sufferers. I have seen in Harding's apart-
ments rockets, squibs, crackers, Roman candles, &c. ;
all of them were made on the premises. They were all
finished in the parlour or shop. On Friday evening
.1 heard Steinkopff in the shop, but I did not see him
there. I have seen him at work at them, but do not
know what quantity of gunpowder there was on the
premises. I have seen as much as a gross and a half of
fire-works on the premises.
By the Jury—On the Friday before the explosion he
was served with a summons, at the instance of Carter
arid Digby, the common informers, for selling a squib, a
craeker, and a Rowan candle. He attended at Queen-
square on Tuesday, and was fined 40s. He refused to
pay the money, and was sent to prison in the van. On
Friday his mother sent the money, and he got out. He
was a sober and a particularly kind and generous man.
John Graham was also in the parlour ; he was about 18
or 19 years of age. Another person was also there
whose name Ido not know. The explosion took place
in the front parlour. Steinkopff, I should say, was sober
that evening.
A Jeror said the witness must be wrong as to his state-
ment of there being only a gross and a half of fireworks
on the premises, he (the Juror) having himself seen four
or five gross there.
Deborah Jenkins daughter of one of the deceased,
examined-1 am nine years and a half old. The de-
cgennaspendwittrhdunrwSntelnintkhonpffkitnhhaedn,faonudr
towr 0 five
reblsarorfelcso
nol.f.
position. On Friday evening he came home about dark.
l Me was sober then. He had only a pint of porter, but
three pots and a pint ofgin after he came in.
Several persons were in the parlour,mrsamong whom
was Mrs. Hitching (m
Herding, and Alva.
ar: Harding, Mr.
hats
'(g boy),
boy),
and
ah
stranHansiond), John. Graham, Wil-
strange lad they
cannot gfienda , who came In. The
I kitobos. While I was there Jo' Grahamhnnor the man in the
jag ivAtirowder igto the fire out of kept throw
an iron
. thing. He
i Xfp threw into the Ere seine
composition. He
bHloewatlis,oe
1,44 a squib to the candle, saytitegm
dowel woman up. It did not go off. There was a
;purls, on it, and be threw it down on some gunpowder
in a tea-tray, which all went off.
By the Jury—l then went out because they teazed
toe, and 41 A minute or two afterwards the explosion
took place. I was in the yard when the explosion
took place. I tried to open the latch to let them out,
but could not open it. I heard those within say, .. oh'
my God, let us get out." I
' let us get out"—" Oh,
never knew it to be fastened so that I could not open
it before that time.
IBy the CORONER—Mr. Steinkopff was perfectly
sober. Mrs Hitchins sent for some of the beer, and
' Mrs. Harding sent for the rest. Mrs. Harding had
taken a pound that day for fireworks. They dried
theon
fireworks before the fire on a tea-tray, piling one
,another. Sometimes they were covered by a cloth, but
\
net on that occasion.
Dy the Jury—l never saw the strange lad before.
Joht: Graham, Mr. Steinkopff, and the strange lad,
came home together. Mrs. Hitchins was tipsy—more
so after the gin and beer was brought in. She was a
very tipsy woman. Ido not know how the door
%, became fastened.
Crow here stated he had a most important witness in I
obi room, who would clear up much of the mystery.
Ir.,