The Sun.
London, England, 1834-04-09 00:00:00

DUKE OF YORK'S MONUMENT.

The operation of raising the bronze statue of the
late Duke of York ~to the place prepared for it on the
monumental column, oree ;1, irate subscription,
in memory of his Royiil Carlton-gardens,
having, at half-past seven o'clock last evening, been
completed in the presence of a v<:4t number of spec-
tators, the following may not be uninteresting to our
readers.

The subscription for a monument to commemorate
the public services of the Duke of York, as Comman-
der-in-Chief of the Army, having, in the year 1829,
amounted to the sum of about 21,0001., (which was
afterwards increased, by an accumulation of interest
and further contributions, to about 25,0001.,) the com-
mittee of noblemen and gentlemen for managing the
application of that fund invited seven or eight of the
most eminent architects in the country to offer their
suggestions, and to make designs, with a view
to the accomplishment of that object. Great
zeal and talent were displayed on the occa-
sion by the several competitors, who, in the
month of August, 1829, delivered in their respec-
tive designs and estimates. The committee, however,
did not come to a decision upon those designs till the
month of December, 1830, when that which had been
submitted, at the same time with the rest, by Mr.
Benjamin Wyatt was finally adopted. Mr. Nowell,
the mason, of Grosvenor Wharf, Pimlico, became the
contractor, under an engagement to complete the
column, in every respect as it has appeared for the last
16 months, for the sum of-15,760/. 9s. 6d., and within
a period which should not exceed two years from the
time of his being put in possession of the ground.
Fortunately the great opening from Carlton Gar-
dens into St James's Park had been decided on before
the exact site for the column was fixed upon ; and thus
an opportunity was afforded for placing this ornamental
and stupendous feature in one of the most imposing
positions imaginable, whether with reference to its
effect as viewed from the top of Regent-street, or from
the park, below the steps. Possession of the ground
having been given over to the architect and the con-
tractor on the 25th of April, 1831, the excavation for
the foundation was commenced on the 27th of the
same month and finished on the 25th of the
month immediately following. The peculiar nature
of that foundation is not one of the least re-
markable among the characteristics of the masterly
construction of this great work. The ground being
in an artificial and a very loose state, to a great depth
below the general level of Carlton Gardens, in the
part where the column was to stand, it became necessary
to remove the loose ground, and dig to a solid stratum
of natural earth which was not to be had at less than
22 feet below the general surface, and from thence to
bring up such a foundation as should be fit to receive
the enormous weight of the intended column. In the
course of only twenty-eight days from the completion
of the excavation, a body of concrete, consisting of
stone-lime, river stones, sand, coal-ashes and water, in
certain proportions, was formed, of sufficient magnitude
and solidity to fill up the excavation, and to sustain the
vast superincumbent weight of the column ; and in
seven weeks exactly, from the time at which this body
of concrete was commenced, the masonry of the pe-
destal of the column was begun to be placed upon it.
This artificial foundation was, to a certain degree, of a
pyramidal form, its base lines forming a square of 53 feet,
whilst its top lines formed a square of 30 feet, with
all four sides inclining equally and regularly (as to-
wards the apex of a pyramid) from the base to the top.
At the height of 11 feet 6 inches above the base line
of the concrete, was introduced a strong course of
Yorkshire stone slabs, seven inches thick, lying over
the whole surface of the concrete, at that level—an
extent of upwards of forty feet, each way—and com-
posed of stones of such magnitude, that nine of them
were sufficient to cover the whole superficies ; effectu-
ally equalizing the pressure from above, upon the body
of the concrete below. Again, at the top of the line
of the concrete, this same expedient was repeated, and
another course of Yorkshire stone slabs introduced, to
complete the artificial mass which was to form the
foundation for the column and its pedestal, and which
in a short time became as solid and compact as if it
had been a natural rock of granite. Upon this huge,
newly created body of composition (which was com-
pleted on the 25th of June, 1831) the first course of ,
the masonry was, in only three weeks afterwards,
commenced.

The column is of the Tuscan order, and is com-
posed of granite of different colours, all brought from
quarries in Aberdeenshire. Its surface throughout is,
according to technical language, " fine axed" (not
polished or rubbed), and, as regards hardness, colour,
and external appearance, we do not perceive any infe-
riority between this granite and the red and grey
Egyptian granite of ancient times.
The pedestal underneath the column consists of ten
courses of grey granite, from the quarries of Aberdeen,
above the level of the ground, and is 16 feet 8 inches
high, to the bottom of the base of the column, having
one course of rough granite (from the island of Herm)
between the first of these ten courses, and the course
of Yorkshire stone slabs, on the top of the concrete.
The plinth of the pedestal measures 22 feet 6 inches
on either side ; and its die is 18 feet and aof an inch
in diameter. The base of the column, consisting of
two members only—viz., the Plinth and the Torus—
are formed also of granite from Aberdeenshire ; but of
a bluer tone of colour than that of the pedestal ; and
are, together, 5 feet 4 inches in height. The shaft of
the column, which is of red granite, contains twenty-
six courses, and has six apertures on one side, and
seven on the other, for the admission of light to the
staircase within. The bottom diameter of the shaft is
11 feet 7i inches, and that of its top, immediately under
the capital, is 10 feet 14 inches; whilst its whole height
is 84 feet 10 inches, from the top of the basement to
the bottom of the capital. The capital consists of two
courses of the same coloured granite as the base, and
is 4 feet 2 inches in height. Upon the outer lines of
the abacus of the capital is fixed a plain but very sub-
stantial iron railing ; and in its centre is con-
structed the acroter, which at once forms a roof or
covering to the internal staircase, and a pedestal
for the statue to stand upon. This superstructure is
of the same red granite as the shaft, and contains seven
courses in height between the top of the abacus and
the feet of the statue. The gross altitude of the whole
structure from the surface of the ground to the top of
the acroter is 123 feet 6 inches ; and the statue itself
being 13 feet 6 inches, the whole distance from the
ground to the top of the figure is 137 feet.
The spiral staircase within the pedestal and shaft of
the column consists of 168 steps, of 2 feet 4 inches
wide, and very well lighted in every part between the
pedestal and the outlet upon the abacus of the capital.
We cannot recur to the mention of this staircase with-
out repeating our admiration of the ingenuity and
skill of the architect, in the use which he has made of
it for the purpose of firmly binding together all parts
of this fabric, by means of the bond-stones, of which
we gave a minute description in The Sun a few days
since.

When we advert to the gigantic dimensions of this
column; to the heavy expense of creating a founda-
tion for it ; to the difficulties of procuring blocks of
granite in Scotland, or vessels with hatchways, to
convey them, of adequate size ; to the expense of land
carriage and freightage from such a distance ; and to
the excessive labour of working so hard a stone, we
are surprised at the smallness of the sum for which
this work has be6n accomplished, and we cannot but
feel that the committee (of which the Duke of Wel-
lington is the Chairman) has well discharged its duty,
both in the administration of the funds intrusted to
their management, and in their selection of an archi-
tect and a mason, who have proved themselves so emi-
nently well qualified for the undertaking.
The statue contains about eight tons of metal. The
scaffold for raising such a mass was most ingenious
and simple, and, considering that there is no example
of a scaffold constructed of mere poles and cords per-
forming what this scaffold has successfully performed,
reflects the highest credit on Mr. Nowell. We sup-
pose that the sculptor has concluded that, at the vast
distance to which it will be removed from the eye, it
will be but indistinctly seen, and, consequently, that it
will be less obnoxious to the acuteness and severity of
criticism than if it were to stand within the range of
more minute observation. But as a correct portrait of
the indilidual whom it is intended to represent: or as
a work of art—chaste and classical in conception, or
dexterous in execution, we regret that we cannot give
to it the praise which we should have been glad that it
had appeared to us to merit. In the first place, as a
resemblance, we do not recognize in it either the expres-
sion of countenance, or the general mien and portliness
which characterized the person of the late Duke of
York. His Royal Highness, although of large sta.
ture, was far from a clunisy man ; and his attitude, when
standing up, was always remarkably commanding and
dignified. We cannot trace the resemblance of these
characteristics in the statue. Seeondly, as a work of
art, we cannot reconcile to our minds the marvellous
ironsistency of the costume with which this statue is
invested. If it had been an equestriqn statue we might

•-ot perhaps have objected to the Nile of its boots as
hey are ; but to give t,) a. figure, destined to be placed
I;tQ it were upon a pinnacle, at a height of 123 feet from
the ground, a pair of boots of a form appertaining ex-
clusively to cavalry uniform, does appear to us to be
very incongruous and improper; and then to as-
sociate with those boots, the robe of the order
of the Garter, characterized by its star, &c., on
the left breast (which robe is never worn with boots),
merely because its length was convenient to assist in
supporting the statue, seems to indicate either a want
of foresight as to the effect,—a carelessness in the study
of the subject,—or a sterility of invention stshich, we
own, we should not have expected to find in an artist
of such experience, employed on such a work in the
nineteenth century !
It would be unpardonable in us to disguise our ge-
nuine sentiments on any such occasion ; and we are
therefore obliged to withhold from the sculpture that
admiration which common justice, and our duty to the
public, compel us to bestow on the architectural con-
struction and practical masonry of this distinguished
monument, which we have no doubt will stand, through
a long succession of ages, to bear its own testimony in
justification of our applause.