The Sun.
London, England, 1818-05-07 00:00:00

Waterloo Church. Nor am I aware that there
is any thing irreligious in the authoritative adop-
tion of such a title. Butt this is a trifle. If the
remembrance of the great Victory, the hatbinger
of Peace to a distracted world, is to be justly ce-
lebrated, and transmitted to future ages, it is ob-
vious that more effective means must he employed,
and that the aid of the Fine Arts must in some
manner be called in, to extend and perpetuate the
seatiment now'so deeply impressed op our hearts.
Never was there an occasion capable'of affording
;I:Tearer excitement to the minds of 'Artists ; and
it may, perhaps, be destined for the pages of
History to record one more laurel of the day of
Waterloo, by dating the rise of English emi-
nence in the historical provinces of the Arts, from
the public celebration of its signal victory.
To effect those desireable purposes a simple
plan Suffices. I conceive the Church (whatever he
the spot allotted to it) to be placed in the centre
of an open area of ample dimensions, and that
area to be surrounded with a range of magnificent
edifices, all comprised within one regular struc-
ture, and appropriated alternately to active esta-
blishments connected with military desert (such
as schools and hospitals), and to the reception of
historical records in Painting and Sculpture
These records naturally consist, in sculpture, of
statues and groups of the renowned warriors, and
their actions, who distinguished themselves on
the memorable field of Waterloo ; and, in paint-
ing, of the illustrious events of that scene of con-
test, unparalleled in the annals of the world.
This plan appears to contain the whole sum of
our wishes and expectations, and to be, in fact,
illustrative of the public mind. The English na-
tion wishes to perpetuate the remembrance of the
exemplary valour and achievements of its heroes ;
it wishes to express its sense of the Divine as-
sistance, by means of which they conquered, and
its gratitude to The Giver of all good things. In
what regards these latter points, the worship of
the Supreme, in the interior of the Trophy, would
be pore and holy. No profane allegory, no irre-
vet ent emblem, would lie intruded on devotion, to
call hack the thoughts from visions of a peaceful
eternity, to the tumults of worldly strife. 'There
would be seen, I imagine, no horses, lions, ele-
phants, sphinxes, or crocodiles ; no sabres, dirks,
muskets,, trumpets, cannons, or flying balls ; no
Fames or Victories; no rivers, oceans, or personi-
fied empires ; in short, no levies from the wearied
and wearisome stores of Indian, Egyptian, Etrus-
can, Greek, and Roman Mythology, or from the
equally serviceable and exhausted repository of
Exeter Change. There would be no memorials
but of that religious and social peace for which
our heroes fought and died ; no emblems lint of
that love and charity which our Redeemer be-
queathed to mankind. •

But the Records of the Exterior Circle would be
of human prowess. There, the sight of all that
can elevate the spirit of the youtloOl hero, all that
can inspire or sat tsfy the ardent vow of the patriot,
,all that can nourish virtuous ambition, or reward
successful toil in honour, would conspire to keep
alive the vital flame of national glory. The
stranger who should visit this place, would thus
be cohritseted, -through a series of historical pre-
ludes, to the rational act of pious humiliation and
gratitude, and the devout worshipper, in his pas-
sage through them, would find his heart succes-
s,v-dy quickened with emotions tending to
strengthen his reliance on that Power before
whom he was about to prostrate himself in
prayer.

What is the amount, in one view, of this com-
bination ? The achievements of our heroes; their
repose in faith ; a nation's gratitude to God.
I shall only add, that the completion, in the
manner here proposed, of the Parliamentary vote
for the Monument of Waterloo, world afford one
of the opportunities, so long desired, of connect-
ing the Fine Arts with the essential interest of
the Kingdom.

P ÜBLI