Jenks's Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland [Me.]) 1799-1802, 1801-01-05
BRUTUS.

Extract from letter written BY Dr. Thornton his
correspondent in Philadelphia, during the Ian fef.
Con Of CongreG
"YOU mention the monument TO be erea-
ed to the memory Of our good and great friend.
am at lois what TO Gay, and rather confder
your application to me as a compliment, than
made with an expectation of Satisfactory an
lwer. / can fcarcely think on the fubjea
without having all my ideas Afforded in the
lois of my great patron.--I mat. however, at
tempt to anfwer you.
The mot fuitable in my opinion. would be
fine groupe of figures on well competed maj
~ rock, the whole executed in while marble. -
The figures 10 Conlit Of Eternity leading him
to the Pinacle, and pointing upwards, ready to
take fayetteville Time is left below in poa
ure as If inviting him to Gay attended by II.
dependence, BY Viaory, by Liberty, by Peace,
Virtue, PROPERTY and Fame All bur the two
6rR figures would be in hover region of ne
rock, and they ought not 70 be crowded. A
capital artiR or two ought TO be ftnt for from
Europe, and model, from all the ben ideas,
fHch pieces as would pleafe a painter, render
ing at once intereaing and paurelque The
rock would admit of figures being finely group
ed, and the arcades supporting The colonnade
round the dome# would give flch contrah
as to make the whole a grand and ltriking
competition dome being ALTO lighted in
the center would be admirably calulared not
Only to render the principal ngures more
bright, but would give more apparent reality
10 the deign Of the Egure Of Eternity. The
bodies of the General and his -
may be depoGred in place prepared in the
rock. in the region where Time and The TeR of
ihe figures are grouped Ggnifyiag that though
time has taken poG-fion Of bis body, yet
Eternity has taken his fpirt ont of the reach
Of Tim. I will explain no further, for if it
does NOT explain itfelf il is ufeefs. You fpeak
of CeracchPs competition. II was fine piecs
| lsw the model bot it was A figure Of Liberty
iuR defending on rock, hundred feet high,
and Time was the charrioteer. 10 the at OF
Popping his hoifes. In the hdes of the rock
were many caves with all the heathens jumbo:
together in the m. He imagined too much /;
but with lit,ia advice in the NEUROLOGICAL
part, he would have pro iuced one OF the great
en- monuments in the world. Ceracchi was
killed ia the Roman Revolution. His produc-
tion would not aid us in the prefent work !;
the fubie6ts are not connected. There IS hne
ltatue OF Peter {caIled the Great at Peten.
burg, in bronze, on horleback; the horfe rear
ing on the top Of an enormous rock OF granite
While was az attendant member OF The
Royal Society Of Scots Antiquities, the late
Empress Of RuiIia feat US grand collection Of
all her medals and coins; and medal truck
on the erection Of that monument was among
them. 1t is truly a grand monune At but
gives us no aid. was iolicited to think on
this fu5jel before received your letter, but
have never put pen to paper on this theme, till
this evening, for my mind was too much en-
gagged on my lois to think as ought. in my
elevation of the capitol you will remember my
temple Of Fame In that would alto have
his butt, and thofe of all the great WORRIES OF
our country +: It fands over the temple OF
Virtue, or grand conference room.
Eternity was Represented by the Romans by
woman with the fun in one hand, and the
moon in the other; her fymbols PhGnix
Globe and Elephant. She had neither tenn
pies nor affairs. / would repreient her with a
girdle round her wait containing the tigus OF
the Zodiac and round her neck I Rattlefnake
biting its tail.
In forming monument every thing ought
to be avoided that might be ofenGve to the
mott rious, and in approaching 10 fIbllme re-
prefentations, We fhould avoid rendering divine
honors for we oughr nor to forget that be-
tween the highef mortaIs and divinity, there IS
an infinite diaance at the fame tire we
mould not leTen our fubjeas BY any common
DEVICES Pedeltals with brats relief figures and
mottos viii do very we'll in common cafes, but
in the prefent cafe there X nothing common,
and we may rife as high . %our representation
as rnortals ought to go.