j(r> 
 
iM 
 
CRITICAL OBSERVATIONS 
 
 O N T H E 
 
 BUILDINGS 
 
 AND 
 
 IMPROVEMENT S 
 
 O F 
 
 LONDON. 
 
 Nil fuit unquam 
 
 Sic impar. Hor. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed for J. DODSLEY, in Pali-Mall 
 MDCCLXXL 
 
{ ' ) 
 
 CRITICAL OBSERVATIONS, ^c. 
 
 NOTHING feems more capable of affording 
 fatisfadion to a liberal mind, than the many pub- 
 lic improvements of elegance and convenience which 
 have been lately made in this metropolis. Every in- 
 habitant participates of their advantages, and every man 
 of generous feelings fhares in the reputation which his 
 country acquires from them. Perhaps then it is the right 
 of every individual to difcufs with decent freedom the 
 merits and demerits of public works, and even of private 
 undertakings as far as they relate to public ornament. 
 A difcuffion of this fort may ferve to turn men's atten- 
 
 B tion 
 
2 CRITICAL 
 
 tion to thefe fubjeds, and be the means of introducing 
 a greater correcSnefs of tafte for the future. 
 
 I have ever looked upon it as a peculiar happlnefsj. 
 that all public improvements muft among us ^ring 
 originally from the fpirit of the people, and not from the 
 will of the prince. In the one cafe, whenever they are 
 fairly begun, they never fail to be carried on with un- 
 remitting zeal and adivity^ while in the other, the)r 
 generally have their beginning and end: with the monarch 
 who prote6ls them. Of this laft, aftriking example is 
 feen in France. Lewis the XlVth, a prince fond of 
 o-lory, pompous and enterprizing, who aimed at, and 
 well-nigh obtained for his countr}%.univerfal dominion in 
 the arts and fciences, as well as in arms, was the firft o£ 
 the French .monarchs who turned his attention this way,. 
 He cut canals, extended public roads, and eftabliflied re- 
 gular polls throughout his kingdom. He. regulated the 
 
 police 
 
OBSERVATIONS. j 
 
 police of his capital, and he added to its commodioufiiefs 
 and its decoration, by lighting and a better manner of 
 paving its ftreets. There he flopt; and there the nation 
 ftopt with him. France, at this day, is juft as far ad- 
 vanced in thofe articles as {he was a century ago. To 
 inftance in one of thofe more minute conveniences, which 
 by its frequent ufe becomes of fome importance : Their 
 poft-chaifes, which were then fo juflly admired, now 
 appear, after the improvements of England, as clumfy and 
 incommodious as the boots of their poftilUons. Even the 
 lamps of Paris, which the poets of thofe days compared 
 to the planets themfelves, '^ pendent from the vault of 
 '* heaven," are now difcovered, by travellers who have feen 
 the illuminations of London, to be no more than a few 
 fcattered tin lanthorns hung by packthread in the 
 iniddle of narrow and dirty ftreets, 
 
 B 2 But 
 
4 
 
 CRITICAL 
 
 But this very national Ipirit in England, which, once 
 being put in a6^ion, exerts itfelf with fo much vigour 
 and efFed, finds however, at firft, a terrible enemy in vulgar 
 prejudice, which muft be overcome before it can fairly ad. 
 In an arbitrary flate, a prince, a minifter,. may have 
 bis eyes opened to the errors of a former fyftem, and im- 
 mediately adopt a new one, without reftraint : but with 
 the multitude it requires time; they feldom reafon, and it 
 is to their feelings you muft apply. Habit fandlifies 
 every thing with them ; and even that deformity 
 to which they are accuftomed, becomes beauty in their 
 eyes, ^s fine as Londo?i- upon the bridge^ was formerly 
 a proverbial faying in the city : and many a ferious fen^ 
 fible tradefman ufed to believe that heap of enormities 
 to be one of the (qwqw wonders of the world, and next to 
 Solofnons temple the finefi; thing that ever art produced. 
 When firfc the reformation in the ftreets was begun, from 
 
 the 
 
OBSERVATIONS. 5 
 
 tRe fame caufe every nuifance had its advocate. It was 
 feid to be for the eafe of the horfes, that the midway 
 fhould be paved with huge fhapelefs rocks^ and the foot- 
 path with fharp pebbles for the benefit of the feet. The 
 pofts were defended to the laft; and the puUing down of 
 the figns, which choaked up and difgraced the fireets, re- 
 gretted as a barbarous invafion on the monuments of 
 national tafte : the cat and fiddle, goofe and gridiron, and 
 the like, being regarded as the greateft efforts of inventive 
 genius; and Cheapfide often compared to the Medicean 
 gallery, for Its choice colledion of paintings ; bkie boars^, 
 green dragons, and kings heads. 
 
 But though we claim a right, from prefcriptlon, to 
 laugh at the bad tafte.of our neighbours in the city '^, 1 am 
 
 afraid 
 
 * The bad tafte of the city is a trite fubje(5l, and any (Iridures upon their 
 former public management in thofe matters are hardly applicable at prefent. 
 At leaft,jone would hope the kalbn is nov/- over. when the citizens, before ihey 
 
 approve. 
 
6 43 R I T I C A L 
 
 afraid our pretenfions to fupenorlty in the weft end of tlie 
 tovVn arc founded more upon prefumption than truth. 
 We have indeed in the new buildings avoided many of 
 
 the 
 
 approve of a' plan, require to know if the author Is of the ]ivery, or if his 
 creed is according to law. But the following anecdote of what happened 
 forty years ago is told, and may not be unacceptable to the reader : 
 
 When It was firft refolved in the common-council to build a manfion 
 
 houie for die Lord Mayor •, Lord Burlington, zealous in the caufe of the 
 
 .arts, lent down an original defign of Palladio^ worthy of its author, for 
 
 their approbation and adoption. The firft queftion in court was not, whether 
 
 the plan was proper, but whether this fame Palladia was a Freeman of the city 
 
 or no. On this, great debates enfued j and it is hard to fay how it might 
 
 have gone, had not a worthy deputy rifen up, and obferved gravely, that it 
 
 was of little confequence to difcufs this point, when it was notorious that 
 
 Palladio was a papift, and incapable of courfe. Lord Burlington's propofal 
 
 was then rejedled mm. con, and the plan of a Freeman and a Proteftant 
 
 adopted in its room. The man pitched upon (who afterwards carried his 
 
 plan into execution) was originally a fliipwright j and, to do him juftice, he 
 
 appears never to have loft fight of his firft profeflion. The front of his manfion 
 
 houfe has all the refemblance poflible to a deep laden Indiaman, with her 
 
 ftern galleries and gingerbread work. The ftairs and paflages within are 
 
 all ladders and gangways, and the two bulkheads on the roof, fore and aft, 
 
 2 not 
 
OBSERVATIONS. 7 
 
 die palpable inconveniences of old London 3 which pre- 
 caution, has perhaps beftowed collateral ornament without 
 any primary intention on our parts. But have we fuc- 
 ceeded in difplaying a more refined taile, wherever beauty 
 and elegance were the principal objeds in view? To be 
 iatisfied in this, let us examine our fb-much~ vaunted 
 fquareso. 
 
 The notion I form to myfelf of a perfedl fquare, or: 
 public place in a city, is a large opening, free and un- 
 incumbered, where not only carriages have room to turn 
 and pafs, but even where the people are able to aflemble 
 occafionally without confufion. It fliould appear to 
 open naturally out of the ftreet, for which reafon all the. 
 avenues iliould form radii to the centre of the place. The 
 
 not unaptly reprefcnt the binacle and winlafs on the deck of a great north 
 country catt^ 
 
 " Vous eteSjje i'avoue, ignorant charpentier s 
 " Mais pas un habile archited.'* 
 
 iid^Sc> 
 
8 CRITICAL 
 
 fides or circumference {hould be built in a ftile above the 
 common ; and churcKes and other public edifices ought 
 to be properly introduced. In the middle there ought 
 to be fome fountain, groupe, or ftatue, railed in within a 
 fmall compafs, or perhaps only a bafon of water, which, if 
 not Co ornamental, ftill, by its utility in cafes of fire. Sec, 
 makes ample amends. To illuftrate this in fome degree, 
 I refer to St. James's fquare, which, though far from per- 
 fect in that ftile, and altogether nncompleated on one fide, 
 ftill ftrikes the mind (T judge from my own feelings) with 
 fomething of more eafe and propriety than any fquare in 
 London. You are not confined in your fpace ; your eye 
 takes in the whole compafs at one glance, and the water 
 in the middle feems placed there for ornament and ufe. 
 
 But almoft every other fquare in London feems formed 
 on a quite different plan ; they are gardens, they are parks, 
 they are flicep-walks, in fhort they are every thing 
 
 but 
 
OBSERVATIONS. 9 
 
 but what they fhould be. The rus in iirhe is a prepofteroiis 
 idea at beft; a garden in a flreet is not lefs abfurd than 
 a llreet in a garden ; and he that wilhes to have a row 
 of trees before his door in town, betrays ahnoft as falfe a 
 tafte as he that would build a row of houfes for an avenue 
 to his feat in the country. 
 
 To defcend next to particulars, and obferve in what 
 manner the abfurdlty of this tafte is aggravated or 
 extenuated in the confequent pradlice, let us begin 
 with Grofvenor fquare, which is generally held out 
 as a pattern of perfe£lion in its kind. It is doubt- 
 lefs fpaciouSj regular, and well-built ; but how is 
 this fpacioufnefs occupied ? A clumfy rail, with lumps 
 of brick for piers, to fupport it, at the diftance of 
 every two or three yards, inclofes nearly the whole 
 area. Intercepting almoft entirely the view of the fides; 
 and leaving the paffage round it as narrow as moit ftreets, 
 
 C . with 
 
10 CRITICAL 
 
 with the additional difadvantage at night of being totally 
 dark on one hand. The middle is filled up with buflies 
 and dwarf trees, through which a flatue peeps, like a 
 piece of gilt gingerbread in a green- grocer's ftalL 
 
 Cavendifh fquare next claims our regard : the apparent 
 intention here was to excite paftoral ideas in the 
 mind ; and this is endeavoured to be efFedled by cooping 
 up a few frightened fheep within a wooden pailing ; 
 which, were it not for their footy fleeces and meagre 
 carcafes, would be more apt to give the idea of a but- 
 cher's pen, 
 
 <« paflimque armenta videbant 
 
 " lautis balare carinis," 
 
 To fee the poor things ftarting at every coach, and hurry- 
 ing round and round their narrow bounds, requires a warm 
 imagination indeed, to convert the fcene into that of 
 
 flocks 
 
OBSERVATIONS. n 
 
 flocks ranging the fields, with all the concomitant ideas 
 of innocence and a pafloral life. 
 
 " Some filly fwain, more filly than his flieep, 
 " Which on the flow'ry plains he ufed to keep," 
 
 muft have firft conceived the defign j and it might have 
 yet been improved, by a thought taken from one of the 
 mod flagrant perverfions of tafte that ever was exhibited 
 to publick view. Staniflaus, titular king of Poland, and 
 little better than imaginary duke of Lorrain, contrived, at 
 his fine palace of Luneville, in one of the richeft and 
 moft delightful countries in Europe, full of real paftoral 
 objeds and ruftick images, to degrade them by ftickinp* 
 up clock-work mills, wooden cows, and canvafs milk- 
 maids, all over his grounds ; to the no fmall admiration 
 ©f the Lorrainers, an honefl race, better fitted for the 
 enjoyments of a mild and equitable government, than for 
 the relifli of works of tafte. Now, however ridiculous 
 
 C 2 this 
 
12 CRITICAL 
 
 this might appear in the park at Luneville, it is a 
 precious thought for Cavendiih fquare. Imitation here 
 would appear with greater propriety than nature itfelf. 
 I would therefore recommend it to the next defigner of 
 country- in-town, to let all his fheep be painted. And 
 I think if a pafte-board mill, and tin cafcade, were to be 
 added it would compleat the rural fcene. 
 
 As to Hanover fquare, I do not know what to make of 
 it. It is neither open nor inclofed. Every convenience 
 is railed out, and every nuifance railed in. Carriages 
 have a narrow ill-paved ftreet to pafs round in, and the 
 middle has the air of a cow- yard, where blackguards 
 affemble in the winter, to play at hufsle-cap, up to the • 
 ancles in dirt. This is the more to be regretted, as the 
 fquare in queftlon is fufceptible of Improvement at a fmall 
 expence. The buildings are neat and uniform. The 
 ftreet from Oxford road falls with a gentle defcent into 
 
 the 
 
OBSERVATIONS. 13 
 
 the middle of the upper fide, while, right oppofite, George 
 ftreet retires, converging to a point, which has a very 
 pidurefque efFedl; and the portico of St. George's church, 
 feen in profile, enriches and beautifies the whole. 
 
 Red Lion fquare, elegantly fo called, doubtlefs, from 
 fome alehoufe formerly at the corner, has a very diiTerent 
 effed on the mind. It does not make us laueh ; but it 
 makes us cry. I am fure, I never go into it without 
 thinking of my latter end. The rough fod that ^' heaves 
 in many a mouldering heap," the dreary length of the 
 fides, with the four watch-houfes, hke fo many family 
 vaults, at the corners, and the naked obellfk that fprings 
 from amidft the rank grafs, like the fad monument of a 
 difconfolate widow for the lofs of her firft hufband, form, 
 all together, a memento .mori^ more powerful to me than a 
 death's head and crofs marrow bones : and were but the 
 parfon's bull to be feen bellowing at the gate, the idea 
 2 of 
 
14 CRITICAL 
 
 of a country church-yard in my muid would be com- 
 pleat. 
 
 To forbear defcanting any longer upon the particular 
 defe^ls of each fquare, It fuffices to fay, that they are all, 
 more or lefs, tindlured with the fame abfurdity, an 
 awkward ln:iitation of the country, amid the fmoke and 
 buftle of the town. Yet one is almofl: difpofed to excufe 
 Lincoln's-inn fquare. The vaft extent of the field, ftill 
 further extended by the proximity of the gardens, the 
 lofty trees in profpeft, the noble piece of water in the 
 middle, all confpire to create an illufion, and we feel 
 ourfelves as it were fairly beguiled into the country, in the 
 very centre of bufinefs and care. That of which I chiefly 
 complain is the attempt to introduce rural ideas where 
 there is not the lead probability of attaining the ends. 
 The royal parks adjoining to London by no means fall 
 under this cenfure. Thefe, with the many delightful 
 
 fields 
 
OBSERVATIONS. 35 
 
 fields which fkirt this capital, render it unrivaled in fitu- 
 ation ; and, what is peculiar, they are all within the reach, 
 and open to the health and amufement,.of the inhabitants: 
 a circumftance which renders the mock-parks in the 
 middle of the town ftill more unneceflary and abfurd. 
 
 In thus endeavouring to expole a particular vicious 
 tafte that has hitherto prevailed in this end of the town,. 
 we ought not to omit doing juftice, at the fame time, to 
 the general fyllem of improvement, that has already, in^ 
 a great meafure, taken place*. Gur ftreets are now 
 
 wide,, 
 
 * The reader perhaps may not be dlfpleakd to have before him, the fol- 
 lowing paffige from Tacitns, relating to the improvements in rebuilding 
 Rome afi;er the conflagration in Nero's time, that he may compare the ideas 
 of that age with what has been lately purfued here: " Dimenfis vicorum- 
 " ordinibus, et latis viarum fpatiis i:ohibita sedificiorum altitudine, ac pate- 
 " faflisareis additifque porticibus, quas frontem infularum protegerent."— 
 " -^dificiaque ipfa certa ful parte, fine trabibus, faxo Gabino Albinoquf, 
 " folidarentur, quod is lapis igni impervius efV. Jam aqua^ privatorum licentia. 
 
 *' intercepta. 
 
i6 CRITICAL 
 
 wide, ftraiglit, and commodious ; and although neatnefs, 
 more than magnificence, feems to be the charadleriftick 
 of the buildings, they do not fail on the whole to pro- 
 duce a grand effedl. Prejudice from habit, or veneration 
 for the errors of our forefathers, has had no fhare in the 
 faults into which we are fallen at the weftern end of the 
 town ; nay it may be rather fufpecled, that an injudicious 
 and even ftudious avoiding of every thing that bore re- 
 femblance to the antient city, led to the abufe of which 
 
 *' intercepu, quo largior et pluribus locis in publicum flueret, cuftodes et 
 '' fubfidia reprimendis ignibus in propatulo quifque haberet : nee com- 
 *' munione parietum, fed propriis quseque muris ambirentur. Ea ex utili- 
 *' tate accepta decorum ^uoquc novx urbi attulere." Tacit. Anna), lib. XV. 
 i. 43. 
 
 " The ftreets were (now) made regular and wide, the height of the houfes 
 " limited, with areas and porticos in front; nor was timber ufed in their exterior 
 *' parts, but ftoneonly. Public refervoirs of water were provided in various 
 '* places, and perfons to afTift in extingui(hing fires appointed, and every 
 " edifice had ics diilindt party walls. Thefe regulations, though didlated 
 " by utility, did not fail to give beauty alfo to the new city." 
 
 we 
 
OBSERVATION S, 17 
 
 we here complain. This, it mufi: be admitted. Is the 
 period in which judgment and tafte feem to go hand in 
 hand in the nation. Nobility, gentry, and citizens, arc 
 emulous in the encouragement of arts ; and a general 
 Ipirit prevails for correcting antient errors and eftablifliing 
 new improvements. 
 
 a 
 
 Aurea nunc, olim fylveftribus horrida dumis." 
 
 Every feffion of parliament is now marked by fome bill 
 for the incloling of commons, cutting of canals, conftrud:- 
 ing of bridges, embanking of rivers, making, mending, 
 and watering, of highways ; and for the paving and 
 lighting of ftreets. Much has been done in London; 
 and much fllll remains to be done. The ad obtained laft 
 feffion for the parifh of Marybonc, opens a vaft field, 
 which, I hope, will be cultivated with care. The fheep 
 are already turned grazing from Cavendifli fquare, and a 
 
 D ftatue 
 
i8 CRITICAL 
 
 flatue Is to be put in their place*. Why then fhould not 
 the inhabitants feize the opportunity of lev^elling their 
 rotten pailing, and beftowing every embellifhment on the 
 
 area 
 
 * Since thefe Hieets were written, the ftatue has been eredled, and it i$ 
 now unveiled to publick view. Gratitude for pad favours is a generous 
 fcntiment, and does honour to the breaft that pofTelTcs it ; but this does not 
 preclude a criticifm on the manner in which It is exprefl^d. The flatue in 
 queftion is then the deed of private friendfhip, and (as the infcription takes 
 care to inform us, to prevent miftakes) is an equeftrian flatue. An officer, 
 in the exadt modern uniform of the guards, is mounted on an antique horfe, all 
 very richly gilt and burnifhed. The figure, both in features and proportions, 
 is extremely like the original; and fo, I am told, is the hat. The general en- 
 comium beflowed upon it is, that it is mighty natural-, but in my opinion, the 
 refemblance would be much flronger, were it, in place of being gilt, to be 
 painted in proper colours,, the coat fcarlet, the facings blue, and the lace 
 to remain as it is. This would not only make it more natural^, but alfa 
 render it of ufe as a pattern fuit for the regimental taylors. 
 
 The charader of the infcriptive flyle is brevity, perfpicuity, and force ; and^ 
 there is alfo a fyftem of contradlion eflablifhed, different from thofe of a 
 law bill. The reader will be able to judge how far this charafler is retained 
 in the following infcription : I have diftlnguifhed it with italicks in fome 
 particular parts,. 
 
 W 
 
OBSERVATIONS. ,9 
 
 area of which the place will admit? But this is not all. 
 I wiih the fame fpirit to extend univerfally. Our fquares 
 are in general inhabited by the great and opulent, who 
 
 Born April i^tb 1721, Died 31/ Oftobcr 1765. 
 
 This Equejirian Staiui 
 
 was ercded by 
 
 Lieutenant General 
 y^7 dhmn g h-ifde 
 
 In Gratitude 
 For bis private Kindnefs 
 
 In Honour 
 
 To his publick Virtue, 
 
 November the 4//^ Anno Domini 1770.' 
 
 The poflefTive pronoun his is very happily introduced here, becaufe it may be 
 applied to either of the antecedent perfons, and will no doubt create 
 fubjeft of learned difputc fome ages hence. If this fafhion fliould prevail 
 among great men and rich, of eredling publick ftatues, to thofe who have 
 been kind to them in private^ it is not warriors in compleat uniform, beftrid- 
 ing gilded deeds, who would be mofl: frequently ^t^n in our ftreets and 
 fquares, but beauty fimple, unadorned, like the Venus of Medicis, and (could 
 art do juftice to nature in this country) finer forms than ever Grecian 
 chizzle graved. 
 
 D 2 are 
 
20 CRITICAL 
 
 are furely in a condition to finifli them as they ought to 
 be, for their own convenience, and the honour of the 
 metropoUs. It is a pleafure to obferve the attention to 
 every cireumftance of embelHfliment, that goes hand in 
 hand with all their improvements at ^ath : there, uni- 
 formity, beauty, and convenience, are every where at- 
 tended to ^ and even the undertakings of individuals upon 
 the principle of private emolument only, (fuch is the 
 happy fpirit of the place) are always contrived to add to 
 the honour and benefit of the public.- Their fquaresy 
 though they fhame the metropolis, fupport the reputation 
 of the nation in general, for elegance and propriety of 
 tafte *. It is impoffible at this day to give the public 
 
 places 
 
 * The circus at Bath, although elegant on the whole, feems to me faulty 
 in one refped. If, infteadof the three Grecian orders, there had only been 
 one employed ; the columns to have fprung from a bafement of one ftory^ 
 and to have reached beyond the Attick, with proper capitals and entabla- 
 tures, I think it would have produced a better effc(5t. The idea of the dif- 
 ferent 
 
OBSERVATIONS. 21 
 
 plates of London, the fame forms, or the fame beauty, 
 with thofe of Bath ; but, as they now ftand, they are 
 capable of being fo improved and adorned, as to render 
 them on the whole, including the circumftance of number 
 and fize, fuperior to what can be met with in any other 
 city in Europe. If this were once effeded, London 
 could boaft of fifteen elegant fquares (befides market- 
 places and inns of courts, while Paris, her proud rival, 
 cannot fnew half fo many that deferve the name. The 
 Place de Louis ^uinze is not yet finifhed, and probably, 
 never will; and the Place Royale^. the next in fize and 
 grandeur, may be compared to one of our fecond rate 
 fquares, with many of the defects in the worft. In this 
 country there is nothing wanting but to undertake; the 
 
 ferent orders was taken (I fufpeft) from the amphitheatre of Flavius, called - 
 the CoUoJfeo at Romej but what is truely magnificent, and perhaps necef- 
 fary, in fo (lupendous a fabrick, becomes rather trifling when reduced to ' 
 the fcale of a dwelling houfe. 
 
 3 ^ • power 
 
22 CRITICAL 
 
 power to execute, in an affluent, aiElive and enterprifing 
 people, knows no bounds. We even fee in fmaller ftates 
 what great things have been accompllfhed with fmall 
 means. The kings cf Pruffia have rendered BerHn a 
 noble and fplendid capital ; and even the king- duke of 
 Lorraln, whofe wretched tafte in gardening has been 
 taken notice of, had the good fortune to be better 
 directed in his public works : he has made the new town 
 of Nancy the moft elegant city on this fide of the 
 Alps. 
 
 But there are many objedls in London improveable to 
 anv pitch of perfedlon : we have in Oxford road the 
 outlines of the nobleft ftreet in Europe. In length, width 
 and ftraightnefs, it furpafles every thing of its kind, and 
 requires only to be adorned with *' gorgeous palaces and 
 folemn temples,'* like the Corfo at Rome, or the Stracla 
 Nuova at Genoa, to eclipfe them both in fame. Nor is 
 
 it 
 
OBSERVATIONS. 23 
 
 it arrogance to expefi: this : a paffion for building in town 
 feems to arife among the nobility at prefent ; how many 
 handfome ftrudtures then, may there not be eredled along 
 thofe fides, where at prefent there are only ftables and 
 timber-yards ! The new pavement, which goes on with 
 rapidity, fets this ftreet in a new point of view. Already 
 there is begun in it one pulic edifice (the Pantheon) of 
 bold and elegant defign ; and there is a fcheme on foot, 
 for building a new church in Marybone parifh. It is to 
 be hoped this defirable work will not be huddled into a 
 bye corner ; but appear as it ought, with a magnificence 
 proper for the religious worfhip of an opulent people ; 
 and that it will be not only a noble objedl in itfelf, but 
 contribute to the general ornament, by being placed in 
 Oxford ftreet. 
 
 On a fuppofitlon then that men of rank and fortune 
 flhould hereafter be induced to rear up their manfions ia 
 
 Oxford 
 
24 CRITICAL 
 
 Oxford road; it may not be prefumptuous to hint at 
 fome errors which have been too commonly adopted in 
 fabrlcks of that fort. To fuch, a gateway with a 
 fpaclous court within, is both {lately and commodious ; 
 but the front to the llreet fhould ftill prefent fomething 
 that intimates a relation to the fociety in which you live ; 
 a dead wall of twenty or thirty feet high, run up in the 
 face of your neighbours, can only infpire horror and dif- 
 like. I am forry upon this fubjedl to inftance Burlington 
 houfe. How many are there, who have lived half a 
 century in London, without knowing that fo princely a 
 fabrick exifts. It has generally been taken for a jail. 
 None, I am confident, ever paffed under, its gloomy wall, 
 late at night, without thinking of ghofts, robbery, and 
 murder. The formidable entrance, that betrays no marks 
 of humanity^ but what are daubed over the doors, recalls 
 t^o the imagination 
 
 — -^* Thrice 
 
OBSERVATIONS. 25 
 
 — " Thrice threefold the gates 
 *' Impenetrable y"" — 
 
 the charader Milton gives to thofe gates, of which 
 the keepers were Sin and Death, There is however this 
 much to be faid in excufe of my Lord Burlington, that 
 he built his houfe at a time when Piccadilly was almoft 
 out of town. He had few neighbours, and thofe of the 
 loweft rank. He poflefied an ample fpace of ground. He 
 laid it off in garden, ereded a houfe in the middle, and ran 
 up a wall before him lliaded with trees ; and then hugged 
 himfelf in his retreat, as if he had been a hundred miles 
 from London. There is little doubt, from the correal 
 tafte of this Nobleman, that if he had lived till this day, 
 he would have levelled his brick fcreen to the 2:round, 
 But what can be faid in excufe of thofe archlteds who, 
 coming after him, without one fpark of his genius, have 
 
 E fervilely 
 
26 CRITICAL 
 
 fervilely copied his defeds. This cannot be more flrongly 
 exemplified than in Bingley houfe. It prefents the fame 
 gloomy exterior as BurHngton houfe, with this advantage, 
 that its interior is correfpondent in every refpedl* Bingley 
 houfe is not a painted fepulchre. It has the merit of 
 Chartres, to be without hypocrify ; for he will not be 
 deceived, who forms a notion from what he fees without, 
 of what he is to exped within. It is firange that great 
 men fliould not fee the impropriety of this tafle in a 
 government like curs. It may procure refped in Algiers 
 or Tunis ; but here it can only excite difguft. Difguft 
 once conceived, the tranfition from the houfe to the 
 owner is eafy and natural ; and I will venture to pro- 
 nounce (however whimfical it may appear), that he who 
 thus immures himfelf in a free country, will hardly ever 
 attain confideration or povv^er. At Paris, the Hotels of 
 the great are indeed all conftru8:ed with Porte Cocheres and: 
 courts \ at the bottom of which the grand apartments; 
 
 lie ^ 
 
OBSERVATIONS. ay 
 
 lie ; but then the Faqades to the ftreet are gay and orna- 
 mented ; and their bandeUered Swifs and powdered 
 lacqueys at the gates, give the whole an air of life and 
 intercourfe with their fellow citizens, which muft be 
 agreeable every where. I do not recocommend their 
 nine-pin column and bonnet roof; but fomething furely 
 might be borrowed from the tafte of Paris to improve our 
 own. Were examples at home to be quoted, worthy the 
 imitation of thofe whofe fortune enables them to attempt 
 that ftyle, I fhould mention Bloomfbury and Shelburn 
 Houfe. In thefe feem to be united, the gay, the ufefu!, 
 and the grand. 
 
 But there is another ftyle, which has been a good deal 
 affeded by our great men of late, and is perhaps the moil: 
 judicious for thofe who have no ground property in town. 
 I mean what is called a ftreet houfe. Many a nobleman, 
 whofe proud feat in the country is adorned with all the 
 
 E 2 riches 
 
28 CRITICAL 
 
 riches of architedlure, porticos, and columns, " cornice and 
 *' frife with bofly fculpture grav'd," is here content with 
 a fimple dwelling, convenient within, and unornamented; 
 without. This is pardonable where only a houfe is rented 
 for a winter refidence, without any idea of property an- 
 nexed : but where a family manfion is intended to be 
 built, fomething ought to be produced fuitable in dignity, 
 to the name it bears. When we hear of a Grafton houfe, 
 a Gower houfe, an Egremont houfe, we exped fomething. 
 beyond roominefs and convenience; the meer requifites 
 of a packer, or a. fugar baker. Would any foreigner,, 
 beholding an infipid length of wall broken into regular 
 rows of windows, in St. James's Square, ever figure from, 
 thence the refidence of the firft duke of England ? " Alt 
 " the blood of all the Howards" can never ennoble Nor^ 
 folk houfe» 
 
 IHi 
 
OBSERVATIONS. 29 
 
 It is not Indeed required, as has been already allowed, 
 that every, nobleman (hould have a palace in London ; 
 all that is contended for, is, that when they think it 
 neceffary to build, they at leaft prefeni. us with fomething 
 elegant in the defign. It muft be acknowledged that it 
 is difficult, where decorations are attempted on a fmall fub- 
 je6t,. to hit the proper medium between {implicity and 
 profuiion of art. The one is apt to degenerate into 
 meannefs, the other into gewgaw. It is alfo highly 
 elTentlal to preferve a propriety in the charader of your 
 building, never running after ideas that are incompatible 
 with its nature and ufe. To aim at grandeur where 
 beauty is only attainable, is equally inexcufable. with 
 keeping folely to the latter, where the fubjed naturally 
 elevates itfelf to the fublime. Indeed the ideas of the 
 fublime, and of the beautiful, are fo diftind in their 
 nature and origin, and the proper fubjed of each fo clearly 
 
 marked 
 
30 CRITICAL 
 
 marked out, that it is amazing to find them fo generally 
 mifappiied. The front of St. Peter's at Rome (confider- 
 ing it apart from the colonade) has often been objeded 
 to, on this fcore. It is bold perhaps to carry the objection 
 farther, and to fay that this fault infedls the whole. The 
 fublime is certainly the principal idea which ought to be 
 iniDrefled by the appearance of that famous temple, which 
 arrogates to herfelf, the title of the Queen-church of the 
 Chriftian world : yet I believe it will be allowed by all 
 thofe who have feen it, that its beauty is what firft ftrikes 
 the mind; and if ever any notion of its vaftnefs is attained, 
 it is by meafure and dedudion, and by comparifon of its 
 different parts. After this, I think, we may venture once 
 more, in the face of authority and received opinion, to 
 give an example of the oppofite fault nearer at home : 
 I mean in St. Paul's Covent garden. This church, from 
 its moderate fize and unimportance, although very 
 fufceptible of beauty, had no pretenficns to fublimity. 
 
 What 
 
OBSERVATIONS. 31 
 
 What however has happened? The lalt ispofitively what 
 alone was attempted. It was thought poffible to give an 
 air of grandeur, by rendering it fimple and great in the 
 prts J. but, in effea, with its original littlenef;-, and the 
 extreme fimplicity of the order, It finks down very near 
 to the charader of a barn *. This perhaps is a digreffion ; 
 but to return to our flreet houfe. Thefe fort of fabricks 
 then, are incapable of much grandeur ; but they admit of 
 beauty in any degree. It is therefore this laft which ouo-ht 
 principally to be aimed at. An unity of order enriched 
 
 * It is commonly believed at this day, that Inigo Jones, whofe fuperior 
 genius Hiines confpicuous in all his other works, was cramped in his dtfign: 
 for this church -, and dut, being confined to a certain expence, all he afpired 
 at was to make it the fined Bam in England. This may f.rvc as an excufe 
 for the architect ; but none for the age that received it as a tempk, in the 
 perfeaion of the Tufcan ftile. Maundrell, a judicious and correft obferver of 
 thofe times, gives its plan and perfpedive, for tlie purpofe of comparing it 
 with the famous temple of the fun, at Balbeck, in Syria. It muft however 
 be acknowledged, that, by the h.upy manner of placing it, fome eOed iV 
 produced, in Ipite of the- ii^udicious Hmplicity of the nibrick. 
 
 wi'tlx 
 
32 CRITICAL 
 
 with ornament, in fair and high poliflied materials, is all 
 that leeais required. Nor are models of this fort wanting 
 among us. The two houfes lately ereded by Mr. Tufinell, 
 in Cavendifli fquare, are fine examples ; as is alfo that of 
 Mr. Anfon, in St. James's fquare. When once this laftis 
 compleated according to the plan, the public will be more 
 able to do juftice to the claffic tafte which direded it. 
 In its prefent flate, it is wonderfully beautiful, and will 
 ferve to convey the idea of what is here meant. It is in 
 vain to urge expence againft attempts in this way. The 
 expence of adorning a front, can never be an obje(9: of 
 confideration with a man of high rank, who finds himfelf 
 in a condition to build a houfe ; when we fee in fad, how 
 much can be done by private gentlemen, who are blefl 
 with found judgement, correct tafte, and a liberal mind. 
 
 There is another object in London fufceptible of the 
 higheft improvement, which has almoft to this day lain 
 
 in 
 
OBSERVATIONS. 33 
 
 in total negledl. The Thames, the pride and PaUadiiim 
 of London, has hitherto been allowed to Real through 
 the town^ like Mr. Bays's army, in dlfguife, while the 
 Seine, the Arno, and every ditch in Holland, are adorned 
 with fuperb keys. However, the time feems at hand, 
 when it is to emerge from its antient obfcurity. Already 
 two bridges, worthy of its waters, ftretch gracefully from 
 fliore to fhore ; and the third, which has fo long obftrudled 
 and difTionoured its ftream, bids fair under the prefent 
 enlightened fyflem of the city to be foon removed. It 
 may not be amifs to obferve here, that Blackfryars brido-e, 
 to its own intrinfic merit, adds this concurrent advantao-e, 
 of affording the befi: and perhaps the only true point of 
 view for the magnificent cathedral of St. PauFs, with the 
 various churches in the amphitheatre, that reaches from 
 Weftminfter to the Tower. 
 
 F The 
 
34 CRITICAL 
 
 The projed: of embanking alfo promifes much for the 
 embellifhment and improvement of the river. Befides the 
 benefit to navigation, it opens a vafl: field of reformation 
 on the wharfs and keys. The works carrying on amid 
 the antient ruins of Durham yard, is a fample of what 
 may be done in that way ; and from the terras of that 
 ftately pile we can befl judge of the effed of fo noble an 
 obje£l as the Thames properly difplayed. You have here 
 an extenfive fweep of water with numberlefs gay images 
 moving on its furface, two ha,ndfome bridges bound the 
 unbroken profpedl, while beyond, the various ipires of 
 the city, and of Weftminfter, appearing at a diftance, add 
 to the richnefs of the fcene. Were but the embankment 
 completely finilhed all along, it v/ould depend folcly on 
 the inhabitants to have keys on the Thames, which none 
 in Europe could rival either in beauty or extent* 
 
 Having 
 
OBSERVATIONS. 35 
 
 Having thus reviewed with freedom the imperfe£lions 
 and improvements of London, as it now ftands, it may 
 not be amifs to obferve, that it is perhaps a piece of good 
 fortune, that fo much is left to be done in an age when 
 tafte has received fo great a degree of refinement ; and when 
 the fine arts are more than ever protected by the great, and 
 cultivated bv the people*. The countenance they have 
 lately received from the Sovereign him.felf, in the eflablifh- 
 
 * The progrefs of the fine arts in this country has undoubtedly been 
 rapid of late •, and yet, were pofterity to judge from one circumftance, they 
 would conclude us to have been in a ftateof more thr.n Mummi.^?i barbarifm, 
 in the year 1770. Tliere is at this day an afl of parliament in force, laying 
 a tax on paintings imported, like tanned leather, at fo much per foot. V/ hen 
 Mummius took a receipt from the (hip-mafler, who was to carry fome of the 
 choiceft morfels of Grecian fculpture, from Corinth to Rom,e, obliging him 
 to find as good in their place, diould they be damaged of loft, this was only 
 an acl of a private man, and not of the f^nate of Rome. Indeed no captain 
 of a fnip need to fcruple figning fuch a bill of lading for any of cur public 
 ftatues, if the elegant, chafte, characteriftick, negleded cq/I of James the 
 fecond in Privy -Gardens, were left out. 
 
 F 2 ment 
 
36 CRITICAL 
 
 ment of the royal academy of painting, fculpture, and 
 architecliire, fixes them in a more Iblid form. But the 
 fpirit of the nation firft drew them here, and it is this 
 muft fupport them at laft. Already the fbcicty of arts, 
 6cc. vvhofe plan is of the moft generous and comprehen- 
 five kind, and whofe fuccefs has created both enemies 
 and imitators, the trueft teft of merit, had, by the 
 honours and rewards they beftow, called up the latent 
 feeds of genius in the nation, and cherifhed them in their 
 after-growth. Already many individuals, by their la- 
 bours, their ftudiesy and refearches abroad into the pured 
 fources of the arts, had enriched our iHand with models 
 of the-moft perfect kind. Italy was become, in a man- 
 ner, our own ; and even Greece, Syria, and Afia minor, 
 hitherto unexplored, were made, for our ufs, to open their 
 liiddea treafuies of the fublime and graceful Anti(iu.e.. 
 
 Witfv 
 
OBSERVATIONS. 37 
 
 With tins flock of ideas fo honourably acquired, what 
 remains but to fee them fully realized ? Happily there- 
 fore there awaits them, tv7o capital fubjeds, befides others 
 of inferior confequence, to be executed in London. That 
 which I efteem the firil in order, of importance, is a Senate- 
 houfe. This fhould not only comprehend every accom- 
 modation of eafe and dignity for the two houfes of parlia- 
 ment ; but alfo include the courts of juftice with their 
 proper offices, that the oracles of law may no longer be 
 delivered from wooden booths, run up in the corners of 
 an old Gothlck hall. Nothing more readily impreiies 
 flrangers with reverence for the laws and government of 
 a country, than the pomp and Iplendour which furround 
 them. Who ever beheld the Stadt-houfc at Amilerdam,. 
 without conceiving a more refpe^Sful idea of the republic 
 of Holland, than can be conveyed by the words '' WYj\t 
 ^' and IMighty," repeated fifty times in ^ Placaartf 
 
38 CRITICAL 
 
 The next work to be undertaken, is a palace for our 
 kings. The honour, the dignity of the nation demand 
 it. How difgraceful to fee the head of this mighty 
 empire worfe lodged than the Gonfalioniereoi San Marino^ 
 or the chief magiftrate of Claris or Zug I But it is not 
 fufficient to have a mere royal houfe for the refidence of 
 the fovereign. In it fliould alfo be comprehended proper 
 offices for the departments of the executive power, that 
 are more immediately connected with the crown, fuch as 
 thofe pertaining to the Privy- council, and the Secretaries 
 df ftate ; the latter of which, are at prefent fcattered in 
 difierent corners of the town, and fome of them hired by 
 the week. 
 
 Thefe objeds, properly fulfilled, would add luiire to 
 the crown, and wei^iht to o-overnment. It is truelv 
 lav:G;hable to hear the expence mentioned as an aroument 
 
 again ft 
 
OBSERVATIONS. 39 
 
 agalnfl: them, in a nation that has on many occafions 
 thought hght ofbeftowing ten times the fum neceflaiy 
 for thefe ends, in foreign fubfidies, often employed by the 
 princes who received them, to no better purpofe, than 
 patching up an old caftle, or fpouted away in jet d'eaus. 
 I ihould imagine forty or fifty thoufuid pounds a 
 year, fufficient for carrying on and completeing thofe 
 works : a fum which a moderate duty on a few articles 
 of luxury alone, could eafily raife. Not to mention 
 
 iiumberlefs other untouched refources for fo triflino- a 
 
 t> 
 
 fupply : the lotteries would furnifh it with eafe, fince 
 they are found by experience capable of producing 
 annually two hundred thoufand pounds clear, by a volun- 
 tary tax on the folly and fuperfluity of the people. 
 
 Befides thefe objedts, which I deem to be capital and 
 
 almoft indifpenfable in the nation, there are various other 
 
 works to be undertaken cf importance and ufe. Another 
 
 5 bridp-e 
 
40 C R I T 1 C A L 
 
 bridge is certainly required. The different focieties and 
 academies have 11:111 an opportunity of difplaying their 
 tafte in buildings proper for their reception and accom- 
 modation. Halls are wanted for many of the inferior 
 courts of juflice. Handfome chapels ought to be erected 
 'in the room of thofe raiferable brick hovels, with belfries 
 like the new invented cork- fere w, which every Vidiere 
 difgrace the new buildings; and in fine, new openings, 
 new communications, and new decorations, are ftill re- 
 quifite, almofl in evei'y quarter, to give this city the 
 higheft improvement it will bear *. 
 
 But with fome men it is deemed little lefs than facri- 
 ledge to fuggefl any fcheme for the embelliiliment or 
 further aggrandizement of London, already overgrown in 
 
 * If the reader wiilies to fee a particular detail of the improvements, ftill 
 wanting in this capital, he may confult Gwynn's London and Weftminjier 
 Improved^ the moft judicious and well-digefted plan that has been yet 
 propofed. 
 
 their 
 
OBSERVATIONS. 41 
 
 their eyes. The argument on this topic commonly 
 urged with the greateft triumph is, '' That a large 
 " head is a certain indication of a weak and dillempered 
 " body." Granting even the premifes to be true (which I 
 believe to be very controvertable), this is fiill concluding 
 from metaphor ; a fpecies of reafoning fit to be em- 
 ployed with like fuccefs on either fide. For example, 
 one might with equal juftice aflert London to be the heart, 
 which the more capacious it is found, and the freer the 
 circulation through it, the mote life and ftrength it im- 
 parts; and ingenious men might hit upon other allufions 
 to parts of the human body, whofe fize commonly denotes 
 vig^bur and health. 
 
 To leave therefore thefe metaphorical fyllogifms, un- 
 known in either logic or mathematicks ; let us examine 
 the moft plaufiblc objedions that frequently occur on the 
 fubjedt. Firft, it is faid, that great cities tend to the cor- 
 
 G ruption 
 
42 CRITICAL 
 
 ruption of morals ; an objedion ferious and important, 
 the more fo that it is partly true. For it cannot be 
 denied that where men congregate in large bodies, it gives 
 more fcope to the paffions than in fmaller focietles. The 
 manifold relations in which mankind then ftand to one 
 another, and the various combinations of intereft among 
 them, beget new fituations, from which new vices mud 
 naturally arife : but from the fame fource do not the 
 oppofite virtues alfo flow ? Great focieties are the field 
 where only benevolence, generofity, charity, humanity, 
 and all the train which are diftinguifhed by the very- 
 name oi foetal virtues, can fully exert themfelves \ and 
 where temperance, frugality, and all thofe of the oecono- 
 mical tribe, can moft unproblematically be fhewn. If 
 therefore the virtues bear proportion to the vices acquired, 
 nothing is loft on the balance of accounts. It is the 
 lot of humanity, not to be able to increafe the one, without 
 adding to the other at the fame time* 
 
 It 
 
OBSERVATIONS, 
 
 43 
 
 It IS different as to crimes which are cognizable by the 
 laws. They unqueftionably will be more frequent in 
 great towns ; but it is the bufinefs, and it is in the power 
 of the laws, to controul them. Nor is there great caufe 
 of boafting for fmaller focieties, that they are more 
 exempted from them. Mankind often dignify with the 
 name of virtues, and even plume themfelves upon, 
 thofe qualities which are mere negations of vice. 
 Thus honefty, in the common acceptation of the word^ 
 means no more than an abftaining from theft; a virtue 
 not hard to pradife where there is nothing to fteal. 
 Where property is fmall and equally divided, it is in httle 
 danger of being invaded. To fay therefore that there 
 are more thieves, in proportion, in London than in a 
 Tartar Hordy is only faying that riches here are more 
 abundant, and more unequally dilpofed. 
 
 G 2 But, 
 
44- CRITICAL 
 
 But, as has been already obferved, it is the duty of the 
 magiftrate, to watch over, and reftrain, the diforders of 
 the people ; and this is only to be effected by whole- 
 fome regulatiotis, carried into execution by an affive and 
 vigilant police. Every other way is a folecifm in poli- 
 ticks., To reform a city by defolation, is like putting 
 a man to death, to teach him better manners. Much 
 indeed might be faid on the imperfedlions of the police of 
 London ; but this is matter foreign to the prefent dif- 
 cuffion ; it may however be with juftice remarked, that 
 it is rather an argument againfl: the comparative corrup- 
 tion of manners in this city, great out of all proportion 
 to moft others, that fo few enormities are committed in 
 it, where the regulations are fo defe(El:ive, the execution fo 
 feeble, and the populace fo uncontrouled. 
 
 The next objection is founded upon the depopulation 
 of the country, wliich great cities occafion ; but this, 
 
 when 
 
OBSERVATIONS. 45 
 
 when confidered in a political light, will be found of little 
 force. In politicks it is not to be fo much regarded, the 
 fucceffion of mankind, as the number at any period, 
 which adually exiil:, and the manner in which 
 they are employed. That cities, from their confined 
 air, epidemick diilempers, accidents, Sec. are unfavourable 
 to longevity, is not to be doubted; but do they not, on 
 the other hand, encourage propagation, by the means 
 they furnifh for the providing of children, the employ- 
 ment they afford to induftry, and the encouragement 
 they continually oiFer to ingenuity of every kind * ? How 
 
 many 
 
 * The effed of hofpitals and other public inftitutions of charity, on the 
 manners of a people, is afubjeft curious and important; and yet it has never 
 been fully difeulTed. That of an hofpital for foundlings, in particular, de- 
 ferves to be examined with the mofl fcrupulous exaflnefs. If it is found that 
 fuch an inftitudon begets a carelefs and improvident fpirit aniong the people,. 
 and induces them, in general, to throw the charge of their offspring on the 
 public, it is a dangerous thing. The lofs of parental care can never be 
 
 mad€ 
 
46 CRITICAL 
 
 many of the inhabitants of this populous country are there 
 not maintained folely by miniftring to the wants of the 
 metropolis ? Annihilate London then, and you leave thefe 
 to Itarve at home, or drive them into foreign parts. 
 Befides, the objection, if good againfl: cities. Is equally 
 cogent againfl: commerce, and induftry, in all its various 
 branches. The firft fends thoufands every year to perifh 
 at fea, or on unholpitable fhores ; and the laft fixes them to 
 a life of continued toll, w^hlch naturally tends to abridge 
 their days. To give then the individual the beft poflible 
 chance for health and long life, it is not fufficient that 
 
 made up to the child. The public is often a generous mafter, but never a 
 tender nurfe. For all further reflexion on fo nice a fubjed, I fhall prefent 
 my readers with an anecdote, no lefs amazing than true : That of all the 
 children born at Paris, about one third is fent to the foundling hofpital. 
 Nothing could make this fafl fo commonly overlooked even by the French 
 themfelvcs, but its being repugnant to the natural feelings of mankind, and 
 therefore not fufpeded i when every perfon may verify it, from the yearly 
 lifts publilhed in the Etrennes Mignones, The laft of thefe almanacks gives 
 the bnptifms for 1768 : Total, 18576 ; Enfans frouves, 6025. 
 
 you 
 
OBSERVATIONS. "47 
 
 you rafe your cities ; you muft alfo abolifh your manu- 
 fadures, abandon your trade, burn your navy, and, in 
 fine, reduce this numerous, flourifting, bufy fucceffion 
 of men, called the Briti(h nation, to the fmall number of 
 inhabitants, which the foil, rather ungrateful in itfelf, 
 could naturally maintain, planted here like cabbage-ftalks, 
 and vegetating through the utmoft length of years, with- 
 out wants and without enjoyment. 
 
 There is another objedion more generally urged, be- 
 eaufe it is not merely a matter of fpeculation, but an evil 
 very feniibly felt : the inhanced price of the neceffaries 
 of life, which naturally refults from the increafed demand 
 of a large town, and the increafed difficulty of fupplying 
 it. It is alledged, this is deftrudive to manufadures, and 
 oppreffive on the poor, as well as injurious to people of 
 moderate fortunes. To this might be replied, that it is 
 in vain to attempt manufactures of the coarfer or more 
 z exteniive 
 
48 CRITICAL 
 
 extenfive kinds in a great city. None can naturally 
 fublift there, but fuch as depend upon ingenuity more 
 than labour; and fuch as are the objedls of luxury and 
 fafhion, more than real ufe. Thefe will always be well 
 paid for, and maintained; but the others muft and ought 
 to feek out fome diilant corner, where provifions are in 
 plenty, not inhanced by a long carriage, and confequently 
 where labour is cheap. As to the inhabitants who live 
 by their profellions, or offices, or on their fortunes, they 
 furely propofe to themfelves fu:ne peculiar advantage or 
 pleafure, by their refidence here. If they did not, inftead 
 of complaining, they would v/ithdraw from the incon- 
 venience, and the city would be reduced to its natural 
 ftandard of courfe ; but, while they ftay, they muft be 
 content with the bad together with the good. For the 
 lirft to complain of the dearnefs of living in London, is 
 like a phyfician complaining of the expence of his car- 
 riage : and for the laft, it is a tax upon their pleafures, 
 
 which 
 
OBSERVATIONS. 49 
 
 which can never be deemed a hardfhip, while they are at 
 hberty to avoid it. After all, even this inconvenience 
 might be partly obviated by a proper fyftem Vv^ith regard 
 to markets, very different indeed from the temporary ex- 
 pedients, and unjudicious reftridions, with which their 
 freedom is now clogged. 
 
 On the whole, I look upon the late increafe of London, 
 as a natural confequence of the profperity of the nation, 
 and a fure token of its healthy and vigorous ftate, and 
 cannot, with our gloomy politicians, forefee danger and 
 calamity, from an evil, if it were one, that naturally 
 checks itfelf. At the fame time, I ardently wifh for 
 every improvement, in a moral, political, and (Economical, 
 fenfe, which this city is able to receive ; and am con- 
 vinced that the public works fo much cherifhed at 
 
 H prefent 
 
50 CRITICAL 
 
 prefent will contribute in no fmall degree to thofe im- 
 portant ends. Canals, embankments, high roads, ne- 
 ceflarily facilitate the tranfport of proviiions and com- 
 modities; and the opening, paving, lighting, and re- 
 moving nuifances from the flreets and fquares, certainly 
 conduce to the health and fecurity of the inhabitants. 
 Nor are mere embellifhrnents without their ufe. The 
 refinement of tafie in a nation never fails to be accom- 
 panied by a fuitable refinement of manners ; and people 
 accuftomed to behold order, decency, and elegance in 
 public, foon acquire that urbanity in private, which forms 
 at once the excellence and bond of fociety. 
 
 In£rcRur.s didiciffe fidellter aitcs 
 
 'a 
 Emoliit mores", ncc fmlt efle feros. 
 
 Ic is the duty then of every good man to join in promoting 
 
 thefe defigns s indeed, if one may judge from the apparent 
 
 2 fpirit 
 
OBSERVATIONS. 51 
 
 fpirit of the times, the period is not flir diftant, when Great- 
 Britain will pofTefs a capital, worthy of a nation which 
 ftands foremoft in reputation, and is at once the dread 
 and envy of Europe. 
 
 THE END. 
 
•^ 
 
 V :j, 
 
 :>