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86 THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. [March, will be desolated, death will do his work in every house, ten, twenty, thirty cases of disease in one habitation—the leaven has worked, and pestilence will go abroad to carry its warfare among the rich and the beautiful, and teach its awful lesson of the common interests and common liabilities of human nature. This is no exaggerated picture, no effort of the imagination, we can point out the districts, name the houses, number the victims,—a fever map of the metropolis would be dotted with black and livid colonies of death—here is the active volcanoe, here is that which has had its day of ravage and now slumbers for awhile—in that darkened alley, where there is scarcely a pathway for the solitary visitor, sixty cases of fever have broken out at once—that row of lodging houses forms one perpetual hospital, the surgeon is never absent from its doors, the hearse is a punctual visitor. All the evils, which we have depicted, may be brought about by ignorance or negligence, and there is no remedy, except at the expense of the vic tims. The sewers are made from the general rates, the union officer is sent to cure the sick, the weakened labourer, the widow and the orphan become burthens on the poor rates, the public slumber, another crop is prepared for the scythe, the same scene is repeated, and still we remain inactive. It would be no exaggeration to say that the portion of poor rates in Marylebone immediately attributable to fever colonies is not less than twenty per cent., a heavy penalty for private cupidity and public negligence. It is therefore no valid interest for which the landowner would ask protection, he has profited by a public wrong, and on the remedy of that evil he must abide the consequences, were they more severe than they are likely to be, while he will equally profit by the public advantage. The results to be expected from an efficient system of architectural hygiene are a diminished rate of mor tality among all classes, and a considerable reduction in the poor rates —advantages, we presume, in the contemplation of which all private interests must sink in the scale. The amount of poor rates for the metropolis alone is above half a million, a sum the diminution of which cannot fail to be a boon, while it will furnish a good set-off against any expenditure which may be necessary under the new arrangements. In the profession, as regards personal interests, the same compensation will be the result, if any loss should be sustained by the builders of low class houses, yet there is again in the increased activity given to other departments. Taking up the bill itself, under these circumstances, and consider ing that it has yet to pass through committee, we shall bear but slightly upon its individual details, for although many of them are highly ob jectionable, yet as a general feeling prevails that they will be amended in the further progress of the measure, it would be but wasting the time of our readers. The first clause by including every borough and market town, necessarily takes in many places of small population, in which the proposed enactment would be unnecessary, we should therefore suggest, that there should be a general limitation, to the word ing of the clause any borough, market town, town or village, having more than thousand inhabitants. We certainly think that it is but equitable that those proposing to build on any property should provide it with proper sewers ; streets are as much for the public as for private use, but sewers are more for private use than for that of the public. The second clause, which is retrospective, and requires drains to be made for unprovided houses now existing, we think bears particularly hard upon the occupier, and we hope will receive due modification. The third clause provides for the alteration of foun dations on rebuilding old houses, and though it will prove burthen- some, is a necessary consequence of the general tenour of the bill. The seventh clause gives a usual and necessary power to commis sioners of sewers to open any private drain, and the eighth, power of •compulsory cleansing of drains, water-courses and cesspools. The seventeenth clause provides for the inspection of all proposed build ings by the surveyor, who is to see that the provisions of the act are complied with, fixing a maximum fee of 3l. 10s., and a minimum of 15s. The nineteenth section enacts that houses are not to be built below the level of the ground without areas. The 20th clause de clares that no close court shall be built nor any of less width than 20 feet; the Marquis of Northampton who has already alluded to the subject, will probably move as an amendment that the width of alleys and streets be regulated by the height of the houses. By the succeed ing clause houses may not be built back to back. The 23rd section says that walls shall be founded on concrete ; the 24th that the level of the ground floor shall be at least 18 inches above the level of the footway or road adjoining, and air bricks shall be built in the walls 9 inches below the level of the floor, so as to allow of the free circulation of air beneath. The 26th section is the one, which has excited the most attention; it provides that no room in any house having only one room on the ground floor, or having only four rooms in all shall be less than eight feet in height, and that in every such house there shall be at least one room 12 feet by 12 in the clear. The next section pro vides that every room containing 144 square feet of flooring shall have at least one window of specified size, which admits of being opened freely. The restriction as to height and breadth appears to be bad, as the object might be answered effectually by requiring a superficies for windows of 14 square feet and a quarter. The 27th clause de clares that cellars shall not be occupied as dwellings, but it seems very difficult at present to carry such a provision into effect, for in Liver pool there are 35,000 persons living in cellars, and in Manchester 15,000, a population which it would be inconvenient suddenly to dis lodge. By next month the bill will have assumed a more tangible form, and we shall then be enabled to consider in what way the clauses will bear on the profession, but at present, with the prospect of extensive modi fications, we feel that this labour would be useless. THE HALICARNASSIAN MARBLES. The attention of the learned world has lately been much attracted to the precious remains of ancient art still existing in Asia Minor. The researches of the Dilettanti Society had contributed not a little towards a knowledge of some of its architectural monuments; and the labours of Captain Beaufort had opened the means of acquaintance with the southern coast. But it -was not until the publication of the travels of Mr. Fellows, in 1839, that the public became aware of the extent of the treasures that exist in that most important part of the ancient world. In consequence of the interest excited by his work, Mr. Fellows was induced to return to that country, under the auspices of the Geographical Society ; and we are informed that the result of his journey has been the acquisition for the British Museum of some sculptures of a most valuable character, from Lycia; and the construc tion of a correct map of a portion of classic ground which Lieutenant- Colonel Leake describes as “ a complete blank.” So little was known of the interior of Asia Minor, that it was left for Mr. Fellows to make the discovery of various cities of great extent, w T ith whose very names no previous acquaintance had existed, among which one may be par ticularized numbering a population of not fewer than 30,000 souls. We trust that the result of these researches will soon be brought be fore the public. In the mean while it is our present purpose to solicit attention to the fact of the existence of some highly valuable remains of antiquity at Halicarnassus, the ancient and celebrated capital of Carya, in order that advantage may be taken of our present favourable position with regard to Turkey, and that, while our fleet is in the im mediate neighbourhood, the sculptures in question may be rescued from the ignorance and barbarism of their present possessors. Halicarnassus was situate on the coast of Asia Minor, near its south western extremity; and, upon the death of Mausolus, the King of Carya, B.C. 330, it became remarkable as the site of that famous monument erected to his memory by his Queen Artemisia, which gave the name of Mausoleum to all similar structures, and which is so ela borately described by Pliny. The present name of this place, is Bou- droun, and it forms a part of the province of Anatolia or Anaboudl. Boudroun appears to be, through the term Petrumi, as the Turks write it, a corruption of Pietro, or “ Castellum Sancti Petri.” The best ac count of this spot and its antiquities, with w hich we have been able to meet, is that contained in Dr. Clarke's Trawls, vol. iii., pp. 256 and 268. In a note on the latter page, he says, “ We are indebted for the information which follows, concerning Halicarnassus and Cnidus, to gether with the plan which accompanies it, to the observations of Mr. Morritt, celebrated for his controversy with Mr. Bryant on the subject of Homer’s Poems and the existence of Troy. It is the more valuable, because few' modern writers have visited these ruins; and certainly no one better qualified for the undertaking :— “June 14, 1795.—We set out in a boat from Cos, and in a few hours reached Boudroun, the ancient Halicarnassus, a distance of 18 com puted Turkish mites. This small town stands on a shallow bay, at the eastern extremity of the large and deep port of the ancient city. C ff this bay lies the island mentioned in Strabo by the name of Arconnesos, ApKovvricros. (Lib. xiv., p. 656.) “June 15.—We tried to procure permission from the disdar, the Turkish governor of the castle, to see the interior of that fortress; but after a long negotiation we were at last only permitted to walk with a janissary round the open ramparts, his jealousy not permitting the inner gates to be opened into the court. The castle is a work of mo dern date, but built in a great degree of ancient materials, confusedly put together in the walls. There is a plate which gives a correct no tion of its general appearance in the Voyage PMoresque. We found over the door an ill-carved lion, and a mutilated bust of ancient work. Old coats of arms, the remains probably of the Crusaders and the
