with a tile, gave occasion to the capital of this beautiful order in architecture: an Athenian old woman happened to place a basket, with a tile laid over it, which covered the root of an Acanthus ; that plant shooting up the following spring, encompassed the basket all around, till, meeting with the tile, it curled back in a kind of scroll. Callimachus, an ingenious sculptor, passing by, took the hint, and instantly executed a capital on this plan, representing the tile by the Abacus, the leaves by the Volutes, and the basket by the vase or body of the capital. Abacus is the uppermost member of a column, serving as a kind of crowning both to the capital and the whole column. Vitruvius, and others after him, who gave the history of the orders, tells us, the Abacus was originally intended to represent a square tile over an urn, or rather, over a basket.

COMPOSITE.

The Composite Order was invented by the Romans, and par takes of the Ionic and Corinthian Orders, but principally of the latter, particularly in the leaves of the capitals. This order shows, that the Greeks had in the four original orders exhausted all the principles of grandeur, and that, to frame a fifth, they must necessarily combine the former.

GOTHIC.

The Gothic style of architecture is that in which the pointed arch applied in various ways, becomes a leading characteristic of the edifice. England, France, and Germany, respectively claim the invention of the Gothic; but all that can be safely asserted is, that it sprang up about the close of the twelfth century throughout the principal part of Europe. Gothic architecture has of late years excited much attention. The best work on the subject is Parker's Glossary.

CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF ANCIENT AND MODERN STRUCTURES, &c.

B. Christ.

2247. The Tower of Babel, built by Noah's Posterity in the Plains of Shinar.

1718. Sparta built.

1575. Pyramids of Egypt built.

1556. Cecrops founds Athens.

1546. Scamander, from Crete, founds Troy, which was burned by the Greeks on the 11th of June, 1184.

1252. The city of Tyre built.

1233. Carthage founded by a colony of Tyrians.

1176. Salamis, in Cyprus, built by Teucer.

1152. Ascanius builds the City of Alba Longa.

1141. The Temple of Ephesus destroyed by the Amazons.

1124. Thebes built by the Boeotians.

1012. Solomon begins the Temple of Jerusalem; 974, plundered by Sesac, king of Egypt; 586, destroyed by fire; 515, rebuilt; 170, plundered by Antiochus; 19, rebuilt by Herod. A. D. 70, Jerusalem destroyed; 130, rebuilt, and a temple dedicated to Jupiter; 1023,

B. Christ.

the temple plundered by the Caliph of Egypt; 1031, began to be rebuilt by Romanus; 1187, Jerusalem finally destroyed by Saladin. 992. Solomon's Palace finished.

986. Samas and Utica built.

974. Jerusalem taken, and the temple plundered by Sesac, king of Egypt. 869. The City of Carthage supposed to be built by Dido; destroyed by P. Scipio, 146; rebuilt by order of the Roman seuate, 123. 801. Capua, in Campania, built.

753. Rome built; plundered by Alaric, A. D. 410.

732. Syracuse supposed to be built about this time by a Colony of Corin thians, under Archias.

708. Ecbatana built by Dejoces.

707. The Parthians, on being expelled from Sparta, build Tarentum. 703. Corcyra built by the Corinthians.

658. Byzantium built about this time by a Colony of Argives.

630. Cyrene built by Battus, who begins that kingdom.

549. The Temple of Apollo, at Delphos, destroyed by Pisistratidæ.

539. Marseilles built by the Phocæans.

493. The Athenians built the Port of Piræus.

450. Temple of Minerva at Athens built.

434. Apollo's Temple at Delphos built; burnt down 362.

351. The Sidonians, being besieged by the Persian army, burn their city.

The monument of Mausolus erected.

315. Cassander rebuilds Thebes, and founds Cassandria.

312. Appian way to Rome made.

304. Antioch, Edessa, Laodicea, &c., founded by Seleucus. destroyed by the king of Persia, A. D. 540; rebuilt, 542. of Antioch destroyed by an earthquake, 580.

291. Seleucus builds and peoples about forty new cities in Asia. 283. The college and library of Alexandria founded.

267. A canal made by Ptolemy from the Nile to the Red Sea.

Antioch

The City

83. Sylla destroys the Roman capitol; 69 B. c. rebuilt; A. D. 80, destroyed by fire; it was again rebuilt, and destroyed by lightning, A. D. 188. 55. Pompey builds a stone theatre for public amusements; destroyed by fire, A. D. 21.

50. Dover Castle built.

27. The Pantheon at Rome built; destroyed by fire, A. D. 80.

19. The aqueducts at Rome constructed by Agrippa.

10. The city of Cæsarea built by Herod; destroyed by an earthquake,

A. D.

A. D. 128.

18. Tiberius built by Herod.

50. London built about this time by the Romans.

56. Rotterdam built about this time.

70. Jerusalem destroyed by Titus.

79. Herculaneum and Pompeii destroyed by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

80. Titus builds the hot baths and amphitheatre at Rome.

114. Trajan erects his column at Rome.

121. A wall built by Adrian between Carlisle and Newcastle.

130. Adrian rebuilds Jerusalem, and erects a temple to Jupiter.

134. Urbicus's wall built between Edinburgh and the Firth of Clyde.

209. Severus builds his wall across Britain.

260. The Temple of Diana burnt.

274. The Temple of the Sun built at Rome.

306. London Wall built.

A. D.

452. The city of Venice founded about this time.

575. The first monastery founded in Bavaria.

604. St. Paul's church founded by Ethelbert, king of Kent.

611. Westminster Abbey founded by Sibert, king of the East Saxons. Henry the Seventh's Chapel built in 1504; complete repair of, begun 1818.

644. Cambridge University, or rather an academic institution, founded by Sigebert, king of East Anglia; the present University appears to

have been founded in 915.

692. Carisbrook Castle built; rebuilt, 1610.

744. Monastery of Fulda, in Germany, founded.

762. Bagdad built by Almansor.

829. St. Mark's at Venice built.

886. Alfred founds the University of Oxford.
895. The monastery of Clune founded.
950. Edinburgh Castle built.

1078. Tower of London built.
1120. Kenilworth Castle built.

1132. Fountain's Abbey built.

1156. The City of Moscow founded.

1176. London Bridge begun; finished 1209.

1369. Bastile at Paris begun; finished 1383; destroyed July 14, 1789.

1588. The Rialto at Venice begun; finished 1591.

1662. The Royal Society established.

1675. St. Paul's Cathedral begun; finished 1710.

1732. Bank of England built; enlarged 1771, 1783, 1789; part of the front rebuilt, 1824-5.

1738-9. Westminster Bridge begun; finished 1746.

1760. Blackfriars' Bridge begun; finished 1770.

1811. Waterloo Bridge begun; finished and opened June 18, 1817.

1814. Southwark (iron) Bridge begun; finished 1819.

1824. New London Bridge begun; opened August 1st, 1831.

1824. New Post-Office begun; opened Sept. 3, 1829.

1824. National Gallery first opened on May 10th.

1825. Buckingham Palace commenced: completed July 13, 1837.

1825. Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park, opened.

1825. First stone laid of New London Bridge: opened August 1, 1831.

1825. Thames Tunnel commenced: opened March 25, 1843.

1826. Last lottery on October 18th.

1827. Hammersmith Suspension Bridge opened on October 6th.

1827. London University commenced; opened October 1, 1828.

1827. Carlton House demolished.

1828. New Corn Exchange opened on June 24th.

1828. St. Katherine's Docks opened..

1829. Colosseum, Regent's Park, opened.

1829. King's College, Strand, commenced; completed 1831.

1829. New Police commenced duty on Sept. 29th.

1830. Omnibuses, by Shillibeer, first ran between Paddington and the Bank.

1831. Exeter Hall opened.

1832. Kensal Green, the first cemetery, opened.

1833. Hungerford Market re-opened.

1834. House of Parliament burnt, Oct. 16th.

1835. First stone of the City of London School laid.

1836. Greenwich Railway opened, Dec. 14th.

1837. Accession of Queen Victoria, June 20th. 1838. Royal Exchange burnt down.

A. D.

1841. The Tower of London on fire, Oct. 30th.

1842. First stone of the New Royal Exchange laid; opened by the Queen on Sept. 28, 1844.

1843. Nelson's statue placed on the Column in Trafalgar Square. 1844. King William IV's statue erected in the City.

1845. Hungerford Suspension Bridge opened.

1846. Wyatt's Wellington Statue erected in Hyde Park corner. 1847. New House of Lords opened.

1849. Olympic Theatre burnt down. 1849. New Coal Exchange opened.

1849. Portland Breakwater commenced.

1850. New House of Commons completed.

1851. Palace of Glass for the Great Exhibition.

1851. Battersea Suspension Bridge commenced.

1852. New Crystal Palace at Sydenham commenced, August 5th.

PARAPET WALLS TO HOUSES.

Parapet walls, it would appear, have a scriptural origin. In support of which, the following text in Deuteronomy may be quoted:-" When thou buildest a new house, then shalt thou make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thy house, if any man fall from thence."

ORIGIN OF BUILDING WITH STONE IN ENGLAND.

Building with stone was first introduced by one Bennet, a monk, in 670; building with brick was first introduced by the Romans into their provinces, and introduced by the Earl of Arundel in 1600, at which time the houses of London were chiefly built of wood.

DERIVATION OF THE TERM FRET-WORK IN ARCHITECTURE.

The compound word fret-work, as applied to architecture, is derived from the Saxon word frættan, signifying fishes' teeth. But its most distinguishing characteristics are small clustered pillars and pointed arches, formed by the segments of two intersecting circles. This style was of Arabian origin, introduced into Europe by the Crusaders, or those who made pilgrimages to the Holy Land. In the reign of Henry III. many of the old buildings were pulled down, to give place to new ones of this model.

The Cathedral of Salisbury was begun early in this reign, and finished in 1258. It is one of the finest productions of ancient architecture in this island, and is completely and truly Gothic. Gothic is a general term for that kind of architecture formerly used in England and on the Continent, but the ancient buildings in this country are divided into Saxon, Norman, and Saracenic.

ORIGIN OF EARTHENWARE AND PORCELAIN.

The origin of Earthenware and Porcelain may probably be ascribed to accident. It is very possible that the peculiar changes which clay experiences on being burnt in the fire, may have afforded to some of the early inhabitants of the world, the first hints for applying the earth to a variety of useful purposes. The making of bricks was one, as noticed in a preceding article. It was probably not long after the employment of clay in making bricks, that mankind learnt the art of using it in various other ways, and acquired methods of moulding it into vessels of capacity, and utensils for culinary purposes. Accordingly, the most ancient writers we have mention earthen vessels, and they speak of them as if they had been in use from time immemorial. It appears also, that considerable pains were taken in tempering the clay for these purposes, for we read that this process was performed by treading it with the naked feet.†

*

From a passage in Juvenal, who wrote in the first century of the Christian era, it seems that earthenware was then made in great plenty in Egypt.

"Hac sævit rabie imbelle et inutile vulgus,
Parvula fictilibus solitum dare vela phaselis,
Et brevibus pictæ remis incumbere testæ."

In China and Japan, common earthenware, and porcelain of excellent quality, was made long before the commencement of the Christian æra.

"First China's sons with early art elate,

Formed the gay Teapot, and the pictured Plate,
Saw with illumined brow and dazzled eyes
In the red stove vitrescent colours rise; ]]
Speck'd her tall beakers with enamell'd stars,
Her monster-josses and gigantic jars;

"But the earthen vessel wherein it is sodden shall be broken."-Levit. vi. 28.-" And the priest shall take water in an earthen vessel."-Numb. v.. 17.-"Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."-Psalm ii. 9.

† And he shall come upon princes as upon mortar, and as a potter treadeth clay.-Isaiah xli. 25.

Juven. Sat. xv. ver. 126-128.

"who drive with little sail

Their earthen boat before the summer gale,
Or through the tranquil water's easy swell
Work the short paddles of their painted shell."

HODSON'S Juv. 4to. London, 1807, p. 288.

"No colour is distinguishable in the redhot kiln of the potter but the red itself, till the workman introduces a small piece of dry wood; which, by producing a light flame, renders all the other colours visible in a moment."-Darwin.