In an act of parliament of the ninth year of the reign of King William, for completing and adorning the cathedral church of St. Paul, London, a clause was inserted " to sus pend a moiety of the surveyor's salary until the said church should be finished ; thereby the better to encourage him to finish the same with the utmost diligence and expedition." It was at the time a common notion and misreport, that the surveyor received a large annual salary for that building, and consequently it was his interest to prolong the finishing of the filbric for the continuance of this supposed emolument, which, it would seem, occasioned that clause.
The surveyor's salary for building St. Paul's, from its foundation to its completion, (as appears from public accounts) was not more than two hundred pounds per annum. This, in truth, was his own choice ; but what the rest of the com missioners on the commencement of the works judged unrea sonably small, considering the extensive charge ; the pains and skill in the contrivance, in preparing draughts, models, and instructions for the artificers in their several stations and allot ments; in almost daily overseeing and directing in person ; in making estimates and contracts ; in examining and adjust ing all bills and accounts, &c. : nevertheless, he was con tented with this small allowance, nor coveted any additional profit, always preferring the public service to any private profit.
Upon the completing of this great fabric, a clause passed in the act of parliament of the ninth year of the reign of Queen Anne, declaring the church finished, to empower the commisioners to pay the surveyor the arrears of the moiety of his salary. His allowance for building all the parochial churches of the city of London was about one hundred pounds per annum, and the same for the repairs of West minster Abbey.
In the act for building fifty new churches in London and its vicinity, Sir Christopher, though then at a very advanced age, was named one of the commissioners for earrying it into effect. On this occasion he wrote the following letter, for the consideration of his colleagues in office ; which, as it con tains many points worthy the notice of the architect, is here inserted.
" Since Providence, in great mercy, has protracted my age to the finishing the cathedral church of St. Paul, and the parochial churches of London, in lieu of those demolished by the fire; and being now constituted one of the commis sioners for building, pursuant to the late act, fifty more churches in London and Westminster, I shall presume to communicate briefly my sentiments, after long experience ; and without 14rther ceremony, exhibit to better judgment hat at present occurs to me in a transient view of this whole affair; not doubting but that the debates of the worthy commissioners may hereafter give me occasion to change or add to these speculations.
" First, I conceive that the churches should be built not where vacant ground May be cheapest purchased in the extremities of the suburbs, but among the thicker inhabitants, for convenience of the better sort, although the site of them should cost more ; the better inhabit:utts contributing most to the future repairs, and the ministers and officers of the churches, and charges of the parish.
" I could wish that all burials in churches might be disallowed, which is not only unwholesome, but the pave ments can never he kept even, nor pews upright; and if the ehurch-yard be close about the church, this also is incon venient, because the ground being continually raised by the graves, occasions in time a descent by steps into the church, which renders it damp and the walls green, as appears evi dently in all the old churches.
"3. It will be inquired, where then shall be the burials? I answer, in cemeteries, seated in the outskirts of the town ; and since it is become the flishion of the age to solemnize funerals by a train of coaches, though the cemeteries should be half a mile or more distant from the church, the charge need be little or no more than usual; the service may be first performed in the church. But for the poor, and such as must be interred at the parish charge, a public hearse of two wheels and one horse may be kept at small expense ; the usual bearers to lead the horse, and take out the corpse at the grave. A piece of ground of two acres in the fields will be purchased tin much less than two roods among the buildings. This being enclosed with a strong }trick NVZIII, and having a walk round, and two cross walks. decentl planted with yew trees, the four quarters may serve four parishes, where the dead need not be disturbed at the pleasure of the sexton, or piled four or live upon one another, or the bones thrown out to gain room. In these places beautiful monuments may be erected; but yet the dimensions should be regulated by an architect, and not left to the fancy of every mason, for thus the rich, with large marble tenths, would shoulder out the poor, When a pyramid, a good bust or statue on it proper pedestal, will take up little room in the quarters, and be more proper than figures lying on marble beds. The walls will contain escutcheons and memorials fur the dead, and the area good air and walks t;tr the living. It may be considered, ffi•ther, that if the cemeteries be thus thrown into the fields, they will bound the excessive growth of the city with a graceful border, which is now encircled with scavengers' dungstalls.