The designs in the second class, in our estimation of their order of merit, are as follows : First N. 50 Second . • . ., 40 Third . • •, We again Nelltare to state to the Committee t he difficul ties which have attended the making of the report herewith submitted. and which. but fur the unanimous decision at wyhich NVO have arrived. NVe confess, might have left doubts in our minds, if our view had not been confined by the Com mittee to the expenditure of a given sum." tin receiving this repot t, the .1(>int Committee tact at Mer cers' Ilan on Friday, the 1Sth October, to consider the report, and again inspect the designs, and came to the follow ing resolutions :— 'Resoked,--That the premiums be awarded to the archi tects. NS ho have pnalueed the plans numbered as under— No. :36 the first premium . . . .t300 „ 43 the second ,, . ./2200 37 the . X100 being those reported by the architects as the three best deigns.
"And it was resolved, that Sir R. Smirke. and I. Gwilt, and 1'. 11ardwick. Emirs., having stated in their report upon the respective merits of the plans selected by them, that they cannot recommend any one to be carried into execution. this Committee doth request them to take the 1st, 2nd, and :3rd plans, as selected by them, into consideration, and prepare a and specification f]tr a new Royal Exchange, such as in their judgment should be carried into execution, having reference, at the same time. to the printed instructions issued by this Committee to the arehitects." The following were the architects to whom the iwoniums were adjudged.
No. 36,1:300, to Mr. William Greiner, district surveyor, 20, Wormwood-st•eet.
No. 43, £200, to M. Alexis De Chateanneull, of Ilam burgh ; and AIL Arthur cc, of Ca Hum Chambers.
No. 37, £100, to hlr. Sydney Smirkc, of Carlton Chambers.
The architects of the remaining designs of the class. No. 33, _Messrs. Wyatt and Brandon.
., 46, Mr. Pennethorne.
The architects of the second-class designs, which were con sidered too expensive.
No. 50, Mr. T. I,. Donaldson.
„ 46, Mr. Richardson.
„ 27, Mr. David Aloe:lotto,.
The next step taken by the Committee was to appoint Mr. George Smith, the City-surveyor, and hlr. Tite, to inquire into the cligihility of some one of the designs selected by the umpires fOr the premiums. Mr. Tite, how ever, refused to act. and the onus devolved on hlr. Smith alone. This gentleman submitted a report to the Com mittee, in which he advised the rejection of the whole of the designs; and the Committee acting on this advice, without ceremony threw the supposed success1h1 candi dates overboard, and boldly selected six other architects, whom they re(piested to send in designs for the contemplated building. The gentlemen so honoured by the Committee
were Sir R. Smirke, hlr. Barry, AIL Gwilt, Mr. Ilardwiek, Mr. Cockerel], and hlr. Tile, the whole of whom, excepting the two last, declined accept in!: the invitation, being doubtless influenced to such •onrse by the bad titith observed to all parties by the Committee. What also added to the public dissatisftetion, was that rivalry or competition between Mr. Cockerel] and Mr. 'rite was considered out of the question, from their previous connection. Thus the whole matter evidently settled down in Mr. Tite being selected finally to prepare the design for the new Royal Exchange.
That desil. we shall now proceed to describe, as given by Mr. Tite, himself, in his explanation to the Committee :— Erten! and Site.
The total length of the building is 293 feet 6 inches, from the columns of time portico on the west, to the pilasters at the east end ; the width of the portico is 89 feet 6 inches : the extreme width at the east end, at the broadest part, is 175 feet, the width through the centre, from north to south, is 144 feet.
The building is placed in the centre between the south front of the Bank, and a mean line of the irreeldarities pre sented by the houses on the south side of f'o•nhill ; the cast and west fronts are at right angles to the centre line, and. of course, the angle famed by the intersection of the north and south f•outs. with the east and west fronts. is the same ; by this means the building, thote:h not rectangular, is regu lar in the plan.
21r(coigeneent.
Gresham C(dlege occupies the north-west angle of the building on the principal story. and is entered from the north.
The Royal Exchange Assurance occupies the south-west angle, and the space over the west end of the eidonnade, on the one-pair floor. and is entered from the south side of the loggia, under the portico.
The Loudon Assurance occupies the greater part of the south front on the principal story and is entered from the soft h.
Lloyd's tills up the remainder I ,f the east and north fronts of the principal story, and is entered in three places. viz., f•un the east and the north-east corner, and from the north.