FERGUSSON, JAMES, b. Scotland, 1803; educated in Edinburgh and in England, and went into business in India. This he soon gave up and journeyed through various parts of the east, chiefly with a view of studying the styles of architecture. One of the first results of his studies was Illustrations of the Rock-cut Temples of India. He also published Picturesque Illustrations of Ancient Architecture in Hindustan; Essay on the Ancient Topography of Jerusalem; and a Historical Inquiry into the True Principles of Art, more especially with reference to Architecture. This volume is the first of a projected work in three parts, comprising a universal compendium of past art—Hindu, Mohammedan, Gothic, etc. The materials collected for this work were used in his Handbook of Archi tecture, published in 1855. Later he issued an Essay on a Proposed New System of Forti fication, by earthwork. A pamphlet of practical suggestions for the improvement of the British museum and of .the national gallery was followed by a "New Design" for the latter at the academy exhibition of 1850. He is also the author of The Palaces of
.Nineveh and Persepolis Restored, published in 1851, and was the architect of the Nineveh court in the crystal palace, Sydenham. Since 1859, he has been one of the royal corn• missioners to inquire into the defenses of the United Kingdom. In 1862, Mr. Fergus son published a History of the Modern Styles of Architecture as a sequel to the handbook, and in 1865 remodeled the whole, and published it as A History of Ancient and Modern Architecture, in 3 vols. In addition to these works, he published, in 1868, Tree and Serpent Worship, with upwards of 100 plates and illustrations. In 1871, he received the royal gold medal, annually awarded to an eminent architect, or writer on architecture. His latest work is entitled The Temples of the Jews. and the other Buildings in the Ilaram Area at Jerusalem.