The public building next in importance is St An drew's Church, situated in the north side of George's Street. The body of this church being elliptical, does not harmonise with the square portico with which it is united. The double row of small windows, in the body of the church, we hold to be quite incompatible with the true character of a sacred edifice ; and its being with out either pilasters, or even a full entablature, increases the meanness of its appearance. The steeple being coat posed of 'Roman architecture and a Gothic spire, is much inferior to the simply plain but finely tapering English spire. rising from a lofty, plain, square tower. It is, however, superior to most of the sort in Scotland, and is ornamental to the town. Indeed, any fabric, even merit, which rises above, and interrupts the uniformity of straight roofs, is here advantageous.
On the south side of G,.•orge's Street, nearly opposite the last-mentioned edifice, stands the Physicians Hall : the principal features of which compose the most chaste design of any public building in the New Town. The basement is kept sufficiently low. There is a noble straight flight of steps in the front. The portico has a bold projection ; and the columns rise up to the entabla ture which forms the upper member of the building; and this entablature is continued round the ends. The pediments over the window s might have been spared ; and attics have always, but mot e especially in a public building, a mean appearance. The general effect, as a piece of street architecture, is much injured by the rude gable ends of the houses on each side : They ought to have been made in character with it. At present, this fine building appears to have been accidentally pushed back from its proper situation. It was designed by Mr Cr,,ig, the architect who made the plan of the New Town.
To the east, Gcorge's Street is terminated by St An drew's Square ; and on the eastern side of this square there stands a fine Louse built by Sir Lawrence Dund,as, from a design by Sir William Chambers. It is placed considerably back from the line of the other buildings ; and a house on each side is made to have, in front, the appearance of forming wings to it ; but, as they stand in a line with the other houses in that side of the square, the space which intervenes between them and the main, or centre house, being only inclosed by a low rubble v a 11 , the apparent connection is destroyed. The large Ionic columns, upon the front of the wings, are too bold for the feeble Corinthian pilasters of the central building, and these arc, besides, raised upon too high a basement. It would lessen the clumsiness of the Ionic columns if they were fluted. They stand very properly upon a plinth ; and there are pilasters at the angles of the wings ; but the columns are advanced before the line of the pilas ters, and an attic story is placed over them.
To the westward, George's Street is terminated by Charlotte Square. Its buildings are more uniformly de signed, and more highly ornamented, than those of the other square ; but we have to regret a too frequent re petition of unmeaning projections and recesses, also of semicircular and glaring Venetian windows. A church, now building on the western side, is yet too little advan ced for us to judge what effect will be produced. We are glad to see provision made for a portico of consider able magnitude, placed within a moderate distance of the surface of the ground.
The general plan of this new town is regular and con venient, and there is a proper subordination of streets. In this northern climate, and exposed situation, perhaps it would he an improvement if the cross streets on each side of George's Street had not been opposite to each other, and if the length and uniformity of the principal streets had, in some instances been interrupted. We are surprised, that it has never occurred to architects em ployed in laying out new towns, that monotony ought studiously to be avoided. The New Town of Edinburgh is greatly injured by it. Here the streets are spacious, and the houses excellent ; but the uniformity is tiresome, and the repeated sameness of all the divisions resembles a panorama of square battalions. To any person of ob servation it must be evident, that the High Street in the Old Town has a much finer effect than any in the New Town : Also, that the High Street of Oxford and Parlia ment Street, Westminster, are infinitely superior, in point of general effect, to the new streets about Portman Square, Portland Place, or Russel Square, London.
The city of Glasgow is situated in one of the finest valleys of Scotland, and where the island is most con tracted in its breadth. It stands on the banks of a navi gable river, and on the great Roman road which passed through the province of Valentia, and has in its neigh bourhood an inexhaustible supply of coal. From these circumstances it very early became a place of import ance, and, it would scent, also an episcopal see ; for Bingham (b. viii. p. 10.) says, that about the year 448, Bishop Ninian of Glasgow built an episcopal church on the confines of England, at Whithorn in Galloway. But from this time we know very little respecting its pro gress till the year 1129, when Achnius, preceptor to David I. was appointed to the see. IIe began to rebuild and adorn the cathedral church, and, although in a very early stage of its progress, consecrated it, in presence of the king, upon the 9th July 1136. At this time it en joyed the tythcs of the lands of Peebles, Selkirk, Rox burgh, Dumfries, and the stcwartry of Annandale, be sides lands in Cumberland. In 1174, Jocelin, abbot of Melrose, was consecrated bishop. He enlarged the ca thedral, and dedicated it on the 9th July 1197. Previous to this ceremony, William the Lyon granted a charter, erecting Glasgow into a royal burgh. The completion of this cathedral was accomplished by degrees, at periods remote from each other. In 1240, William de Budding ton made reparations and additions. Between 1387 and 1408, when Matthew Glendinning (of a family of that name in Eskdale) was bishop, the steeple, which was of wood, was burned clown. Bishop William Lauder laid the foundation of the vestry, and built the great tower as far as the battlements, from 1408 to 1425. Between 1484 and 1508, Bishop Rob. Blackadder founded, and built to its present height, the great south aisle, and also the south cross. In 1560, Bishop Beaton, alarmed by the inter ference of the reformers, withdrew to France, and car ried with him all the valuables of the cathedral. This is now the only entire cathedral church upon the main land of Scotland. All the windows, buttresses, roof, and spire, remain nearly perfect, and promise long to conti nue the chief ornament of the city.