Of the other churches, that of St Andrew's, in the middle of a square of that name, is the principal. Both externally and internally, it is nearly an exact copy of St Martin's in the Fields, London, and of course, par takes of its excellencies and defects. The staring vases along the parapets, detract from simplicity ; and the steeple (which differs entirely from the original) is lofty, but so ill designed, that it appears to be narrowest at the base.
There are many other churches in Glasgow, but they arc all very inferior to this. They have uniformly two rows of windows; and their spires being a repetition of square boxes placed on each other, having their divisions distinctly marked by cornices, they very much resemble the eastern pagodas. Several are carried up nearly per pendicularly, others taper a little, and arc (as that of St Enoch) finished with the point of a spire.
There has lately been a church built on the western side of George's Square, in front of which are a mul titude of small breaks. There are pilasters at the extre mities, and columns on each side of the entrance door, which seem to have very little connection with each other. Over these columns rise a sort of turrets, which run up part of the steeple. The steeple is itself compos ed of six or seven different divisions in height. Although there are only one row of windows in the front there are two in the sides of the church. The architect has, on the whole, deviated widely from our ideas of simplicity and propriety. In a still clumsier style, a church is now constructing on the southern bank of the Clyde. The front, consists of three stories of regular dwelling-house looking windows. The upper ones are small attics. The sides of this church do not correspond with the front ; and the tower or steeple is in the pagoda style. This total departure from the character of a church is the more remarkable, as we are informed, that the same architect designed Hutcheson's hospital ; and the outlines of its front, which faces Hutcheson's street, appears to us cor rect and fine. Here the basement is perfectly subordi nate to the order, which reaches to the roof, and has its entablature passing unbroken along the front. Within the colonnade there is only one row of windows, which conveys a distinct idea of one apartment only, and there being niches near the extremities, the whole is expres sive of a public building. The steeple, though unfortu
nately still composed of separate divisions, tapers gra dually from its pedestal. Several of the minuter orna ments of this edifice might be changed or omitted with advantage.
In the front of the theatre, by the same architect, the proportion between the basement story, and the fine Ionic order above it, is also well preserved ; but the un necessary projection of the two pair of columns, the arches over the lance doors, and small circles in the attics, detract greatly from simplicity. In this city, there are several public buildings designed by Robert Adam, viz. the infirmary, trades-hall, and assembly-rooms. They are fine buildings, and ornamental to the city ; but the profusion of projections, recesses, Venetian windows, and large semicircles, are destructive to chastity of design.
Hunter's museum, in the college garden, is a correct regular building. The portico, which is Roman Doric, rises from the pavement to the roof, but the cornice only is continued round the otber parts of the building. The whole does great credit to the architect Mr Stark. The garden front of the college has been lately new modelled from a design by Mr Peter Nicholson, whose excellent elementary architectural works have, in many instances, tended to connect science with taste. In this front, he has introduced the Greek Doric columns in the central part, and panelled pilasters at the extremities. We regret he has not continued these columns to be regularly con nected with the aforesaid pilasters, and thereby have ex celled Mr \Vyat's new front at Oriel college, in Oxford. The balusters at the windows might have been spared in Greek architecture. The new courts of justice now erecting, from designs by Mr Stark, promise some fine features. The Doric order, upon a well proportioned basement, occupies the whole height of the front. There is reason to expect a bold portico ; but we regret, that its connection with the extremities is not perfectly made out by pilasters, and that the architect has not contrived to have one row of large windows only in the principal front. The dressing in the Vanburgh manner over some of the windows, do not accord with a chaste Greek Do ric, when the projection of the pilasters at the extremi ties arc too delicately small.