Externally, the north or entrance front, extending 90 feet, has 40 feet hi the middle occupied by a portico of four beautiful Ionic fluted columns, 28 feet 6 inches high, with a pediment, and at each extremity of this front there is a corresponding pilaster. This order, standing imme diately upon the ground, and reaching to the roof, has a proper character, that is, utility. Within the portico, which is partly projecting, and partly recessed, there are only two rows of large windows, whereas on each side there are three rows of smaller ones. This arose from having an old building to work upon, but has the effect of destroying that monotony so frequent in large houses.
The south, or garden front, which, along with the main building, also includes the library on one side, and the green-house on the other, extends 240 feet. In the main building, upon a rusticated basement, 17 feet high, arc placed ten pilasters, 21 feet high ; six of these arc hi the middle, and two at each extremity of the main building ; they are pannelled and ornamented with honey suckles ; over them are a frieze and cornice, which taken together, are little more than one diameter high ; the frieze is ornamented with flutings and pateras; the cor nice has every member, excepting the corona, enriched ; this entablature appears too light for the order and edi fice. An ornamented belt crowns the basement, and another divides the principal from the attic story, and there is, besides, broad pannelling over the principal win dows, enriched m ith what Mr Adam terms the flowing rainceau. If these last had been omitted, and the win dows made loftier, the effect would have been improved. Along the library and green-house, which are only one story, there is a beautiful Ionic order, without any breaks in the entablature. In each of these buildings four co lumns occupy the middle space, and two pilasters each extremity, a mode worthy of attention. The order stands immediately upon the ground line, though it would have been preferable if there had been one course under it as a plinth. The entablature is 1 i diameter high, it is en liched but not crowded, the whole is well proportioned, and would have been seldom equalled for simplicity of outline, if there had not been arches over each window, Which mixes the Roman with the Greek architecture. The general effect of the whole edifice is also injured by the arched Venetiairwindows in the low part, which con nects the main building and wings ; and the whole of this facade, though floc, savours rather too much of the Dioclesian school.
We have been more minute in the details of this work, because, both externally and internally, it affords speci mens of the architect's taste when left at Rill liberty, as, in this instance, he acknowledges it to have been.
In 1767, the Earl of Bute employed Mr Adam to make designs for a splendid mansion at Luton Park, in Bed fordshire ; the whole of this work is, of course, original, and its principal or entrance front being singular for a private dwelling, we have selected it for engraving, as a specimen (Attie architect's best manlier. We shall there fore refer to Plate CLXXX. and condense the descrip tion as much as possible. The entrance hall, which is forty feet diameter, pierced by four openings with co lumns, into recesses behind them, is altogether singularly fine ; the saloon 64 x2 I, appears to be too long, it seems, in this climate, to be space improperly lavished ; the pas sage ten feet wide along the middle, renders the access to the apartments very commodious ; the small courts are vet y convenient for affording light in a large The library, 143 feet long and 25 wide, besides re cesses, is a magnificent suite of apartments ; the dining room 43 x25 ; drawing rooms 43 x25, and 37x24, with the intervening anti or second draw ing room 48X25, complete another suite of equal splendour ; the stairs being each only 19 x16, appear inferior to the size of the apartments, but there being one at each extremity of the middle passage, is a great conveniency. The principal floor is also well accommodated with water closets.
The principal front having no windows, except in the bows at the extremities, admits of a fine colonnade reach ng between the bows, and this with the row of niches and and large medallions over them, compose a seldom equalled even in public edifices. Here the 1/4.olonnade, reaching from the ground to the roof, and hav ing no break in the entablature, every member forms an essemial part of the composition, which apparently cannot `le removed without invoking the destruction of the edi fice. We cannot, however, bring ourselves to admire the pateras which this architect so frequently plants upon his friezes ; the w indows in the bows want more height. rhe front to the park is t cry chaste, only the portico is unnecessarily confined upon too small a circle ; the frieze is too gaudy, and the windows are too small.