The Ecclesiological Society.

to say on the subject of the " restoration of St . Patrick ' s Cathedral , Dublin . Dr . Jebb said he was glad to be able to report that the proposed arrangement ivith reference to the choir would not be carried out , as it ivould have destroyed the character of the Avhole

building . He owned that , from all he had heard in reference to the restoration , he had approached the structure with fear and trembling . Subsequent examination showed that his apprehensions were not groundless . He would not enter into all the barbarities of the detailsbut he might state that the

, general effect Avas not so very bad as he had expected to find it . Indeed , it ivas even fine . The northern transept had been restored , Avhich , thirty years ago had been rebuilt in a most preposterous style , and had been used as a parish church . This had been pulled down , and a Norman transej > t

built . He was , sorry , however , to find that the magnificent old organ , ivhich had some of the finest " stops " of any instrument in the world , was to be removed . He understood that the pipes had been already melted down , and a neAV organ set up in a side aisle . He had been unable to ascertain whether there Avas to be an altar-screen ; as , in ansiver to inquiries on the subject , he Avas

informed that " Mr . Guinness had not yet made up his mind on the subject . " The details of the " restoration" showed deplorable ignorance of art ; ancl however much they might respect the munificence of the gentleman Avho had undertaken the work , that sentiment ought not , in his opinion ,

to mitigate their feelings of regret and censure for the manner in which it was being carried out . With respect to Christ Church , the other metropolitan cathedral of Dublin , the " restoration " was so wretched ancl preposterous , that nothing further remained to spoiland total demolition Avas all that

, Avas left undone . A few of the ancient details yet remained , and it might be desirable to secure drawings of them , and to bring- the influence of the Society to bear to prevent the complete desecration of a most interesting metropolitan church . He hoped there was no truth in the whisper of a

whisper ( for he could not call it anything else ) Avhich had reached him , of the intention to pull the building down ; but he thought it his duty to mention what had reached his ear on the subject . The Chairman jsaicl that he had some recollection of'Christ Church ancl of St . Patrick ' s Cathedral , and that some of their details Avere so beautiful and interesting that he thought the society Avould do well to moA e at once in the matter .

Mr . Burges brought under notice the decayed and disreputable condition of the south facade of Westminster Abbey , built by Sir Christopher Wren . The sculpturedfigures Avere , he said , rotting away , and the whole of the apostles ivere already gone . With regard to the display of church

plate in the room , he Avas bound to say that he did not think it Avas at all up to the age , as the forms and designs were those of twenty years ago , and

shoAved no signs of progress in . this department of art . Mr . White observed that he had seen the drawings for the proposed restoration of St . Mary ' s Church , Cheltenham , and that the building AA'hich it Avas intended to construct would , in his opinion , be far too large to be filled by any single voice . The report was then agreed to .

TOWN CHURCHES . The Chairman , referring to the plan and construction of town churches in a practical and artistic sense , pointed out the various styles and . features ivhich it might be desirable to consider ,, and advocated the necessity ' of building town

churches , with a view not only to ritual grandeur and congregational convenience , but alsoto the surrounding buildings . As an illustration of the representative of a fine Mediawal groined church , he referred to St . Peter ' s , on the site of Vauxhall Gardens . This Avas a brick groined

church , ivith an apse , and reflected great creditupon the architect—Mr ; Pearson . On the muchvexed question of galleries in churches , he mustsay that his opinion remained unchanged , as hebelieved that something similar to that found inthe Rhenish churchesor in the New Roman

, Catholic church now building at Amsterdam ,, might be introduced with advantage . Here there-Avere aisles , nave , ancl triforium , for congregational use , and over the latter a clerestory , and then a brick vault , all of ivhich might be used as . galleries .

Mr . Burges thought that the Chairman , who had studied the subject of church architecture so deeply and so well , might do good service if he could be persuaded to write another book in reference to the topics to Avhich he had called attention that evening . With regard to town churches , he Avas

of opinion that ive had not in the whole metropolis a single church worthy of the name . We Avanted thick Avails , domes , mosaic inside , and marble outside—something , in fact , Avhich looked like a church , and might be used by thousands as a church . In his opinion , the idea putting up little village churches in London AA'as simply absurd-London was now in course of reconstruction . We

were building houses five and six stories high , and . ivhat we ivanted to keep pace with our domestic architecture Avas , great masses of churches . Mr . Gambier Parry said he quite agreed" with what the Chairman had said on the subject of galleries in churches . It might be heresy to advocate

them , still he thought they might be judiciously introduced in town churches . He had always supported Gothic architecture as the architecture of commonsen . se . No other style was so elastic ; , and although it might be heresy to advocate theintroduction of galleries in Gothic churches , still

he felt bound to say that he saw no other way of accommodating large congregations than by various stories or galleries .