VI

PREFACE.

or Rome , and not with the monotonous and unadorned dwel-lings of our London streets, in which, unhappily, too few tracesof art are visible. Would that the legislature could control thepractices of modern builders, since Taste has lost her “ empire !”—but that must always be a vain hope in a commercial and freecountry like this, seeing, as a modern traveller has shown, that,even in Turkey, where grievances are more summarily corrected,such attempts are fruitless : “ The regulations to be observedin building houses at Constantinople are accurately fixed, andan officer called Mimar Aga, intendant of buildings (a districtsurveyor), is appointed to enforce them. The height fixed bythe law is twelve pics (a pic is tw r enty-seven inches) for a mus-sulman’s house, and ten for a rayali’s. The motives for thislimitation are, says d’Ohsson, to diminish the danger of fires,and to facilitate the extinction of them ; to leave a free passagefor the circulation of air in the streets, and to give greatereffect to the height of the public buildings. These laws areconstantly eluded ; and the office of Mimar Aga is very lucrative,from the sums which he daily receives to induce him to winkat the violation of them.” We have here, also, laws to regulateour metropolitan buildings, but their provisions embrace onlyone object of the Turkish code — viz. security against fire.Giving effect to the principal structures by diminishing thealtitude of those of less importance, seems never to have beencontemplated by us ; on the contrary, the restrictions imposed bythe statute against projections beyond a straight line, precludeall possibility of producing a picturesque appearance in our