I do not look upon the preservation of a quaint figure or a curious moulding as a matter of higher importance than the admission of hundreds of my fellow Christians within the walls of their church; but it is truly grievous to see the proportions of a beautiful edifice needlessly defaced; or the character stamped on it by artists, who worked upon rules nearly as unerring as those of instinct, swept away by persons who know such rules only as are dictated by their own caprice and fancy, or at best suggested by a very limited course of observation. How many a noble church, that for ages has preserved its beauty in spite of accident, violence, or decay, seems to writhe and struggle under the fantastic additions and incongruous ornaments of some architect who fancies he can supply what its original designer has omitted, or correct what he has planned." And after viewing the mischiefs which have been inflicted on the matchless piles at Windsor, Salisbury, Lichfield, and too many others, we feelingly exclaim with the author, "far better were the incongruous additions of the last century, the Grecian porticoes and Italian balustrades, which, after all, seldom destroyed the proportions of the building, than those insidious deformities which, assuming the lineaments of true art, belie, in the eyes of the world, its very spirit and character." The arrangement of the bells, noticed in the following extract, displays the CHOIR OF MILAN CATHEDRAL. ingenuity with which the old architects met any difficulty which might arise, and it might even afford a hint to the builder of a new church who might, in some instances, find the bellropes to be an inconvenience. "At East Bergholt, in Suffolk, where the western tower has never been carried up to a greater height than the side aisles, a wooden frame, standing in the churchyard, contains the bells, the floor for the ringers being placed above, instead of in its usual place below them; the peal is a fine one, and is heard at a considerable distance." A considerable portion of the second volume is dedicated to a series of short descriptive notices of a vast number of churches in the South of France, on the Rhine, and in Italy; to the tourist this portion of the work will be highly valuable. It will lead him to many a church, interesting for its architecture and antiquity which, but for such a guide as this, he would unavoidably overlook. The value of this part of the work is sufficiently obvious to render any recommendation of ours superfluous; for even the tourist in England requires the aid of others' experience to lead him to the discovery of many of the most beautiful examples remaining in this country, a fact which the perusal of Charles Stothard's Memoirs will sufficiently attest; how much greater then is the INTERIOR OF ST. MARGARET AT CLIFFE, NEAR DOVER. value of a companion like this to the Englishman in a foreign land, who, if he trusted alone to his personal observation, would, of necessity, visit many edifices which would ill repay him for the time consumed in reaching them, and at the same time he would return home to learn the variety of interesting objects which he had overlooked in his journey. The embellishments are profusely scattered over the pages of the work, and are principally from sketches by the author. In making the selection his object has been to give ideas of the entire building, its form and effect, rather than to descend to minute particulars. We are favoured by the author with the loan of four of the wood-cuts, which will not only shew the style of the engravings, but will exhibit interiors remarkable for their beauty and useful as displaying the architecture of various periods. The first is the interior of the church of Ainay, at Lyons. Part of this, the author states, is to be considered as early as the time of Charlemagne. The four large pillars, with the Corinthian capitals, have been taken from an ancient temple: they sustain a square lantern above the choir. The high antiquity of this structure is unquestionable. The apse of the Cathedral of Auxerre, is a fine specimen of Early Gothic, and has much the character of our English churches. As an example of highly decorated Gothic, and of a structure as remarkable for its ornament as its great altitude and magnificent proportions, Milan Cathedral is pre-eminent. The engraving represents the choir, and shews also one of the best specimens of Italian Gothic. Our last example is the interior of a fine, but much neglected and half ruinous English church. It comprises the nave and chancel of St. Margaret at Cliffe, near Dover, and is well adapted to shew the interior of a good Norman Church. The ecclesiastical antiquary is highly indebted to Mr. Le Petit for his valuable sketches, and if, in pursuing his researches he follows in the author's footsteps, he will have reason to acknowledge his obligations to him for having so faithfully brought under his notice so vast a range of objects from which he cannot fail to derive the highest degree of knowledge and gratification. FINE ARTS. MEDAL OF PRINCE ALBERT. We have before us a very handsome medal, engraved and struck by Mr. Alfred Joseph Stothard, medal engraver to Her Majesty, in commemoration of the laying of the first stone of the New Royal Exchange. The obverse exhibits a profile head of the Prince, with this inscription, ALBERTVS VBIQVE HONORATVS. This title was suggested by the inscription on a medalet of lead found on the site of the Old Royal Exchange (and now in the museum of Mr. C. R. Smith, F.S.A.) which bears the Tudor arms, and the words ANGLIÆ REGINA VBIQUE HONORATA. This is supposed to have been struck to record Queen Elizabeth's patronage of the original edifice. On the obverse of Mr. Stothard's medal is an elevation of the western front of the proposed building, surmounted by this inscription, SVB AVSPICIO PRINCIPIS. and below, RESTAVRATIO IANVAR: XVII MDCCCXLII. This work of art, which possesses very considerable merit in itself, is the more worthy of public patronage from the circumstance of its design being really allusive to the occasion; whilst that which was adopted by the Joint Gresham Committee had only one side-a head of Her Majesty, from a die borrowed at the Foreign-office, and engraved for another purpose; and the place of a reverse supplied by a bare inscription. Such is the present state of official patronage of the arts! MEHEMET ALI. A Committee of noblemen and gentlemen has been formed, for the purpose of striking a medal, as a testimonial of their high sense of the generosity evinced by the Pacha during the war, in protecting persons and property as in time of peace, in keeping open the overland route to India, and for civilities and kindnesses shown on many occasions to travellers visiting Egypt. Among the members of the Committee are the late Consul-General of Egypt, Colonel Campbell, Lord Claud Hamilton, Lord Rokeby, Sir Moses Montefiore, Sir Willoughby Cotton, Dr. Lee, Dr. Bowring, the Rev. T. S. Grimshaw, the Rev. H. Christmas, M. A. &c. PUBLICATIONS AT ROME. Some very interesting publications are in progress at Rome. "Le quattro Basiliche principali di Roma," ("The four principal Churches of Rome,") is a work in folio, with descriptive letter-press ; it presents plans and elevations of the several buildings, with outline engravings of the interiors. The churches selected are those of St. Peter, of St. Paul, of St. John of Lateran, and Santa Maria Maggiore. The work is edited by Signor Valentini. L'Ape Italiana," a beautiful periodical, also in folio, with letter-press description, published by the Academy of St. Luke, gives admirable outline engravings of works of art in Rome, ancient and modern. Among those which sustain the glory of modern times, is a picture by Camucini-" The Entrance of Francesco Sforza into Milan, in 1640;" admirably composed, the attitudes varied and graceful, the horses full of life and fire, and the drawing beautifully true. This work is under the direction of the Marquis Melchiori: it is also published at Paris with a French text, and title-“L'Abeille Italienne." COUNT DE PERREGAUD'S PICTURES. The recent sale at Paris of Count de Perregaud's pictures, well known as the selection of an excellent judge and a man of taste, excited much interest. The whole, in number 69, brought 441,628fr. about £17,600. Several, it is believed, were bought for England. A Karel du Jardin, "Crossing a Ford," brought 26,300fr. £1052; Departure for the Chase," A. Vandervelde, brought 26,850fr. £1074; "The Spy," by P. Wouvermans, brought 35,100fr. £1404. These were the highest prices obtained. 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