secular buildings. While engaged in collecting ma terials for these volumes, Kenilworth Castle, amongst other buildings, was inspected. These far-famed ruins were visited daily during the summer by large parties of tourists. Some, as usual, merely gazed at the picturesque features of the buildings and quickly departed; but occasionally persons would be found to take deeper interest in the architectural details. It was in the month of September 1830, while Pugin's pupils were occupied in sketching parts of the Great Banquetting Hall, that two strangers addressed one of them and offered assistance in taking dimensions of the hall. They appeared to be father and son; the remarks of the elder gentleman were acute and showed much intelligence. He particularly lamented the rank growth of the ivy, and pointing to the huge mantel of the fireplace in the great hall, being a stone of enormous size, 8 ft. 6 in. long by 2 ft. deep, remarked that it was actually thrown out of its position by a large stem of ivy which having insinuated itself between the joints of the masonry, caused great disturbance to the whole structure of the chimney breast. Conversing freely upon art with Pugin, among other inquiries he asked if he had ever seen the original drawings of the Elgin marbles deposited in the British Museum. On his replying in the negative-Then on your next visit to the Museum,' said he, 'present this card and request to see them.' Upon looking at it Pugin was not a little surprised and gratified to find that the inquiring stranger was no other than the Earl of Elgin himself,

accompanied by his son Lord Bruce, who having succeeded to the earldom has been recently distinguished by his able diplomacy in China.

The great service which Pugin's labours have rendered to architects is now admitted beyond dispute; indeed till his time the only practical attempts in Gothic architecture, though unfortunately made on a large scale, were imitations of conventual or castellated buildings, exhibiting every kind of incongruity perpetrated in extensive masses of cement or terra cotta. Although therefore Augustus Welby Pugin, the son, by the successful adaptation of Gothic architecture to modern uses, has shown how applicable the genius of medieval architecture is to all ages, and their various requirements, still, his father merits the tribute of being considered the great pioneer in this branch of art; for without the aid afforded by his books it is doubtful whether this style of architecture would have ever obtained the hold which it now has upon the public taste.

The professional career of Augustus Welby Pugin is so interesting that it may seem unnecessary to dwell further upon the less striking events of his parents' life, but to the characteristic talents of both his parents may be traced some of the peculiarities observable in the genius of their son.

CHAPTER III.

Early Instruction-Domestic regulations in Pugin's establishmentMrs. Pugin's peculiarities-Pugin's intimacy with Mathews, the Comedian Studies the theory of Medieval Architecture-Napoleon as First Consul-Isabey, David, and Lafitte, the artists-Mr. Pugin's antecedents.

IMPRESSIONS upon the mind at a tender age through the fond teaching of a beloved parent are easily made; but however implicitly this guidance may be followed in youth, as manhood approaches and the mind acquires vigour any extreme bias of early teaching is detected, and results too frequently in a revulsion of feeling and causes opposition to opinions formed in early life. The effects of the system under which Welby Pugin received his boyish inspirations were so observable in after life that some more particular account must now be given of his mother and the domestic rule. It has been already stated that the elder Pugin, when preparing his published works, received articled pupils for instruction in the elements of their profession. Some were inmates of his house, and a discipline was enforced in the social system of the establishment which owed its origin to Mrs. Pugin. It was severe and restrictive in the extreme, unrelieved by any of those relaxations essential to the healthy education of