you please; but not, as we see
the law interpreted now-a-days--ornament and show in the first place,
and usefulness and comfort put in the background. It is this backward
reading of the great rule of common sense, that makes men so uncommonly
senseless as we often find them to be; and when it comes in the way of
building, it turns us into the least architectural and worst built
nation of any in this part of Christendom. Taking into account the cost
of erecting buildings, and the relative value of money in different
countries, there are no towns in Europe where so little good building
and so small a degree of architectural effect are produced as in those
of "old England." Poets and home tourists have affected to fall into
rhapsodies of admiration at the beautiful neatness of our small country
towns, at the unparalleled magnificence of London, at the ostentatious
splendour of our commercial cities, Liverpool, Bristol, &c. This is all
very well for home readers, and for home reputation; for there is
nothing like a lot of people congregating themselves into a nation, and
then be-lauding themselves and their doings up to the skies--there is
nobody to say nay, and they can easily write themselves down the first
people on earth. The fault is not peculiar to England; that vapouring
coxcomb Crapaud is full of such nonsense; and that long-haired,
sallow-cheeked, quid-chewing Jonathan, is still more ridiculously fond
of indulging in it: but because it is one of the most offensive
weaknesses of human nature, it is not therefore the less worthy of
reprehension, and the sooner we try to throw off such false and morbid
patriotism the better. The three towns in Great Britain, which, taking
them in the general average of their common buildings, their citizens'
houses, can be called the best-looking ones, are these:--first and
fairest is dear Auld Reekie, next is Cheltenham, and last is Bath. The
great metropolis we put out of the comparison, for metropolitical cities
should be compared together; but Edinburgh is _facile princeps_ in the
list of all habitable places in this island; Cheltenham is at the head
of all watering-places, and pleasure-places--(Brighton, Leamington,
Clifton, &c., are certainly not equal to it in point of good
architecture and general effect;) and Bath, now that its fashionable
name has somewhat declined, may be looked on as the leader of our
second-rate quiet kind of towns. Were we to make a fourth class of
compar