17. As the cubic form is known to enclose more space with the same quantity of walling and roof than any other, so it is an established rule, that a house square in the plan is preferable in all that regards comfort, habita-bleness, and economy of heating, keeping clean, and in repair, to one which is irregular in its plan. The next best form to a square is that of a parallelogram; and the worst form that can be adopted is that of a long, narrow, irregular building. A square house is more compact within, and, from its form, it is warmer in winter and cooler in summer than any other; it is more easily heated; it has less space occupied by passages, and is, consequently, more easily cleaned; and, externally, it exposes less surface to the atmosphere, and is, consequently, more easily kept in repair than any other. When economy is the main object, therefore, a square house ought to be chosen; and, that it may combine architectural beauty with economy, both in first cost and future management and repairs, one should be chosen in which the same description of brick or stone, the same style of workmanship, the same magnitude, kind, and disposition of windows, the same facings to them, the same kind of cornice, and, in short, the same architecture, is adopted on all the four sides.

Above all things, as a matter of taste, a house ought to be avoided which has any one of its sides decidedly inferior to the rest, in respect either to architectural design or execution. We should say, also, avoid, in point of habitableness and comfort, every house, the diagonal line of the general plan of which is not south and north; were it not that this maxim would condemn all those houses which have been built along, and parallel to, streets or roads which run directly east and west, or north and south. Unfortunately, the custom of placing small country houses that are near streets or roads, with one of their sides parallel to that street or road, and without any reference whatever to its direction, is almost universal, even where there is a distance of 100 yards or more between the road and the house, though it is productive of two serious evils, which admit of no remedy. The one is, that the opposite side or front of the house to that which faces the road is considered as the back, and is, therefore, generally designed and finished in an inferior style: and the other is, that no attention can be paid to placing the diagonal line of the plan of the house due south and north; and that, whether this is the case or not, depends on the direction of the road, and not on the will of the builder.

The latter is much the greater evil; for so numerous are the advantages of this disposition of the plan, in point of solar light, warmth, ventilation, and cheerfulness, and even dryness and healthy vegetation in the garden or adjoining grounds, that, in our opinion, it ought to be made the governing principle in the placing of every detached house, whatever may be the direction of the road to which the house may be said to belong.

18. The principal disadvantage of a square house, is, that it is said, by some architects, to afford less architectural beauty than any other form, from the sameness of the general shape; but this is partly a mistake, and is chiefly believed to be true by such as consider variety to be one of the main beauties of architecture. Now, our opinion is that variety, however prominent a beauty it may be in landscape, is Only a subordinate one in architecture; and that the grand characteristic beauties of that art are magnitude and symmetry. We would hot exclude variety; on the contrary, we would produce it to as great an extent in the details as was consistent with symmetry; and, of any two buildings equal in magnitude and symmetry, we should say that the one which possessed the greater amount of variety was the most beautiful. Two great beauties in architecture, and without which an edifice can hardly merit to be called architectural, are the appearances of solidity and of magnitude. Now, no form whatever gives the appearance of solidity to so great an extent, in proportion to the quantity of matter employed, as the square or the circular form.

Both these form's are equal in point of solidity; but the square (the quantity of matter being the same) has greatly the advantage in point Of magnitude, by presenting, especially when two sides are seen at once, a much greater surface to the eye. A building in the form of a parallelogram, if seen only in front, may have the appearance of magnitude; but, when one end is seen, and that is found to be narrow, the impression of the want of solidity is immediately felt in a high degree, and the impression of magnitude is proportionately diminished. Hence, a build-ing in the form of a parallelogram, in whichever manner it may be viewed, is never so satisfactory as one in the form of a square, or cube. Now, that a square, or cubic, building not only possesses, by the nature of its form, the essential and fundamental architectural beauties of solidity, magnitude, regularity, and symmetry, but also may be made to display the accessary beauties of variety, harmony, character, and style, might be proved by various examples; but it may be sufficient here to refer to the Gothic and Elizabethan mansions of former times; the noblest of which, and those which make the greatest figure in the history of our domestic architecture, were almost always built either in squares or quadrangles, or in the form of three sides of a quadrangle.

19. In choosing a house that is irregular in the plan and elevation, there are Some advantages, but many disadvantages. The advantages are, that, in particular situations, particular distant prospects may be better displayed; and that in all situations, even on a flat surface, a greater variety of home views, that is, views Within the grounds, may be created. This, it is obvious, is to be effected by placing the rooms in such a way that the principal windows in them will look on the view at a tight angle. The disadvantages of an irregular house are; that it is always colder in winter, and warmer in summer, than a square house, from the exterior surface of almost every room being exposed to the weather on two or mote sides; whereas, in a square house, only the corner rooms are exposed on more than one side. The chimneys in an irregular house do not draw so well; because the greater part of them are in the outside walls; On account of the great surface both of walls arid roof, and of the greater number of gutters in the latter, it is bleat that irregular houses must cost more at first, and require more to keep them in repair, than square, or parallelogram, houses; the quantity of decoration on both being equal.