The Press. — London, England, 1854-05-06 00:00:00

418 court anb lastion. HER MAJESTY on Monday, being the birthday of Prince Arthur, gave a juvenile ball to a numerous party, comprising the youthful members of many noble and official persons, the foreign ministers, &c. The royal children who were present at this fête were the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, the Princess Alice, Prince Alfred, the Princess Helena, the Princess Louisa, and Prince Arthur. ON Wednesday the Queen held another levee. On Wednesday her Majesty visited the Princess's Theatre, and on Thursday the Covent-garden Italian Opera. THERE was a Privy Council on Monday afternoon at Buckingham Palace. DRAWING Rooms will be held by the Queen on the 11th and 20th instant. The latter is in celebration of the royal birthday, and will be a "collar" day. On Wednesday, June 9, there will be another levee. THE report that the late Mr. Holford had be- queathed his vast property to the Prince of Wales is now contradicted upon good authority. THE LORD CHAMBERLAIN (the Marquis Of Breadal bane), by command of the Queen, has issued cards to the circle usually honoured with Court invitations for a grand concert of vocal and instrumental music at Buckingham Palace on Monday next. FRANCES COUNTESS WALDEGRAVE had a reunion at her house in Carlton-gardens on Saturday. The house has been entirely newly furnished, with great taste and splendour. We hope, for the credit of England, that the silk curtains are of home manu facture, especially the geranium-coloured draperies of the ante-room : nothing can surpass the brilliancy of their dye. LADY CHARLOTTE EGERTON had a ball on Monday at her house in Stratton-street. THE COUNTESS OF 'WICKLOW gave a concert on Wednesday evening. Lady Wicklow's programme was, as usual, a model one in the extent of its range as well as in the taste of its selection; but it was all disarranged in consequence of the unexplained absence of Mr. Sims Reeves. Miss SIDNEY had a ball near Prince's-gate on Wednesday. Prince's-gate is voted London now, and people drive from the Cavendish-square concert to the Prince's gate ball without the least complaint or even comment. The ball was a very brilliant one, and the cloak-room tent a most skilful an•ange ment. THE BAL COSTUME at the French Embassy next week is a prevailing subject of conversation. Her Majesty and the Court do not go in fancy dresses. THE COUNTESS GRANVILLE gave a soiree dansante on Thursday evening at the family mansion in Bruton-street. The circle was honoured with the presence of her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge and the Princess Mary. THE Chancellor of the Exchequer and Mrs. Glad. stone gave on Wednesday their first assembly for the season at the official residence in Downing street. -- THE RIGHT HON. SIDNEY HERBERT gave a dinner to the Cabinet Ministers on Wednesday evening at his residence in Belgrave-square. THE marriage of Lord Suffield and Miss Caroline Baring, daughter of Mrs. and the late Mr. Henry Baring, of Berkeley-square, was performed on Thurs- day. THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF NORTHUMBERLAND have returned to town after some months' sojourn in Italy. SIB. ROBERT PEEL AND MR. SAMSON, fellow passengers in the unfortunate Ercolano, arrived in Paris early in the week. The hon. baronet has since returned to London. V ditiral ad tither 1. ROYAL ACADEMY BANQUET. THE Royal Academicians inaugurated their eighty sixth anniversary on Saturday by the customary banquet given in the great room of their gallery in Trafalgar-square. As usual also, the company invited included, besides the Royal Academicians themselves, and the more distinguished connoisseurs and patrons 01 art in England, a strong muster of political cele brities, including most of the ministers, and many of the leading members of the Opposition. The subject touched upon in the speeches after dinner accord ingly reflected the heterogeneous character of the com pany, diverging often from topics bearing any special relation with art to the prosperity of the country, the conduct of the war, and other questions of general interest. Before dinner the rooms were thrown open to the guests, many of whom availed themselves of the opportunity of obtaining a cool and leisurely in spection of the chief works composing this year's ex hibition. Late in the evening again the examinatio - THE PRESS. was renewed by the light of gasburners cleverly arranged for the purpose of illumination. At the banquet Sir Charles Eastlake, president of the Academy, occupied the chair. When the cloth was drawn, the first speech of any interest was that of Lord HARDWICKE, who responded to the toast of " The Army and Navy," discanted indeed upon art, but it was the art of war : " There were certain great principles which he wished the public to understand, and which, if they were duly re cognised, were calculated to alleviate their anxiety. In the first place, ships were intended to fight with ships, and, being wood and iron, were not intended to fight stone walls. (Hear.) He advised the public to think of the double danger to which we were exposed from every other species of naval warfare except that of ship meeting ship in fair contest. If this principle were adhered to, he had no fear that our naval supremacy would be endangered ; and he did not think it was about to be departed from, because, if it were, we should no doubt have a large reserve force at home. But if our ships were to engage stone walls, then the public mind ought to be directed to meet disaster and risk, because, although no one would have any apprehension for the result if ships met ships, yet there was a risk of disaster if anything else were tried, which no power but that of the Almighty could prevent. It might no doubt be said that there were two great instances on record— Copenhagen and Algiers—which proved that ships might engage stone walls with success. But he thought an oppo site lesson ought to be drawn frum these instances. In both cases it was what was called ' touch and go,' and we were on both occasions as nearly beaten as our ships ever were. With regard to the bombardment of Algiers, he believed that, if the guns had been in the hands of any but the Algerines, very few of our ships would have returned. By negotiation and management that engagementwas brought to a successful termination; but, as instances of the success with which ships were able to engage stone walls, he had always felt that great risks were run on both occasions, and that the attempt hadnearly lostus our fleets. He wished the public to apply the lesson to the Baltic and the Black Sea ; and, as we had no reserve force at home, he did not believe that any such risks would now be incurred. Unless, there fore, the Russian force came out of port, the present cam paign would probably pass without any serious act of warfare. He had every confidence in the judicious conduct of our commanders, in the zeal and gallantry of our officers, and in the existence of the same honest and determined fighting material on the part of our seamen. (Cheers.) Such great operations as those to which he had adverted were not likely to be undertaken without the orders and commands of the Government at home ; and great actions of this kind, differing from fair naval warfare, would, he hoped, be avoided by commanders entrusted, not only with the safety of their ships and crews, but with the safety and independence of this happy land." Responding to the health of the Foreign Ministers, Lord CLARENDON rejoiced to find the entente cordiale proclaimed from the walls of the Academy, which exhibited the portrait of the French Emperor by an English artist, and a portrait of an English noble man by a French artist. His lordship added, as from his own krowledge :—"The original of that picture of the Emperor is fond of British artists, and looks forward with infinite satisfaction to 'the competition by English artists in the Exhibition which is to be opened next year in Paris." The toast of "The Noblemen and Gentlemen who had honoured the Banquet with their presence " was accompanied by Sir C. EASTLAKE with some signifi cant hints respecting the proper modes of encouraging and promoting art in the country. One mode, he said, was to import from abroad the master works of antiquity as models of excellence ; another, to foster rising genius at home. In replying, the LORD CHANCELLOR, whose name was coupled with the toast, observed, condescendingly, that although the Academy might not boast of any works to compare in quali ty with those of Raphael, Titian, or Guido, yet in quantity they were able to exhibit an amount of paintings which neither those artists nor their contemporaries could have contrived to produce in any single year. Referring to the extensive portrait element in the exhibition, he said : " God forbid that the taste for portraits should cease amongst us, for it showed the strength of our domestic affections, and that we loved to look upon the features of those who were dear to us. The use of portraits was well described by one whom he might call a savage. The Prince Le 800, when his portrait was taken, was asked whether he understood the object of it. He replied, ' Oh, yes ; me understand it well. This Le 800 die ; that Le 800 live I ' (Hear, hear.) This was a commentary upon portrait•painting the most appropriate that could be made." The Lord Chancellor concluded by proposing the health of the president and members of the Academy, to which Sir C. EASTLAKE responded, and offered some 'general remarks upon the state of art in Eng land, as displayed by the works then lining the walls around him. He remarked especially upon the di versity of styles which they manifested, and which he thought a " salutary indication," being "directly opposed to a justly stigmatised routine, while suffi ciently free from carelessness and undue caprice ": " The general tendency of art (ho continued) now ap pears to be towards the real, the individual, and the definite—a tendency which, as regards its higher capabili ties, if less fitted to kindle the imagination, may edify and SATURDAY, instruct, and may touch the chords of the purest feeling; while, in its practical results, it is sure to enrich its domain with new wealth gathered from inexhaustible nature." The word wealth appeared to have suggested the health of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which he immediately afterwards proposed, with a significant hint that " the claims of the art of peace will not be forgotten during the vigorous prosecution of a just war." Mr. GL,u)sroNE answered the challenge, assuming that it was not directed to himself personally, but as the " symbol of the pecuniary resources of the country." He ventured, however, only to hold out a faint hope " that, while this great nation braces itself up for great sacrifices for the purposes of carrying on the war upon which it has entered, it will not condescend to the narrow economy of stopping up all the channels through which such fertilising influences have been dispensed, and by means of which have flourished education and the fine arts. (Cheers. )" The names of Lord J. Russell and Mr. Disraeli were then joined in one toast by the president, who remarked that last year the latter gentleman had invited the noble lord to cooperate with him in any judicious scheme that might be devised for promoting the fine arts in this country, and trusted that the change in their mutual positions had induced no change in the sentiments they then expressed on the subject. Last year, he added, a very striking portrait of Mr. Disraeli adorned these walls, and this year they presented a very fine likeness of Lord John Russell. This toast elicited speeches from both of the dis tinguished complimentees, the noble lord of course coming first. He said " Permit me to say, that though no change has taken place in the sentiments that I professed towards the right hon. gentleman whose name has been coupled with my own, and although political opposition has never produced between us the slightest personal ill-will, while, on the contrary, I shall always be glad to see eminent talent like his receive that meed of approbation and support which i ought to receive in a free country like our own, yet you will permit me to observe that, as far as politica are con cerned, you, sir, certainly have produced a somewhat violent contrast. (Laughter.) I miss entirely those tender tints which are so remarkably characteristic of your presi dent—( continued laughter)—in his pictures which reflect so well the delicacy and feeling and refinement of mind that belong to him. (Hear, hear.) But he has departed very far from his own style of colouring on this occasion, and has produced the most violent contrasts--(laughter)— somewhat in the style of the pictures exhibited in the early years of the Royal Academy, when it was not unfre quent for distinguished artists on the last days before the opening of the exhibition to throw in some violent reds or tawdry yellows in order to make their pictures seen and remarked by the crowd. You must, therefore, excuse me if, while I pay, as I am bound to pay, every sort of respect to the gentleman whose name is coupled with my own, I must still say that with regard to our political opinions that harmony which ought to distinguish your president as a painter has hardly been maintained. (Laughter.) In one respect, however, there has been a point of agreement be tween myself and the right hon. gentleman. Both of us have had the honour of having our resemblance painted by a distinguished artist, and we have become the illustrations of anecdote mentioned by the Lord Chancellor. Instead of the Lee 800 that dies, we shall leave behind us the Lee 800 that will never die. We have both of us had the good for tune to have our resemblances painted with very great success by a man whose talent I honour, and whose friend ship I have the happiness to enjoy. I am glad to avail myself of this opportunity to pay this eminent artist the tribute of my regard and gratitude for the honour that has been done to me, and in that sentiment I sympathise, and certainly agree with the right honourable gentleman. (Cheers)." Mr. DISRAELI followed : " I have on several occasions had the opportunity of en tering these chambers on this anniversary, and have alway s been struck with the triumphs of art and the triumphs of design and colouring, but I was not aware that rhetoric would achieve in those rooms triumphs as singular; be• cause your president has achieved a wonderful feat of oratory in the toast that he has proposed for your accept ance and approbation. I hope it will not be considered an affectation if I assure you that I feel honoured in having my name associated with a celebrated artist and a famous statesman. it must have been the inspiration of a genial moment when the president hazarded such a union. (A laugh.) But lam not entitled to such a distinction, and I am reminded of the Persian fable that when a piece of clay was asked how it happened he had so fragrant a per fume, he replied he had had the good fortune of living in the vicinity of roses. (A laugh.) The president has con nected my career with the noble lord's and the distinguished artist who has sent him down to posterity, and has made me remembered for a short time. I am obliged to the noble lord for the complimentary terms in which he has referred to me this evening. It has been my fortune for many years to sit opposite, as I do this evening, to the noble lord, and I may say with truth that I have never seen him look better than he does this evening in the Royal Academy —[ibia allusion to the noble lord's portrait was received with much laughter and cheering]—and I think I may be entitled to be considered a judge of the noble lord's coun tenance, for I have had the opportunity of watching him for seventeen years under various circumstances. (Laugh• ter.) I have seen him in the elation of triumph, and Ido not think that I have ever seen him of a better figure and