The Express.
London, England, 1864-01-04 00:00:00

[TWOPENCE

MR. THACKERAY AND THE NATIONAL
SHAKESPEARE COMMITTEE.

TO THZ ZDTTOZ OF TEI EXPRIZS.

Sts,—The Ativ,urum of this day professes to
correct certain rumours which have been current in
the papers and at the clubs, for several weeks past,
with reference to the exclusion of the late Mr. W.
M.. Thackeray from the office of vice-president of the
National Shakespeare Committee. As the ad-
journed monthly meeting of the committee takes
place on Monday, and a large attendance, conse-
quent upon the rumours above referred to, is anti-
cipated, as an active member of this committee I
ask your permission to be allowed to give an imme-
diate contradiction to the statements which the
Athenerum has thought proper to put forth. I
deny, in the first place, the assertion, that " Mr.
Thackeray's claims to a place amoug the vice-presi-
dents of the National Shakespeare Committee have
never been raised, and of course never been dis-
cussed." I deny, moreover, that the committee
passed a resolution that a special invitation should
be sent to Mr. Thackeray asking him to become a
vice-president, and I further deny that any such
" invitation was duly written and sent by the secre-
tary of the day, acting for the general secretary."
I also deny that "at the next meeting of the
committee a gentleman, who bad taken an active
`Olin' Vase the &inflation, tow to in-
quire whether any reply to it had been received ;"
for, as I have already stated, no such invitation
ever emanated from the committee. Wbat really
transpired at the last meeting of the National
Shakespeare Committee is this ; It was proposed and
seconded, that Mr. Thackeray should be electeo a
vice-president, but after a slight discussion the
motion was withdrawn, and it was moved that Mr.
Thackeray be " invited" to accept the office in
question. This proposition was met by one of the
honorary secretaries rising and stating that Mr.
Thackeray, nut being a member of the committee,
was ineligible for the vice-presidential office. In
reply to the assertion the mimes of several vice-
presidents who had been elected without being
called upon to join the general committee were
cited, when " the secretary for the (lay," as he is
styled in the Athenients report, Caine to the rescue
of his confrere, and in a speech offensive to good
taste both as regards its matter and its manner,
expressed his belief that Mr. Thackeray considered
himself so immeasurably superior to the general
body of the committee that Le would decline to
join it, and begged the committee not to demean
itself by sanctioning any further application being
made to him. Will it be believed that in an
assemblage of sixty educated Englishmen gathered
together to do honour to the memory of our great
national poet arguments like these were suffered to
prevail, and that not more than thirteen individuals
voted in favour of an ordinary mark of respect
being paid to the author of " Vanity Fair," and,
moreover, that among these thirteen not a single
member of the council nor a single official of the
National Shakespeare Committee present on the
occasion thought peeper to oat,' himself f
I am, a:c., HENRY VIZ ETE LLY.
Campden-hill, W., Jan. 2.