The Express.
London, England, 1863-08-10 00:00:00

FINE ARTS.

THE ART-UNION PRIZES.

The usual exhibition of the pictures selected by
those subscribers to the Art-Union who are fortunate
enough to draw prizes in the annual lottery of the society,
was opened to private view on Saturday last, at the
Gallery of the Society of British Artiste, in Suffolk-
street. There are exhibited 115 oil-colour paintings
sod 37 watercolour drawings, besides which we have
the plaster facsimile of Mr. Marshall's marble statue of
the " Dancing Girl Reposing"—the chief prize in the last
distribution, which fell to the lotof Mr. C. L iKenniog, of
Little Brington, Northamptombire—and various statuettes
in bronze and porcelain, with two bas-reliefs in tletile ivory,
provided by the society as prizes, or as works of art which
may be taken in lien of the engravings by extra payment.
On the whole the exhibition may tei said to indicate •
certain improvement in the popular taste in the general
preference shown for landscape over those silly attempts at
pictures of domestic comedy, or still worse of sentimental
insipidity, which have been repeated ad nauseant in too
many places. The water-colour drawings selected especially
point to this advance in taste ; they are nearly all excellent,
and by artists whose ability has long beeo recognised, such
as W. Bennett, W. Callow, T. P. Robins, H. Warren, J. C,
Reed, C. Davidson, J. Absolon, and others. The amount of
the prizes expended upon these varies from 10 to 40 guineas,
the majority being 23 or 35 guinea prizes, and in more than
one instance the prizeholder has added to his prize money
very largely, in order to obtain the picture he admired.
We may take the opportunity of noticing the report of
the Art Union and the prospects which it sets forth for the
subscribers of the current year. The subscription this year
is considerably larger than but year, the sums being in 181.2
9,864/. 155., and in 1863 12.8.58/. C. The council decided
to apportion this as follows :-4.125/. in the purchase of
works to be selected ; 2,362/. 10a for a statue (600/.).
statuettes, bust of the Princess of Wales, Ith. ; and 3.340!.
6s. Id. for the engraving of the year 1863. These sums,
with a reserve fund of 2i per cent. on the whole subscrip-
tion, 321/. 9a, and 2,708/. 17s. 10d. expenses of manage-
ment, printing, Ice, represent the disbursement side of the
accounts so that we may say that in some form or other
9,8271. 19s. 2d. Ands its way into the pockets of the artiste.
The set of outlines for the ensuing year (1864) are by Mr.
.1. Noel Paton, R.S.A., illustrating Coleridge's poem of
"The Ancient Mariner." The-se are twenty in number,
and they are now being produced in lithography by Mr. W.
Macfarlane, of Edinburgh, under the supervision of the
artist. The poem is to be printed upon toned paper, and
bound op with the illustrations. Every subscriber will
receive this, and, besides a chance of obtaining a selection
from the pictures of the year. a statuette in bronze of
Polay's •• Caractacus," Durham, '' Go to sleep." • boy
with • dog ; bas reliefs in &We ivory by Wyou and Jeffer.
son, and a porcelain bust of the Princess of Wales, reduced
fromiMm Tbornycroft's admirable bust in marble which was
in the Academy exhibition.

THE ROYAL YACHT SQUADRON REGATTA.

COWES, Auousr 8.

•
The reopening of the Prince of Wales' Cup, and
converting it into • handicap race, proved, as was antici-
pated, a most fortunate event, as it brought out • much
larger list of vessels to complete for • prise of so much
interest as that which was now offered for competition.
Out of the 12 entries made overnight, there were only four
absentees from the station vessel when the hour of starting
arrived. These were—the Zara, Earl of Wilton ; the En-
chantress, Sir Thomas Whichonte ; the Resolute, Lord
Houghton ; and the Lotus, Earl Vane. The starters
consisted of—
The Anne. schooner, 716 Capt. C. Thellusson.
The Arrow. cutter, 102 Mr. T. Chamberla) ne.
The Pearl. yawl, lan kleryuls of Conylagbans.
The Shark, schooner, 175 Mr. u. It. Black.
The Ursullne, yawl, 110 Mr.II. V illehots.
The Weesit, cutter, SO NW A. G. Guest.
The Psyche, cutter, 46 Mr. J. Wardlaw.
The Fl)iug "2.101td, schooner, 75 Count E. Litthyany.
The Pollan*, schooner, IV) Lleut..Col. Markham.
The Terpsichore. cutter, S 2 Capt. B. N. Tattersall.
The Intrepid. schooner, 75 Count Felix Monceau.
The Resolution. schooner, 164 Duke of Rutland.
The Petrel, schooner, 64 . Mr. P. Percival.
Throughout the race the Arrow bad it entirely her own
way, and the vessels tame in in the following order :
H. 0.
The Arrow
V
The Aline
The Plying Cloud
The Pearl
The Intrepid 8 6 7
The Arrow thus maintaining her fame as the fastest cutter
alloat.

About the same time the match between Mr. Broad-
wood's Galatea and Lord Loadesborough's Albertine, for
cian hundred sovereigae, to which we have before alluded,cam•
off. At 10 o'clock the two schooner" got uederweigh, the
Galatea having got a trifling lead ; but at the time we were
obliged to despatch our parcel neither of the vessels bad
arrived at the Castle.

ARRIVAL OP ♦ MRIDOURNE SHIP. MORRTR.
Green's @hip Lady Melville, 1.100 tom, C►ptain Gooblett,
from llelboaree, May 6, passed up channel olf Plymouth on
Saturday night. She brings about 120 massagers. 10 oz.
of gold al freight ; 374 bales wool, sad a quantity of
tallow, hides, bores, copper Or*. Ite. Seven of ►ar passen-
gers Lades's& Plymouth by a pilot boat es Saturday Dien.
CITY OP LONDON HOSPITAL roil Dl.g♦aav OF
THE CI T, VICTORIA P♦gg.—The number of patients re-
Bayed at this institotioa daring bat week was 1,129, of
which 208 wore sow cues.