The Express.
London, England, 1853-07-22 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES.

THE COMMITTEE ON THE NATIONAL GALLERY.
This committee met again yesterday, the mem-
bers present being Colonel pure (in the chair), Lord Sey-
mour, Lord Elcbo, Lord Graham, Sir 11. Inglis, and Mr.
Baring Wall.
Baron Klintz, who has the reputation of being ac-
quainted, as • connoisseur, with most of the collections of
art and painting throughout Europe, was the first witness
examined, and after giving the committee some interesting
information with respect to the collections at Munich and
St. Petersburg, stated that, in Lis opinion, our National
Gallery, though young and not particularly prolific in I.oint
of pictorial production, was nevertheless a repository of
some of the finest works of the most eminent masters, and
that, comparing the relative proportion of the pictures it
contained with that of other collections of paintings, fewer
pictures of tither an equivocal, o^ mediocre character
were to be met with than in any other National, Gallery
with which he was acquainted.
Dr. H. Wellesley, curator of the University Galleries, and
principal of New Inn Hall, Oxford, was of opinion that the
recent "cleaning" of the pictures in the National Gallery,
though it had deteriorated their appearance, had not
damaged them. It was au injudicious step to clean them
at all. These pictures were not injured by the cleaning
process generally, except as regarded the varnish or glazing.
lle alluded more particularly to the larger Claude,. Nu-
ttier the smaller Claude nor the Velasquez ever had, he
thought, any glazing. It would be desirable to remove the
National Gallery to a comparatively smokeless atmosphere
out at Kensington. He objected to the " cleaning " pro-
cess altogether. It interfered with the beautiful effect con-
ferred by the toning of time, and the mellowing influences
of maturity on the masterpieces of art. Directly a pic-
ture changed hands, the possessor thought it must, as a
matter of course, be cleaned. This was a vulgar error.
He objected to the present constitution of the trusteeship of
the National Gallery, and expressed himself in favour of a
general director in chief, well up in the knowledge of pic-
torial art, with plenary authority for the purpose of picture
purchasing, as was the case in connexion with the galleries
at Berlin and Paris. In default of this he would decidedly
prefer that the national collection of pictures should tie
under royal trusteeship, and that such collection, if uuder
the direction of the sovereign, would have all the essentials
to excellence that now formed the characteristics of indi-
vidual collections. It was on this principle that the un-
rivalled collections of Charles I. King of Bavaria,
Louis IV., and of the Popes had been formed. Had
there been a director in chief of the National Gallery
or had it been royally constituted, the last picture of the
" Tribute Money," by Titian (if indeed it were a Titian),
would not have been purchased, nor the " Adoration of
the Shepherds" bought for 2,0001. with the united appro-
bation of the trustees, and which was not in his (the wit-
ness's opinion) worth buying at all. The trustees of the
National Gallery had purchased some of the best and some
of the worst of pictures. He blamed the system in saying
this, and not the trustees. Did not know of any instance
in which parliament had been niggardly in allowing grants
for the purthase of pictures, but sometimes it was an in-
convenient thing to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The
trustees might have selected better pictures and pictures
more worthy of the nation with the money they hail already
expended. The committee then adjourned.

EASTERN UNION ReamAy.—Yesterday the committee
on this hill, to whom it was sent back for reconsideration

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by the House of Commons, met for that purpc se, Mr. Cur-
rie in the chair. It appeared that the Eastern Union Com-
pony originally guaranteed 6 per cent. irredeemable to the
holders of preference stock, the object of the bill being to
relieve them of all arrears of interest due, and giVe 4 per
cent. redeemable in lieu. The committee were engaged
yesterday in ascertaining the number of assents and dissents
on the part of the proprietors on the question which in-
volves capital to the extent of 300,000!.
BLYTH AND TYNE RAILWAY.—The committee of the
House of Lords, of which Lord Camoys is chairman, yester-
day approved of and passed this bill, for constructing
branches in Northumberland.

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CONTROVERTED ELECTlONS.—viscounts Jocelyn end
Barrington hare been appointed by the general committee
of elections to serve u chairmen of election committees, in-
stead of Mr. Lascellea and Mr. Walpole, who have resigned.