The Express.
London, England, 1868-05-02 00:00:00

LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, MAY 2, MI

ROBERT COCKS sad CO.'S CATALOGUES
et NNW ad STANDARD MUSIC, wade aad poet free.
FAR AWAY. Mho M. LuteArs New Sows. Tesetar and sada-
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"An elesaat and beautll.l sosp."—News of the World. fa,
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Loudon : Robert Cooke sad Co., New Narllastowetrest, W.

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Dana and as.. as. Ladgatelifil. LC.

INTELLIGENCE FROM ABROAD.

(REl;Tilel ITAZOIAMB.)
FRANOE.
PARIS, MAY 1, Rvianie.
In to day's sitting of the Legislative Body, the
interpellation of M. Brame relative to the system
of free trade was fixed for Monday, the 11th inst.
The ensemble of the bill on the custom duties
was adopted unanimously.
The Cunstitutiotmel, in reply to a statement of
the Journal des _Matt, denies that any disagree-
ment had taken place between M. Rouher
and Marshal Niel in the commission on
the budget. It says :—" Marshal Niel simply
asks for grants which will enable him
to keep France on a level with neighbouring
powers. M. Rouher does not deny the necessity
of these grants ; and not one word which passed
between the two ministers could be interpreted as
of a nature to create a belief that the peace of
Europe was endangered."

GREAT BATTLE IN INDIA.
BOMBAY, APRIL 21.
A great battle has taken place in Afghanistan
between Sirdar Mahomed Yakogb Khan, Governor
of Herat, and the reigning Ameer. It resulted in
a great victory for the former, who captured Kan-
took the Ameer's brother prisoner, and
proclaimed Shere Ali ruler of Afghanistan.

(This telegram occupied eleven days in transmission )

FINE ARTS.

THE ROYAL ACADEMY.

The first of May, whatever it may be to the
dweller amid the green field.' is in the Londoner's
mind associated with the first peep a select public
is allowed to take of the productions on which our
painters and sculptors have been intent during the
past year, and those who are fortunate enough to
be within the range of those exclusive favours,
private view tickets, anticipate the first day of May
as one of those to be noted with • white stone.
The privilege of being among those who are
allowed to brush the bloom as it were from off
these rich and delicate fruits which have been ripe-
ing in hundreds of studios to be served up as a
gosgeous banquet to the most refined tastes of our
nature is indeed an enviable one, and is always
taken advantage of by those whom their position
or connections places it within their reach
with evident eagerness. The notion carried
1 away is that this year's exhibition, if not
below the average mark, as some predicted
I it would be, contains much fewer of what may be
called sensation pictures than on former occasions,
land perhaps the contributions bearing the names
of some of our most honoured painters fall, as a
general rule, somewhat sheet of the merit with
whish they as, lineally assesiatol. This csooot be
' said, however, to app to to Mr. Masi*, who sends
item pictures, which, if of small dimensions are the
ripe product of his highest skill. The first illus-
trates the passage in Macbeth spoken by Lady
Msobeth, which relates how she had '! drugged the
poseet " of the grooms-in-waiting on the old
king, who is represented sleeping profoundly,
with the stupefied attendants stretched on the
floor. The scene is from Keats's "Eve of St.
Agnes," and cannot be exceeded for power allied to
consummate finish. Mr. Millais has sent several
paihtings denoting extraordinary industry, con-
sidering his other occupations. A scene from As
Yea Like It is the most important. It shows
extesordinary power and facility, but still more do
"The Pilgrims to St. Paul," " Greenwich Pen-
sioners before Nelson's Tomb," and the " Reminis-
, canoe of Velasquez," which was executed for his
' diploma picture. Of Mr. Hook we have several
specimens, all belonging to the same class of sub-
' jai!, and illustrating sea life. " Lobster Catching"
i and " The Morning After a Gale " are the best of
, these—the latter full of light and breezy effect.
: Mr. Frith returns to his old class of subjects drawn
I from the literature of the latter part of the last
century. The well-known scene where Goldsmith
1 • , tohitmheselafminuseam ne
ne tir OcfoaDtr.beloohrensaonlooankdinhgis-
' ds, is admirably painted, but deficient in the
ad..
character and expression of the faces. The smaller
subject of " Stern with the French Innkeeper's
. Daughter " is better in this respect. The smothered
1 oognetry of the young woman is conveyed with
theism. The scene from Goldsmith's comedy, where
Tojiy Lumpkin measures his height with Miss Neville,
is to equal to anything Mr. Frith has done in this
c..l* of subject. Sir Edwin Landseer's " Rent Day
;in 'the Wilderness," is hardly equal to his repu-
I talon. The figures are weakly and carelessly
wilted, the colour fiat and monotonous, but the
I clop, of course, redeem much of the defectiveness
of Ile work. Another picture, representing a
holend watching by a dead stag, is more satisfac-
toe. Mr. Poole contributes a very fine work, full
of try, illustrating a tale of Chaucer's Custaunce
Pe adrift by the constable of Alla. A female
k
,1: re wtei,d,thhaibtyhefailhiscipinlicdtadsiuretaeoipcsuntayeddhriis,f,tialvinckgornchboialotdu,,sti.crin, under
• a of moonlight—graceful, airy, and full of
1 mystery of night. Mr. Feed, R.A., is best re-
Ilghly well painted, as is every inch of this
I!
work, it is doubtful if the subject is suited to
! treatment on such a scale. A pair of fustian trou-
t sere, and the earth-stained highlows, become thus
really the effective centre of the picture. From
Mr. Orchardson, A., we have an admirable por-
trait of Mrs. Birkett Foster, and a subject from
1 Shakspere, neither above nor below his usual mark,
1 which is a high one. The "Before Waterloo," of
1 Mr. O'Neill, R.A., representing the break-up of
1 festivities at Brussels, on the summons to the field '
!of Waterloo, is decidedly inferior to that artist's
I ordinary level. As ambitious as the famous "East-
ward Ho !" which it follows in the scheme of coin-
i position, it is immeasurably being it in circum-
-1 stantial treatment. Some of the faces are idioti-
I cally blank of expression. Mr. Goodall, R.A.,
sends a pair of religious paintings, " Mater
Pariasima," and " Mater Dolorosa.' The first
is full of sweetness in the expression of
the Madonna's face, and is instinct with
I purity and grace. The second is characterised
by more force, and is more elaborately painted,
but has not the same grace and touching effect. Mr.
Leighton's contributions are numerous and im-
portant. Tym"pltlatlieeASebaal-isdhoonreed"bi Theseus,"in tle ndl
con-
tinental style of treating classiCal subjects, are the
I most remarkable. In Mr. Ward's "Royal Mar-
riage " (1,477), we do not think it possible to recog-
! lime the usual merits of the artist either in the
conception or the execution. From Mr. Poole,
R.A., we have " A Border Raid," a burial party
seen through the shadee of night, a subject con-
: genial to the painter and worthily treated. Mr.
• Nicoll, whose clever scenes of Irish life have raised
I his name so high, has sent a more than usually
important work, among others, called " The Cross
1 Roads," showing a party at the door of a country
1 post-office, who seem to have just alighted from
one car, and are waiting for another. The in-
I cident of the boy whistling as he waits for the mail
1 bags is in Mr. Nicoll's happiest manner. Mr.
; Horsley has three pictures, all good, but the beat
las well as the largest is "Rent-day at Haddon
Hall." Mr. Poynter's picture of " The Catapult,"
'representing a number of half-naked figures
working a huge engine of this sort at a siege,
is without the stamp of originality to
be expected from him. Mr. Elmore, R.A.,
sends two works ; the chief, "Two Women at a
Mill," illustrating the Scriptural text, hardly shows
the conscientious workmanship or force of concep-
tion the artist has led us to expect. We have, of
course, in these notes omitted many striking
works, and of the landscape and animal subjects,
save in one instance, have said nothing. This
class is nevertheless extremely well represented,
but perhaps the portraits may be said to present
the most numerous instance of excellence, the chief
contributors to this department being Sir F. Grant,
the president, Mr. Richmond, R.A., Mr. Watts,
R.A., Mr. Sant, and Mr. Millais. We find we
have omitted all notice of Mr. Calderon, R.A„ one
of the recently elected academicians. He has sent
several works, the best of them being his diploma
picture, called " Whither ?" The rooms towards
mid-day became crowded with the usual assemblage
on these occasions, consisting of aristocratic, wealthy
patrons of art, artists, and literary celebrities, and
other more or less closely interested in the annual
crop of art productions which May-day brings to
the first discreet light of a Royal Academy private
view.

ROYAL CONNINSLON ON PAIIIAZY EDIXATION
(lanamo).—The Royal Commindon on Primary Educa-
tion (Ireland) met on Thanday at the dame of the com-
mission, id, tipper &shrills-street, Dublin. There were
point :-4%e Bari of Pawls, the Bari of Mamma, the
Bishop of Meath, Judge Mania. Neater Brooke, Bev. Dr.
Wilson, Rev. B. M.,Cewie, Mr. Deem. Mr. Stokes, Pro-
fessor Wilmot, and Mr. Waldron. The secretaries,
Messrs. May and Dunne. were In attendance.
Mrs. S. A. Allenis World's Hair Restorer or
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