Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-10-19 00:00:00

THE FINE ARTS.

A novel metho 1 of distributing some works of art
amongst a number of subscribers—a private art-union
was adopted on Thursday last, which proved so satisfactory
that it might be worth while to consider its applicability
to public Art-unions. There were ten pictures, heads of
characters in Shakspeare's plays, to be allotted to the 4or-
tunate ten out of a hundred subscribers. The usual mode
of drawing the names from one box and the prizes and
blanks from another, by parties who had no connection with
the Art-union; but instead of the prizes being sums of
money or specific pictures, the prizes were numbered 1, 2,3,
&e. When No. 1 was drawn, corresponding to Mr. S. Win-
stanley's name, he had his choice out of the whole, and Mr.
F. Howard selected Falstaff for him. No. 2 was drawn by
Mr. Ellis Jones, who then had the next choice, and took
Prospero; and so on as the numbers came up, and all
the parties who were present were highly . satisficd
at having their opportunity of selection in tu. n,
and the friends of those prize-drawers who were
absent made selections for them, which we have
little doutt will prove equal satisfactory. The diversity of
taste between a number of persons afforded each an oppor-
tunity of obtaining what he preferred, withoutinterfering
with the preference of others. Mrs. Peter Thomson
obtaimed Ariel; Mr. Edward Benn, Catherine the Shrew;
Mr. Samuel (learns, Hamlet ; Mr. Henry Cox, Hermione ;
Mr. Randal Sherleek, Lady Macbeth; Mr. T J. Stowe,
Othellc ; Mr. John Parker, Petruchio ; and to Mr. Duncan,
whe was absent, the selection remains between Bardolf
perhaps the finest, certainly the most powerful head in
the sat, and the Elvish Puck. These pictures were part of
a set of twelve painted by Mr. Frank Howard, and were
lent by him to the Historic Society, to grace the rooms of
the Town-hall, when the Soiree was given to the Archceo-
logical Institute in July last. They formed the principal
attractions of the evening from their prominent situations,
and their varied character, independent of artistic
skill. he picture of Opizei:a in th 3 present exhibition
was one of the twelve—ten of the remaining
eleven were the subject of this Art Union. If the
metho i vof distribution which we have described
were adopted by the Glasgow Art Union, their scheme
would be perfect. They appoint, or used to appoint, a
committee to expend the money collected by subscriptions
in the purchase of the best pictures they can find, irre-
spective of prizes a ceetein amounts. They thus obviate
the difflculty frequently found by subscribers to Art
Unions in general, that they cannot find a picture they
like, exactly corresponding in price with the amount of
the prizes they have obtained. When Sir E.ekine Perry
obtained a prize of £3OO in the London Art Union, there
was not a £3OO picture to he found in any of the exhibi-
tions ; and the rules of the Art Union precluded him from
going to the artists' studios, where many £3OO pictures
might have been found, painted in former years, when
the pictures of that value exceeded in number the prizes
to be drawn, and which had not been fortunate enough to
find purchasers, independent of Art Unions. This method
of managing the latter would make them much more
advantageous to both the subscribers and the artists.

Tifig DEPVY REC3RDRII.—We hAve much pleasure in
being enabled to state that Mr. J. K. Aepinall, barrister,
has loftn ap,,o:nted Deputy Recorder of Liverpool, vice
M. Blair, who has accepted the Jadgeship of the County
Court.

SAILING OF THE CLIPPER SHIP PLAN rim—The
spleldid clipper-slip Planter, of the Euale Line of Packets
took her dedartcre Irom the Mersey, yesterday, for Mel-
bourne. She was completely filled with patseigers, and
the Captain, (Carlisie,) exprets to make the passage under
70 days. TGa Planter wi'l be followed by the Queen of
the B.e, whith is AdvcrOsed to sail ou the .15th proximo.

AMERICA,