The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-08 00:00:00

The following report of the National Shakspere
Committee was read at the meeting held at the
office of the Society of Arts on Monday :
in the early part of last year it had become evident that
a great many persons desired to mark, by some national act,
the completion of 300 years from the date of Shakspere's
birth. A Shakspere committee, which had been formed in
connection with an attempt to increase the fund for pur-
chasing New Place, discussed the subject early in May. A
number of gentlemen meeting at St. John's-gate had formed
a provisional committee, of which they offered the presi-
dency to Mr. Dickens. Another committee, with the name
of Mr. Macready as president, was announced in the public
prints. Some zealous friends of the Dramatic College had
put themselves in communication with the Duke of Devon-
shire. The Dramatic Authors' Society were discussing the
line of action which it would become them to take. There
were some other centres of honourable activity in the com-
mon cause. These several bodies proposed to celebrate the
national fact in the national capital ; two of them at least
proposed to do so by erecting a statue.
While these measures were being taken, without much
concert, in London, a meeting was convened in Stratford
(May 28), Lord Leigh, Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire,
presiding, to consider what should be done. Among other
things, a statue was suggested. Sir Robert Hamilton,
chairman of the local committee, urged that it might be
proper to have a statue in London, where he told the meet-
ing it was intended to erect one, but was not proper in
• Stratford, which had the poet's birthplace, his garden, and
his tomb. The Mayor of Stratford spoke against a statue,
and Lord Leigh voted against it. The proposal was rejected
by a formal vote.
The Shakspere Committee, which had been formed to
increase the fund for purchasing New Place, agreeing with
the vote of that Stratford meeting, and with thelexpress
desire of all the London committees, that a national monu-
ment should be erected in the metropolis, convened a meet-
ing at the apartments of the Royal Society of isiterature.
The meeting was held on the 22d of June, the Duke of Man-
chester in the chair, when resolutions were passed to the
following effect :—(1.) That the 300th birthday of the poet
should bo celebrated by laying the first stone of a monument
in a conspicuous part of London ; (2) That, to be worthy
of Shakspere and of the country, this celebration should be
conducted under the sanction of her Majesty and the presi-
dency of the Prince of Wales, with the aid of all classes of
the poet's countrymen and admirers; (3) That the existing
committee, consisting of the Dukes of Devonshire, Man-
chester, and Newcastle, a dozen earls and barons, two
bishops, two judges, 12 members of the House of Commons,
and 30 other gentlemen, including the Lord Mayor of Lon-
don and the Mayor of Stratford, should invite the concur-
rence of other bodies, and of eminent individuals, in carry
ing out the common wish. Sir Robert Hamilton, then and
now chairman of the Stratford Committee, proposed the
second of these resolutions. The Stratford Committee had
decided against a statue ; and their chairman assisted in
founding the National Shakspere Committee, the object of
which was to erect one in London. This statement of facts
is sufficient to show that no feeling of hostility to Stratford
presided over the organisation of the National Committee.
Those who founded the National Committee had been pre-
viously engaged in raising a fund to complete the purchase
of New Place, and make that property over to the town.
Their goodwill to Stratford can therefore admit of no doubt.
Some of them, while pursuing the more important national
object, have also given to Stratford their names, their money,
and their time. Indeed, the president, the chairmen, and four
or five vice-presidents of the local body aro all prominent
officers and members of the National Committee.
The committee, founded at Midsummer, has drawn to n
common centre all the active promoters of a celebration in
London, and has given the signal for many other towns, at
home and in the colonies, to act, A deputatton from the Ur •
ban Club and from the Dramatic Authors Society offered to
coalesce, and their offers have b-en accepted. The eminent
persons who had been named as presidents of other associ-
ations—Mr Dickens, Lord Carlisle, and Mr Macready--
have been invited to act as vice-presidents, an invita'ion
which in every case has been courteously accepted. All
separate schemes having thus been placed under the control
of a single body, the committee has grown into such mania
tude and variety that it would probably be right to describe
it even now as in some degree a representation of English
thoueht. At this moment the National Shakspere Cem-
mittee consists of about 400 persons, each more or less
eminent in his own walk of life. Every great branch of our
many-sided society has a delegate at the board.
The Church is represented by the Archbishops of Canter-
bury, York, and Dublin, by the Bishops of London, Wor-
cester and St. David's, by the Deans of Canterbury,
Westminster, St. Paul's, and Chichester, and by many
distinguished clergymen.
Law is represented by Lord Chief Baron Pollock and
Lord Justice Knight Bruce, by the Queen's Advocate, her
Majesty's Attorney- general, the Chief Justice of Guiana,
Sir Fitzroy Kelly, Sir Hugh M. Cairns, Mr. Serjeant Parry,
and many eminent barristers.
The universities are represented by the Duke of Devon-
shire, Lord Brougham, the Master of Trinity, Professor
Goldwin Smith, and the Rev W. G. Clark.
Government is represented by the Duke of Newcastle,
Earl Granville, Earl Russell, and the Right Hon. William
Cowper.
The House of Lards is represented, independently of the
peers already named, by the Dukes of Manchester and Cleve-
land, the Marquis Townshend, the Earl of Shrewsbury,
Clarendon, Howe, Sandwich, and Dunraven, Viscounts
Eversley and Stratford de Radcliffe, and by Lord de Lisle
and Dudley, Londesborough, Houghton, and Vernon.
The non official members of the House of Commons are
represented by Lord Ernest Bruce, Lord John Manners,
the Right Hon. Spencer Walpole, Sir Joseph Pexton, Mr
Alderman Salomon, Colonel Sykes, and Messrs. BPzley,
Ewart, Goschen, Halibuiton, Holford, Newdegate, Rose,
Scholefield, Sheridan, Taylor, Tite, and Wynne.
The Nonconformist clergy are represented by the Rev
Principal of the Regent's-park College, the Rev Principal
of Cheshunt College, the Revs Henry Allon, Thomas Ave-
ling, Wm. Brock, Baldwin Brown, G. B. Bubier, John
Stoughton, and Dr Robert Vaughan.
The Jews are represented by the Chief Rabbi, Dr Adler.
Ireland is represented by the Lord Lieutenant, the Arch-
bishop of Dublin, the Dean of the Royal Chapel, Lord Tal-
bot of Malahide, and the President of the Royal Irish
Academy.
Scotland is represented by the Chancellor of the Univer-
sity of Edinburgh, Dean Ramsay, Lord Neaves, the Prin-
cipal of the University of Edinburgh, and the Sheriff of
Midlothian.
General literature and the press may be said to be repre-
sented, amongst others, by the President of the Society of
Antiquaries, the President of the Statistical Society, the
President of the Numismatic Society, Mr Charles Dickens,
vice-president; the Poet- Laureate, vice-president ; Lord
Houghton, Lord Lindsay, Sir Frederic Madden, Sir James
Prior, Professor Brewer, Professor Masson, Dr Doran;
Messrs William Allingham, Mathew Arnold, G. P. Bacon,
G.,L. Banks, H. N. Be' nett, Re Bell, Algernon Borthwick,
%:harles Kent, Shirley Brooks, Chevalier do Chatelain,
W. 11. Collingridge, in Costello, E. Dicey, J. H. Fris-
well, C. W. Goodwin, James Grant, T. C. Grattan, C. L.
Gruneiaen, S. C. Hall, T. D. Hardy, J. A, Heraud, T.
Hood, J. Hollingshed, Thornton Hunt, B. Jerrold, J. W.
Kaye, C. L. Kenney, J. Knight, F. Lawrence, G. C.
Leighton, Mark Lemon, E. Levy, J. Lowe, S. Lucas, C.
Mackay, Theodore Martin, Herman Merivale, R. Morley,
H. Ottley, Henry Reeve, J. F. Robertson, W. H. Russell,
G. A. Sala, W. J. Thorns, H, Vizetelly, J. Waleer, W.
H. Wills, Thomas Wright, and Edmund Yates.
Shaksperian literature is represented by the Rev Alex.
Dyce, Rev W. G. Clark, Rev Wm. Harness, Professor
Craite, Messrs Cowden Clarke, Payne Collier, and Charles
Knight,
Dramatic literature is represented by Sir E. B. Lytton,
Bart., Messrs Bayle Bernard, E. L. Blanchard, Leicester
Buckingham, F. C. Burnand, Byron, Stirling Coyne,
Andrew Halliday, George Lovell, Westland Marston.
Johni3Oxenford, J. R. Planche, Palgrave Simpson, and the
Rev J. C. Bellew.
Science is represented by the president of the Royal So-
ciety, Sir David Brewster, Professor Owen, Professor
Thomson, Dr Angus Smith, Dr Charles Beke, Messrs R.
Chambers, Warren do la Rue, and George Godwin.
Art is represented by the president of the Royal Aca-
demy, the president of the Society of British Artists, the
president of the Architectural Museum ; Messrs Richard
Ansdell, E. H. Baily, E. W. Cooke, George Cruikshank,
Joseph Durham, Alfred Elmore, Thomas Feed, J. H.
Foley, W. E. Frost, S. A. Hart, John Leighton, Daniel
Maclise, W. Calder Marshall, David Roberts, Clarkson
Stanfield, G. M. Ward, and Professor Westinacott.
Music is represented by Sir Fred. G. Ouseley, Oxford ;
Dr E. G. Monk, York; Professor Sterndale Bennett, Mr
M. W. Balfe, M. Jules Benedict, Mr J. W. Davison, M.
Otto Goldschmidt, Messrs G, A. Macfarren. G. W. Martin,
Sims Reeves, W. Vincent Wallace, and Dr Rimbault.
Dramatic art is represented by Messrs James Anderson,
J. B. Buckstone, William Creswick, Edmund Falconer,
Charles Feebler, Charles Kean, W. C. Macready, Henry
Marston, Samuel Phelps, J. L. 'Poole, George Vining, Ben-
jamin Webster, and Alfred Wigan.
Tho City of London is, for the moment, represented by
the Lord Mayor, Mr Alderman Rose (late Lord Mayor),
Mr Alderman Besley, Mr Alderman Salomon, Messrs
W. F. Ccsens, G. R. Geschen, M.P., Henry Huth, Henry
Jonnson, E. ILLawrence (Stock Exchange), W. Leaf, and
George Peabody.
The organisation is only just commencing in the country;
but the following cities and towns are already represented
ou the committee :—Arundel, by the Mayor. Belfast, by
Professor Birmingham, by Mr. Win. &holt:field,
M,P,, Mr T. Lloyd, 1,1. P., and Mr George Dawson, M 3.