The Sun.
London, England, 1825-04-23 00:00:00

FOR THE SUN.

Mit. Enuroa—lshati now, with very great de-
ference, venture to touch upon the State necessity of purchas-
ing the late President's historical pictures for the National Gal-
lery ; a measure which the writer Of the gratuitous pamphlet,
entitled " Observations on the probable extinction of British
History Painting," has so earnestly offered to the enlightened
consideration of the highest and most competent authorities in
the Realm. I have learned with much satisfaction, that the
receipt of the presentation copy. of the pamphlet, humbly sub-
mitted to the King's gracious acceptance and the letter of un-
feigned duty and affection, with which Messrs. RAN-lA-EL and
BENJAMIN WEST accompanied it, have been condescendingly
acknowledged in a letter from
.the Marquess CON YNGTIAM...—
This act of Royal favour is one of the many constant tokens,
by which his Majesty has been pleased to mark his paternal at-
tention for the Fine Arts in his dominions.
In 1816, the Select Committee of the House of Commons, on
the Elgin Marbles, in their report, deemed it their duty. to lay
a stress upon the following passage —" Your Committee can-
not dismiss this interesting subject without submitting to the
attentive reflections of the house, how highly the cultivation of
the Fine Arts has contributed to the reputation, character and
dignity of every Gove.rnment by which they have been encou-
raged, and how intimately they are conneetea with the ad-
vancement of every thing valuable in science, Literc-
turc and philosophy." The Members of the Select
Committee (who possessed so large a portion of talent
and public spirit) did not offer the preceding observations
to Parliament without any permanent reference or object. They
hoped thereby to draw the attention of the Legislature to the
patronage and advancement of the Fine Arts, as a great na-
tional means of " advancing everything valuable in science,
literature, and philoscplay,7 anti so strong and general was the
concurrence in this opinion, that there was not a dissentient
remark upon the subject, in or out of Parliament. In wisdom
and consistency, therefore, there is A NECESSITY for the im-
mediate interference of the State to prevent the rapid decay and
utter extinction of the PUBLIC STYLE of history painting in
this country. The exclusion of paintings from our Churches
and, public edifices during two hundred and eighty years, has
closed up the only field for the practice of the PUBLIC STYLE
of history, and excluded British genius from public patronage,
in that high department; it has also produced an Anti- British and
Anti-historical prejudice in the nation. The power of the State
overthrow and nothing but the power of the State can rebuild the
PUBLIC style, in the British Schools. After all the noble efforts of
his late Majesty, and of our present gracious Sovereign ; after the
commendable exertions of the Royal Academy and the British
Institution ; after the splendid display of genius by WEST,
the-late head of the Arts in this country, and by the young
Artists, who studied the public style in and since the year 1805,
the want of public patronage.in that department is now greater
than it was forty years ago, when \STEST was painting the
grand series of pictures from the Revelations for the intended
Chapel Royal at Windsor. There is now no other prospect for
a painter of history upon the grand scale, but the chance of
obtaining a prize and selling a picture or two to the British In-
stitution ; he has then to struggle through a life of disappoint-
pent. dependence, and misery, without any certain employ-
ment whatever, oppressed by public apathy and neglect, and
continually pursued by the apprehension of bailiff's and pri-
son. After these introductory remarks, knowing the very nar-
row space in your columns for this subject, during the sitting
of Parliament, I am unwillingly obliged to postpone my fur-
ther observations.
April 19, 1325. EVELYN, JUN.

M. KARL KRAUTEMER of Vienna has obtain-
ed from the Austrian Government a patent
for one year for a new invention, of which the
following is the literalspecification :-
4, A carriage, with a moving straight, and endlesS iron rail-
way, for the conveyance as well of burdens however heavy,
as of travellers, with very little friction and shaking, as easily,
quickly, and without noise, as with carriages on fixed iron-rail,
roads, without any greater expence of propelling power, up or
down hill, and in any optional lateral direction, over paved or
unpaved roads, whether passing over meadow, clay, or sandy
ground; lastly, without causing dust or dirt in the roads, and
without injuring them."

TriniA.—lf we call Over the names of those Of-
ficers of the East India Service who have written books in India,
few stand more prom inent than Capt. SEELY, Author of that cele-
brated publication " The Wonders of Elora." Most of those
India Officers who have written have confined themselves, and
exerted their talents, in one line only. We have now before us,
written by Capt. SEELY in the short space of.two years, a book
on a commercial subject, another on a political question, and,
last, his volume on the Antiquities of " Elora.' It is quite'
needless fur us to offer a word on the latter work; its great suc-
cess is the best proof of its merit. But this is not all. Capt. S. is
now employed in constructing a Map of India. We have seen
the outline, and the large mass of materials possessed by the
Author. It will be different in form to all others, and, as far as we
can judge, bids fair to eclipse them. Strange as it must appear,
although Capt. SEELY has had his sight injured by opthalmia,
and is crippled in both hands, the native ardour of his spirit,
and his enthusiasm in the cause of Literature, has urged him to
do so much in so short a time and, what is more, although the
subjects he has written upon are very dis;dmilar,
they are all
well done. Ile is a credit to the Service to which he ' belongs,
and we are proud of him as an Englishman. We cannot help
thinking that Capt. S. is the Author of several Political Essays
which have appeared in our Paper.

- Last week there passed through Boulounne,on
their way to Paris, 17 very fine English horses, which, it is
said, have been purchased for the King of France, at very high
prices, some of them as high as a thousand pounds each.