The Sun.
London, England, 1841-07-05 00:00:00

MOCK COMPETITIONS.

The public will be glad to hear thst Mr. Allan Cun-
ningham is about, immediately, to prepare for the press
a Memoir of Sir David Wilkie, from original documents
supplied by the family, including the letters and papers
of the artist, and the journals kept, it is said with great
regularity, during his travels in Spain, Italy, and the
A"projeet is also afloat for raising, by subscription,
a monument to the deceased artist. We shall much re-
joice if this intention 133 carried into execution—we should
like to see., monuments erected in this way to Ho-
garth,. Reynelds, and others, who have shed a lustre
on Britain and British art, and we shall be quite
content to begin with offering homage to the me-
moryof Wilkie. But let there be no. jobbing in the
matter and we sound this note of warning because we
have already observed certain old familiar indications
which awaken suspicion. Whatever is done, let it be
done in a worthy spirit, and in honour of the dead—not
with reference to the. living interests and profits. Let us
have a promise at starting that the work shall be open to
competition--competition after exhibition of the designs,
and by competent persons, to be selected by the compe-
titors—then we shall all put our shoulders to the wheel,
and struggle zealously in the good cause. But there
must be some such preliminary conditions ; for artists
and the public are weary even of competition without.
security for even-handed justice. What a disgraceful
piece of jobbery is laid bare in the following letter, re-
lating to the proposed competition 'for a new church in
Hyde Park Gardens :
" The proceedings of the Committee, by whom the pre.
liminary business was conducted, in regard to the nume-
rous designs sent in for their approval, were first made
know to me in January, 1840, when I was informed that
out of the whole number they had selected five to be
submitted to the vestry for approval ; 'but of these they
recommended two only as deserving attention, and that,
at a Vestry convened for the purpose, a report accord-
ingly was made and received. One of these designs,
thus recommended, was mine ; it was Gothic, and wasde-
signated by a blue star,—the other Grecian, the work
of Mr. Lindsay, marked " Let merit bear the palm."
The estimate for mine was 12,000/.; for Mr. Lindsay's
8,450/., which latter estimate being, upon subsequent
examination, found inadequate by at least one-half the
amount, the design was abandoned ; and recourse being
again had
.to the five remaining .designs sent to the
Vestry, mine received the unanimous recommendation
of the Committee ; but as it was considered by the Com-
mittee that a Grecian as well as a Gothic design should
be submitted, another of the five being Grecian, and the
work of Mr. Gutch, was sent with mine to a special
vestry, again held to receive the second report of the
Committee. And it is to the extraordinary proceed-
ings of this Vestry I beg more particularlY to call your.
_attention.-
`" Mr. Gutch was a competit9r from the first, his (a
Grecian dosign,) was among the five placed before the
former Vestry, and was one of the three of that live .not
recommended for execution by the Committee. , But. it
would appear that this latter. Vestry had resolved to exe-
cute this gentleman's design attany rate, for' on this occa-
sion, he being present, his design was re-produced, hav-
ing been altered from Grecian to Gothic, and in various
other ways changed, to suit the views and opinions which
the other and approved design had elicited during the
deliberation,of the Committee. Of `these alterations, or
of the intention to make them, the Committee were alike

4,43204141,i11,15. . - • , • •
" One difficulty still remained—the estimate of cost—
which, by the terms of -the original advertisement,
was required to accompany each of the designs, was de-
clared to be insufficient to meet the expense of the alter-
dons which had enabled Mr. Gutch to get his design
adopted. But these gentlemen, in defiance, (it is sub-
mitted) of fairness and consistency, were determined to
support their fellow vestryman, Mr. Gutch, and adopt
his design, notwithstanding their having invited competi-
tion. They at once, therefore, permitted him to raise his
estimate from 8,6001: to 9,6001.- to carry his new plan
into execution,
In this manner ended the labours of the Committee ap-
pointed to `f advertise for, and receive and examine plans
for the erection of a new church at Paddington." The
Vestry rejected the design which, after long and careful
scrutiny; the Committee had'selected, and they adopted,
without previous examination on the part of any Com-
mittee, a design produced for the first time by an influen-
tial member of their`own body, that member being pre-
sent, •to aid them in their decision in his' own. favour, in
total disregard of those principles of fair grid on pro-
feSsional rivalry by which all competitions should be
guided. Yours, &c.,
—AthenaeUm. "LEWIS VULLIAMY."

THE WEST.RIDINGB-OROUGH

ELECTIONS. .
We will not attempt to conceal our deep mortification
and regret that the Ten Pound Constituency of Leeds
should have failed in doing their duty ttt the tresent im-
portant crisis. The people of England looked to theni for
example and encouragement, and they h five sent to Parlia-
ment a Tory and a bread-taxer, instead of M. Hume,
one of the foremost men in the popular ranks in all Eng-
lafid. In the last Parliament Leeds was represented by
two total repealers of the Corn-laws ; in the Parliament
to come, it will be represented by Mr. Aldam, a fixed-
duty man, and Mr. Beckett, a bread-taxing monopolist.
The position of Leeds in Parliament is therefore grQatly
altered for the worse. Even at the best it will be neu-
tralized, and as it were, stand unrepresented in the great
contest between Industry and Monopoly. It will pos-
sess no influence, by its votes, over the fate of the em-
pire. It is reduced to Parliamentary zero : it will be
insufficient, neuter, nothing.
We would have some difficulty in accounting for the
conduct of the constituency of Leeds on this opcasion,
were we not aware of the vast amount of ignorance.
which prevails amongst the present electoraLclasto-
gether with the empty ambition which letuatemost of
them, to ape, and emulate, and make common cause. with
the aristocratic and Oundering classes of this country
We know also that those of them who really are honest,
stand. in a feaifully_ unprotected situation ; they have
powerful influences to contend against, in the shape of
bribery, intimidation, and coercion, and all the foul arts
of corruption. The Whigs have left the franchise far
too restricted, and those who exercise it by far too un-
protected ; the consequence has been, their present de-
feat and discomfiture all over the country.
The defeat of the Whigs at Bradford is to be attri-
buted to the same causes ; and to the extraordinary
exercise of corrupt influences by the Tory party. There
has also been a want, of that union between the Whigs
and Radicals which is now absolutely necessary in order
to insure success.
At Halifax the Whigs have run into the same error,
and treated their Radical allies as if they were merely
the passive and unreflecting instruments in their hands
of securing Whig ascendency and triumph.
.
In the meantime the game is up. Our only move now
is, to establish Radical Reform Associations all over the
country, and organizing ourselves for the next grand
battle between the people and the aristocracy. There
will be a speedy fusion of all the popular elements of
strength, immediately on the accession to power of a
Tory and monopoly Government.—Leeds Times.

. CORONER'S INQUEST.—A Coroner's inquest
was held on Friday afternoon before Mr. Wak'ey, M.P., at the
Orange-tree, Orange-street, 13loomsbury, on Joseph Rous,
aged 75 years, who hung himself. Mr. John Cheetham, of 10,
Kingsgate-street, Holborn, harness-maker, had known the de-
ceased between six and seven years. He was an organ-
builder, and occupied a small room on the second floor in
witness's house. On his (witness's) return home at eight
o'clock on Tuesday evening, his wife gave him a note, which
she had found about five o'clock on the stairs. It
was in the deceased's handwriting, and contained the fol-
lowing words :--" Mr. Cheetham,
Mr. Rous will be much
obliged to you if you will open his door." Witness im-
mediately went up stairs, snd tried the door, but
as he could only partially open it, and thinking that the de-
ceased had put a box against it, he pushed it° violently, when
it flew open, and the deceased, who was hanging to it by a
rope, swung round, and came in contact with his face. Wit-
ness being very much terrified, had not sufficient presence of
mind to cut him down. He ran into the street, and called two
men, and they took him down. He was dead, but not quite
cold, and a handkerchief was tied over his eyes. The deceased
had been nearly three years without any employment. Ile had
pawned and sold all his tools, and nearly all his clothes, and
had latterly been without any means of subsistence. "IN itness
had frequently advised him to apply for paroehi d relief, but
he had always said he never would, and that he would Lather
hang, himself. Verdict—" Temporary insanity.
I'AIRLOP FAlR.—This fair, which is annually
held on the first Friday in July, on a spot of ground in Hain-
ault Forest, Essex, took place on Friday, and a thinner attend-
ance of persons was never known on a like occasion. Formerly
Fairlop used to be honoured by a numerous company of
fa!,hionables, and, in fact, was considered a respectable place of
resort ; but of late years it has extremely degenerated, and
those who assemble are chiefly of the lowest grades of society.
Indeed very few respectable persons were to be seen there on
Friday. A body of the metropolitan police was on the ground,
apd rendered officieat aid iu presses-Tin order.