The Sun.
London, England, 1841-08-24 00:00:00

SCHOOL of DESIGN.

His Royal Highness Prince Albert presided yesterday
at the third annual distribution of prizes to the pupils
of the Government School of Design, which took place
at Somerset House, in tht presence of a numerous au-
dience, amongst whom were many of the most distin-
guished artists and patrons of art in this country.
Before the arrival of his Royal Highness we observed
amongst the company Mr. Haydon, Sir Augustus Cal-
cott, Mr. Cockerill, Mr. Papworth, and Mr. Etty, the
eminent artists ; the Hon. Fox Maule, the Bishop of
Norwich, Mr. Eviart, M.P., Mr. Labouchere, President of
the Board of Trade ; Mr. Williams, M.P., Mr. Glad-
stone, Mr. Hodgson, Lord Colborne, Mr. Gillon, Mr.
Wyse, Mr. B. 'Wall, Mr. Gaily Knight, Sir R. H. Inglis,
Mr. Basil Montague, Mr. Hawes, Mr. Samuel Rogers, &c.
Soon after twelve o'clock his Royal Highness was con-
ducted to the Chair by Mr. Labouchere and Lord Dun •
cannon. He was greeted in the most enthusiastic man-
ner, and acknowledged the warmth of the reception by
repeated bows. When the clapping of hands and cheer-
ing subsided, _

The Director,
...Mr. DICE, then read the following
Report :
"I have been requested by the Council to commence
the business of this day, by stating the result of their
deliberations on the comparative merits of the drawings
and models submitted by the students competitors for the
prizes.
" But before doing so, it may be necessary to offer some
few words explanatory of the principle on which the
selection of subjects for competition has been made ;
not only to remove any impression that the designs
generally give an adequate notion of the extent and ver-
sitality of talent passessed by all the competitors ; but
to account for a deficiency of skill that may be observed
in some of the drawings to which prizes have been
awarded. At each of the three competitions which have
hitherto taken place, the selection of subjects, with one
or two exceptions has been varied.
" On the first occasion, about a year after the founda-
tion of the school, prizes were offered for designs
for certain important branches of industry depen-
dent on taste, without much reference to the capa-
bilities of the students, and not so much in

the hope that, considering the very short period
during which they have been engaged in preparatory
study a great amount of skill would be displayed, as to
obtain a reasonable 'ground for anticipating the future
success and efficiency of the School.
" Two years were then suffered to elapse before the
Council thought it again advisable to offer rewards for
design ; and, during this period, the condition of the
school had considerably changed.
" On the first opening of the establishment, a certain
amount of skill in drawing was required to qualify
a student for admission to the advantages of tuition, be-
cause it was thought that a restriction of this kind
would tend to maintain the superior character which it
was proposed the central establishment should possess.
" Experience, however, soon showed, that the almost
absolute want of elementary education in art among
the classes likely to avail themselves of instruction in the
School of Design, would be an insuperable obstacle to its
efficiency, unless this restriction was removed, and it
proceeded to deal with its pupils as mere beginners.
" The removal of the restriction, it is hardly necessary
to state, had the effect of converting the institution for a
time into a mere elementary drawing school.
" When the distribution of prizes took place last year
the great majority of students were engaged in
learning the very first rudiments of art, and
very few indeed were really capable of producing
designs kir manufacture ; and those had either attended
the school since its commencement or had been previ-
ously engaged in branches of industrial design, by
whijh they were enabled without difficulty to turn their
study in the school to account. The subjects of compe-
tition lastyear,r.ccordingly, were selected with immediate
reference to the talents and capabilities of a few more ad-
' vanced students • while, on the other hand, numerous
rewards were bestowed without competition on the
pupils in the elementary classes.
" This year a new selection of subjects for competition
has naturally arisen out of the progress that has been
made since the last' distribution. A considerable num-
ber of those who on the last occasion were mere be-
ginners have now advanced to the higher elementary
exercises, and are capable to a certain extent of com-
mencing the practice of design. It was desirable, there-
fore to endeavour to stimulate their talents by offering
rewards either for specimens of original design of the
simpler sorts, or for the kind of work which, though not
ranking as original design, constitutes the step imme-
diately preparatory to it.
" Of the nineprizes now to be awarded, four are of this
description : one being for the best painting of flowers
or fruit from Nature ; one for the best model in plaster
from flowers or leaves • and the other two for original
designs in outline merely.
" Of the remaining five prizes, two are intended to en-
courage the right preparation of patterns for branches of
industry which it must always be the business of the
school more or less to attend to ; namely, calico printing
an'? paper-staining. Two for decorative design, have been
selected with reference to the growing public taste for a
revival of the ancient arts of glass-staining, and the
painting of arabesques ; and one for specimens of litho-
graphy, to reward the zeal, assiduity, and talent of the
pupils who are preparing themselves to assist in the exe-
cution of the elementary drawing-book for schools,
which is now about 'to be published under the sanction
of the Council.

" It only remainss to be added, as one of the most
favourable symptoms of the progress of the school, that
the number of competitors is much greater this year
than on the former occasion ; and that if the instances
of remarkable excellence are less numerous, it is due to
the fact that the prizes have been intended for the most
part rather to elicit the rising talent of the younger stu-
dents than to afford scope for the skill of those who are
more advanced ; and consequently that the majority of
the specimens are really the productions of beginners"
Mr. COCKERELL, architect, then addressed his Roya
Highness. He begged, as an artist and a member of
the Council, to bear testimony to the care with which
the designs had been selectected as deserving of reward.
Every care had been taken to do justice, and he could
say that many of the designs which had been unsuccess-
ful this year, would last year have been deemed
worthy of the prize. In making the selection, every thing
that was essential to the art was taken into considera-
tion : first, the design ; secondly, the execution ; and,
thirdly, that quality, without which there could be no
real success—that is, deligence.—(Applause.) At
the same time, he had to offer his congratulations
to the President upon the great success of the
Institution within the four years since it had been estab-
lished.—(Applause.) It had been long the disgrace of
this commercial and manufacturing country that the art
of design was neglected, and that no such Institution as
this was in existence. Thus it was that privacy pre-
vailed so much in our manufactures. In fact our artists
had been ;living on the genius of past times,
and lately upon that in the reign of Louis the Fourteenth.
If we went back to the age of Pericles, and descended to
the Medici, to Louis XI V. and the present King of Bava-
ria, we should see what could be done by the education of
our manufacturers incorrect principles of art. It might he
hoped that by means of the present school and its branches
they would be no longer behind the age or country
of any of these great patrons of the arts. The artists who
were members of the Council had devoted the best efforts
with the most ardent zeal to promote the interests of
this noble Institution ; but they must look to the
great authorities of the country, to the manufecturers,
aid to the public for co-operation and patronage.
They had received considerable support from the
Government and from Parliament, which last session
granted the liberal sum of ten thousand pounds to
and the school and its branches. It was hoped that a
female branch would be established, as there were at least
three departments of the arts which females could exer-

vise• He concluded by assuring his Royal Highness and
the c ,mpany, that whatever powers the members of the
Council possessed, should be earnestly, ardently, Fid
constantly devoted to promote the success of the Institu-
tion.—(Applause.)
His Royal Highness then distributed the following
prizes in the most gracious manner. The successful
students were warmly applauded by the company as
they came forward to receive their several rewards.
1. To Mr. George Frederick Latnbart, 5/. ss.—for the
best Lithograph -from Nature. Given by the Right
Hon. the President of the Board of Trade.
g, To Mr. John Patterson, 5/. ss.—for the best Painting
of a Group of Flowers from Nature. Given by the
Right Hon. the President of the Board of Trade.
3. To Master Charles King, 31. 33.—for the best Design
for a Salver. Given by J. G. Bridge, Esq.
4 To Master George Dyer, 21. 2s.—tbr the best Design
for a Silver Tankard. Given by J. G. Bridge, Esq.
5, To Mr, Octavius Hudson , .F4.--Syr a large Design

..,
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Denomination
: .t. •4 a '' ' •,4
o f -St -e, 0E
S'd x • -o ...:
Articles. E.
.4 N
... - - **
.." 7 ... 1) 0,
In English. 1:1 5 -,,i 5 .- ,-. 8
cc >gS x. 9, Z
stivers. rix-dol stivers.
Annotta or Rcucou 9 100 lb 20 9 Ohl val.
Argo' or Tartar 6 50016 12L,
6 Old val.
4
Arsenic
Auripigmentum I 9 100 lb 12 6
Barilla I 6 300 lb 5 3
Camel's Hair I 30 301 b 23 12
Canella Alba 36 100 lb 12 6
Cardamoms' 36 ',loolb 35 18
Cassia Fistula 36 100 lb 25 12
Cassia Lignea..
9
Cement
Cocoa
Coffee
Coney Wool
otton—Manufac-1
tures of, with the ' 1 ;
exception or v, hite I
.0 various
common Calicoes ,' ,'; ... 1 per cent
ad val.
and those articles I '''
herein specified ')
Cotton Stockings,
mens' & womens' 30 50 pair 124 6
„ ditto, half, or
childrens'
Cubebs
Isinglass I 6 100 lb 121 6 Old val.
Juniper Berries I 36 800 lb 13' 6
Lead Shot I 4 100 lb 4 2
Manna Groats 9 100 lb. 4 2
Ochre 9 2001 b 2 1
Oranges and Le-
mons, fresh 2 1 box 2 1
Pimento
Rhapontick root '36 1001 b 75 36 Old val.
Rhubarb 36 100113 75 36 Old val.
Rice in the husk,
or Paddy 15 4001 b I 1 6
Sarsaparilla 36 10015 35 18
Spices, not further
enumerated er I per teat
described 36 100 lb , ad val.
Sugar, raw 9 100 lb 10 5
Turmerick
Verdigris 9 100 lb 20 9 Old val.
Wood for Dyeing : ,
„ Sapan
1
„ Sandal
30 IMO lb 15 8
„ Province
„ Cam & Bar-
wood
~ Caliatour I
„ Campeachy IV
Honduras..! 36 1000 lb 15 8
. Logwoed.... I-1 . ...
„ Galicia
„ Nicaragua or!
Peach
„ Sta. Martha 36 100016
„ Rio de la
(24 I 12
Hackie
p' 10001 b
„ Stockfish-
„ Fustick of all 371.
wood 30 8001 b
sorts 36 100016 15 8
„ Ficet- wood .
„ not further 30 10001 b ... I per cent
enumerated ad val.
or described
Yarn, viz. :
~ Cotton or
Twist 36 10016 32 16 I
~ Knitting
Cotton ... 18 501 b }3O 15
„ Sewing ditto
5016
~ Turkey red. .30
„ Embroidery
„ Mohair ...... 30 50 lb 37 18
Zinck, or Speller:
„ from the North
Sea 8 100 lb 1 3 2
~ from the Baltic 3 100 lb s I

IVitness our hands and seals in London, the 13th
May, 1841.
(LS.) FRANCIS C. MACGREGOR, her. Britannic
Majesty's Consul for Denmark and the
Oresound. • •
(LS.) C. G,-WESSEL, Roval Second Translator at

the Oresound Custom-house.
(L.S.) 11. 11. OLRIK, Royal Comptroller at the Ore-
sound Custom-hcuse.

THE
'RATHER.--NOON, AUGUST 23.
ROYAL GALLERY OF SCIENCE, ADELATDE-STREET.
Barometer
29.90 In.
Thermometer... 65 ( Highest 67 P Lowest ...... 49
Wind W.—Freezing Point 32 Deg.

Lord Morpeth, the Hon. H. Fortescue, and
Mr. Geale, arc the trustees to the marriage settlement of
the Countess Fortescue • and the sum settled on her
Ladyship by his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant, is
2,0001. per annum.
The Commerce contains accounts from Odessa
announcing that several commercial l.ouses thero had
suspended their payments, amongst others that of Eslr.-
ger and Co. for 400,000 rubles, anti Isais for 200,000.