The Sun.
London, England, 1856-07-10 00:00:00

TEE NATIONAL GALLERY AND RUE
N.EW "GLOVANM BELLINI."

TO THEI EDITOR, OF THE SUN.
SlR,—This morning I paid a first visit to the
new " Giovanni Bellini." Imagine, instead of the
limpid, sunny, and gem-like surface of Giovanni
Bellini, a besmeared, dull-purple, rotten-looking
daub, stippled up to the highest pitch of, the
" trade," and you have a faint idea of what you
will realise in all its offensiveness by a visit to the
western room of the National Gallery. There is
nothing in this picture upon which to fix a l'elief
that it ever was a work of moment ; but whatever
its former pretensions, reduced as it is now, with-
out a square inch of the flesh, or the sky, or the
landscape, and with scarcely more of the drapery
in even a proximately original state, it is not less
a libel on the intelligence of England than on the
Great Patriarch of the Venetian school. I shall
scarcely be-suspected of partiality for the indivi-
duals, whether separately or collectively, now at
the head of the National Gallery ; but should the
surprise which I felt on my first glance at this, their
latest triumph, be insisted on as an involuntary
homage to their former achievements, I shall not
dispute the claim.

On leaving the Gallery I met an acquaintance
who had already paid a visit to the "Giovanni Bel-
lini." A less experienced student of National Gal-
lery economy than myself, he was somewhat
ruffled upon my informing him that the taxpayers
of this country had been mulcted in the sum of
1,0501. for a daub, the summary ejection of which
from the Gallery would be a gain, even at the
sacrifice of its purchase money, and a fee for its
removal—for a bad picture is worse than none.
He exclaimed, " Are these men (meaning the
purchasers of the mad, or do they take
us for fools ?" Sir C. Eastlake has certainly little
reason to respect the wisdom of a people who per-
sist in retaining him in the directorship of their
National Gallery, in thee teeth of his reiterated ad-
missions of his incompetency for the office. With
regard to the first clause of my impatient compa-
nion's exclamation, areference to the spurious or be-
daubed Holbeins, Titians, Paul Veroneses, Manteg-
nas, Botticettis, &c., from abroad, to say nothing of
home " restorations," soon convinced him that if
the meu are insane their madness has at least the
virtue of " method ;" for a more methodical selec-
tion of bad and vamped-up objects than theirs
would tax even the most imaginative to conceive.
Yet our msthetical director complacently an-
nounces, at pages 53, 54, 55, and 56, " Estimates,
&c., Civil Services for the year ending March 31,
1857," that his " Adoration of the Magi" is " en
the whole well preserved ;" that his Mantegna is
" happily not touched by restorers ; and that his
Retticelli is in " excellent," and his Giovanni
Bellini in "perfect, preservation."
The judgment which I have pronounced upon
this new " Giovanni Bellini " is the result of
as much consideration as a work in such a condi-
tion deserves. The intelligent will endorse it ;
those of the opposite category are unworthy of a
thought. I will maintain that judgment and make
it prevail.--Yours obediently,

27, Soho-square, July 7.MORRIS MOORE.

TIIE STEAV-BOATCOLLISION ON TIDE
MERSEY.

INQUEST ON THE BODIES.
LIVERPOOL, JULY 9.
The inquest on the bodies of the eight unfortunate Irish-
men who died from injuries sustained in the collision of the
iron steam-boats Mail and Excelsior, on the Mersey, ou
Sunday morning, was continued to-day before Mr. F. P.
Curry and a respectable jury, in the Crown Court, St.
George's-hall.
_ _

Mr: Blair, barrister, instructed by Messrs. Duncan,
Squarey, and Duncan, watched the case on behalf of the
owners of the Mail; Mr. Aspinall, instructed by Messrs.
Lowndes, Bateson, and Robinson, fur the owners of the
Excelsior; Mr. T. S. Raffles, instructed by Mr.' John
Yates, jun., for the representatives of the deceased; and
Mr. Bremner, attorney, for Brewer, the pilot who was in
charge of the Excelsior at the time of the collision.
Captain Cooke, superintendent of the pilots of Liver-
pool, and Mr. Hodgson, Harbour-master, sat on the bench,
assisting the coroner and the jury with models and charts
showing the positions of the ♦essels as the evidence pro-
ceeded.

The court was crowded, and the greatest interest was
manifested throughout the hearing.
The jury having been to inspect both vessels, for the
purpose of making themselves acquainted with the posi-
tion of the lights,
Joseph Bailey, the captain of the Mail, was sworn. He
said—l am master of the iron screw-steamer Mail, 194 tons
register, plying between Dublin and Liverpool. The crew,
including officers, consists of 16 men. There are two en-
gines of 30-horse power each. W 6 sailed from Dublin on
Saturday, at 1 55 p.m., with 76 deck-passengers, eight
cattle-dealers, and four cabin-passengers. We had a fair
wind, but took the sails in. The chief-officer (White) was
on the first nightwatch, which consisted of chief-officer,
carpenter, and two sailors on the look-out on the forecastle.
One of the sailors was at the helm. When the night set in,
we had our usual lights all right. We approached the
Me:sey by the Rock channel, all going well till we got
there. We rounded the Rock light at 1 30, half an hour
after entering the channel. At that time the boatswain,
Thomas Gurney, was in charge of the helm, and all
hands were then on dezle, in accordance with custom on
coming into port. We kept as close to the Cheshire
shore as we could get. Immediately after rounding
the Rock light the chief officer reported a steamer coming
down the river, about half a point on our port bow. We
were going at full speed at that time. I then distinctly
observed the three lights of the steamer. The head
of the Mail was S., a little westerly. I was standing
close to the man at the wheel, in the centre of the vessel,
which was the most commanding place for a look-out. The
strange steamer was then about a wile off. It was a little
cloudy, not to say dark. Tho position No. 3 on the Admi-
ralty Regulations is the nearest approach to the positions
of the stainers. My lights were properly placed, and had
been trimmed about half an hour before. Ido not know, of
my own knowledge, that they had been trimmed so recently,
but was told so. The other steamer was coming stem on,
a little on the port bow of the Mail. Immediately I saw
her I gave directions to port the helm, and it was ported.
I was standing alongside the man at the wheel. The ves-
sel immediately answered to the helm. The effect
would be to allow the other vessel to pass on the port
side. The chief officer reported a ship at anchor right
ahead, and I gave orders to steady the helm in order not
to pass over her, and the moment we had cleared her on
the east, or Lancashire side, the helm was again put to
port. I lost sight of the red light (on the port side) of the
steamer; and knowing from that that he must have star-
boarded his helm, I gave orders to " slow " and " stop " at
one breath. I then saw the other steamer coming right on
our port bow about a quarter of a mile off. My chief offi-
cer was close by the foremast, on the spar deck, which I
should think is six or seven feet above the main dock. I
heard the chief officer hail the steamer to port his h( lm.
There was no reply. The way of the Mail was deadened a
good dea'. We had not time to reverse, as the collision oc-
curred within about a minute after the engines were
stopped. At that time I believe the other steamer W.:B
going full speed. She struck us on our port bow, and
run the cutwater to within three or four feet of our fore-
mast, tearing up the deck and cutting through the iron
nearly to the water's edge. The windlass was upset,
and forced through the hatch ou to the people below.
I went and rendered every assistance below. The moment
she cut into us we hailed to know her name, and the an-
swer was, " Excelsior." The collision took place near the
Cheshire side, about a quarter of a mile from low-water
mark. At the time of the collision it was within 5 minutes
of high water. We might have gone closer in, but vessels
lay at anchor, and we could not do so with safety. The
bower anchor and chain of the Excelsior got over our
pa.vel-bito and became entangled. They hauled up 15
fathoms of their chain, unshackled it, and left it with us
before they could get free. They also left their bower
anchor with us. After getting free the Excelsior stayed a
short time off the old magazines, at New Brighton, and
then went on. The collision took place about three minutes
after we had passed the vessel at anchor. That vessel was
the brig Maria. When the vessels struck the Mail was
heading right for the Cheshire shore. I saw then the
Excelsior's green light, and that only. After the vessels had
got clear of each other I saw that six of the deck pea•
servers had been killed and a number of others very
badly hart. I went to •Clarence Pier-head, and landed
them before going into dock. The dead bodies were
taken to the dead-house, and the wounded were removed
to the Northern Hospital. I have had to do with steatn-
vesiels about 25 years, durlng five of which I have had
command of one. I had not a pilot on board at the time.
I have not a certificate to pilot my own vessels. When a
pilot hails me I take him. lam riot compelled to take
one if he'does not offer his services. - I have a master's
certificate of Service from the Board of Trade, and also one
for competency. No pilot offered to take charge of my
vessel, or made a signal for•that purpose.
This witness was under cross-examination when our par-
cel was despatched at 5 p.na. Several other witnesses would
be heard, and the case would then be adjourned until Sa-
turday at 10 a.m.

The body of one of the deceased, Michael Dovan, who,
with another man on board the Mail, was in charge of 150
sheep, was removed to Dublin to-day; and this morning
the remaining seven bodies in the dead-house at the
Princes-quay were buried at the parish burial-ground (St.
Martin's) The funeral was followed by a ♦ery large con-
course of people.

The Viceroy of Egypt has given to M. Benedette, act-
ing as consul-general of France at Cairo, 30,000 fr. for
the victims by the late inundations.
SHE FRENCH LOSSES IN THE CRI3IEA.—The Honiteur
l'Annee contains an article on the suhj ct of the losses
suffered by the French army in the Crimea. According
to the statement of this paper, apparently founded on
official information, the number of deaths, as set forth in
two tables, embracing respectively from May 1, 1854,
the date of the landing of the army in Turkey, and from
that to March 30, 1856, when peace was signed, was as
follows :—Officers of all grades, 1284; non-commissioned
officers, 4403 ; and rank and file, 58,805—0 r in all,
62,492 men ; in the Baltic, during the expedition of
1854, there died 1059, and in France 13,635—making a
total of 21,028, which, added to the deaths in Turkey
and the Crimea, give a sum of 83,520.
TREMENDOUS FELT.—Miss Kate Cook has announced
for her forthcoming benefit at Astley's that she will take
a flying leap over a lady in full dress, and clear the en-
tire body without touching a single flounce. The dis-
tance, measured from skirt to skirt, is calculated to ex-
ceed by two or three yards that of the longest leap on
record. There are wagers to a considerable amount, both
in sporting and equestrian circles, that the daring younglady will not be able to accomplish the difficult task.
She has been strongly advised by all her friends to
abandon the foolhardy undertaking, and to jump over ,
sixteen hoops, or half-a-dozen elephants, or a Green •
with hotel bill, or any other bulky object, instead.—
"Mao