The Sun.
London, England, 1856-03-13 00:00:00

which, they say, would not prove so fruitless as the
two
.first. They declare that, by means of her DO
and immense armaments, England, with her navy
alone, would to-day be able to destroy Sweakerg,
Cronstradt, and all the other fortresses of Russia in
the Gulfs of Bothnia and Finland. I do not pre-
sume to question the probability of the success of
the English fleet in those Russian waters, but if weave
to believe the numerous persons who daily.arrive
at Hamburg from the Baltic provinces, all the for.:
tresses have been placed, since the departure et
the Allied squadrons, in a truly formidable stst°
of defence. All the points, along the coast suse?P'
tible of being attacked and serving as landing
places, have been fortified and provided with such
means of resistance that, in order to attack theta
with success, the assailants must be prepared
suffer immense losses in men and materiel."

SPAIN.
MADRID, March B.—The adjourned bidding f°,_
the Madrid and Saragossa Railway contract Wit,
place to-day in the great hall of the Ministry "
Public Works, which was quite filled, wore tbBl/
700 persons being present, including the first OP':
talists of Madrid. On the 25th ult. the offers sent
iu were four, besides the orioinal offer of the Grexo
Cowl-al of France, and they were read to-dg
follow :dm
" 1. Senor Mathew and other capitalists efferedi-cl.
take the contract at 20 reels per kilometre under u"
proposal of the Great Central.
" 2. The Duke of Serillano and others 30 Nilo Wider
the same.
" 3. The Credit Mobilier 2,500 Teals under. r
"4. Senor Salamanca and others 30,000 reale on-e. 'r
bvi etV
At the bidding to-day the point turned on
the parties who ,had previously sent in offers flia
ix.
take the contract on lower terms than Senor a 1
manta ; and that gentleman having woe t° the
understanding with the Great Central While„,ht
Credit Mobilier and other competitors 6°71,0
proper not to depart from their original ofl'ers,
result was, that the Great Central, having:,,eo
nt
in a written proposal to make the line at siya
real less per kilometre than what Senor S'ilaillawle
proposed, and no other proposition being ulleor,
during the half-hour allowed for receiving or
ing the same, the construction of the line Inis-
judged amidst applause by Senor Lilian, IoY
ter of Public Works, to the Great Central 11'31i, is
Company of France, of which Count g?tunto-
President, with a subvention by the SPau'sTlie
vernment of 209,999 reals per kilometre' anco
same Company has purchased of Senor 531°3.-0
the Madrid and Almanza Line, with its con gild'
tion to Alicante, for the sum of 125,00 per
metro of the works executed.

• -S
PRUSSIAN AND BELGIANSUPPLO •
WAR MATERIAL.

A_ letter from Berlin, evidently With a ioraii9g
towards Prussia, says : ir viit °°t"
In the summer of 1854 Prussia forbade thet -leajd
arms and ammunition through her territory ; hi 6 put
touch England at all, to whom the sea was nnuesti.ll,
cut off from Russia the Belgian markets. Snuselt,
it was found that to evade the prohibition traps in the
Russians imported Liege firearms, &c , into Prurit*,, 85a
name of a Prussian subject, paying the import an ,J4ioll
then exported them again as Prussian propertY'hibitO
the export duty. In March of last year this PI 9111_,,"
was extended to all contraband of war not being n• g 11""
rein origin; and this has been the means of stePPinuolgiOn
qnantities, both from entering Prussia at the icoptier'
frontier, or from quitting it at the Russian ogion
Various instances of this I have already had eec e, tor
report to you at dig' rent times. This would n7iog oollf
ever, prevent the Russian Government from folio (-0
own example of obtaining supplies from Prussian owl erj
verein manufacturers ; not only large quantities o' Poe !'.4
above 70,0001 b. in one parcel, but also large cluenopplil
teen ~,rieg
carbines, revolvers, and cavalry sabres, have
from this country, the latter from the nianufgewnpos'
Solingen. It has, moreover, been done open ,t of
the cognisance of the Governments ; in the Case of
powder, our Government supplied the saltpetre, ,tofecil:
permission of its importation ' for purposes of tbe 'Wet
ration' as was officially notified to Sir Alexander
at Frankfort."

---0,
THE .At 4 TIONA L GALLERY.:-THO
VEBOIVEE PUBOBASE.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.. oitl)
Six,—Having just returned from the Continent, , is
a vivid impression of the works of Paolo Ver°9este 'bl
Italy, and in the Louvre, I write to protest Aga,iblgr of
lamentable want of judgment shown in the thePur 14r
the picture which has recently been hung in pea
tional Gallery, as a production of that master. rap
were it granted that this picture ever was 11 to 10
Veronese, it certainly would have but little claial_rfog
received as such now ; for besides that its entire
tear, it
has been greatly damaged by over-cleaning, pied 'IP
scarcely any portion of it that has not been vtipP__oe
or re-painted. So coarsely, indeed, and by sett ;rcrf
tent a hand has the repainting been executed,
tee
little acquaintance withpictures is neeessary to dstr..,d
But, sir, there is strong evidence that the "lidcrltinir
the Magi" is not by Paolo Veronese, but nierelY 8n Of
ferior school picture. That evidence is fors
I do not , tbs
the best characteristics of the artist•
that we are discussing a master of the decline
r`i6oo
Venetian school, not one who flourished in the Me til,
grandeur of the Tuscan, the Lombard, or the
cotll4itlf
Yet no one will deny to Paolo Veronese e rof
the absenee,9l
magnificence of composition, considerable iscw:nd a
sdrawing, harmony and brilliancy of colouring,
oi, for
striking proficiency in pers ective In vain We I°d vief
I'3
such qualities in the meanlyl des.igned, feehlY t (00
discordant and slatey-looking canvas just insfl, epithet/
Patagonian proportioned figures on the reicl°seh.'forr
threatening to push the dwarf-like objects 011;tirretsi
ground headlong upon the spectator. Who Wi; d 'll-
- in such la
production the mind that oonee'hecf P-
the hand that executed the pictures in the Cburc-., ilr
Sebastian, and in the Pisani and Dswe's Patio° cl-atil
nice, the "Marriage of Cano," or even the "C'llgetb-r la'!„''
of St. Nicholas," which faces it? Damageol as ,e3e,"
named work was by the " cleaning" of 185% "A - of °
theless still bears the stamp of the master.
4.1'. n
word about cost. ethrtr
I am not one to grudge a liberal price for a Ivo darer
served, genuine, and favourable specimen- of IL -Price,'
worthy of a place in the national collection. 1.,, eslii
however, of the late acquisition would be *Welt 1 a,,',
had it been an undoubted Paolo Veronese. t''4l6o'.,'•
known to all who are conversant with the mg' Ibol
of pictures, that Paolo Veronese is a roosteratiiil
.wrorks, whether from their being frequently ill,"r-jier.,
from their holding comparatively only a o°7T° re
rank in art, are obtainable at moderate prices. tit °J-•
stow 1.977/., besides "travelling and ineld°l3;let,
relives,' upon, such a work as the " authorise's' pab'
Veronese, the "Adoration of the Magi," is. a 4°l

expenditure of public money.
I remain, Sir, your obedient servant. N%'
F. Y. HURLS
9, Chester-street, Belgrave-square.