The Sun.
London, England, 1860-07-10 00:00:00

IF SAVOY. 1111$ _ROYAL

PLYMOUTH, MONDAY AFTERNOON.

Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Fremantle's Channel
squadron, consisting of the flagship Royal Albert,
121, Captain Henry T. Lacon ; the Donegal, 101
Captain Henry Broadhead; the Aboukir, 90, Cap-
tain Douglas Curry ; the Greyhound, 17, Com-
mander Francis W. Sullivan ; the Conqueror, 101,
Captain Edward S. Sotheby, C.B. ; the Trafalgar,
90, Captain Edward G. Fanshawe ; the Centurion,
80, Captain Henry G. Rogers, C.B. ; the Edgar, 91,
Captain James E. Katon ; the Algiers, 91, Captain
George W. D. O'Callaghan ; the Masey, 40, Cap-
tain Henry Caldwell, C.B. ; and the Diadem, 32,
Captain James H. Cockburn, under canvas only,
with a smart breeze a little to the south ward of east,
hove in sight from Mount Wise at half-past 8
o'cloCk this morning in two lines. They then
I formed one line, and stood in for the port. At
half-past 10 o'clock the ships wore in succession,
and went away to the westward. Shortly after
they came in sight more to the southward.. Their
funnels are up ready for use. The only whip likely
to enter the Sound is the Diadem, which is said to
be short of fuel. The Earl of Mount-Edgcumbe, in
his steam yacht, near the Royal William Victual-
ling-yard, is waiting the approach of the. Prince of
Wales. The Hero continues inside the Break-
water ready for sea, and arrangements are made
for the expected departure of his Royal High-
ness to. morrow (Tuesday) morning. Her escort,
I the Ariadne, will probably take the Osborne in tow.
The Flying Fish has gone on to Newfoundland.
PLYMOUTH, MONDAY EVENING.
Sir Charles Fremantle's squadron, which arrived
off the port this morning, formed two lines, rang-
ing about north and south, in the afternoon to re-
ceive the Royal yacht, which hove in sight at
7 o'clock, and was saluted by the Impregnable and
other ships in Hamoaze. On rounding the west-
end of the Breakwater the yardarms of the Hero,
St. George, Emerald, and Ariadne, in the Sound,
were manned, and the three last-named and the
Plymouth Citadel saluted. At half-past 8, when
the Prince left the yacht to join the Hero, the
Emerald and the Citadel repeated the compliment.
The weather is extremely fine, and thousands of
e inhabitants were assembled on the heights..

DEPARTURE OF THE PRINCE. OF WALES.
PLYMOUTH, TUESDAY, 5 A.M.
The Royal yacht, with the Prince Consort, left
the Sound by the south-eastern channel at 4 15
a.m., under the customary salutes.
The Hero continues in the Sound, and will not
leave before 8 o'clock this morning.

8 A.M.

The screw steamship Hero, 91, Captain Seymour,
with his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, has
left the Sound for Quebec.

ART UNION OF ENGLAND:

GENERAL MEETING—(THIS DAY).
The first general meeting of the subscribers to
he Art Union of England was held this day at the

Hall of Illustration, 14, Regent-street, The Hon.

Major Fitzmaurice occupied the chair.
The first annual report of the president and com-
mittee was as follows

" In presenting their first annual report, the committee
think they are justified in congratulating the subscribers
upon the success which has attended the Art Union of
England in its first brief season. Although only five
months have elapsed since the necessary authorisation was
obtained, from the Board of Trade, for the establishment of
this,Art Union, and the period of its operations has, there-
fore, ben in great part postponed to the after part of the
London Art-Season; still above 160 agents have been ap-
pointed in various parts of the country, and 1,450 subscri-
bers have been entered upon the lists for the current year's
distribution. The appointment of many of the agents is so
recent that they have had but little time to work, and the
number of the subscribers sent up by them has been conse•
quently limited. On the other hand, some of the agents
who have teen in activity from the first establishment of
the Union have sent in as many as from 20 to 80 each.
A fact affording fair grounds to form a judgment as
to the future operations of the association when once

completely established.
" Indeed, it may be observed, that so strong was the im-
pression on the minds of some of the friends of this Art
Union of the disadvantages under which it would labour at
its inauguration, if it commenced its operation at so late a
period of the year, that it was urge by them upon the
committee to consider the propriety of deferring the open-
ing of the subscription lists until the season 1860-61. I heir
counsels, however, did not prevail, the committee feeling
confidence in the strength of their cause—in the interests
of art and the art-appreciating public, which this
undertaking assumed to promote; and they trust
that the result which will this day be laid before
the subscribers will be held to have fully justified
the course they adopted. It need hardly be remarked that
next year the Art-Union of England will no longer labour
under the disadvantages which have attached to it in the
first few months of its existence, having now the
full season before it to work in, and its next distribution of
prizes being fixed to take place at the opening instead of
the close of the London Exhibition season of 1861—the
subscription list closing on the 26th April.
" The subscribers need hardly be reminded that a dis-
tinguishing feature in the plan of the Art-Union of Eng-
land consists in the distribution of the whole amount of
the annual subscriptions, less working expenses, in prizes
for the purchase of works of art publicly exhi-
bited during the season, no portion of the funds
being set apart for the production of prints,
books, statuettes, ornaments in iron work, or other works
of reproduction or manufacture for presentation to sub-
scribers—this practice, though adopted to a considerable
extent in other Art Unions, being considered by the com-
mittee to be contrary to the spirit in which such associa-
tions are originally established and to the intention of
Parliament in legalising their proceedings, the words of the
select committee of the House of Commons in their report
on this subject being, 'We look upon art unions as instru-
ments for the encouragement of art rather than joint •stock
companies for procuring to contributors particular returns
for their respective shares. The art union must remember
that its province is not to secure the accumulation of a con-
siderable fund in order to gratify a large number of subscri-
bers, but encourage and direct art as far as they may be
enabled.' It is not for the committee at this time to enter
upon any lengthened arguments in support of the
policy upon which this association was founded,
and which they are happy to say has met with
declared expressions of approval from a large num-
ber of the subscribers, as well as from many influential
professors of the arts, and from those who record public
cpinion in the columns of the press. But it may be per-
mitted to them to point out to how important an extent the
course adopted by the Art Union of England will affect its
operations in the encouragement of original creative art of
the country] as measured by the amount to be distributed
in prizes among the members. The print and statuette
publication business, being in some sort a commercial risk,
is necessarily attended by a considerable amount of esta-
blishment expenses—insomuch that take the Art Union of
London as an example, it will be found that upon a course
of years an average of upwards of 30 per cent. of the gross
revenue has been expended in prints and other works of
reproduction and manufacture, and about 25 per cent.
upon establishment expenses, leaving less than
one third (in the year 1859 less than a fifth) for distribution
for the purchase of original works of art.
"And in another art union where the publication system
is adopted, results even less satisfactory than the above as
regards deductions from the funds for purposes other than
the distribution of original works of art appear to have been
displayed over a series of years ; and so unfavourably has
the process worked in the last year (1859-60) that, after
several times deferring the distribution of prizes, an "in-
terim" report has been published by the committee, by
which it appears that the working expenses alone have
amounted to above.Ls,3oo, out of a gross sum collected of
£10,500, being at the rate of more than 50 per cent.
" The committee advert to these facts not with a view of
drawing invidious comparisons between themselves and
others labouring in the cause of art, but simply in support
of the principle of action with which they set out in their
undertaking, and in order to show how the strict adhesion
to it will materially affect the economy of this institution,
in which, avoiding all speculative ventures, they will act
simply as trustees between the subscribers and the
art labourers of the country. By the statement
of accounts it appears that the total amount of
subscriptions received for the season now closing
has been £764 18s. 6d., and that there has been expended
(including the reserve fund of five per 'cent.) the sum of
£348 13s. 3d., leaving a balance of £416 ss. 3d. available for
distribution in prizes.
sinofvathrieabkliyuclin,_tchideencotmalnitoitttehee
first" sConsideringtartingofaltl
huendeexrpteankeineeg
dered excessive. They, however, are s fully convinced
trust that the outlay in the present caseowill not be consi-
penditure will bear to the income
in
subsequent years, that
that it is much in advance of the proportion which the ex--
1 £23 9
they have resolved to distribute £llO of 'the account
over next year, leaving on y
lus. 3d. ulti-
for the ear
mately chargeable to the present season. To this
end 200 tickets Y 1861, representing in
amount £llO, will this day be distributed to the first 200
names of subscribers who shall not receive prizes on the
Present occasion; the amount being charged against the
income of the year 1861, as on account of preliminary ex-
penses. These deferred tickets will not be considered in
the light of prizes to incapacitate the recipient from parti-
cipating in
,the quinquennial distribution of the Special
Prize Fund, to be appropriated amongst subscribers who
have not received any prize during the five preceding
years.
"In conclusion, the committee would respectfully call
upon the subscribers and the public generally to give their
cordial support to the future operations of a society so
eminently calculated to promote the encouragement of the
arts of design amongst all classes of the community, and to
give legitimate encouragement to native art to an extent
never before attempted by any public movement."
The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the
report, congratulated the meeting on the success
which had attended their first year's operations.
He thought that it augured a bright future for the
institution, which he had no doubt in a few years
would become one of the most extensively patronised
arts unions in the kingdom. They had adopted a
most' economic system of management, whereby
the great bulk of the subscriptions would be ex
pended in prizes for distribution amongst the sub.
scribers, and not swallowed up in incidental or
unnecessary expense. (Cheers.) The report entered
o very fully into their a.ffa;rs—past and for the
future—that he would not detain them by any
further remarks, particularly as the most interest-
ing past of the day's proceedings was the drawing
for the prizes. (Cheers.)
The motion for the adoption of the report was
carried unanimously, and the drawing for the
i prizes was then proceeded with.