The Sun.
London, England, 1867-09-16 00:00:00

THE THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.

Sir,—Finding that no one has hitherto come for-
ward to testify to the circumstances under which
the late Mr. Pugin wrote the letter of September
G, 1845, so often referred to by the Messrs. Barry,.
I am requested by my wife to communicate them to
you. She was visiting at St. Augustine's Grange
when Mr. Pugin returned from London, and she
tells me it is impossible to describe the state of
prostration in which he entered the house. In reply
to her inquiries as to its cause he said, " I have
been up all night. Barry is in an awful state re-
specting the reports that have oozed out about
my being the architect of the Houses, and he
wants me to write a letter to save his reputation
—it is gone if I do not, and 1 have no alter-
native." These sentences, which are as fresh upon
her memory as on the very day he uttered
them, were spoken while explaining to her that, on.
the one hand, he was committed to secrecy with
regard to his relations to Sir Charles Barry, and
could not acknowledge thlt he was the architect of
the Houses ; on the other, that he would not lend
himself to any denial of his own work in 1835 ; and
therefore his great anxiety was to write such a letter
as would save Sir C. Barry and at the same time
not stultify himself.

This letter my wife knows from her own personal
knowledge was worded in such a way as to refer to
nothing more than his engagement in an official
capacity under Government, when it was perfectly
true that he was working from the general designs
which he had made for Sir C. Barry ten years pre-
viously, and which he considered by his contract
with Sir Charles to be his property. Any one read-
ing the letter can see at a glance the circumstances
under which it was written, and that it bears no
necessary reference to the transactions of 1835 ; and
indeed, although Sir C. Barry intended that it
should at once smother the reports in question, and
Mr. Pugin felt it his duty to save Sir Charles, yet
he was determined that its phraseology should in no
way convey a denial of his claim to having been the
original author of the designs for the Houses, and
this claim it in no way touches.
I am fortunately able myself to confirm this ex-
planation by a recollection of speaking to several
gentlemen connected with the House of Commons
shortly after the letter appeared, and they quite
ridiculed the idea of its throwing the least doubt on
Mr. Pugin's claim.

Trusting that you will kindly give this letter an
early insertion, I am, Sir, your obedient servant,

JOHN MARES.

21, Lower Belgrave-street, Sept. 14.

THE DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM ON
NATIONAL ANTIQUITIES.

The Bucks Archas)logical Society held its annual
meeting on Thursday, at Wotton, one of the seats
of the Duke of Buckingham. An excursion was
made to Boarstall, Brill, and several other places of
historical interest. The duke presided at the busi-
ness meeting, in the course of which Sir Harry
Verney, M.P., made some remarks on the destruc-
tion of valuable antiquities through neglect., and
suggested that these remains should be under the
care of local authorities, and the supervision of a
responsible Minister of the Crown. A vote of
thanks to the Duke of Buckingham for his hospi-
tality, and also for his kindness in presiding, having
been passed, in acknowledging the compliment his
Grace remarked :—" Sir Harry Verney has alluded
to the destruction of many monuments of antiquity
in various parts of England. I have seen in Corn-
wall a great deal of this going on under the eyes of
persons who, if their attention were drawn to it,
would be the first to say it should not continue.
'There are close to Buckingham farm buildings
erected in great part by my own family out of the
destruction of most ancient Roman remains. We
discovered very curious pavements, rooms, and so
on, showing that if the search had been made 50 or
60 years before we might have laid open the arcana
of a Roman house, and all its domestic arrange-
ments, as perfectly as any preserved in Hercula-
neum and Pompeii. I have much more faith in
the voluntary efforts of persons interested in the
preservation of these relics- than in Government
taking charge of them. The first thing in the way
of State interference would be the employment of a
great number of people to do very little. These
persons would not do a great deal of work without
many other good people to look after them, and I
do not think that would be found extremely pleas-
ing to the House of Commons. There is another
point of disadvantage. Government have the care
and direction of large museums in London and the
neighbourhood, national collections into which it is
their duty to get every valuable relic, showing the
past history of the country, and exemplifying the
progress of art. The first thing that would result
from Government care would be the centralisation
of everything in London, on the plea that it is im-
possible to take care of it in the country. I want
rather to see these old relics preserved iu their own
localities, and I really think it will be done far better
by local associations calling the attention of local
residents to them than by any possible Government
provision that can be devised. There are many
things in our own county, for example, the curious
works thrown up in the civil war, near Muswell-
bill, in front of these windows, and Boarstall Tower,
which you have seen to-day. Their preservation
must depend upon how the tower is occupied, and
as to the earthworks on whether the farmer is
allowed to plough over them. These are not matters
which can be trusted to Government. If we look at
what Governments do in other countries—for exam-
ple, in France-1 doubt if you will find this work
better carried out than in England."

aLpLoilNe
oGn. —wrre
nhte
wsi
tphe chi
iasl
sturi in
peTRroArVNE
whIicIPEthReIABLai
totn
Paris to Salzburg is described as exceeding in comfort and
elegance anything of the kind that has hitherto been
known. The train consisted of nine carriages, communi-
cating with each other by tastefully decorated bridges.
In the middle was a handsome sitting-room, furnished with
chairs, ottomans, sofas, mirrors, pictures, clocks, and chan-
deliers. On one side of this room was the dining room,
and on the other the Emperor's study. In the centre of
the dining room there was a table, capable of being ex-
tended or contracted at pleasure, with easy chairs placed
parallel to the sides of the carriage. The Emperor's study
contained au elegant writing table, a clock in the style of
the rainaissance, a thermometer, a barometer, and a tele-
graphic apparatus, by means of which telegraphic com-
munication was established with the apartments of
Tthe
various court officials travelling with his Majesty. Isiext
to the study was the bedroom of the Emperor and Empress,
with two beds placed transversely against the sides of the
carriage. Two dressing rooms were attached to the bed-
room. The remaining carriages consisted of a kitchen, a
wine
cellar, and the apartments of the suite. Thera was
also a conservatory filled with the choicest flowers. The

Train. •
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