The Sun.
London, England, 1867-03-28 00:00:00

The New Site of the Royal Academy.

There is now at last a fair prospect that the Royal
Academy will find a domicile worthy of itself. The
workmen have begun to excavate the site of the new
buildinga in Burlington-gardens, and we may hope
that before the summer of next year ends every-
thing will be in readiness for the migration of the
academy from Trafalgar-square to its new abode.
In the meantime the plans for the proposed change
are so far advanced that we can give some account
of them.

The late President, Sir Charles Eastlake, came
distinctly to the conclusion that if the Academy was
to be excluded from Trafalgar-square, then of all
the sites which the Crown had to offer its most
suitable duelling-place was to be found in the pre-
cincts of Burlington House. But Sir Charles East-
lake's idea was that the Academy should occupy an
edifice to be raised on the Piccadilly front of this
ground. The scheme on consideration was found to
be impracticable, partly because of the great ex-
pense which the erection of such an edifice would
entail on the Academy, partly because of the incon-
venience of exhibition rooms arranged in a building
the ground-floor of which has to be pierced in its
centre by tall arches of entrance to the Burlington
quadrangle. That it was proposed that the Academy
should accept a home in the South Kensington
estate ; and much was said in favour of that sug-
gestion. There is just now being formed at South
Kensington a museum of art which will before long
be esteemed one of the chief glories of the metro-
polis—a casket of jewels worthy of a great nation.
But it is a❑ undoubted fact that this magnificent
collection is not yet as famous as it deserves to
be. The reason is that it is out of the way, and
not well enough known. And if the Academy were
to transfer its annual Exhibition to this neighbour-
hood, it would have for many years to submit to a
considerable diminution of those shilling visitors
upon whom its income largely depends. Here,
than, was a dilemma. There were serious objec-
tions to the Piccadilly front of Burlington House,
and there were serious objections to the South
Kensington estate as sites for the Royal Academy.
What was to be done ? The new President, Sir
Francis Grant, solved the difficulty by finding the
Academy another site in Burlington House itself
and the garden behind.
Few persons strolling about Piccadilly, even with
the long vista of the Burlington Arcade to help
them, have any adequate notion of the quantity of
ground belonging to Burlington House, and extend-
ing from the dead wall in Piccadilly to the dead wall
in the street known as Burlington-gardens. Some
notion of it may be formed when we state that
Burlington House itself occupies about the centre
of the ground, and that it is proposed to raise at
theback of it and parallel with it two great buildings,
one for the London University, the other for the
galleries of the Royal Academy, with a space as wide
as Oxford-street between them. Of the edifice in-
tended for the London University, which is now
being built at the extreme end of Burlington-gar-
dens, facing the street known by that name, we
have nothing to say, save that it fills the whole
breadth of the gardens, with the exception of a 12-
foot roadway on one side, leading to the Academy
buildings, and, indeed, right across the grounds to
Piccadilly. The London University will extend back
into the gardens about 130 ft. Behind it there will
be a vacant space about the breadth, as we have
said, of Oxford-street, and between this space and
Burlington llouse will rise up(with a depth of about
120 ft.) the galleries of the Royal Academy. These
galleries will be built somewhat close to the back of
Burlington House, with which they are intended
to form one edifice for one purpose. In fact, Bur-
lington House is given up to the Academy, and will
form its frontage. The public will enter the galleries
of the Academy through Burlington Mouse. They
will ascend the staircase of the house, to an open-
ing at the back, which is now used as one of its
principal windows. This will be transformed into
a doorway leading through a short corridor to the
exhibition rooms.

The galleries and offices which it is proposed to
provide in the new buildings look well in the plans.
The galleries are of course on the first—that is, the
upper floor, in order to secure the advantages of top
lighting; and they certainly have the merit of creat-
ing ample accommo lation for the exhibition of pic-
tures. The wall space allotted to pictures in the pre-
sent rooms of the Academy is measured by 748 lineal
feet. It is better to give the measurement in lineal
than in square feet, because the precise height at
wl, ich pictures can be advantageously hung is always
a variable quantity, and in a calculation like the pre-
sent it conduces to clearness to assume that all pic-
tures are hung on the line. This line in the galleries
now occupied by the Academy extends, we repeat,
to 748 ft. In the new galleries it will extend to
1,884 ft. The principal gallery, in which the annual
dinner of the Academy will be given, is intended to
be 82ft. long and 44ft. wide. The next in import-
ance is equally long, but only 35ft. wide. The cen-
tral gallery of all, which in the plan we have seen
is called the Vestibule, is an octagon intended for
sculpture. Underneath these galleries is the ground
floor, which is allotted chiefly to the schools of the
Academy. On the north side are the rooms destined
for the life and the antique schools, lighted by win-
dows looking to the London University, but receiv-
ing light from the sky at an angle of 45 deg. across
the space which we have compared to Oxford-street
for width. Besides these schools accommodation is
provided for the exhibition of casts, for the custody
of rejected pictures, for a kitchen, for lavatories, for
various cellars, for heating apparatus, for a lift to
raise heavy sculpture to the upper story, and for
many other purposes. Altogether, the arrangements
in this new building, S 3 far as we understand them,
seem to be very complete. In Burlington House
proper the Academy will find further accommoda-
tian—a council room for its meetings ; chambers
for its keeper, a library, a gallery for the exhibition
of Gibson's works. In addition to this it is proposed
to add a story to the building. The story thus
added will have a double value. It will form a
fine gallery for the exhibition of the diploma pic-
tures of the Academy and some other treasures in its
possession—as for Sir Joshua's, a first rate Gior-
gione, and a fresco Paul Veronese, recently be-
queathed. It will, on the other hand, from the
external view, give dignity to a facade which—
graceful enough—was felt to be rather flat.

These plans promise well, and we heartily wish
the Academy undisturbed and prosperous enjoyment
of its 999 years' lease. But it is not yet in possession
of all its rights ; nor. is possession possible until the
Government has provided house-room for the Royal
and other learned societies which are at present
lodged in Burlington House. The Government pro-
poses as follows :—From Burlington House to Pic-
cadilly extend two wings which are to be pulled
down. In their place, and along the front of Pic-
cadilly, there is to be raised an edifice harmonising
in style of architecture with Burlington House, and
intended for the abode of theßoyal Linnasam,Chemi-
cal, Geological, Astronomical, and Antiquarian
Societies. These societies it is proposed to provide
with rooms far better than any they now possess ;
the frontage to Piccadilly, if it does not show much
originality in the way of architecture, will at least
be pleasant to look on, and will save our great
thoroughfare from the reproach of a long, dull, dead
wall—a hideous monument of exclusiveness. Origi-
nality
in such a facade was scarcely possible, seeing
that Messrs. Banks and Barry, the architects of this
part of the building, had to adapt their design to
that of Burlington House. as it stands. We may
say roughly that the front is not unlike that of the
Privy Council and Board of Trade officea in White-
to distinguish it—that a
hall ; with this, however,
noble archway, 82ft. high by 20ft. wide, rises in the
centre. The effect is good, and Messrs. Banks and
Barry deserve not a little credit for the skill with
which they have handled a style of architecture
which is by no means remarkable for its variety,
and is too often quite oppressive in its monotony.
We should add that in the block of buildings
which it is proposed to rear on the grounds of Bur-
lington House no less than-three architects are en-
gaged. We speak of Messrs. Banks and Barry as
but one. They have charge of the buildings in-
tended for the learned societies. Mr. Sydney
Smirke is the architect of the Academy, and to him
is due the improvement of the aspect of Burlington ,

House by the addition of a story to it. Mr. Penne-
thorne is the architect for the London University.—
Times.

Termination of the Engine-drivers' Strike.

The directorsof the London, Brighton, and South
Coast Railway and the engine-drivers and firemen
employed on their various lines came yesterday to an
amicable arrangement with respect to the points of
dispute between them, or rather as to the only one
which remained a subject of controversy up to
Tuesday evening, the directors having pre-
viously conceded all the rest, and therefore the strike
is at an end, both parties having yielded. Yester-
day morning all the drivers usually employed south
of Three Bridges, or between Brighton, Portsmouth,
and Hastings, about 100 in number, out of the 196
who had struck, with an equal number of firemen,
resumed work, and throughout the clay the trains
on the main line from London to Brighton or Ports-
mouth, and from London to Hastings, were run-
ning according to the time-tables, and at the
ordinary speed, and to-day, when the rest of the
locomotive staff shall have returned to their
duty, the main line and the different branches
will again be in full working order. Up to Tuesday
evening the only remaining difference had reference
to the demand of the men that the increase of wages
should be regulated at the rate of 6d. a day addi-
tional for every six months' service until the maxi-
mum of 7s. 6d. a day was reached ; and yesterday,
the men having received an assurance from the di-
rectors and superintendents to the effect that every
man shall have an opportunity of proving his claim
to the promised advances in the sale -of wages,
they consented to resume work, depending on that
arrangement being carried out to the letter. The
graduated scale of wages agreed to was—for drivers,
65., 6s. 6d., 75., and 7s. 6d. a day ; and for firemen,
3s. 6d., 3s. 9d., 45., and 4s. 6d. ; and arrangements
will be made by the directors and superintendents
for having the pay-sheet reconsidered at the end of
each year, with the view of advancing such of the
men as are competent, and whose general conduct
is good. It is creditable to the men that in adjust-
ing the matter in dispute in that way they ex-
pressed a hope that for the future things would go
on more confortably between them and their em-
ployers, and that the company would be saved the
expense of such a struggle. With those mutual
concessions and a spirit of forbearance manifested
on both sides, the contest has been happily brought
to a conclusion with only a day's inconvenience and
loss to themselves and the public. The men, while
in the best temper at the result, are not unduly
elated, and the probability is that their employers
and they will pull all the better together for
this brief interruption in their relations. In Lon-
don and at New-cross the men held out in the
morning, and the delegates sat in council as on the
day preceding, at the Green Man, Tooley-street.
It may not be generally known that the engine-
drivers and firemen in England and Scotland be-
long to what promises to be a very formidable trade
union. It was established about 10 months ago,
has some 15,000 subscribing members, a capital
estimated at about £50,000, and 64 branches,
their head-quarters being in London. To this so-
ciety, which supports a newspaper of its own, ap-
propriately called The Train, the drivers and fire-
men on the London, Brighton, and South Coast
Railway belong, and had the strike continued they
would have been maintained at full pay by a general
contribution among the subscribing members. It is
a noteworthy circumstance that the prime movers i❑
the recent strike were all men receiving the highest
rate of remuneration paid by the company, and
working nominally 1G hours a day, but practically
not so much, and who did not expect to be benefited
to the extent of a single shilling by the success of the
agitation they had begun. Their sole object, they
say, in originating it was the interest of their less
fortunate or less skilful fellow workmen, many of
whom have for years been paid on the lowest scale,
though daily discharging duties hardly less, if at all
less, responsible and important than their own.
Justice has hardly been clone to the efforts made
by the authorities of the line to meet the emergency
of Tuesday, on the commencement of the strike.
With the aid of some of the old hands who bad re-
fused to join the movement, and of travelling inspec-
tors and foremen of works on the line, they were
enabled to start 18 engines from the London termi-
nus in the course of the day, and so to run the prin-
cipal Brighton trains and the corresponding trains
thence to Hastings and Portsmouth ; but the trains
on the smaller branches to Bognor, Littlehampton,
Eastbourne, and Hailsham were entirely suspended.
On the suburban lines around London, instead of
trains being run according to the time-tables, they
were run as frequently as possible, stopping at all the
stations, and taking up passengers as they went. By
that arrangement all suburban passengers were ac-
commodated, though not with the same punctuality
as ordinarily. Many of the season ticket-holders-and
other passengers residing in the neighbourhood of
Sydenham, Forest-hill, and Croydon availed them-
selves of the trains of the London, Chatham, and
Dover, and South-Eastern Companies, though at
more or less inconvenience. Though Tuesday was the
first day of the Epsom Spring Meeting, the London
and Brighton Company did not attempt, under the
circumstances,to run trains on their line to the Dow us,
and the consequence was a considerable loss to them,
and again yesterday, when the branch line to Ep-
som was still closed. Mr. Scott, the manager of the
London and South-Western Railway, however, had
given orders that the season-tickets of the Lon-
don and Brighton Company should be recognised
by their servants in trains to or from Waterloo and
Clapham Junction, IVimbledon, :well, Epsom, and
Leatherhead, and on the West London line to Ken-
sington. Mr. Eborall, again, on the part of the
South Eastern Company, offered facilities with re-
spect to East Croydon, Redhill, and Hastings pas-
sengers. To guard against accidents, through the
engine-drivers improvised for the occasion not be-
ing used to the signals, Mr. Hawkins, traffic mana-
ger to the London and Brighton, placed on the
engines a number of old guards familiar with the
signals to point them out to the drivers as they ap-
proached them. Ile had also platelayers stationed
all along the main line, throughout the whole of
Tuesday, just as iu a dense fog, for the purpose of
repeating the signals, and so of preventing mistakes
with respect to them. The result was that not a
single accident occurred. Various offers of assistance
by strangers were made in the emergency to Mr.
Hawkins—some of them peculiar. One was by a
person of gentlemanly appearance, who said he had
been for some years a driver of first-class marine
engines on board Government steamers, and under-
stood the driving of an engine so well that he would
gladly undertake the responsibility on this occasion.
On being told there was a great difference between
a marine engine and a locomotive, and that he could
hardly be trusted to drive one of the latter class, he
begged to be allowed to act as a stoker, so desirous
was he of rendering assistance at such a time.
Another said, though not a mechanic nor an engine
driver, he had studied mechanics and the theory of
engines during a great part of his life, and he be-
lieved he was capable of driving one. lie added, in
reply to a question, that he had been brought up to
the law, but was so thoroughly disgusted with it
that he would prefer to drive an engine if they
would accept his services.

The shares in the London, Brighton, and South
Coast receded 3 per cent. in the course of Tuesday,
and a continuance of the strike would, doubtless,
have induced a much more considerable decline. We
regret that the drivers' and firemen on the Midland
intend sending in their notices on the 2d of April,
and the met, similarly employed on the Newcastle,
Leeds, York, and Maldon sections of the North-
Eastern Railway—nearly one thousand in number
—have expressed their intention to stop work on
the 20th proximo, unless in the meantime their de-
mands are complied with by the directors. On Mon
day, it was resolved at a crowded meeting of the
drivers of the London, Brighton, and South Coast,
that in the event of the Board acceding to their pe-
tition, they would reauire Cue dismissal of five or
six men who remained on duty on Monday, but we
believe no result will follow this determination,
made as it was in a time, as regarded those interested,
of almost unprecedented excitement.

The following notices were issued yesterday
" LONDON, BRIGHTON, AND SOUTH COAST RAILWAY.
" All the trains to and from London and Brighton,