The Sun.
London, England, 1835-06-01 00:00:00

ARTISTS' BEY.EVOLENT INSTITU

TION.

The Twentieth Anniversary Dinner of this SocieVy took
place on Saturday evening at the Freemason's Hall, herd was
very numerously and respectably attended. The Chair was
laken by the Right Hon. Lord, BROUGHAM and VALIA, sup-
ported on his right by his Excellency the Belgian Ambassador,
and on his left by_Sir Geoffrey Wyattville, Sir Martin Archer
Slue, President of the Royal Academy, &c. The galleries
were filled with ladies, who remained during the whole evening.
After the usual loyal toasts of " The King," " The Queen,"
" The Princess Victoria, and the rat of the Royal Family,"
had been given with the usual honours, the Noble Chairman
said,—. In proposing the three toasts which have just Leen
drank, I did not, deem it necessary to preface either of
them with a single observation. His Majesty, the munifieeet
Patron of the Arts—the Queen, whose virtues and benevolence
are known to all her adopted country; and the illustrious per-
son, the heir presumptive to the Throne, whose rising virtue
unfolding themselves with her maturer years, make her tile
joy and comfort, as she is now the hope, of the nation—
( Loud cheers)—theSe require not a word to be said to merit
the cordial reception which is ever bes=towed on them ; and if
I take another course in proposing the next toast, it is not be-
cause I feel that his Royal Highness the Duke of Sueset any
more than any other branch of the Royal family, requires to
be ushered in by any prefatory recommenciation_( Cheers_
but it is to discharge a debt of gratitude anal duty due from
your society that I deem it right to deviate from that course.
His virtues and:learning, his singular condescension and geed-
' humour—if' I may be allowed to speak in that tire: sitar
guag-e, which I am sure his Royal Highness will ever
(nth:, when he knows that it comes from an honest arneriut.4l.
.frection tonvards himself—have endeared him io all classes
ths empire.—( Applause.) Gentlemen, I give you the Illus-
trious Patron of the Societys his Royal Highness the Duke of
Sussex."—( Drank with loud cheering.)
" 'I lie Vice- Patrons of the Society."
Sir Me tale Aacnair SURE felt much pride in having been
appointed to propose a toast which would be received with
enthusiasm. He was about-to propose to them the health of
a Noble and Learned Lord, who that -night dignified their
nThair.--( Long continued cheering.) He (Sir-Martin Archer
She) considered it a very great honour in having been de-
puted to propose so distinguished a name upon such an OCCO.
seen ; and he should also have felt a great pleasure in doing
so if he were not under apprehensions that he wee inadequate
to the task of introducing the toast in a way worthy of its dies
tinguisbed object, and in such terms as it ought to be pro-.
posed:-..( Cheers.) But to do justice to the various claims
whiCh the Noble and Learned Lord possessed upon their gra-
•titude and attention, would require eloquence equal to his own.
--;--(Cheers)—even were he (Sir M. A. Slice) gifted like that
Nobleman with all the power of words, his presence would'
necessarily restrict their free exercise on that occasion, and would
limit his eulogium to the expression of their grateful respects
and admiration.-.-( Applause.) There was, however, one
point, which if he were to pass over in silence he would con-
sider that he had not properly discharged his duty.. It MU
the kind condescension with which he had come forward to
till the duties of their Chairman on that even-mg.-4 Cheers. )
When characters of his high station and greatness contributed
not only their money, but their time and talent, which were of
more value, to the furtherance of objects' of beneveleace, and
the support of institutions like the present, they were doebly
entitled to the gratitude of the public. He was ,convinced
that they were all aware of the extent of the obligation they
owed the Noble and Learned Lord in that respect ; and he
would not detain the company from discharging the debt of gra
:itude which they owed, and which he was sure they wound
eon- discharge with a compound interest of acclamation._
( The toast was drank with tremendous cheering.) -
Lord BROUGIMII—When I. -rise to endeavour to express an
very grateful and respectful feeling towards you for the peels.-
liaily kind and hearty reception which I have met with among.
you, and for the manner in which you have been pleased to
receive the proposition of my worthy friend, the President.
of the Royal Academy, I really feel that I must trust once
more to your indulgence rather than to my own explanations;
for anything that I could say would not properly express my
i'eelings at this moment.—(Hear, and cheers.) Gentlemen,
the Worthy President has been pleased to call on von to thank
ine for doing an act of kindness to this institution, which I
really feel to he only discharging my duty and a debt of gra-
titude--a debt of
.gratitude for the gratification I have on so
many occasions, in common with all our countrymen, expe-
rienced from their labours (however little skilled in the arts)
for all are able, more or less, to taste the refined pleasures the%
bestow—but a duty also of even a higher nature than that deli:
of personal and professional gratitude—personal v.h.'n respect
to the individual gratification, and professional on the part of title
by :Awn it was eccasioned-;-a duty, in common with -all lire
community, of lending any feeble aid it may be in the compass
of my ability to bestow, to promote the advancement of an art
connected with such exalted thoughts, and leading to such
great national. purposes as yours.—(Great applause.) I cer-
tainly have at all times, since ever I could think or reflect on
the subject, been very clearly and decidedly of opinion, that that
nation cannot be called in any strict or correct sense ofthe term a
civilized nation, which fails to cultivate the fine arts.--( Hear,
hear.) I will not detain you with the common-places which
'nave been at all times pronounced by the_ most eloquent lips,
and which the most impressive writers have recorded, as to
the advantage of those arts to whatever state it has been for
tunate enoughe to have their germs planted within
its bosom. I will not detain you by showing you how
their tendency is to enhance the pleasures oft' that com-
munity, to refine the sentiments, exalt and enlighten' the
understanding, and add a lustre to the other, arts and sciences.
—(Cheers.) On these mere topics of declamation, but only
of declamation, because they require not reasoning to recom-
mend their being founded on first impressions, and almost in
tuitive—but with these topics I will not detain you, for you
must be all satisfied upon the subject. I shall hasten, there-
fore, to what I am always more anxious about, what may be
emetically useful, and shall state to you, according to my ob-
• +adorn what the country owes to the art--in my humble
opinion, a debt of which, although some instalment may have
been paid up, yet infinitely more remains in arrear.-4 Hear,
hear,- hear.) . No man feels more strongly titan I do, or
is more intensely persuaded of the accuracy of that,
which, indeed, from the course of my opinions and public
conduct, has been always known to the country to be in)
sentiments—that, as a general principle, the public at large,
meaning those individuals in easy circumstances of whom. the
public is composed, are, generally speaking, the beat and most
effectual and legitimate .patrons of all merit whatever, which
is of a nature to come before it.--(Hear, bear.) This is a
general truth, which I must not deny, because I have always
maintained that no interference of the State, or Government,
ought ever to mix, in any way, with the legitimate patronage
which the public of individuals is capable and likely to bestow
on it.--(Cheers.) Admitting that as a general principle, and
only adding another excellent principle—why, to men of ge-
nius, this is the best system of patronage, because it does not
tend to humiliate them, by creating a sense of dependence,
but rather exalts them, as being worthy of general sup-
port ; and as it does not tend to fall into abuse, be-
cause free competition always prevents partiality and fa-
vour. Yet admitting all this, mid more especially the.
latter point, which ought never to be lost sight of, there are
reasons which ought to persuade the Government and indi-
viduals, without intending at all to undervalue the inestimable
merits of that individual patronage, or that competition which
is the. essence of an appeal to public patronage, and without
wishing to provide a substitute for it, or to raise up any other
power conflicting or interfering with it—keeping that always
in our eye as the staple, the great staple of patronage, to
which men of art must ever by competition appeal—never-
theless it is unquestionably clear that there ought to be lent,
on the part of the Government and the Legislature, that
species of patronage which seems to be particularly desirable,
and even necessary, as regards the fine arts. These two prin-
ciples are perfectly consistent one with another--the one help-
ing, aiding, and not marring, the other. And the reason is
this—the public, taken as a body, never will, and, to the end
of time, never can be expected either to be able or willing to
give sufficient encouragement to the highest of all branches of
the fine arts. Men of . large fortune only can do so, and they
are " few and far between"—indeed, it requires men of over-
grown fortune to do so, such men as I can hardly mention its
the present age in the plural number. I know of but few
such as the Lord Lieutenant of the County of Sussex, that
venerable nobleman, who is distinguished as a munifi nut
patron of the arts—(Cheers)--but they arc so few, that I can-
not venture to name them as a class.—( Hear.) What is the
kind of art which is encouraged as the staple of the country,
to which the bulk of the community applies its resources, and
by which artists are expected to gain a living It 13
face painting, body sculpture, house architecture, or
portraits which may be hung up for generations—it is the cast,
or bust, or marble which may serve for a number of genera-
tions—it is in short these branches which are useful rather
than sublime or ornamental. All these are admirable—none
to be under-rated; this is the staple of the encouragement
given by the public to repay the artist for his labour ; but
when we wish to look at the splendid historical painting, wheA
we desire groups of ancient design or when we would have
magnificent buildings to rival those of ancient times, we cannot
look, generally speaking, to individuals; it is absolutely ne-
cessary that the State as a body should upheld them,—(l,oud,
cries of " Hear.") Therefore, wishing well to the fine arts,
and desiring that historical as well as portrait painting should
receive that support it so much requires, and so justly merits,
from employing the pencils of the best artists—it is for this
reason that I do greatly regret, and always.vrill,- until I see
remedy applied to the evil. and until I find the defects iii the, .1
system remedied—it is for this reason that I shall never.cease,
to lament that so many of our great public buildings.haics '
been so lamentably deficient in inside finishing 'and eimamead-
and that riot ene of them has called forth the exertiens of
single brusher pencil, out of the, hundreds of 'thousands j
pounds expended on them.—( Ileac, hear.) I say, with 'greet
humility as art individual, that I lament so many millions et'
pounds have been laid out in erecting, I know not bow roany
score of fine public buildings, without either one chisel or one,
brush having been put in motion by all those thousands ef
pounds "from the Land's End to John o' Groats."—(Hear,