The Sun.
London, England, 1866-11-06 00:00:00

Allocution of the Pope.

ROME, Oct 30.
The following is the text of the allocution upon
Italian affairs, deliiered by the Pope at the secret
consistory held yesterday :
" Venerable Brethren,—More than once, in the
fulfilment of our apostolic office, we have lamented,
both in our published letters, and in divers allocu-

tions pronounced in this very noble assembly, the
afflictions long weighing in Italy upon the affairs of
our most holy religion, and the very grave insults
inflicted upon ourselves and the apostolic chair by
the Subalpine Government. You will therefore
understand the sorrow with which we are now over-
come when we see that Government, with daily
increasing passion, incenantly attack the Catholic
Church, her salutary laws, and all her sacred minis-
ters; when we see, alas' venerable bishops and men of
the greatest integrity among the clergy, and other
very virtuous Catholic citizens, without any regard
for religion, justice,and humanity, sent into exile by.
that Government, or thrown into prison, or con-
demned to reside at a stated place and molested in
the most unworthy manner ; when we see dioceses
deprived of their pastors to the very great prejudice
of souls, virginssconsecrated to God carried away
from their convents and reduced to meudicity, the
temples of God violated, diocesan seminaries closed
to the members of the clergy, the instruction of the
Catholic youth taken from Christian discipline and
entrusted to professors of error and iniquity, and the
patrimony of the Church usurped and sold. That
same Government, despising ecclesiastical censure,
and paying no attention whatever to our most just
demands, and those of our venerable brethren, the
bishops of Italy, has sanctioned similar laws en-
tirely contrary to the Catholic Church and to her
doctrine and her rights, reproved by us, and has
not hesitated to promulgate a law touching civil
marriage, as we call it—a law not only quite con-
trary to Catholic doctrine, but also to the welfare of
civil society. Such a law tramples under foot the
dignity and sanctity of marriage, destroys that in-
stitution, and encourages an altogether shameful
concubinage. In fact there can be no marriage
between the faithful without there being at one and
the same time sacrament. Thus, it belongs exclu-
sively to the power of the Church to decree every-
thing which may concern the sacrament of marriage.
" Further, that Government,wounding in a sens-
ible manner the state of public profession of evan-
gelical vows which has had, and always will have,
force in the Church of God, and misconceiving the
very great benefits of regular orders, which, founded
by holy men and approved by. the Holy Apostolieal
Church, have deserved admirably of the civil and
literary Christian world by so many glorious labours
and so many pious and useful work; has not feared
to sanction a law suppressing, through the countries
under its dominion, all religious bodies (corpora-
tions) of both sexes, and has appropriated to itself
all their property, and much other Church property,
and has ordered its partition. Before entering into
possession of the province of Venetia, it has not
hesitated to extend the same laws to that country,
and has ordered, contrary to all law and right, the
entire destruction and annihilation of the convention
entered into by us with our very dear son in Christ
Jesus, Francis Joseph, Emperor of Austria.
" In consequence, faithful to the very grave duty
of our apostolic ministry, we raise anew, in this very
noble meeting, our voice in favour of religion, the
Church, her holy laws, and the rights of authority of
this chair of St. Peter, and with our utmost strength
we deplore and reprove all and every of those things
which have been decreed, done, and attempted by
the Subalpine Government, and by every ether
subordinate authority against the Church, her
laws, and her rights ; and by our apostolic autho-
rity we abrogate and proclaim null and of no
effect and without force or value all the said decrees,
with everything attaching thereunto. We also call
upon their authors, who glory in the name of Chris-
tians, to call to mind and seriously to consider that
they have, unhappily, incurred the spiritual cen-
sures and penalties inflicted by the apostolic consti-
tution, and the decrees of the cocumenical councils
upon whomsoever attacks the rights of the State.
" You know, venerable brethren, that certain
astute men fight against us, and interpret in their
sense the benediction we gave to Italy when, as-
suredly without any personal merit, but thanks to
the impenetrable judgment of God, we spontaneously
pronounced words of pardon and peace out of affec-
tion for the populations of the Pontifical State. In
truth, filled with the solicitude for the happiness
and the fidelity of the entire flock, imploring in our
prayer to God the welfare of Italy, we prayed with
fervour and humility that he would deliver her from
the evils by which she was tried, that the most pre-
cious gift of Catholic faith might be all powerful in
Italy, and that sobriety of morals, justice, charity,
and all the Christian virtues might flourish in her
more than ever. Even now we do not cease to offer
up to God the most fervent prayers that He will
deign in His benevolence, to deliver the Catholic
population of Italy from the many and great cala-
mities of every sort by which they are oppressed
and assailed through the fault of the governors of
the country, and from multiform persecution. But,
above all things, we supplicate the Lord of all mercy
to strengthen and fortify the peoples of Italy by his
celestial aid, in order that they may remain stedfast
and immovable in the divine faith and in their re-
ligion, and that they may endure and support so
much adversity, so many evils, with Christian

strength.
" Insensate, however, who deduce from this, aniled
d
do not cease to ask that we, who, already despo
by the most manifest injustice of several provinces
of our Pontifical domains, should further renouolic
nce
our civil sovereignty, and that of
the apost
chair. Every one must assuredly see how
unjust
and prejudicial to the Church is such a demand.
By the special will of Divine Providence, as we
have said upon another occasion, it happened that
when the Roman empire had fallen, and was divided
into several kingdoms and divers States, the Roman
Pontiff, among so great a variety of kingdoms and
in the then existing state of human society, was in-
vested with his civil sovereignty, by means of which,
never aubjected to any laical power, he exercises in

our most holy religion, and of the salutary doctrine
both of virtue and justice, must watch for the salva-
tion of all—how can we march in concert with those
who, not supporting the healthy doctrine, and re-
fusing to listen to the truth, depart from us, with
those who have never been willing to accede to our
desires nor do right to cur demands, tending that
the many dioceses in Italy deprived of comfort
and pastoral protection should have their bishops ?
" May it please Heaven that all who so vehe-
mently oppose the Church, ourselves, and this apos-
tolic chair, turning their gaze and their souls towards
truth and justice, may once for all become en-
lightened, and, returning to themselves, and pro-
viding for the safety of their souls, moved by salu-
tary repentance, may prevail upon their minds to
come back to us. Nothing would be more agree-
able than to go to meet them, following the ex-
ample of the father in the gospel, and to embrace
them, congratulating ourselves in the Lord that
these our children were dead and are alive again,
were lost and are found. It would then be seen
that our august religion—the mother and the fertile
source of all the virtues, and the scourge of vices
—leads equally to the individual happiness of each
and to the public prosperity of all. There, indeed,
where religion and her salutary doctrines prevail,
necessarily flourish sobriety of morals, integrity,
peace, justice, charity, and all the virtues. There
the people are not overwhelmed by those serious ills
which crush them miserably wherever religion and
her doctrines are misunderstood.

" From the deplorable facts briefly and sorrow-
fully told, and from sad contemporary events in
Italy, all the world may easily see and divine to
what great perils this apostolic see is exposed, and
how it forms the target for very. bitter threats of
rebellion, for the hatred of the unbelieving, and for
the wrath of the enemies of the cross of Christ.

" Fenians' voices sound continually from all quar-
ters, which desperate enemies incessantly echo, de-
claring that this city of Rome ought to participate
in this most fatal Italian disturbance and rebellion,
even so far as to become its capital ; but God, rich
in mercy, will know how by his omnipotent strength I
to frustrate the counsels and impious desires of our
enemies. He will never permit this noble city, so ,
dear to us, whereby His great and most special bene- I
ficence lie has placed the chair of St. Peter, the in-
expugnable basis of His faith and divine religion, to
return to the unhappy condition so efficaciously de-
scribed by our holy predecessor, Leo the Great (St.
Leo, Serm. 82, Al. 80. In natal. apostolor Petri et
Pauli), in which it existed when the most glorious
Prince of the Apostles for the first time entered this
city, then the mistress of the world.
" As for ourselves, although destitute of nearly
all human assistance, faithful nevertheless to our
mission, and absolutely confiding M the support of
the all-powerful God, we are ready to struggle
without fear, even at the peril of our life, for the
cause of the Church divinely confided to us by the
Lord Jesus Christ, and, should there be need, to re-
move wherever we may be best enabled to exercise
our supreme apostolic functions.
" And because, in so terrible a storm, the sole and
best support must be prayer, we address ourselves to
all the venerable brethren and bishops of the entire
Catholic world, to all the Catholic clergy, and to all
the children of Holy Mother Church, who have never
ceased to lavish upon us all such striking testimonies
of love and of respect, to come to our assistance in our
very serious trials and those of the Holy See. We call
upon them continually to offer, with faith, hope, and
charity, fervent prayers to God for the defeat of the
enemies of the Church, and their return to
the way
of salvation ; for, in the words of Chrysostom
(S. Joan, Chrysostom homil. 13, in Cap. 11. generis),
prayers constitute a powerful arm, a great security,
a rich treasure, an excellent harbour, a most secure
asylum, provided that, attentive and watchful, we
present ourselves before the Lord with a collected
mind, and without permitting any access to the
enemy of our salvation.

" In the midst of the great tribulations by which
we are assailed we have one vast consolation, know-
ing that God, when His Church has no human suc-
cour, works marvellous prodigies, which most clearly
display His omnipotence and His Divine hand, and
which fully confirm the truth that the gates of hell
shall at no time prevail against the Church, which
shall always remain immovable, triumphing over
her enemies until the end of time.
" Butit is deeplysorrowful that it is not precisely
settled that a nation must always preserve the most
precious treasure of our Divine faith and our religion.
" In fact, there are many nations which had faith-
fully preserved the deposit of faith and the discipline
of morals. Alas they have been detached from that
Rock upon which rests the edifice of the Church, anof
separated from him to whom has been the polwemr.
confirming the brethren and the feeding ofi a
and
and the sheep, not agreeing among themselves,
very
enveloped in the darkness of error, they are n
great peril as to their salvation.
of our mission,
" And here we cannot, by ea
abstain from fervently adjurinrg;
Lord, all sovereigns and othoeronsil
der with care the
observe good faith, and
very grave obligation Sui;nersthe name of the
of
peoples to
incumbent upon them, to
respect for religion increase
among their subjects, an
endeavour that love and d t
extinguished.
" Wretched,
prevent, with their utmost
strength, the torch faith being
indeed, are those rulers who, forget-
ting that they are
the ministers of G odfor good,
shall have neglected
. their duty when they could and
ought to have supported this worship. It is for
to fear and tremble, when, hen,specially by their
themwo work, they destroy that most precious treasure of
Catholic faith, without which it is impossible to
please God. When summoned to a most severe
judgment, they shall appear before the tribunal of
Christ, they shall see how dreadful a thing it is to
fall under the displeasure of the living God, and to
encounter His most severe justice.
" Lastly, we cannot doubt, venerable brethren,
witnesses and associates of our labours, appreciat-
ing your excellent and well-known religion, your
piety, and your warm love for Catholicism, that you
will be heartily willing to unite your fervent prayers
to ours, and to those of the whole Church, and
maidwously to implore the most clement Father of
mercy, that, through the merits of His only Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ, He will take pity upon
L' Italy, upon the whole of Europe, and upon the

The following notice from the Admiralty was
lyoe;sdt
se
hr
pasy
hpaovset ebde
ei un Woolwich
o Da
10l
oc kwy
all
rd
l:
men,
oTnhtehi
the
ten-hour system, entering the dockyard at 8 30
a.m. for a certain period, as an experiment, such
workmen being informed that if any improper ad-
vantage be taken, or they avoid coming into the
yard at the proper hour, and the work be in conse-
quence delayed, their lordships will have to recon-
sider the indulgence which they have granted, and
will discharge any men who take au improper
advantage of it.—W. EDMONSTONE, Commodore-
Superintendent,
icochmDmoacnkdyiaargd.'a' t Woolwich,
troops from frequenting or entering, on any consi-
yesl‘tlearjdoary-Giesnsu. eldllVTaaorodglearrison order, prohibiting the
w'
consi-
dration, the localities in the lower parts of Wool-
wich, Charlton, and Plurnstead, in which several
deaths from cholera have occurred within the last
few days. Officers and non-commissioned officers
are therein apprised that it is their duty to see that
the order be strictly attended to.

The Late Mr. Charles Davis and Mr• James

Mason.

Alas ! we have lost within the last few days two of the
very first men of their time, each in his own peculiar way.
Mr. Charles Davis, her Majesty's late huntsman, and Mr.
James Mason, better known as " Join Mason" throughout
England and France, and probably throughout Europe,
have been taken from us. When shall we see their like
again? I remember asserting, many years ago, before a
numerous party, that there were then three men in Eng-
land who were facile principes in their own professions,
the second being Sir Edwin Landseer as a painter of ani-
mals in repose ; and the third, " Jem Mason," as a cross-
country rider. No one contradicted me. The great artist
remains not only unvanquished, but clearly invincible. The
third was never " collared" till the day when the ravages
of a cruel malady forbade him any longer to get into his
saddle. How well I recollect Mason when I first went as
a little boy to Harrow School. He then often rode Mr.
Harvey Combe's second horse. In spite of the excellence
of the successive packs (Mr. Osbaldeston's was one), and
the energy and liberality of the master, sport was rare, for
the extremely difficult character of the old Berkeley coun-
try interfered with it. A fox would run short, turning
at the end of a hedgerow as big as a small spinney—kills
became less and less frequent, and we all know that every
fox which might be, but is not, accounted for makes
hounds more slack and less disposed to do their best to
account for the next. But even in those days Mason's
magnificent horsemanship and judicious eye for a
country manifested themselves in the fine runs with
f,rtAoohe
rwrmr, Qioeowr ees l r
acs:
aniaant
nrnyyadi Do Burgh's
of IntedoflsiealloydN,vtfikoierin
nfaecaahrlstaghoundscalled
raid
aand
still over
c,l h
ll iet
_I a
thr
0-
'3l
ews ta sI
t 'Ds
h oaunl dinfer
tiho or ii3ge hr
to exaggerate, bow many times he caught my mare during
the latter part of a very severe run from Osenden-farm
nearly to Beaconsfield. Mason, as your readers know,
began his career as a first-rate rider to hounds, and
in this line his excellence was so prominent as to in-
dicate to the best judges, such as Mr. Elmore, that he
must, if tried, become a great steeplechase rider. And
right, indeed, they were ! Those three words, "Mason on
Lottery," have long represented the beau ideal of the crack
cross-country rider on the crack steeplechase horse. I have
often seen Mason win, but kdo not think that I ever saw
him achieve his victory more magnificently than in a
steeplechase over natural fences in a goodhunting country
about four miles from Oxford, on, I think, Gay Lad, when
he left M'Donough in the second place after a severe set-to.
It was a real pleasure to see him in a run. His seat, hand,
and nerve, his marvellous combination of eye for hounds,
pluck, and elegance in the saddle, deEghted the eye, and his
cheery way when a fox "broke" was enough to induce a
doubtful goer to catch the contagion and ride "straight" in
spite of himself, even if he had received before ho started
from home for the rail a circular announcing a hoa7y call
on several hundred £5O shares in some joint-stock company
in course of winding-up. I never had better opportunities
of observing Mason's excellence with'hounds than in some
very agreeable days' sport with the harriers kept begossrst;
Hall, at Neasdon. In a burst with a fox over grass a rip
has quite enough to do to watch the couples
to be one,
hounds which are to make the turn —if there
is
to select in each fence the weakest bits
arewhicialle's horses compat-
ible with keeping one's place, and to I.rld
°blown. Under
to-
gether and nurse him when he is a
little
to admire another
of leading
these circumstances you cannot find time.ensations are diffe-
rent. riding. But with harriers
coolly,
along over
to see Mason on a
over those fine grass
rent. One can take it more.
first-rate young horse
isthrithge lovely little pack looking
arbergelas.ett-thhiagththsceernetiisnnforto(natt
fields round Harrow,
was really
like China images ai
a flue "bt•
that there is) any portrait of Mason by
1
east I do not know
ates
racer of the brush is wanting to his
a greet artist. The v
t the representation, or type, of him
fame. Ido not
would there recognise the hand-
somechase cracks. But ncl o
es of the individual, though the style of seat and
on Lottery in thefoirNg-eell-knueown coloured print of the steeple-
chase d racing.lmtrircah
features
graceful length of limb are well portrayed. The great
A.loxan
der as Cicero tells us, standing on the tomb of
Achilles, extolled his good fortune in that ho had a Homer
to sing
his praises, and well may poor Mason's shade envy
the manes of Mr. C. Davis in that the fine pencil of Sir F.
Grant has handed down to posterity the most distinguished
huntsman. of staghounds. Of course by this word I mean
hounds which chase the calf or paddock-fed deer. There
'to sits on his gallant grey, still full of go, though with

fore legs fired and shaken, with men of rank and birth all
round him, yet who more aristocratic in appearance than
Mr. Davis himself, nature's own nobleman ? Well might be
with that high aquiline nose, those marked features, and
that careworn look, have sat to Sir Joshua for " the Banished
Lord" or for " Count Ugolino." I love to look at a proof
engraving of "the Meet at Ascot-heath" hanging side by
side with another chef-d'ceuvre of the same artist, " The
Meet at Melton." Alas ! that of those whom the distin-
guished President of the Royal Academy has collected
round the noble master of the royal pack, himself no more,
and of those who in the other picture aro gently making
their way to the gorse, so many lie cold in their graves—
nay, that so many have been cut off in the prime of life!
Alas! for those two gallant Irishmen whom you see on the
rising ground at the right of the Melton picture—Lords
Waterford and Desart ; the latter, I think, the best looking
man as well as the best rider in Christ Church when I first
".joined."tl!,,
middle
oAndof
t the
yetg trho
ue
pr!oble mighte a rl
il whosraittlefs pm r et-heatut ipuoernttraiint
ysteiric.,liatyer,.so little effect bas time bad upon him.—Land
and

TIIE DUBLIN BANQUET.—The Dublin Evening
Freeman gives the following summary of the official classes
present at the banquet to Mr. Bright in tho Round Room of
the Rotunda the other night:—Nineteen members of Par-
liament (17 of whom were Irish), 5 mayors or chairmen
of town commissioners, 10 aldermen, 13 town councillors,
3 baronets, 1 knight, 5 deputy-lieutenants, 17 justices of the
peace, 3 high,-sheriffs, 27 clergy, 10 doctors, 3 sergeants-at-
law, 8 Queen's counsel, 27 barristers, and 19 solicitors.
At a conference of ironworkers held on Monday
at Wolverhampton it was resolved that henceforth
there shall be only one union, one executive, and
one code of rules for England, Scotland, and
Wales.

l'? 5-"W' Sun.

LONDON, TUESDAY, NOV. 6, 1866.

The terrible catastroP h e at Quebec has called
forth a prompt and liberal esponse from London
and Manchester.
Yesterday a
an a small preliminary
meeting was held in Manchester, so substantially
satisfactory did it prove that the honorary secretary
was able to communicate at once with the Mayor of
(pace, and to authorise him to draw on
a
This intelligence
was Man-
chesterbank for £l,OOO sterling. ntelligence
was transmitted through the Atlantic Cable, which
has already done good service in conveying these
kindly messages free of charge, so that the Liberal
donors have the satisfaction of knowing that their gifts
and subscriptions are rendered immediately available
for the assistance of the homeless sufferers. Man-
chester is determined not to lose time in coming
forward, for a canvassing committee was yesterday
organised, and a public meeting to be held in the
Town Hall was called for Friday next. It is thought
likely that similar steps will Le taken in Liverpool
and other great towns, while the metropolis cannot

cf course be far behind. At the Mansion-house
yesterday the Lord Mayor made an appeal to the
citizens. Ile referred to theihnicuhmobie
lrataenydeasresvehraivtye
of the great public disasters, v
called forth the characteristic liberality of the citizens.
The Indian mutiny, the famine which followed
it, the cotton distress, and very recently the visita-
tion of the cholera, have in turn called forth the
public sympathy. The present calamity is of great
extent, and presses heavily upon the whole com-
munity of Quebec. The sufferers are numbered by
thousands, and the intensity of their distress is
aggravated by the anticipated horrors of the coming
winter. In the appeal issued a fortnight ago by the
Mayor of Quebec, he gives an appalling description
of the state of affairs. " For the present," lie says,
" the sufferers End refuge in the undestroyed por-
tion of the city, in the surrounding parishes, and in
the public buildings, 'where food is distributed daily
by the relief committee. If, as already narrated,
some among them have perished in the conflagra-
tion, how many others must succumb to the rigours
of the Canadian winter, or to those diseases which
develope themselves and often propagate in a terrible
manner in large and crowded agglomerations of
human beings !" No time is to be lost in providing
some better accommodation, since, as the Mayor of
Quebec reminds us, in another month the snows of
a long winter will be around them. The calamity
itself would be great enough in the height of sum-
mer or on the eve of spring, but occurring, as it
has done, on the very verge of winter, in a climate
of whose severity Englishmen can form little notion,
it is indeed overwhelming. Canada is not a rich
colony, and what wealth she possesses is more in
substance than in funds. Prompt and liberal assist-
ance is therefore greatly needed, and as the Lord
Mayor observed yesterday, if there was ever an
occasion on which it became the duty of the chief
magistrate to enlist the sympathies of the public,
this misfortune which has befallen our own kith and
kin must surely be so reckoned. We cannot doubt
but that the appeal will be promptly answered, and
that the munificent donations of many of our leading
firms will be followed by liberal contributions from
the general public.
The origin of the fire is now said to have been in
a drinking saloon, where some men, contrary to
regulation, had been keeping up their revels all
night. About four o'clock on the morning of
Sunday, the 14th October, they began fighting and
upset the table, on which was an oil lamp, which
broke to pieces and quickly set fire to the room.
We may naturally suppose that whatever chance
there was of extinguishing the fire at the outset was
lost in such a company ; but at best it could have
been a slender one, for the houses are, as we know,
built of wood, dried, of course, by age,
and certain in cases of fire to burn with
terrible rapidity. So great has the danger been
considered that the insurance companies have been
reducing their risks and raising their premiums
until risks, which were taken at five shillings in
Montreal, were charged twelve and sixpence in
Quebec. A very strong wind rendered the spread
of the flames more rapid, and it is said, whether
correctly or not is uncertain, that what supply of
water there was was useless from some wretch
having cut the hose. In any case there is no doubt
that the flames extended with terrible quickness.
The fire, as we have said, broke out at four o'clock,
at half-past five eight houses wereburning. An hour
later 150 were consumed, and the devastation went
on between twelve and thirteen hours. "A moderate
computation places the number of houses destroyed
at 2,500, and the loss of real property at from
2,500,000 dolls. to 3,000,000 dolls. Over 25,000
persons are thrown on the charity of the world."
One-third of the city has been desolated. At St.
Laurie and Stoue-streets out of 2,000 houses only
175 are left standing. The Mayor sent to request
the instant assistance of the military, who did all
they could, blowing up and tearing down houses
and buildings as fast as possible to arrest
the progress of the flames. But the mighty
sea of fire rolled onwards in spite of every
effort. All that the miserable population could do
was to save what property they could, until, an eye
witness describes, the surrounding country was a
vast fair, the owners of houses far away from the
actual fire bringing out all they could carry, certain
that the flames would soon reach them. Great blame
has been attached to the city authorities, but the
conflagration seems speedily to have assumed the
most formidable proportions, and the nature of the
houses rendered it very difficult to deal with. It is
very much to be feared that the pressure
of the distress will occasion the building of
more of these dangerous wooden houses ; but it is
to be hoped that, if so, they will only be regarded
as temporary shelters, and that a better class of
habitations may speedily replace them. The catas-
trophe has excited great sympathy in the States,
where collections for the sufferers are being set on
foot. France and England have been also appealed
to, and are certain to come forward largely. We
can only hope that all these efforts may serve to
w
mitigatethe distresse which the fire has occasioned,
and which,
fear, despite all endeavours, will
press heavily
on the Canadians duringc, the coming
winter.

Mr. BERESPORD HOPE' t
eAsl.Pto.,tdheelifivreertedofanthopen-
ing address of great inter
ses-
sional meeting of the Royal Institute -of British
Architects. He commenced by awarding credit to
the late Government for the earnest manner in
which they had taken up the question of the Insti-
tute and the National Gallery. Mr. HOPE entered
at some length upon the difficulties that presented
themselves in the shape of alterations, &c., and de-
clared that he had no fault to findwittohyatlheAar-
rangements, adding that when the ~ i
Aca-
demy found itself established in a mansion of its
own, and master of its own time and actions, it
would act with wisdom if it set itself to consider
seriously the position in which it annually placed
itself, by adhering to
hicthhe programmemetwithsoof an ite
limitaerdeharce-
tural exhibition w
Twrraofnagl
gianr
-hsicsi
udairse-
sponse."
op inio n
iCne Certainly,
nolnyt,
approval ofWteli et lidileictil‘olnr.tllo rePtaEi nis
aass hteheobssietrevefso,rththeree Nisaotni°lynaoine Gallery.
of Parliament that neither in " size, arrangement,
nor external appearance is the structure worthy of
its
that destination." ews it nh a
tt
hi oe n.
means which eneonirpealosoynedtothfeeraer
" However,
are we
t o see
b
will be disappontinent at the result ; andaisfoEr the
outlines of the undertaking, which Mr. ior
ad-
verts to, how can he lay out money to more advan-
tage than in improving and adorning a work which
should last for alongtimc? With the appropriation
of the various places in the vicinity of the present
structure we think thatsufficient space will be found
for containing a collection which, as is here appro-
priately said, our just national pride " leads us to
hope will not in the twentieth century be deprecia-
torily quoted after Rome, Paris, Dresden, and
Berlin." A more central spot than Charing-Cross
affords could nowhere be found for the erection of
a work of national interest and artistic importance,
presenting, as it does, an opportunity for
the representatives of all classes :to assem-
ble, and to share in the benefits which
the study and contemplation of the objects
there present. The uninitiated can hardly

-realise the many difficulties which lie in the way of
:these undertakings, and the almost insuperable ob-
stalcles which seem to interpose themselves when it
is imagined the chief struggle is over and the affair
in a manner settled. The importance of the work
of rebuilding the National Gallery justly deter-
mined the Government to select the architect by
competition, and that a limited one, as it chanced
in the other great competition of the year, that for
the Law Courts, the number of six was also se-
lected. The House of Commons has, however,
decided, and we think wisely so, that
there are to be twelve in either case, and thus the
" double adjudication" of their design will be in all
probability the architectural event of next session.
In alluding to the part he had taken in
this matter, Mr. IIoPE said that two years
ago he moved the house of Commons to
reverse the decision which closed Burlington
House to the National Gallery, believing, on general
principles of art policy, that a certain scheme was
faulty, but so long as it was a "fait accompli,
as it is now destined to be, it has been, and it will
be, my duty to deal with the incidents of the new
building in Trafalgar-square as a question to be
treated within it on four corners, with a single re-
gard to the advantage of that building in itself, and
in relation to the site which it occupies." It is satis-
factory to find him taking so elevated a view of his
duties, and so willing to adopt a course free
from partiality or prejudice. Referring to the
very important work of the Palace of Justice, Mr.
HoPE said that last year he had expressed his
wishes that it might be worthy of its destination
and of the country to which it belonged. We
now hear that he thinks the lists of competitors
afford a " material guarantee" for its success,
and that " artistic patriotism" may be satisfied,
provided the judges are competent, and " Parlia-
ment, in years to come, is wisely generous enough
not to grudge the necessarily large sums requisite
to bring so grand a work to its legitimate com-
pletion." We cordially concur with the sentiment
here expressed, and it will be indeed a pity if any
shortsighted economy, or mistaken prudence, steps
in to mar the stupendous work.

Mr. Hon, in the course of his discursive speech,
alluded to the prospects of British Architecture and
of the cognate arts at the coming Exhibition in
Paris. Unfortunately only a comparatively small
space has been allowed, but by judicious arrange-
ment it is hoped to overcome much of this draw-
back. The South Kensington authorities wished to
have a preliminary exhibition in December,
and those who hope to appear at Paris
must be content to conform themselves to
the regulations for size, &c. ; but the Committee
trust that this affair will not be regarded merely as
a trial for Paris, but that it may partake in some
degree of a national character. In consequence of
this there will be an opportunity of bringing to-
gether a mass of contemporaneous collections, such
as the English public has never yet been able to
study, so that in some respects we may really gain
by what appeared to be at firstesight a complete
disadvantage and loss to our exhibitors. It is
impossible to overrate the influence and im-
portance of the study of these matters,
and the more they are brought before the
public the better will it be for the national taste
and judgment. We commend Mr. HorE's speech
to the notice of all who would acquaint themselves
with the progress and prospects of art in this coun-
try, and they will find that he speaks on a subject
of which he is well-informed with candour and dis-
cretion. his last words were very impressive when
he said, " True to ourselves let us be, and no self-
ishness, no stingyness, or ignorance displayed by the
world, which is so largely our debtor, caa check the
architecture of Great Britain in its onward course
of great and rapid improvement."