The Sun.
London, England, 1826-04-25 00:00:00

NATIONAL GALLERY.

The following is a copy of the Treasury Minute,
dated 23d March, 1826, directing the purchase of
three Pictxres for the National Gallery:—
The Earl of Liverpool lays before the Boards Paper, which
has been addressed to him by Lord Aberdeen, Sir Charles Long,
Sir G. Beaumont, Sir Thomas► Lawrence, and Mr. Seguier, re-
commending that three Pictures, the property of Mr. Hamlet,
viz.— . .

, Bacchus and Ariadne - by Titian,
• • Christ appearing to St. Peter - by A. Carracci,
Bacchanalian Scene - - - by N. Ptomain
should be purchased for the National Gallery, at the sum of
9,000/., demanded by Mr. Hamlet ; and his, Lordship recom-
mends to the Board to purchase these Pictures for the public.
My Lords concur with Lord Liverpool in the expediency of
securing these Pictures for
.the public; and they direct that they
may be purchased accordingly.

If every man who exhibits a picture to the trustees
for purchases for the National Gallery, is affronted be-
cause they will not buy it, and if the officious friends
of every one so affronted are to addreSs letters to the
public in the Newspapers of the day, we must not .be
very unreasonable in. dur expectations of the good
sense or justice of the"remarks that will be offered upon'
the occasion.

There is one Alfred of the Times (certainly not the
good old Times), who epistolizes largely in this.way ;
we do not, however, recollect that he made 'any, very
good hits, and as he has now betaken himself to low
personal scurrility, we may feel sure that he is himself
conscious of his failure. His last observations indeed
we cannot descend lo'nOtice, and shotild be inclined
to suspect that_ they will hardly ever meet with the ap-
plaute of his own evening club.
The fact is, that there have been now added to the
original collection of ..Mr,Angerstein simply four pie-.
tures, all of which are iilloWed,by.aato•bareally good
pictures, and worthy. of, a, place the ~National
For these pictures large prices have been paid,
because without large prices• they could not have
beenprocured ; and then, because theprices are large,
certain anonymous writers exclaim •that there must
have been unfair dealing. Now we assert, that if
endeavouring to force the Committee to buy by heap-
ing abuse upon them when they do not the
publication of falsehoods,—if resentment for therejee
timi of avaricious offers may bear the name of unfair
dealing, then, much more has been exhibited to• the
public by the assailants than by .the assailed. The
most thinking people indeed., are not so easily gulled,
and they, will see of themselves on which side the
unfairness really lies, and from what cause it ori-
ginated. _

As to the prices paid, it is clear that a picture whe..
ther for this Gallery, or any other, is worth just what
it will fetch ; and : ngland, though the cheapest place
for the purchase of pictures of a moderate value, will
be found, by all who dabble in such matters to be the
dearest in the world.for the real chefs d'aztvre of art.
One cannot, indeed, now speak with certainty of the
comparative value of all the Titians and Caraccis that
are at this moment- to be parted with, so as *to set them
against the lately purchased pictures. But of the Cor-
regio which was bought last year We may; speak ; and
though no more than 3,0001. was paid for that picture,
we know that more than '28,0001. was at that moment
expected to be realised by two pictures of that same
master, then in the possegsion of a Noble Peer. Nor
is it 'an unfair inference that a Corregio, even of so
small a size,. was not to be expected to he saleable at a
lower price. • _

We will not state the question unfairly here on
either side. This painting by Corregio, we allow,. is
not on a scale that affords us any display of some of the
extraordinary peculiarities of that master ; it gives us no
idea of his real greatness of design, nor of those inimi-
table powers that •he possessed of depicting the flesh
of the human body ; still it is an excellent picture, and
as the market stanch (we repeat it), a picture well
worth the money paid. • . ,• . .
As to proofs of genuineness and authenticity, even,
the scurrility of a minor connoisseur must admit that
these words are somewhat vague. If the majority of
the reputed best judges agree in their opinion upon
such tioints, it is the best guarantee that can be offered.
Unanimity in most cases is literally never to be ob-
tained ;' and every person who has ever visited Italy,
or even heard 'of the various and varying dicta of the
Academies of that country, as pronounced with re-
gard to the same picture, will duly appreciate the truth
of what is here advanced.

BALL FOR THE •BENEFIT OF THE DISTRESSED
SILK WEAVERS IN SPITALFIELDS.—The Lady
Mayoress has been extremely active in procuring the
co-operation of a number of ladies of rank to patro-
nize a grand ball for the benefit of the distressed Silk-
Weavers of Spitalfields. We understand it is certain
that her Ladyship's exertions will be attended with
the most gratifying success. She has the aid of the
Marchioness of WORCESTER, and the patronesses of
ALmACK'PL It is intended to obtain the Opera-
house forthe occasion, and a meeting of the Ladies
will, we understand, be held this evening, to consider
of some regulations as to the dress which may be
necessary to recommend,
for the encouragement of the
manufactures of the poor workmen whom it is in-
tended to relieve,