The Sun.
London, England, 1845-04-23 00:00:00

ART-UNION OF LONDON.

ANNUAL MEETING IN DRURY-LANE

THEATRE.

The ninth annual meeting of the Art-Union of
London took place yesterday at the Theatre Royal
Drury-lane, the manager, Alfred Bunn, Esq., having
kindly lent the theatre for that purpose. The doors were
opened shortly after eleven o'clock, and the boxes
and pit were almost immediately afterwards filled
by a most fashionable audience, the majority of whom
were ladies. The stage was also completely occupied
long before the commencement of the proceedings. The
tickets and prizes were placed in the respective wheels,
and the wheels were repeatedly turned so as to mix the
tallies before the commencement of the proceedings.
At twelve o'clock precisely, his Royal Highness the
Duke of Cambridge, the President of the Society, en-
tered the theatre, and was conducted to the chair by the
officers of the Society. His Royal Highness was loudly
cheered on his appearance, and the cheering
continued for some minutes after his Royal
Highness bad taken his seat as President.
His Royal Highness, who looked remarkably well, was
accompanied by his Serene Highness the Duke of
Mecklenburgh Strelitz. Among those present, we
observed Sir C. Hopkinson, Captain Bowater Vernon,
Captain Foskett, the Rev. H. Hyde, General Sir Gord n
Drummond, Admiral Sykes, Lady Green, Mr. Alder-
man Humphery, M.P., Mr. Alderman Wilson, Mr. B.
Bond Cabbell, Mr. J. P. Deering, R.A., Mr. W. Wither-
ington, R.A., Mr. T. Uwins, R.A., Mr. Edwin Landseer,
R.A., Mr. D. Maclise, R.A., Sir Richard Westmacott,
R.A., and Miss Burdett Coutts.

The proceedings were opened by the Duke of CAM-
BRIDGE, who addressed the Society as follows :
Ladies and Gentlemen,—l have great satisfaction in in-
forming you that in the last year your subscriptions
have increased full 6001.—(Cheers.) This year the
subscription amounts to 15.400L—(Cheers)—white
last year it amounted to 14,800L—(Cheers.) Now,
when we consider that in the year 1837, when
we first began we only collected 4901. I think
there is every reason for saying that we are thriving—
(Cheers)—and I most sincerely hope that we shall con-
tinue so.—(Cheers.) After saying these few words,
which I trust will be satisfactory to you, I will call upon
Mr. Godwin, the secretary, to read the report.—(His
Royal Highness sat down amidst loud cheering.)
The SECRETARY (Mr. Godwin) then came forward
and read the following report, which seemed to give ge-
neral satisfaction :
" For the ninth time the Committee have the great
satisfaction of announcing ' tbe continued and increas
ing prosperity of the Art-Union of London, a more
extended and better appreciation of its great objects.
and clearer evidence of the goodness of its plan and
working.
" The subscription for the present year amounts to the
sum of 15,432/. 125., and would have been larger, but
for the misapprehension that Lord Monteagle's Act
(under which the present distribution is made) applied
simply to the past year, and that as no fresh Act on
the subject had been passed, we were not recognised
by the Legislature. In reality, however, the Act in
question remains in force until the 31st of July next,
before which time, as there is every reason to believe,
the Association will be placed on a firm and perma •
nent basis by an Act of Parliament, to be brought in
by the Right Hon. Thomas Wyse, as Chairman of a Com-
mittee of the House of Commons appointed in June
last to consider the objects and results of Art-Unions,
and the most expedient and practicable means of refl•
dering them most subservient to the improvement and
diffusion of art through the different classes of the com-
munity. The minutes of evidence and the report
the Parliamentary Committee have been printed, and,
when made public, will doubtless afford many valuable
suggestions for the future conduct of the Association.
"It is gratifying to find that the late agitation
of the subject and this inquiry have not had
. the effect of changing the opinion of any early friend