The Sun.
London, England, 1845-10-15 00:00:00

15, 1845

STATUES .IN THE HOUSES OF

fARLIAMENT.

[Presented to,s\fri.,
Houses of Parliament by command of
FOURTH P 6 bilT
1.1.9.j.5tv and now printed. 1
;
a THE COMMISS'IONERS ON
THE FINE ARTS.
;:d THE QUEEN'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY.

w„,fhe Comniissioners appointed by your Majesty for the
prpose of inquiring whether advantage might not be taken,
of the rebuilding of your Majesty's Palace at Wtsttninster,
wherein your Majesty's Parliament is wont to assemble, for
the purpose of promoting and encouraging the fine arts in
your Majesty's Lini;ed Kingdom, and in whit manner an
object asoihuch importance might be most effectually pro-
moted, humbly report to your Majesty that we have at various
times taken into our consideration a leiter, dated the 17th of
August, 1843, addressed to us by the Right Hon. Sir Robert
Peel, Bart., respecting public monuments in sculpture and
paiating to men distinguished for eminent literary, scientific,
and civil services, and we now beg to report our opinion on
the points which appeared first to require our attention.
Referring to the letter in question, tee have humbly to state
to your Majesty, that, having consulted the architect, and
inspected the edifice in p7o,rrei4s intended for the accommo-
dation of the Houses of Pailiam,,nt, we are of opinion that
there are'various portions of that edifice which could with
propriety and advent ige be allotted to the reception of mo-
nument,, such as those to w:iich our attention has been
directed.

tVe have found in the course of our inquiry that many
situations for statue, consist of niches only, which, in accord-
ance with the style of Gothic architecture adopted, are uni-
formly narrow, not exceeding two feet in width ; that there
are also situations were insulated statues might be fitly
placed; and we conceive that, with a view both to conve-
nient inspection, and the expediency of affording opportuni-
ties for displaying the abilities of the artists, the last-named
situations are the most important.
We have also found that some situations, though not fit for
the display of statues, would be well adapted for the reception
of bests; and we are of opinion that busts might be eUnsi-
dared among the means, before referred to, of doing honour
to eminent men.

With re,pect to monuments in painting of the description
indicated, whether such monuments be understood to refer
to portraits, or to other representations, we beg leave to post-
pone our report till the building shall be more advanced.
With regard to the particular classes of eminent men re-
ferred to in the said letter, we are not at present prepared to
express an opinion on the question, whether it would be ad-
visable that any distinct portions of the building should be
set apart for such classes.
We arc now prepared to point out acme portions of the
building which we conceive might, with propriety, be adorned
with insulated statue; hut looking to the fact that, since
this Commission was appointed, certain changes have taken
place in the architect's design, involving alterations iu the

extent available for deconitions in sculpture as well as
painting, we do not think it expedient on this occasion to
enumerate all the localities which may possibly be adapted
for such statues.

Having thus explained with what views, and to what ex-
tent, we arc at pre,ent prepared to report to your Majesty
on the subjects recommended to our consideration in the
letter before referred to, we have now to express our opinion
that six insulated marble statues might be _conveniently
placed in St. Stephen's porch, and that sixteen such statues
might be conveniently placed in St. Stephen's Hall. We
are of opinion that it is not desirable that • a corresponding
number of eminent names be now pointed out with a view
to the entire. occupation of those places ; but we are at once
prepared to recommend that statues of Marlborough and
Nelson be placed in St. Stephen's porch ; and that statues
of Sehlen, Hampden, Lord Falkland, Lord Clarendon, Lord
Somers, Sir Robert Walpole. Lord Chatham, Lord Mans-
field, Burke, Fox, Pitt, and Grattan, be placed in St. Ste-
phen's Hal
We have further to propese that Vie following three
artists, viz., William Calder Marshall, John Bell, and John
Henry Foley, whose works in the last exhibition in West-
minster Hall were considered by us to be entitled to special

commendation, be at once commissioned to prepare mudels
for three of the aforesaid statues, viz., the statues cf
Hampden, Lord Fall:land, and Lord Clarendon ; and that
the execution of such statues be allotted to the said artists
respectively, as we may hereafter decide.
We have further to propose that 2,0001. of public money be
granted on account towards the payment of such works; and
we humbly request the sanction of your Majesty to our pre-
sent report.
(Signed) _ ALBERT

LYNDHURST
F,UTHERLAND
LANSDOWNE
LINCOLN

C.LBORNE
C. S. LEFEVRE
HOBERT PEEL
J. R G. GRAHAM
T. B. MACAULAY
ROBERT HARRY INGLis
B. HAWES, JUN.
HENRY HALLAM
SAMUEL ROGERS
TH,MAS WYSE.

ABER OEEN
3. 11US3ELi.
PA LM ERST ;N
MELBOURNE
MAHON
ASHBURTON
Whitehall,'April 25, 1845.
APPENDIX-
No. 1.

REPORT OF COMMITTEE, WITH LIST OF DISTINGUISHED PER-
SONS TO WHOSE MEMORY STATUES MIGHT BE Lunar En.
Your Committee appointed to " prepare a general list of
distinguished persons of the United Kingdom, to whose
memory statues might with propriety be erected in or ad-
joining the new Houses of Parliament, such list ueing unre-
stricted as to the number of such distinguished persons, and
as to the time in which they lived,"• have the honour to
submit two lists; the first (A), of names to which they
agreed unanimously; 'the second (B), of names on which
i-our Committee were not unanimous, but decided by greater
or smaller majorities.
The aggregate of these two lists consists of 121 names,
which may probably afford scope, not for indiscriminate adop-
tion, but rather for choica and selection on the part of the
Commission at large.
At the same time your Committee desire to express their
unanimous opinion, that the attempt to execute any great
number of these statues simultaneously would not be con
ducive to the interests of art.
(Signed)

MAHON.
T. B. MACAULAY.
ROBERT HARRY INGLIS,
HENRY HALLAM.
SAMUEL ROGERS.
THOMAS WYSE.
B. HAWES, JUN.

London, March 11, 1845.
(A.)
Sir William Wallace Bacon
Sir Philip Sidney Napier
Duke of Marlbo-
Newton
rough
Lord Clive Locke
Lord Heathfield Robert Boyle

Alfred
Elizabeth

:o bert Bruce

Lord Burleigh
John Hampden

•
Earl of Clarendon Lord Howard ofEffingham Caxton
Lord Somers Sir Frauds Drake Watt •
Earl of Chatham Admiral Blake Herschel
Edmund Burke Lord Rodney Cavendish
C. J. Fox Lord Howe
illiam Pitt Lord Duncan
Lord St. Vincent
Lord Nelson

'nip Jones
Sir Christoph. Wren
Sir Thomas More _ Hogarth
Sir Edward Coke - Sir Joshua Reynolds
John Selden Sir Walter Raleigh Flaxman
Sir Matthew Hale Captain Cook
Earl of Mansfield
Lord Erskine

- John Howard
Sir Th. Gresham William Wilberforce

Chaucer
Spencer
Earl of Surrey
Shakspere
Milton
Addison
Richardson
Dr. Johnson
Cowper
Sir Walter Scott
March 6, 1845. Revised March 14, 1845.
(B.)
Richard I. Coeur John Wie
de Lion
Edward 1. John Knox John Bunyan
Edward 111. Cranmer Dryden
The Black Prince Archti,licp Usher Pope
Henry V. Abp. Leighton Swift
William 111. Jeremy Taylor Goldsmith
George HI. Chi!lingworth Burns
Barrow Sir Wm. Jones
Bishop Butler
John Wesley
_ _ _

Venerable Bede
Richard hooker

Harvey
Jenner

Ben Jjnson

Robertsun
Hume

Cardinal Langton
William of Wick-
ham
Cardinal Wolsey
Earl of Strafford
Lord Falkland

Sir John Talbot
Sir John Chandos . Fielding
Marquis of Montrose
Cromwell
Monk

Sir Wm. Temple
Lord Rip sell

Sir Roht. Walpole General Wolfe Roger 'Bacon
Earl of Hardwieke Sir Evre Coote Sm3aton
Earl Camden Sir 'Ralph Aber• Brim-Vey
Grattan cromby John Hunter
Warren Hastings Sir John Moore Adam Smith
Purcell
Speaker Onslow

Hawke

Garrick

March 6, 1845,—Revises; March 14, 1845.

No. 2.

REPORT OF COMPIITTEE RESPECTING SELECTION OF
PERSONS WrIOSE EFFIGIES MIGHT BE PLACED IN THE

NICHES IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS.

The selection of the statues for the eighteen niches in the
House of Lords, which has now been referred to your Com-
mittee, does not appear to them altogether so free and with
so wide a scope as the selection of the ninety-six figures on
painted glass, upon which they lately reported. In this
case the very narrow size of the niches, and their gothic
form, seem to limit the choice of the Commission to charac-
ters drawn from the feudal age, and, as usual, with effigies of
that period, presenting little or no variety of attitnd,.
On a careful consideration of the characters which might
be chosen, subject to this condition. your Committee have
become convinced that no scheme is preferable to that which
was first suggested to the Commission by his Royal High-
ness Prince Albert, namely, to fill the niches with the
effigies of the principal Barons who signed Magna Charta.
Your Committee subjoin a list of the names which they
would recommend for this purpose. They conceive that the
difference of character, as laymen or as prelates, would
afford a picturesque variety of attire, and that the historical
analogy would be most suitably attained by placing side by
side in the same House of the Legislature, in windows or in
niches, the successive holders of sovereign power, and the
first founders of constitutional freedom.
Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury.
Wiiliatn, Bishop of London.
Alrneric, Master of Knights Templar&
William, Earl of Salisbury.
William, Earl of Pembroke.
Waryn, Earl of Warren.
William, Earl of Arundel.
Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent.
Richard, Earl of Clare.
William, Earl of Aumerle.
Geoffrey, Earl of Gloucester.
Saher, Earl of Winchester.
Henry, Earl of Hereford.
Roger,a. Earl of Norfolk.
Robert Earl of Oxfhrd.
Robert Fitzwalter.
Eustece de Vesci.
William de Mowbray.
(Signed)

Mituox.
T. B. MACAULAY.
Roza. BARRY INGLIS.
B. HAWES, JUN.
HENRY HALLAM.
SAMUEL Iit.GERS.
THOMAS WYSE.,

7,7,,zy 1:7,, 1345.

No. 3.
LETTFR F&OM MR. HALLAM.
24, Wilton-crescent, May 17, 1845.
My dear Su,■-111 compliance with the request of his Royal