The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-08-06 00:00:00

DINNER TO JOHN GIBSON, ESQUIRE, R.A.

A grand public dinner was, on Friday evening last, given
to John Gibson, Esquire, the eminent sculptor, in the
Town-hall. About 120 of the most influential gentlemen
of the town and neighbourhood sat down on the occasion
to a most sumptuous repast, provided by Mr. Lynn, of
the Waterloo Hotel, in his accustomed excellent manner.
CHARLES LAWRENCE, Esq., presided, and JOSEPH
BBOOKES YATES, Esq., occupied the vice-chair. On the
right of the chairman sat Mr. Gibson (the distinguished
guest of the evening), Mr. W. Rathbone, Dr. Formby,
Mr. E. Cardwell (of Ellerbank), M.P., Mr. W. Cole (of
Birkenhead), Mr. J. Rosson, &c. On his left, the Rev. J.
Brooks, Mr. S. Staniforth, C. Turner, W. Brown, Dr.
Reynolds, Dr. Freckleton, E. Rushton, G. Maxwell, &c.
&c. ; and amongst the rest of the company we observed
Messrs. T. Booth, J. H. Jones, S. Holme, T. Jervis, S.
Sandbach, jun., B. P. Gregson, (of Lancaster,) W. Wool-
wright, R. Houghton, Robert Horsfall, Robertson Glad-
stone, Henry Holmes, Thomas Kaye, J. Wybergh, jun.,
John Cragg, James Robinson, A. Macgregor, S. Bright,
R. Allison, W. Oxley, Shipley, Charles Stewart, G.
Thompson, D. Macvicar, S. Blain. Jaques Myers, Joseph
Ashton, Thomas Hornby, S. Kearsley, C. Barker, Chr.
Rawdon, Hardman Earle, sen., Edward Rushton, jun.,
Charles Cameron, Thomas Harvey, J. Falcon, Joseph
Langton, Charles Langton. Henry Harrison, William
Sandbach, Harvey, jun., John Marriott, S. H. Thomp-
son, H. Eglington, A. Waln, C. Inman, Inman, jun.,
G. Holt, Henry Roscoe, H. Earle, jun., Thomas Moss,
Charles Tayleure, Studley Martin, Mr. Elmes, Captain
Gregg, the Rev. T. Hornby, &c.
After the usual loyal toasts, the CHAIRMAN proposed
the principal toast of the evening, the health of their dis-
tinguished guest, whose return to his native town, after
an absence of above a quarter of a century, they had that
day met to celebrate. He briefly noticed the early radia-
tions of genius that developed themselves while he lived
amongst us, which attracted the notice of men of learning
and liberality, under whose auspices be had gone forth to
that sphere where alone his talents could be cherished and
cultivated to maturity. Many of our townsmen had •
visited the studio of Gibson at Rome to admire his works ;
but, next to these, nothing gratified them more than the
cordiality and kindness which he invariably showed to-
wards them, for the amiability of his character was only
equalled by the strength of his genius. He had again
come amongst them with a reputation equalled by few and
excelled by none. His works were sought after by all,
and were highly prized. They had the fortune to possess
a few of them in Liverpool—his Sappho—various of his
finest monuments—and the statue over the grave of the la-
mented Huskisson. (Cheers.) A second copy, from the
same subject, was now on its way to Liverpool, the gift
of that excellent lady, Mrs. Huskisson; and this he be-
lieved was the cause of their now having an opportunity
of seeing their friend, and expressing the deep interest
they felt in his progress, and how proud they were of his
success through life. He concluded by proposing Mr.
Gibson's health, which was received with every de-
monstration of enthusiasm and respect.
Mr. GIBBON, on rising, was hailed with vehement ap-
plause. He said—Gentlemen, I have not the power of
expressing myself in the presence of so many persons.
The eloquence which I have studied is the silent eloquence
of the art. I am sorry that I have not the power to ex-
press all I feel upon this occasion—surrounded as I am by
so many sincere and kind friends. I can only return my
best thanks, and assure you that I shall remember this
evening as long as I live. Mr. Gibson here resumed his
seat amid a repetition of the applause which had greeted
him on presenting himself to the assembly.
rr The memory of Mr. Roscoe, the early patron of Mr.
Gibson," being given,
Mr. B. H. Roscou replied in a feeling and eloquent
address, in the course of which he remarked, that there
were some among them, he had no doubt, who would re-
gret that Mr. Gibson's residence was so far from them,
and that another soil now nourished his exalted genius ;
but they should recollect that the land of his adoption
was peculiarly the land of fine arts, refinement of taste,
and that to its resources we were in a great measure in-

debted for the maturing of that genius, and the com-
pleting of those talents, of which Mr. Gibson was the
gifted possessor.
The Rev. J. BROOKS, being called upon for the next
toast, said, with allusion to the last toast he ardently wished
that he to whose memory it was given had been spared to
witness the delightful proceedings of that day, and the
warm and eoidial reception which his young friend had
met with on trig return to his native country, after
having risen to the summit of his profession in that town,
which, after all was " the imperial city," as regarded the
fine arts. (Cheers.) He had now to propose the health
of a living patron of art—of one who belonged to that
class of our fellow subjects of whom this country might
well be proud. He confessed that, as an Englishman, he
was proud of the nobles of our land. He could not turn-
to any page of history without meeting with records of
their feats, both in arms and in the arts. (Cheers.) He
could never forget that to the Barons of England we owed
the possession of the great charter of our liberties ; nor
could he forget that the nobles of England had always
been the encouragers of the arts. (Cheers.) Wherever he
turned, through whatever part of the land he went, he
saw it studded with mansions not more conspicuous for
their external magnificence, than fur their internal deco-
rations—for those collections of paintings and statues
with which they were embellished. On this account he
reflected with pride and pleasure on the wealth employed
for such purposes—employed for the encouragement of
arts which tended to humanise man, to call forth all the
kindlier feelings of our nature, and to ameliorate and
improve our hearts. (Loud applause.) Nay, he might
go further and say, they contributed still more materially
to exalt our feelings; when he looked on a beautiful paint-
ing, the correctness of the perspective, the harmony of
its colours, the correct distribution of light and shade, or
when he viewed a statue, where almost breathing marble
shadowed forth the loveliness of animated intelligence, or
the correctness of symmetrical proportion, he was natu-
rally struck with delight at the skill of the artist who
could produce such beauty. (Loud cheers.) But did he
stop there? Man would naturally inquire where did the
artist acquire his profession ? He must then go back to
the great first cause of all—be must turn to that hand
which formed the landscape—which, out of a shapeless
and confused mass, by the Almighty fiat brought forth
beauty and harmony, and, " God made man in His own
image." (Tremendous cheers.) After a few words in
praise of the beau`ies of Chatsworth, the rev, gentleman
concluded by proposing the health of its noble owner, the
Duke of Devonshire, one of the earliest patrons of Gib-
son. (Loud cheers.)
The toast of " The Liverpool Academy" was then given,
and responded to by Mr. C. Barber.
Mr. RUSHTON, in proposing the next toast, remarked,
that they had just heard of the Liverpool Academy. That
academy existed not, or rather it barely existed, when
Mr. Gibson went to Rome. But he was not, nevertheless,
without a tutor. In the groves of Allerton, walking by
the side of that eloquent man, whose descendant, from
his speech to-night, inherited some of the native fire—
(hear, hear,)—by the side of that sage old man, Gibson
was directed in the application of the great genius which
God bad given him ; he was made familiar with those
easy roads to achievement which it was the proud triumph
of Roscoe's life to record in the pages of his eloquent
history. And Gibson had acknowledged this in a letter
which he wrote from Rome, and which did him more
honour than any work he ever accomplished. After he
had become familiar with fame, in one of his letters written
to Roscoe, and which Roscoe had embodied in his works,
he said, " I trace in imagination the path to Allerton ;
it was there I learned from your lips the elements of my
future career ; it was there I gathered inspiration ; it was
there the flame of my ambition was fanned ; it was there
my pilgrimage to Rome was first suggested." On that
pilgrimage Gibson went forth, with local fame such as no
man ever took from Liverpool ; and arriving at Rome, the
genius which produced the friendship of Roscoe speedily
brought to his studio two names, which, with the world,
were as familiar as household words. To that studio came,
not as the mere patrons, but as the friends and companions
of the rising genius, two names, the most illustrious then
in Europe for the fine arts—Thorwaldson and Canova.
(Cheers.) He concluded by proposing the memory of
those two great artists, which was received with the great-
est respect.
The CHAIRMAN next gave "The health of Sir Robert
Peel."
J. B. YATES, Esq., concluded a very eloquent address
on the encouragement of the fine arts by remarking, " We
are distinguished by our extensive and varied commerce,
by our talents, and by our enterprise, and let us also col-
lect together works of art in that noble edifice which will
form one of the proudest monuments of architecture in
the country—l mean St. George's Hall. (Cheers.) Let
us commence with a work to be executed by our distin-
guished friend, Mr. Gibson (Great cheering.) Then
will it be impossible for that French author, to whom my
friend, Mr. Rushton, has alluded, to use the reproach
that, " with all our wealth, we neglect our native talent ;
or that we refuse to adorn our edifices with the works of
our country.' He proposed `The School of Design.'"
Mr. Ginsosr proposed the health of the chairman, to
which that gentleman briefly responded.
M. W. RATHBONE, in a feeling manner, introduced the
health of Mrs. Huskisson. which was acknowledged by
Mr. Gibson.—The health of Mr. Elmes, the architect of
St. George's Hall, was then given, and Mr. Elmes re-
sponded.—Mr. Rosson proposed " The Foreign patrons
of Mr. Gibson."—The Chairman then proposed the senti-
ment, " May Liverpool become as distinguished fur her
taste in the arts as she is now in her commercial enter-
prise." • (Loud cheers.)
The company separated at twenty minutes past ten.