The New York herald., 1851-12-29

The AR UNIoR LorTxRy.-Ths drawins Of the
Art Union lottery viii take Dlaes o. Ws6DssaAy
evening, and, usua just previous 70 IL dstribu.
ton the sswspspsrs are crowded with pals and
first rate notices Of the institution sna Sc ms-
nagen and directors r II these puffs and notices are
to bs reliedfupop the Art Union never was NO
prosperous than 1t Is 1t present, the management
for the past year sxcelled the picturesto
be distributed ehfs-aowvres, without "A excsI-
tion I; and that work Of art that Raphael, Core
gio, Rembrandt, or any other Of tho old masters,
woad be proud Of in his day, awaits every ons who
pays his subscription before the distribution. AL
this puery and nonsense ID, however. very we'll un-
derstood. Instead of the Art Union being prespei-
Gus, it is well known that within the last two or
Aree years public eon6der 90 has gradually been
withdrawn from II, and that the subscripttons for
the present year, after deducting whss has been
expended in oysters and champagne suppers for tho
directors and their friends do not amount to within
several thousand dollars Of those Of last year, and
still ,ess Of the yesr before.
Now. what 10 the cause Of this withdrawal OF pub
lie confidence from an institution which was
syowedly organized for the promotion Of the ans
arts. and the encouragement and nurture Of native
talent in the United Statesl One time the List of
subscribers numbered - many ss sirteen Thousand,
and the receipts amounted to the large sum of
siusfy th wsamd dollars. What are the receipts
for the present year! According to the last &C.
counts, they do not amount to much more than one
half ofthat sum.
The causes Of this falling oG are several. The
first, and perhaps the main enc. s the want Of pub
9 confidence in the Management and in the mana
GERS. The receipts and expenses arc not accounted
for in . manner to entitle the statements Of the
managers to credit. So much il charged for
printing, in . lump-so muchfor advertising, in
lump-so much for this. and 30 much for that, IN
lump; and at the end 90 much for pictures, keeping
secret the several amounts paid. Is it any wonder
that Il public hssitates about supporting an insti-
tuition whose accounts are rendered In this loose
WAY! The amount paid for pictures is confined to
the clique Of managers, comprising some men who,
to say the least, keep their financial accounts very
loosely Again: This clique, by certain caucus
management, keep thems elves in Office from year to
year, and the mode in which they procure their
election, is hardly allowable, if not illegal. On
the nia ht Of the distribution of the paintings and
when the people are anxious to have the drawing
take place ss soon ossibe, the list Of officers of
the preceding year. with one two changes, is pro
poted; and as there Is no tin for discussion, the
list is declared elected. This coup detot Is prao-
tised every car, and with so much success that q
certain gentleman who has been charged - being
defaulter to the government, has continued to re-
tain his connection as manager or director for Q
numter Of year past, through good and evil report.
II is well known, too, that . certain clique
of artists who are the favorites Of the managers,
have received an undue proportion of the
patronage and funds of the institution the preju
dice of the rest Of the profession, and that their
dsubs have been purchased, and eonspicuousy
placed on the walls of the Art Uaion rooms to the
excusion Of valuable and msritorious works Of art
The result Of this has been, quaes and chickering's
and anmostiss, among the artists and their friends
to degree that Is not generally imagined. We
have been inundated, during the year, with articles
and communications, ordinations and recrimina-
tons, eshibittg the effects Of this state Of things
that, were we I, pub ish one-third of them, we
would have n, room for the news Of the day.
In fine, then, 1t is not to be dered ct that the
Art Union lottery scheme is rapidly on the decline
Il Is, at best, but violation Of the lottery and
rambling law Of this State; and this would have
prevented the public from supporting it, st the OUT
set, but for the benefit IL was thought IL would
confer on art and artists, the principle that the
, nd would Justify the means. The public would
contir no to support it, II 1t was under better ma
But when vast sums Of money are ex-
pended in oyster ard champagne suppers for the
m anseers and their particular frends-whcn the
receipts are accounted for in the unsatisfactory
manner we have represented-when the entire con-
troll Of the institution ever since its organization
has been in the same hands, with but few changes,
many Of them without taste or generous feelings,
il is not to be woLdered at that the subscriptions
The truth is nothing can save the institution from
utter extinction hut the ousting of the clique Of
persons who have controlled it 90 long, and the es
tablshment of an entirely new board of ofisers,
who will command public confidence. This Is the
snly method to re- ate II that is left, and the
subscribers should TAX q necessary steps at once
to carry this purpose into efec. on Wednesday
evening before the drawing Let there BE- fair
election Of new IN n sger'.
FERRY LrAsEs.-The present lessee Of Houston
street ferry to Williams burg, is applying FOR new
lease Of ten years, from 1853 to 1863, and offers only
six thousand five hundred dollars per annum. There
Is considerable coml etion for this ferry, and very
large offers have been made by responsible parties
An annual ront nearly three times greater thaa that
row paid, has been offered notwithstanding which,
we should not be surprised If the present lessee go.
his lease renewed for ten years, without any in
crease in rent. II would be on a par with many
acts Of the present Corporation. The only way to
dispose Of these ferry privileges, to give perfect
satisfa ction Ia To nut them ur at auction aud let