New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-08-04
ARTTTEMS.


spce. Instead Of those historical and artistic treas
ares being placed so that they may he to adyan
saee, particular pains appear to have been taken to
hce them in not open to the public. Ever siuce
the great teleapbic celebration in honor Of Mr. Cyrus
W. Field which resulted in burniug down the cupola
of tire City Hail. artist has been employed in clean
ing, touching up vanishing and rehangiDg our civic
paintings
The suite Of three bne apartments in the center of
the Hail. facing the Park, are called, par emiaence
The Governors Room aud here are supposed TO De
hung the fulllength portraits of all the Governors OF
the State and the halengtts of all the Mayors OF the
city. But, IN looking the sixty odd paintings 10
the Governors Room soon discovers tha' the Ike
nesses of good many Of our Governors are not tnere
and the conclusion is that they have not been painted
owing either to the parmony of the City of Fathers
or the lack of competent artists to perform the work
little research however, will show that all our Govern
o,s have been painted excepting one only, but that
tbev have not ell been put together as they should be-
where they would form fine study of costumes, of the
proorees of art and the chronological history of the
STATE IL is entirely nexcusable that the portraits of
Governors have not been properly arranged 10 tue
Governors Room because there il lack of space on
the walls and the collection would form the very best
gallery of which the city con boast There are in this
President Monroe, Gen. Taylor, Gen. Scott, all the
commodoes of the war 1872 and some of the geuer
ale, while the finest picture the City Hail. Trumbuls
fulepgth portrait of George Clinton the first Govern
or of the State is hung in the Aldemen's Room, TO-
ge<her with the portrait of Gov Jay. There would be
peculiar fitness in placing tn two portraits in the
Governors room. There are two other pictures in
the Aldermen's which ought to be placed where
they can be seen. There are Trumbulls ful-length
portrBit Of Warrington, which is said to be the best
likeness, and which is certainly one of the finest
pictures Of him, and the full-ength of Alexander
Hamilton. In the Councilmens Chamber are
placed Hickss portrait of Governor Fish, aud
Grays portrait of Governor Young, where the por-
traits of Henry Clay and President Fillmore keep
them company but Precedent Fillmore, being New
Yorker might claim right to place in the Cover
nor's Room, where a wretched carica,ure Of Simon
Bolivar is hung. In the Supervisors Room, which is
never open to the public, two Of Jarviss
finest portraits, General Brown and General Swift,
both of whom being New-Yorkers should be placed
amor the worthless Of The State. There is hardly
available space for hanging another portrait in any
part Of the City Hail. yet there thres gubernato
rial pictures already completed which must be placed
somewhere and as we may count on new Governor
and new Mayor every other year. it will be that
the city will very have much larger collection
of portraits on hand than it viii be able to dispose of
unless new City Hall shall be built. In the mean
while however it is not decent to turn our Gov
ernors out of their own proper apartment to
give place to strangers and foreigners, who have
no special claims upon our hospitality. Simon Boil
var Gen. Paez and the Arab captain of the Imaum
of Muscass ship that visited us few years ago, are
all in the Governors Room, smiling complacenty
or frowning grimly from their elded enclosures We
have no. syllable to utter against these distinguished
foreigners but their proper place is not 10 the Govern
ors room; they should be hung up in the presence
chan Der of the Aldermen, where they would be per-
petual reminders TO the BODIES and Bsgley's of the
erormo as sums they have squandered in entertaining
the Stray pctorietiss who rave honored by their
visits. Whatever benefits may be derived from pre-
serving the corporeal retemblances Of the worthless
whose public acts have shed glory upon the country
and State it is very plain that the moral effect is
naugbt, The great Chatham could make an eloquent
appt al to the portraits of the naval heroes whose visa
ges usedto adorn the Chamber of Peers, bu none of
our Aldermen have shown any conscousr of being
eazsd upon by Washington and Clinton, and Jay and
Hamilton, and Franklin, and Marshall, whose por
traits and busts have for many years been their
silent companions while they have plundered the city
and dishonored their Offices by their disrsputable
duct.
Scotland has been prompt, liberal, and taste
full in erecting memorials in honor of her distinguished
cons, whether they welded pens swords, pencils
whether they earned their laurels shore,
in the Senate or the schooroom No people of Europe
have shown themselves grateful for the hon7r con-
ferred upon their by the exploits of their children
as the Scotch. 1t is rather singular therefore, that
the remains of the peasant author of the Queens
Wake should have rested 80 long beneath the green
turf Of Ettrck without monument to mark their
lonely resting place. But they have at last
received their due need, not of marble, but of
"Denhom sandstone" in the form which the
poet himself wore, in his shepherds dress,
and with his faithful Hector croucbng at bis feet.
The monument inaugura'ed last month thirty five
years after the poets death. The sculptor was a
Scotcbman named Cuuie who designed the monu-
ment to Mungo Park, another of Scotland's
WORTHLESS who had been waiting long for
monumental memorial And this mention of
these movements camot fail to call to
mind the remissness of countrylnen in erect
ing memorials to the honor of the men whose works
have added luster to the American name. What
has become of the monument in honor of Fenimore
Cooper, which we heard so much Of few years ago.
Where is the association Of distinguished gentle
men who took the mstter in hand, and whose CHAIR
man was the venerable Doctor Francis! There was q
great meeting at the Metropolitan years ago. the
object of which to raise funds for this object and
among the gentlemen who took pat in the proceedings
were Daniel Webster, Washington Irving, and Doctor
remembrances The stately ball in which that meeting
Il