New-York tribune., 1879-05-19
THE ROYAL ACADEMY.

A BRILLIANT AssEMBLAGE OF AUTHORS, ARTISTS
AND PRINcEs-MR. FRoUDE SPEAKS IN coMPL-
MESTARY TERMS OF BRET HARTE-LoRD BEA-
CoNsFIELD EXPLAINS FORMER SPEECH AND
SUGGESTS NEW SUBJECTS FOR HISTORICAL PAINT
INGs-THE NEW PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL
ACADEMY INTENT ON THE ADVANCEMENT OF
ART.
rFRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE.l
LONDON, May A." Sir Frederick Leighton is an
old friend Of mine-a friend Of upward of twenty
years standing" said the Prince of Wales on Satur-
day. The occasion was the Royal Academy ban
quet, the first held under Sir Frederick LeightOns
presidency. This banquet Is a yearly one, and
it Is the one public dinner of the year
which men do not think bore Invitations to most
other dinners go a-begging; to this they are sought
for, and are not easy to have. Tho new President
took care that the first festival of his reign should
be of exceptional splendOr. Among his guests were,
beside the Prince of Wales, two other sons of the
Queen-the Duke of Edinburgh and that clever boy,
Prince Leopold--her cousin, the Duke of Cambridge,
and his sisters husband, the Duke of Teck Prince
Edward of Saxe.Weimar the German Russian
and Austro-Hungaran Ambassadors the Min
listers of Denmark and the United States.
the Lord Chief Justice Of England, the
Prime Minister of England tho Lord Chancellor,
the Lord Chief Baron. the Archbishop of York, the
the Librarian of the British Museum, many of the
present Cabinet and the last, including Mr.. Glad
stone (whom on this OCCASION, the Queen took no
pains to excluded, Lord Derby, Mr.. Browning, Mr.
Froude. Mr. Huxley, Mr. Hughes, Lou lIOughton,
and great number of other celebrities, the mere
list ofwhose names fills half column of the papers.
1t was intended that the name of an American
illusrious in literature should have been added to
this list. Mr.. Bret Harte had been asked to be
present. and to respond for Literature Mr. Froude,
his personal friend, spoke in his stead. and eX-
pressed in his feeling and graceful way, the general
regret that Mr.. Bret Harte was detained in Ger
many by his official duties Nlr Froude seized the
opportunity to make known his opinion of Mr. Bret
Iarte as a writer, and to say something OF
the relations between England and America
in literary matters. THE Heather Chinee," said
Mr. Froylc, sis n household word wherever the
English language is spoken, and if Mr.. Bret Harte
had been here this evening, you would have shown
him how warmly we appreciate the most delicate
humor and pathos which is to be found in any mod
ern writer" That is high praise, very high but If
yOu dwell moment on the word delicate. it will
not seem too high. One two newspapers, not con-
spicuous at any time for good will to
America or Americans, have sneered at Mr.
FrOude for expressing such an opinion. But
the newspaper sneer is already forgotten while Mt
Froude's eulogy will remain. Among writer's of
English, Mr.. Froude holds a brilliant place. His
name cannot be omitted from any list which III
cludes the first half dozen living authors. If Mr..
Bret Harte not already an exceedingly popular
author in England such a compliment would speed
ily bring him readers. 1t Is pity, all the same.
that he could not see his way to being present in
person, and speaking for himself There was
proposal which mentioned some time ago, to give
| L.. I L. M Rro Iarfa Rut
no courtesy of that kind could have insured hm so
brilliant an audience as that which assembled on
Saturday at the Academy. No dinner given in his
honor would have conferred so much dlstlnc-
| ton on him as his selection to respond to
the toast of Literature at this Academy dinner
| In his absence Sir Frederick Leighton committed
| the duty as he sald " to great artist-a famous
! historical painter-undcr whose qulckenIng hand
! the men and women Of the past take shape again
aud live thcr lives more before u.s. ard whose
canvas is signed with the name of James Anthony
/ Froudc."
IL Will not surprise you to hear that Mr.. Froude
SAID something on :hc copyright question. lie
/ thought artists i'll that particular better off than
| writer's "The most valued ornaments of the
| diniug-rooms of New-YOrk and Philadelphia are
! the works of our great living English artists
| a proposition which may surprise American plc-
! ture-Duyers, but never mnd. Some English
! pictures, at all events, are sold to Amer
| leans and the painters of them are lucky III
! being secure against unlicensed reproduction.
Science cannot multiply original pictures, as 1t does
| original books Hundreds Of thousands of per-
| feet Tennysons are scattered over the American
! Union The Americans have been so eager for the
poetry that they have forgotten the poet, and MIR.
| Tennyson for many years had TO be cOntented
with fame and honor as hs only reward"
/ linz hau
grown up in America that English authors have
| been hardly dealt with and Americans are
considering how they may place English writer's in
the same position as their own "-of which he is
glad TO hear He stops to chastise, by the way, the
| pedants of theory, the Free Traders who would
apply their dogmas 20 the publishing of books aud
SO DESTROY copyright altogether. But l apprehend
that the number and influence OF those people are
too iuconsderable to deserve Mr.. Froudes attention
or ours
Lord Beaconsfeld was among the speakers, reply
INC to the regulation tcast to Her Majestys Minis
tiers. not for the first time. Mauy-sded man as the
Prime Minister what lie has heretofore SAID ABOUT
art has brought down some rdicule on his head.
To speak plainly he talked nonsense about British
art. Believing that the British public would sWai-
low flattery to any amount, he told them last year
that the chief characteristic of theI painters
Imagination. That opinion, says he IN his
lofty way has been cavillcd at; yet he
is not prepared to give it up. To sup
port it he descends to particulars, but he is at
least as unfortunate in particulars as be was in the
general BY imaginative power, ne meant the
power to produce high arr" and high art he now
defines as art which depends on the sense and com
prchension of the beautiful and the power OF Great
ing il including in this latter expertness in what
he calls the mechanical appliances of art. This, he
believes the English possess. He declares that III
| some departments Of art, landscape among them,
| r...I,,J ca,, faor M rivalry with any school.