New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-25
LONDON MISCELLANY.
SALES. ROCKS AND THEATRES.

an object of interest in London. he appeared Nv
the Hamilton sale last week, where he OF SONIC
other of his compatriots with long purses had been
looked for earlier. There was moment whom MI
| Vanderbilt was expected to buy pretty much inc
entire contents Of the palace. Whether any OF the
great dealers have been acting for unnamed
American clients nobody be quite sure, but the
! impression is that no formidable competitor from
America has had much to do with the bidding prior
TO Mr. Arnot. Mr.. ArnOt bought one picture ior
$40 OOO and is named as the bidder who fVrceu INV
National Gallery to pay 100000 for the por'ra'' u
| Philip Nv. by Velasquez. Forthwith grow 10
| heard. l cannot quite make out what Mr. ArnoV ~,
offence Is But when Mr. Burton first began " ~
| appeals were made to British PATRIOTISM ho' "
against him. There is a story-not q very pioD
one-that Messrs Agnew refused conil",1'' A.
| 900 Tor ono picture on the glou"' . -
National Gallery wanted it. BY ana ny 'no i.o non
| in cuestion was knocked down for some ""ooo'
les than half its admitted value. said the dealers
And then the British public fecitated itself on us
| GOOD fortune and buyers who did no' oiu "0io
PRAISED Probably the Duke OF Hamilton 'ooA
| diaerept view He very likely does not sec why
his ntcture should go at half price because IL Is
| wanten for the National Gallery. That Is only
Linz him contribute forced gift No sympathy
| noed Ina wasted on the Duke of Ham llton' on' the
| narsimony of the Treasury Is hardly thing TO Dc
world. If she wants picture to hang IN trafalgar
Square. she can surely pay fair price for IT,
| BETTER 90 without it If she cannot. The feeling
that the National gallery has SORT OF moral Claim
to the good things going is at the root oil the III
! natured remarks on Mr.. Arnot. lie Is very nice
| man. / am told,n says one writer but II an Eng
lisbman went to an American sale and tried to
steal O. away a picture intended by the Americans
1 for their public collection, one would admire ra'hor
4 fora
his courage than his discretion" That VIII 90 lor
sample of what an Englishman would call nasty
comments-meaning disagreeable or severe. But
who is Mr.. Arnoti
sOne of the Rothschilds" is said to be the pur-
| chaser of the Beckford Van Dycks the three
| volumes of etchIngs which were sold yesterday at
| Messrs Sothebys' for f2,S5O,-or something over
Sl4. OOO The Rothschild in question 49, believe
| Raron Edmund. of Paris to whom was accorded
private view Of the Beckford Library treasures I'D
| advance of the general public. In the three vol
umes was to To found an impression of the famous
and magnificent portrait by Van Dyck of Van der
| Wouwer This portrait alone fetched last year
| when sold by auction S2,25O; and was then be-
lieyed to be unique For the three volumes, lnclud
| ing this portrait, Beckford paid $500 Inc iact
that. with a Rothschild sending an unlimited COM
mission. they have now brought more than twenty
eight times the original cost, will long be cited by
| the unwary as one more proof OF the WISDOM oi
| collecting l say the unwary because, hrst every
body is not a Beckford. and secondly, the kotns-
chds cannot always be depended on to appear in
| the market.
Before the sale of the late Dante Rossettis prop
| erty began. heard one OF his friends lamentlng
that it had been 50 little advertised and badly man
aged that the things were likely 10 go for nothing
But the result showed how much he moderated
the devotion CT Rossettis disciples. FURNITURE
brio brac books in short all the priced possessions
of the poet sold for twice or thrice their commercial
value. They seem really to have been bought as
relics and mementces, for no dealer can imagine
that the general public would care to pay 500 for
| hook worth so cents merely because it had be
lonced to Rossetti or perchance had his autograph
on the fly leaf. That so many of his own friends
and followers should have made such sacrifices as
they did is a proof that Rossett worship was wider
If not deeper than has generally been supposed
aDemocracyn is now sold in London for a
shilling or nrnepence if you go to the right shop
| and nav cash At this price it still bears the I'M
| print of the publishers, Messrs. Macmillan. who
first issued it in this country. the cheap edition ap-
pearing in paper instead of cloth covers AMI
being printed, moreover. on paper OF inferior
Quality This presume, is to stall OFF competition,
the book never having been copyrighted IN Eng
land The authorship of it remains as mnch
mystery as ever and Who wrote Democracyf is
still the prize conundrum of London society. where
the book is read and talked about at every dinner
table. One man knows. and wont tell
But perhaps Messrs. Holt & Co.. who pub
lished the book in New-York, will show to the in
curing applicant the receipt OF the author for his
or her share of the profits Of the Engllsh edition
which Messrs. Macmillan honorably undertook
should find their way into the pockets of the
actual writer. Meantime. panegyrics on the bool
abound in the English press mixed with morals
, | drawn by caustic critics bent on turning TO mo
, narchical account this too clever lampoon on non
monarchcal life. After ALL" observes The Sdtnr
day Reriep in its wonted genial way. I" it seems tina
the biggest country in the world is not only biz
but coarse and in its politics venal with brazeT
yenality which shocks more timid and polit
corruptionD Which does not hinder the genia
critic from recommending the novel to It's readers 10
wit for good sense, for close observation Tor mar
! rative power. for conscentiousness. and tor many
other virtues which are not less but more apparent
by reason of its revelations of the wickedness o.
e that form of social and political life which give
the book its title This months ForfnightIy has al
elaborate review by Mrs. Humphrey Ward. who's
] husband is known to you editor of new AM
3 excellent anthology of English Poets-a review
8 Astounding IN clever remarks. and notable also TO
its range of literary illustration and clear hterar!
l insight into the essential merits of the book
The French season at the Gaiety came to an EN-
d on Saturday with final performance o
9 "Divorcons by Nine Chaumont, NJ. Ddubray ant
;, sundry inefficient supporters. This single pee
: had held the bills during the week, thanks partly
. perhaps to the very good advertisement which tn
scruples of the Licenser of Plays gave to it. Get
. tainly there is more than enough IN DIvorcons
d Justify Mr.. Pgotts hesitation. In the form il
a which 1t was originally produced and played at tn