The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-11-18
AMERICAN ART AND THE BANK
OF ENGLAND.

0hhNlG v " NFsAhNHs IN NNnNuNN
Cnthsdrai-S tp-io~a tEH-Eter In che
Anuais or ths Bsnk or SasiA,a-bs tsnt
'lntk the vsry s,rsAE zee 10 ,be " Sria'
t,rxroNr, Nov. 1.-when tho pasb - Eng.
lard celebrated its bicentennial birthtsy on the
C7th OF June, 1894, THE Sun published an e1-
cecd!ngly clear and graphic account Of the rise,
DEVELOPMENT, and history OF that remarkable in
t%titutior. I read that account with much inter
est at tho time. and Il hos just been recalled 10
the In connection with = subject on the face OF u
rs far away from the o Lady Of Thread
needle Street" as Is the Equator from the poles.
Yet, rs n matter Of fact. the subject OF which l
an At this moment thinking has n very close
and real connection with the history OF the great
bank and throws an Instructive light upon that
history. have Just learned from London that
pne Of the most accomplished of American art
1sta, Mr.. Waldo story, the elder son Of our ia
NOUS sculptor. w. W. Story Of Rome. has been
commissioned to execute n memorial monument
which Ia 60 be set up In the most beautiful
of all the English cathedrals, the cathe-
dral Of Winchester, there 10 preserve
the namo Of a brilliant and promising
houng civil servant Of the British Foreign
Once. Sir Gerald Portal. whose death on the
2bth Of January last, nt tho early age Of 80
years. ELECTED from Lord Rosebery In Parlia-
nent a tribute seldom paid to one so young In
years and In the public service.
Tho career Of sir Gerald Portal cannot
possibly much interest your American read
ers, for whom II will suffice to know
chat after entering the diplomatic service
of Great Pritaln Mt -, In 1880, he voidn-
teercd. while on duty In Egypt two or three
years n%fterward. to undertake n very important
ard dangerous mission 10 the Negus OF Abyss
slnla, relying for his success much more
upon HIS own personal qualities OF GOODNESS,
tact, and courage. and upon an exceptional
knowledge Of Arabic. than upon any official or
military support which the English or the
Egyptian authorities could offer him. He
reached the Abysslninn capital after undergo
ing great hardship. accomplished the object
of his mission In the face Of overwhelming OBJ
stacles, and returned to Cairo In safety. The
qualities shown by him in this enterprise
marked him out in 1892 to the British Govern
ment for another delicate and most dangerous
undertaking.
In that year he was sent TO make a per-
sonal examination Of. and report upon, the
true condition OF the great African territory Of
Uganda, rs to which the British Government
then was and still Is profoundly exercised
IN its mind. being almost equally loath
either to abandon IL or rcsolutely TO make
Il n definite part Of tho vast colonial empire
OF Great Britain. He was absent on this mis-
sion a good deal more than a year. during which
time he passed through many perilous advcn-
lures, and lost his elder brother, Capt. Ray
mond Portal, who had insisted upon accom-
panying him. and fell a victim IN the fever
breathing climate OF East Africa. Gerald Por-
tails services were recognized rather than re-
warded by a decoration Of the order Of Saint
Michael and Saint George, which gave him "a
handle" to his name rs Sir Gerald; but his re-
port was never published until after his death,
which took place lately IN this current year
from an attack Of fever. the seeds OF which he
brought back with him TO England. At the
time of his death he had been married about
two years to the daughter of tho Earl Of Abing-
don, who since his death has been put by the
Queen upon the very limited pension roll Of the
English civil list. there being no provision in
the English diplomatic service for the wives
and families even of the most distinguished
members Of that service. i mention this, by the
way. because 1t is well that this should be borne
in mind by the worthy people in America, who
are forever holding up the English civil service
as O model upon which our own ought to DO
sedulously reformed.
Since Sir Gerald Portals death q num-
ber of his personal friends, In and out of
the Foreign Office, have sought and have
obtained permission from the authorities of
Winchester Cathedral to commemorate his
qualities and his merits by an appropriate monu-
ment within the walls OF the noble building, and
st is of interest to Americans to know that the
execution of this monument has been conhded
10 an American artist. MI. Waldo Story knew
Portal we'll during his diplomatic residence at
Rome, but the choice made Of him for this piece
OF artistic work has been determined mainly
by the rnre grace and beauty OF the groups and
has reliefs which, during the last three or
four years, have been winning for him
one of the highest places in contem-
porary art. THE Sun many months ago
gave its readers some idea OF the unique
LII n - N-N1- CN-- -
enriched the home OF Lord Rothsch!ld Mt Tring.
in Buckinghamshire. and. when l was at Rome
in the spring of this year, / had the pleasure Of
seeing there, completed and ready for shipment
20 England, n very brilliant and remarkable
statue of tho winged Victory designed and exc
euted by Mr.. story for the great hall of Lambton
Castle. the residence Of the Earl of Durham.
Since that time, l understand, Mr.. Story has
also completed his designs for IN original group
which is TO be placed as a fountain at one OF the
most striking points in the beautiful grounds OF
Clitdon. long the property OF the Duke of
westminster, but now owned and occupied by
Mr.. w. w. Astor. We may reasonably hope.
therefore, that American art will be more
than creditably represented in the glorious
old Cathedral Of Winchester by Mr.. Story's
monument there to Sir Gerald Portal.
And now let mo say tina. IL Is the choice
of Winchester Cathedral, as the shrine OF this
monument, which links what | have had TO say
OF II and OF Sir Gerald Portal with the annals of
the Bank OF England. Winchester, once the
royal capital OF England, Is now the cathedral
city OF the see. which includes the ancient and
historic county Of Hampshire. and Sir Gerald
Portals memory will lud a place Of commemo-
ration within It's walls because he may be fairly
enrolled as ono of the worthless OF Hampshire.
He was born at Laverstoke in that county, which
has been for two centuries back the home OF his
family and the seat also OF a special and curious
industry established there by one of his ances-
tors at the end Of the seventeenth century and
almost concurrently with the establishment by
William Paterson OF the great private in
~s,itutlon now known throughout the world as
the Bank OF England. The Portals were a
French family, driven into exile like so many
more of the most active and prosperous OF
French families, by the revocation of the edict
- NanE.a 10 AlnL n-laI nLul LnnlaElnn