Public Dinner To Wilkie T...
The Times, 1824-10-19T00:00:00

On Friday last, the Provost and Ajagistrates of Cupar, togetlher with a considerable number of the private friends and admirers of the artist, welcomed our justly celebrated countryman lir. Wilkie to his native county in a dinner at Al'Nab's * Mir. Stark, Provost, in the chair, supported by Dr. Barclay, of Kettle, croupier. After the usual preliminary toas:s, hlr. SrARK rose, and in a speech every way suited to the occasion, and which was listened to with breathless attention, proposeti the toast of the day in tihe health of our celebrated cottntryman Mr. XVilkie. Mr. Stark, in propobing his toast, congratulated the company on the happy occasion of their meeting, and expressed to Mir. Wilkie that gratification which he in common with all present felt, on this opportunity of paying a small tribute of respect to one whom they bad formerly a4Amitt& iruto the freedom of their town, and whom they were proud to recognize as a brother, and delighted to meet as a friend. Mlr. Stark, in the course of his speech, alludedl to the recent honoutrs which, under the Royal patronage, Air. Wilkie hiad attained, and that great national, or more properly speaking Scottish work, " The King's arrival at the Paiaseof !o yrood," in whichi the painter is known to be engaged, and to enrich whichl His MAjesty has graciously condescended to sit for his portrait. After a considerable time spent in a prolonged exhibition of those feelings and sentinments with whliich every one present was disposed to receive this toast, Air. WILxIE rose, and in a speech whicl sn point of natural andt powerful eloquence, wve will venture to say has seldom been equalled, returnetd thanks to the Provost, Magistrates, and to his other kind friends present. Alfr. Wilkie then proceeled to state, that he felt highly gratified by the occasion of this day's meeting. In this comnpany weTe his earliest friends, and in Cupar was the scene of hiS earliest recollections. He had been honoured by the freedom of the city, and felt it as a link that attached him to the political con- stitutiton of h1is country, but in this he felt, as well as in the ho- noat 3his day conferred, a complinient was paid to the arts of Scot- land, rather than to himself as an individual artist; such a conipli. ment, however, came with a peculiar grace from a corporatioti insti. tutetd for the protection of the arts of civilizedl life: among those, painters were the slowest in its ;growth-the latest in coming to per- fection. Poetry and music are known to precede civilization * but painting seems a consequence, and a proof of the perfection of every other art. In this branch of polite accomplishment, however, Scotland has at no tine been deficient. W'hile England had her Vandyke, Scotland had her Janneson-while she had Sir God- frey Kneller, we had Sir John Aledine. Even when the Court and Parliament had left us, our countrymen sought fame and en- couragement in a foreign land. Ramsay became the Conrt painter in London ; and two Scotsmnen, Gavine Hamilton and Jacob Aloore, were at one time celebrated as the greatest painters in Rome ! Since this, however, a mtore national style has arisen-; Martin-whose brother, the worthy Rev. Doctor from Monimail, was tn have been with the company to dlay-did much honour to this country, antl had in his portraits much of that which belonged so particularlv to Sir Joshua Revnolds-that refinement of manner which made all his women ladies, and all his men gentlemen. In our own time, we have bad a host in Raeburn, whose works, with those of other artists left behind him, will he relished by Scotland, while her teeling for art remains, and while the matcrial of theiT color 1 and form shall exist. But if example and ex,itement conssittute artists, what May not be expected in Scotland, wnhere the success of agricultitre, of commerce, and of manufactures, the dliscoveries in science, the brilliant elo- quence of the bar anti the pulpit, the influence of their poetry and literature, and their chivalrous renown in war, all seem to conspire to stir up the feelings and energies of those devoted to art, to emu- late the success of their countrymen. Mr. Wilkie concludetI by expressing extreme obligation for the honour done him this day 11y the Provost, Bailies, and Gentlemcen present. ilMr. MrlLEIE then proposed the health of his worthy friend the Provost, whom he had long revered as a distingiuished magistrate in that city over which he now presicled, and during whose magistracy, the town had undergone in her butiltlings and her streets so many itnprovements. The streets had been paved, lighted, anl almosten- tirely rebuilt within a few years; bridges had been renewed, the sha=bles and old prison had been pulled down, and retnoved as a nuisance; and instead of the old black-hole of the tolbooths, more terrible tiani the black-hole of Calcutta, a spacious and secure place of endurance had been substituted. To him and other school-bovs, however, the o)d gaol had its romantic horrors, the new with all its comforts never can have; and with sitch a Charon and a Cerberus at its gates as long Fernie and his Myrmidons, forned a perfect pic- tture in the abstract of a Terror to rrtl.doers. It waS pleasant novw to meet in friendship anti in kindness, those magistrates who had then the power of directing an(I restraining such authority. The health of the " Provost, and success to the town of Cupar." Dttring the course of the evening-onie which everv individual pre- sent will long rememnber with pleasure-a great variety of toasts were given, and many very suitable and interesting speeches were made. Buit after what has been alreadr said on the primarv ob Iect of the meeting, oatr readers, we are well aware, will feel Iiitle interest in any thing besides.-Cnipar lerald. PtIPLIC DINNER TO WtILJtE TUE PAINTER.