only by his later pictures, the work of a hasty and weary hand. Here we come across pictures which charm our eyes at every step. The only fault we can find with them is that they resemble each other a little too much. We always find the same sparsely wooded spaces, with a mild light falling between the tall trees almost stripped of their foliage; in the distance a thin mist of the finest tone is rising from a lake or from the sea, which one imagines almost more than one sees. The nymphs who are seen haunting these mysterious spots are placed there to remind us that the artist does not exclude fantasy and dreams from his interpretation of nature. One small canvas, Vaches traversant un Gué, is perfect marvel of poetry and sentiment without the least deviation from truthfulness and reality. Some very finely executed Rousseaus, expressing a most profound sentiment and understanding of nature, make us deeply regret not seeing more of this master's works. Some fine Troyons may be studied: La Fermière, busy milking her cows at close of day; a Une Femme sur un Ane, crossing a clear space in a forest, and leading some sheep to a neighbouring market; Le Troupeau arrivant à l'Abreuvoir, and La Vache Blanche. Millet is represented by some of his best-known, if not his most important pictures: a woman shearing a sheep; some peasants carrying a new-born calf on a stretcher; a man tilling a field; and three women stooping down and laboriously gleaning a few ears of corn under the glare of a midday sun, while in the distance some peasants are heaping the golden sheaves on a large waggon. Of Daubigny we have several landscapes, very firmly executed and of very even tone. One of these is an exception to his ordinary manner; it is a view of a pond bordered by trees, with storks disporting themselves in the bulrushes; the whole scene is bathed in a soft and natural light. M. Français exhibits Un Bois Sacré, Une Matinée d'Hiver, and Les Fouilles de Pompéi, three landscapes of noble and classical style, some a what out of date at the present time A charming landscape by Chintreuil gives us the impression of a Corot painted in the full light of day. Jules Breton has sent his Convoi à la Campagne and his Paysannes occupées à émonder un Champ. Nothing can be simpler or truer than this episode of rural life. The sun which is going down on the horizon seems to linger lovingly on the plain, which is already partly invaded by shadow; some women are seen coming forward in a row, stooping under the effort of their work, and hurrying over their task before night closes upon them. One of them, her task ended, stands erect, and the superb lines of her figure are seen in profile against a background of purple and gold. It is impossible to breathe more emotion and greatness into a scene of real life treated with such sincerity and genuineness. There is only one picture of Rosa Bonheur's in the Palais des Beaux-Arts, but it is one of her best, Le Labourage dans le Nivernais. Six great oxen are drawing the plough with effort through the rich heavy earth. The opening scene of George Sand's novel 'La Mare au Diable' is the absolute counterpart of this. The picture and the novel are of the same conception, both proceeding from minds of the same order, a trifle heavy, but very powerful. Fromentin and Jules Dupré are represented, but only for the sake of increasing the number. We cannot judge of the work of these gifted painters and colourists from the two or three small pictures exhibited here. In one of the lateral rooms two very fine pictures by Ricard attract our gaze. One is a portrait of the painter Chaplin, and the other a portrait of a most beautiful young woman, dressed like a high-born Venetian lady in a black gown with red silk sleeves, and holding a little dog on her lap. Ricard had studied the Italian colourists of the Renaissance, not with the intention of copying them in a servile manner, but to steep himself in their style and sentiment; and it must be admitted that the lady with the dog produces the impression of a Giorgione gono astray into the nineteenth century. This portrait made a great sensation when it was exhibited for the first time. Edmond About relates that he used to escape from the Ecole Normale and play truant in order to come and admire this triumphant beauty. Carolus Duran has exhibited a woman in a purplish-grey dress looped up with blue bows, standing near a portière which she is holding up. It is not a faultless work-the portrait, for instance, is larger than the model; but it is painted in warm and harmonious tones. A small canvas by the same master strikes us as something quite unexpected. A few women, rather undressed than naked, are preparing to bathe in the river of a thoroughly modern park. It is not an episode of real life; it looks as if some worldly and elegant women were acting an antique eclogue as a tableau vivant. M. Bonnat is one of the artists whom the organizers of the exhibition have treated the most handsomely. Besides the Christ in the great entrance hall, his works occupy two large panels, one on the ground floor of the decennial exhibition, and the other in the exhibition of the century of art. The first contains an Arab scene, painted from nature in Syria, and the portraits of Cardinal Lavigerie, Victor Hugo, Puvis de Chavannes, Pasteur, Jules Ferry, Alexandre Dumas, and Countess Potocka. These works literally crush all those that surround them, and it may be said that M. Bonnat holds the first place on the ground floor of the Palais des Beaux-Arts, if not by the charm, at least by the power and richness, of his painting. On the first floor his success is shared by powerful rivals, and he must be content to walk abreast with them. Still this part of his exhibition is extremely interesting. It contains Les Pélerins baisant le Pied de la Statue de St. Pierre, and the group of Italiens et Italiennes couchés devant le Palais Farnèse, two small pictures by which he first became known; St. Vincent de Paul prenant les Fers d'un Galérien, the most perfect of the great compositions on which he ever tried his hand; the Portrait de Madame Bischoffsheim, exhibited in 1878, and whose tone has softened down, while it has remained luminous; Le Barbier Nègre, marvellous for colouring and modelling; and, finally, the charming fantasy which shows us three little girls in long Japanese dresses, one in pink, the other in blue, and the third in a yellow tint which recalls to mind the famous individual in a lemoncoloured silk doublet in Rembrandt's 'Ronde de Nuit.' As the pendant of Bonnat's exhibition we find three portraits by Paul Dubois: a full-length woman in black; two young boys; and on a small canvas a wonderfully painted female head, seen in profile, with part of the shoulder coming out of a crimson satin gown. Paul Dubois is gifted as were the masters of the Renaissance; he has the sense of art under all its forms; he is a musician and composer as well as a sculptor and painter. None but masterpieces and marvels will attend us during the remainder of our excursion through the centenale exhibition. La Sortie de l'École Turque by Decamps is as brilliant after fifty years as it was on the first day. Le Meurtre de l'Évêque de Liège and Mirabeau aux ÉtatsGénéraux, by Delacroix, are sketches of large historical compositions which the master meant to execute, and which he was content with dreaming. Meissonier sends Solferino and '1814.' The Emperor, absorbed in dark thoughts, still trusting to his genius, but doubting of fortune, is seen advancing on a road covered with snow, followed by his marshals. L'Aquafortiste and Le Jeune Homme à la Fenêtre, by the same master, are exquisitely fine. The Baudrys consist of three pictures: two portraits of women, one in a low black dress, standing out against a ground of azure blue, the other wrapped in a dead-leaf-coloured mantle; and Le Petit Saint Jean Baptiste, a figure of a child very delicately treated and bathed in soft light. Courbet's landscapes are the work of a firmer hand, more accurately drawn and frankly painted, than his human figures. Le Chevreuil mort sur la Neige is a fine and powerful study, equally remarkable for the distribution of the light and for the precision of the execution. The forest scenery and the different sites of FrancheComté which he painted to satisfy his pure artistic instincts will ensure a nobler and more lasting celebrity to his name than the loud productions with which he tried to found a school and-according to his jargon-to "épater les bourgeois." La Dame au Perroquet is in this later manner. Nothing can be more unpleasant than this undressed woman, lying on a sofa with her head thrown back and her hair hanging down, and raising one arm in a sort of contorted attitude to play with a red parrot. The flesh tints are of a greenish hue, and the general colouring is as inharmonious as the drawing is defective. Violence will certainly never be M. Bouguereau's defect. His Bacchante jouant avec une Chèvre is an effeminate composition, which is, moreover, too highly finished to have preserved any definite relief or character. There is more life and reality in La Jeune Fille portant sur ses Épaules l'Amour, the latter personified by a child whose winga alone indicate his mythological descent. The organizers of the exhibition are not particularly fond of M. Bouguereau's painting, and have allotted him but little space in its precincts. They have been more liberal of their wallspace in the case of Bastien - Lepage. This painter, whom we left in the central hall, reappears in the smaller rooms, represented by a few portraits and some popular scenes. Among the most remarkable is Le Couple de Paysans dans un Champ à l'Heure du Repos. The man is lying on the ground asleep, and the woman, who is sitting, looks utterly stupefied by heat and fatigue. There is much sincere emotion in this work, as well as some of that study of naïveté which Bastien-Lepage cultivated, but fortunately often put aside in painting portraits. The small portrait of Sarah Bernhardt all in white is of the finest and clearest touch, and at the same time steeped in the wonderful light with which all the artist's works are flooded. La Figure de Femme Nue, lying down on a red drapery, by Jules Lefebvre, is the first picture, if I mistake not, by which he attracted public attention. The painting is warm in tone; it is a fine study, and nothing more. The works of M. Laurens improve as they grow older: they become somewhat clearer. One of the best compositions of this artist, Les Moines du MontCassin refusant les Présents du Comte Roger, in exhibited here. La Mort du Duc d'Enghien and François Borgia devant le Cercueil d'Isabe de Portugal are painted in the manner of the Spanish masters; the drawing is most vigorous, but the effect is somewhat melodramatic. Painting must be more spontaneous in order to pre duce real emotion. There are three pictures by Delaunay: Le Centaure Nessus tué par Heret. au Moment où il enlève Déjanire; David vener de tuer Goliath; and the portrait of Made.ri Bizet, the widow of the composer. These present three different aspects of the master's talents The portrait of the mourning woman is powerfully modelled, and painted with great sincerity. Gervex is represented by a pleasing tableau genre; the little girls who are seen coming up to the altar for their first communion furnish motive for the presence of the young mothers in most elegant and elaborate costumes. Military subjects are not very numerous ar have been well chosen. Les Officiers Prisonnier by Protais; La Dernière Cartouche, by De Ner ville; Les Chasseurs à Pied découvrant l'E nemi and Le Régiment qui Passe, by Detaille are full of life and movement, and are pene trated with sincere sentiment and emotion; bu r 1 1 : 1 1 I am still of opinion that Charlet is the first of our military painters. I have not spoken of Manet, for, in spite of the enormous space allotted him in the Exhibition, it is impossible for me to look upon him as a "master" whose works deserve to be religiously preserved. I cannot admit that his works are in any way connected with the history of French art, nor that a painter who ignored both drawing and colouring can be invested with the genius of an innovator or a precursor. It is not easy to make a study of the centenale exhibition of sculpture, which is not methodically classified. A vue d'ensemble is, therefore, impossible. It contains, nevertheless, a number of works of the highest interest. Curiously enough, we find the Godefroy Cavaignac of Rude by the side of Pradier's Duc d'Orléans. It is a pleasure to see once more Carpeaux's figures; Les Gracques, by Guillaume; Le Chanteur Florentin, the first chef-d'œuvre of Paul Dubois; La Jeunesse, by Chapu, an exquisite work, of the purest conception; the David of Mercié; and Le Vainqueur du Combat de Coqs, by Falguière, which made this artist famous. To resume: if I try to analyze the impression I carry away with me from this long excursion through the works of the French school during a period of a hundred years, the conclusion I come to is this: there are among living painters artists of great talent, the youngest of whom give proof of incomparable verve, intellectual curiosity, movement, and ardour. Not one of them, however, ought to think himself above the great masters of the beginning of the century and the leaders of the artistic movement of 1830. If we were to assemble the twenty-one pictures exhibited by M. Bonnat, we should certainly have a total of work of remarkable power before our eyes. If by the side of this we were to place an equal number of works by Eugène Delacroix-Les Croisés à Constantinople, Médée, Le Triomphe de Trajan, Le Dante et Virgile, La Barque de Don Juan, Hamlet et le Fossoyeur, Boissy d'Anglas, and Les Foscaris-the test would be decisive. Sculpture, on the contrary, has been in constant progress. I do not believe that in the whole past century we could find an ensemble which for artistic sentiment, for perfection of taste, and power of execution, would rank above the quartet formed by Guillaume, Paul Dubois, Chapu, and Mercié. I class them according to their respective ages, perplexed as I should be to have to assign the first place to any one of them. F. DUVAL. WORKS OF ENGLISH HUMOURISTS IN ART AT THE INSTITUTE OF PAINTERS IN WATER COLOURS. ART apart, this collection of nearly fourteen hundred pictures, drawings, and engravings of all sorts is the most interesting gathering now open in London. Amid an immense amount of trash we have a most varied and thoroughly representative series of the satires produced in this country from the days of John Wilkes to our own, beginning with a few specimens of Hogarth and ending with sketches lately published in journals of which they are the life and soul by Mr. Charles Keene, Mr. Sambourne, Mr. Tenniel, Mr. Du Maurier, Mr. Leslie Ward, and others. Any one who possesses the most elementary knowledge of the history of the last hundred years may find here a sort of panorama of a most brilliant and amusing kind, illustrating the men, the customs, costumes, and scandals of the period, and SO rich in details that the difficulty of beginning to study it is nothing in comparison to that of leaving off. The Catalogue, which contains a hundred capital facsimiles of designs, is the best shillingsworth of the kind that we know. Besides the excess of rubbish, the sole defect of the exhibi#tion is that the examples are hung without the slightest attempt at order or consistent and intelligible arrangement of any kind. The works of the artists are not grouped. There is no sequence, not even a chronological sequence. The subjects are hung higgledy-piggledy, and to refer from the catalogue to the exhibition while seeking any specified example is waste of time; while to refer from the exhibition to the catalogue is, as may be guessed from what we have said, troublesome and irritating. It is surprising that this should be the case, for there is not the slightest difficulty in recognizing the works of each satirist or in ascertaining the date of the publication of his designs, while, of course, nothing could be easier than to discover the historical sequence and relationship of the subjects illustrated. A volume might be written about this exhibition and yet furnish only a slight sketch of the subject. We must be content with a mere outline of some of its leading features. Technically speaking the draughtsmanship is moderately good until we reach the works of some of our contemporaries, where the fruits of skilful teaching and care are manifest. On the other hand, it will not do to undervalue the demure charms of Hogarth's drawings of Englishwomen, of which we should have been glad to see a greater number, or the vigorous taste Rowlandson displayed in the faces and graces of his comely dames, or the cleverness of his imitators, Woodward and I. Cruikshank. The staple of the exhibition, apart from the contributions of living artists (of the latter we could have spared at least half), is furnished by Rowlandson, of whose works there are more than a hundred, and George Cruikshank, who contributes a much greater number. Still we should like to have found a more truly representative collection of the last-named genius, many of whose finest things we have not found amid the wilderness of etchings and drawings, although the Royal Aquarium Society, and other owners almost as rich, have contributed freely. Of Hogarths the supply is very small considering the number known to exist. Perhaps they may be held back in order to form the main feature of some future gathering in the Institute illustrative of early English satiric design. To begin with the Hogarths. The Queen has lent (No. 1) the sketch with chalk on dark-blue paper for the famous picture of 'The Beggars' The Opera, of which several versions of high interest have been seen at the Grosvenor and Academy, and which has been fully illustrated in the Trustees' Catalogue of Satirical Prints in the British Museum and in these columns. Thissketch is well known to Hogarthians, and differs much from any of the developed designs, thus showing that the portraits which enhance the interest of the pictures for us all were added, doubtless from the life, at later stages of the work. Hazard Table and Garrick and Quin (2) have both | been engraved. Notwithstanding the primness of the pretty maids of honour, who seem to be gambling with the Prince of Wales in the way Walpole and Lord Hervey have told us of, they are full of spirit and movement. Mr. F. Locker Lampson has lent No. 3, that Pen-and-Ink Sketch for the Portrait of John Wilkes which, according to Churchill, the furious artist drew while "skulking behind a pillar in the Court of Requests," and thus gave to the "patriot" an immortality few would desire. When Hogarth took this sketch home to Leicester Fields he seems to have transferred (or otherwise copied) it to the copper-plate, which must have added hugely to the delight of his revenge. The attitude of Wilkes is the same in the sketch and the etching, but the faces differ considerably, and it is obvious that in transferring the design to metal Hogarth put additional malice into the leer of the popular idol. We have been told that having taken all he wanted from this sketch the satirist threw it under the grate, where it would have been burnt if some one (? Mrs. Lewis) had not rescued it. It is a pity it is not in the National Portrait Gallery, alongside the famous oil sketch of Lord Lovat which Hogarth hastily made in the inn at St. Albans. Gillray was in a mood hardly less resentful than Hogarth's when he drew The Duke of York forming a Line (280) of British troops during the campaign in Flanders, and the fat duke is seated on a charger as fat as himself. What does the catalogue before us mean by saying 'James Gillray,' 281 et seq., are "Exhibited by J. P. De Loutherbourg, R. A."? We thought De Loutherbourg was still at rest under a handsome tomb in Chiswick Churchyard, where he was laid in 1812. The taste of Rowlandson, of which we have already spoken, is conspicuous in half the works before us, despite his coarse motives and the gross vulgarity of much of his material. It is seen in the figures of the women in LaceMakers at Chidley (65) and that muscular dandy the Prince of Wales, who, in A Coffee House (63), is making love to the most buxom of barmaids. Col. Keley, who owned not only the famous horse Eclipse mentioned on the margin of the work, but the hardly less famous parrot which astonished Covent Garden, is delineated with spirit. We do not believe the note which says the figure lounging at the fire is George Morland. It is not at all like either of the Morlands, and is more especially unlike George. No. 46, Rowlandson's Shooting Party, one of the Cornish sketches, represents a view on the road between Camelford and Bodmin, looking upon Bodmin Moor and including the picturesque rocks called the Devil's Jump and the wild valley of Hunter Gantic. Among the most interesting of Rowlandson's numerous London views is No. 93, Tattersall's in 1800, which has been engraved, with a temple-like rostrum in the middle of the open space. No. 102, French Prisoners, with its capital drawing of the beautiful Norman staircase at Canterbury, suggests, what we believe was the case, that the captives were actually confined in the crypt of the cathedral. The Table d'Hôte, 1804 (94), illustrates the savage ways of our ancestors on such an occasion, their gormandizing, flirting, and guzzling the same vices that Hogarth attacked. Newbury, Berkshire (113), a man in the pillory, includes many quaint and curious figures among the roaring and laughing crowd. The County Inn Yard at the Time of an Election (6) is one of Hogarth's best designs, and deserved a better place. On the coach-top lounges one of the seamen of Anson's Centurion, the name of which, we are glad to learn, is to be perpetuated by a far more formidable craft than the ship which circumnavigated the globe. The portrait called Josephine Beauharnais (66), by Rowlandson, is nothing of the kind. Few things excel in interest Rowlandson's two versions of the famous Old Vauxhall Gardens, Nos. 32 and 92. The latter has a great reputation in Paris, and is much superior to the lessknown 32, which, nevertheless, is full of charming character and fun of a rough sort, for instance, the flirtations which are the business of the place; the queer band playing behind the singer, the famous and beautiful Mrs. Billington herself, whom Reynolds and Romney painted; and the people who are gorging themselves in the box below the orchestra, and heedless of the strains of the "nightingale" poured forth above their heads. Especially noteworthy are the gorgon of a woman with her fool of a husband, and the dainty beauty standing at her deformed spouse's side, while a handsome peer or prince (it looks very like the heir to the throne), tempterlike, whispers in her willing ear; the woodenlegged sea officer fairly fascinated by the maids of quality Hervey and Walpole describe as frequenting the gardens, who are attended by a group of admirers, including an impudent macaroni with a glass at his eye, a parson, and a brawny Scotchman in a kilt who carries a broadsword, the only armed man in the scene. Other authorities say that Scotchmen of this class, and they only, were at the short time in question distinguished by carrying weapons. In No. 11 it is noteworthy that one of that extinct species of servants, the heyducs, holds the horse of the fat monarch in the Queen's Row landson, A French Review, which, with its pendant, An English Review (10), was made for the Regent. The plump English parson is lost in reverence for royalty, and fails to see how his own strapping son, whose hand he has tucked under his arm, is enraptured by the damsel who trips past the group. In Harmony (210) we have charming impressions of Row landson's taste for physical beauty of a volup tuous caste and animated character. The portraits of the artists in Early Times (374), by the brothers Chalon, comprise some of the oddest figures, and are quaint caricatures of great merit. No. 50, A Picture Sale, by Rowlandson, comprises a portrait of Christie I. in the famous rostrum. The same artist's Dressing for a Masquerade (54) is not in his best style, but it is precious from containing sketches of the "Billy Whiffles," audacious belles, and fantastic beaux of a time Walpole told us much about. Capital illustrated editions of Walpole, Hervey, and others might be furnished by this and a host of designs us here. No. 307, by Gillray, is a sort of travesty of a renowned antique gem, called The Marriage of Cupid and Psyche, and contains portraits of the tall Miss Farren and her fat and lubberly spouse the Earl of Derby. Among the later examples we specially commend Cruikshank's Illustrations of the Irish Rebellion, Nos. 398, 399, and 400, and works of R. Caldecott and Thackeray, which are grouped near them; Mr. C. Green's Mr. Turveydrop's Dancing Academy (750), and Mr. L. Fildes's Drawings to illustrate 'Edwin Drood' (863-74). Mr. Tenniel's designs for Punch's Almanack and Cartoons (950-1017) comprise some of his best works, and are extremely amusing as illustrating his clear insight into, and profound study of the various phases of, Mr. Gladstone's career. The contributions of Mr. Keene to Punch will find many grateful admirers. It is right to add that the catalogue is very much in need of the promised revision. SALE. MESSRS. CHRISTIE, MANSON & WOODS sold on the 6th inst. the following. Pictures: C. Fielding, Ben-y-Glo, with sportsmen, 2521.; A Landscape, with cows going to water, 189l. A. C. Gow, The First Provision Boat for a Besieged Town, 2251. E. Duncan, Oyster Dredgers, Swansea Bay, 157l. Drawing: T. S. Cooper, Cows on the Bank of a River, 761. fine-Art Gossip. MR. HOOK has in preparation a number of etchings, probably about thirty in all, mostly seaside and marine subjects, with a proportion of pastorals, which he intends to publish in a volume. The fine qualities of 'The Fisherman's Good - Night!' 'Egg Gathering,' 'Sea Urchins,' and other examples by the same artist, and the fact that no new etchings by him have appeared for a long time, make this welcome news to aquafortists and art-lovers at large. who have sent works to both galleries. 1. 283 artists (including ten members of the Academy) contributed 496 works to the Grosvenor Gallery, but as out of this number 179 had not contributed to this gallery previous to 1888, 104 may be regarded as having remained true to the Grosvenor. 2. 164 artists (including six members of the Academy) contributed 423 works to the New Gallery, but as out of this number 83 had never exhibited at the Grosvenor, only 81 can be considered as seceders from the Grosvenor. 3. 120 artists (including ten members of the Academy) contributed 656 works to both the Grosvenor and the New Galleries (302 to the Grosvenor and 354 to the New Gallery); of these artists as many as 102 had been represented at the Grosvenor during the previous eleven years, only 18 never having exhibited there. THE Arts and Crafts Exhibition will be opened at the New Gallery, Regent Street, on the 7th of October, and closed on the 7th of December next, under conditions similar to the preceding. Forms of application for space may be had of the secretary, at 45, Great Marlborough Street, and works intended for exhibition must be subjected to the selecting committee and delivered at the New Gallery on the 16th, 17th, or 18th of September. THE annual meeting of the Hellenic Society will take place at 22, Albemarle Street on Mon day, June 24th, at 5 P.M. Prof. Jebb, Vice President, will be in the chair. HIGHLY valuable and interesting collections of Oriental arms, armour, and Chinese opium pipes are exhibited by the Japanese Fine-Art Association at 28, New Bond Street. FROM the 18th to the 24th inst. Messrs. P. & D. Colnaghi will exhibit at 13, Pall Mall East, a selection from Lord Ronald Gower's famous collection of portraits of Marie Antoinette, the whole of which will be sold at Christie's next month. MEDALS of Honour for the current Salon have been awarded as below: For painting, to M. Dagnan-Bouveret; for engraving, to M. A. Jacquet. In sculpture and architecture, the required absolute majority of votes not having been awarded to any competitor, no medals were given, but M. Moreau in the former class, and M. Loviot in the latter, had the highest number of votes. It is noteworthy that in respect to painting only 382 exhibitors took the trouble to vote, in sculpture only 130, in architecture only 29, and in engraving 186. A CORRESPONDENT writes : Romney's well-known picture in the National Gallery called 'The Parson's Daughter' appears to be a portrait of Miss Elizabeth Young (Mrs. Pope, actress). The fact is not stated either in Mr. Cook's Popular Handbook to the National Gallery' or in the recently issued official catalogue, where the pic ture described as portrait.' There is, however, now at the Burlington Fine-Arts Club (case xvii., No. 24) a miniature portrait by George Engleheart, which was probably done from Romney's picture. The entry in the catalogue (p. 52) of the exhibition (Mrs. Pope) Actress. George Engleheart. The is as follows: '24. Miss Elizabeth Young. Ob. 1797. face and hose are the same as omnes pictuen in the picture, is blue in the miniature. In the picture the lady's dress consists of a simple brown frock and a white neckerchief folded across the and the ribbon, which is green THE following statistics of the exhibitions of 1888 and 1889 at the Grosvenor and the New Galleries have been sent to us by Mr. Algernon Graves, and may prove of interest to some of our readers as showing to what extent artists have contributed to each of the rival shows. There were 1,575 works exhibited during these two years, of which 791 were at the Grosvenor and 784 at the New Gallery. These works were contributed by 567 artists (including thirteen Royal Academicians and thirteen Associates). These artists are divided into three sections as follows: 1. Exhibitors at the Grosvenor Gallery; 2. Exhibitors at the New Gallery; 3. Those breast; in the miniature the lady appears in a white low-necked frock with an upstanding ruff. If Mr. Jeffery Whitehead, the possessor of the miniature, of the parson's daughter is certain." has good evidence for his description the identity be held at Amsterdam in September and OcAn exhibition of works by living artists is to tober. Works for exhibition should be sent in between Thursday, August 1st, and Saturday, Communale d'Œuvres d'Artistes the 10th, to the "Comité de l'Exposition porains" at Amsterdam. Contem MUSIC THE WEEK. ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA.-' Rigoletto,' 'Lohengrin,' 'G laume Tell.' ST. JAMES'S HALL.-Philharmonic Society. MR. HARRIS continues to maintain the high standard of merit noticeable from the opening of the present opera season al Covent Garden. The curious falling or of public interest in works of the purely Italian school was again exemplified on Thursday last week, when 'Rigoletto was given, the audience being much smaller than usual. The rendering of the two leading roles, however, was exceptionally fine. M. Lassalle's conception of the Jester is superb, and in fact has not been equalled since the best days of Ronconi. It was, of course, an incongruity that he should sing the part, or most of it, in French; but on the Continent, even in the German capitals, strange artists, or "Gäste" as they are termed, are permitted to use the language to which they are most accustomed, though the practice is not one to be encouraged. Madame Melba has greatly improved since last year, both as a vocalist and an actress, and her Gilda was a singularly refined impersonation in every respect. M. Montariol was moderately good as the Duke, the audience, however, displaying the utmost indif ference towards their once favourite "La donna e mobile." the titular part, on Friday, and 'Lohengrin' 'Faust' was repeated, with M. Talazac in Madame Albani in the parts they played on Saturday, with the MM. de Reszke and so frequently last season. As regards the former, it can only be said that they were again unsurpassable, and of Madame Albani's Elsa it must be repeated with regret that the Canadian artist no longer offers the ideal interpretation of the character which made Herr Hans von Bülow declare that she was the best Elsa in Europe. Dramatically it is still highly effective; but the sweet simplicity and girlishness are now exchanged for prima donna airs and affectations, permissible in conventional Italian opera, but disastrous in such a poetically conceived character as Elsa. It is only fair to Madame Albani, however, to add that she was less melodramatic than when she played the part last season, while her rendering of the music would have been perfect save for her exmade a favourable impression as Telramund. aggerated sostenuto. M. Seguin, a a débutant, A disappointment awaited the audience on Tuesday, M. Lassalle being unable to give his magnificent interpretation of William Tell. Fortunately M. Seguin was able to take his place, and his assumption was dramatically and vocally excellent, though he had to sing in French. M. Le stellier's hard, unsympathetic voice deprived the music of Arnold of its beauty to some extent, and perfect representative of the minor role of Walther, M. E. de Reszke part has yet to be found. By accepting the materially aided the effect in the Canton scene. The Mathilde was a new-comer, Mlle. Lita, who showed considerable promise, though her efforts were marred by nervousness and self-consciousness. The choral portions of the opera were given with very great effect, and it is surely not too much to hope that Mr. Harris will one day restore the last act, which is entirely unknown to the present generation, though it contains some of Rossini's finest music. The Philharmonic Society must be congratulated on their promptuess in securing Mr. Frederic Cliffe's Symphony in a minor for performance during their present season, and the work evidently made a profound impression on the audience at Thursday's concert last week, in spite of the distracting effect of the storm. Those who heard it for the second time were confirmed in their initial opinion of its extraordinary merits. We have nothing whatever to retract from the favourable opinion we expressed after its performance at Mr. Manns's concert on April 20th. The symphony is a masterpiece in themes, treatment, and orchestration, and it will be no easy matter for Mr. Cliffe to maintain the position among English composers to which his Op. 1 entitles him. The *performance under his direction was inferior to that at the Crystal Palace; but the unfortunate circumstances must be taken into 1 consideration, and there was nothing of which to complain in the reception, the composer being twice recalled to the platform. In Beethoven's Concerto in E flat Madame Backer Gröndahl again proved herself a pianist of exceptional powers. She gave a rendering of the hackneyed work remarkable for intellectual expression and beauty of style, and there need be no hesitation in assigning her a place among the most gifted of living pianists. Cherubini's 'Anacreon' and Mozart's 'Zauberflöte' overtures, and the prelude and close from 'Tristan und Isolde,' were included in the programme; and the vocalist, Fräulein Fillunger, gave a powerful interpretation of the scena from 'Oberon.' 1 We have received Notes on Musical Form, by F. E. Pritchard (Weekes & Co.), containing a fairly intelligent synopsis of the principal features of movements in the recognized classical forms, though too sketchy to be of much value without assistance; the author takes his examples entirely from Beethoven's conatas, which it is scarcely necessary to state are as remarkable for exceptions as for rules, also, Illustrated Manual of the Vowel Sounds, by Mrs. M. A. Carlisle-Carr (same publishers), and the Dramatic and Musical Directory of the United Kingdom for 1889 (Fox), containing particulars of the principal halls and theatres in the various towns of the United Kingdom, and alphabetical lists of vocalists and actors. Edgardo, Madame Gargano sustaining the principal part in an acceptable manner. No one, however, can be more fully aware than Mr. Mapleson that reliance upon a worn-out répertoire cannot bring material support to his undertaking. MEANWHILE fresh operatic schemes of importance are under consideration. Mr. Harris has, in fact, practically decided to have an autumn season, and there is a probability of German opera on an adequate scale next year, in which case Wagner's works would be performed in way of the latter enterprise, but there is reason to believe that they may be surmounted. SEÑOR SARASATE gave the second of his two chamber concerts, in association with Madame Berthe Marx, last Saturday afternoon, the concerted works in the programme being Beethoven's 'Kreutzer' Sonata and Schubert's Fantasia in c, Op. 159. The pianist created a more favourable impression than on her first appearance, the purity of her touch and her unerring execution being of great service in the concerted works and also in her solos, which consisted of two of Schumann's Pedalier Studies, Op 56, and Liszt's Rhapsodie, No. 12. THE young Italian violinist, Signorina Tua, gave a successful concert at the Princes' Hall on Thursday afternoon last week. She displayed remarkable technical capacity in her various solos, which included Mendelssohn's Concerto, played with piano accompaniment, Brahms's Sonata in A, Op. 100, with Mlle. Wonsowska as the pianist, and smaller items. SEÑOR J. ALBENIZ, pianist to the Queen of Spain, gave a recital at the Princes' Hall on Wednesday afternoon. He possesses a clear, crisp touch, and his execution was singularly neat and accurate. His playing, however, was not remarkable for intellectual expression, and he was, therefore, less satisfactory in Beethoven's 'Moonlight' and Chopin's B flat minor sonatas, except in the finale of the latter work, than in a number of Scarlatti's pieces and some trifles by Liszt. Señor Albeniz introduced several of his own compositions, in which a pleasant vein of melody was noticeable. THE works included in Sir Charles Halle's programme on Friday last week were Raff's Pianoforte Quartet in c minor, Op. 202, No. 2, for the first time; Schumann's in E flat, Op. 47; Brahms's Sonata in F, Op. 99, for piano and violoncello; and Bach's Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue. A new cantata by M. Benoit has just been performed in Antwerp. Its title is 'The Rhine,' and the book appears, like that of 'Lucifer,' to be fantastic rather than romantic. The music is not spoken of in particularly high terms, though it is said to be characteristic of the composer. Ar the concert of the Association of Tonic Sol-Fa Choirs at the Crystal Palace on the 29th inst. the fugue written by Mendelssohn as a finale to his 'Athalie' music will be performed for the first time. In the Athenœum for March 10th, 1849, Mr. Chorley wrote as follows :"Racine did not think a musical close to his entire work necessary; and accordingly the fifth act terminates with a speech by Joad. This imparts an inevitable weakness to the musical effect when the work is given detached from the stage-a consequence so frankly admitted by Mendelssohn that, with a view of strengthening the concluding portion, he added by way of afterthought a fugue, with precise directions for its insertion in the short final chorus. The fugue was found among Mendelssohn's papers subsequently to the arrangement of 'Athalie' for the press; but a feature of such great import ance cannot be too soon incorporated as an established part of the composition. It is just to the Directors of the Philharmonic Society to state that, being only very recently apprised of the existence of this supplementary matter, they took immediate and sufficient means to procure it in time for performance this evening. But the music has not yet, we believe, reached London." At the request of Mr. F. G. Edwards, Sir George Grove obtained a copy of the MS., which is in the Imperial Library at Berlin. It is dated 16th April, 1844, and bears the title "Schluss zu Athalia." The fugue is for four voices, and the subject is partly founded on a chromatic descending phrase in the accompaniment of the final chorus as it stands in the published score. The treatment is clear and dignified, the most noteworthy feature being the appearance simultaneously of the subject and its inversion. There chronological order. There are difficulties in the ❘ is, unfortunately, no accompaniment, so that it cannot be added to the work unless permission is given to score it. The fugue has been printed in the Tonic Sol-Fa notation for the Crystal Palace performance, permission for which has been given by Mrs. Victor Benecke, Mendelssohn's eldest daughter. THERE is, in all probability, no foundation for the statement in the Vienna Neue Freie Presse that Verdi has completed the first act of an opera on the subject of 'Romeo and Juliet,' the book of which has been supplied by Boito. Boito, however, will probably be asked to furnish the libretto of the opera on the subject of Christopher Columbus, which is to be composed by the Baron Alberto Franchetti for the fêtes in Genoa in 1892. CONCERTS, OPERAS, &c., NEXT WEEK. MON. Royal Academy of Music Concert, 3, St. James's Hall. Miss Leila Dufour's Annual Concert, 3.30, 105, Piccadilly. Her Majesty's Theatre, 8.15, 'Faust.' Richter Concert, 8.30, St. James's Hall. Mr. Edward Bending's Organ Recital, 830, Albert Hall. TUES. Miss Lily Heale's Concert, 3, Downshire House. Volunteer Medical Staff Concert, 8, Steinway Hall, WED. Madame Della Valle's Annual Concert, 3. Princes' Hall. Musical Guild Chamber Concert 8, Kensington Town Hall. Mr. W Carter's Concert, 8, Albert Hall. THURS. Mr. W. G. Cusins's Annual Concert, 3, St. James's Hall. FRI. SAT. Mr. Alfred Redhead's Concert, 8, Steinway Hall. Sir Charles Halle's Chamber Concert, 3. St. James's Hall. Special Performance of Elijah, 3, Crystal Palace. Royal Italian Opera. DRAMA THE WEEK. NOVELTY.-' A Doll's House,' in Three Acts. Translated from Henrik Ibsen by Wm. Archer. SHAFTESBURY. -Revival of 'Jim the Penman,' Drama in Four Acts. By Sir Charles Young, Bart. PRINCE OF WALES'S.-Afternoon Performance: 'Esther Sandraz,' a Drama in Three Acts, from a Novel of Adolphe Belot. By Sydney Grundy. IBSEN au naturel has at length been seen in London, and has even been found not unpleasing to the English palate. In some respects the experiment is scarcely conclusive. Very unlike an average first night's audience was that which on this occasion flocked to the Novelty. There was more than a sprinkling of Ibsenites, and the rowdy element customary on such occasions was unrepresented. One thing at least is certain, that the audience was deeply stirred. Ibsen's teaching may be what you will, his social theories may be immoral or preposterous, his views of domestic life may merit all that has been said against them. The fact, however, remains that he can write a stirring play. What is most significant, moreover, is that a play which in an adaptation failed to please has succeeded when presented in the integrity at which even the idyl-loving German temperament is said to have risen in revolt. This, at least, is as it should be. An artist is the best judge of his work. A Tate may hold that he adds to the attractions of 'Lear' by making Cordelia in love with Edgar, and a series of actors from Betterton to Macready may shudder at the idea of bringing on the scene the fool. When once, however, Macready conquered his repulsion and placed him on the stage, the poet's knowledge and judgment were vindicated. With Ibsen's views there is no temptation to deal. Such as they are, they are urged with wonderful force and precision. Ibsen is open, perhaps, in this instance, to the arraignment that his husband is too much of a Philistine, and his wife too much of a madcap, for perfect artistic effect. A matron eight years married and blessed with three children should acquire some sense of responsibility, and a man so egregiously self-satisfied as his hero is repellent. It is easy, however, to believe that the author has purposely multiplied difficulties in order to triumphover them. A triumph is, at any rate, obtained. The whole is not only defensible, it is fine. The nature is not to be envied that sees unmoved the desperate devices by which the heroine seeks to retain a little longer the life she has found so delightful. Ibsen's conclusion provokes anger in many minds. Dismiss, however, the notion that the lesson is commended to imitation. Say that scenes and characters belong to fairyland. This surely is no more than can be done. It has been done in old days for 'As You Like It,' and in modern days for 'Pygmalion and Galatea.' Then the defeat and despair of the poor creature whose bright skies darken, who finds her god an idol, and learns that her whole life is a mistake, become touching. In making his heroine a child in all but years, a spoiled, petted, irresponsible being, the author shows that he is thrusting on us no new code of morality, that he is not bidding the femme incomprise quit her home and her babies. The story thus regarded absorbs and thrills, and the effect left upon the spectator is a sense of exaltation. The performance was remarkable. Miss Achurch gave an admirable representation of the heroine, the grace, the poetry, and the sadness of which she fully expressed. She obtained a signal triumph, and pleasantly vindicated a reputation once of high promise, and then obscured, if not eclipsed. Mr. Charrington, Mr. Waring, and Mr. Royce Carleton were also good. It is to be hoped that further opportunities of seeing this interesting and, in a sense, unique performance will be given. The Shaftesbury Theatre has reopened with a revival of 'Jim the Penman.' In this revival Mr. Willard plays again with marvellous intensity as the forger hero. Lady Monckton repeats with some modifications, the effect of which is happy, her powerful performance of the wife; and Mr. Mackintosh gives us for the first time a broad and highly coloured, but effective representation of Baron Hartfeld. Mr. F. Terry, Mr. W. Herbert, and other actors are included in a good cast. Sufficient interest attends the revival to make improbable the speedy production of any of the novelties said to be in the possession of the new management. n a Dramatic Gossip. THE promised production at the Gaiety of 'Le Maître de Forges' had to be foregone, Mrs. Kendal having obtained the exclusive right of performing the piece in England. The public was accordingly disappointed seeing Hading in what is, perhaps, her greatest part, and 'La Dame aux Camélias' was substituted. During the remainder of the week Mlle. Hading and M. Coquelin have been seen in 'Le Voyage de M. Perrichon,' 'Le Gendre de M. Poirier,' and other pieces of their joint repertory. MR. TOOLE has finally decided to visit Australia professionally in the beginning of 1890. 'THE TWO JOHNNIES,' as Messrs. Horner and MACMILLAN & CO.'S NEW BOOKS. A NEW BOOK BY THE RIGHT REV. THE BISHOP OF DURHAM. ESSAYS on the Work entitled 'SUPERNATURAL RELIGION.' By the Right B J. B. LIGHTFOOT, D.D. D.C.L. LL D., Bisbept Durham, &c. Reprinted from the Contemporary Ber 8vo. 10s. 6d. [Next week, THE OXFORD MOVEMENT. WILLIAM GEORGE WARD, and the OXFORD MOVEMENT. By WILFRID WARD With Portrait, 8vo. 148. A NEW BOOK BY MR. ALFRED RUSSEL WALLACE Theory of Natural Selection, with some of its App tions. By ALFRED RUSSEL WALLACE, LL.D. FIS, &c., Author of 'The Malay Archipelago, The Geographe cal Distribution of Animals,' 'Island Life, &c, Соста 8vo. 98. Wyatt call a version of the Durand et Durand' DARWINISM. An Exposition of the of MM. Valabrègue and Ordonneau, produced one afternoon last week at the Strand Theatre, is brisk in action. It is, however, in its present shape impossible on the English stage. Barristers who receive clients in their own houses should be left at the Palais Royal, the home of FRENCH and ENGLISH: a Com the original. Some of the dialogue, moreover, is better fitted to the same precincts than to the English stage. If these blemishes are removed the whole might prove effective. Miss Alma Stanley, Miss C. Grahame, Mr. E. M. Robson, Mr. Charles Fawcett, and Mr. W. F. Hawtrey played the principal parts. THE Lyceum season will finish on the 29th inst. with the benefit of Miss Ellen Terry. 'CAPTAIN SWIFT' has been produced at the Grand Theatre, with Miss Julia Neilson, Miss Louise Moodie, and Mr. Conway in the principal parts. An autumn season will be given at the Vaudeville during the absence on tour of Mr. Thorne and his company. 'In Danger,' a drama by Messrs. W. Lestocq and H. Creswell, which has been once seen at an afternoon performance at the same house, will then be given with a view to a run. Miss Florence West will, it is anticipated, resume her original character of the heroine. A PERFORMANCE of 'The Honeymoon' was given on Tuesday afternoon at the Vaudeville, with Miss Nora Wray as Juliana. This character is beyond the present strength of the actress, who also appeared in the potion scene from 'Romeo and Juliet.' Messrs. F. Thorne, Macklin, Fuller Mellish, and Stewart Dawson, Miss May Whitty, and Miss Vanbrugh took part in the performance. 'WHICH WINS?' a four-act play of Mr. J. W. Pigott, was given on Wednesday afternoon at Terry's Theatre. It is written with some ability, and tells a melodramatic story, but stands in need of alteration. Miss Lingard, Mr. Cooper, Mr. Cooper-Cliffe, and other actors gave it a competent interpretation, and secured its success. MISS CARLOTTA ADDISON has, we regret to hear, been compelled by illness to renounce for some time past her original character in 'Sweet Lavender' at Terry's Theatre. 'Esther Sandraz,' the production of which by Mrs. Langtry at Chicago has been chronicled, has been given in London for a single representation. It is powerful play, a little difficult of acceptance, scarcely true to any recognizable human motive. It has also the drawback that one of its strongest and least acceptable scenes is only a reading backwards of the by Mr. Mansfield to write a poetical play upon fourth act of La Dame aux Camélias.' It an important historical subject. MR. ALEXANDER will play in the autumn at the Adelphi in the forthcoming new drama of Messrs. Sims and Pettitt. A NEW BOOK BY MR. P. G. HAMERTON. parison. By PHILIP GILBERT HAMERTON, ANT of 'Etching and Etchers,' 'Thoughts about Art,' 'Ha Intercourse,' &c. Crown 8vo. 10s. 6d. Among the subjects dealt with by Mr. Hamerton are:Education, Patriotism, Politics, Religion, Virtues, Custen, Society, Success, Variety, &c. COMPLETION OF SIR GEORGE GROVE'S A DICTIONARY of MUSIC and MUSICIANS, A.D. 1450-1889. By Eminent Write English and Foreign. Edited by Sir GEORGE GROTE D.C.L., Director of the Royal College of Music. trations and Woodcuts. 4 vols. demy 8vo. 218. each. An APPENDIX, Edited by J. A. FULLER MAITLAS, bringing the Work down to 1889. Demy 8vo. 9s. *** This Appendix, which forms part of Vol. IV., completen the Dictionary. But a Full Indez to the entire work is in pre paration, and will be presently published as a separate raam. TWELVE ENGLISH STATESMEN. NEW VOLUME. HENRY VII. By JAMES GAIRDNER. Crown 8vo. 28. 6d. The Volumes already published, 2s. 6d. each, are:WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR. By EDWARD A FREEMAN, D.C.L. LL.D HENRY II. By Mrs. J. R. GREEN. CARDINAL WOLSEY. By Prof. M. CREIGHTOS. OLIVER CROMWELL. By FREDERIC HARRISOS, WILLIAM III. By H. D. TRAILL. Now ready, Vols. I.-V., crown 8vo. 2s. 6d. each. ENGLISH MEN OF ACTION. GENERAL GORDON. By Col. Sir WM. BUTLER HENRY THE FIFTH. By the Rev. A. J. CHURCH LIVINGSTONE. By Mr. THOMAS HUGHES. LORD LAWRENCE. By Sir RICHARD TEMPLE WELLINGTON. By Mr. GEORGE HOOPER. DAMPIER. By Mr. W. CLARK RUSSELL *** Other Volumes are in the press and in preparation. POEMS. By Charles Kingsley. Com plete Collected Edition. 18mo. cloth, Is. 6d. KANT'S CRITICAL PHILOSOPHY for ENGLISH READERS. BY JOHN P. MAHAFTE D.D., Fellow and Tutor of Trinity College, Dut Professor of Ancient History in the University Dublin; and JOHN H. BERNARD. B.D., Felles Trinity College, Dublin, Archbishop King's Lector in Divinity in the University of Dublin, A New completed Edition in 2 vols. crown 8vo. Vol. I. The KRITIK of PURE REASON EXPLAINED and DEFENDED. 78. 6d. MACMILLAN'S CLASSICAL SERIES.-New Volume MR. ROBERT BUCHANAN has been commissioned EURIPIDES. - ION. Edited, with AT the Metastasio Theatre at Rome the 'Mandragola' of Machiavelli was produced last Bibbiena, first played at the Vatican in 1506. was acted with much power by Miss Amy Roselle, Mr. Dacre, and Mr. Fred Terry, and in comic scenes by Miss Rose Leclercq, month, and then the 'Calandra' of Cardinal Mr. H. Kemble, and Mr. Brookfield. Miss Leyshon was sympathetic, if a little over taxed, in a difficult part. A warm reception was awarded. TO CORRESPONDENTS.-J. H. S.-M. B. A.-C. W.-С. В. G. B. A.-S. M. H.-J. A. G.-J. R.-N. H. M.-W.received. No notice can be taken of anonymous communications. Introduction and Notes, by M. A. BAYFIELD, MA Head Master's Assistant at Malvern College. Feap. 3s. 6d. A TEXT-BOOK of INORGANIC CHEMISTRY. By IRA REMSEN, Professor Chemistry in the Johns Hopkins University, Aal of An Introduction to the Study of Organic Chemis or Compounds of Carbon,' 'An Introduction to th Study of Chemistry (Inorganic Chemistry),' 'L [Next Elements of Chemistry.' 8vo. 168. MACMILLAN & CO. London. |