from an earlier period, dim discrowned roy-pany; and wide as the throat of conquest is, alty was still retained as an implement of its instinct of repletion has occasionally taxation; but power, rank, influence, sover- been found to cry-enough! and grant an eignty, or even personal independence, the involuntary respite, where there was neither heirs of these once haughty thrones have heart to compassionate, nor wish to spare. none; and as befel the too pitiably famous It takes no ordinary powers of imperial prince of the Carnatic, they will in due appetite to take in upwards of 100,000 time cease to be maintained, even for the square miles of prey at a meal, even though vile uses they are now applied to. By and diversity of names and characteristics probye they will be kept no longer. voke desire, and stimulate digestion. Until these should be thoroughly masticated and absorbed, gentle nature could not proceed in its vocation; and Scindiah was reserved for a more convenient season. Meanwhile, however, his dependency was anxiously secured. "After witnessing the ruin of the Paishwah, his dreams of grandeur were laid aside for ever. He entered into close alliance with the English, abandoning the old associations of his race; for he was only able to preserve his dominions, by a departure from all that is deemed honour by his tribe. He has submitted to the great revolution that has occurred; and viewing the struggle for superiority as past, is forward to recognise the permanent sway of the British government."* Such are The dominions of the Nizam and the Rajah the contemplative musings of the conqueror. Munro, writing to George Canning in 1820, says,—" Hyderabad and Nagpore* were once great independent states. But both are now as completely dependent upon us, as Mysore. They must at some period or other fall entirely into our hands; and the internal administration must in the mean time be chiefly directed by our Residents. No skill can make a country prosperous under such a system."+ As for Scindiah, his fate was somewhat different. His power, as the head of a great confederacy, had no longer an existThe lesser chieftainries had lain between his kingdom and that of the Com ence. of Berar, of which Hyderabad and Nagpore were the capitals. † Munro, vol. ii. p. 52. * Malcolm, vol. i. chap. vii. The tall and lovely Cypris, as I slept, Drew near my couch; in her white hand she led My infant Eros: teach him how to sing. She spoke and vanished: I, alas, began To teach the willing imp our rustic lays ;- The unequal reeds; and how the shepherds praise Tossed his superior head in scorn, and smiled. And lo the little egotist broke forth, And sung to me of love; and deftly taught W.D. ART-UNIONS AT HOME AND ABROAD. In instituting any comparison between these societies, as indicated by our heading, we are influenced by three motives,-an ardent desire for the success of the Art-union established amongst us,-a conviction that from its present constitution, it must fail to obtain the great objects of its formation, -and an equally sincere conviction that, by the adoption of the leading principles of the Scottish and other Art-unions, such a constitution may be given to our Irish Society, as will not wear out in the working, but will gather force as it rolls on, and ensure a lasting prosperity. In entering upon a subject that awakens our warmest interest,-one on which the advancement of the fine arts in Ireland now mainly depends,-so many subjects force themselves upon our consideration,so many visions float before our fancy's eye, so many reasonings rush upon us, as to render it necessary that we should reduce the heterogeneous mass of thought to order; and to this end, we shall dividǝ our subject into heads. We shall, in the first place, glance at the general purposes and original formation of Art-unions; se condly, we shall endeavour to give some statistical account of the history and progress of these societies, as established in Scotland and England; and lastly, having, as we trust we shall, by our résumé of what has been done,-prepared our readers for the true and unbiassed view of the subject, we shall point out what we conceive to be erroneous or defective in the constitution of our society, and shew what there is in the peculiar state of the arts in Ireland, to require the adoption and strict adherence to the Scottish principle of "home" patronage,—and how, by a slight remodelling, the necessary reform may be obtained. Here, in limine, we beg to disclaim any, the slightest intention to undervalue the exertions that have been made to establish the Irish Society, or to underrate the success which, so far, it has obtained: on the contrary, we would, in the strongest terms, record our sense of the disinterested zeal, and the unwearied exertions exhibited by its early promoters,—more particularly by its excellent Honorary Secretary. To that gentleman's zeal and taste for the fine arts, we are indebted for the first effectual starting of this society; and to his unremitting exertions to obtain support, for a degree of success, quoad funds, which has exceeded in its first year the most sanguine expectations of its projectors. Indeed, such have been the zeal and activity exhibited so far as it has gone, that we should be almost disposed to trust to the Society's righting itself in its progress-did we not feel that its ultimate success or failure must now be a question of national importance,-that, clogged with the present errors of constitution, its course must be impeded, -and that now, whilst both the society and its errors are in their infancy, is the best time, when it is most easy to amend the latter, and thereby render essential benefit to the infant society. To whatever cause attributable, it is very evident that the fine arts have at all times excited a livelier and more permanent interest amongst our Continental neighbours, than in our "cloud capped" isles; whether this is to be accounted for by the difference of temperament resulting from different temperatures of climate, in which latter our neighbours have a manifest advantage over us,-or, by their seniority in the march of civilization, involving in its course the rise and fall of nations, which, even in their fallen greatness, shed an odour of refinement over the more barbarous tastes of their destroyers,— would be a question of philosophical research, not uninteresting, but misplaced here; perhaps, in the end, it would be found to be the result of these conjoint causes. There is, doubtless, much in the atmosphere about us, that through our physical frame, affects our moral tastes; tronage, in the year of grace 1835-6, the House of Commons directed a committee to enquire into the state of the fine arts in Great Britain, with reference-still the "cui bono" test-to their influence on manufactures. Many eminent artists were examined, and much interesting matter is to be found in the printed report of that committee; good has so far resulted therefrom, that schools of design have been instituted for education in the elementary principles; proportionate improvement and classical variety of design may therefore be looked for in our manufactures. It is to be hoped that the arts, thus brought home to our household gods, may gradually without circumscribing genius within the limits of mere geographical distinctions, -a general cultivation of tastes, a rarification, as it were, of the human spirit, will be generally admitted to be more compatible with sunny climes, than with fog and frost-bound regions. In fact, though genius be of no country, the diffusion of a taste for its appreciation and encouragement will be found to be materially affected by the circumstances of clime, as rendering us more or less chained to the mere necessaries of life, and conversely, more or less alive to intellectual gratification; above all things, our social position, our education, and our habits, in which we are but creatures of imitation,-superinduced disseminate a taste and ambition for excelby what chain of circumstances they may be,-affect essentially our tastes. That life was given to be enjoyed, not endured, -that labour is necessary for the maintenance of life, and recreation for its enjoyment, seems to be the very practical and sound philosophy of the Continental people; hence, national recreation becomes with them an essential, and hence, the diffusion of the taste for, and the zeal in the cultivation of those arts, which, through the medium of a pleased sense, rejoice and refine the intellect: but the converse philosophy, which views life with an utilitarian eye, as one long, long toil,-deems wealth the summum bonum, and labour, the means of its acquirement,-by the application of its "cui bono" test, raises an almost invincible barrier to the cultivation of intellectual recreations,-"not dreamt of in such philosophy." Thus, the fine arts, combining in an eminent degree the useful and the agreeable, are centred in the affections of the people of more favoured climes; and the governments of those countries, aware of the importance of those arts, as influencing the perfection of all manufactures, as also of their refining power over the habits of the people, in substituting high, moral, intellectual enjoyment for mere sensual pleasures, have legislated for their cultivation, and, by the establishment of national galleries, and national academies, by prizes, and other public encouragement, have sought to disseminate a taste for the arts, and to stimulate to the attainment of excellence therein. Even in utilitarian and money-loving England, the importance of these great arts has at last been felt, and after having been long left to struggle as best they might, under a very trifling share of royal pa lence in their higher departments, and that their value in the internal decorations of our temples or public buildings of whatever class, may soon be recognized. It is this that, more than any thing else, affords a stimulus to Continental artists, and gives employment to the chisel and the pencil. The history of great passing events is perpetuated in living colours on the walls of their public edifices, and in the galleries of their palaces, whilst the pages of Holy Writ, translated into the glowing language of art, supply appropriate adornment for their temples. By these means, occupation has been and is afforded in the higher departments of art; and a further encouragement has been given by those wealthy individuals, whose cultivated tastes sought the productions of art to decorate their mansions, and whose wealth enables them to exercise their tastes. Still, a much more extended encouragement was necessary; the artist must be supported and encouraged in his progress; it is not enough that he can look forward with confidence to his reward, when he shall have climbed the weary steep of fame, that when a certain degree of excellence shall have been attained, he can be assured of occupation,-that his chefs d'œuvre shall be greedily purchased up,-no, he must be tended on the way; his spirit, often fainting in the weary task, must be soothed and stimulated to success; his works of promise, with all their faults, must find a market, or he faint upon his way. Again, on the Continent numbers are induced to follow the profession, from the evident success of others, who perhaps have mistaken their powers, and at best rise not beyond mediocrity: in Paris, the artists number three thousand, of whom not three hundred may probably rise to emi nence, yet, the remaining number having wedded themselves to the profession, have it only to look to for support. On the other hand, a very large portion of society, whose tastes had been cultivated by the constant observation and enjoyment of works of art in public galleries, but whose means prohibited them individually from the purchase of such works, (which, if they be of merit at all, are, for the most part, of necessity, of a price beyond moderate means to afford) were nevertheless anxious to gratify their tastes, whilst they encouraged deserving artists; and thus the system of Art-unions, or the combination of individual small subscriptions into one large sum to be expended in the purchase of works of art, was first struck out to meet these contingencies. The advantages of the cooperative system, as applied in Art-unions, became at once manifest, as may be evidenced from Professor Waagen's testimony before the committee of the house in 1835-6, when he talks "of those (Kunst-verein) which were established in Berlin by a number of individuals, about ten years ago, under the patronage of the king, and the presidency of the minister Humboldt, which have had such success, with the annual subscription of 15s.; the annual income is now £1,200, by which means several meritorious artists find employment, and good works of art are spread over the country; and this Verein has given so much satisfaction, that since then, eight others have been established in the provinces of Prussia. Further, in Bavaria, Saxony, Wirtemburgh, and Hanover, similar institutions have since arisen, by which a feeling for, and an interest in the arts have been extended in an extraordinary degree in Germany." These institutions, by the addition of their small amount of local benefit, soon became valuable assistants to the more general and diffused encouragement of national art; and thus we find, that Art-unions originating in an increasing public desire to possess works of art, conjoined with a liberal wish to foster native talent, were only intended to act as succedanea to more extended national patronage, and the exercise of individual munificence, guided by refined taste, by which means the object of high art can best be advanced. In the transplanting such institutions into British soil, it is evident some great change was to be looked for, either in the constitution of these societies, or in the new purposes to which they were to be applied; since, whereas they originally resulted from an increasing public taste, with perhaps an overstocked supply, they must in these countries be regarded as a means of creating an increase both of supply and demand, as, in short, an experiment to produce in these countries the same effects which in other countries had called them into existence. That the system has been eminently successful, is sufficiently proved by a single glance at the unparallelled progress of the first institution established in Great Britain, the Scottish Art-union, founded in 1834. The experiment was first tried in Scotland, and as a statement of the annual amount of funds, up to the present year, will best shew the rapidity with which it has gained ground in public estimation-we subjoin a table of its receipts and expenditure, from which may at once be gathered, the mode of its operation, the rapidity of its increase in funds, and the total amount of pecuniary encouragement which it has conferred on the arts. Association for the Promotion of the Fine Arts in Scotland, established in 1834. of £8800, to which if we add £6396*, the amount of the old Scottish association's subscription, we have a total of £15,196 collected for and expended in the encouragement of the fine arts. This, in the infancy of art-unions amongst us, is no inconsiderable sum, and with the assumed prospect of its rapid increase to an annual income commensurate with the commercial importance of these realms, is calculated to call forth the energies of British artists and to stimulate to exertion; it not only promises a market for numberless works of merit, which might not otherwise have found purchasers; but it gives to the artist, who aims at excellence in the higher walks, an almost assurance that the public mind, thus gradually drawn to the contemplation of art-enlightened and refined by acquaintance therewith, will naturally look to the best means of encouraging the highest de In contemplating the progress of this society, we are naturally led to inquire into the causes of its very great success; and, independent of the general merits of the institution, based on the amount of pleasure which its proposed objects must always give the human mind, we are convinced that the main cause of its rapid progression is, its decidedly national character. The arts were drooping in Scotland; the exhibitions were not well supplied, since there was but little market, and badly attended, for the public were comparatively indifferent to the subject. The Art-union was established to encourage Scottish talent, to found a national school of art at home, and Scotchmen every where responded to the call of home. It was obligatory that the works purchased should be the production of native or resident artists, exhibited in the Scottish Academy; by which increased attendance to the exhi-gree of excellence; that accustomed to the bition is ensured and private purchase stimulated; and so far has the just regard to the natural first calls of family claim seemed anything but unjustly exclusive or illiberal, that the Scottish Art-union numbers among its subscribers, inhabitants of all portions of the three kingdoms; from Dublin alone its subscribers for the past year amount to 148. It will be seen that in the second year a new feature was introduced into the institution namely, devoting a portion of the funds to an engraving, of which each subscriber obtains a copy. This was a happy thought, and, no doubt, has done much to swell the subscription lists: by it a threefold object is obtained; while a portion of the funds goes thus to encourage the art of engraving, a prize is held out to the artists-won by him whose work is selected to be engraved, and each subscriber receives in addition to his chance of a prize, a print equal in value to the amount of his subscription. The advantages of such institutions seem to have made a strong and deepening impression on the public mind, since we now find that most of the principal towns in England have established art-unions; London, Liverpool, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Newcastle-and we doubt not, others of which we have not heard, have each their association for the promotion of the fine arts. In Edinburgh a new association has sprung up; and Dublin has its Royal Irish Art-union. Allowing the average subscriptions of these eight societies for this year to have been £1100, which we believe under the mark—we have a sum VOL. III. NO. XVI. daily enjoyment of art in their own mansions, they will inevitably look for a similar but higher source of pleasure in the embellishment of their temples and other public edifices. We have already alluded to the establishment in Edinburgh of a new association for the promotion of the fine arts in Scotland this was in the year '37-8, and originated in dissatisfaction with the working of part of the system of the old society, which was the selection of the works of art by a committee. The new society, in common with the London, and most of the art-unions established in England, started on the principle of dividing its funds into large and small sums-to be drawn for by the shareholders the winners being entitled to select pictures from the exhibitions to the amount of the several prizes that this is the true system we are convinced on many grounds. The advantages to the subscriber are manifold; it induces him to visit-not oncebut frequently, the exhibition; it obliges him to study and compare the various merits-his taste must be exercised and ultimately improved: it enables him to select a work suitable in size and subject to his mansion and its general arrangements, and being selected to gratify his particular taste, his prize is more likely to be constantly regarded with pleasure, to be cared for and estimated at an increased value in which is included balance from last year, bank interest, &c. *Different from amount as in the table given, H |