Notes On Art, &C.

NOTES ON ART , & c .

SIR J SOANE ' MUSEUM . —Mr . James Wild the architect , has been appointed curator of Sir John Soane ' s Museum in the room of the late Mr . Joseph Bonomi . The appointment is in the gift of the Royal Academy , and is worth £ 300 a year , with residence in Sir John i oane ^ s Museum , " 13 , Lincoln ' s-inn-fields . Only an architect is

elig ible for the cuiatorship . A Canoe Journey from Barcelona to Paris will be made by twelve young Spaniards during the coming summer , according to the Paris Exhibition . Tbe canoeists will journey by sea from Barcelona to Cette Languedoc , in whence they will reach the Hhone by the Beaucaire Canal , travel up to the Saone , through the Bourgognc Canal into the Yonne , and thus into the Seine .

J APANESE STUDENTS . —The intellectual abilities of the Japanese race have been evidenced in a striking manner by a quartette of students from that country now studying in Berlin . One of these , Dr . Dirokitao , has lately invented an ingenious optical instrument termed the leucoscope , which measures the variations in the preception of light and colour by the human eye , in accordance with the

strictest mathematical laws . Another , who has attained the rank of lieutenant in the Prussian army , has introduced a remarkable simplification into the mechanism of the Mauser rifle , which has succeeded the historic needle-gun . Two more , who are prosecuting their chemical studies under Professor Hofmann , have published for two years past several interesting synthetical researches on the

aromatic series . —Nature . SHAKESPEARE IN INDIA . —Lord Lytton , in distributing prizes to the pupils of the Government School at Barrackpore on the 4 th of March , took occasion to observe that many of the pupils showed great aptitude in learning and reciting passages from Shakespeare . "This fact , " he said to the boys , " has suggested to me one reflection which

1 wish to mention , not so much to you boys as to your instructors . Shakespeare is a writer whom no one , boy or man , can study without advantage . But the language of Shakespeare has long ceased to be vernacular . In short , for all common conversational purposes it is obsolete . Now I think that what young native students piimarily need to acquire from their study ot English , at least as regards

their oral use of the language , is a correct and pleasing pronunciation of the vocabulary now in daily use . Of course , I do not mean English slang , but the English language , as it is spoken every day by educateel Englishmen and Englishwomen . I don ' t think you arc likely to acquire this , and you arc certainly not likely to correct your deficiencies of pronunciation , if you confine yourselves to recitations of Shakespeare . "—The Theatre .

Glycerine and water form the latest favourite method of adulterating milk , as by these means the orthodox amount of solid—the absence of which ordinarily , as compared with pure milk , betrays the aqueous admixture—is thus restored . The fiaud , however , has been detected by Dr . Munster , owing to the so-called pure milk not yielding the requisite amount of ash .

The sale of the pictures by the Old Masters belonging to the collection of the late Mr . Munro , of Novar , is announced for Saturday , the 1 st of June . The great picture of the collection is the well-known work of Raphael , " The Madnnna of the Candelabra , " and this is , we learn , to be exhibited at the gallery in Suffolk-street , Pall-mall , so long anil till lately occupied by the Society

of British Artists , in consequence of the great numbers of persons anxious to see it . Admission will be given by tickets at a charge of is ., but the entire profits arc to be handed over to the fund of the Artists' General Benevolent nstitution . 1 THE METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY . — The usual monthly meeiing of this society was held last night

at the Institution of Civil Engineers , Mr . C . Greaves , president , in the chair . M . Marie Davie , Captain Hoffmeyer , Professor Ragona , and Dr . Wujeikoff were elected honorary members . M . Jules Verne is going to visit the principal European ports in his steam yacht " St . Michel , " in search of materials for fresh miraculous adventures .

ROYAL ACADEMY OP MUSIC . —The competition for the Professor's Scholarships was held on Tuesday last . The examiners were Messrs . Clinton , Payton Strauss , and Joachim . There were eight condidates , and , the scholarships were awarded as follows : —For the violin , to William Sutton ; highly commended , Frank W . Arnold . For any other orchestral instrument , to Charles F . E .

Catcbpole ( horn ) . Dramatic com position in Hungary is evidentl y at a low ebb . The Hungarian Academy recently offered a prize for the best tragedy in the national tongue , but the thirteen works sent in for competition were so poor that the price had to be awarded to the" least bad . " The parish church of Churcham , Gloucester

which was burnt down in October , 1876 , has been rebuilt by Messrs . Waller . The old edifice was of Norman date , and a fac-simile ofthe well-known tower and spire of Sompting has been erected . The church was opened on Monday , the 8 th , by the Bishop of the diocese . THE WELLINGTON MONUMENT . —The Wellington monument in St . Paul ' s Cathedral is now complete , and the First Commissioner of Works has handed

over the custody of it to the Dean and Chapter of St . Paul ' s the monument was shown on Easter Monday , and is now visible to all . The exquisite statuette of the Princess Victoria , so highly praised by Her Majesty the Queen , is to he exhibited , by her Majesty ' s |> ermission , at the Academy . Mr . Rowe , the sculptor , was commanded to wait on Her Majesty , at Windsor , to hear her approval .

Notes On Art, &C.

THE N ATIONAL GALLERY . —The annual report of the director of the National Gallery for the year 1877 has just been issued . From it , it appears that the only donation during the year was a painting by George Morland ( 1763-1804 ) . It represents "The Inside of a Stable , " said to be that of the White Lion at Paddington . Two horses and a pony are being led into a stable , while

to the left a man is stooping and collecting together some straw . The painting Yi in oil on canvas , and is 4 ft . 9 m . high by 6 ft . 7-Jin . wide . It was exhibited in the Royal Academy in 1721 , was purchased by the Rev . Sir Henry Bate Dudley , and presented to the Gallery by his nephew , Mr . T . B . Wolfe . The galleries in Trafalgarsquare were visited by 1 , 332 , 794 persons on the public days during the year , showing a daily average

attendance on such days ( 190 in number ) of 7014 , being an increase of 1000 per day since the issue of the last report . The collections received on students' days 20 , 313 visits from the students . Independently of partial studies , 7 73 oil-colour copies of pictures have been made —viz ., 345 ' frcm the works of 73 old masters and 428 from the works 34 modern masters . The whole of the collections of paintings , drawings , and sculpture are contained in the galleries , Trafalgar-square , the paintings numbering 10 3 0

Meetings Of Learned And Other Societies.

MEETINGS OF LEARNED AND OTHER SOCIETIES .

ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY . —At the monthly general meeting held at the Society ' s house in Hanoversquare , Major-General H . Clerk , R . A ., F . R . S ,, in the chair , Lord Romily , the Very Rev . Dr . George Case , Major C . Pattison , Lieutenart-Colonel R . Harrison R . E .,

Mrs . Watt , and Messrs . William Crossman , H . Cundey , D . C . Di Costa , G . B . H . Drew , W . Graham , F . Hallowes , J . Hatton , N . G . LampsOn , Thomas Logan , A . Lucas , J . A . Metcalfe , G . R . Miles , R . H . Milward , Charles L . Norman , Arthur Smith , Frederic Smith , E . E . Stahlschmidt , J . L . Suir , and John Wood were elected Fellows , and Mr . R . B . Shaw and Mr . Henry Durnford

corresponding members of the society . Twenty-three candidates for the Fellowship were proposed , and ordered to be balloted for at the next monthly meeting . Among the additions to the Society ' s menagerie during the month of March were specially noticed an Isabelline bear ( Ursuls esalellinus ) , received in exchange from the Zoological Gardens , Calcutta ; a Le Vaillant ' s Darter ( Plotus levaillanti ) , obtained

by purchase ; and two examples of the very singular water tortoise of the Amazons , generally known as the matamata ( Chelys malamata ) , also obtained by purchase . The report of the Council announced to the meeting that Professor Huxley , F . R . S ., had accepted the post of Davis

Lecturer for the present year , and would give a course of six lectures on Fridays , at 5 ~ p . m ., in the Lecture-room at the Gardens , commencing May 17 . The subject would be " Crustaceous Animals . " These lectures would be to Fellows of the Society and their friends , and to other visitors to the Gardens .

SEAMAN ' HOSPITAL SOCIETY . —A quarterly general court cf the governors of the Seaman's Hospital Society ( late Dreadnought ) was held last week , Captain the Hon . F . Maude in the chair . It was repotted that 480 seamen had been admitted as in-patients to the hospital during the past quarter from British and foreign ships , of which number 92 came from the port of London , 34 from Liverpool , 21 from Glasgow , nine from Hull , eight from

Newcastle , and 10 fiom Greenock . From foreign vessels there were red ived 135 sailors of different nationalities , including , in addition to European seamen , Chilians , Brazilians , Chinese , Lascars , and several other countries . The cash statement for the quarter showed a deficiency of £ 5 10 ios . 21 I . Admiral bhadvvell , President of the Royal Naval College , was appointed a member of the committee of management , vice Admiral Fanshawe , C . B ., resigned .

The Mott Orphin Fund.

THE MOTT ORPHIN FUND .

A grand concert , in aid of the orphan children of the late Superintendent Mott , will be given at the Royal Albert Hall , under the special patronage of H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , K . G ., on Wednesday , May ist , at half-past 7 . The following artists have kindly volunteered their services : — Madame Lemmcns-Sherr ' mgton , Miss Anna

Williams , Madame Antoinette Sterling , Mr . Sims Reeves , Mr . Edward Lloyd , Signor Foli , Mr . Walter Clifford . The London Vocal Union ( under the direction of Mr . F . Walker ) . Mrs . Stirling will recite The Whaler Fleet . " Four military bands , vii : —2 nd Life Guards , Grenadier Guards , Coldstream Guards , and Scots Guards ( by permission of their commanding officers ) , under the direction

of Mr . W . Winterbottom , Mr . D . Godfrey , Mr . F . Godfrey , and Mr . J . P . Clarke . Conductors—Mr . F . H . Cohen , Mr . Sidney Naylor , and Herr Ganz . The Council of the Royal Albert Hall have granted the use of the building for the concert free of rent , and the proprietors of the Hhilchall Review will defray the expenses . The proprietors of the Jfliilehall Rcv ' ew have also presented to the fund 3000

crayon portraits of the late Bro . Mott . These may be purchased wherever tickets are on sale ; at all the Metropolitan police stations ; and also at the Royal Albert Hall on the night of the concert , price is . each . Tickets—Stalls , 10 s . 6 d . ; arena , 7 s . ; balcony , first and second rows , 3 s . ; other rows , 2 s . 6 d . ; orchestra , 2 s . ; gallery promenade , is . ; boxes from two-and-a-half guineas . Tickets may be

had at the Criterion box-office ; Mr . Austin's ticket-office , St . James ' s Hall ; the principal libraries ; and at the Royal Albert Hall . We are glad to call attention to this announcement for the benefit of the children of our deceased brother . Many of our brethren will be glad to assist the orphan children of a brother so much respected , and so much regretted , as the late Superintendent Mott .

Public Amusements.

Public Amusements .

ST . JAMES'S THEATRE . — "Such is the Law , " the new drama by Messrs . Taylor and Merritt produced at this theatre on Saturday last , will scarcely add to the reputation of the authors , and does not speak well for a collaboration of talent that bid fair to effect good results . Mr . Tom Taylor ' s great abilities as a dramatist are beyond question , and Mr . Paul Merritt proved to the world that

he had more than average aptitude for constructing a clever and skillful drama in his highly successful " Stolen Kisses , " recently produced at the Globe . Thus it was good results might fairly have been anticipated from the collaboration of these gentlemen . Still , it cannot be denied , their new drama is disappointing in many respects , and the blemishes of the piece blot out some bright and

lively scenes worthy of incorporation in better matter The fact of the piece being written with an object , is in itself detrimental to the interests of any play , for on the face of it , the audience must , to a certain extent , have a divided opinion on the subject being dealt with . In the present instance , the subject is the much vexed question of the law relative to a marriage with a deceased wife ' s

sister , and the authors have striven to point out the iniquity of the existing law at it stands . On this basis the authors have constructed an average drama that would do credit to a novice , and might suit less intelligent audiences than assemble at a first-class West-end London theatre . The story is good , the construction tolerable , and the character drawing in one or two instances out of the common ;

but the dialogue is terribly prosy and spun out , and wearies one beyond measure—at least two - thirds could be cut out without the slightest inconvenience to the development of the plot , and this was fault that the most lenient critic could not pass over . The strongest situation , that at the end of the second [ act , is marred by the conglomeration of conflicting interests , and the heroine loses

our sympathy when we find , the fact of her ascertaining she is not legally married , outweighs the fact of her husband's death , for , in our eyes , she immediately becomes a selfish woman of the usual type . Another fault is that the whole story can be easily guessed from the first act , excepting that old and hackneyed incident of a husband

dying and coming to life again . The acting was far too good for the drama , and Miss Cavendish as the heroine has never worked hauler to secure success . If the object bc not attained , and we much doubt it , it is no fault of the artistes engaged , viz ., Messrs . Chas . Kelly , Leonard Boyne , Titherage , Carton , Stephens , and Misses Compton and Rivers .

THE ASKEW MUSICAL SOCIETY gave , on Thursday , 16 th inst ., a complimentary benefit to Bro . Knight Smith , J . W . of the Ivy Lodge , 1441 , the well known Professor of Music in the Masonic , as well as the popular world . The concert took place at the Town Hall , Hammersmith , and we were pleased to see the large room filled with a very select audience , attracted not only by

Bro . Knight Smith ' s fame , but also by the names of Signor Brocolini , Ion Cantle , Carlos Florentine , and others appearing on the very long programme . Having attended Bro . Knight Smith ' s concert last year at the Ladbroke Hall , which was all that could be desireel , it soon became evident that the present affair was not under his management : the introductory valse by some half-dozen

instrumentalists being manifestly played without any previous rehearsal . It is but just , however , to the first violin , to say that in the course of the evening his performance of a selection of airs showed him to be an amateur of no mean acquirements . Signor Brocolini ' s singing of Pensuti ' s " 1 fear no foe , " was the most telling thing of the evening ; Mr . Florentine not appearing to take part in the duet

of " II Rival , " which was in the programme . The musical divertissement was varied by recitations , such as "My Uncle , " by Bell , and " The grave scene from Hamlet , " the doleful character of which , combined by the long waits , invariably attendant upon unrehearsed performances , gave a depressing tone to the entertainment , which not even the lively efforts of Mr . Stephens in " The Muddle Puddle

Porter , " etc ., or the comic monologue of Mr . Sovely could relieve . We are sorry it is not in our power to congratulate Bro . Knight Smith ' s friends upon their efforts in his behalf , but trust that the Askew Musical Society may on a future occasion produce a [ regularly organistd concert , such as would do credit to him and those whose names we have mentioned .

" People should really be careful how they lend their property , " remarks May fair . " The other night a certain Bishop lent his carriage to a military nephew who was going out to dinner . The nephew , having been a good deal bored , left early , intending to dispel the feelings of dull pain by trifling away half-an-hour amid the gay

delights of the Alhambra . He told the carriage to call again at the end of that time . '' Whose carriage shall I say ?" asked a link-man when it came in due course . "The Bishop of ' s , " replied the thoughtless footman . " The Bishop of ' s carriage stops the way , " roared the link-man in a voice which echoed round Leicester Square , and penetrated to the lounge in the theatre .

On and after May Day the City Press will be issued twice a week ( Wednesdays and Saturdays ) instead of weekly as hitherto . The paper will be under the same management with regard to both the editorial and the publishing departments . The City Press is a newspaper for the Metropolis , and in addition to the record of curren events , it treats upon the antiquities , laws , customs , usages rights , privileges , courts , churches , chapels , charities , club parochial boards , places , and people of the City of London