Suffolk Institute Of Archaæology.

a copy of Raphael ' s Madonna di Sisto and other scripture subjects . Lady Culltim has sent one or tivo portraits by Lely , Angelica Kaufmaim , & c . Sir 0 . Bunbury has forwarded portraits of Sir Thomas Hanmer , Cupbearer to Charles I ., and Sir Thomas Hanmer , Speaker , by Vandyck and . Kneller ; and Sir Henry North and one of his daughters , by Lely . Major Rushbrooke has supplied a portrait of

Lord Bacon , by Vandyck ; Mr . "W . 0 . Barnardiston a portrait of Samuel Barnardiston , to whom the epithet "Roundhead" was first applied by Queen Henrietta , and who ivas fined £ 10 , 000 by the infamous Jefferies for having lamented Lord Russell ' s death in a letter which was intercepted ; Mr . W . J . Stuart , a Holy Family by Correggio ; and a Black Squall by Vandervelde ; Mr . H . J . Oakes , Christ Bearing thc

Cross , by Murillo , and the Infant Christ and St . John by Vandyck ; the , Bev . O . Raymond , a Holy Family by Rubens ; Mr . R . Pettiward , portraits of Lord Falkland and Sir Abraham Dawes , by Cornelius Jansen , the Doge ' s Palaco by Oanaletti , a Garden Scene by Watteau , and two other paintings ascribed to Vandyck and Sir Antonio More , & c . Other paintings bSir Joshua BeyiioldsC

y , uyp , Velasquez , Baffael , Mengs , Gainsborough—who , in his native county , shines solitary on the walls—Constable , Wouveymans , Poussin , & c , arc also to be found in the exhibition . Among the other contributions are a richly carved chair of King Charles from Lady Cullum ; two chairs of ebony and ivory , which belonged to Cardinal Wolsey , sent bSir Thomas Gagesome splendid Indian and

y ; Chinese embroidery aiid ornaments ( the latter selected from the spoils of the Summer Palace at Pekin ); a valuable contribution by Mr . F . Davis , of New Bond-street , embracing china of every class , ancient German and Venetian glass , enamels ,. ivory carvings , cinque-cento jewels , bijouterie , statuettes , & c , altogether estimated to be worth £ 3000 ; the Acton collection of Suffolk antiquitiesfor the purchase of

, which the Essex Archasological Society are now treating ; an exquisite miniature of Beatrice di Cenci , a medallion by Albert Dui-er , Byzantine alabaster figures and ivories , & c . ; and a large collection of other articles which it is impossible even to mention within the limits of a single paragraph .

Lincoln Minster.

LINCOLN MINSTER .

The following remarks on the west front of Lincoln Minster and the works now going on there were mado by Sir Charles Anderson at the recent Peterborough meeting ofthe Archaeological Institute of Great Britain andlreland :- — " The western front of Lincoln Minster consists of early Norman work of the time of Bemigius ; of Norman work of ornate character

more of the time of Bishop Alexander ; of Early English wings and upper story , and of later additions to the Norman Towers ; three Perpendicular windows and niches , with statues of the same date . The early work of Bemigius is distinguishable by the wide joints of the masonry and the square form of the stones of which it is composed . My friend , Mr . Parker , of Oxford , having desire

expressed a to examine the facade , I accompanied him to Lincoln last year , and we spent several hours in exploring the interior walls and passages , an intricate and perplexing expedition ; but we were rewarded by a discovery which satisfactorily confirmed what that able ecclesiologist had before suspected , viz ., that at the period when the three rich doorways were inserted the itals of spine of Bemiius '

, cap gs pilasters had been replaced by others of a later character . On tho outside there was some difficulty ( owing to their distance from the eye ) in ascertaing this : but in a portion ofthe older ivork concealed b y Early English casing , and by that casing protected from the weather , we discovered by means of a ladder brought to us by the intelligent verger , and by the aid of a lanthorn , that flanking one of the large arches

Norman , there was on one side a capital of Semigms's time , dark and weather stained , and on tho other a richer capital , fresh as from the mason ' s chisel . Now this capital is not likel y to bave been placed there in modern times , because it is in a dark nook scarcely visible , except by artificial light ; therefore tbe inference is that the change from JSorman to Early English was taking place in the time

of Alexander , and that the Early English work was added almost immediately after the capital was inserted . There is a great deal that is interesting behind the exterior screen—the bases or roots of the additions to the towers , elastic stone , beam , & c . Above tho stone roof , below the present gable , is the mark of another highpitched roof , probably of Early English date , and this leads and

to the conjecture that there was a nave partly Norman partly Early English before Grostete began the present nave . If this were so , it may account for that irregularity in the line of the vaulting between the towers and the nave if the northern piers were built in the time of the Norman ones , and the southern piers extended south to widen thenave up the point of junction with the choirs of St . Hugh ;

and this seems probable , because the work of Grostete began in consequence of the fall of the tower ; but after all , the progress of the building must be a matter for speculation ,, subject to many conjectures and doubts difficult to solve . And this brings me to the points to which I desire to call the attention of the jiublic through this short and imperfect paper . First , the duty of making every effort to promote

the preservation and classification by competent persons of the records of these grand ecclesiastical buildings ( which from their size and magnificence may be called monumentsof the nation ' s progress in art ) , so as to be acceptable to to those who are desirous of examining them for literary purposes . The fabric rolls at York minster have been published by the Surtees Society of Durhamand form a curious

, history of the progress of that building . The care takenof " their libraries , both at Durham and York , is highly creditable to the Chapters of those cathedrals . Of the state of thc records of Lincoln I cannot speak , but judging from the position of one most interesting document , an original copy of Magna Charta , one cannot augur well for the rest . This

has been for many years hanging framed and glazed over the fire-place of the common office of the Registrar , subject to the evil effects of smoke and light , instead of being carefully kept in the cathedral library . I believe a box or drawer of cedar wood to bo the best receptacle for parchment , such as were used in the Record Office , umder thefaithful guardianship of our late excellent and lamented

friend Mr . Hunter , whose name I am glad to have this opportunity of mentioning in terms of regard and respect . Secondly , I say that as these cathedrals are national monuments , the public have a right to see that they are carefully handled ; that no improvements or restorations as they are ( often very improperly ) called be made without the opinion of the most experienced men . Well-intentioned zeal without

knowledge is apt to make sad havoc . The Chapter of Lincoln . ' meritoriously spends a considerable sum annually in external repairs , and if these were confined to the keeping of roofs in order ( and the leaden roofs are well kept ) , there would be no cause of complaint , bntwhen we see such doubtful expenditure as is now going on in the west front , when theinterior requires every attention , I cannothelp alluding to it . In my remarks , I would by no means censure the masons : they are careful

hands , well capable of copying old work , and executing new , they only do what they are ordered . In alluding to the ulterior , I point to the ruinous decay of the Purbeck shafts , the modern yellow and whitewash which conceals the coloured patterns on the vaulting of the nave and aisles , and the dust , damp , and dirt in the side chapels and choir . When the west front was repaired , about the year 1811 , the

decayed pilasters in the arcades were replaced by new ones of Yorkshire sandstone , as being at that time thought to be more durable , but some had perished and shrunk , ancl duringthe _ heavy gales of the last two years had fallen . Now , I believe that , with the exception of replacing these and fastening others , nothing was required . The rest of the front was in repair , as the accompanying photograph will

show , presenting a uniform tint , almost equal to that of Peterborough , charming to the eyes of the artist , and of that increasing body of educated men of all classes who are able to appreciate artistic beauty and to discriminate between good and bad taste . But last year the south flank of the front below the tower was scraped , so as to present a surface of new yellow stoiie . This year the north side has been suffering the same operation , so that the centre presents a dark square between two stripes of yellow . It is contended