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LORD MONT EAGLE moved—
That there be laid before this House Copies of Correspondence between the Trustees of the National Gallery And the Lords of the Treasury respecting the Gift made by Mr. Vernon to the Public of his Collection of modern Pictures and other Works of Art.
Though this Motion was not likely to be opposed, yet he trusted that their Lordships would permit him to say a few words on the subject. Mr. Vernon had made the nation a present of his collection of pictures, which was valued at 25,000l. This gentleman had been all his life a most active encourager of art. Although the people of this country might be indifferent on the subject of art, yet he thought that such a magnificent gift from an individual
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should not be allowed to pass without notice. In former times many gifts of this kind had been made, and no public notice of them had been taken. Sir George Beaumont and Mr. Holwell Carr had given to the nation a number of pictures far exceeding in value anything which the country had voted for the encouragement of art. Within a few years, out of the whole number of pictures in the National Gallery, 123 had been presented by individuals, and between 70 and 80 had been purchased by the country. In making this Motion, his only object was to call the attention of the House to this magnificent gift to the nation which had been made by an individual.
§ The MARQUESS of LANSDOWNE bore testimony to the value of the gift, and the great obligation which Mr. Vernon had conferred upon the country. This was a somewhat singular case, of a gentleman who made it the object of his life to consecrate his property, in the first place, to the promotion of the arts of this country; and, in the second place, having so done, surrendered the great bulk of his fortune, so employed, to the public, for the future benefit of the artists of this country. This must have been done in a most disinterested and patriotic spirit, and he, therefore, most cordially seconded the Motion of his noble Friend.
§ LORD COLBORNE, as a trustee of the National Gallery, whilst he bore testimony to the rare munificence of Mr. Vernon, wished to impress upon their Lordships the absolute necessity of doing something in order to complete the gallery. There was but little encouragement to donors, whilst no suitable building existed to receive their gifts. Other collections had been lost for want of fit places of reception, and although he was aware that there was an objection, arising from the difficulty of raising the money, he thought, in a matter so nearly concerning the public taste and the national character, this objection should not prevail.