§ MR. VERNON SMITH Sir, there was a Committee named on the 11th of February, to consider the best mode of providing additional room for works of art given to the public, or purchased by means of Parliamentary grants. As one person named on that Committee, I have never been summoned, and I suppose the Committee have never been summoned. The House must be aware of the very magnificent gift made by Mr. Vernon of the principal part of his modern pictures; and I understand that Mr. Vernon has been re- 1261 quested to exhibit it in his own house his own gift. Now, as this Committee has never sat, and as I have heard no other means have been provided for the accommodation of these pictures, I wish to ask, whether it be still intended to call that Committee together to provide additional room; or whether the Government have taken any steps to remove what I must call a national disgrace?
§ SIR R. H. INGLIS: May I be permitted, before my noble Friend answers that question, to put another immediately in connection with it. By his permission, I gave notice of my intention to move for copies of communications between this same gentleman, Richard Vernon, Esq., and the Government, relative to the magnificent donation of his collection of paintings. If my noble Friend will state to the House that it is the intention of Her Majesty's Government to pay any mark of honour to that Gentleman, or notice in any way such donation on his part, I will not say one word more now, as a time will come when I can more properly do so.
§ LORD JOHN RUSSELL: There have been various causes preventing me from calling this Committee together; but certainly it is my intention to call the Committee together at an early period. When Mr. Vernon first made this munificent gift to the public, I requested my noble Friend as the head of he Woods and Forests to find some place for the pictures. I believe some correspondence took place, which ended in Mr. Vernon offering his house to be used for the purpose.
§ VISCOUNT MORPETH: In justice to Mr. Vernon's spirit of accommodation, as well as his munificence, I should say that when there appeared some difficulty in providing a room suitable, in point of light, for the commodious position of the pictures, the offer to give his own house proceeded from Mr. Vernon himself.
§ SIR R. PEEL: Perhaps I may be permitted, as a trustee of the National Gallery, and very much in communication with Mr. Vernon and his representative, to bear my testimony in the strongest manner, not only to the munificence of Mr. Vernon, but to his extreme delicacy throughout. Mr. Vernon had several pictures which he thought might possibly be considered as hardly worthy of being placed in the National Gallery, and he left it to the trustees of the National Gallery to make a selection. They thought that that selection on their part would be invidious, and they submitted it to his own opinion to say what 1262 pictures should be withheld. In order that there should be no difficulty whatever, he consented. He made his selection, and it was scarcely dissented from in a single particular. He had, however, excluded one or two pictures which we thought were fully entitled to be admitted to the Gallery, and in those cases we departed from his recommendation. Now, it must be remembered that this is a gift not for a future period, but it is the gift of a gentleman whose Chief delight has been the cultivation of the arts, of which he has shown himself a great judge, and he has consented to part with his collection during the remainder of his life, and to place it absolutely at the disposal of the country. There has been every disposition shown to find a suitable place for the pictures; but it is not every building, however large, that has a suitable light for pictures. Several places were examined by the noble Lord; and the moment Mr. Vernon heard that we were selecting a place, he said, "I place my house, as well as the pictures, at the disposal of the country, and I beg that the public may have free admission to it."