§ LORD ST. LEONARDSasked the First Lord of the Treasury, whether his attention had been drawn to the Claims of the Water-colour Society for a Portion of the Burlington House Ground, in order to erect a Gallery thereon. The noble and learned Lord said, he would remind their Lordships that a few nights ago, his noble and learned Friend (Lord Lyndhurst) brought forward the claim of the Royal Academy to have a large portion of the ground attached to Burlington House. Nobody more fully agreed to the claim of the Academy than he did. The National Collection had recently been enriched by the magnificent bequests of Mr. Vernon and Mr. Turner, and the latter had accompanied his bequest with the condition that they should be exhibited in a separate gallery, annexed to the National Gallery, and he (Lord St. Leonards) trusted, that to where-ever the National Collection might for a time be removed, that splendid bequest would ultimately be placed in a distinct gallery, and that the condition of the bequest would not be violated. The fulfilment of that object would be a sufficient justification for a public grant to the Royal Academy, for the bequest to the nation by Turner, himself a Royal Academician, was more valuable than the proposed grant. With very few exceptions, the Royal Academy did not exhibit water-colour draw- 309 ings, and no person who was a member of the Water-colour Society could attain to any of the honours of the Royal Academy, since they did not admit to their honours the members of another society. The Water-colour Society, in making this application, did not in any manner intend any opposition or rivalry to the Royal Academy. On the contrary, they wished to do honour to that body, and to be considered an appendage to the Academy. They desired to have some ground whereon to erect a building on the same spot as the Royal Academy, so that all English art might be brought together in contiguous buildings. He thought that the Royal Academy had deserved well of the country. The portion of the space for which they asked was rather large, but if it were given with a due regard to the rights of others he should be the last to object. As their Lordships were aware, painting in water-colours was a British art, and all Europe admitted the superiority of English painters in water-colours. France, Holland, and Belgium gave the first honours to our painters in water-colours, and admitted that they were at the head of that branch of art. Therefore, as a British art their Lordships would, he was sure, think that it deserved the fostering care of the British people. The Water-colour Society was a body of private gentlemen associated for the pursuit of art, and had never had any existence as a public body or received any of the public money. It had gone on increasing both in the number and celebrity of its members, they had acquired the good-will of all parties, and all they desired was an opportunity of extending still more widely the benefits which such an association was capable of rendering in the cultivation of this delightful art, and they were of opinion that if they were permitted to erect, upon a proper piece of ground, in connection with the Royal Academy, more commodious buildings than they at present enjoyed, they would thereby be enabled greatly to extend their usefulness. They would thus be able to exhibit all water-colour drawings of approved merit, without reference to the fact that the painters were or were not members of the Society. The Royal Academy was a school for teaching art, while the Water-colour Society professed no such design. If, however, the Government by a grant of land permitted them to erect a sufficient gallery they proposed to establish a school and to assist young artists in studying their branch 310 of art. They wanted nothing but a piece of ground, for which they were prepared to pay a ground-rent if required. The allotment for which they asked might with reference to the price paid for the whole of the ground be considered as of the value of £6,000, on which they were prepared to erect a gallery at an outlay of £8,000 or £9,000 or more. It might be said that such a gallery was unnecessary, as the Royal Academy might, and probably would, add to their present exhibition another of water-colour drawings. Now, nothing could be more incongruous than a general mixture of oil and water-colour pictures, and nothing could be more injurious than a separate exhibition by the Royal Academy of Water-colour Drawings, because it might injure the self-supporting independent body which had confined itself to water-colours, and which art they had brought to a perfection that had excited the admiration of artists all over the world. The Water-colour Society ought to be enabled to continue their separate existence, and he trusted that Her Majesty's Government would comply with their application for a piece of ground at Burlington House on which they might erect a Water-colour Gallery. The noble and learned Lord then put his Question.
§ THE EARL OF DERBYMy Lords, I quite admit the importance of the services rendered to the arts by the Society of Painters in Water-colours, and I admit, also, that this Society is deserving of particular encouragement on the ground put forward by my noble and learned Friend, that water-colour drawing is a peculiarly British art, and the Society ought, therefore, to be favourably considered by the British Legislature. I will not enter into that part of the question to which my noble and learned Friend has adverted, as to the relations which ought to exist between the Royal Academy and the Water-colour Society. Of course, whether the Royal Academy may or may not see fit to have a separate exhibition of water-colours in connection with their own is a matter within their own competence to decide, and one on which the Government have no right to interfere. At the same time, I am ready to say, with my noble and learned Friend, that it is very undesirable that these two Societies should occupy a position of rivalry, and more especially when the power of the two bodies is so extremely disproportionate that a rivalry might lead to injurious con- 311 sequences to the smaller but not unimportant body. The Water-colour Society have already made an application to the Government for a piece of ground at Burlington House, on which they propose to erect a building, for which they are willing, if required, to pay a ground-rent. I am glad that the Government have been able to accommodate so many of the learned Societies of the country within so limited a space, and I shall rejoice to find that it is within the power of Her Majesty's Government to grant the application; but the demands for space upon this site are very large, and not the least important and extensive demand is that made by the noble Earl opposite (Earl Granville) on behalf of the University of London, a demand which is now under the consideration of my noble Friend the First Commissioner of Works. As I understand the University of London does not confine itself to a demand for a piece of freehold land, for they go further, and ask that an important building for the purposes of the University shall be erected at the expense of the Government. If this claim is admitted, so large a space will be required that it will be more difficult to find space for any other society. My noble Friend (Lord J. Manners) is considering the best possible distribution of space, with a view to accommodate all the societies that have a claim upon the Government. This is not a pleasant task; and he has, I believe, requested to see delegates from the different Societies in Congress in the hope that some mutual and general arrangement may he come to. I shall be most happy to find that the gentlemen whose claims have been brought forward by my noble and learned Friend may, after sending a delegate to Congress, be able to satisfy my noble Friend that, without injustice to any other interests there is room to admit the fair and legitimate claims of the Water-colour Society. I cannot, however, pledge myself that the Government will be able to find space for this or any other Society at Burlington House.
§ EARL GRANVILLEmade a few observations in reference, as was understood, to the request of the University of London, but was quite inaudible.
§ THE EARL OF ELLENBOROUGHsaid, it might be convenient for these Societies that they should be located together on the site of Burlington House; but the question the Government had to consider was, how would the convenience of the public be best 312 consulted? and he hoped that that consideration would alone influence the Government in the course they should ultimately take in the matter.
§ THE EARL OF ST. GERMANSsaid, he hoped if different plots were allotted to the different bodies that the Government would take care to secure a uniformity of style in the architecture.
§ THE EARL OF ELLENBOROUGHsaid, of course Government would adopt some particular plan to be followed by all. It would never do to have each allottee adopting his own style, and thus causing a mixture of Gothic, Grecian, early English, and all other styles.
§ THE EARL OF ST. GERMANSsaid, that of course there must be the same architect for the whole.