15 JULY 1955, Page 16

M. H. MIDDLETON SIR,—In welcoming Mr. Basil Taylor, may I,

at the same time, express a reader's gratitude for the critical articles of his predecessor, Mr. M. H. Middleton? During the past decade Mr. Middleton has seemed to me one of those rare art critics, at once readable and reliable; one who could display wit without injury, and knowledge without seeming portentous. Hav- ing no axe to grind, he has not extolled one modern movement above another, and his indi- vidual favours have been carefully bestowed. No one else, to my knowledge, has written with more imaginative insight of Henry Moore or Jankel Adler. Many others, I am sure, will hope that his signature may continue to appear from time to time in the Spectator.—Yours faithfully,