16 OCTOBER 1852, Page 9

THE WELLINGTON DIORAMA.

The diorama of the Wellington Campaigns, which opened at the Gal- lery of Illustration some months ago, has received an addition of two views—the exterior of Widmer Castle by moonlight., and the chamber in which death put a stop to that long series of triumphs won, duties per- formed, and honours conferred. This view impresses forcibly the severe and soldierlike simplicity of the octogenarian Duke, the most eminent subject in the realm ; a camp bed, with horse-hair mattress and pillow, a blanket lying on one of the shelves of the bookcase, and only occasionally made use of; a table on which lie cases of papers, a metal chest for the custody of important documents, and a couple of small landscape-pictures, forming, with the capacious leather-covered arm-chair in which the Duke breathed his last, almost all the furniture of the room. The general as- pect of this henceforth historical apartment is light and airy. Of course the exhibition is just now, as it fairly deserves to be, very well attended. That it opened some while before an event so well calcu- lated to give an impulse to its popularity is matter for congratulation ; as it is thus free from the ad-captandum character which would have at- tached to it had it been got up for the occasion, and had the general mourning and the tendencies of hero-worship been taken advantage of as dioramie capital.