FINE ARTS.
SIR ROBERT PEEL has been acting in the character of a Minister of Fine Arts. The Premier has found time, among his multifarious duties, to visit the studios of several sculptors and judge of their respec- tive merits, previous to selecting one from each of the Three Kingdoms to execute the statues of distinguished naval and military commanders, for which a grant of money was made by Parliament last session : to Mr. M'DowELL, of London, is assigned that of Lord Exmouth; to Mr. STEIL. of Edinburgh, Lord De Saumarez ; and to Mr. KIRK, of Dublin, Sir Sidney Smith. The last-mentioned artist is scarcely known by name in England, and a good bust of the Queen first made the Loudon public cognizant of the talents of Mr. Siam ; but Mr. M'DOWELL has established a high reputation by his beautiful statues of a " Girl Read- ing" and a " Girl at Prayer," the sentiment of both being no less ad- mirable than the execution. The choice of Mr. M‘DowaLt. is alone sufficient to give confidence in the judgment that has fixed upon the other two artists, even were Sir ROBERT PEEL less distinguished as a connoisseur of art; though the sculptors resident in Scotland and Ire- land do not afford much scope for selection. It is understood that Sir ROBERT has acted in this matter upon the principle of giving encouragement to artists of merit who have not had so large a share of patronage as their more fortunate brethren ; and we welcome the more cordially this judicious distribution of the Govern- ment patronage by the Premier, because it establishes a precedent which hie authority will recommend as an example to be followed in other quarters. This one act of the Minister will do more towards benefiting the arts of the country, by exciting emulation among the rising artists, than all the money heretofore expended by Government which has gone to enrich a few great wholesale statuaries. The commission given to Mr. Wnsgrascorr, the son of Sir RICHARD Wastrascorr, for a group of sculpture to adorn the pediment over the portico of the new Royal Exchange, is another instance in which the talent of a young sculptor has been recognized as worthy to be employed on a public work. It is satisfactory to know that the bare and hungry blank which this principal feature of Mr. TIM'S building exhibited will be handsomely filled ; though this needful addition will be made at a cost of 3,0001. beyond the architect's estimate. We cannot forget that the magnificent design of Professor DoNaLnsoN was rejected—and not so mach as rewarded with the first premium, which its surpassing merits deserved, even in the opinion of the judges—on the alleged pre- tence that the sculpture was an essential part of the design and could not be included in the amount of the estimate ; an assumption that the architect was refused the opportunity of proving to be erroneous.
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