The rich in England are grumbling much, bat they evidently
are not poor yet. The Fountain family, of Narford, in Norfolk, have for the last four generations been collecting art pottery and curiosities, and the present owner has very wisely decided to bring them to the hammer. The sale lasted three days, and was attended by collectors from all Europe, who competed so eagerly that the collection sold for the preposterous amount of £91,000. In one instance, £7,300 was given for a single dish ; in another, a candlestick fetched 23,675 ; in a third, two candlesticks, bought -to be resold to the nation, cost £1,300; and in a fourth, £4,452 was paid for an ivory horn without a history. An ewer was knocked down at £2,415; a sunk dish, in enamels, was purchased for £2,940; an oval dish went for £'798; and a "small, deep faience dish," which Mr. Fountaine bought from the ,Bernal collection for £39, realised £377 108. A pair of pilgrims' bottles, in old Nevers ware, found purchasers at
£241 10s. ; and a pair of large ewers, in the same ware, at £462. It is no business of ours to blame millionaires for buying such things at such prices, though they certainly are not benefiting art, but we protest against wasting national money on them, as it is proposed to do. The nation can wait for the pottery and enamels it wants till the mania is over. It might as well buy tulip-bulbs at £1,000 a-piece, and better, for the tulips are beauti- ful, which half these dishes are not.
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