The judges appointed to consider the plans for the new
National Gallery have unanimously decided "against recommending any design for adoption by Government." All are bad, though Mr. Edward Barry's "exhibits the greatest amount of architectural merit." The competitors are, of course, very angry, affirming that a promise had been given them, but the public completely agrees with the judges, among whom are men like Mr. Beresford Hope, Lord Elcho, and Mr. Tite. Undeniably we are a clever people. We first put up a gallery in which nobody can see, then vote a great sum for a new one, then order the best architects to send in plans, then find them all too bad even for us, and then— Heaven knows what then. Suppose we vary our plan, and tell Mr. Beresford Hope, Sir J. Thwaites, or the Marquis of West-
minster, or Miss Burdett Coutts, or somebody else accus- tomed to get things done, to see a National Gallery built for us at such a price. Chatter won't make a wall, whatever the House of Commons may think, any more than it will make a fleet.
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