Mr. Cavendish Bentinck appears to be as unmanageable a- member
of unparliamentary as of Parliamentary committees. We are probably not wrong in ascribing to him the chief responsibility for a movement which has diminished the chances of a hearty response to the St. Paul's Restoration Fund, by exhibiting the Committee as not merely divided, but quarrelling amongst them- selves as to the architect and the style of ornamentation to be employed. A letter appeared on Monday, signed by the Lord Mayor, Sir William Tite, Mr. Fergusson (the architect), Mr. Cavendish Bentinck, and Mr. Murray, representing the Committee as being divided on the question of a medimval or a classical architect, and giving the division—as it is asserted on the other side, not correctly,—which chose a mediaevalist, Mr. Barges, by a majority of one. The letter further asserts—what is not, we believe, true—that the appealsfor collecting additional subscriptions• were " originated by the Lord Mayor,"---(if any one individual can claim that credit, it is generally believed that it is Mr. William Longman),—stigmatises the architect chosen, Mr. Barges, as one who has described Sir Christopher Wren's works as" abominations," —and declares the necessity for a general meeting of the sub- scribers to revise the judgment of the Committee. As far as we- gather the facts from the subsequent correspondence, this letter greatly distorts them. Mr. Burges was elected first by a majority of two, and the election was confirmed at a subsequent meeting by a majority of three. Two of the minority on the first occasion —Mr. William Longman and Mr. Oldfield—support this view of the matter, as given by the Dean of St. Paul's, and express their belief, though they had at one time preferred another can- didate, that Mr. Barges is quite equal to carry out the task adequately, and that the decision of the majority ought not to be disturbed. It is shown that Mr. Barges, though he has spoken very wildly of some of Sir Christopher Wren's details, had "never been so blind as to deny Sir Christopher Wren his just position as one of the greatest of our architects," and there seems to have been no idea at all on the part of the Committee of letting Mr. Bargee medimvalise St. Paul's, even if he had wished to do so. We sus- pect Mr. Cavendish Bentinck and his brother-conspirators have simply shaken the confidence of the public for no good reason at all, moved by the restless spirit of that great master of political faction.
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