SCIENTIFIC AND LITERARY INSTITUTIONS. Fellows elected, 1911: H. T. Barnes, A. J. Royal Society of Medicine, 1, Wimpole an Royal Statistical Society. Founded in 1834, and incorporated by royal charter in '87. It has accumulated extensive library (amounting at the present time to upwards of 50,000 volumes), bearing on statistical and economic subjects. Throughout the session papers on statistical subjects are read and discussed at its monthly meetings. Two medals, the Guy and the Howard, are usually awarded each year for statistical research. The Journal (published monthly from December to July inclusive) contains a valuable record of the progress of statistical science. President, The Rt. Hon. Lord George Hamilton, G.C.S.I.; Hon. Secs., R. H. Rew (and foreign), G. Udny Yule, and A. W. Flux, M.A.; Assist.-Sec., C. M. Kahan, B.A. Office, 9, Adelphi Terrace, W.C. St. Deiniol's Library, Hawarden, of the foundation of William Ewart Gladstone. All students, whether clerical or lay, and without or religion, are restriction of communion welcome to the opportunities it offers. The Library includes the whole of Mr. Gladstone's personal collection, and amounts to more than There is a residence with 43,000 volumes. Board and accommodation for 20 students. lodging are here provided at 27s. 6d. a week. Warden, Rev. Canon Gilbert C. Joyce, D.D. Victoria Institute. Founded in 1865 to associate together men of science and all interested and qualified persons, in investigating "impartially and fully the most important questions of philosophy and science, especially those that bear upon the great truths revealed in Holy Scripture"; "to examine and discuss all supposed scientific results with reference to final more comprehensive and causes, and the fundamental principles of philosophy proper, based upon faith in the existence of one Eternal God"; and to bring together the results of such labours in the printed_transactions of the Society. The number of members and associates is nearly 900, about one-third of whom reside abroad and in the colonies. President, The Rt. Hon. the Earl of Halsbury, F.R.S.; Seo., Frederic S. Bishop, M.A., 1, Adelphi Terrace House, W.C. Wales, Ancient Monuments of. A Royal Commission was appointed in Aug. 1908 to make an inventory of the ancient and historical monuments and constructions of Wales from the earliest times, and to specify those most worthy of preservation. The members are Sir John Rhys (chairman), Prof. Sir Edward Anwyl, M.A., Prof. R. C. Bosanquet, Sir E. Vincent Evans, Messrs. R. Hughes, J.P., Rev. G. Hartwell Jones, D.D., and Lieut.-Col. W. L. Morgan, R.E. Secretary, Edward Owen, F.S.A., The offices of the Commisbarrister-at-law. sion are at Royal Commissions House, S. W. The Commission has issued Reports for the years 1909 and 1910, and a volume of Inventories of the Monuments of Montgomeryshire. Wales, National Museum of. Incorpor ated by Royal Charter, March 19th, 1997, Sir Alfred Thomas, D.L., being the first President; the Rt. Hon. Lord Mostyn, VicePresident; and Major-Gen. Sir Ivor Herbert, Bart., M.P., Treasurer. The Court of Governors consists of persons nominated by the Lord President of the Privy Council, Members of Parliament for Welsh Constituencies, representatives of the University of Wales, and the educational bodies and others co-opted by the Court itself. The Museum is located in Cardiff, cent site of four acres for the Museum, in and the Cardiff Corporation has given a magnificlose proximity to, and in line with, the City Selborne Society. Formed in 1885 to per- Hall and Law Courts, and has promised to petuate the memory of Gilbert White, and pro-hand over the collections of the Municipal mote the study of natural history, etc. President, Museum, and to contribute annually the proLord Avebury; Hon, Sec., Wilfred Mark Webb, ceeds of a half-penny rate towards its mainF.L.S., 42, Bloomsbury Square, W.C. Society of Engineers (Incorporated). tenance. A new building for the Museum is Formed by the amalgamation of the Society in course of erection from plans by Messrs. of Engineers (established 1854) and the Civil Smith & Brewer, of London. Director of the and Mechanical Engineers' Society (founded Museum, William Evans Hoyle, M.A., D.Sc. Zoological Society of London. 1859). Meetings are held at the Institution of Electrical Engineers, Victoria Embankment, W.C., on the first Monday in each month from October to June (except January). President, F. G. Bloyd; Bec., A. S. E. Ackermann, B.Sc. (Engineering) London, A.C.G.I., A.M.I.C.E., M.K.S.I. Offices, 17, Victoria Street, Westminster, S. W. Tel. 244, Victoria. South African Association for the Ad vancement of Science. Founded 1902. Headquarters Cape Town. Membership about 700. President, There are 4 sections constituted. Thos. Muir, C.M.G., LL.D., F.R.S., F.R.S.E. Hon. Gen. Secs., Dr. C. F. Juritz, M.A., F.I.C., Cape Town; K. T. A. Innes, F.R.A.S., Johannesburg. Assist. Gen. Becs., G. F. Britten and W. Versfeld, P.O. Box 1497, Cape Town. 1826. Founded The number of Fellows on Jan. 1st, The Gardens in Regent's 1911, was 4,349. Park are open from 9 a.m. till sunset, and the Offices and Library, at the Society's new buildAdmission to the ings in Regent's Park, from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. till 2 p.m. Gardens 6d, on Monday, 1s. the rest of the week, On Sundays the Gardens children 6d. all days. Reduced prices to parties of 50 and upwards. are only open to Fellows and their friends. President, The Duke of Bedford, K.G.; Secretary, P. Chalmers Mitchell, M.A., D.Sc., F.R.S. Superintendent of Gardens and Curator of Mammals, R. I. Pocock, F.R.S.; Curator of Birds, D. Seth-Smith; Curator of Reptiles, M. E. G. Boulanger. ART IN 1911. The Winter Exhibition of the Royal Academy, which opened on Jan. 2nd, was entirely composed of the works of five recently deceased British artists-Sir William Quiller Orchardson, R.A., William Powell Frith, R.A., Robert Walker Macbeth, R.A., John Macallan Swan, R.A., and David Farquharson, A.R.A. impossible, unfortunately, to represent with It was any degree of completeness the work of any of these artists. In the case of Sir William Orchardson, although many fine paintings were shown, as many or more reasons unobtainable. The Orchardsons in were for various the Winter Exhibition included the artist's famous portraits of Sir Walter Gilbey, Lord Swaythling, and Mrs. Joseph; and his pictures "The Young Duke,' Borgia," and "On the North Foreland." The "The Challenge," "The King lent for a time Frith's "Life at the Seaside," or "Ramsgate Sands," as it is sometimes called; and the Swans included, besides a number of that artist's remarkable drawings of animals, his picture "Polar Bears," and many examples of his skill as a sculptor. Among the paintings by Macbeth were several of the most striking of his early works, such as "A Lincolnshire Gang" and the "Potato Harvest in the Fens"; and the art of David Farquharson was seen at its best in "Full Moon and Spring Tide." esting exhibition, chiefly of lent pictures, was held at the same gallery in the summer by the on a few of our younger artists. A very interInternational Society. tained, among other things, some beautiful examples of the early work of Millais, but it The exhibition contropical heat of the summer, and the Coronation did not enjoy the success it deserved. The festivities, disturbed seriously all the exhibitions of the London season. Gallery was the scene in the autumn of a fine funds of the National Gallery. A large and exhibition of Old Masters, held in aid of the The Grafton attractive exhibition of British pictures and sculpture was held at the White City. The exhibition of the work of a follower of Whistler, Marchant, was in some respects sensational, Mr. Greaves, at the gallery of Mr. William and was the cause of an amusing newspaper controversy. sioned to paint the official picture of the Coronation; Sir Luke Fildes, R.A., to paint the State Mr. John H. Bacon, A.R.A., was commisportrait of the King; and Mr. William Llewellyn the State portrait of the Queen. memorial to Queen Victoria in front of Buckingham Palace was unveiled. bestowed upon Mr. Thomas Brock, R.A., and The great the C.V.O. upon Sir Aston Webb, R.A., the A K.C.B. was memorial. Mr. Bertram Mackennal, A.R.A., a sculptor of Australian birth, and the architect sculptor and architect respectively of the Mr. Edwin L. Lutyens, were chosen to design and execute the proposed Memorial to King Edward the Seventh, which it was intended to were raised to the site chosen, and the consideration of the whole matter was postponed. erect in the Green Park. However, objections Great progress was made in the work of extending the British Museum; and at the National Gallery the new rooms that have been in course of construction for some time past the new rooms has been devoted to masterpieces of the British school, but the re-hanging were thrown open to the public. The finest of of the galleries, consequent upon the extensions, is still incomplete. A notable addition was made to the National Gallery by the purchase from the Countess of Carlisle of the famous Mabuse "The Adoration of the Kings," a picture of the Castle Howard collection. paid by the trustees was £40,000, a very large that had long been one of the principal treasures sum, but less, it is believed, than the market value of the picture. On the other hand, the The price National Gallery lost the chance of acquiring one of the most famous pictures in the world, that was acquired by the grandfather of the "The Mill," the superb landscape by Rembrandt present Lord Lansdowne a century ago, and had since remained in possession of the family. the nation for about £100,000, and it was exhibited for a short time at the National Gallery "The Mill" could have in the hope that the money might be raised by been obtained for Lansdowne in the summer to an American colpublic subscription. Unfortunately, this was lector, Mr. Widener. The sensational theft of impossible, and "The Mill" was sold by Lord Leonardo's "Gioconda" from the Louvre caused of art in our own national collections. some discussion about the protection of works 490 The committee of arrangement of the Summer Exhibition was composed of Sir L. AlmaTadema, Mr. A. S. Cope, Mr. S. A. Forbes, Sir George Frampton, Mr. Arthur Hacker, Mr. C. N. Hemy, Sir Frank Short, and Mr. J. Belcher. The works of art submitted by outsiders to the judgment of the Royal Academy Council numbered 11,444, a decrease of 41 from the figures of the preceding year. Of these works 1,746 ultimately found places in the exhibition, in addition to 229 contributed by members. Chantrey Trustees were the group in bronze The works purchased by the and other metals by Mr. W. Reynolds-Stephens, "A Royal Game" (£1,700); a sea-piece by Mr. Julius Olsson, "Moonlit Shore" (400); and a bronze bust, "Dolce far Niente" (52 ros.), by Mr. A. J. Leslie. The other pictures sold included Fatima" (370), by Mr. J. W. Waterhouse, R.A.; "The Old Pier Steps" (350), by Mr. Stanhope Forbes, R.A.; Silver-grey (262 10s.) and "Mackerel in the Bay: Durdle Door" (630), by Mr. David Maggiore: Murray, R.A.; "A Waterfall" (500) and "The Loggia" (300), by Mr. J. S. Sargent, R.A.; "Gentle Love" (200), by Mr. Charles Sims, A.R.A.; "Hagar and Ishmael," by Mr. Edward Stott, A R.A.; set (£735), by Mr. Alfred Parsons, R.A.; "The Heart of Somer"Spate on the Ewe" (200), by Mr. Finlay Mackinnon; Mr. Mark Fisher, A.R.A.; "A Sheltered Bay" (262), by (735), by Mr. Arnesby Brown, A.R.A.; "A "The Drove Thames Backwater" (£262 10s.), by Mr. H. W. B. Davis, R.A.; "Gleaming Waters" (525), by Mr. H. S. Tuke, A.R.A.; and "Maternity' (250), by Mr. Walter Langley. The winter was marked by the showing at the Grafton Gallery of a collection of so-called Post-Impressionist" pictures, which attracted great crowds of the curious, and, as later exhibitions proved, was not without some effect ART-MUSIC. A new museum, for which great developments should be in store, was founded at Kensington Palace. The London Museum, as it is to be called, will illustrate everything concerning the history and surroundings of the greatest city in the world, and Mr. Guy Laking, its energetic director, has already secured for it a great number of objects of peculiar interest. One of these is a Roman boat, which was found embedded in the mud of the Thames on the site of the new London County Council Hall. The remarkable collection of old English costumes formed by Mr. Seymour Lucas, R.A., has also been acquired for the London Museum, the opening of which is eagerly anticipated. The title of "Royal" was granted by the King's command to the Society of Portrait Painters. The "Walpole" Society was founded for the purpose of studying the history and achievements of the earlier artists of England. The dismantling of a famous example of early English architecture, Tattershall Castle, was an unfortunate incident that caused much painful feeling and brought forth many protests in the newspapers. Lord Sackville's collection at Knole lost one of its finest canvases by the sale to some unnamed purchaser of the well-known group of Elizabeth Linley (Mrs. Sheridan) and her brother, by Gainsborough. It was stated that £40,000 was paid for the picture. Another remarkable sale was that of a Titian discovered by Sir Hugh Lane at Christie's five or six years ago and bought by him for 2,100 guineas. The Titian was exhibited at the National Gallery Loan Exhibition at the Grafton Gallery two years ago. It was very much admired, and £30,000 was paid for it by the English collector who purchased the picture from Sir Hugh Lane in the spring. A surprising boom in Raeburns was the great feature of the auction sales of the year. The capable workmanship of the eminent Scottish painter has been steadily gaining increased favour for some time, but no one anticipated that one of his pictures would realise at auction a sum far greater than any work by such masters as Reynolds and Gainsborough has fetched under the hammer. The Raeburn in question, a full-length of Mrs. Robertson Williamson, was sold for 22,300 guineas. Another portrait by Raeburn was sold at Christie's a little later for 14,000 guineas. Other notable auction-sale prices were 12,500 guineas for a Carpaccio, 10,800 guineas for a Botticelli, and £5,400 for a set of Durer's woodcuts. MUSIC. " Undoubtedly the feature of the "grand season at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, which opened on April 22nd, and concluded on July 31st, was the appearance of the Russian Imperial Ballet, whose performances, it is no exaggeration to say, created a furore. London opera-goers had been prepared for the rare accomplishments of this company, and the striking beauty of the ballets they presented, by the sensation they had made in Paris shortly before their arrival in this country. But the success achieved by the troupe at Covent Garden probably exceeded anticipations, and led to their re-engagement by the syndicate for the autumn season. Tamar Karsavina, who had previously visited London, was the première ballerine, and Vaslav Nijinsky the premier danseur, and although the other leading performers were of high merit, the two artists mentioned, by their remarkable graces, outshone the rest. A striking feature, moreover, of these performances was the beauty and excellence of the ensemble, while both musically and pictorially the ballets reached a high and exceptional artistic level. Among the works presented were "Le Pavillon d'Armide (with music by M. Tcherepnine, who conducted all the ballets); "Scheherazade," composed by Rimsky-Korsakoff; "Les Sylphides" and "Le Carnaval," the last two deriving particular charm from the music respectively of Chopin and Schumann, as scored for orchestra by various well-known Russian composers. In its general scheme the opera season hardly offered any features of surpassing interest. The chief novelty was Puccini's" La Fanciulla del West" ("The Girl of the Golden West"), which had been produced at the Metropolitan, New York, in the previous autumn. Although the work contained a good deal of skilfully wrought music, characteristic in its idiom of the Italian composer, the latter's inspiration was found to have served him far less well than in "Madama Butterfly" and the previous operas from his " pen. The production, indeed, was chiefly remarkable for Emmy Destinn's fine embodiment of the heroine. The only other novelties were Massenet's "Thaïs "of which the original Paris production occurred in 1894and Wolf-Ferrari's "Il Segretto di Susanne ("The Secret of Suzanne"), a pleasing little work in one act, of which the music-simple, graceful, and fluent-proved very much better than the trivial "plot." Massenet's opera was produced on a scale of lavishness hardly justified by the intrinsic merits of the work, which does not represent the French composer at his best. Melba and Tetrazzini again appeared during the season in rôles fong identified with them. On July 26th a gala performance took place "in honour of the Coronation of King George V. and Queen Mary," and, attended by their Majesties and a brilliant company, proved a picturesque function, the house being beautifully decorated. Excerpts were given from "Aïda," "Roméo et Juliette," and "Il Barbiere di Siviglia," and the Russian Ballet appeared. " The operas mounted during the season, and the number of representations of each, were as follows: "Aïda" (5), "Barbiere di Siviglia (3), "La Bohème (5), "Carmen" (1), "Ballo in Maschera (2), "Faust (2), "Girl of the Golden West" (5), "Lakmé" (3), "Louise" (7), "Madama Butterfly" (6), Pagliacci" (3), "Pelléas et Mélisande" (3), "Rigoletto" (6), "Roméo et Juliette" (4), "La Sonnambula' (1), "Samson et Dalila (6), "Thaïs" Ugonotti" (3), La Traviata" (6), "Gli Segretto di Susanne" (3). Twelve performances, including matinées, were devoted exclusively to the Russian Ballet. In the autumn the Grand Opera Syndicate held a season of German Opera and Russian Ballet at Covent Garden. Beginning on Oct. 19th, three complete cycles of Wagner's "Ring' were given, conducted by Franz Schalk, of the Imperial Opera House, Vienna. The list of artists included several who have won distinction in Wagner's music-dramas, among them being Borghild Langaard-Bryhn, Minnie Saltzmann-Stevens, Kirkby Lunn. Peter Cornelius, Hans Bechstein, and Anton van Rooy. Other operas from the Wagnerian repertory were also mounted. Humperdinck's "Königskinder," which had proved one of the successes of the last season at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, was also produced for the first time in this country. Alternately with the opera performances, the Russian Ballet, reinforced by Mlle. Pavlova, appeared, having been re-engaged on the strength of the signal success they achieved on the same stage during the summer. The season lasted eight weeks. The well-known American impresario Mr. Oscar Hammerstein, who had shown so much enterprise in connection with opera-giving at the New York Manhattan, fulfilled his promise of erecting a new Opera House in London. The site chosen was Kingsway, and here a building was set up at a cost, it was stated, of over £200,000-in accordance with every modern advance in comfort, stage equipment, etc. Seating accommodation was provided for 2,700, the holding "capacity' of the house representing £2,000. Mr Hammerstein had drawn up a repertory of thirty-two operas, and inaugurated a twenty weeks' season on Nov. 13th with "Quo Vadis," a work, composed by Jean Nougues, which had met with considerable success both in Paris and New York. The Concert Season.-Although in respect of the number of concerts and recitals given the season of 1911 proved a very busy one, it brought no little disappointment to artists and entrepreneurs who had based hopes of financial success on the expected invasion of visitors to London for the Coronation festivities. As a matter of fact, the latter interfered appreciably with nearly all public amusements, since they practically monopolised attention. Moreover, the protracted spell of exceptionally hot weather made the public disinclined for indoor entertainments. An interesting feature of the season was the London Musical Festival, held at Queen's Hall in the latter part of May. No such festival had been organised in London for a good many years, the previous one having been given, under Mr. Robert Newman's management, in 1899. The week's music began on May 22nd, and at the concert on the 24th occurred the first performance of Edward Elgar's second Symphony, in E flat. The event excited a good deal of interest, and the work, which was conducted by the composer, received an enthusi astic welcome. Critical opinion was divided, however, on the relative merits of the symphony and its predecessor. That the novelty contained many passages of considerable beauty, as well as of characteristic energy and vigour, was nevertheless acknowledged on all hands. The same evening witnessed the production of of Bantock's symphonic poem, Dante and Beatrice"-a fine work-while two other English novelties were Walford Davies's little suite, "Parthenia," and Percy Pitt's "English Rhapsody." Sir Henry Wood also afforded the festival's patrons opportunities of hearing the Norwich, Sheffield, and Leeds Festival Choirs. There was no lack of choral and orchestral concerts, but the season brought with it little that was striking in the way of novelties. The Royal Choral Society, for instance, relied in the main, as usual, upon works in their established repertory, Sir Frederick Bridge conducting performances of "Messiah," Coleridge-Taylor's "Hiawatha," Elgar's "King Olaf" and "Dream of Gerontius," and other works for which the Society's patrons possess an abiding affection. Under Arthur Fagge the London Choral Society continued to make satisfactory progress, although, contrary to its usual custom, it brought forward nothing new. Performances given by this organisation in Queen's Hall of Bach's "St. Matthew" Passion and Beethoven's great Mass in D were marked by a fine spirit of endeavour. But the lack of fresh material already mentioned indicated a dearth in the supply of promising new works-a regrettable fact emphasised by the announcement made during the season of the discontinuance of the concerts of the Queen's Hall Choral Society, owing to the difficulty of finding novelties of sufficient attractiveness. Early in the year this enterprising Society produced a new sacred work by Franco Leoni, entitled "Golgotha," which excited some discussion by reason of its unconventional musical treatment of a solemn subject. Other choral concerts were given by the Bach Choir, the Edward Mason Choir, and the Smallwood Metcalfe Choir. The conductors who directed the Philharmonic Society's Concerts during its 99th season were Nikisch, Albert Coates, and Chessin. Among the soloists who appeared were Maggie Teyte, Mignon Nevada, Rosenthal, Alfred Cortot, and Katherine Goodson. For their series of symphony concerts the London Symphony Or chestra engaged the services, as conductors, of Richter, Nikisch, Safonoff, Mlynarski, and Elgar. A memorable occasion was the farewell appearance of Richter, upon his retirement, at the concert given on April 1oth. The Leeds Philharmonic Choir, the Hallé (Manchester) Choir, and the Hanley Glee and Madrigal Society appeared during the season; while the soloists who came forward in the course of it, under the same auspices, included Donalda, Susan Strong, Walter Hyde, Kreisler, Bronislaw Huberman, Ernest Schelling, Percy Grainger, Tina Lerner, and Eleanor Spencer. In the ranks of the soloists who took part in the symphony concerts of the Queen's Hall Orchestra were Jacques Thibaud, asals, and Sauer. At the concert on Feb. 4th Wagner's Symphony in C, an early work from his pen, was revived, its performance, however, exciting more curiosity than enthusiasm. The New Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Landon Ronald, continued its series of symphony concerts. Melba sang at the concert given by the organisation in Queen's Hall on Feb. 14th, and the programme on May 2nd was devoted to works by British composers. In the department of chamber music a good many concerts and recitals claimed attention, among them those given by the Classical Concert Society, Broadwood's, the London Trio, the London Quartet (a new and admirably equipped organisation), the Walenn Quartet, Thomas Dunhill, Joseph Holbrooke, and, from the Continent, the Brussels, Rosé, and Sevcik Quartets. The 17th season of Promenade Concerts was held at Queen's Hall, under the management of Mr. Robert Newman, from Aug. 12th to Oct. 21st. Sir Henry Wood, who conducted all the concerts with the exception of a few of which MUSIC THE DRAMA. Dr. George Henschel took charge, added several Among the singers who gave concerts or It should be noted that special music was From May 29th to June 3rd was held the The Festival of Empire was inaugurated at numbered some four thousand voices, and was Early in the autumn the Royal Academy of In succession to W. H. Cummings, Landon The honour of knighthood was conferred On Sept. 12th the Three Choirs Festival was The Norwich Festival was held from Oct. 25th |