The present is the ninth loan exhibition of pictures held at the Guildhall. During the eight previous years nearly'a million and three quarters of people have availed themselves of this opportunity of seeing works of old or living masters in these allenes, many of whom could never see them in any other way. The present collection is the work exclusively of living British painters, and is po maps in some respects more interesting th any of its predecessors, a fortunately, in neatly linen obtained is quite ist, as in the ease of Sir Alma Tadema, whose "An Audlence at Axrippa's," Shows marble painted only he can paint it, It is a most ox-te little work, with the broad marble was its central object. Down comes the great Agrippa, clad in imperial red; behind him a dense throng of people, and, beyond that, sky of a most lovely blue. At the foot of the stairs, on a floor of blue mosaic, is a rug of tiger skin, so real that one longs to touch it. On a table in the entrance hall is a small silver figure of Mars. One can Peel the beauty of the workmanship—every detail perfect. A work of this kind seem)s to me an object lesson—something to spur one on to improvement—and the same may be said for nearly every picture in the exhibition. It is a bit of every man at his best. Sir Edwin Hoynter is represented by his Visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon," sent over from the Sydney 'Art Gallery for the purpose. The Victorian Art Gallery has contributed a work of Lady Butler's, ' Quatre Bras," of special interest just now. Again the opportunity is offered for studying Mr. Abbey's " King Lear," but I still' think his conception of the much tried old King would not have satisfied the great master who created him. Altogether there are more than a hundred works on view, and nearly every one of them could be studied for en hour with advantage,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.