At length, three years after the death of the testatrix, Lady Wallace, the wonderful collection of works of art got together by the third and fourth Marquises of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace (the fourth Marquis's reputed son), has been opened tothe public. No blaine can be attached to the trustees forthe delay. It was no small work to prepare the collection for exhibition in the appropriate, but not too spacious, building in Manchester Square. Phere was a brilliant gathering at Hertford House on the opening day, when speeches honouring the memory of Sie Richard and Lady Wallsce and Sit John Murray Scott were made by the Prince of Watesand Lord Rosebery, Fir John Scott, who was Lady Wallace's' residuary legates, and who is believel to have been to' som extent instrumental in inducing her to leave this wonderful collection to the nation, was present at the ceremony, and in illustration of the value of the leg rey, mentioned that a distinguished personage jocularly suggested, as a reason for the long delay in opening the exhibition, that the Government had pawned it to pay the expenses of the war in South Africa. More serious es imates of its value place it at anything from three to seven millions. It is true that fur purposes of probate it was valued at considerably under hale a millies; but that, of course, is very Tittle guide to its real
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.