The loan collection of pictures at the Guildhall, which now seems to have become an annual event, was opened to the public last Monday and consists partly of English work and partly of foreign the latter section the main feature is a series of ten large panel pictures illustre. five of "The Romance of Jove and Youth," by M. Fragonard, formerly exhibited in Messes. Agnew's Gallery, but now the property of Mr. Pierpout Morgan. These are shown ina room by themselves and have a very effective background of pale grey, which suits them as nothing else could. The story is effectively told from Act I, where Love diflidently woos the len, to Act X, where he has flown away to pastures new, leaving her sorrowful and alone in a wood where summer has turret to autumn and all the leaves are brown. Among the English works are seen some old favourites, "The School-mistress," by Opie; "The College Door" and "The Collexe Girl," by Gainsborouzh: "Lady Hamiltons" galore, by Romney; several magnificent "Sir Joshuas," a' couple of charming " Morlands;" "A Card Party," by Hogarth, which is faintly reminiscent of his "Marriage A La Mode;" 'Madame Roland," a charming piece of work by Madame' Vizé: Lo Brun, and many more, And all this can be seen during the next six months, free of cost, by any one who takes the trouble to walk into the Goildhali art Gallery! It always seems to me so patrioti> of the owners of these masterpieces to ead them in the gen-rous way they do, as should they be destroyed, no amount of insurance money could ever compensate for their loss, and during the past few days we have had two dreadful examples of how sudden and how terrible fire may be.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.