THE WELLINGTON STATUE FOR EVER.
IT would have been difficult to believe that the Wellington Statue could occasion a second history of absurdities ; but so it is. The Woods and Forests have received at the hands of the dilettante Sub-Committee treatment which can only be expressed by the slang phrase "sold." Confession of the fact was extorted from the goodnatured and ingenuous Lord Morpeth on Tuesday night. Mr. William Collett was the first catechizer; and to him Lord Morpeth said, " he conceived that the Sub-Committee were to bear the expense of removal." He also said that the statue was to be removed to Waterloo Place ; a site of which the illustrious but anonymous "competent persons" approved. Hence this ominous colloquy. Lord JOHN Mattataas [son of the Duke of Rutland, the great patron of the statue] wished to know whether that site would be adhered to, supposing that the opNion of the subscribers to the statue should be adverse to the proposition? Lord MORPETH said, the subscribers had abstained from offering any sugges- tion to the Government. They considered that their part had been performed by patting the statue upon the arch; and they left it to the discretion of the Govern- ment to determine as to the ulterior disposal of it.
Lord JOHN MANNERS said, the Sub-Committee had entertained great objec- tion to the statue being taken down: what had been the result of that objection? Lord MORPETH—" The Sub-Committee never made any suggestion at all: they left the statue to be dealt with at the pleasure of the Government."
_ Government, therefore, is left with the huge image on its hands. This result was foreseen by all but the innocent officials: they confided in the honour of the Sub-Committee. The official part in the affair, indeed, has been ludicrous throughout. Countenance was asked for a job with which certain private gentlemen wished to console a disappointed artist; then raw material was begged, and was given ; then a site was begged, and was given conditionally ; then the huge horse was admitted to the site, and and dragoons were sent to escort the "fatalis machina" to its destination ; it proved to be unendurable—but the officials are " done" : the once mendi- cant Sub-Committee cease to move, or even to make "sugges- tions." Why should they ? the horse is on the arch ; which was all they wanted.
Previous page
