Before Mr. Swainson vacated the Treasurership, a gift, as munificent as it was unexpected, was made to the School by the late John Huddlestone, Esq., of this town.

24th March, 1847, Mr. Huddlestone went to the Hospital, carrying a parcel of papers, which he deposited on a desk in the office attached to the Institution, and desired Mr. Forster, the master, to look over them, informing him that it was his intention to present the whole of the property, represented in and by them, to the Blue Coat Hospital. Mr. Forster scarcely realized the magnitude of the gift thus so unostentatiously made, amounting, as it afterwards proved, to some £8,000 or £10,000; the property, singularly enough, was all situated immediately round and about the School. That Mr. Huddlestone had for some time contemplated the act, was proved by the elaborate memoranda he had made with his own hand, as a guide to those who would have the after-management of the property. It resembles in its particularity of detail the "Moore rental." In presenting this property Mr. Huddlestone stated that he gave it "for a permanent fund to the Institu"tion;" and he was particular to say that the fire insurance was to be regularly paid when due. From his own memoranda, dated 27th March, when he first offered the property, I find that it consisted of dwelling houses and warehouses situated in Peter's Lane, School Lane and Manesty Lane; another warehouse lay in College Lane, right opposite to a back gateway of the Blue Coat Hospital, together with a house in Hanover Street, of which Mr. Huddlestone was careful to say that the rent was £40 per annum, and paid punctually. Punctuality was with him one of the highest virtues, and, in this case, covered a multitude of sins. He not only gave the rent of each premises, but the exact date on which each tenant entered; and particularly notes one tenant to have broken faith with him, having made two promises, "in both of which," he says, "he failed." Among other matters the dates of any

repairs to the buildings were given by Mr. Huddlestone, drawn to the minutest particulars; he states the amount laid out on the property, together with the amount and dates of the original purchase; and finally informs them of the rates of insurance, with his opinion of such as he thought were high, and notifies those which were reasonable and low. Having given these various memoranda, all in his careful handwriting, he had the estate legally conveyed to the Governors and Trustees, for the benefit of the Blue Coat Hospital.

Feeling that a mere vote of thanks, recorded in the minutes and tendered to him, was an insufficient acknowledgment of so munificent a gift, the Trustees agreed that a deputation of six of the members, viz., the Treasurer, the two Rectors, the Recorder, Mr. Gibbon and Mr. Langton, should personally wait on him, and convey their thanks. This, for obvious reasons, was intimated to him by Mr. Forster, and elicited the following characteristic reply:

SIR,

With reference to what you mentioned to me on Wednesday last, I fully appreciate the good feelings and respect which induced the appointment of the deputation to wait upon and thank me for my gift to the Blue Coat Hospital, which I made with great pleasure. I am much flattered by the kind intention as evinced towards me; but, with their kind permission, I beg leave most respectfully to dispense with troubling them to come up here, and I fully accept "the will for the deed." I consider the compliment to have been duly paid by the resolution passed, which is sufficient for me, and I am equally obliged to them for it as if they came personally with it. I am not partial to form or ceremony, but the reverse; yet I value highly their intention as expressed by you. With best wishes for the prosperity of your excellent Charity,

I am, &c. &c.,

3rd April, 1847.

To MR. W. FORSTER,

JOHN HUDDLESTONE.

Master of the Blue Coat Hospital, Liverpool.

Mr. Forster, to whom this letter was addressed, resigned the head mastership in the following year, having held it twentyeight years. He was a good and worthy man, highly esteemed by all who knew him. He retired, together with the amiable partner of his life, to their native county of Cumberland-a county noted for its good schoolmasters-where they resided to the period of Mr. Forster's death, which occurred last year. His successor in the mastership was Mr. Thomas Wood, B.A., who had been brought up in the School, and had afterwards graduated in the university. While in the university he had taken, in 1844, the first of the second prizes for Hebrew; and, in 1846, he received a prize for Catechetical Divinity. Mr. Wood has been always highly valued for the tact and skill he possessed in tuition; and it may be here mentioned that one of his pupils from the School, who was ordained a deacon at the Chester ordination of the past month, took last year the University Silver Medal at Dublin. It is matter of deep regret to all that Mr. Wood's health has failed him from the very onerous nature of his duties at the School, which misfortune compels him to resign the charge for which he has at all times shewn himself so very capable.

The same year in which Mr. Forster resigned the mastership, Mr. Swainson gave up also the Treasurership, when he was followed by the late Joseph Langton, Esq., a man of exceedingly good presence and of great kindness of heart, who occupied the post one year; and he by Richard Gibson Esq., who filled it till 1854. Edward Guy Deane Esq. succeeded him, 1855-1858; and, after him, Wm. Langton Esq., the present highly esteemed Treasurer, and a son of the late Mr. Langton who was Treasurer in 1848. Members of this family have been intimately associated with the management of the Institution during every period of its establishment down to the present time.

The anniversary of the 150th year of the Blue Coat Hos

pital's founding was held 13th January, 1859, when the Bishop of Chester, with his accustomed willingness, preached the sermon at St. Peter's Church. The Mayor of the town, William Preston Esq. and several of the Governors and Trustees of the Institution attended.

Application was made to the Bishop by the Governors and Trustees, who met at the following quarterly Board, to be allowed to publish the sermon preached on that occasion; but, owing to the Bishop's absence from home and other circumstances, causing the letter to come to his hands at a rather late date, he suggested to the Trustees the advisability on that account to forego their views. In the Liverpool papers of the day following, Tuesday, the 14th January, an abstract of the Bishop's sermon may, however, be found.

I have now endeavoured,-indifferently enough, I fear,to lay before the Society "a Sketch of the History of the Liverpool Blue Coat Hospital," in three semi-centurial periods. I only hope that what has been written (although they be but chapters of every-day incidents) may serve some useful purpose, were it only to draw attention to the records of an institution which, while it is the oldest, is also among the noblest of which our town can boast.

THE ART-BEARINGS OF PHOTOGRAPHY.

By John Glover Esq.

[READ 3RD MARCH, 1864.]

ONE of the leading questions on which will hinge the future of photography, is that which is now employing a considerable amount of attention in art-circles. Shall it continue to plod industriously along as a mechanical science, or shall it rather occupy a more elevated position by taking rank with the arts themselves?

There are few who will venture to deny that photography has already effected much for art in both its practice and encouragement. This, however, presents no argument either for or against the question at issue; the position of which will be gathered from a late critique in the Times newspaper on a photographic reproduction of a portrait of the late lamented Thackeray from a drawing by Lawrence. I may I may also add that the article alluded to suggested the subject for discussion this evening.

66

The reviewer proceeds to say-" It requires no small merit "in a drawing, or photograph from one, to hold its own against the direct work of the sun. Whatever may be the demerits "of Phoebus Apollo as a painter, he has qualities which make him a formidable rival to the limner who has to trust the "unaided powers of pencil or port-crayon. But it only needs a comparison of Mr. Lawrence's photographed drawing with "any of the heads photographed from Thackeray himself, to feel that good work of the human brain and hand—even "when it is but the transcript of a living physiognomy-has "in it something which cannot be got out of the soulless "operation of chemicals and camera. No one who knew

66