The life, letters and work of Frederic Leighton. Volume IIBarrington, Russell, Mrs.
General
The life, letters and work of Frederic Leighton. Volume II
Barrington, Russell, Mrs.
Leighton of Stretton, Frederic Leighton, Baron, 1830-1896
With respect to Redgrave's motion, it may lead to a technical
"censure" of the Council; but there are censures and censures,
and nobody will suppose, certainly I never dreamt, that you
meant to imply moral obliquity to us in regard to what we have
done. I have not a word to object to what you advance about the
right of complaint, but it does not exactly cover the case: if
you caught us, say, taking our friends to the Exhibition (or
ourselves) on Sunday, a matter on which no two opinions are
admissible, then "a complaint" would be in its place; but in the
matter of payment to Treasurer, two opinions may and do exist,
and they can only be measured against one another by a vote, and
a vote can only be taken on a motion.
Lastly, as to the new codification committee, I think with you,
_in strictest confidence_, that ---- was not a good choice; but
he was chosen in the usual manner by a majority of votes: that
your labours were not remunerated in the usual manner is an
oversight, which, of course, must and shall be set right. There
seems altogether, and your letter corroborates that impression,
to have been much vagueness about the doings of the Committee
_as a Committee_, though, as usual, much zealous work on your
part. I do not gather that attendances were entered in a book,
which is the machinery by which payment is generally regulated,
and the Committee having lapsed without reporting to the Council
on its labours (being a _sub-committee_ of the Council of 1878,
it lapsed by a natural death with that Council), the whole thing
had fallen out of notice. I hope that the old sub-committee will
put in their claims, which will very certainly be satisfied. The
codification has frequently been in my mind, for I consider it
of very great importance, but as it is my impression that I am
considered to drive the work of the Academy full hard as
it is, I have hesitated to impose more labours on my colleagues,
even though I am always ready to share them.--Sincerely yours,
FRED LEIGHTON.
[Illustration: "ELIJAH IN THE WILDERNESS." 1879]
[Illustration: SKETCH FOR "ELIJAH IN THE WILDERNESS." 1879
Leighton House Collection]
[Illustration: "NERUCCIA." 1879
By permission of Mrs. Lees]
[Illustration: "THE BATH OF PSYCHE." 1890
National Gallery of British Art (Tate Gallery)]
_Tuesday Morning_,
2 HOLLAND PARK ROAD, KENSINGTON, W.,
_March 18, 1884_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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