Whilst, however, the vast importance of these bequests and gifts is fully acknowledged, it must be felt that it is upon the purchases that snob an institution must. mainly depend for the maintenance of a character worthy of the nation. Up to the time to which we have traced the purchases it will have been noticed that they were irregular, fitful, unsystematic. The principle adopted, as far as any principle was adopted, seems to have been to purchase any obtainable good paintings by the great masters of the best periods of the art in Italy and the Netherlands,—if the prices were not too high, and there were any money avail .ble for the purpose. Thus in 1837 three pictures were purchased for 90301. (the • Holy Family.' of Murillo; the ' Brazen Serpent,' of Itubens ; and the Mercury and the Woodman,' of Sal vator Rosa); in 1838, none; in 1839, for 7350/. three (one of them being the exquisite St. Catharine,' of Raffaelle; the others, Holy Families.' by Garofalo and Mazzolini); in 1840, to o ; in 1841, three for 43001 (two by Francia, and one by Pietro Perugino) : in 1842 and 1843, one each (` Portraits' by John Van Eyck of himself and wife (6301.), and an Apotheosis,' by Itubens); in 1844, six (including Rubens's Judgment of Paris,' for which 4200/. was paid); in 1845, two ; in 1846, two (one of them the Boar Hunt,' by Velazquez, for 22000; and in 1847, one (Raffaelle's beautiful little allegory, The Vision of a Knight,' which was obtained for 10501.). There then occurred an interval of three years without a purchase, partly owing, no doubt, to the disturbed state of political affairs during at least a portion of the period, but also to the discussions which had arisen respecting the general management of the gallery. In 1851 two pictures were bought (a Portrait of Rembrandt,' by himself, for 4301., and a Portrait of a Man,' by Vardyek, for 3651). In 1852. the only picture purchased was Titian's Tribute Money,' at a cost of 26041. In 1853 two Spanish pictures were purchased from the col lection of Louis Philippe—a Franciscan Monk,' by Zurbaran, for 2651.; and The Adoration of the Shepherds,' by Velasquez, for 20501 ; together with an Infant Christ,' of the school of Belliui, bought of Mr• Woodward for 500 guineas.
Up to this time the pictures purchased had continued to be almost exclusively such works of the painters commonly spoken of as the great masters, as were brought under the notice of the Trustees, and deemed by them suitable for the gallery. But in 1853 a new system was inaugurated. The inquiries instituted by the Commissioners of the Fine Arts, and the growing interest taken matters connected with early art, called forth a strong feeling in favour of the formation of a collection of early pictures, and the re-arrangement of the National Gallery on a chronological and historical basis. This view was adopted by a Select Committee of the House of Commons on the National Gallery, 1653, who embodied their views in a Report, the concluding passage of which recommended that " the funds appropriated to the enlargement of the collection should be expended with a view, not merely of exhibiting to the public beautiful works of art, but of in structing the public in the history of that art, and of the age in which, and the men by whom, these works were produced."
Effect was at once, to a certain extent, given to these views by the purchase, in 1854, of the collection of 64 early German works (but of which only 17 were retained for the Gallery, 10 being sent to the Dublin Gallery, and 37 sold by auction) belonging to Herr Kritgei of Minden, and of some specimens of San Severino Filippo Lippi, and other early Italian masters. But it was formally " embodied, leaving a clue latitude to the trustees and directors, in the Treasury Minute dated 27th March, 1855, reconstituting the establishment of the National Gallery." (Report, 1858.) By this reconstitution, whilst the Trustees were retained as the nominal superintending body, a superior salaried officer was appointed under the title of Director, to whom the selection and purchase of pictures for the gallery were intrusted, and on whom, in the words of the minute, was fixed "the final responsibility in all cases in which any difference of opinion may exist" Another new office created by the Treasury Minute was that of Secretary and Keeper, who was to rank immediately under the director, and to reside in the building as cus todian of the pictures. The third office created was that of " Travelling Agent," who was to be a sort of assistant to the director in searching out among the pictures offered for sale on the Continent such as were suitable for the National Gallery. No material change was made in the inferior officers : instead of an occasional grant, there was to be inserted annually in the estimates for the National Gallery "a sum expressly for the purchase of pictures." To the office of director was attached a salary of 10001. a year The gentleman appointed to that very important post—one on which the future rank and character of the gallery must mainly depend—was Sir Charles Lock Eastlake, the President of the Royal Academy, distin guished alike as an artist and as a writer on art. To the office of keeper and secretary—an office more laborious probably, and scarcely less onerous than that of directur—a salary of 754 a year was attached, and the government was fortunate in securing for the post the services of Mr. R. N. Wornum, a gentleman well known as a writer on the history of painting, and the lives of painters, and possessed of an unusually extensive acquaintance with pictures and with art-literature. Both these gentlemen have continued to hold their appointments to the present time. The travelling agent was to have a salary of 3001. a year, and an additional allowance for travelling expenses while absent on his professional duties on the Continent. To this office Herr Otto Mfindler, a gentleman minutely acquainted with picture-galleries and old pictures, was appointed : the office was however abolished, in con sequence of a vote of the House of Commons iu Under this new constitution the National Gallery made a very re markable advance : not only were fresh pictures sought out and pur chased, but the pictures already possessed were carefully examined, some covered with glass, others cleaned, or measures taken for their preservation, while of the state of all a most careful register was drawn up : the whole institution, in fact, was put into better working order, and subjected to a more searching and constant supervision.