262 Mr Wilson's Observations on some of the 



made as comfortable as modern habits require, and still be in 

 harmony in point of form and taste with the edifice : what a 

 charming variety would thus be attained ! 



It is not my intention to dwell at any length upon the de- 

 fects of our system ; these, indeed, would themselves require 

 more than one paper. It must, however, be said, in justice 

 to our citizens, that what they have done is wonderful. When 

 we consider the actual neglect with which their interests have 

 been treated, their merit is very great ; indeed, they have 

 done as much as it is possible for mere artizans to do, and 

 have carried some of the ornamental arts to as high a perfec- 

 tion as can be attained by men who have not the education of 

 artists, and who are not instructed by their example. 



I repeat that I cannot omit all mention of fine art, although 

 the present paper bears a title which might authorize the 

 supposition that I intend to confine myself exclusively to de- 

 scriptions of arts which, according to our present mode of 

 thinking, have no connection, or, at any rate, a very slight 

 and distant one with t\\e fine arts. As I mean to endeavour 

 to shew that the contrary is the case, I shall briefly touch 

 upon the state of our School of Art, and offer a few obser- 

 vations upon the state of taste in this country. I shall then 

 glance at the state of art in Germany and France, and con- 

 trast the system adopted in those countries for the encourage- 

 ment and employment of art with that followed in ours. 



The history of the fine arts in Scotland is very remarkable. 

 We have seen a school struggle into very considerable ex- 

 cellence under circumstances of discouragement and neglect 

 unparalleled in the history of art. Our public is very ready to 

 congratulate us on this advancement ; but the chief merit is the 

 artists', and the public is very far from being entitled to any 

 great share of it. Art could not exist at all without some en- 

 couragement ; but if so much has been done by the artists with 

 so little aid, what might have been done had there been a more 

 general appreciation of the importance of the fine arts. The 

 public, generally speaking, are by no means so far advanced 

 in point of taste, as the state of art in this country should have 

 made them. We may easily form a judgment on this subject 



