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[Illustration:  A LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY VERY MUCH AT SEA.

(AN INCIDENT OF MR. ASHMEAD-BARTLETT’S RECENT TOUR IN IRELAND.)

Mr. A.B. “WHY PAT, MY LAD, I SEE NOTHING TO COMPLAIN OF HERE.  THESE POTATOES ARE REMARKABLY FINE!”

Pat.  “BEDAD, SOR, BUT THEY’RE NOT PRATIES AT ALL, AT ALL.  SHURE, IT’S THE TURNIPS YOUR HONOUR’S LOOKING AT!”]

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PARS ABOUT PICTURES.

“The Royal Society of Painters in Water-Colours?” said young PAR.  “Nonsense! why all the water is frozen now, and so they can’t paint!” “Precisely,” replied I; “and that’s why it is a nice exhibition!” This so startled Young PAR that he slipped and fell.  I turned into the Gallery in Pall Mall, and left him sitting on the cold hard flags outside.  Inside pleasant enough.  BIRKET FOSTER’s “Island of Rum” very comforting—­should like some hot.  HERBERT MARSHALL—­our own City MARSHALL—­has gone further afield, to “Old Chelsea.”  Should now be called the Field MAR SHALL.  MATTHEW HALE, in “Gathering Blackberries,” is a hail fellow well met! “The Corso, Verona,” by S.J.  HODSON, shows that HODSON’s choice is a good one.  HENRY MOORE’s sea-pieces—­the more the merrier, say I. “Warkworth—­Sunlit Shower,” by A.W.  HUNT:  a walk worth taking when the hunt is up. “Holidays Past and Future,” suggests wide subjects and open spaces.  Why, then, is it painted by SMALLFIELD? “Wreck of the Halswell,” is a terrible catastrophe.  Can’t be “All’s Well.”  Possibly the painter, G.H.  ANDREWS, means “all swell”—­that seems a great deal more likely.  ALBERT GOODWIN shows himself to be a good winner in the “Ponte Vecchio, Florence.”  DU MAURIER delights us with some clever Society sketches in pen and pencil.  The veteran, Sir JOHN GILBERT, is as young, as dashing, as vigorous as ever.  H.G.  GLINDONI has two pictures full of humour and character.  STACY MARKS’ “Cockatoo” looks as if it had just flown in from the Zoo. “Au Sgarnach,” by C.B.  PHILLIP.  Title difficult to understand.  Landscape easy to comprehend.  A close study of Nature, admirably painted.  A wholesome Phillippic against namby-pamby prettiness. “On the Thames,” by G.A.  FRIPP, honestly painted, and no frippery about it.  Miss CLARA MONTALBA has a large number of pictures of Venice—­and Mr. RIDGE comes up and says he is the Keeper.  What Keeper?  He whispers, he is the Keeper of the Cold Out—­What an oridginal remark!—­and will I step into the Committee Room?  I do, and remain there, and continue to be

Yours par-adoxically, OLD PAR.

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ROBERT AT THE HOPERA.

I was habel the other day to do BROWN a good turn by getting him engaged at won of our big Otels, so he kindly offerd to stand a supper, and then take me to the Hopera at Common Garden.  We went to see Horfay.