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Letter from CHARLES TAYLOR to SOCIETY OF ARTS, written 23 April 1803 , at Adelphi, London

Source: MS AD/MA/104/10/403, Royal Society of Arts, London.

The Secretary of the Society of Arts, Charles Taylor1 had been asked by the Society to produce a revised version of the pamphlet describing Barry's paintings in the Great Room, The Progress of Human Culture; see Taylor to Barry, 22 January 1803.

Society of Arts &c.
Adelphi Ap^l 23^d April 23rd - 1803

Gentlemen

I have found myself much at a Loss how to act in the Task you have imposed upon me, of furnishing to you an abridged Account of M^r Barry s Barry's excellent paintings agreeably to the Corrections you have suggested to me, on the Ground of the papers he has furnished being voluminous.

To the cursory Visitors of public Amusements the Account I have produced may be thought sufficient, but to those persons who wish to pursue the Spirit & Feeling of this great Artist the Omission of any Thought or Expression of his may be lamented.2 With Deference however to your Orders I have discharged the Duty you have pointed out to me, & remain respectfully Gent-ⁿ Gentlemen .

Your obed.^t Serv.^t obedient Servant

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1 ^
Taylor] Charles Taylor (d.1816), a chemist from Manchester, succeeded as Secretary to the Society on the death of Samuel More in 1799; his portrait was printed as the frontispiece of the Society's Transactions, 1817, vol. xxxv. [img]

2 ^
may be lamented] Taylor regrets having to leave out many of the comments Barry had sent him. Barry responded by publishing an explanation in the Monthly Magazine, 1 September 1803.