last ten years, although there is practically nothing the matter with his eyes. He is a most accomplished linguist, and at his Sunday "At Homes," where there are sometimes representatives of many nationalities and tongues at his house, he will converse with them all one after the other in their own language. His kindness of heart is proverbial; he never fails to encourage; and he is refined geniality itself. As an instance of his kindly spirit for everybody, a capital story is told: On the occasion of a Royal Academy Exhibition the President was walking down the stairs of his house in full dress, on which two medals were displayed, to his carriage, when, wishing enter a small room in the vicinity, he found that the door was locked. It seems that his housekeeper, who had only been with him a few days, had hid herself in the little room with a view to catching sight of Sir Frederick departing for the Royal Academy. On opening the door she nearly fell into his arms. Sir Frederick happily realised the situation, and in the most genial manner possible turned himself round and round, and laughingly asked his housekeeper what she thought of him.
A study for a figure in "Andromache."
Sir Frederick Leighton's birth took place at Scarborough on December 3, 1830. There seems to be some little doubt as to which was the house in which this very interesting event took place. One thing is certain, that it was situated in Brunswick-terrace. A large private hotel and boarding-house has been erected on the old site. It seems that the old building was not entirely demolished, but the present one was built over it, the walls of several of the rooms being utilised as they stood. The lady who owns the hotel has stated that when her late husband purchased the place, they were given to understand that Sir Frederick was born in No. 1 room. The next-door neighbour, however, claimed for his house the honour of being connected with Sir Frederick. They determined to decide the dispute some years ago by an appeal to the great artist himself, and wrote to him accordingly. He was, however, unable to definitely locate the place of his birth, and so both houses still claim the distinction.
At a very early age the future President of the Royal Academy evinced a strong talent for painting. is a curious fact that whilst both his father and grandfather were doctors, and many other members of his family were talented in music, with the one exception of his mother's brother none of his relations showed any aptitude for drawing. His parents never for a moment doubted his qualifications for an artist, even at this early age; they simply declined to trust their own judgment in allowing their boy to follow art as a profession. Still, little Leighton never lost an opportunity of using his pencil. Every facility was given to him to follow out his inclinations, and his father, being a medical man, naturally saw that his son was well instructed in anatomy. At ten years of age his family went to Rome, and Sir Frederick began taking lessons from Signor Meli, but it was not until he was fourteen, when in
