John Ormsby

“ Ford's love of art was hereditary. His maternal grandfather, Mr. Booth, was an eminent connoisseur and collector of pictures, and his mother, Lady Ford, an amateur artist of exceptional ability; and in the opinion of competent judges he himself might have been no less distinguished as a painter than as a man of letters. His sketches, brought home from Spain, often served as the originals of his friend David Roberts's illustrations of Spanish architecture and scenery. ”

“ He may be said to have been the first to make Velazquez known to English readers, for in Madrid alone Velazquez is to be seen, as he says, 'in all his protean variety of power.' His article upon Velazquez in the 'Penny Cyclopædia' was followed by one in the 'Quarterly Review' (No. clxv.) upon the predecessors of Velazquez and Murillo, and the history of the various schools of painting in Spain; and these, with the masterly article in No. cliv. upon the history of Spanish architecture, make up a treatise on Spanish art no less remarkable for its learning than for its lucidity and brilliancy. ”

“ It does not profess to be anything more than a mere outline sketch of the literary history of Spain, but, though not of unimpeachable accuracy any more than the authorities on which it relies, it is in the main correct, and is, moreover, written in a pleasant, lively style. It was translated, with additions, into French in 1810, under the title ‘Essai sur la Littérature Espagnole.’ During the next few years Dillon produced several works: ‘A Political Survey of the Sacred Roman Empire,’ dealing with the constitution and structure of the empire rather than with its history ”