254 Mr. West's Present to the Pennsylvania Hospital. conductors of the Sarmatians: the Sclavonians must not be confounded with the Slaves; they were neither purely Slaves nor purely Sarmatians; their nation, formed by the Sarmatian Yazyks, comprehended many Illyrians, of Slavian origin. The Greeks translated the name of Slaves (praiseworthy) by Enetes (cele brated). The method pursued in this work is not, perhaps, sufficiently strict, but it is the result of extensive research, and abounds in curious information. Very considerable works in cast iron are now executed in Russia. A gate of this kind in the form of the antique triumphal arches, has just been erected in the space of four days at the entrance of the garden of Zarskoe-selo. The Emperor ordered the following inscription, in Russian and French, to be placed in the front of this monument: To my dear companions in arms. His Majesty was so well pleased with this work, that he has given directions for the construction of a pavilion adorned with a peristyle, and surmounted with a cupola, the whole of cast iron. At the riding-house for the Horse Guards, the statues of Castor and Pollux, executed in Italy, of Carrara marble, have just been set up. This edifice is an imitation of the temple of Minerva, at Cape Sunium. Prince Labanow is building, in Isaac's Place, a palace which will cost 3 millions of rubles; it will be embellished with 42 columns of colossal size entirely of iron. The Emperor has directed the anatomical cabinet of the Chevalier LODER, physician to his Majesty, so universally esteemed as an anatomist and professor, to be purchased for the Academy of Medicine of Moscow. This cabinet is well known to be one of the most complete of the kind, and to contain a great quantity of rare subjects. Capt. KRUSENSTERN in a letter to Capt. BURNEY, dated Revel, Oct. 1,1817, informs him that letters had a few days before been received from Lieut. KOTZEBUE. On leaving Kamtschatka, in July, 1816, he sailed through Behring's Straits, and succeeded in ranging the coast of America to lat. 67°, where he discovered a large inlet extending far to the castward. He was obliged to quit it without exploring the whole, but intended to resume his examination in the following year. Capt. Krusenstern does not himself believe that a communication exists between the North Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean, but remarks that the discovery of this inlet holds out some pro"ability that one may yet be found. SOUTH AFRICA. [April 1 An interesting discovery, an account of which has been received by the Admiralty, was lately made about 20 miles north of Cape Town. Some persons in digging, struck against what appeared a beam of timber, but on tracing it, they found a ship imbedded in the soil. A plank of it has accompanied the account of the discovery; it appears to be cedar and is in good preservation. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, A periodical work entitled Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Phi ladelphia has been begun in that city. Its conductors invite men of science to avail themselves of this journal for the establishment of a regular scientific communication between Europe and America. The following is a copy of the letter from the venerable President of the Royal Academy of London to the Mana gers of the Pennsylvania Hospital, which accompanied the gift of one of the spirited productions of his pencil to that insti tution : London, August 1st. 1817. BENJAMIN WEST, Historical Painter to his Majesty George the Third, and President of the Royal Academy of Arts in London, feels the highest satisfaction in informing the managers of the Pennsylvania Hospital, of his having finished the Picture of our Saviour receiving the Lame and the Blind in the Temple to Heal them, which he has painted for that Institution, and which he by the ship Electra, Captain Williams, to be has the honour of sending to Philadelphia, there deposited: and Mr. West bequeaths the said picture to the hospital in the joint names of himself and his wife, the late Elizabeth West, as a gratuitous offer, and as an humble record of their patriotic affection for the State of Pennsylvania, in which they first inhaled the vital air-thus to perpetuate, in her native city of Philadelphia, the sacred memory of that amiable lady, who was his companion in life for fifty years and three months. It is Mr. West's most sincere wish, that this donation may be of some pecuniary be nefit to an hospital, which is founded for humane purposes, and on principles of good will towards man. done his utmost endeavours to render that Mr. West assures the managers he has picture, in every point of art, as perfect as his humble abilities would permit, and he requests the President and Managers of the Pennsylvania Hospital will accept his sincere thanks for the very handsome preparations they have made for the reception of his picture, and assures them he shall ever retain a high sense of their liberality, and feel proud 1818.J Fossil Remains of Oceanic Serpents in America. his name being recorded in an institution which has his most cordial wishes in support of its benign purposes, and for its prosperity. Dr. MITCHILL, of New York, in a letter written to a gentleman at Washington, mentions in farther confirmation of the existence of great oceanic serpents, like the marine monster which appeared in August last in the ocean near the coast of Massachusett's, that he possesses the vertebræ and teeth of one dug out of a hill near Murfreesborough, from the bank of the Meherrin river, in North Carolina, in 1816. A single joint of the back bone weighs 12lbs. and the two teeth 1lb. each. The teeth are triangular, having a base of 44 inches, and sides of 6 inches. These enormous relics are partly of a skeleton at least 40 feet long, naturally buried in a gravelly stratum, abounding with the shells of clams and scallops, sixty miles from the ocean, at Currituck, and disinterred by digging FINE BRITISH INSTITUTION, PALL-MALL. We resume our remarks on the exhibition of the British Institution. No. 232. Christ in the Garden, W. BROCKEDON. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven strengthening him.-St. Luke, chap. xxii. v. 43. No. 248. Christ raising the Widow's Son at Nain. Now when he came nigh unto the gate of the city, behold there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, weep not. And he came and touched the bier; and they that bare him stood still, and he said, young man, I say unto thee, arise. And he that was dead sat up and began to speak; and he delivered him into the hands of his mother. And great fear fell on all. St. Luke, chap. vii. 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16th verses. 255 away the ground for the construction of a mill. Capt. Neville. from whom I received them, says Dr. Mitchill, described to me the curious spectacle of the soil overspread with such huge remains of an animal perhaps like the one now alive and sporting in his element, and exciting the admiration of our citizens. A description of this latter has been drawn up by General David Humphreys, who has with great care collected all the evidence that could be procured respecting this extraordinary visitor. A committee appointed by the Linnean Society of New England has published a pamphlet on the same subject, containing numer ous depositions of persons by whom this animal was seen. Evidence is also adduced, tending to prove that either this, individual, or some other of the like species, has occasionally visited the Bay of Penobscot during the last thirty years. ARTS. very lofty pretensions; his pictures all aim at the highest rank; and he is, moreover, a candidate for fame in sculpture. We do not urge this as a demerit, for, as Horace remarks, poets and painters may attempt every thing; but where there is a deficiency of adequate and corresponding merit to sustain the attempt, the failure is as conspicuous as the success would have been, had the utmost good fortune awaited the artist. The picture, No. 252, of Christ in the Garden, is, we think, the best of this artist's perform ance; the forms and colours are good, or at least better than in the other, and the flesh particularly is superior; the head of the angel is excellent, although the figure is harsh and unnatural. We cannot admire the attitude of Christ; the action of wringing the hands is not ma naged with skill: there is nothing in it of dignified grief; it indicates rather the squeezing of a lemon than the corporeal expression of that unutterable anguish which is so eloquently described in the succeeding verse to that which has been affixed to the picture. The picture of Christ raising the Widow's Son at Nain, has, we are astonished to hear, received the first premium from the Directors; we cannot ourselves detect its superiority over many other works in the gallery: to us it appears to be without almost all the requisites of a fine painting; it is common-place in its forms, its colour, and its expression, and 256 Exhibition of the British Institution. is great only in its size. We apprehend the Directors must have been desirous of encouraging our young artists to aim at high historical compositions, and therefore chose rather to bestow a disproportionate reward, than appear to be insensible of the value of the attempt.Of the policy of this proceeding, we how ever entertain great doubts, and think, with the learned and able professor of painting at the Royal Academy, that thus profusely to encourage mediocrity, will eventually tend to debase rather than encourage the arts. Of No. 176 we shall only observe, that we trust that Mr. Brockedon will give to it much study before he transfers his subject from the sketch to the picture: at present, though the story is well told, the picture is by far too busy and thronged; the subordinate groupes thrust themselves as much upon your notice as those to which they ought to be accessorial. The canvas is all specks, and the eye leaves it with a sense of fatigue, which makes one sympathize with the dove of the ark, which returned from its wearisome flight without having found a resting-place. No. 22. A Cardinal, G. H. HARLOWE. -This is a very fine and masterly head, and is not, like many of the heads in this exhibition, portraits miscalled studies; it has confirmed our opinion of the talents of the painter, who bids fair to be an ornament to his art. The fine rich colour and the breadth of form of the cardinal's costume, are admirably calculated for effect, and have been managed with great success by Mr. Harlowe; he has infused a character of dignity into this head, and made it perfectly expressive of the learned elevated churchinan. No. 242. Elijak in the Wilderness, WM. ALLSTON. And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and turn to the eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Chireth, that is before Jordan. And it shall be that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. So he went and did according to the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Chireth, that is before Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread, and For this species of merit Mr. Brockedon seems to have a particular relish; he details the size of the proposed picture at Exeter Cathedral with evident satisfaction; it is to be "34 feet in length by 20 in height." [April 1. flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook, Vide 1 Kings, c. xvii. v. 2—6, In our last number, we offered our humble meed of approbation to Mr. HOFFLAND's picture of Jerusalem at the Time of the Crucifixion, and we feel great pleasure in having to record the presence of another work somewhat si milar, of equal merit. The subject is ad mirably supported, and we are forcibly reminded by some parts of the picture of the masterly conceptions of Salvator Rosa. The character of the scene is barrenness, and the style is uniformly severt and grand; the rude branches of unfruitful trees are stretched across the pic ture, and produce a most impressive e fect; they indicate a wilderness in which the prophet's sustenance would have been impossible, but from the supernatu ral provision of his God. The colouring is simple and expressive. No. 281. Moses breaking the Tables, A. AGLIO.-The figure is very far from being good; his attitude is almost grotesque, and the clenched fist is a very inadequate action for the incensed pro phet. The unusual skill of the landscape rescues the fame of the painter, though not that of the picture. We have seldom seen any thing more beautiful than the distance, which is in an exquisite tone of colouring. No. 201. The Boar that killed Adonis brought to Venus. When Venus saw Adonis dead, She bade her Cupids trace the grove, And bring the boar that kill'd her love. This picture, though very dissimilar in fault as the preceding; the figures are character, is encumbered with the same In this instance, a beautiful sylvan scene destructive of the effect of the landscape. of a representation of the last couplet of is excellently well painted; but, instead the motto, you see a set of little chubby Cupids playing with a tame boar, for any other would instantly relieve himself from their confinement. In order, however, to prevent the least doubt on this head, the artist has placed one of his little favourites on the boar's back, on which he rides as he would a rocking-horse; and instead of the customary instrument of flagellation, a whip, this adventurous youth uses his bow. No. 10. Lambeth, looking towards Westminster Bridge, J. STARK.-This is a charming picture, and the artist has 麵 1818.] Exhibition of the British Institution. contrived to give a greater degree of effect to the scene, than from its proximis ty people would suppose possible: he bas not, however, violated nature; he has only done that which is properly the painter's province, chosen her in her most happy and becoming garment. No. 127. Scene on the Boulevards, Paris, W. COLLINS, A.R.A.-This is a very clever representation of French habits, and although descriptive of their peculiarities, has nothing offensive or illnatored about it; you have the force of a caricature, without its defiance of nature. No. 187. Landscape, Cattle, and Figures, R. WESTALL, R. A.-We have ever been professed admirers of this gentleman's pencil, but have to regret his mannerisin and raw glaring colour. On this occasion, he has exhibited all his wonted talent, without any of the failings which have usually accompanied it. Mr. W. WESTALL has some very beautiful pictures; so has Mr. T. J. JACKSON. His picture of Morning, No. 40, is replete with the fresh hues which belong to that portion of the day. Mr. GLOVER, Mr. FIELDING, Mr. MARTIN, and many other gentlemen, have ably supported our national claim to pre-eminence in landscape painting. There is evidently no dearth of talent in this department of the art, and we are, therefore, the more astonished at the admission of some of the pictures before us; for instance→→ No. 82. A View in Kent, with a Shower of Rain, W. CAPON, which is as vile a performance as ever disgraced the walls of any exhibition. It is too bad to hang it up with such pictures as Hoffland's, 32 and 156, or Mr. Westall's, 187. No. 36. An Afternoon's Nap, F. P. STEPHANOFF. This is decidedly the best picture of domestic life; it is full of cha racter and force, and in the handling is very masterly. The picture represents a young girl, who avails herself of her father's" afternoon's nap," in order to snatch an interview with her lover; his entrance, however, disturbs a dog, who does not dose quite so soundly as the father, and the girl intimates, by action, that her swain must not advance. colours are mellow and rich, and the forms faithful to nature. The No. 205. The Sailor's Home, H. SINGLETON is a very pretty and interesting sketch; the glow from the cottage fire lights up the prominent parts of the figures and faces with great effect. It has all the interest and none of the slovenli ness which we sometimes notice in the 257 works of this gentleman. The story is lose The smallest portion of the welcome news; Mr. W. Erry has two or three pictures in this exhibition; his Warrior's Head, No. 111, is a very masterly study. Mr. G. JONES has several excellent paintings; his No. 2, Peter denying Christ, is a very promising sketch; there is, perhaps, a little want of harmony, which may be excused in a sketch. The groupe of soldiers half concealing a fire, ceived and executed.--No. 188, an to the right of the picture. is well consketch. In his little warm landscapes he Earthquake at Sparta, is also a very fine retains all his wonted talent. Alpine Mastiff, No. 66, and Study of a Dog, No. 165, are very clever in their way; and taking into account the extreme youth of the artist, they become extraordinary. There is a class of pictures in this collection to which, before we conclude, we must devote a few observations; we mean portraits misnamed. None can bear a greater enmity than we do to these idle productions, which are the lowest efforts of the art; but if we are doomed to bear with them at all, let them be presented without disguise, and not with the useless and affected appendage of some trite name, which is destined to conceal their primitive destination: the attempt to deceive is as fruitless as it is disingenuous. For instance, we have an indifferent portrait, something like those which one sees at the shop on Ludgatehill, which is thus described in the catalogue. mestic Comforts. Man may for wealth or glory roam, NUGENT. The spectator naturally expects a picture of a high class, conveying a moral sentiment, representing a woman either at her" studies," or in the performance of her social duties. We could have forgiven Mr. GREEN, the artist, had he led his subject to the ironing-board, or the wash-tub; even a rolling-pin and a 258 Intelligence in the Fine Arts. dumpling like Massinger's Justice Greedy, might be made an illustration of his title and motto; but how will our readers be surprised to learn, that the philosophy of woman consists in tantalizing a cat with the sight of some gold-fish in a glass vase. There is another, No. 93, The Female Student, by Mr. WATSON, which, though a much better picture, is also objectionable as being a portrait miscalled. The roses on the cheek of this pretty brunette have been unimpaired by the midnight lamp; and the head, if it is to have a fine name at all, would have been much more appropriately entitled "The Fashionable Student." In sculpture, the finest performance is the work of the late Mr. THEED, R. A. It is called Thetis, and represents that goddess as bearing the "immortal arms" to her son. The figure is excellent and expressive; the shell and all the adjuucts are in good taste, and well executed. No. 203. Patroclus slain, Mr. ScouLAR, is a very energetic composition. No. 306, The Rape of Proserpine, and No. 304, The Judgment of Paris, JAMES HEFFERNAN, are excellent studies, full of action, and exceedingly well expressed. Of No. 300, by Mr. BROCKEDON, we cannot speak in very high terms. With study, he may excel in either painting or sculpture; but-Non omnia possumus omnes. In conclusion, we repeat our most cordial commendation: there are some very fine and honourable productions in this collection; but we fear, by the presence of others, which we forbear to mention, that the Directors have fallen into the practice of the editors of newspapers, of whom Dr. Johnson said that their great failing was that, not content (as coach-masters were) with starting their vehicle at a particular time, they must also start full." The consequence of this practice is obvious; in the default of good pictures, bad ones are admitted, and the arts and artists of the country are debased. INTELLIGENCE. Interesting Antiquities discovered [April, 1, Egypt, with the perusal of which we have been favoured, we learn, that the attempt to remove the colossal bust of Mcmnon, from amidst the ruins of Thebes, made in the course of last year, had perfectly suc ceeded. It had been conveyed to Alex andria, where it was embarked for Mal ta, for the purpose of being brought to England, to be placed in the British Museum. The bust is described in the let ter as consisting of a single piece of gra nite, of a flesh colour from the top of the head to the neck, the rest being grey; the weight is computed at fourteen tons, The writer of the letter made several excavations, and discovered a row of sphinxes of black marble, with the bodie of women and lions' heads, beautifully sculptured, and several of them quite perfect; and also a statue of Jupiter of cream-coloured marble. After reaching Alexandria with the bust, he took a second journey to Thebes, and re-commencing his excavations, he discovered a beautiful colossal head of Osiris; one of the arms was also found, which measured 11 feet. After working for twenty days, a temple was opened, containing fourteen large chambers, including a spacious hall, in which were found eight colossal statues, thirty feet high, all standing, and quite perfect. Four others were found in the sanctuary. The walls were covered with hieroglyphics. A small statue of Jupiter, found in the great hall, and twe lions with ox heads, were brought from thence, for the purpose of being also conveyed to England. The monument to the memory of Fox is expected very shortly to be erected in Westminster Abbey. On Thursday, 5th March, the annual dinner for the promotion of the Artists General Benevolent Fund, took place at the Albion House, Aldersgate-street, H. R. H. the Duke of Sussex in the chair We are happy to learn that the Society is flourishing, and that a considerable subscription was on that day collected. Some notice will be taken in our next of the new Picture Gallery opened in Leicester-square, for the sale and exhibition of pictures. We very highly ap in prove of this institution, which is intended to guard purchasers from the frequent impositions of the dealers. (From the Morning Chronicle.) By a letter from a gentleman now in |