The Press. — London, England, 1853-05-21 00:00:00

THE PRESS. MAY 21, 1853 there Is an additional security for his ignoranee on the point. The Etymological Compendium: a Portfolio of ()Hybl,' and larentions. Ity William Pulleyti. Third Edition, itevis.d and Improved by M. A. Thorns. London : 'Pegg and Co. IN this age of miseellaneons knowledge we need not wonder at the number or the success of works containing miseellaneous information. Among them Mr. Pulleyn's volume deserves to hold a creditable place. '1 he information it militants is abundant, and quite sufficiently miscellaneous. varying almost lite rally " from predestination to slea-silk." Miscella neous as it is, however, it seems to he intelligently arranged. is certainly very closely packed, and, so far as we have tested it. perfectly accurate. practically, it is not an argument, but an absur dity. We might us well say that all men are composers. and a thousand other things ; music is human, the musician is but a man ; painting is human, the painter is but a man : prize fighting is human, the priAe-fighter is but a man. We might push the argument very far : all horses are racers, for racing is equine—the racer is but a horse. The truth is. that all men are not poets, nor painters, even potentially. in the sense which our author means ; for ho means that, neeessarily, in the depths of their own souls they are as capable, one as another, of conceiving or in venting the glorious combinations of art. They are all perhaps capable (and this is the utmost that can be predicated of aill, yet not equally, of appreciating those ideas and those combinations, so soon as they are elaborated by more fertile and more vivid minds. We might as well say that the pomegranate is of every climate because pomegranate-growing is terraqueons, and the pomegranate is but. earth. It does not follow that because a person admits a truth when proved to him, that he could have discovered it without the aid of him who had thus first divined it himself and then made it clear to others ; nor that a man who can understand an argument when stated could have stated it of his own original mo tion ; nor that a man who can appreciate a poetical or any other artistic combination, when presented to him, had the same combi nation already in his own soul. Otherwise every admirer would be equal to him whom he admires ; deferential wonder would actually mean power; and (to carry this principle to its logical extent) a strange innovation would be introduced in the relations of the creature to the Creator. But let us entertain the reader with some of the marvellous arguments with which this new treatise is enforced. Having said that the poet has "no other feelings and nOlid other powers than those common to his brethren," and that poetry among mankind is at once self-existent and universal, we find this sen tence : "As one man waxes wroth when another in the same strait is unmoved , so what is p oetr y EXHIBITION OF tiEItMAN /der. to one mind is not to another?' In other words, 'fin: tine arts belong to no age or country, or rather, this self-eomplete and self-existing clement we should more properly say, belong to all. It is, depends for existence on its rec i p ient. therefore, with much satisfaction that we see an Again, he says : " The definition ( of poetry) exhibition of (lemma pictures opened in London. " must put no school beyond its pale ; it must We should hail with pleasure an exhibition, on the " ban neither the Oreek, nor the Gothic, nor plan of the so-called Crystal Palace, containing time " the Asiatic ; it must open its arms to all contributions of artists from every part of the world. Such a scheme would he much in the spirit of the '• poetry alike—dramatie, epic, lyrical ; it must aft ; and speculations on a vast scale ans now so ' apply to every v ariety of parole,. whether glow conunon that we do not despair of seeing our h int `• ing with all the colours of Shakspere , or &e. carried into effect. An exhibition on such a plan How does this agree with the theory that could not be otherwise than favourable to the pro poetry is different, not in nature, but in gress of art, by the opportunities it would atlhrd for degree only, from what is found in all men ? competition and comparison—a comparison which, if If poetry be limited by degree. the definition our national partiality sloes not deceive us,wey maitre must murk degroe, and must truce a limit of to predict would be very favourable to our own artists excellence in a universal quality, short of in every department. which limit there is no poetry, and beyond It is not less a proof of liberality than of taste that which it begins to exist. so large a portion of the pictures in this collection "The poet," he proceeds, - has net loftier have already been sold. Her Majesty has deigned to be a purchaser, and Lord Ellesmere has exercised " feelings or brighor visions than others. his usual judgment in the selection of some of the What then becomes of Mr. Dallas's axiom that best landscapes. it is in degree only that lie differs front others :'ln landscape villain.: a closer, or rather a mi- We next have a suicidal illustration : "As heat is miter, imitation of nature is permitted than we " found iu all bodies, poetry dwells with quick- should venture to recommend in historical composi " ening power hi every luau's soul ; but, only dons ; but we still think it is the general effects " here and there, nnt &trap, however, where it of nature, the form and the colour, that should be "may be hottest, it breaks out into visible fire imitated rathe r other thaless n theimporta minute details in the the flare- Now, this fire, according to his theory, - breaks ground and nt parts of "out' in the poet ; and the poet, we have senile. Throughout the whole of tese performances learnt, differs; from other men, not in having a we see the same carattlness an t ea the same labour ; fire of which they are devoid. but in the warmer but there is also the same monotony of tone, the degree in which he has it ; therefore, where it same want of atmosphere, and a general absence of "breaks out " (in the poet) "it is hottest " (for `.ivacity. 'Phis criticism, we fear, must be repeated in our . examination of each separate performance, Ire has it in a warmer degree)—and it is not for to each, in a greater or less dagree, is it applies where it is hottest that, at the same time, we lute, perhaps to none more titan to " Tho tionsl must expect it to break out. Samaritan" (:il), by Professor Schirmer. The de nte other theory is that poetry is begotten tails of each part are elaborated with such excessive of pleasure and begets it; while the grand m inuteness that the relative distance of the objects definition is that poetry is "the imaginative, is lost, anal cnet entirely destroyed. The figtuvs, "harmonious, and unconscious activity of the which in this composition are important, are very far " soul." Wso really have not time to treat these from good- There are two herot pictures by this two propositions as we have treated the first artist,—oonshine" ( X)), and a and Storm" t 20), on which they are founded. We must leave of which the last is the hest. the work in the hands of w the reader, ho, Mr. Oswald Achenbach c ontributes three pic tures—an " Italian Evening" (VI, a "Convent besides what we have indicated, will leant near Rimini" (2). and an "Italian Landscape" from its pages that " stockstillness is not (unnumbered). This last picture, which has been " pleasure,' and, further. this—" We do not purchased by Lard Ellesmere, is decidedly the " understand Keats ; we do not understand best of Mr. Achenbach's works, and is also " e eemebi : erhas e never will." Indeed if among the finest landscapes in the collection. he be thus p resolu p te w not to comprehend them The cuutpositiou is natural and beautiful, and Select Poems of Prior and Swift. London: Parker and SOH. THE poetic grain eontaint3d in the works of two tolerably voluminous writer , ' of poetry are hero pre sented within the compass of a hundred and eighty neat little pages, by dint of energetic winnowin... For such a pr, icess, indeed, both Prior and Swift otte;ed peculiar facilities. Their poems wear for the most part a light, careless, and amateur air, and consist, principally of short pieces. among s Welt are many written solely for friends; many written solely for themselves ; many trivialities, and many inde cencies. In such case the work of excision is easy and summary ; awl the resulting sclection " cum deserve no other praise than that which we con • scientionsly accord to the present volume—that it is done with judgment. OUlt LIBRARY TAIILE. The I;eenrille Corresoon.lenee. l'olA. 111 toed Ir. Murray. -Voltaire: vi the t'ottrt awl t'abiolets .;1' I ;earge II f.-I . lttlse (sl* lalek• in...:laun. Iltint mud Illaekett. The Nix Thrashers' Sermons. liontley. Nutes um tieitesis. .1. W. Furkcr awl S . Notes qt . a Si.r Imre . I Vvion. Niblwtt. Birth 4 the 11':r OA. A roma. Allen lola C.% Latin I:xereiges. .1. W. Parker awl son. Latin Grammar. .1. W. l'arker awl Sot'. t;oetlse's 1/pirtidet. .1. W. Parker and soil, 17w , Last 6/intiieg of t'onroeot;oa. 110awarla. A Letter to the .4reaishop or Imblin oa :Jigs semoes E x t ii bihh. meat. Rev. W. 6. Cookelley. Ridgway. Treatise on the Law and Proetice of Patents. J. I'. Norm a% 11. Atlianta. 111111 cl-worth. The Lonla and (•dayaoliq. iint Arts. 67 the tone of colour solemn and consistent — is true to nature also, though, perhaps, not to the nature of Italy. 'rho whole strength of the effect is ce utered in the middle aistanee, which is deep in colony, an d rAieved by a light foreground and a elem. sky. In the foreground there is a gringo of two children* killing a serpent kilo, serpent is far too prominent ► : they ttr.. well drawn, and their attitude is natural. We regret that their colour is somewhat feeble. Of the other two landseape:i the best is " The Convent;' thought we cannot congratulate Mr. Aelienbaeli on having KlitTeCtlesi in relidOring L Allan colou r . gravelly " sunset " is neither trite to nature no;• betuttiful in art. Mr. Antlr.‘as Achenbaelt contributes two pictures — a Swedish Landscape" (:1:1), and a " Storee It would not be fair to complain of the atntoiplierie tone of a Swedish lantlseape for being cold ; the artist proposed Ito doubt to represent the featnrets of the country under their usual aspeet ; but nature iti \ ory eoentry lets endless variety, anti in Sweden, though the prevailing colour may be cold and bleak. the I thwnee of suteight must be to warm and animate ; and in this Ovum. , (as in twiny others of the same collection) the sun shines, as through smoked glass, with diminished lustre and a feebler glow. A storm at sea is &Moult to render. and not often vet, sueoessfol, though all painter.; have made the etrort. It is treated M E . Aeltenbaeh with power and effect. Mr. A. Lou is one Or the artist• who... perfor mances have received the most solid and guttering proofs of success. A large picture representing the ".1 time:ran " Mountain is one of the purehases of Lord Ellesmere, and we have heard a very large sum named as t h e price. It midoniaedly p oss e s ses man y claims to admiration. The whole is finished w ith a 1411.41ab14 4 care ; and the detail of the snow 1111 l tin ants, IP: well as their general effeet is very successfully given. The manipulation of this seltool is totally different team that of the Midi masters, and the result i naturally no less ditferent. NVltile the trans parent colours in whielt the Initeli and Flemish artists painteil nearly the whole of their pictures gi‘e a melting softness and sparkling vivacity to the whole, the opaque and solid panning t•fthe mo t ier mans renders every ol t ieet substantial, tangible, and dull; t h ese last, perhaps, despise the use of !Oozing co lours as a trick, and thus they olusittuily raise a barrier against themselves, and abandon the readiest and hap piest method of producing effect. In this picture of Mr. Len, besides this &feet (for so we must call it ), we have to regret that the foreground is feeble and poor, wanting in effect, with a crudeness of colour which we fear neither time nor mastic varnish will overcome. A " Scene in Norway" (12) represents on apprioaelt - ing thundennorm with great truth anti power ; oho clouds rolling upwards disclose a distance of sparklitig brilliancy, in admirable contrast with a woody and rue kv foreground. The "Norwegian Ffords" (27), by the same artist, has great truth of colourint.t, with more strength of effeet ; in both, howeNer, we have to regret it degree of' heaviness and want of atmosphere in the ,Ity, and of vivacity and force in the foreground. which ditui • wishes the effect and neutralises the care bestowed on detail. Another Maitre. representing the same descriptio n of seenery, is that which 1114•4 6411 purclutsed by the Queen ; the cold grey twilight tor the arctic sunshine. is , riven with more than tho usual efliwt. We ii ro, minded by these pictures orthe eloquent descriptions o f the northern regions in NI. de t!tistine's work on ltitssia ; although the sun is shining brightly (its 'nightly as it. shines in Norway) the storm is lowering in the distance, and the water exhibits that black and slightly milled surface that denotes the approaching conflict, even before the winds are unloosed that are to provoke it; the birds, too, are on the wing. direct ing their ominous flight to their resting places on the mountain. We must not be sapposed insensible to this truly poetical Inc:dine:it if we watt that we w ish a little more colour hall Steen given to the foreground, and that the greens hal been somewhat enriched. A " Norwegian Landscupe " unnumbered), by - Mr. Bottom, a native, we believe, of the county, conveys an indescribable wonvietion of its truth to nature, even to those who do not know the country. A water fall on the left hand ti parses its spray, and softens every object seen through its sunny mixt. The dis tance is clear and lucid ; a range of Know mountains bound the horizon, and the foreground tints want neither variety nor vivacity. The "Twi Scenes in Southern 'ltaly." by Mr. A. Weber (13 and 15), have merit, but we feel great difficulty in making any discriminating remarks upon works which all possess the sumo merits and the same defects, ‘arying only in degree. The' landsvapes are cow-Mb-rally in advance of the historical elimpositions ; indeed these lust hardly • deservt3 our attention at all. Landscapes have always an interest when they represent some interesting Mud, just as a WA p or trait pOWietiSCS it its the resunt blanee of all individual; but a bad historical picture can lay no claim to notice. In the few historical l pictures the collection contains there is the same f r 1 r .