The Press. — London, England, 1855-05-05 00:00:00

MAY 5, 1855. and the patrons of art, would relieve Mr. Hall from an expense which he ought not to be allowed to bear, and would be at the same time an appropriate testimony to his indefatigable industry in promoting the appreciation of art by the public, and to his liberal encouragement of many branches of it by the enterprises he has undertaken. The fourth part of the Royal Gallery of Art con tains two plates which will charm all lovers of pictures. The first is from " Fisher Boys, Coast of Norfolk," by Collins. The engraving is extremely delicate, and preserves with great skill the charac teristics of the original work—the clearness of the perspective—the showery sky, with gleams of sun shine playing on the sea—and the happy, careless expression of the boys, which Collins was peculiarly felicitous in rendering on his canvas. His genius as a painter resembled that of Crabbe as a poet ; but he has not either the gloom or the glory of " Nature's sternest poet ;" he was most attracted by cheerful aspects of nature, but in looking on his coast scenes we are irresistibly reminded of some of Crabbe' marine descriptions. This picture was greatly ad. mired on its nest appearance, and was obtained by the Prince Regent from Lord Liverpool. It is now in Windsor Castle. The uther plate is from Cana letti's " Dogana, Venice ;" and here too the style of the painter—in the clearness of the atmosphere, and distinctness of every outline—is faithfully preserved. In the works of this fertile artist, atmosphere as a medium of vision is scarcely ever discernible, and his works have, we rather think for this reason, the faculty of so completely filling the eye that they seem to expand as they are viewed, and, contrary to general rules of art, to produce the effect of the scene itself. Any person who will, for example, stand be fore the fine Canaletti in the National Gallery, with intent eye, will find himself abstracted from all other objects, and existing in the scene por trayed. London is lost. The National Gallery is no more. The mind is the dupe of the eye, and, by that effect of sense on intellect which is beyond our com prehension, we live in Venice, where the tall many storeyed houses look down upon the green and scarcely ruffled waters. The "Dogana" is a good specimen of the master, and has more bustle than his Venetian -views usually possess. The third plate is a portrait of the Princess Amelia, after Lawrence, painted before Sir Thomas had acquired his distinctive style, and when he seemed inclined to follow the manner of Reynolds. One More Return from Captivity. By the Rev. E. J. Ffoulkes, late Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford. London : Burns and Lambert. THIS pamphlet would be a mystery to all uninitiated into the mysteries of convert, and book, making. The preface is evidently written by a devout Catholic, who would sacrifice logic to the claims of his Church, yet it is equally manifest that the first portion of the body of the work comes from a Protestant, who has not lost all power of insight into the merits of any religious system. They who are ignorant of the fact that a preface is the last part written, would be as much puzzled with the changes in Mr. Ffoulkes's pamphlet as those unaccustomed to the Romish system of conversion would be with the changes in Mr. Ffoulkes's faith. In the first part of his -pamphlet he propounds difficulties in a logical man ner, that he either answers with sophistry, or evades entirely, in the second. Never was there a completer analysis of the changes gone through by a mind in its progress from Protestantism to Popery; but why be took that step we cannot discover from his pamphlet. How a man of so active a mind and such unusual scholarship could have satisfied his own conscience by such arguments is really astonishing. The Rivers of Paradise. By Major W. Stirling. London: Rivingtons. THE mouths of the Indus discharge themselves into the Gulf of Guzurat, and some miles lower down a river, called the Nerbudda, empties itself into the Gulf of Cambray. This river Major Stirling supposes was the Pison of Scripture, and that the region of the Nerbudda was the birthplace of Abraham. He believes, also, that Ophir and Havilah ware cities on the Nerbudda, and that the modern Baroach was the ancient Tarshish. He founds his conjecture princi pally on the gold, onyx stone, and other precious substances which at one ti-ne abounded in the region of the Nerbudda ; but, obviously, such facts alone .(if they be admitted) are insufficient to support the 'theory founded on them. The author appears to possess some knowledge of the literature and anti quities of India, but in his tract there is nothing which would lead one to place confidence in his judg ment as a commentator on the geography of Genesis. NEW MUSIC. Six Original Songs for the Young. Dedicated (by permission) to the Countess of Zetland. By Mrs. Kingston. London : Mills. Mits. KINGSTON will be remembered as the authoress of " Vocal Music for the Young," a work published iome few years ago, under the patronage of Lady THE PRESS. Noel Byron, consisting of songs, duets, canons, rounds, &c., of so easy and genial a character as in sensibly to accustom the ear to combinations of har mony, and lead children on to the practice and en joyment of music by more attractive steps than those usually supplied in infantine instruction. This work was warmly approved by some of the leading musical men of the day ; and no less deserving of praise and patronage is the present publication, which consists of songs only, the melodies of which, though simple, as they ought to be, are nevertheless individually appropriate ; the words being at the same time pleasant and intelligible for the children, and while no bad passion is encouraged, many a good habit is inculcated. We do not approve generally of attempts to com bine instruction and amusement, hut the present case is the "exception that proves the rule," and we heartily wish the authoress all the success she merits. WYLD'a MODEL OF SEBASTOPOL.—This model is not only a model of Sebastopol, but a model also of the entire position of the allies, and of the country for some miles beyond. There is nothing exhibited in London which gives the mind so tangible an idea of the camp and the town as this model. The diffi culties of the attack and the advantages of the defence are made apparent at a glance. The deep ravines, and the innumerable gulleys, and mountain gorges, which divide and subdivide the line of attack, are here shown in all their natural disagreeableness ; but at the same time the advantages of the allied position for defence appear to be in the same ratio. In short, to say that Mr. Wyld's model is perfect, and gives the best and clearest idea of the place it intends to represent, is saying no more than is due; and every one who wishes to attain a good practical idea of the respective positions of the allies and the Russians should carefully inspect this model. TO THE EDITOR OF " THE PRESS." Sir,—The lines on Lord Cloncurry as quoted by you are erroneous, and the true ones were made extemporaneously by the celebrated Charlotte de Burgh, not Lady Cahir. They run thus : Cloncurry Cloncurry! Come here in a hurry, And look at this nominal squire, Thu' they toss him so high, Betwixt you And 1, Your blankets have tort you much higher. O. M. LUTHER, of the Observatory of Bilk, discovered, on the night of the 19th ult., a planet of the eleventh rank, between Mars and Jupiter. This is the 43rd in our solar system. THE " Address to the People," written by Char lotte Corday, and found upon her person when she was arrested, was sold in Paris the other day for 770 francs. AMONG the passengers by the Iberia, which arrived at Southampton on Monday, was Alboni, who has been singing at Lisbon, and, it is said, has netted 4,0001. in three months. THE House of Representatives of the Illinois Legislature has enacted that a fine of 500 dole. be hereafter imposed on any lady who shall lecture in public in any part of the State without first putting on gentleman's apparel. A PARIS LETTER, in the Indipendance of Brussels, states that M. Larnartine, on the conclusion of his four volumes of the " Histoire de Turquie," will take a year's rest, and occupy himself with superintending the cultivation of his landed property. For the last four years he has set apart fourteen hours a day for work. The once-renowned Proudhon is said to be engaged upon a work to be called " Considerations upon the Railway System," in which he contends that the companies should be suppressed, and the direction placed in the hands of the State. M. LEVERRIER, director of the Observatory of Paris, is at present in Brussels, the object of his visit being to concert with the director of the Observatory in that city for the determination of the longitudes of Paris and Brussels by e.ectric tclekraph. That operation will serve as a verification of two similar determinations made, one between Greenwich and Brussels in 1853, and the other between Greenwich and Paris in 1854. PRINCE PETER DOLGOROUEY has just issued, at St. Petersburg, two volumes exhibiting the genealogy of the entire body of the Russian nobility, with authentic particulars as to the origin of their families, the part they have sustained in history, and the services they have rendered to the throne and la Petrie. The imperial Government favours this work, its policy just. now being to humour the noble classes. Ox enteiing Jerusalem on the 3rd ult., the Duke and Duchess of Brabant met with an enthusiastic re ception,—the Mnssulman authorities and the Roman Catholic clergy uniting to pay them respect. Ou visiting the church of St. Sepulchre, the Duke seemed much interested in viewing the spot where rest the remains of the hero of the Crusades, the re- nowned Godfrey de Bouillon. Sint arts. 431 THE OLD WATERCOLOUR EXHIBITION. ANNIVERSARIES of all kinds bring some painful me mento of the lapse of time, and ac each amulet opening ot the public exhibitions of whims) art there is much to suggest sad thoughts, and to mar the pleasure of our first visit. It is very gratifying, no doubt, to watch the progress that further study has . made the style of some of the exhibitors, and the accession o f . ri sing talent which the last year has given to their numbers. But it is sad to mark, as we often must, the works of favorites of the publio gradually dimin ishing in quantity and importance—a falling off which it is natural to attribute to sorrow or sickness, or some other such painful cause. And some are absent allogetiier—their place knows them no more. Since we last uoticed the Exhibition of Water-colour Painters in Pall-mall East, their accomplished president, Mr. Copley Fielding, has closed his amiable and blameless life, and, to our ad ditional regret, none of his latest productions have been sent to grace for the last time the exhibition of which, for so many years, his works formed a con spicuous attraction. 1 t is, however, no slight satis faction to his admirers that his later efforts have shown no decline of power. To the last lie struggled against the mannerism which is so frequemly the consequence of increased facility, and of success in one particular style. His cloudy skies, and distances obscured with blotting rain, his yeasty seas, lashed into fury by the squall, are, perhaps, the productions by which he will be best knuwu hereafter; yet there is nu one who has given with more truth the chalky cliff, and the dark blue or green sea, lit up by a bright sun, as the clear, strong breeze blows away the clouds in a summer day. He may be almost said to have discovered that the open expanse of dawn, diversified with no marked features, and bearing only the cha rooter of boundless extent, need not be rejected as deficient in "subject," but may be so bandied as to insure general popularity. His merits are forcibly recalled to our memory by the blank his absence creates on the present occasion. But., no.withstaud ing this and other similar subjects of regret, the present exhibition will, we doubt nut, afford the pub lic much pleasure by the excellence and variety of its contents. Compared with former exhibitions, we think the figure pieces bear a higher proportion than usual, both as regards number and merit, to the landscapes. Mr. Haag we think very much improved. His picture of "A Montenegrin Soldier on Guard" (No. 20) shows that he can dispense with his hot, foxy lights, and smoky, opaque shadows ; and now that he has made this discovery we may expect every thing from his industry and talent. "The Andalusian Letter-Writer," by Mr. Topham (No. 14.1), is a picture of great merit. I: he subject i not a new one it must be owned) is prettily treated, but, we commit approve of placing both of the two principal figures, and indeed most other obj,cts of any interest, in deep shadow. The high light falls only on the white plaster back-ground wall and on certain white plaster portions of distatice, which the want of aerial perspective brings quite as near. Br. adth, we admit, is a sine qud non to a pleasing picture, but even breadth should not be purchased at so great a sacrifice of interest. On either side of Mr. Topham's picture is a small drawing by Mr. Lewis, " The Well in the Desert " and "The Greeting in the Ihsert" (Nos. 135, 150), but we own they do not please us. Their want of shadow, perhaps, expresses the blaze of a nearly ver tical sun; but, if such be the effect of a vertical sun, why choose such a subject? Mr. Lewis seems to be trying the experiment, which not even in his hands can be successful, of substituting high finish and elaborate detail fur compositiou, chiaroscuro, and other qualities which we have hitherto considered essential to works of art. It is because we have so high an opinion of Mr. Lewis's talents, and have de rived so much pleasure from his works, that we ven ture to make this expostulation with him on the style he has recently adopted. Mr. Hunt's " Usurper " (No. 155) is a little ploughboy, who has stolen into the artist's room and has taken possession of his pallette and brushes. The boy's countenance expresses with much humour the delight with which the perfectly ignorant always contemplate their first attempts, no wetter how rude, at artistic imitations. Nu. 229, " Le Nalade lmaginaire," represents a man recoiling .on, which from the frightful necessity of taking a nauseous po tion, be has rendered still more repulave by pouring it into a teacup instead of a glass. If the illness be imaginary the patient at least gives the str ohgest proof of his strong conviction by his submitting to i this abominable draught. His features, t . our eyes do not deceive us, present a ca ri catineol. the must himself; but why he has cho sen to exhibit himself to his friends in the act of making a hideous grunace, and dressed in the coarsest but not the cleanest of shirts, and the most unbecoming of nightcaps, we cannot pretend to guess.