The National Register. — London, England, 1812-05-10 00:00:00

I. If11^111111111• 1 MAY lo ‘2,9 I greater displ2y of execution than of feeling, and excite more admiration of the skill of the performer than real gratification. The duet between itmi Am and Mr. ROVEDINO, jun. was remarkably melodious. This ynnng Gent:eman made his first appearance en any Stage in this Opera. —Timidity seemed to have palsied his limbs, but his voice retained all it; sweetneFs and powers! His taste seems correct, and when habit of the stage shall have restored pliancy to his muscles and ease to his coun tenance, and softened the rigidity of his declamation, into something snore like natural conversation, we have no doubt but he will be able to attain high eminence, as he really appears to possess great vocal capa city. Mr. LOVEGROVE in Marcell:*, OxBERRY in his Serrant, RAYMOND in .b'aron Toralri, displayed considerable ability; as well as IVlrs. BLAND and Miss Keeev in their respective parts. The scenery is splendid, and as the piece really surpasses in interest most other productions of the kind; as the dialogue is not devoid of sense and morality, and the songs unite more than the name of poetry with real melody, it is not astonish in that it should have met with success, and should continue to please. FINE ARTS. BRITISH INSTITUTION. No. 187.—The Higler's Cart. By W. R. BIOG. A. R. A.—We have been for several years in the habit of feeling a great deal of pleasure in inspecting the performances of this ingenious associate of the Royal Academy. There is a peculiar neatness in his touches and a gaiety in his manner of colouring the different objects, which are always certain to secure applause ; but whether, it is not favourably placed forscru tinizing inspection, or bangs ton near that wonderful cartoon, Christ herzlin.g Me Sick, which seems to monopolise, by its transci.odent merit, the whale attention and deserved admiration of the room, which its powerful attraction generally firs; however, we must confess that we were disappointed in the effect of the Jfiglee's Cart. No. 184.-4 View.front IVythanz Hill, near o.l:fi)rd. By W. Tux NPR. —At a certain distance this landscape has certainly a great tffect upon the beholder; the colouring is clear and forcible enough, the masses are well thrown and harmoniously conceived—the skies lively and ingeni ously striped by properly tin t ed clones ; but why should an artist of merit affect to waste his colours upon the roughest part of the prepared canvas? we are full rvare of the strong effect produced by the rays oc. tight failing upon the °Millie sides of the irregularities, or small emin encies of rough surfaces, a principle which explains the reason why a face wrought into roughness by the apparently envious hand of the Julian-pox, shines at a distance with more eclat than a smoother one ; bat, est innflus in rebus, and we know also that all sorts of exc , 83 are blameable. This painting, which might he thought at horn,' in Miss woon's Exhibition, appears here at+ aliomaly, and excnts surprise, bet we are concerned to say,it is surprise without pleasure. No. I 99.—Alirthpresents a Picture or yo:::s and Cupid. By \V. E rry. This is a very pleaAng allegory and does honour to its atithsr. The face of Mirth is what we expect from the .4,1e.. : r0 of Milton and the design is pleasing. We hope to see next year something of more con sequence from the pencil of Mr. ETTv. EXHIBITION OF MR. WILI4:IE'S PICTURES. The happy coincidence of Mr. viriLicit's Exhibition being opened nearly opposite to the British Gallery; and this National Repository ' of the art of painting, containing and preienting to the view the finest Picture which this nation has produced (Christ Healing the Sick) has rendered Pall Mall the centre of attraction, to which, from all parts of the town, and we may say also, of the country, curiosity and taste drive the carriages of the great, and direct the steps of all who feel a desire of inspecting what is really goad. In the one you see what strength of imaginati:m can invent; what majesty the free hand of the muse can strike on the canvas; you admire the genius of the Roman school in Great Britain, and in an Artist, who like Micu...E L. A s ctio, TurtAN, OTTO VE NUTS, TENIER s, and several others, has preserved his mental powers and steadiness of hand to a very advanced age. In the other you admire in a y - nth, the talents of maturer years ; on small canvas or iroinels, within the coAn d area of a few inche', you see all what patience; nicety of pencillidg, and b hiness of touches, has ever done trt the Netherlands. This prevents man in the neglige: of nature, with humour and gaboy—the other displays the imposing spectacle of our v:e::liness and infirmities assisted by the Supreme Being. Both these TILT, NATIONAL BFCISTFR. exhibitions amuse, interest, and instruct. To return to the Caledonian TENIEAS : No. 3.-4 Game Keeper, painted in 1811.—This small performance has already received the just tribute of public praise, to which it is entitled, at the Exhibition at Somerset House, where it was exposed last year, with N 0.15. The Wardrobe ransaked.—The first is a portrait, the second a scene from nature. The Game Keeper is painted with an astonishing deal of pathos ; his eyes are particularly fine as to expression, his features are the mirror of his mind, and you easily guess that he reckons within himself the coveys which he has missed, and meditates upon future exploits. The pheasant's plumage would do honour to the hand of GERARD Dow ; and all the implements are finished in an ex quisite manner. In the other picture, the humour of the scene is really pleasing, and the handling exhibits a freedom of strokes perhap not to he equalled by any other of the w6rks of the same artist. It has the mellowness of GREVZ E, with the elegance of VAN HARP. No. 4.—Blindman's Buff (unfinished.) —This is a comic drama, com posed of several ludicrous scenes, and conformable to the unity of place and action. The subject is familiar; and all the groups contri bute, though detached from the principal one, to the general effect; the scene is appropriate, and, although the piece has not received the finishing touches and animating strokes from the hand of the master, yet, not unlike a beautiful woman, who, though in her dishabille or half-dressed, is always sure to please, this performance gathers every day before itself a crowd of smiling and admiring spectators. When completed, it will be one of the best coloured pictures of the Artist, and we heard it whispered in the room, that it will be honoured with a place:in the valuable collection of the PRINCE REGENT. M„• The abundance of other important matters, have compelled us to po.tpone, till next Sunday, our observations upon the Exutat nos 01 THE ROYAL ACADEMY at Somerset House. REVIEW OF LITERATURE. A NEW TRANSLATION OF OVID'S METAMORPHOSES. BY THOMAS ORGER. Genies, like its Divine author, is considered a creative power, acting however on created materials, but giving them a new existence, by the skilfulness of its arrangement. Originality has therefore always been deemed one of its chief characteristics. This opinion is widely spread. It is entertained, not only , by the contemporaries and admirers of men of genius, but by themselves, and too often influences their conduct. Unwilling to resign what they conceive to be their birth-right and mental charter, they exert all their abilities on subjects of their own and generally disdain the humbler, though useful employment of tran scribing the thoughts and beauties of elevated minds from the legends of antiquity. To this disposition on their part, encouraged by the gene ral opinion of mankind, may be attributed the dearth of excellent tran slations from all deserving ancient poets. Pope has indeed clothed the sublimity of Homer in English melody. Rowe has displayed the strength and softened the turgidity of Lucan in his version, and Dryden has j ably and sometimes beautifully rendered the expressive elegance of IVirgil's poeti y. But-with the exception of this great triumvirate, we find but few other super-eminent names on the fist of British transla tors. Indeed it is the same in every country, and Delille excepted, France cannot point out any of her first-rate authors, whose powers were displayed on that branch of literature. This, however, may hate been an act of policy on their part: as they plunder largely both from the ancients and moderns they may have abstained from translating through fear of proving their own betrayers. Not perhaps quite exempt from the prejudice which we have de scribed, we opened Mr. Orger's new translation of Ovid, in the exPec" tation of finding it the production of a mind of the second or third class ; that had judgment enough to feel its own weakness and not attempt at originality, and wisely tuok the crutch of imitation to assist its progress up the Parnassian hill. We soon found, however, that we were nus tak,m. The elegance of the language, and the fidelity with which, not the words or particular phrase alone, but the intention and spirit of the author are rendered, convinced us that the abilities of the trDnsla.tor were not of a second:try nature. Translation is not, as it is generally I I supposed, the mere work of knowledge and of judgment. In order to be well executed, it requires a power of invention, which, it is true, 15 nut r