The National Register. — London, England, 1808-02-15 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER. The disappointed Donrers retires; and Algernon, who ar rives from Bath, having on that day come of are, presenth his ouch.); estates to Ms father, and a reconciliation takes place. Cieelg, who h:td set off in the morning to continue her journey, is now brought back, in consequence of an offered reward, and IrVra confesses that her marriage with Algernon it a' a hoax, in order to avoid the union with Danvers, Is hen Cicely is intro dtwed and united to her lover. Selina then bestows ber hand on the true Lord ll'oshdale, and the piece concludes with a hope that the audience v. ill enable the author to say, " lbegone dull Carr." Such is the outtihe of a piece, which certainly had a very fair trial, and m hich evidently escaped some hisses in the two first acts, from the respect of the audience for the performers, who most certainly, in general, did every thing possible for its success. ti Epilogue, containing some good points, was well spoken by Miss Smith ; but as it also contained many apologies for imi tation, we must not be too severe on the author, for want of oil ginality.—ln sumo parts, the piece hears resemblance to Anne, 117;• Me Welch Heiress. Ilerbril, the father, is personified by RiT Arthur, and the love of Solace, for the orphan, is evidently the conuterpart of Wilkinson and ,Inna Meuse,. It nut) , appear invidious to trace imitation numb further, but we must neverthe less confess, that all the bustle and incident, of which there is a sit Ificiency in the two last nets, has W'ren appeared before; but it is indeed futile now to expect originalifg in this respire, as every possible incident that can be produced by screens, sofas, trapdoors, and chimney corners, has been already brought into play. !Upon the whole, our general opinion is in favour of this piece, yet we strongly recommend mach curtailment, particu larly in the two first Acts, sr here the action seems to hang very aturh ; and also in the common-place puns, and sentimental clap-traps : other% ire the author's attempt at wit, upon the Parliamentary Debates may be fumed upon himself; and we rn:ty be tempted to congratulate ourselves, '' that although forced to Im . , it is fortunate that we are not obligzd le read." FEB. 15. pleasing glow to the fore-ground, and marks that chequered oh searity in the distance, so characteristic of an evening gale, when the anxious Mariner watches the declining Sun, doomed, per haps, to see him rise no more. With such acknowledged skill as Mr. Pocock possesses io this line of painting , we cannot but feel regret when h turns his at tention with lss effect to other subjects. This observation is draw n from us by No. 358— ,1 Landscape and Banditti—in which there is a tame, uninteresting accuracy of outline, rendered even more displeasing by an affected contrast in the colouring. The distant mountains have a darkness of purple which nature never Oyes, whilst the trees and rocks in the tore-grounds, are marked with a general ssnoothne::s and equality of brownish tint, that destroy the effects, and is by no means consonant to serial perspective. No. 4i I.—Gulliver describing Fortification to Horses. S. GILPIN . it. A. As a Cattle Painter, Mr. Gilpin has often gained the owed df applause at former exhibitions, and in this piece, his florses are certainly well grouped, and spiritedly erecuted as Horses ; but were it not for the figure of Gulliver in a corner tracing out a square redoubt on the laud, they might pass for English horses in a Park, as much as for the Houltnhyms of Swift.— These is something so bizarre, and beyond nature, in the ori ginal idea, that we can attend only to the satire contained iu it ; we are not surprised, therefore, if Mr. Gilpin has failed in his attempt to embody an idea on canvas, to which the most luxuriant fancy cannot give personification, and where the ex pression of wonder or delight might as weil arise from the sight of a good feed of corn, as from all the horn works and half-moons of a Pleydell. or a Vauban. We looked round with anxious expectation for some specimens of Brechey's pencil, hut were rather disappointed at finding only some pretty little Landscapes, with the exception of a Mon:.'s Head, No. 329. In this there is mulch character and expres sion : the mi Ned tone of relijoits Hope and Resignation is wen marked, the lights are well utana,zed to aid the general enCrt, and there is nothing of that stittiwss which might be expected from a pencil so much accustomed to Portrait painting. We shall he Imppy in a future 'Comber, to notice the nume rous efforts of Miss Spil-bury's pencil, together with Westhli, Thomson, Drummond, and a long deetcra. CI TY. rot r A n.—'ruesday the L.rd Mayor ordered the pr;ce of Ttre:id to remain the F:ime as la , t wevk, viz. the quartent 1,),41* of wheaten, and 10d. household. FINE ARTS. LAW REPORT. COL'ItT Or KING'S BENCH. Wf:STMINSTER, FEB. s. 110 BRITISH I tiSTITT‘TION. We are happy to announce the re-openii , g of this truly patrio tic ani 11440 Institution, for its ori4inal purpose, under a mom brilliant Patronage, and with a brilliant display of British taste and genius. The Paintings of thi year, amounting to 40a. are, ia general, Landscapes, w ith the usual sprinkling of t „ :! , a n d f a ncy pieces; t!le historical specimens are but few, nevcr recollc..l at any former Lx.hibition such a num ber V candle-light subjects. n. s:3.—l rev, ing from his labour. J. F. ftto s t: n, R. A. As the most remarkable trait in the character of Hercules was his strength, and the most interesting incidents in his poetical life, arose from his almost miraculous exercise of it, we are ra ther surprised that the artist should have chosen to represent hint in a state of repose—it is as unnatural ns representing a war-horse asleep, or a frozen cataract. In this composition, consisting only of Hercules and his Club, the pyramidal outline, and the anatomical tilling up, are well preserved, yet there is a cold sameness of colouring, like a work done in histre, which though it produces relief, yet, from the want of contrast in the lights and shadei, presents to the mind the idea ofa brm)ze bassi, rather than a painting. In other respects, the expres sion of the countenance, turd the lassitude and relaxation of the muscles, admirably denote a state of repose, w the fore shortening 14 the right fiti:4l) thews an intimate acquaintance ith anatomical perspective. No. `2`24.-sbarm -- .Snit-.Se(. J. Po c o The well-earned fame of 31r. Pocock, as a Marine Painter, %ill always induce us to turn to his perforniatier:•, H itLi au alavast .:ertainty of gratification, and in this effort of hi, pencil w were 14 ot disappointed. The surf breaking on the beach seems evi dently copied from immure, aild not as uP etre often forced to wit ness it, as if the Artist had fimued his ideas a storm in Rushing-tub'.—The etlect produced ky the Settiu6-!;tiu, givr. u r•nArn. William Tucker was brought up front Prefer to plead to act indictment, char4iiii: him w and fraudulently rutting (gra stamp from one piece of paper that had served pi:rpnie, and atii‘ing it to another, whereon the content, hart not been executed, with a view to defraud the Revriiiie.— defendant pleaded Not Guilty.—The trial n fixed for dr- c. xt Devon A6sizes, and, in the mean time, the dcfeadant committed. NEW RULE. 1) COURT. Lord Ellenboraugh said, that in rouse:in:lire of the alati , os which had prevailed in Action: of Trovil., the. Court had come to u resolution, on a conference with the of the other Courts, to lay down a new rule with re:,pect to holding hail m Actions of Troyer; they therefore were of opinion, and made it a rule accordingly, that no person :binild he held to hail in an Action of Traver, without an order for that purpo.e from one of the Judges of the Court. KINO V. W. 011•15. . The Defendant had been found ;_u illy at the Itr•t ITereford A sizei, of an ar,gravnted assanit on a Mr. Mirehonse, his land lord, under whom he held a farta, :tad iiekr in arr‘ltri to the amount of MC. Mr. Alirehotrie tal:ed limn him tOr that sum. uhen the Defendant outrageousiv loclo-d hint up in a room for the space of ova hours, durirm ►hid' time he held a pistol to his breast, threatening if Mr, :Mir •tion , e e% el - sued him for tiro stun he would sheaf him, atil made lion take an oath to that uf feet. The De:en:Loa this day appeared in Court in the rustoly• of the gaoler of lfaverfordwest, anti was Aemenced to L iix. roo:;ths imprisonmem, and at the expiraticu of that period to be hisamt over for his future good behaviour; himself in 591. and tu 0 t,jrc tieti in V3e. each. hoing the !ast dad• of Term, the Ctrart did not broak till six 04 kn•1., ti - .