The National Register. — London, England, 1809-04-30 00:00:00

APRIL 30. VIE NATIONAL REGISTER. ration, th's commencement of their political ameliora tion, hich he who ruusmay now see, is doubtless intro ductnry to the felicitous revolution so long anticipated by this ancient people. There then sse its on one stroll!, fart ; and here seems the . cii, if properly follov:ed Up, whence. we ni;t y be led to guess. at ni.tich that i to come. Mystery dnes not envelope this ()Ay procedure. The day dawns upon our Flit ; and it is the dawn of the day that is nut to set. What an era. is dawning on this earth ! It vas from Mount !i.elho thati‘loses su rx eyed the Should the Jewish People shortly be 'enaliled to indulge the prospect of filial 1 ranking among mighty nations, let them be grateful to that. Superintending Providence by s hose operation this prospect is opening to them. it is one of the unexpected consequences of the amazing revo lutions of these last days. While despotism would open to them his tower of strength on one side, and royalty auspi ciously communicates with them on the other side, both . sides do this with their oisll views; but, both are co-opera tins to produce such results as, perhaps, neither of them imagine likely to ensue. William Pitt v.nd Napoleon Bonaparte, much .as they di!Thred on almost every other point, equally agrccd in the utility of cultivating the friendship of the Jewish Peor.le. if there a: no tUstinc tions in differences, how ha ppeag it that z'cisons, while' they pay such pointed 'respect to the chiktren of Israel, seem not to sls.ew the reagt becoming a!ten . .irm to the children of the Pordom ? The thing isylain. grown into consideratiOn;Trom the circiimstnnres o!' the times, the Jews are now deemed objects of politicai solicitude, and orktriotic calculation.' However distant may be — the . day of their decisive redemption, which their patriarchal progenitor " saw and was glad," the Jewish People, it is plain, may silence all apprehensions of their. being again subjected to the un christian persecutions which were once inflicted on them by christians.—" Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" would now appal, with apostolic force, the heart of the staunchest missionary of vengeance. The hour of religious retribution is at. hand. Very singular is the character of the Jewish People. Scattered throughout most nations, yet separated from all nations, in the world but. not of the world, they will, when re-assembled in one land, constitute the most extraordinary community which it is possible to .conceive. • While their dispersion will have brought them acquainted with the tempers of all countries, and their institutions preserve them distinct from those of every country, this people may form, as in the first ages of time, the wonder and terror of the earth. This probability is, nevertheless, too remote toeffect us in this place. Yet is there enou,rh of events to attract and attach us to the contemplation of what is passing at this time, and also to excite our serious anxiety as to the time. which is to come. lie who hilt ears and will hear, who bath .yes and will see, who bath understandin;r and will understand, will perceive and comprehend, amidst ail these changes, the final designs of the one Alpha and Ome7a- 4, the root and the offspring of David"—" the bright and the morning star I" Rent is the vail. Creation is no longer enigmatical, and futurity b( gins to be disclosed. April 2S 1809. Psoms THSL S. Nineteen transports were used as fire-ships in the late attack aaainbt the French fleet, and were consequently destroyed. That extremely curious little Tract, entitled The Spirit of EnglM Wit, is an entertaining budget of laughable auecdote4, smart repartees, prize bulls, pointed ei►igrams, humorous epi taphs, droll descriptions, sprightly witticisms, singular charac ters, bursts of merriment, curious advertisements, flights of ima 4ination, effusions of fancy., &c. Including several Jett d'Esprits. Tr.sbe had of Thou►sts Tegg, No. Cl►eapside; and of all booksellers. .blvj! .111 TS. TRU EXHIBITION AT SOMERSET-HOUSE Was opened on Friday, for the gratitle.tion of such fr!ends of the artists, as could procure tickets of admission, previous to the (looms being opened for the public, which will tike place to-morrow. • the administration of the country affects to discourage political enquiries, they certainly have done nothing hitherto by which the progress of literature, or the fine arts can be said to have L,en impeded ; on the contrary, we think that as far as the national taste can be said to extend, patronage has not been wanting; we might, there fore. have tliir!y expected that the result of this patronage, so far as pai:Oing at least is concerned, would have been discoVeraLle by the superiority of the productions of this Vicar, ever tlium.! of the last. In our opinion, however, this is rot. the case ; the superiority of the pictures of this 'year wee that of the piecetUng, is at best doubtful. We h)o% in 'Vain f:r the works of West, Museli, &c. A tame mediocrity best chaiacterises . the Exhibition of this year. We arc iguorant of the motives which have induced Lawrence and others to withhold their productions : is it that they ere onwillieg to mingle with the crowd; or have they reasons of a personal nature to justify their SCUSSitII! ? Portraits, and fancy pictures, seem to bn more lirevaiit than historical pieces, or indeed any of thosc ; compositions which below , to the higher orders of the art That portraits should abound may be easily ae• con:!ted for; there are many circumstances that concur to multiply them. Mediocrity eagerly treads a path which pr;NentS obstacles less formidable, which prepares . some grains CiSe!f love, and procures an existence with a less arduous C riion of labour Or .of talent. indeed, Artists - of superir merit are often obliged to inspire silence upon their own tote of fame—genius and glory are sometimes in,the utore urgent flaims of nature and meet- Sity; t ind these hours are devoted to the claims of their fa- Which Are reluctantly stolen for their renown. •Itut . the same reasoning which accounts for the multipli cation.of portraits, does not seem to satisfy us why histori cal pirces.should not be produced as often as fancy pic tures. The superiority attributed to them on account of the greater portion of time, labour, talent, and expence. necessary to their production, is merely a prejudice which has been repeated till it is believed. The powers required to produce a good historical painting, are necessary in an equal degree to the production of a good fancy. picture. The only essential difference is that force of character which is necessary to the former artist, and which seems to be the line of denunciation between them. If you look for expressions of love, tenderness, and de. licacy, you must look for it in the productions of an artist who has been addicted to study from taste, and .nature. Scenes of nature, and passion, the delicious spectacles. of domestic life, are to be found only in the works of an artist capable of relishing these feelings. The landscapes of D-.--r-- L are the effect of that enthusiasm with which a beautiful scite has inspired him. The smiles, and even those tears of pleasure, which are shed over innocent childhood on the bosom of a wife, that look of filial piety which marks the furrowed cheek of a venerable parent, those deep retreat, those solitary ruins, which beguile the pensive melancholy of disappointed affection ; all these arise out of correspond ing emotions in the bosom of those artists who are alive to the most virtuous feelinms of our nature.—We must content ourselves for the present with these general obsorvations,and propose at a future opportunity to apply them more parti. cularly to the pictures in the present exhibition. For al. though upon the whole we are disappointed, yet we shall have great pleasure in pointing out the beauties (as well as the defects) of such as are euttQed to particular atten tion. 255