The National Register. — London, England, 1819-04-18 00:00:00

• - NRN...7•16r:917 4 . * (I 4frt g d 'li r v ie " 7 • 1 bt ationa No. 1178.—VoL. XII.] ASSAULT UPON THE MILITARY. ...- Ova Legislators have determined that they may leave the Nation, without &sr, to take care of itself under the anxious solicitude of the followers of our " heaven-born Minister," while they enjoy the necessary relaxation of a fortnight's recess; thus are we depriyed even of their good deeds as a subject on which wo might indulge in panegyric ; under this privation we may, with pride in the institution of Juries, refer our readers to the report of a trial at the Westminster Sessions, where it wasattempt ed by strong swearing on the part of some withers, " mere instruments perhaps," to establish a privilege in favour of the Military, to shove, to push, to trample upon a respectable Tradesman, only because they were a guard returning from " duty" at Co vent Garden Theatre. We are and always have been, averse to so frequent incroachments as we are doomed every day to witness on tile liberties of I.nglishmen, which have their rise in the inclina tion constantly sliewn since the first Regency Act to introduce German military parade ; it is a system v. c are fi.lly persuaded, to whick, the natural pro pensities of Englishmen can never be brought to submit. We well remember that when a great inclination to riot shewed itself in London, during the shriev shy of Mr. Alderman Wood, a few troops of Horse Guards were kindly sent to the assistance of the Civil power. The worthy Sheriff, however, ordered the Commanding Officer to return immediately and wait till he was sent for, adding, " Till I find the civil power unequal to the preservation of the Peace I will never allow the appearance of the soldiery." The exertions of the Peace Officers were sufficient, and probably many lives were saved by the laudable firmness of one man. While on this subject we may be allowed top int out the inconvenience to the public of the manner of marching the Guards night and morning, be tween the Bank and the Barracks; they uniformly march two abreast, and invariably pass as it were, pitrposely, through the most crow Jed streets, with as little consideration as may be for those who un fortunately cannot get out of their way : the recent Verdict, however, has established the fact that they are nut invested by their uniforms with the privilege of assaulting she public with impunity. Letters and papers to the loth ult. from Havannah hire been mewed, by which we learn that the fleet of Spanish ships which sailed from that port on the n6th of February, under convoy of a frigate and sluopol War. 1 . 04 Cadiz, had a few days after their departure experi- Anted severe weather, and were compelled to return to the island. Several of them narrowly e‘caped bring captured by the Patriot privateers; and bail the vessels continued on their voyage, no doubt several of thcin wtrald have fallen into the hands of the corsairs, if se p wined loom the ships of *Nor accompanying them. The slave trade with the coast of Africa in January and Fe lonry last hail been less active than usual. The Ha vlutheh Diary contains only a scull list of ships which hod arrived withiii that period, but a number of vessels wirreprepariaig to leave Cuba, and would return after sitavitte obtained fresh supplies of twerocs. to the Coon Alma:sack, published at Berlin by .I. dc.nugh, Bonalisflte is designated as .a kuight th•., -0 , 41 es of the Mt Eagle. LPazcz Did. J"?< I2J t l 11j-•~ 'ltsLit Our Mtn, Condtitution ant U abut• SUNDAY, APRIL 18, 1819 MR. This system of the attention of &lining and —Ai SYSTEM. having elating* system . it certainly has engaged the in of some fessional eminence, it becomes the duty of those s. .o feel an interest in music to examine its pretensions. We pre saline the advantages which Mr. Legier or his disciples have to oder, are—a more ready acquisition of musical knowledge, and a name Correct and finished method isf fingering the pinuo.forte. This lie proposes to effect by tearching ill denies. With regard to pianoforte playing, any one who is at all conversant with the difficulties attending the acqhisitiou of a finished sty le orperformanee, most, we should think, be impressed with the impossibility of acquiring it by any other system than that of individual tnition. The requisites to make a good piano-forte player are so numerous, Mai, in our view of the subject, they are incommunicable by any other method. A dry, dull, mechanical execution may be obtained by teaching in classes, but the scholar will assuredly nhver go beyond this. The din and discord of a dozen instruments ere completely inctompetlble with that delicacy lit touch and expression which distinguish the Hoe piano-forte player. Aud what has Mr. Logier to offer which esn counter. balance this manifest disadvantage? LI his mode of fin gering more correct, or his tench more expressive, than that of Cramer or Clemeuti? We presrme not. At least us far as we can judge by the performance of his pupils, we should say quite the reverse. Their playing is pre cisely what we should expect from the system by which they have been tatight,wholly mechanical and inexpressive. But this system either has or pretends to have some mys. tery, some secret, by the possession of which its author thinks himself entitled to lay claim to the public atten tion, and fey the communication of whielthe demands • considerable sum. We bat dly know which to despise the most—die ignorance or the impudence of his claim. Who is Mr. Logier? What is he? that lie should thus exalt himself above the most highly gifted musicians of the age? W here are the proofs of bus knowledge or tile evidences of his genius? We have sought for them in vain. We know not of a single composition bearing his swam Bet like all ether quacks, Ise shrouds his ignorance nader the veil of mystery, and thus thinks to impose on the credulity of the modtitude. To talk of mystery as convected with the prattler of music is manifestly 'bird. There are—there can be no secrets in it. To obtain the perfect command of soy instrument requires patience and close attention, bat to imagine that there is may short read by which it can he acquired; any sect et, which donee imparted, will enabie every pupil to start np a pea former; is an absurdity too gross fur the most implicit et cdolity to admit. There is something very imposing, we admit, in this public exhibition. A large and fashionable audience, and a dozen pianslortes going at once, combine to give some eclat to the system. The Crain era and the Clementis, mast toil on adapting their mode of lust( fiction to the tent per and the ability of each pupil ; they have nu exhi biting scholars, no summoning together of the fashioirolde world to witness the effects of their instructions. hut the Lugierian system is evidently one of display. Wherever introduced, it has been accompanied wills this sort of stage effect. It is merely the performance of a certain met of lessons,expressly got up fur the occasion, and epos the po rfoiinalleeof which AO ordinary degree of pteparn tiou has been employed. These lessons, considered as specimens of composition, are to the last degree contemptible, and we really man give the Logietian profe-sus credit fur 110 small degree of assurance in calling the world together to hears doses cbildeen playing music ahem as difficult as the cosiest vs. nations of Porcell's G • Is. One advantage which Me. Logier says in his prospectus, will resell from his ay,. tem of simultaneous instruction, is too extraordinary to passed over in silence. "By the social practice," says he," of teachii.g is elapses, a community if soh Ilea becomes unequivocally established." Tlliv, 111 1111111, is a diseostry so it amiceildanaly surpassing any thing use ever beard or read of in conuection with she subject of education, that Mr. Logier's mere musical pretensions sink into insignifi• caller when compared with the 'timer lie ptisiiitlices over the intellect of his scholars. What a genius inns( he be, who can unequivocally esiabash a comma.ity q' intellect throughout his classes! Oue word more with .11r.Logiers, piano-forte playing, and we have dune. He mentions a list of audio& s 1111 l whose writings he purposes to instinct his pupils, at the head of whom gland (Anent and Handel, both of whom happened to lie dead long before the iriasio forte was invented, and the former of whose writings, are adapted exclusively fur bowed instruments, and utterly incapable of bring played with any tilect by the piano. forte. Of Mozart's music .two, we And Mr. Logier xtleet that which is the least adapted fur the iastrument lie has I to teach. _ The placing part 'of the eallibition i* P4terspergetl with elucidations. of the muffle iu which he teaeliel umiak AP II .cte.!ce. We have Peen ionic of hi. ocholAts' book', and Pt: Cu iron. reg.ittliog Mr. I...)gier's ar. .1 Alton roal. to and la, (our __ hoearts)ba , at what small degree of knowledge they psi , we aro unable to discover, but that they are ignorant of We first rudiments of music as a science, we base no hesitation in affirming. it has been well remarked, that "as attempt to teach the theory or the practice of music indiserind. nab. ly to children; whether they may happen to be clever or stupid, whether they posses musical taste ow none at all, is, to say the very least of it, a process by no means connected with good sense or reason. In by far the greater number of eases, the little animals have their feeble brains loaded with a number of technical teems, and stirred into hopeless confnsion by rules and principles, which they neither understand in their abstract meanings, nor in their relation to the general system of inusical com position." We have thoagit it oar duty thus freely togive our opis Moo of Mr. Logier's pretensions, because we know that few, very few indeed, are at all competent to form a correct one. It is right, when a stranger confidently talks of "the attempts of interested individuals to mislead the public," when he item wantonly endeavours to impute unworthy motives to those who &renew 'imaged in teach ing music, In sift his own qualifications, and see how far he is competent to what he undertakes. That children maybe taught music scientificalby and practically ty Mr. Legier's system we admit, but that they can lie taught to play so well as by the mode of Instruction now in use in this city and its neighbourhood, we utterly daisy; and we feel confident that every well ednessiiii and respect able master would be able to impart a correcter and sounder knowledge of music as a science, than could be given by Mr. Logier's system %Dino 1141 same period. They must ley their accuriut, here, as elsewhere, M inter some teinporary loss by Logicrianisin—the multitude are eager followers of novelty ; bet the delusion will pass away, arid their own exertions and their own merits will in future be more justly aupreeiated. A ivecnorr Olr OZA WT.—llis charity was asked one day, in the streets of Vienna, by a person who had known better days ; and as the great musician knew better how to heap up silver sounds than sil ver can, he felt his pocket fur the poor fellow in vain. Uneasy at his want of money at this parti cular moment, a benevolent thought suddenly struck him, and he asked the man to wait while he went into a tavern, where, calling for pen and ink, be sat down and composed 2 minuet on the spot ; then folding up the paper, he returned, and giving it to his petitioner, told him to carry it to a music pub lisher in the city, who would give him something when he saw the contents. He did so, and received five double ducats. The circumstance deserves to be recorded, and the minuet itself is worthy of the occasion. It exhibits a singular mixture of science' (which Mozart perhaps took a just pride in exhiLit ing at such a sudden call), with that exquisite na tural beauty which is. so apparent Throughout his works. It teaches us this practical lesson—that there arc few, if any, who want the power of doing good in some way or other, if they are possessed of the desire, Anecdote j a Picture.—A valuable picture (says a French paper) has reedit!) , purchased by a bailiff, at the sale of a few articli.s of little wine, in the village of Venus, vicar Paris. The picture, put up at a low !nice, rose rapidly to 36 francs, and the brokers, who only mi. derstood how to snake t'.eir market of old furniture, were at a hiss to judge whether they ought to abandon it or Ind higher. At that moment a man. %silo WV{ ( 'known to he a judge, offered tutu franci. 'rhic sum W.' 'viewed theconhilence of the bidders, and it was knocked down to the bailiff for vs Innis. The p'clitre, the suitjecit of which is" rrnas tireßadt," is acknowledged to tie the work of N. Poussin, and the commiswors have .since purchased it, according to report, for 12,000 franc:. Singteor Etta. —The lovers of 11321Ititi history rusty find amusement in the following article :—Mr.G . C.ty, of Tower-s.reel, Chichester, has at this time in his 1/104. ses si o n a hank and pigeon, both of which for some months past, have been together in a sotall garden. From domiciliary treatment, their natural antipst.hies are (mitt obliterated, and the pigeon is crosupleteh master a h s companion, which he never fails toerincc, it it :our the latter encroach cn his demesne. MR. LOGIERI SYSTEM. music, it appears to as the very worst and the very longest r ms.. its system of j o s!, oo t i -- oes.boo for some t i me o ,,, p i e d we ever beheld. We do sot doubt that eseaT ladies. and attention of the musical world io Loudon, Dublin, Il entl " tne° ttlia k It very w " 4 " 6 " " " e lint. °mist " s ihargh, and some of our deli tobWem. *IA Vtat s4tHir..r s k a "ra "4 54666111 " .41.41111.115 As its pretensions am .• ' imply us win& boirlitAllVbsoll Jo~' ars ors distioctly snamsweesi it to sr nth* *So at all amptalated wilts what is 'Mpg the process is chiller calculated ta provoke a smile thaw 40 create any ge the whole system of musical lastruction," and as rtainty has engaged the attention of some men of pro- astonishment. Upoa what principles they mum gentlemen anal eminence, it becomes the duty of those who feel sail l a dl es (our furore Mandela and Alumina) have arrived e i. i i .1...... ... -~ N - 1 -7- 7r- -0' • . is, ; ,:\ i ‘ , , - ' , ' • " , yr' . ,'' -AA , V k.. ) "< : ,:, S:, — "*. l 'ac .l r fr I , arws , ,i„ 1:7 N L