The Press.
London, England, 1858-06-19 00:00:00

584

here would be no more to do than stick up all one's
pictures, lower the steps, get s trumpet, and cry, ' Wilk
up, ladies and grntlewen !!' "

- ♦ ♦ • • •
" I should like to go," he said, " with the intention and
ohject Wilkie had in view when he set out to the East, but
which Wilkie aia not accomplish. The sketches he made
were mannered; the heads were like those Wilkie might
have sketched at home; sod the groups what he might
have done in his London studio. But I should lay asile
preconceived notions, and have my mind open to impres-
sions made on the spot, and thus try to convey faithfully
what I saw ; and, in attempting illustrations of the Bible, I
would paint very much the manner, and costumes, and
features of the present day, adapting these to the subjects
of Scripture history."
The following is from his Spanish tour:—

Landed at Malaga. after imeilleaa delays, at four o'clock.
Aud here I am at a Spanish hotel, where not a being
knows a word of English, and where English comforts can
but be remembered. I have a little box of a whitewashed
bedroom, with a brick floor, and a piece of matting in tne
middle of it: a very small bed, three hard chairs, and a
window opening like folding-doors, and having iron bars
outside like a prison, overlooking a courtyard having very
tall houses round it; opposite is a smith's forge, and at the
side of that there is a well—yes, a public well! It has two
faces, with mouths running water ; and all day long all
sorts of people come about it. Animals are brougot to
drink; and evershifting scenes of the most picturesque
character are always going un ; and I, lucky fellow, have a
window, neither much too high nor much tit) far away,
from which I can leisurely watch and sketch Au enor-
mous lumbering diligenein, dragged by nine mules, comes
rattling in here thrice a week. In short, every variety of
costume and character to be seen in Malaga is here, I may
say, at my very bedside."
He soon resolved to make a picture of " Spanish Gos-
sips" at this well ; and there they are, with their water
pots and pitchers, " indulging," as Ford says, "in the
great national joy of doing nothing !" Some, indeed, may
be supposed to be making love ; one old man, with a
lighted match in his hand, seems unconcerned even about
the lighting of his pipe; the smith at the forge is the only
earnest one, doing what his hands find to do ; for a very
characterstic old donkey-driver is standing over him, by
the side of his white, rough-haired animal, the very model
of a patient donkey !
It was fortunate, in his isolated position, that lie could
thus commence wotk at once. His first difficulty was to
procure figures to sit to him. In this his landlord kindly
assisted him, but his patience and temper were sorely tried
by their irregularity and caprice:—
" Bth Nov.—Got Matias to send an old water-carrier to
me—a withered old fellow, full of character ;in spite of the
bad light, I rubbed in both hoe and figure.
" 9th.—Another watermin came at. three, but, to my
horror, he was nicely dressed in a new black coat and
velvet hat !" . . . Another ragged fellow, with leather
gaiters, disappointed him :—.` Felt very much mortifies(
and astonished, fur to-day he was to Ot an extra dollar.
The reason was this: they had all gone somewhere to get
soup, and theme, by order of the police, they were shut np
and examined. Knives were found on some, pistols on
others, and some had money. A disturbance was dreaded,
so they were all shipped oil' to a distance next morning.
My model was among them. I have been thinking of
bringing an action againrt the police !"

Gibson left behind him a number of poems and
fugitive verses, specimens of which are given.
They show some taste, and a faculty of imitation
of greater models, but do not rise above an ave-
rage standard.
We have felt it our duty to speak severely of
this book, for though it is not individually of
rat importance, it belongs to a class which is
increasing every day, and which, in the interests
alike of religion and literature, we most earnestly
desire to discourage. Those who undertake such
biographies must be reminded that, for so ex-
tremely delicate and difficult a task, something
more is wanted than the possession of papers and
other materials (these, too, often insufficient
ones), and of a ceitain set of theological opinions.
We demand some power of' style, some amount
of insight, and some consideration for the subject
of the memoir—in all which characteristics the
present volume is lamentably deficient.

William Me conqueror. An Historical Romance.
By General Sir Charles Napier, G.C.13.
Edited by Lieutenant-General Sir William

Napier, K.C.B. London : Routledge.
WE cannot, we think, do better than preface our
notice of this singular production with the tbl-
lowing extract from the editor's life of his
celebrated brother:—
Bat hi:; principal work was an historical romance, sug-
gested during his resilience at Caen by the many vel,dities
of William the Conqueror in that country. The manu-
script of this work has strlngely disappeared ; certainly it
was never destroyed by him, yet has been vainly sought
for since his death. Entitled " Harold," it was offered to
Mr. Colburn for publication, and with the author's name
would have been purchased, but Char:es Napier would not
secede to that condition, and demanded hack his MS.
Mr. Colburn was, hosever, so tenacious of it that only by
a vigorous correspondence and many months' delay could
it be recovered.