The Express.
London, England, 1848-04-03 00:00:00

SOCIETTOP BRMSH ARTISTS.

The private view of the second exhibition of the
Society of British Artists, since the royal charter of incorpo-
ration, took place on Saturday, and opens to the public this
day. The exhibition conaiKs of 800 works of art, by 338
different exhibitors, the 32 members of the society who ex.
hibit contributing in all 242 works, or something like eight
a piece. It is a very indifferent exhibition, with but few re-
deeming points. Mr. Pyne, as formerly, is the leading star,
and a worthier companion picture to " The Neckar at Heid-
elberg" in the last year's exhibition could not be found than
his Panama on the Lago Maggiore "of the present year.
Mr. Pyne is a great master of perspective, with a fine feeling
for what is near and what is distant, a light
careful pencil, and great good taste in the selec-
tion of his points. He has also the rare merit
of keeping clear of imitating even without servility the
peculiar excellences of established painters. He is lot like
Turner, or Stanfield, or Martin, or Denby, or Lee, or Gres-
wick, or Linnell, or Bright, but is a painter after
his own kind, who places his canvas before a
lovely scene, and, without necesaarily rendering
tree for tree, and gable.end for gable-end, unless
wherethey serve his purpose, gives you the result and poetry
of the scene he seeks to copy. A person blind from his birth
and just restored Co sight would gaze with wonder on the
beaut.ful nature he sees on a mere piece of canvas before
him ; while one accustomed, as was the late Sir George Bean
mont, to tee Claude', and Pousains, and Richard Wilsons,
the first thing in the morning and the last at night, would
find satisfaction in seeing so many beauties realised in the
work of a living artist :
- - • - - - - •

Who shows me that which I shall never see,'
Conveys a distant country into mine,
And throws Italian light on English walls.
Then an other landscapes by the same artist in the present
exhibition of no ordinary excellence. We would putico-
larly instance a water-colour drawing ter the large picture
just noticed, also a circular view in " Venice," touched
with a lig..t bat unfortunately_ not a juicy pencil,
and two views of Little Hampton, in Sussex,
though Mr. Pyne is net always successful in
copying English scenery, aupnlying, In No, 480,
entitled "Thames Recollections—the New Custom-house,"
rather an idea of the Neckar at Heidelberg, or the Tagus at
Lisbon, than the muddy waters of the Memel at London.

Not a eviller that plies at Old Swan.stairs would recognise
the likeness, while to a foreigner this notions supplied by the
picture would be wholly fictitious. His " Caernarvon "
(No. 293) is also too pink and white.—Mr. Allen we are
sorry to say has nothing so good as his " Vale of Clwyd" of
last year ; but he is always careful, though apt, like Lee
and Creswick, to chill his colours in the cola glens and ra-
vines he loves to copy. His largest work is " A Water .
Mill," but his greens are too green, though the spot is pretty
and the feeling for the subject better than the execution. If
Mr. Allen has fallen off, Mr. Tennant is stationary, and Mr.
Clint has made a rise. Both send landszapes. Mr. Tennant ,
a clever view near Bexley-heath, not his largest, but his '
best work, and Mr. Clint a Danby-like"Sunset on the Coast of
Yorkshire," and a long view of " Bridlington B iy," . much -
in Mr. Dewint'a manner. Young Mr. Wilson's hest works i
(he exhibits twelve) are No. 64, " Salmon trap and old
water mill on s Welsh river," and No. 438, " Fishing boats
returning to port on the French coast;" they are not, how-
ever, an advance on what he has done before, bat works
hovering between the debateable land of mediocrity and
real merit. If lie would paint less he would work much
better. We do not want finish where every detail is worked
up to a Denner-like minuteness, but there must be no
i slighting when real excellence is sought. Mr. Anthony
still persists in painting a yellow nature, and in giving us
trees, and grass, sad gipaies, and green lanes, with a penc'l
dipped in gamboge and mustard. " Ail looks yellow to the
jaundiced eye—and with this " jaundiced eye" it is that
Mr.Aathony looks on nature, and, worse still, flings it In your
faces not as his stature only—but as Go.l Almighty's nature—
which it certainly is not. Constable (the son of a miller)used
" to cast something like a shower of meal over ilia heath-
scenes and mill-dams ; why, no one understood ; for
nature is not seen dredged with Hour as he chose to paint
her, but it now appears that he acted on a principle, for time
has mellowed his summer snow storms into autumnal beau-
ties, and his pictures look all the better from their early
crudities. Whether Mr. Anthony delights in yellow on Mr.
Constable's principle we cannot say, but time (or we are
much mistaken) will fail to make his yellow trees grow
green again ; for his principle reverses both art and nature.
But the exhibition is not altogether confined to landscape,
though its excellence certainly is—the re are other works of
a more ambitious character. The president (Mr. Hurlstone)
exhibits " Mendicants of the Piazza Novena, Rome," a
large work, which hardly deserves the compliment of
" pretty well," and Mr. Latilla a repulsive allegory of
" The 'Victim of Sin and Death," a moral, as he calls it,
representing a youth revelling in the embrace of Sill,
while Adulation plays on the pipes, and the Angel of
Death (a black•looking spectre) stands waiting for his prey.
Mr. Hill has one or two figure pieces, especially No. 93, " A
Shepherd Boy," much ir. his last year's style, but more poetic,
though just as brick}- in point of colour; Mr. Salter, " The
Trial of Socrates," most ludicrously bad ; Mr. Clater,
" A Merry Making," an interior with many figures, some-
thing between Wilkie and Maelise—net in excellence but in
manner; Mr. Steedman, "A Rustic Kitchen," small but
careful, though with little in it ; Mr. Gill, " Playing at
Forfeits," and " Preparing for May Day," better he cha-
racter and arrangement than colour and circuit/0e Mr.
Gilbert, "the Paralytic Lady Card Player," desiallsed by
Cowper in his " Task," and Mr. Baxter, a few fancy hes&
• and portraits, pretty, and nothing so re. In the water-
, colour room we observed a " View trom the Wynd Cliff," by
John Martin; and "The Moated Grange," by S. Read tin
I Mr. Ilsche's manner), though not without their charm-
: teristic defects; by far the best production in the room.
. We may add that Mr. Herring and Mr. Jai are absentees
) on this occasion, and that both are missed.

UNIVERSITY AND CLERICAL.
CAMBRIDOE.—ST. C ATH HALL.-011 Friday, J.
Milner, 8.A., was elected a Fellow on this loundation.
Tamil' HALL—J. Haggard, LL.D., formerly Fellow f this an.
&a y, has been appointed Chancellor of the diocese of Manchester.
01FuRD, APRIL I.—NEW EXAMINATION STATUTE.—Th•
following is an outline of the new examination statute for the degree
of B.A. euggentad by the tutors of the various colleges and hang, and
which has been presented to the Bowl of Brads of Iletnes, and is
Dew under considention of a committee of that body.
FIRST ELORISAI OM, OR RERPORMONR.— I. To tic pained at
some period before the sth term, and to be held twice in the year, vu.,
in Michaelmas and Easter Tern. ; 2, The subjects of the examina-
tion is remain the same as at present, with the following adiLtiona,—
(n) One gospel in GI, ek ; (S 1 The examination to extend generally to
the subjects of the books.
It. Toe RECORD EXAMINATION.-1. To be held in the fn badman
and Eager Teems, and to iv passed at any period between: the eighth
and twelfth terms, with thc distinction, as at present, between those
who are and thew who are not candidates for honours, and with an
arrangement of the successful candidates for honours, as at
prevent, into four classes; 2, The subjects of the exotnivabon. A.
Miniviiiyi.--For an Ordinary Degree 1, Texts and criticism of
the Gospels, Acts, and one of the longer or two of the shorter Pauline
epistles, with knowledge of the Thirly-nine Articles; 2, Three Greek
authors; 3, Three Latia authors—of whom one at least in each lau.
gorge shall he in hinorian 4. The Ethic of Aristotle; S, Bbllolnici-
eal and critical papers, as at Cambridge ; n, Latin and Creel. cones.
aition so at present, Mathematical honours as at present.
IIL Na Toren Ex SMINAIION.—I. To be panted after the comae-
dun of the twelfth term by every candidate for the degree of
one at least of three schools, Yin.. I, Theology; 2, Puilinsiity,
if s-
tory, and Philology; 3, hlathematics and Physical tkience. The
examinatier. to be held once a year in the bat term, with a hy-exami-
nation in the act term, for the convenience of those who are not can-
didates for honours, to be held by one examiner in each bowl nomi-
nated by his colleague.
I. Tazoiesiy.—A. Minimum. for an ordinary degree. I. Some per.
Con of the Old Testament in Hebrew pto be determined by the exa-
miners). 2. Text and critickin of the New Testament in Greek.
3. ?images to re-translate into the Greek of the New Testament, and
difficult passages in the original to be explained. 4. History of the
Otil and New Testament. 5. The History of the English Reformation,
with knowledge of the Thirty-nine Articles.—hl. For How-are. I.
Two out el three parts of the Old Testament, with specified portions
• in Hebrew, and the rest in the lAN. 2. Text and critieln. of the
, Now Testament in Greek. 3. Passages to re-translate into Hebrew,
and difficult passages in the 01d and New Test iment to he explained.
4. History of the Old and New Testament. 5. Illatory of the three
, first centuries (including, at the discretion of the candidate, the study
ot RORle writer at that period).
11. PRILO4OPIiT,IIISTORT, AND MiNiOiLbi.—For an
Onlinary Degree—l. One Philosophical or Itisteriewl Book in Greek
or Latin (not included In the previoas examination); 2, tt black-
stone's Commentaries," ce " Macmallock's Ele nenp," or /erne Ele-
mentary Treatise in Law or Political Economy ; 3, Some given
portion of history (as In Greek history, till the death of Aatantrier ;
in Roman. till the end of the second Punic War; In English, till
IMOD ; 4, Butte one book in a foreign language, with Exeriies and
Translations.—B. For liettoon.—The three divisioes of Philosophy,
History and Phtlolou, which for an ordinary degree might he united,
in the above relearn, mild for honours be beet separated;
whether they should be formed into three distinct schools is perhaps
a matter of comparative indifference, but it should at any rite be un-
ieridced that it could so: be necessary for the studert to pus an
tamination ir. more than one of them, in order to oblate 'mews in

tills gas
I. Pty Pm cosortiv.-1. One Trestles on Logic, Ancient or Hodern.
2. One Treatise of Aristotle and of Plato, or, instead of one of
the fragManta of the philosophers wko preceded Socrates. 3. ft:l'4
the three poriens of the History of Philosophy, vi*., 1. TIII the
Christian era; 2. Till the Reformation; 3. Till the present tore. 4.
Some stasdard work in French or German beariog upon the subjects
of the examination.
2. !Oslo:tr.—l. Some %toren portion of History (as al.ve, tut to
be whistled with original documents). 2. Two Ancient (Historian%
and 3. One standard work on HL-tory, in a foreign language, or roe
versa. 4. Adam Smith, Ricardo, sr some other treatise on Iniiitinal
Crocco , or, in lieu of this, )13' asssione's Commentarie*," or Mane
etaodand work on law.
3. Pnicocoor.— 1. The History of Greek or Latin tits :name.
2. A Treatise, ancient or
ormodern.
on Logic ; or a modern Trintioe on
CE.ll4for.;`,:i Philology. g"l:lloT;,;'l."ll',";:`,l.36pAie
Poets: and (Tinder', or the Orators of ;b) Lain Literature, as e. g.. the
Latin Poet* to the end of the Augustan age, or from the AUtturian
age to A.D. 230, or the portion of the Roman Historians contaming
the period of the twelve Crime,, or the work. of Cicero. In all
cases any other equivalent to be admitted by the examiner*. 4. A
knowledge of German. S. Composition in Greek and Ledo ; critical

Prgi mATIcAL AND PgYew SCllocd&—(A4i:: COMMO4
Degree.—Si: taroks of Euclid; Algebra; three au in Physical
Peienee, not treated mathematically, nth aa Experimental Mn.
ehanica, Exerrimenta! Optir., Anatomy, Phyaiology, Geology, Si,—
B) For Ilonoor,—Matheniaties. Astionomy, ftlecbaniea, Optics,
Thermolory, Eteetrol &c. Extending to all phptical scienccs,
treated MAtteruatica4, as at Cambridge.

PREFERMENTS.—Rev. G. Coryton, R. of St. Menitott. to
he Chaplain to the Sheriff of Cornwall—Rey. G. Heathente, R. of
Conlngton and Steeple Wording, Hunt", to be Chaplain to the Sheriff
of Cambridrieshire and Huntingdon hire.—Rev. fl. if. Liddcll,lleml-
utter of Westminster, to he Tutor to the Prince of Wales—flay. U.
R. Mamas, R. of Brampton Bryan, Herefordshire, to be Chaplain to
the Sheritt of Itadnershire.—lter. D. Reece, to be Chaplum to the
Sheriff of Monmouthebtre.—Rea, M. Thocapeon, C. of Christ Cbunh,
Cherley Wood, to St. John'. P.C., Waterloo-Ned, Lambeth, dio. Win-
chester, 4531. vacant by the death of the Rev. E. Ireton—Rec. W.
J. Thornton, R. of Lanwarne, to be Chaplain t, the Simla of lien-
lordddre.
VACANCIRS.—BaiI4on P.C.. 1481., with resident•, and
Purley P.C.. ktf., Yorkshire, die. Ripon; pat., the V. of Otter; Rm.
Hodgitteren, ,4x.—Ca:thorpe Y., Norfolk, die. Norwich. 1431., with
residence; pat, the Corporation of Norwich; Rev. W. H. alarels,
dec.—Southend P.C.. Essex, dio. Rochester, SOL ; pats., trustees; Rev.
G. Lillingston, des.