The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-10-05 00:00:00

Chem * ne LWOW Mereury.l

The lovers of the Arts will be gratified to hear that
the County of Stafford is enriched by soother ex-
guisite specimen of the brilliant genius of Chantry.
In C•verswall Church. less than thirty miles north
of Lichfield (whose Cathedral is the depository of
the most excellent of this great sculptor's produc-
tions). the Earl of St. Vuoceist has erected • monu-
ment to the memory of his late Countess, which is
inferior to the cenotaph at Lichfield, for waist of
the same interest of circumstance onl; is beauty
of execution it cannot be surpassed. The design is
a female figure in the attitude of prayer; the dra-
pery is ea disposed as to present a veil forming
straight folds on the forehead, and flowing over the
shoulders with a flexibility and airiness that asto-
nish ; it appears as if settling again after • recent
motion of the body it encloses; the whole person is
delicately and beautifully traced through its light
habiliments; but the arms. which are exposed, and
crossed on the breast, defy description. If on a
first view it should be possible for the visitor to di-
vest himself 91 the general effect, and descend to
minute • lamination. we would point out the form
and of the left hand and arm as deservir

position _
the highest admiration—there is also a most touch-
ing expression in the inclination given the head;
the face bowed towards the earth, bespeaks humble-
ness of spirit, whilst the mien, suffused with meek
tranquillity, denotes the confidence of hope. The
critic gazes and forgets his office; lie Woks as if ob-
serving not the type, but the reality; his mind is
occupied not by wonder at the artist's skull, but by
the warmest interest for the scene he witnesses in
the fever of sympathy he almost exclaims " Oh,
Heaven, hear her prayer !" The delusion past—he
bursts forth in ecstacy at the sculptor's•poiner, but
grudges the check to his own imaginatioti; he un-
willingly exchanges even the redundancy of pensive
sensibility ,fur the acumen of critical research.
Such is the power or art, but such iu the highest
degree is the power of the sculptor's art. That
stone insipid, hard, and shapeless, should be so
'fashioned as to pourtray the lineaments of death, is '
wonderful—but that item) express the very workings
of the soul, that it can seise upon and commiuid
the feelings beyond any ether of man's perform-
ances, would net have been credited, were it not
that our own senses have borne convincing testimony
to the fact. The amouttineot has unavoidably every
disadvantage of light and situation. The figure
kneels on a square base, on which is the following
Inscription :
SACRED
-
To Ow Memos/ of
MARTHA, %ld
•
COUNTESS OF SAINT VINCENT,
li' Who was emmeatty pious, virtuous and clioritable:
She departed ibis life
VON
On the IA day of February, 1816,
Aged 7b seam
Lad was at her owe desire buried I. tie
Tomah of bee Paresis.
"41.4
t armi • This Illenusseet was erected by her
,
•es,lit
Serviviag Husband.
• . •

Our letter from Dover, slated October fit trri.
day), says—" Sailed yesterday for Calshii the Lord
Daocan packet, Capt. HAMILTON, with the Baron
LIUSZELTIIIII, Minister to his Imperial Majesty of
RUSSIA ; also Le Desiree French packet, Captain
LAMBERT, with Count D'OsmoND (son of the
Freucik Ambassador) and COuntess D'Oshoso,
In taily, and suite.
" This day the King George packet, Captain
Kano, sailed for Clete* with his Excellency Count
LINTut, the Boman Ambassador, hie Lady and
family, on their way for Aix-la-Chapelle.
4‘ The Right Hon. the Earl of St. VINCtNT is
arrived from London, and is to sail to-morrow in
the Lord Doom pocket, Capt. RANH:L*I4"
RoXISG.—The great pugilistic match betwixt,
Eules and Isle of Wight Heil is to take place es
the 29th instant. The stakes of 400 guile's, • side
between Kendall and Termer , are expected to be
made good io the course of the present week.—
Cabbake; of Bristol, has challenged Scroggior to
meet him at the above city, to fight for • subscrip-
tion purse of gol. C. Davis, of-Bristol, and Mar-
tin, the baker, are matched for &Of. a side to fight
iu the same ring that Bales and Mall Contend in.
The operations which have been going on for
some time pest at Salisbury Crags, veer Edin-
burgh; the-e'ffect of which is to take away all that
is striking an picturesque in the aspect of this
reti; and to give it the smittersoice of a common
stone quarry. are now likely to be suspended. The
Officers of State have at last resolved to take up
the question as to the right of the Magistvates of
kiliiihurgh to deitiolish alrts. rock. • Instroctions
have been given to the Crown Solicitor to prepare •
case for the opinion of the bourn Lewyers, and
(the Earl of HAMMINGTON haeing.itis understood,
disclaimed having right to swore than the pas-
turage) there is reason to believe that the further
progress of deniolition will he prevented by Inter-
dict, if that sbodld be necessary.