The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-08-27 00:00:00

ANCIENT ART.

ft appears from the foreign Priests. that arrange.
mews are now making at Rome fur the construc-
t of au .ipparatita to fish in the. Tiber, in the
hope of reg yr some of the sculptural awl other
vestiges of ancient Art. which mice adorned that
celebrated City. It is astossishing that this specu-
lative process has remained so long unattended to,
though so often pressed on the attentiou of the Pa-
pal Government. When our celebrated country-
man, Mt. ADDISON, was its Rome, nearly a century
ago, he made the following remarks on this sub-
ject :
" But the great usagatine fur all kinds of 1 is sup.
posed to be the bed of the Tiber. We may be sure that
*hes the Romans lay under the apprehension of seeing their
city sacked by a barbarous enemy, as they have done more
than once, that they would take care to bestow such of their
riches this way as could best bear the water, besides what
the insolence of a brutish roaspirsur may be supposed to
have cuatributed, who hail an ambition to waste and destroy
all the beauties of so celebrated a city. I need t„,i mention
the old coassauss sewer of Rome, which ran front all parts of
the town with the current and violence of an ordinary river;
nor the frequent inundations of the Tiber, which may have
swept sway many of the ornaments of its hanks; nor the se-
veral statues that the Romans themselves sung into it, when
they would revenge themselves oar the memory of an ill vai-
nest, a dead tyrant, or a discarded favourite. At Rome they
have so general an opinion of the riches of this river, that
the Jews had formerly proffered the Pope to cleanse it, so
they might have, fur their pains, what ilit y fituud in the
bosom of it. I have seen the valley wear POlll, Alum., which
they proposed to fashion into a new channel fur it, till they
desired the old for its reception. The Pope, however, would
not comply with the proposal, as less Mg the heats might
advance too far before they had finished their work, and
produce • pestilence among his people; though I don't are
why sorb a design might lOW be melded now with as little
doubter as in Angustues time, were there us many hands
employed upon it. The city of Rome would derive great
advantage from the undertaking, as it would nii.e the hanks
and deepen the bed of the Tiber, and by CUIIIICIVICIICC free
them from those frequent inundations to which they are an
subject at present ; for she choose, 14 the river is observed
to be narrower witbin the walls than either below or above
them."

Yesterday the Duchess of GIMIUCKIIITEIt •nd the
Princess AUGUSTA rode uut in an open carriage,
attended l,y the Countess Dowager of LIAIICOURT,
iii Kew and Richmond Gardens.

The statement in ea paper of Monday. that seve-
ral articles of searing apparel of her late Royal
Highness the Princess CHARLOTTE were exhibiting
at CI t, without the slightest foundation.
The least reflection would be sufficieut to any
thinking perpon. that no such circutustauce could
possibly take place.
The Marquis D'Os►toNo, the French Ambassa-
dor, gave a superb entertainmesit on Tuesday, to
celebrate the festival of St. Louis, at his residence
in Portland-place. to a large party of distingui►hed
personages, among whom were--
The Duke Sae Carlos, the Spanish Ambassador ; the Mts.
shin Ambassador ; &row Fogel, the Ambassador from the
Netherlsods ; Byron Humboldt, the Pr isioian Ambassador;
Count Litdolf. Count d'Aglie, gams de Streiruald, Monsieur
de Bourke, Martinis de Surreiso, Marquis de Noiliklae, the
Earl uf Liverpool, Lord Castlereagh, Mr. Gallium, Mr. Rush,
dm Are.

It is to be hoped that the new silver coinage
about to be struck oir at the New Mint, from the
design of r celebrated foreign Artist, will not be
like the present, viz. so completely milled us to be
deprived of *mad.

A house bas been taken ut Putney for Ludy
FRANI:NS VANE TENin:sr. where ►he well re►ide at
pre►eut. sceompsourd by her Goveruess, Mrs.
CA D 8.-I krening Paper.)

L'Honeme Gris. the Grey lihn, which Mr. JONES
hai manufactured into his Green Neu, wits repre-
sented about a year ago at the Theatre de l'Odeon,
at Pari%

The Sixteenth and Seventeenth Outiiiid it Lectures
at Stoke folk, the mansion or JOHN i'Ets N. Ea+
us. Wedncsaloy and Friday of the last week, attracted smarty
as large a cuilcciima of hammy and fashion as the Lecturer
ever assembled at the araroter house is Npriag•garilens The
and Lecture 011 Wednesday, is which the /COM lea of ST. Palm
on marriage were iairualuceil, was peculiarly calculated to
ezeile ideas of slat artier at Athens, alwre that indefatigable
A emote exercised Isis sacred folio-lion, as the colunades, cu-
touts., awl 1110111111141111411 of truly fikeeissa artlaita esure, which
have lung at Smite melba *Hie art, might naturally areal
to the remalleypiess Id the anthills. that celebrated
city of arttimprbly. amiable and enlightened Cuiiiiitus
offiatteatini attended that day, occonpanied by the Hon.
/dim 'FitetusiS t and it may fairly be ascribed in her 'Arty.
ship. obvious and rely marked approbation of the Leman.,
and Inrusirable nia,,rt of it, that a larger company altrudrd
on Friday. awns: whom wave swot of the most respectable
Member. of the venerable College of Eton, always true to
the spirit of law and order, and stint with the fluutraittne,
the Dawsons, the I:ll,gnars, lbe Jonuntui, the Xim en is,
and massy othr r &dimmable. fsuies lice adjoining canonry,
lugrlfrc r math a panty of Oat rst uY Ibe !loyal Hisses, the
Lettere perhaps nceiverl, is. tl,e Nadile Library of Stoke
Park, almost the graat.at siambar he I.vcr an any
treaaaina.