The National Register.
London, England, 1814-05-01 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

31 AY I .

I'l2ti E ARTS.

lIIE FORTY-SIXTH EXHIBI I lON OF THE ROYAL ACATEMY
SUMEttsEC HULsE.

Many of the visitors, who are not acquainted with the
language of Homer, and Demosthenes, will suppose, we are
afraid, that the Greek motto on the title page of the catalogue
contains some mystetious maxims, which may be a sort of
key to the Paintings which the rooms exhibit, and they will
grieve at their not understanding indeed, why should
the motto be in any other tongue than our own %—however,
the purport of Philostrates, the younger, in this quotation,
is to invite us most earnestly to respect, but not to over-rate,
the inerit.of the cntigue, and with him, every one who feels
sincerely' intelested in the welfare of the Fine Arts, will na-
turally coincide. It is a melancholy supposition, that we
can see nature and her works much better through the eyes
of in r predecessors, than through our own ; yet we. must
confess that the closer we tread upon their steps, the neater
we are to peifection. The present exhibition will give us
()fen occasion to recur to this principle; but, to-day, as the
of important and uitpusipo,-m&e 'natter has necessarily
con, en r .te3 our limits, we will present our leaders with a
general view splendid display of British talents in the
chromatic a' t. The temple of Janus is shut, at last, and
the splendor of tne Aug, sun age blazes again under the
Regency of a P ince who has always evinced himself the
warm and libeial patron of the Fine Arts.
The Academicians have certainly exerted themselves, to
give a niagn fi,euce to this exhibition which we have not
witnessed for wativ years, and, if we except a few pieces
which ci aw I humbly along the floor of the diffeient rooms:,
it seen s as it blind and groping Mediocrity had not easily
found the erera cc of the t.m; le %%hoe the Muse of Painting
sits so majisitcally, surround, d with a bright llalo reflected
at once ftom neatly a tl'o ...Ind pallets. The historical de-
partment exhibits but few specimens, yet the performance
of E. Bi an, It. A. 2acen Philippa supplicating King Edward
to spare the lic,s :if the .tile Burghers of Calais, No. 122,
would be sufficient to immortalize any artist. The mytho-
logical subjects of T. STiyruArtD, It. A. Nos. 71, and 219 ;
the Cupid, stung ky a Bee, and complaining to his MothCr, by
B. Wt.ST, the venerable PRESIDLNT or II: r. ROYAL ACA-
DEMY, No. 16; the Heroic Landscape of T. M. W. TURNER,
It. A. No. 177, are worthy of the best attenCoin and dtherve
a great dial of praise. The two h •ce t and finished
cabinet Pictuies of D. WILKIE, It A: Nos. IS and 1,`;.5 ;
several whole leitgth Portraits, among which we will select
that of the Mar. of AGereorn, by T. LAl:vv. ragce, It. A. No.
146; the animated composition of C. DAwc, R. A: Elect,
No. 1, representing Mrs. S. IV. Cow.ley and her Son, in a
most graceful attitude, and painted with uncommon fresh-
ness of colouring and truth of likeness; Vic Cottage Girl, ai
a Window, No, 22, by S. ‘NOODTORDE, R. A.; the forcible
expression of 2%as,- No. S 9, and the enthusiastic. piece of
Euridice hurried back to the li!fernal Pin-ions •o N 17 No. by
11. THOMSON, R. A. all these, and several others which we
have not mentioned, will be the objects of our attention in
succeeding numbers of the National Register.

It is stated in the French Papers that more than 10,000
passports have been already demat;ded by Englishmen, who
have an intention of visiting France. . _

A peat reduction in the naval department is immediately
to be carried iutu effect. Prepa!'ations are making for
Paling off twenty sail of the line ; and -all the hired armed
cutters, tenders, and schooners, ate to be disciarged flow
the seryke.