The Sun.
London, England, 1838-06-05 00:00:00

ROYAL ACADEM't. EXHIBITION.

(FROM A COr.RESrONDENT.)
The p-osperity of every ;:_istitution connected with the Arts'
furnishes us with an unquestionable proof of onr national w2ll-•
being—of the activity of cur conlma-ce—of our advaMceme:it
in knowledge—and of what may perhaps be rega, ded as a yei;
dcarer bleszinv, our internal and external tranyuilli y.
The gained—the catalogue already in :.'111" hands—,
we are ~leased on turning over its pages to discover names
ren,o-vii has long since made familiar, and we rejo:ce
to
find their ow-nets once more at the post personal talent and 7
public opinion have as,igned them. Nor tin we regret to fin 4
these gentlemen surrounded
.by others on whom fam, Ine.4 not'
yet bestowed her garlands, persuaded, as we are, that tfh! 114
includes many whose desire for celebrity is founded on its
surest basis—true merit. While the hoary heads and num e-
roes honours of the veteran mingle in the ranks with the glow
hag features cf the recruit, no fears can be entertained for this
success of the cause. Front the workmen we judge of the
work ; and our expectations are raised by the subjects they
have chosen. We are promiand new versions from many a.
well-known page of the world's history ; high and illustrious.
personagos connected with the past and present are to be
brought before us ; the thoughts of poets so long familiar to
our meditation that they identify themselves with our own ;
are to borrow a new form, be embodied, realized under the
chisel and the brush ; beauty is to beam around us ; 0314
swirly landscapes promise to console those who have left Nisy.
fields and May gardens for the thronged rooms of the academy,
In the great East, Room, among the earlier numbers we'
have some landscapes by Sir A. W. Cab-ott, R. A. Not-
withstanding the rich colouring an Italian subject has livettsec"
the artist to bestow on these pictures. they are far from being
attractive. An unpleasant air of stiffness pervades them, Old
the catalogue takes the pains to infOrrn US of the cause, "
Ita-
Han Composition, from materials, &c." The selection of
materials is a principle practised on, and advocated pretty ge-
nerally but while opposed to the grand end of art—the faith-
ful rendering of nature, it often fails to attain its own purpose,
the gratification of taste. These two objects are inseparable ;
nature is the spring of beauty, and taste, however fastidious,
must draw its resources thence. This system will, therefore,
fail to produce chef d'oeuvres, although it may be found coro-
modions and successful in the fabrication of pictures.
In No. 21, " There is life in the Old Dog yet," gOccin
Landseer, we see united, the faults and excellencies of tifikt,
greet artist. He has given the noble animal an express;ol,
suiting the mournful drama in which he is the hero, and
it is well worthy the author's profound studies of the physiog-
Horny of animals. It has, however, too much brilliance in the
colouring, a defect of no slight kind, from the inconvenience it
causes the spectator.
Hi small pictue of Lady Fitinarris is egceedingly beau-
tiful ;s Landscer'sr lap-dogs should always repose on the laps of
Landseer's ladies.
The subject of No. 33, might. have made an interesting
picture, but the stiff lady in green robes, ors
a crimsoart
couch, is intolerable. It is a difficult task to compote a q.°
painting ; to avoid making a disagreeable one might, we Noa"

g ine, be more easy.
No. 45, by S. A. Hart, is a good modest picture. Ott
the countenances of the various figures we read emotions we
have often seen excited at readings of the immortal bard.
No. 60, Sir D. Wilkie has done as much justice to this
subject as could possibly be given to all.lcrhly interesting event,
D. O'Connell, E:q., and T. Daniell, Esq., a brother ay.
tist, are among the portraits by the same han
The little picture of " The Bride at her
Toilet,
unsatisfactory as a whole, has one head which rem
ittdsthoughf
us °
so.ne of Wilkie's happiest strokes. first
No. 72. This picture holds a high rank, if not the „
place in the Exhibi!ion. Too much cannot be said in
of this masterly " Portrait of the Earl of Eldon."
It is to be regretted that " Lord Encombe's Portrait" fall
"
below its admirable companion.
No 137, " Salvator Rosa painting his friend Mosaniello./
is an interesting picture. Mr. i‘laclise has turned this Cif;
cumstance to profit. Weighty projects may be read in tPof
face of the Neapolitan fisherman, who, during the progress, i„,
his portrait has fallen into a profound reverie. The
tion of the model is caught by the artist, who points it out t
his lovely mistress. The countenances are beautiful, thc_
colours in keeping, and the attitudes, whether viewed apart
as a group, natural and easy.
We take advantage of this occasion to mention attetbr
picture by the same hand, No. 512, " A Merry Christmas .9
the Baron's Hall." An elaborate composition, which
the eye by gaudy colouring, and perplexes the mind by a niu
secere
titude of figures. The name of the artist, however,
attention, and as the eye wanders from the hearth to the di.
Jac's,'
from the dais to the group of maskers on the right, and tO
accompanies the Boar's Head down the staircase, you stumble'
an infinity of heads, which pop out from under tables, benche76
and between the shoulders of more prominent figures, in a °65,1,.
diverting manner. When you have accomplished this joarn,:
you have made, we believe, a hundred and seven acqua.intan:l;?
and have observed that every personage introduced
ployed—that each countenance has its expression, its je"c/.....0
duality, and many of them great beauty—that nothing sb° in
you as devoid of grace, while many of the groups are pleashig
dazzlci!
the extreme—that the soberness of age and hilarity of youth g.c_
e
there, and you admire the talent displayed in this clever pieta°'
It appears to us, however, that a greater sobriety of colour"
ing would have lessened the apparent confusion, which we fc'
gret, as it may be in the way of the popularity of an able p 6."
formance. W. Allan, R. A., in his view of the Slave 11,1afkmt
at Constantinople, has avoided this evil. Here a nearly equal
number of figures are introduced, and all with effect. The
painter Has cleverly rendered the physiognomy of the crowd
thronging the streets of Constantinople ; we can distinguish
the countenance of many a true son of Stamboul among the
multitude of every clime brought forward in this painting,
Mr, Allen has brought with him from the East correct as well
as vivid souvenirs.
W. Hilton, R. A., has given us, No. 193, a Mag.-
sacre of the Innocents." Much appears wanting in
th
this
picture, but the artist has succeeded in drawing from
visitor the emotion he intended—extreme horror. A painful
anxiety it produced lest the poor mother, from the para Pet
over which she leans, should fail with one hand to convey her
infant into the friendly arms waiting to receive it below, while
with the other she wards off the blow of the executioner.
No. 270—" The Passions," is in our opinion a failure..

No. 323_., The Saints Day," J. P. Knight, is a good Plc`
ture ; character in many of the faces ; the whole in keeping;
No. 324—Kennedy's " Scene from the Gentle Shepherd_
approaches the burlesque. Jenny is more coquettish than,
simple. « `,del;
T. J. Cooper has some very fair performances.
lington at Waterloo," and a " Halt on the Fells," are very abi,e;l
No. 386 is another amusing and well-executed picture.
Englishman paying his reckoning on the left, and the Germ
pedestrian students behind, arc excellent. In the foregrounc'i
your admiration is divided between two priests and some hand"
some women. 0,
No. 559—" The Baptism of Ben Jonson's Daughler",;,
The great names connected with the subject of this pietur
give it considerable interest.
The Exhibition has no landscape of great merit, although,
we have performances by Stanfield, Callcott, and Lee.
liS
J. 11.1.-W. Turner, R. A., has some gorgeous pictures for fis,
admirers. Though alive to the dreamy softness of his 1,10:
tances, we cannot approve the means he employs to attain .
end. Eccentricity is a poor substitute for art.
THE MINIATURE Room.--Have you ever seen an avibliP
containing the choicest specimens of the feathered tribe ; t ct
lightest and most graceful shapes ; their most splendid be,
delicate hues Have you ever found yourself behind t
.5,
gclden lattices of an eastern seraglio, basking beneath the r,33,1
of a galaxy of orients! eyes? Or, have you (for the questicia,
are synonymous), ever visited the miniature room of our Ac
demy ? Were our miniature painters to eclipse all others tilejca
would attain no great achievement, for they have unequ'r,,,.
subjects from whence to derive and direct their inspirat'°:ro,
As usual, from golden and velvet frames a hundred faces
looking upon us, radiant with English beauty. We w?-I,t,
gladly make selections, but the task is dangerous. We mto
attribute to the artist the merit of his model. We ean't
however, forbear to mention one immeasurably above the tr.!.
both for the beauty of his subjects and his skill in portraying
them—A. E. Chalon.
Lady W. Stanhope and the Duchess of Sutherland bac°.
done well to select the services of such a mirror.
We have at length reached the door by which we entered'
Have our expectations been realized? Among the varietYA
ohjeets the wand of art has raised before us, is there one ishv:.,,
excellence has graven it deeply on our memories? Our c°,j4.
elusion is unsatisfactory and chilling, but justice demands ;If:
verdict. The exhibition for 1838 has not spoken elogne°-
to our hearts,

Major-General Sir Maurice O'Connell, his fari'ilY'
and suite, will take their passage by the ship Fairlie of 755 t0"5:13°
Sydney. They will embark at Plymouth on the 2:3d of July, and t°"; c 1
at the Cape. Sir Maurice is a relation of 1). O'Connell, Esq
has recently been appointed Commander of the Forces in Austral.' f
POLES,--A' DISTRESS OF TIDE POLES,--A few ph-fl °
its o;
six Poles were lying asleep on the ground in one of the par's f A
metropolis, having no moans of otitaining any better lodg"'„.
or-
policeman having come upon this unhappy group in his renn"-la ice
tiered them to rise and remove elsewhere. The Poles, from ign°r'
of the English language, were at first unable to make him rstand
that they had no home, and were compelled to adopt their Prese"t It
the want of a better bed. Other policemen, however, coming ~.,;sed
was ascertained that the apparently refractory strangers were dii:tely
Polish patriots, and with great humanity the policemen irolned'ad-ia
collected a sum of money amongst themselves, which 0:10111"Y°
procuring lodgings for the homeless exiles. •
In a letter received from Mr. Dunlop, IVl:P.:iniatisite
week, he mentions that communication had been made to bbn
subject of his resignation, and that he never had any intention of res.:to
ing. He also says, " there is nothing in my present state of health
es'
indeed,e fr shalltlhedo anoorts bseaya Lille shallto aitnteanldl iii3tryodaubtiileist,yas usual neX tns_o,,t
season than I have been for years."—Apr Observer.
a
FEMALE CURIOSITY.—A lady, after nearing
very impressive sermon, condemnatory of wicke loess in every sbairiel
cool!), exclaimed, " Well, after all, I should like to see every th ;ti
for once !"
Slee:
SUICIDES IN CENTRAL INDIA.—Major
ma.,, it appears, has kept a record of the number of native suicides cotn.:c
be strooge.r
mitted in the district under his charge in the year 1834-5. From .
Major's statement it would seem that suicides were of daily oCeur'enc,c'.
that out of 40 cases which he had record,d, 30 were those of womco
It is singular to observe on what slight occasions many of these acts o
Y f
suicide have been perpetrated ;—sometimes for an attack of dysen
te
at other times for a pain in the intestines, and sometimes through briefr
for b reavement. In India it has been calculated that there arc cverY
y2ar forty suicides in a population of 250,000.—Parbury's Orieutol
Herald.
A SUCKER,—A man in Monroe, Iii;;Illand county:
Ohio, the other day sucked five dozen and eight eggs in less than t.-
S
minutes, fo, a wager of a shilling. The paragraph stating 0,11:
headed "hard to beat." If the man were well beaten, he wouldl.e
made a custard or