The Sun.
London, England, 1841-04-03 00:00:00

B.E.

SCHMIDT'S SYNOPTICAL GERMAN
GRAMMAR.

This is a single sheet, in which the essentials
of a German Grammar are compressed and ar-
ranged on a novel plan. It gives a bird's-eye
View of the whole, and will be extremely useful
tO seamen. It is dedicated to Dr. Hawtrey, the
Head Master of Eton College, and has, therefore,
we presume, the approval of that distinguished
scholar.

TEE FREEH
lEW. ASON'No. s -QU4RTERLY RE-
XXIX
TEE ,FREEMASON'S MAGAZINE.--No. IV.
of the sacred announcement, so jar-
lino. u The trut;;n
the ear of the perpetrator of dark
dedeedsin po dark places, " There is nothing secret
2
which shall not be made {flown—nothing hid
true in our day
which shall not be revealed,"
regarded.e as
with respect to what our father,
Max
till
the most impenetrable mysteries.
on till
which, from the days of King Sole°
the days of George 111. (no way in head
akin to Solomon, by the bye) had no tone
whereby to address the uninitiated, has now two
—and such tell-tales ! How many spouses
of the masonic fraternity throughout the dark
ages, would have been saved from dying with
curiosity to obtain one glimpse of the mysteries
of the craft, had the " Freemasons' Quarterly
Review," or its more unpretending companion in
the revelation of mystery, then made a periodical
appearance ! And yet a lifting of the corner of
the veil dues not tend greatly to edify us. Though
brothers in masonry, and dearer to each other in
songs and toasts than brothers in the flesh—these
periodicals let us into the secret that they are
still men—that they are not exempt from
human infirmities—that they do quarrel and
abuse one another sometimes, like mortals less
interested in fixing the exact locality of
the rock from which Moses drew water
to quench the thirst' of the perishing
Israelites ! They do inform us that even within
this sacred camp disquietude is exhibited, and
rebellion not unknown. This ought to teach the
world, and those who govern it, an useful lesson.
No institution which abridges human thought—
which restricts the communication of knowledge
capable of making men better than they are, can
satisfy the mind of any truly good man. Now,
according to the testimony of the contributors to
these periodicals, the great object of the Masonic
Institution is to inculcate truths, Many of which
do make men wiser and better both -as mem-
bers of society as being responsible to God
for their actions. " If one society of hu-
man origin," says one writer, " More than
another tends to soften men's manners,
and, as it were, harmonize the mind, that so-
ciety is masonry. -I have now been a member of
it more than twenty years; and having, during
that period, followed it up with the utmost zeal,
I ought to have some experience on the subject.
From what I have seen and known of it, then, I
would fearlessly assert that in it exist all the
germs of honour, truth, and virtue. By it we
are taught the noblest attributes of the human
mind; its precepts inculcate the purest morality;
and its tendency generally is to make honest,
just, and good." An Institution whose ten-
dency is to effect such a pure moral revolution
should not have two tongues, but a thou-
sand. Its voice should be for ever heard in
our streets. And yet, strange as it may ap-
pear, both these' periodicals publish resolu-
tions of the Grand Lodge, avith the Duke of
Sussex at its head, repudiating all such disclo-
sures as are here made. But the attempt to im-
pose silence comes too late. Such writers as Dr.
Crucifix, and Mr. Lee Stevens, and the Rev.
Dr. Oliver, are not to be deterred from perform-
ing what they regard to be a sacred duty, by the
superstitious fears of those masonic owls who
delight in darkness. For ourselves,' we belong
not to the craft, nevertheless we take an inte-
rest in its proceedings. The Freemason's Quar-
terly. Review, in particular, is conducted with
spirit, and deserves the support of the masonic
body.

FINE ARTS.

CORONATION PORTRAIT OF THE
QUEEN.

Sir William Newton's portrait of her Majesty,
with a private view of which we were favoured
yesterday, is one of the most striking likenesses
we have yet seen, and though sufficiently courtly
in its character, is by no means too lavish of its
flattery- This highly finished picture is painted
on ivory—a circumstance which will take every
one by surprise who witnesses its dimensions.
Her Majesty is represented sitting in her chair
.of state, and the moment selected by the artist
is when ;he is receiving the heart-felt homage
of the Duke of Sussex, who is kneeling before
her, and looking up in her face, with an
earnest expression, in which respect for the
Queen is blinded with affection for the
niece. Her Majesty, whose head is gently
bent forward, regards her august relative with
evident feelings of interest and kindliness, as
though aware that his act of homage was dic-
tated by the heart, and was not a mere matter of
cold Court ceremony. The Duke's profile is
brought out with consummate skill, nor can any
thing be .more truly graceful and easy than his
attitude. But it is on the Queen's countenance
and figure that the artist has lavished li.ll his
powers, and the result is such as must satisfy his
most sanguine expectations. In the.back-ground
of the picture appear the Marquis of Conyngham,
Lord Melbourne, the Duke of Cambridge, the
Bishop of London, the Duke of Wellington, and
several others who, at the period selected, were
in immediate attendance. on the Queen's per-
son. Lord Melbourne's countenance may be
recognized at a glance. It is the correctest
and most spirited portrait of his Lordship ever
painted, and we are astonished, on beholding it,
to find liow much vigorous expression has been
given to ivory painting, which we have always
considered as a very inanimate affair. The Duke
of Wellington is a less fortunate resemblance.
Ten years at least have been subtracted from
his age. As regards the general richness of the
colouring of this tine picture, we may say with
perfect justice that, with all the advantages given
them by space and other auxiliaries, not one of
the numerous painters of the Coronation have
approached within many degrees of Sir William
Newton.