The Sun.
London, England, 1803-05-02 00:00:00

THE EXHIBITION.

It is with great pleasure that we can promise
to the PUblic a very high gratification from the
works of Art which will be submitted to their in-
spedion this year. Great ability, anti great variety,
will be found in the different rooms of the Academy,
and we have only to lament, as usual, that amidst
the general treasures of Art, so honourable to
British Genius, the province of Historical Painting
does not rise into notice with a distitidion suitable
to its importance. This branch of Art still con-
tinues to want that encouragement without which
it-cannot he pursued in such a manner as to draw
out the full powers of many Artists, who by their
other works plainly shew what might be expelled
from their efforts in the. noblest departments. In
the Portraits there is merit of a very superior kind.
The pietures of LAWRENCE, HOP PNERIOV 1 E,SH EE,
BEECHEY, and NotcrticoTE, abundantly shew that
they. continue to advance to higher excellence.
THomsos, WOODFORD!, and OW EN, also display
striking symptoms of improvement.
In Landscape, TURNER and Sir F. BOURGEOIS
have exerted themselves very successfully', as many
works by each of these able Artists will obviously
demonstrate.

BONE, in enamel, has arrived at great excellente.
There are many fine Drawings by WEsrALL,
TURNER, &C.
HOPPNEICS Portrait of Miss Grimston, and his
two Portraits of Children, are admirable Perform.
ances.

LAWRENCE'S Portrait of Lord THUR LOW would
at once establish the reputation of an Artist. His
whole length of Lady CHARLOTTE CAMP ELL, is
a beautiful and elegant representation, and his Por-
trait cit Mr. WINDHAM, a striking likeness.
SH F E has produced a whole length of the Rev.
Mr. Kirwan, Dean of Killala, the celebrated Irish
Orator, which is an excellent piCture, painted wish
great truth. His Portrait of Mrs. Pope, the Ac-
tress, is also a most pleasing likeness, and his se-
veral other works will increase his reputation.
Several of Or r Pictures may be considered as of
a mixed kind, something between Purvait and His.
tory. His Pidure " The Visit to the Cottage," is
a line performance, many parts of it being painted
in a very superior manner. His " Hobnelia ; or
" the Spell," is a charming pktnre, and his "Juliet"
will be much admired. Mr, Dries continues. to
manifest improvement : he Pvls added beauty of
form and delicacy, to stun died and power, of
colour. . . . .

The Mures of BCECIIEY are to.
he has produced in former years. A large Picture
of Mr. Symonds and family, will be amongst the
most admired of his works.

NURTIICOTE has produced. better Pi lures in the
Portrait line, than we have lately seen from his
• hand. His Portrait of Godwin is excellent, and his
large Pklure of two Gentlemen in sporting dresses,
has very great merit, The Speaker of the House
of Commons is an excellent likeness.

A small Piaurc by STo.ritAttp, " The Rival La.
dies," from The Spedator, has great merit.
Titomsorr deserves great credit fur his riaure
entitled " Crossing the Brook.".

.
Ow!*boa: .ofiti:Gfaet. I,Vi
•
a horse, whole,length.
It is impossibre for us, wit:h one hassy view,
amies-t- the numberless objeas which resso upon
bur iwtice, to discriminitte and du just itt tn'the 'vari-
ous works of .prominent merit that enrich the Aca-
demy, hut we shall hereafter proceed to conider
them with due care and attention, We have,
ever, to regret that the Academy, with all the merit
of the general display, -has not pat forth this year the
whole of its strength, the President having sent but
one small Pkture, and in the list of Exhibitors, we
1/2do not find the names of SLIIRKE,IGt LriN, FARINC-
TON, DANIELL, and tither esteemed Artists..

irROM THE TRUE BRITON Or THWMOKNINC.I
It is clearly the interest of lioNisiemtis to delay as
long as posSible his answer to any point which may
be urged by' our Government.—,-To gain time is
every thing with Min. He was not quite prepared
when the King's Message was sent to Parliament,
but it must be• confessed, that he has been alive
enough in his preparations since. He must moo:
rally be desirous too of getting. his few ships houv.
from St. Domingo, which he is sensible would, in
the event of immediate War, fall an easy prey to
the superiority of our Navy. In every point of
view Delay is favourable to him, and he seems to
have his wishes gratified to their fullest extent.
We are satisfied that it is the sincere wish of His
Majesty's Ministers to preserve Peace if they can,
and they are to be applauded for their endeavours
to obtain this desirable object—but we cannot but
think that even Peace may be bought too -dear.
The Nation suffers, at the present moment, all the
evils of a state of War without one of the advan.
tages which' it would bring. The stagnation that
exists in all Commercial Transadions ; the de.
pression of the Public Spirit arising from a pro.
longed state of suspense and uncertainty, the
disguised hostility towards this Country, which
dominates the Consular Mind—all these things
inspire a gloom over the Public, which now almost
ceases to be broken by a faint hope of Peace. We
wait with great anxietrfor the promised Communi-
cation on time part of Government, and we are satis.
fied that the impatience of the Minister to be able
to make some Communication that shall throw some
light on the present state of Public Affairs, is not
less than that of 'the most anxious of the Public—
but if it shall he found, that that Communication
shall only inform us of the relaxation on the part of
the FIRST CONSUL, of his favourite point of the
scrupulous fulfilment of the Treaty of Amiens, of
his adherence to the Treys)), of Amiens, and nothing
but the Treaty of Amiens—lt it shall be found, that
he only reludantly admits that there exist points fit
to be the subject of Negotiation between the two
Countries, our disappointment, we will candidly
confess, will be extreme; for we shall then only be
beginning that Negotiation, which we hoped would
have been finally determined by this time, and that
too, in a manner favourable to the Interests of this
Country. We certainly have heard it stated in" high
Political Circles, that the point which Lord Wit tr.
WORTH has been all this time urging, and it would
appear urging so long in vain, was merely an admis.
sion, on the part of the CHIEF CONSUL, that the set.
tlement of Malta was still open to Negotiation be.
tween the two Countries. If this Ise correct, it
opens upon us a new scene of things. If we gain
the point of Negotiation, the final settlement of our
differences is still placed at an incalculable distance,
and we are still to be left in doubt and suspense
with resped to the great question of Peace or War.
We hope, however, that this is not the real state
of the case, and that the Communication which
Ministers hope soon to make, perhaps in the course
of this day, or to.morrow, will be decisive of the
question. Ifsecure and honourable Peace•is the re,
suit, they shall have our wi)tin approbation ; hot
we candidly confess, that unless we have something
more than the mere name of Peace, unless we have
some security against a repetition of the alarm and
expellee to which the Nation has'heen subjected, we
shall be inclined to think that immediate War would
have been the preferable alternative.

A Paper of this morning has the following Para.
graph :
". With all his power, BONAPARTE'S ambition
meets with frequent disappointments. A short time
ago he proposed to the Courts of Europe, and to the
KING of FRANCE) that the latter should solemnly
abdicate his Throne, in consideration of which, the
CHt LP CONSUL would procure him a considerable
Kingdom- in another part of Europe, to which he
might res,ite, with all the French Emigrant Nobles
and Clergy. The Court of Berlin agreed to sup.
port this proposal, but the Court of Sr. Petersborgh
refused to entertain it, and. the Kttzo of FaANcg
rejecfed it with scorn."
Yesterday being the first Sunday in Easter Term,
the Right Hon. the LORD MAYOR and Sheriffs went
in state from the Mansion House, accompanied by
.several Aldermen, Recorder,' &c. attended by the
'City Officers, to St. Paul's Cathedral, to meet the
Judges of the different Courts, to hear divine ser.
vice. The Rev. Mr. Hu TelliNs, his Lordship's
Chaplain, preached.
TOUSSAINT LOUVERTURI is dead. He died,
according to letters from licsatuint, in prison, a few
days ago. The fate of this man has been singularly
unfortunate, and his treatment most cruel. He died,
we believe, without a friend to close his eyes. We
have never heard that his wife anti children, though
they were brought over from Sr, Domingo with
him, have been permitted to see him during his
imprisonment. • • -

Mr. BENJ. Wit.moT, brother of the' late Capt.
Ditv to WILMOT, who was killed in the breach at
St. Jean d'Acre, is appointed Clerk of the Rope.
yard, at Woolwich.
A new table of rates, by which the Fares of
Watermen are regulated, has been length made
'our by the Court of Alderimen; under the authority
of four Members of the Privy Council, and be.
gan to take place this day: All persons hiring
boats will now know what they are to pay : and
wa:ermen cap no longer, with impunity, refuSe to
take a fare when called upon ; because they are
obliged, under a penalty of vs. to carry, in their
hats, badges containing the number of their boats;