The Sun.
London, England, 1817-10-28 00:00:00

THE FINE Atil s.

In the course of the e►►suint; winter we hear
there. will be brought forward pore extensive
collections. of Engravings, ancient and Modern,
than were, ever in one season presented to the
nithlic.—Amongst them, the collections of the
late Thomas Esq: the late Lord Chief
Baron, the late Sohn Carter, Esq. F. S. A., and
of the hte,Henr} Ihbot, Esq.
Mr. iIASKERSIIILD'S Collection consists of ex-.

tensive series of emgravll British topography,
,arroored . according to their several comities ;
English and foreign portraits ; and a great va-
riety of beautiful topographical drawings, by
Vardou, Nicholson', Taylor, pecan,
CARTBA'S Collection is -SO various and exten-
sive, and is so well known to the literary
world, that it scarce requires to be particular-
ly noticed; but as it contaios many subjects of
great interest to the aw +arty, it may he proper
'to oisserVe, that his most valuable collection of
sketches of the 'antiquities throug!ront England
and Wales, from 1764 to 18:6, in 28 volumes
large folio; several most beassiitul and hi2hly-
fintshed drawings of the Cat lieu of York, Dor-
bans, &c., wiih the copy-right, plates, &C. ot his
various architectural works, and his very interest-
ing collection of teliqt.e, 0r ancient architecture,
tessera, busts, paintings ant painted glass,iancient
carved chairs, ..and other rare curiosities, will be
seen with the other parts of his collection.—The
late LORD CHIRP BARON'S IS more select than ex-
tensive; but it contains several select series of
topographical prints, lititish portraits, and seve-
ral fire historical prints. The latter are becoming
• very scarce, from the great demand by the nume-
rous collectors of them throughout •t he kingdom.
—Mr. IBBOT'S Collection has been deservedly long,
in high repute and estimation. The collection of
prints, particularly of British portraits, embracing
every class-of characters, from the earliest period
of the E,glish history to the commencement of
the present reign, by Faitnorne, Loggan, Vats-
derbanc, Glover, Lombart, Van Voerst,
R. White, &c. 4c. Among them are
many very rare a, ,d unique portraits, the works of
J. Smiths and G. Venue, containing a number of
proofs and variations, the most complete ever
submitted to the public. The foreigu portra:is are
rental kably fine, especially those by Drevet, Ede-
liak, Masson, Nantueil, &c. The miscellaneous
detached prints, books of prints, and copperplates,.
arc numerous and in good condition. This col-
lection was formed nearly forty years sinee'by the
father of the late Mr. Ibbot, who was for many
years the intimate friend am! fellow collector of
the late Lord Orford, the Rev. Mr. Grainger, Sir
William Musgrave, Sir James Lake, Mr. Richard
Bull, Mr: Grdston, and Mr. Anthony Storer.;-arid
are in the same stare as whets they cause into the
possession of the late proprietor.. •
The opportunity which now presents itself to
collectors of engravings to complete their series will
not of course be disregarded, as a similar one, so
extensive and varied, may' not for many years be
again viewed by the public. The Custodes of the
Fitzwillians Museum at Cambridge, the Trustees
of the British Museum, &c. &c. should, if any of
Ilse series of engravings in their possession are im-
perfect, avail themselves of tie opportunity, and
complete them ; and select such others as will
enrieta those national depositaries
,f the Fine
Arts, and of rare and valuable curiosities its science
and literature.

We are glad icy contradict the A.eport of tl►e
death of ►t►c• Rev. Dr. PERNEY, ►rlso, as we stated
yesterday, is in a very promising train of convales-
cence.

Mr. Aldermari HEYGATE has declined the in.
citation horn a part of the Freemen of Lincoln,
to offer himseif for that City at the General Elec-
tion, on the independent interest..

AUTHENTIC MEMOIRS OF 11R. SHERIDAN.—We
are requested to state, that a Second Edition, in
oCta%o, at Doctor WATKIN'S Memoirs of the late
Rirc:RAIID HRiNSLEy SHERlDAN;rolb'ellished with
portraits, will be published Ott the Ist November.

FO TEIE;StrAt

Eris
,• •>
S'l AGE.

nie'TkOest torner in your
P;spei, tor the insertiuit of one or tw,,
renoerfiS on the Covent-garden performances of

Saturday evening.
•
presumeto criticise
Of the Siege Beigra'ae I
lo!illeil;. bitt the Seellery, and even tl4r, generally
deserves eery, praise: ~As, however
(Lhanksto the learned taste of Mr. iii itses;), we
have lat..neci to expect historical and chronologi-
ar cal accaey, in relation to costume, huildings,
&•!. so, I venture to submit,. we pray fairly re-
spire scientifce accuracy ite what lielmsgs• to na-
ture. Tilts pi emi.sed and allowed! 1 beg your
assistsiocein calling the attention of the audience
to.the tropical sceneri[erroneously iotroduced into
the Siege of Belgrade Belkrade, a city, the 'geo-
graphical position. of Which I will not call in the
aid of the Gazetteer to describe ! I had scarcely
time to enjoy the novelty of witnessing Austrian
soldiers marching. among j).tlin• trees, before My
eves were regaled wills the spectacle of the Ban-
yan or Indian .tree, miraculously transplanted
into the torty-fitth degree of North latitude !
Solar, Sir., I have nothing to say but to the
property-man, who 'plainly supposes ,Belgrade to
be is the East Indies, and who doubtlessly has
concluded that the exhibition lallude to Must he
peculiarly acceptable, now that, we are on the
eve ors a ueiv Mahratta war. But my next conh-
plairt tigai.tst the Scene-painter; for; as the
former offends against geography, so does the hr.ter
against botany. The artist, whose information,
if appears, is not eq1.141 to the taste and ability
with which be handles his pencil (and to which
I beg; leave to give my sincerest applause), has
given us palms and fits oti the saute canvass—
though those trees perform parts so opposite un-
der the great•scheme of nature, and have conse-
quently beets given, to climates so remote from
each other ! For the future, I beseech the Ma-
nager to separate his firs and pubis, and to give
no firs, and oaks, and beecheS at the Siege of Bel-
grade, while he keeps his palms and banyan fig-
trees for Rninah Droog.
1 have now done with scenery, and ant come
to sentiment After the Play,' we were treated
with a new Prenchitied Genitals production, call-
ed the Father and his Children. On that exqui-
site botch-potch of extravagant incident, tine
feeling, and foul principle, 1 hope the public ern-
sure will be speedily pronounced. The business•
of defending and dignif)ing inalefacigrs may be
safely left in the hands of -The Morning Chronicle,
Without the assistance of the Covent Gat deo
stage. Of-the structure of the table 1 shall say
nothing; but the lesson which it is made to in-
colcat,.., that every tattier,, ot fine feelings, whose
children are in want, is to seize a pistol, and look
for relief on the highway, is surely not very becom-
ing the boards of a public Theatre, and at the very
moment when the ciretonstanCes of the i hues have
filled the Metropolis and the kingdom .4 itli secures
of soderiug infinitely gt-eater dian even that which
is here inside the provocative (the natural and
justifiable provocative) to robbery and molder !
Mark, Sir, the perverseness of such moralists as
the author and abettors of this and similar Dramas!
Temptation no sooner presents itself, than their
heroes rush into crime ; all the amends, which
they subsequently offer, to injured and insult-
ed society, consists in the miserable whiniogs of
repentance--a repentance, its the mean time, 'vouch
'yields us no reasonahl.•:gi ound of expectation that,
under a -renewal of the incitemeut, a renewal of
the crime woold not be practiced. In the case of
the Father and his Children, there is not even that
extremity of distress which cats give a colour
to the criminal contrivance of the Poet. The
children are' said to be starving ; but there ate
three able-bodied pet sons belonging to them—
their Fatliet , Sister, and Edward--s here are a troop
of gay, and happy, and pious villagers, to whose
bounty no appeal is made, but from whom the
mind is satisfied that relief could be procured—
there is a prospect of ameneed fortunes on the
very morrow, and Edward, to procure them an
immediate meal, ,akcs the obvious and innocent
course of going in scalds of wild fruits, and it
is in these circumstances that the Father turns
foot-pad, and beguiles the witlings with whim.
perings and rhapsody. But all this iii a drama,
is not Only an example of false taste, and an evil
public example, but it is also a libel on human
nature. The ordinary annals of the Old Bailey
do not deserve these tender and .splendid illus.,
trations. The great majority of thieves are
thieves by profession—a profession as regularly
taught as any other the most honoitrable and use-
ful—a profession which they enter with the gallows
before their eyes, as regularly as the soldier
serves his country at the risk of falling on the,
field of battle. But if, occasionally, a weak and
unprincipled individual, impelled by sudden dis.-
tress,and taught that this is a Natural and Ordinary'
resource, rashly' enters the path of crime, why
is this aberration trout ditty, ibis departure from
the course of all virtuous minds, to he siezed.on
as all incident ornamental to the fields of ro-
mance, and to be presented to the sympathy and,
admiration of the multitude? Happily, in teal
lite, the examples of tt virtue superior to all the
temptations of fortune—of a patient and tinotiend-
ing sutieting!-reven to death—under all calami-
ties and privations, these examples are without
liddiber; and these ate , the trite examples for
the stage ; and it is Therefore that 1 say, that
their opposites are libels on human nature. The
exceptioo, and nut the rule; the partial, and not
the general, is invidiously, or !serve' sely, or ig-
norantly, laid hold on for exhibition ; and such
Poets are only' to he compared with artists, who
affecting ,to pour' ay what is beautiful in the
species, should seek their models amid disease
and deformity. 1 am, Sir, &c.

I, A. K

Mustc.—The SHREWSBURY CORCERTS have
afforded the highest sraiific3tiou to the tilos
fashionable audiences, and aunt hut- Concert hd v-
lug been requested on the Jubilee Day, it con
chided with God save the King, awl ail adilitcoticii
Verse, written by it Musical Amateur, and sung
with the greatest elfect auk applause by Miss
FRITH.