Star.
London, England, 1828-03-24 00:00:00

THE DIORAMA, REGENT'S PARK.

. A prisateview was given onßatorday of the new pic-
tures opened this day at the :Diorama ; and it gives -us
'great pleasure to state, that, taken together, they may be;
considered asthe best which have appeared since t he opensi
ing of the exhibition. The architectural subject, /he
Cloister of St. Wandrille, in A'ormandy,.has all the high
-finish and execution which have commonly distin-
goishetl the productions of M. Bouton, with one or two
ciicurtarauces of novelty in its invention and amine.-
ment. The ruin represented is that of a convent of the
G'thic order, partly unroofed, and in a state.generally
of dilapidation; and the view d•ffers from those
before exhibited in giving a sight of two aisles— the one
to the right. and the other to the left of the iiisiter—:
down both which he looks at the same moment, being
himself placed at the angle of tkeir intersection. • The
effect of this division of ti .e space is, of course, that each
vista is ci nsiderably less extended than those which have
been shown in former pictures—than that, for instance,
in the. Canterbury Cathedral, or the still larger one in the
:Chapel of ttostlyn ; but the painter has availed himself-
ot this circumstance to produce one or two new varieties
'of effect. The light reflected, for example, upon. the
*illati-eoloored wall which forms the bottom of the left
hand aisle or avenue. will be found admirably expressed.'
From .the comparative, short extent of the passage,
the wall seems far closer to the observer than similar.,
terminations in any former view ; and its flat surface
Seems almost palpable. A couple of old barrels that
stand about midiray in the avenue, look as if they were
left there on purpose to overthrow any wanderer who'
;might stray down it, in the dal k ; but no doubt suggests
Itself that any man who saw and went round the obsi
struction, might walk on until he was stopped by the
end of the cul de sac—the mass of brickwork or masonry
in' front. The right aisle is, to borrow a phrase from
the theatrical architects, no less indisputably, from
beginning to end, " practicable;" and a*.plank which'
is lsid from the• floor to, a level a few feet higher,
for- some purpose of. repair. • is one of the very hap.
piest " 'still life" 'morsels that M. Bonton has ever
.eieetireas' it 'is impessiible to avoid believing that, by
Ntooping, we could pass under it. A large stone
lying at. the sarne'po:nt, from which a number of
fragments have • been chirped, deserves equal tom-
mendatiOn : a hundred ,pieces are scattered about, and
-yet 'every one has evidently belonged to the Lager
Yiniss,end Might still be fitted on to some inequality or
-rithiret is Another delightful point in the picture is
the sivall tourt-or -quadrangles..-almost an episode
to the chief design—which is seen through the arches
of . the cloister. nearest the .spectator, surrounded
on three sidei.iith walls, still complete enough to
show the 'gips that fotmed the Windows, while the ab-
sence of the roof serves froin lime to time to admit the
sunshine, or exhibit other incidental changes of the sky.
The long-desertion and decay of this little quadrangle
,is-admirably matked by all, the architectural details
connected with it, The grass which grows on the floor
is of that sickly yellow hue which belongs to vegeta.
fiat little exposed to sun or air. And a thin bush
that rises at that angle of the square next the ob-
server, so that the further points are seen, or appear
to be seen, through it, is transparent in the most
eitritordinary degree. It is scarcely possible to be
satisfied that it stands on the. same surface with
the objects apparently behind it. There are some
other points in the picture which we do not like so
"well ; and these are chiefly those which belong to the
mechanical arrangement, called 14 the effects of light
and shade." These, however, are slight matters of objec-
tion to a picture which possesses very extraordinary.force
and merit, and of which Wecould say a great deal more
cortimen. dationg we had not to notice the second view,
ire Village of Unterseen, which is the best landscape
that M. Daguerre has painted : it exceeds even,' we
think, his picture in the first exhibition, The Palley of
..Sarnen. The fact is, that it has al ways been by. the denser
masses in the foreground of these dioramic landscapes
that ;the chief effect has been produced, and the
irieV in this instance is well calculated to exhibit the
belt power of the particular style. The more distant
features have never been good in any of the pictures;
and we cannot commend them here; but the effect of
the foreground. looked at from a proper point, is al-
Most unequalled.' Leaning over from the seats on the
front- row of what is called the "amphitheatre of
the building, the spectator looks down upon the picture.
into the of the village of Unteiseen, and it,
is difficult for him to get rid of the impression that u
he could drive a -eharsot of full- size all the way nit
it.. The chaussee, or pavement, is clearly composed
'of distioct and independent stones; and the light, when
the sun breaks (nit, is refracted from the inequality of
their edges or surfaces. The houses, too, and all the
appointments connected with them, appear of the full'
si;e of reality, besides being-represented with a very ex-
traordinary minuteness and nicety. The flight of steps'
leading to the door of the law chalet, or farm house, out
the tight hand ; the wOodengallerj, with the linen hang-
ing to dry in it, in the upper part of that on the left, the
marked interval or " lane' that 'seems to turn aside be-
tween the first house on the left hand and the second—all
these are objects—besides the picturesque roofs of the
parses—the half open doors and windows—and the
trunks of the felled pine trees lying in the street, espe-
cialll y tss o on the right hand side, with their fresh cut ends
'pointed towards the spectator;--all these are pants
not only most curioudy and accurately painted, but
extremely well selected- for the purpose of the artist.
Among the lay law features not quite so fortunate, we
aiayreamiciaa the pool of brown water, with the lop

lying it, mmediately in front of the large house,
on the right•hand of the picture. The reflection of
the posts, rails, Scc. (from above), in this water. is
too vivid. The effect is not that-of water and of reflec-
tion, bet of a hollow space below, in which the. objects
actually appear; and we have already observed, that
we do not like the mountains in the back ground; the
coloorio4 se ms to us too green, and the impression of
distance is decidedly wanting. Notwithstanding these
slight inequalities, however, we may fairly congratulate
both, Mr. Bouton and Mr. Daguerre upon more than
avenge success in their present productions. The land-
scape view has no effects of motion attempted in it;
and this forbearance strikes us as a matter rather of
advantage:, because, if the pictures are to be made
living and moving scenes, the accompaniments might'
be got up upon a- better scale nod in A better way
than is attempted. now. , With- a. very little effort
of machinery, the sensible sound (Iv other necessary
eWetts of rcin, wind, or thunder, might be conveyed
to the spectator, m well as a mere. atmosphere indi-
cation,, aoknetinics Ow mete effect .upon peculiar ob-
jects, without atiy.,getseral.or intelligible indications at
all. If we are to-leek-something. besides painting,
such a scene as a land-storm viewed from the interior
of a ruin might be accomplished ;or at lent some- .
, thing better than the shaking of a few *vet. without
even the semblance of a breath of air to agitate them.
, In conclusion, weintay observe, that a 'portion of the
sky exhibited in die cloister scene has been damaged
(probably by carriage), and should, if possible, be re-
, stored ; and we farther recommend our rea lets to see
both pictures from the front row of the pit or amphi-
, theatre : because, in looking from the back ground of
tie building,w here the frame-work of the picture and the
company are necessarily taken into the prospect, half
the illusion is destroyed.

FOR THE STAR.

TO THE RIGHT HON. R. PEEL, M.P. ME 00-11111
MAJESTY'S SECRETARIES OF STATE.Fte.- Sta. •
. Mardi mg, ma.
• SIR— After the very eloquent and truly enlightened
view presented to your country in four recent speech
on the state of the lower orders in Leland, and of the
incalculable evils resulting to them from the non-resi-
dence of our-landed proprietors •on their own estates,
so detrimental to• the progress of that education and,
industry which must ever form the surest and soundest
safeguards of national prosperity, I fed that it would
be a superfluous waste of your most valuably devoted
time to offer a single argument in proof of the inverse
of your own proposition—that in equal ratio must the
expatriating residence of our British absentees (the larger
pottioo of whom are generally understood to be com-
posed of the faMilies of Irish proprietors and military)
be an injury to our national interests. •
The subj'ct, Sir, his been often discussed in.its vari-
ous bearings, and many anxious appears that have been
addressed to our absented countrymen mayitave al-
ready met your eye t, warning them of the alemo.
raFzing tendency of education. abroad, as well sts of the
anti-nationalizing influences of continent slaociety and
habit!. So great is the importance, andeckohvious do
I conceive tl e ultimate consequences of it correction of
this extended evil, viewed even in re fcrenee-only; to
your own wise and enlightened views for the'haaspiness
and improvement of our native •peasantry, that i am
persuaded, with your liberal, mind, :toy suggessions to-
wards the objectof is removal, or, at all eveptto. a ma-
terial abatement of the ivii, will meet a ,candid
.and
indulgent attention.' Looking to the generallY. assigned
motives of our absentees for their resideliee'ebroad.
beyond the temporary influence of the curiosity that
carries many on their passing tours, there are, two-de,
tided causes appealed to in,justification of a csiolinental
abode—economy of living, and cheaper stores oT edu-
cation. At present-, I shall merely confine the sug-
gestions I have to offer to the former point—though I
may on a future occasion entreat the renewal of /our
attention in more detail to the latter, in demonstration
of some of the lasting influences of demor.sliz stion that
it is producing upon our rising youth, supposing even
the asiunted advantages of such education atisoad really
exist at all. The question, as ,affecting the former
point, comes into the very narrow 'compass of thereat/es
of this comparative economy of a toreign residence—
and they may be all readily resolved into the simple
fact of lower taxation! We tax, and heavily tax, our
artiCies of consumption. Foreigners, the French more
particularly, lay on a comparatively, very light and
handl, perceptible impost, in their octrcii, upon wines,
Nei; live stock for market, and undressed prdvisions
brought into their towns for consumption—one moiety
of which is applied ,to the relief of the poor, under the
direction of an administration called the Bureau de
Bienfaisance, a species•of substitution for our parochial
relief—the atl er being reserved for the costs and ex-
penditure of the local municipalities. The direct taxa-
tion• being chiefly laid on houses, lands, licenses of
trade, and other personal occupations, falls very rarely
on foreigners, by the,poprietors and lessots, for .the
very encouragement' bf British emigration, excluding
all such imposts from their tenants payment—the few
that do fall on the tseettpier exclusively, such as those
on servants, and, I believe, hearths, in the Belgian pro.
vinces, being of very inconsiderable magnitude.
At the time, and Sind, the period of the diminution
of the assessed lazes with us, the number of our con-
tinental absentees Want*, and has continued to become
gradually diminished # and from hence may be inferred
the probable result, In encouragement of the policy of
the adoption of an entire removal of taxation on neces-
saries (suppose by a transfer to a mitigated tax on in-
come, funded income especially), of an extinctiokof
the leading motives and inducements to the resideaat of.
such a great portion of. the British proprietary abroad,
the expenditure of whose incomes on the Continent,.
while it is so lamentably withdrawing the resources of
our own country, is in the like proportion bettefftibg
and enriching that of our neighbours. Remove, Sir,
then the causes that exile such multitudes of our coun-
trymen to seek cheaper means of existence out of their
country, and it will soon be found that all, or neatly
all the families whose loss can be regretted by, or whose
absence can affect the welfare of their country, Will
readily and gladly return to their native hearths, and
to the land and to the deserted domajniof their fathers.
I am, Sir,. your very respectfully obedient and bumble
set rant, I'AinUOTICua.
t Main papers on the subject, containing mach accurate into&
enstiois‘ors altos:neat sod banners of this miens of foreign rear.
dam, have appeared at different periods du the STBI6