general character of our national exhibitions, which is, to speak in unqualified phrase, directly opposed to good taste: for it should seem, judging from the coup d'œil, that the general intention of the respective exhibitors, was to out-paint each other, to obtain the applause of the vulgar, rather than to court the approbation of the connoisseur. It is to effect this, that the painter, in concocting a picture, which is intended expressly for public exhibition, appears to determine, from first to last, to perform his operation up to the high-forced scale of exhibition pitch; and to this fallacious object, sacrifices nature, propriety, and all the orthodox principles of his Art. If proof of this were wanting, let any one who happens to be present at the "touching-up days" of an exhibition, take notice how one artist excites another to double diligence in heightening and glazing, adding a touch of blue here, and a touch of red there, and forcing into relief, by meretricious art, the glistening of the eye, the whiteness of the forehead, the prominence of the nose, and the ruby redness of the lips,-and he will be let into the secret of the art and mystery of toning a picture up to modern exhibition key.

Now this we cannot help pronouncing something nearly allied to gratuitous folly; for almost every individual artist condemns the practice, and yet almost all support it;—we say, gratuitous folly, for the far greater part of the artists know enough of Art, to produce a picture according to the legitimate principles upon which a picture should be painted.

Why, it may not unreasonably be asked, should the national school be thus degraded in the eyes of foreigners, by such a display, chiefly composed of graphic doings, that "out-Herod Herod," monstrosities in paint, that outrage the more sober regime of the public stage? Why, persist in this, whilst we can inscribe upon the roll the names of living painters whose works would do honour to any age or any school? Surely, it were bad policy, to say the least of it, if it were admitted to arise from the desire to collect the shillings at the bar as the price for admittance to view such a display of national degradation.

One circumstance connected with this, were it even so, is rather matter for regret than subject for censure, as it affects the principal painters. It is well known (the more is the shame) that the only provision for the maintenance of the disciples of the British school-that of the Royal Academy-arises out of the funds created by the admission-money received at the doors in shillings from the sight-seeing public. The Government has done nothing for this national school: it has to thank the King alone, and that only for the royal sanction.

It has too long been the custom with certain conductors of the pub

lic journals to endeavour to bring the Royal Academy into disrepute, by charging its members with malversation in the discharge of its power and influence, and with other high crimes, and low crimes, and various misdemeanours; whilst, were they truly acquainted with the management and general conduct of that body, they would doubtless, in common candour, do them the justice to own that they had been mistaken.

The whole proceeds of the last two years' exhibitions have been expended by the Council of the Royal Academy upon the schools, for the advantage of the students who derive their education in the art entirely at the expense of that fund, which might, under a less liberal management, as is the case with any corporate body in the kingdom, be applied to purposes beneficial to themselves and those who might seek their patronage. We shall advert to this subject on a future occasion, and return to the subject of this exhibition.

In page 250, the name of Mr. Lee, who sent the 'Landscape on the Dart', is omitted; from which, it seems as if that and No. 166 (a' View on the Dart' also,) had been painted by the artist mentioned immediately before. Mr. Witherington's name a few lines below is misprinted Hetherington; and we find we have not done justice to Mr. A. Clint by any mention whatever. He has three :-No. 398. 'View near Dartford;' No. 459. 'Bexley Heath;' and No. 531. Landscape.' Mr. Clint has a clear understanding of the beauties and effects of nature; his handling is light, and his touch full and juicy. It would, perhaps, give an additional value to his works, were he to mass his foliage more, to make them broad and round, and not angular and straggling. We know he is capable of this, for No. 531 illustrates our remark.

To revert to our former observations. Lest we should be mistaken in our estimate of what is due to certain exhibitions at the British Institution, we honestly declare that there are many works there, of which we wish we were rich enough to become possessors. Happily for artists, public judgment is sufficiently improved to descry merit; and taste will know how to "separate the sheep from the goats."

MISCELLANEA.

The Diagraph.-An instrument, thus named, has been contrived by M. Gavard, of Paris, by means of which any geometrical drawing may be immediately put into perspective. It is said that the perspective re

presentation is produced altogether mechanically, and that all that remains for the delineator to do is to touch up the outline, so as to give it sufficient spirit, and remove the tameness resulting from such a process. Upon what principle the machine is constructed we are not informed; neither do we know whether the object can be represented as seen from any point of view determined at pleasure, or whether this mode of delineation be limited to certain conditions. Should the latter be the case, it can be of little practical value. Even should this disadvantage not happen to be attached to it, the usefulness of such an instrument depends on the facility of its application. If it really expedites the manual operation, its utility can hardly be disputed; but this is so far from being the case with some methods that have been invented for drawing objects in perspective, that they are by far more complex, tedious, and operose in practice, than the usual processes derived from the study of the science; so that they might not unjustly be termed inventions for preventing persons from understanding the principles of perspective. A writer of considerable note on perspective in this country, has devised a problem to be employed in cases of inaccessible vanishing points, which is no doubt very ingenious and satisfactory in itself, as it shows the possibility of accomplishing our purpose by it: the only objection is, that it is so exceedingly difficult and tedious, that an entire drawing might be finished in the time required for this preparatory step to beginning it. In this case, too, all the ingenuity and difficulty are perfectly gratuitous, since exactly the same end may be attained merely by drawing a single parallel line! Both the principles of perspective and their practical application are, in fact, so exceedingly easy, when divested of the mystery and seeming difficulty in which they have been involved by those who have endeavoured rather to make a display of their own knowledge than to communicate it to others, that no one who takes up a pencil can stand excused for pleading ignorance of what a few hours' study and reflection must render palpable to him.-To return from these digressive remarks to M. Gavard's Diagraph: It appears that this instrument, or machine, is rather limited in its use, and of service chiefly to architects who want to make perspective drawings from their own geometrical designs. A machine for a similar purpose, called a Coordonograph, was some years ago invented by Boucher, an officer of engineers. This latter, however, gave only the requisite points, which were afterwards united by lines so as to complete the outline of the object.

CATALOGUES OF PICTURES EXHIBITED AT THE ROOMS OF

THE ROYAL ACADEMY.

[Continued from p. 272.]

Charles Townley.-332. A Venus (in miniature).

William Tyler, R.A.—383. A Small Model of a Monument.

Benjamin Vandergucht.-334. A Head of the late Mr. Garrick, being the last Picture he sat for. 335. The Pot-boy (a small whole length). 336. A Gentleman.

E. Vaughan.-337. A Miniature.

Henry Walton.-338. A Scene in the Spanish Barber, Act 1. scene 1. 339. A Group of Figures, with a Fruit-barrow.

Henry Webber.-340. Bacchus and Ariadne (a basso-relievo).

Benjamin West, R.A.-341. Alfred the Great divides his Loaf with a Pilgrim. 342. St. Peter, accused by the Damsel, denies our Saviour. 343. Prince William and Princess Sophia, children of Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. 344. A Gentleman and Lady, painted in commemoration of their marriage.

Whetherill.-345. A Landscape, with the story of Arminia, from Tasso. 346. Ditto, with Gipseys.

Thomas Whetten.-347. A Design for a Palace.

William Wickham.-348. South Front of a Design for a Villa.

James Wicksted.-349.—A Frame with two Impressions, viz.: Olympia, from Cipriani; Device, with an Arms.

Robert Wilkins.-350. The Engagement between the English and French Fleets on the 27th of July, 1778.

Ann Williams.-351. A Lady (in crayons).

Richard Wilson.-R.A. 352. Apollo and the Seasons. 353. A Landscape, with Gipseys. 354. A View in St. James's Park. Wimbledon Common.

355. A Review on

Joseph Wilton, R.A.-356. A Bust of the late Earl of Chatham.

William Woodall.-357. A Small Farm-yard, from Nature. Joseph Wright, of Derby.-358. The Girandola or grand Fire-work, at the Castle of St. Angelo in Rome (companion to the Vesuvius he painted last year). 359. Virgil's Tomb, with the figure of Silius Italicus, who bought an estate enriched with this very tomb. He was frequent in his visitation to this monument of his master. 360. Neptune's Grotto at Tivoli. 361. Two Boys (whole length).

John Yenn (Associate).-362. Principal Front of a Mansion now building for a gentleman at Hadsor, Worcester. 363. Design for a Pavilion supposed to be situated on a Lake. 364. Elevation of an Assembly-room.

VOL. III.-No. 15.

2 Y

Anthony Zucchi (Associate).—365. Ulysses and Telemachus in the cottage of Laertes (Homer's Odys. b. xxiv.). 366. The Remains of an Ancient Temple of Ceres, with Figures representing a Sacrifice to the Gods.

Honorary.

967. Dogs, by Mr. William Leivers.

368. A Leveret, by Ditto. 369. Two Mice, by Ditto. 370. A View of Folkstone, taken from the Coast between Dover and that place, by G. Keate, Esq. 371. A Large Landscape (in oil), by the Rev. G. Gardnor. 372. A Small Ditto, by Ditto. 373. A View of Keswick in Cumberland, by Sir G. Beaumont, Bart. 374. An Old Man's Head, by R. L. West. 375. Two Ladies, by the Hon. Miss Egerton. 376. A View near Kilburn, Middlesex, by J. Serres. 377. A View after Nature, by a Young Lady. 378. A Gentleman's Horse, by a Young Gentleman. 379. A View after Nature, by Ditto. 380. A General View of the Port and City of Bourdeaux, taken from the side of Beamont Hill, by Mr. Alexander Black. 381. A Portrait. 382. Filing off (a drawing), by Captain Morse. 383. A Trip to Coxheath (ditto), by Ditto. 384. A Flower Piece, by a Young Lady. 385. Lancaster Quay, by Thomas Gayfere, junior. 386. A Recruit, by a Gentleman. 387. A Soldier on the March, by Ditto. 388. A Soldier in Doubt, by Ditto. 389. A Visit to the Camp, by Ditto. 390. A Camp Toilet, by Ditto. 391. A Group of French Girls, by Ditto. 392. The Departure of Le Fleur from Montreal, by Ditto. 393. A Riding Horse, by Ditto. 394. A View of Netherbury in Dorsetshire, by a Lady. 395. A View of the Camp at Warley Common, taken from the Quarter Guard of the 25th Regiment, by J. Judd, Esq., of Chelmsford.

Omitted.

William Lane.-396. A Frame with two Impressions, from engravings in stone, viz.: A Muse; An Angel strewing Flowers over an Urn.

Thomas Mitchell.—397. A Lady (in miniature).

Sir George Chalmers, Bart.-398 to 401. Portraits.

William Singleton.-402. A Portrait.

Thomas Day.-103. A Portrait (in miniature).

Alexander Taylor-404. A Gentleman (in miniature).

Charles Tomkins.—A Circular View taken from the Obelisk at Mount Edgecumbe, the Seat of Lord Edgecumbe, commanding the under-mentioned views, viz. : 405 .A View lookingup the Milbrooke River, taken from the West side. 406. Ditto of Hamoaze, and St. John's River, taken from ditto. 407. Ditto of Plymouth Yard, Dock, and Town, taken from the North side. 408. Ditto of Stonehouse Land and Plymouth Town and Citadel, taken from the East side. 409. Ditto of Drake's Island and the Sound, taken from the South side. 410. Ditto of Mount Edgecumbe House and Plantation, taken from ditto.-The Shipping, by Mr. John Clevely.

Miles.-411. A Portrait (in miniature).