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1818.]

Original and Select Poetry.

The mermaids in dance the long hours em

ploy,

While loveliness speaks

In their dimpling cheeks,

Impressed by the finger of jocund joy.

When our mystical rites,

On moonlight nights,

Call forth the deep voice of the chorded shell,

We in choruses strong

Chant the sacred song,

The watery Deity's power to tell.

The old hoary god,

Who controls the flood,

Save Olympian Jove,

Who rolls above

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The thunder-clad terrors of tenfold night.
When tempests invade→→
Wrapt in awful shade-

Illumin'd alone by the lightning's glare;

All peaceful and calm,
And secure from harm,

Are our diamond palaces rising fair.
And often we weep,

As the perilous deep,

The mariner hero closes o'er;
Then laying the brave
In a jasper grave,

There's nought can withstand his power and On night's silent breezes his requiem pour.

might;

TO A LADY.

On Reading Romeo and Juliet. Of love and sorrow, 'tis a peerless tale― Then press it softly to thy gentle breast; I'll share the fear that makes thy pure cheek pale;

I'll guess the wish that may not be confest.

Unhappy pair!--and yet to them was given That earthly joy which tasteth most of heaven;

Oh! sweet and bitter, let our mixt tears flow, Where on the grave of love, the drooping violets grow.

To mortals there is given a fleeting life :A life?-Ah no! a wild, vain, hurrying dream!

A tempest of pride-passion-sin-and strife!

A dark, deep, restless, ever-foaming

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Headington, August 20, 1818. J.L.W.

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RECENT PUBLICATIONS ILLUSTRATIVE

OF THE SCENERY OF ITALY AND ITS
REMAINS IN ART.

A FEW years since, when the mad ambition of an individual had embroiled all Europe in the multitudinous miseries of war, the classic shores of Italy were almost inaccessible to British artists.The attractive scenery which furnished the elements of the superb pictures of Claude, and the hallowed monuments of ancient art which offer the finest models to the sculptor and the architect, were to an Englishman as effectually "a sealed book" as the views in the vicinity of Jerusalem, or the ruins of Persepolis. He was compelled to behold them through the unsatisfactory medium of prints; and his mortification was increased by the recollection that he was almost within reach of those objects to which he most ardently aspired, but from which he was still effectually debarred. Now happily the case is altered; and it is one of the greatest benefits resulting from the general peace with which we are blessed, that the votaries of art, wherever they exist, have free access to the most copious fountains of information, and

ready admittance to the surest, we had almost said the only school of pure taste. Contemporary artists of every region of the civilized world may now mature their studies, and interchange opinions on the classic and consecrated soil that nurtured the genius of Raphael, Michael Angelo, and Claude. This language may appear inflated; but he who does not feel his powers invigorated, and his imagination excited, when his feet first press the ground which has borne the great, to whom he has been accustomed to look up with veneration, may as well desist from a pursuit in which he will never attain distinction, and for which he is totally unfit. All of us, however, are not enabled to enjoy these eminent advantages; circumstances unforeseen and unavoidable will frequently occur to prevent a visit to the realm of art; and those who remain can only participate in the gratification and profit of their more fortunate neighbours, by a true and tasteful delineation of the objects of an artist's pilgrimage. The press has teemed with the published descriptions of tourists; and though possessed of great merit, most of them have been

1818.] Gell and Gandy's Pompeii- Major Cockburn's Pompeiana.

valueless to artists; and, indeed, great requisites should unite in order to produce a satisfactory writer relative to this delightful country;-he should possess an artist's eye to view, an artist's pencil to trace, and an artist's pen to describe. We do not mean to assert, with the paltry spirit of a mechanic, that no men are competent to feel and express themselves like artists, who are not professors-on the contrary, an intelligent and well-judging amateur may in many respects be more desirable; but we consider that a mere acquaintance with books and men will not suffice; in other words, that he who is well qualified for a tourist in any other country, is by no means equal to the required task in Italy: and if a doubt exist of the propriety of our remark, let the classic Addison be remembered, whose travels in Italy are now almost deservedly forgotten. An Italian tourist, unpossessed of the feelings of an artist, is in the situation of an auditor at a concert, deficient in judgment or susceptibility with regard to music.

After these observations it will be hardly necessary to state, that we have been much gratified by several recent publications illustrative of Italy and Italian objects. We allude more particularly to those called " Italian Scenery""Pompeii," by Sir Wm. Gell and Mr. Gandy, and "Pompeiana," by Major Cockburn, which are now all in a course of publication. The former of these works," ITALIAN SCENERY," consists of a series of engravings by Charles Heath, and assistants, from drawings by Miss Batty. They are a series highly interesting; and from their size (4to.) well adapted to illustrate the works of most of our modern tourists--such as Eustace, &c. The drawings have been made with unusual fidelity, and particularly well represent the clear and cloud less skies of Italy. The engravings are not uniformly excellent; the best is the view of Aiguebelle: those of Genoa, Pisa, and Lavenza, are also good. In some of the others there is a want of clearness in the engraving, which gives a mistiness rarely observable in the happy climate of Italy, where every object is seen through a pure pellucid medium. We do not like the announcement, that the engravings are made by Charles Heath and his assistants: there is something too much like commercial feeling in this treatment of the affair. Mr. Heath, who has a high and deserved reputation, ought not to possess himself of any fame which fairly belongs to an assistant; nor ought

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the assistant to be curtailed of his due meed of praise, because circumstances have placed him in that capacity with another artist. We are willing that a bill of parcels, or a tradesman's card, should be the performance of Jenkins and Co., and that the scenery of a new play should be executed by Greenwood and his assistants; but the fame of an artist should be his own alone, without partnership or anonymous participation.

GELL AND GANDY'S POMPEII is a very valuable publication. The views are engraved from drawings made by Mr. Gandy, after sketches by Sir Wm. Gell, who is well known as the author of a very elegant work on the Topography of Troy. They afford excellent representations of this beautiful city, and are executed with great taste and correctness of finish. There is besides an attention to detail that renders them highly interesting to such as have visited this delightful spot, and of infinite value to those who have not been so fortunate: the Forum, the Basilica, or Tribune, the house of Sallust, the Villa Suburbana, and the Theatre, are given in all their beauty; the accompanying letter-press is sufficiently explanatory. Mr. Gandy has given some restorations: the Gate of Herculaneum, an Interior, &c.; they are elegantly designed, and the elements are Grecian; but restorations are among the most difficult exercises for the mind of the architect; and the unlearned builder and students in general should be cautious how they adopt or imitate them without well ascertaining the authorities upon which they are grounded. The finish to the Gate of Herculaneum is composed from that of the Choragic Monument of Thrasyllus, a building of a very different substructure and general character. For the ceiling of the interior we know of no authority, nor is the example happy.

Major COCKBURN'S POMPEIANA, of which only the first number has been published, is a most excellent and artistlike publication: the plates are etched by Pinelli, of Rome, and retouched by Cooke: they are wrought in a bold, free style, and are very faithful delineations of the places which they are intended to represent; they are not likely, however, to be so popular as many of the other productions of the day of a similar nature, as they require an intelligent and practised eye to appreciate their excellence; and the size of the work, which is folio, will also tend to make it more rare than other more portable publications. The union of talent by Pinelli and Cooke

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produces, as may be imagined, a most felicitous result: the vignette in the title is a beautiful etching, and is a masterpiece of its kind.

INTELLIGENCE.

Mr. DAVIS has painted a commemorative picture of Her Royal Highness the late Princess Charlotte, and an engraving from it is in progress by Mr. Charles Turner, and will soon be ready for delivery by Messrs. Boydell. The plate is in a very forward state, and is very beautiful in its present stage. The composition is allegoricalthe Princess is represented deservedly adorned with a constellated crown; she presses her infant to her bosom, and wafted by gentle clouds the rose and the bud ascend together to everlasting felicity, whilst cherubs playing around the group minister to them and strew flowers in their way. A distant view of Claremont, by a faint moonlight, is seen below, as indicative of the time and spot of the fatal occurrence. The artist has very ably introduced flowers in the composition. Those called, "Forget me not," the Lily and the never-fading Amaranthe are peculiarly well chosen. We are no great admirers of allegorical pictures in general, but this we are willing to admit is one of the least exceptionable of modern date. Were we inclined to exemplify the justice of our opinion, that this sort of composition is capable of being the very worst of all attempts in art, we should refer our readers to a plate designed by a Mr. Brown, and engraved by G. Maile; the artist's intentions were, doubtless, respectful and decorous, but his production has quite an opposite effect. Britannia and her customary adjuncts seemed to us to be copied from our old copper coinage, and the angels on the left hand corner disclosed to us a fact which has at least the merit of novelty, that baby angels retain in heaven their propensity to play with dolls.

Casts from the Elgin Marbles (of which it is impossible to speak too highly) it appears will soon have reached even the frozen climate of Russia. We are sure that our readers will join us in hearty congratulations on this circumstance they contain at once the simplest and the highest elements of art, and are calculated to be of peculiar service in a country where preconceived errors will not oppose their influence. The following particulars we extract from a letter to a

[Dec. 1,

friend in London, of M. Olenin, President of the Imperial Academy of St. Petersburgh, which has appeared in a daily paper "Your letter," says he, "brought me the most agreeable news, that the Imperial Academy of Arts will soon be in possession of those inimitable Elgin marbles. What a treasure for artists! I have already had the happiness of being convinced of their perfection hy Mr. Haydon's favour; and without any merit of mine, he has had the goodness to make me a most delightful present, &c. &c." "I beg of you very earnestly to tell Mr. Haydon, if it can be expressed in English, that may God Almighty himself be pleased to console him, as Mr. Haydon has consoled me. Tell him at the same time, that if he knows how to be in raptures with their excellence, we also, in our cold climate, possess hearts sufficiently ardent to feel all that can elevate the mind and the soul. For this reason, the professors of the Imperial Academy frequently crowd to pay their adoration to these precious remains of the ancients, sent us by Mr. Haydon. This adoration is in a measure extorted from one, in a manner by the superiority of these productions, in comparison with all those we have hitherto admired," &c. &c.Some time since the Russian President scnt to Mr. Haydon a most valuable selection of Casts; they consist of a Silenus and a Venus, from the Palace de la Tauride, and a grand bust of Achilles, from the Palace of the Hermitage, belonging to the Emperor, and moulded by his permission, on M. Olenin's application. The head and body of the Silenus are among the most exquisite specimens of Greek workmanship. He leans on a pedestal covered by a lion's-skin, holding in his right hand a cup of wine, his bald head covered with a vine, and his face denoting a joyous hilarity. Though it is all in white plaster, one cannot help imagining his cheeks to be rosy, and that he is singing an ode to Pan, or to the Satyrs of the woods. The other statue is a Venus, a very interesting imitation of the Venus de Medicis, evidently at a younger period of her life, without those marks of having been a mother, so evident in the Venus de Medicis. The bust of Achilles is grand, but the Silenus is above all praise. These casts, the moment they were landed at the Custom-house, were most handsomely passed free of all duty, by an order from the Lords of the Treasury.

THE ARCTIC EXPEDITION.

Extract of a Letter from on board the Dorothea.

"We first made the ice about the 27th May, near Cherry Island, which is small, and of remarkable appearance, being composed of many high and pointed rocks or cliffs; and in one bearing, looks as if rent asunder by some convulsion of

nature; it lies on the south-east part of Spitzbergen, from which it is distant about 150 miles. During a few days previous to making the ice, we experi"enced a great change of weather, the thermometer having fallen very considerably, and now continued below 32 deg. We had also frequent and heavy falls of

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snow; and for several days, in the latter part of May, the thermometer fell to 18 deg. or 14 deg. below the freezing point. We soon descried the lofty and snowcapped rocks or precipices which compose Spitzbergen-the cheerless, bleak, and sterile aspect of which it is impossible to describe. Running along the western side of the island, our progress was stopped by immense barriers of ice, which extended in every direction as far as the eye could reach, and joining the land to the northward, blocked up all the harbours. We succeeded, however, in gaining a high northern latitude, viz. about 80.; but as we had parted from our consort a few days before, in a heavy gale of wind, we returned in quest of her, and were fortunate enough to fall in with her on the subsequent day. We now put into Magdalena Bay, in lat. 79. 33. North, long. 11. East. The upper and inner part of this Bay was found so choked up with ice, which was now beginning to break up, that our situation here became very critical. Having surveyed it, however, we again put to sea, and ran along the edge of the ice to the westward, which every where presented the appearance of a solid body. On the 10th June we fell in with several sail of Greenlandmen, when we were sorry to learn that no hope existed of getting to the northward by stretching to the westward; and it was the unanimous opinion of the masters of these ships, that to gain a high northern latitude, we must penetrate to the northward; that is to say, that we must stand in with, or near, to the land of Spitzbergen. In consequence of this information, as well as the observations we had already made, and the decisive opinion of our pilots, we retraced our steps to the northward, and were soon completely beset in the ice. You cannot forin any conception of the truly picturesque and often solemn grandeur of such a scene. Conceive two vessels hemmed in, jammed, and completely surrounded by immense masses of ice, of the rudest and often most fantastic forms; the two ships appearing, as it were, like specks in the midst of a vast extended plain, of alabaster whiteness, and to which the eye can assign no limits. When the sun shone bright, whether at mid-day, or mid night, but particularly at the latter period, its beams assumed a softer hue, and shed a mellower tint on the immense sheet of surrounding ice, while the steep and towering summit of Spitzbergen, forming the back ground, combined to render

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the whole truly grand and interesting. In this situation we remained ten or twelve days, nearly fixed bodies, except when the different currents changed our situation, which was indicated to us only by altering the bearings of the land, from which we were distant eight or ten leagues. At length we were extricated from our perilous situation by the ice partially opening, so as to enable us to force our way out.

"We now ranged along the edge of the ice, endeavouring, if possible, to discover some vacancy by which we might penetrate northward; but we did so in vain. On the 26th June we again came to anchor in Fair Haven, which is situated between two islands called Vagel Sang and Clover Cliff. On those and the neighbouring islands we discovered numerous herds of rein deer: and in running in for the anchorage, immense numbers of sea horses were seen lying on the ice, huddled together, and, at a distance, much resembling a group of cattle. We succeeded in killing several, some of which were of prodigious size; for instance, one which we cut up was found to weigh twenty hundred weight. These animals are seen every where, near the land, on the ice, as well as in the sea; and they are found in the bays (which are numerous all along the coast) lying on the beach, sometimes to the amount of several hundreds. To a stranger they present the most forbidding and ugly aspect imaginable. When much annoyed by shot, they assemble their forces, surround the boat as if determined to retaliate: thirty, forty, or more, will appear in every direction, and almost at the same moment, and so near, that the muzzle of your musket will often reach their heads; they now make a hissing, barking kind of noise, and no sooner receive your fire than they become apparently furious, roll about, descend probably for a minute, when they re-appear with immense increase of numbers, and seem bolder in their assaults. Several of our oars were snapped in two, or otherwise broken by them. In their upper jaw are two tusks of great size, which seem as if intended by nature to form the principal means of defence, as well against the attacks of their enemies, as to raise and support their huge carcasses, when they elevate themselves from the sea to the ice; these tusks are of the purest ivory, and when they have attained their full growth, are of considerable value. Their hides are very thick, and of the toughest texture; but

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