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No. 265. Nero's Tomb. J. Giles. This is a very masterly painting; the gloomy distance, relieved by a rainbow, the city of Rome in a blaze of light, and the dull and flat campagna, form a most poetical and charming composition, while the beautiful colouring and penciling of the foreground, increases its excellence; but we think the figures are somewhat too large, especially the goats browsing at the foot of the tomb. Mr. Giles is a very promising painter, and his other performances here all display great excellence, especially No. 438. Compositions, Tivoli.

No. 289. Portrait of Macready in the character of William Tell. J. Truman. An excellent likeness, and a most excellent painting. It is a full length, and is painted with great care.

No. 302. The Reaper. J. Inskipp. -Among all Mr. Inskipp's works, we prefer the Reaper, for its simplicity and charming tone of colour, and for the Gainsborough-like handling of the painting.

No. 354. The Frosty Reception. R. W. Bress.-The happiness of a gourmand, who is surrounded by every luxury of eatables, is disturbed by the entrance of a friend, shivering with cold, and covered with frost and snow. The angry snarl of the gouty epicure, who is choaking with passion, and the scrupulous bowings of the visitor, no doubt offering a thousand apologies for his intrusion, form an excellent contrast. The whole subject, with its appendages, is cleverly treated.

No. 404. The Broken Jar. C. Landseer. A very simple subject is here made the medium for some very good painting; the light and shade is extremely clever.

No. 419. Pro and Con. H. Pidding. -A party of villagers in an alehouse are vehemently pro and conning upon some knotty subject, to which, it seems, the debaters cannot get their auditors to agree. There is great humour and point in many of the figures, but the whole is too slightly painted.

No. 186. All hands to the Rescue. J. Tennant.

"But dimly seen, join'd 'twixt the treach'rous

rocks,

Lies the dismantled bark, her straining sides Groaning in concert with the roaring surge." Latterly, Mr. Tennant has rapidly improved, and this painting will at once put him on a footing with Stanfield and Wilson. The activity and energy of the party pushing off the boat, is a fine characteristic of British seamen, and

The

well managed by the painter.
heavy clouds, and the raging mountain-
ous ocean, are all so well executed as
to give, as accurately as possible, the
idea of a storm, and must have been
studied from that great volume of the

art-nature.

Lonsdale has six very meritorious portraits. He takes excellent likenesses, but we really see no reason why the coats, buttons, shirt collars, &c., should sit for their portraits likewise; he is as particular about those appendages as a dancing master that miss should point her toes, or a drill serjeant that a recruit should hold up his head. Now Lawrence did every thing in his power to hide all this; he despised it, and his aversion sometimes carried him to extremes, which caused him to paint coats that would paralyze Nugee or Stultz at the capaciousness of the sleeves, the broad and rumpled collar, the looseness with which it hung on the body, fitting any thing but "like wax," (the usual Snipperian phrase.) Especially his portraits of Lord Liverpool, Mr. Croker, and Mr. Canning.

The Sculpture Room contains some very excellent productions, by Baily, R.A., J. Henning, jun., &c. There is a statue of Wellington, by Francis; it bears a resemblance, but is wanting in dignity.

Thus closes our notice of this Society, and we hope it may prosper year after year. Though there is nothing very striking, still the individual works are excellent; there are several productions here that ought never to have been admitted any where, for they would disgrace the meanest broker's shop, especially one in the south room and two in the north. Can it be possible that the members expect such painters will ever rise in the art, and add to its dignity and value? Impossible! We say impossible, for it is not in the power of man to conceive more execrable things. How should we rejoice to accompany some of the members, and point these out, and beg them to particularize their beauties, or promise of future excellencies. If this Society wishes to prosper, if they desire to court the patronage of the public, destroy, annihilate partiality so very, very glaring. C.I.H.

Illustrations of Popular Works.—
Part I. By George Cruikshank.

PRESS of matter obliged us to postpone our notice of this very clever work. The number before us contains six etchings illustrative of scenes re

markable for comic humour or truth of description, to be found in the works of our most popular novelists. To say that this artist has improved, would be to say but little. There is an elegance in his drawings that may view with the most finished productions of the modern school. His male figures remind us of the spirited etchings of Callot, and his women are in most instances beautiful delineations of female beauty. His etchings have of late lost their harshness and caricature effect; and if he deals in the humorous, his figures are entirely divested of coarseness and vulgarity. One of the plates in the present number represents the "Vicar of Wakefield preaching to the Prisoners." The squalid and depraved expression of the numerous jail birds who surround the good pastor, are given most happily. The scenes from Roderick Random, Knickerbocker's New York, and the Vicar of Wakefield, are beautiful specimens of elaborate etching; and though, perhaps, not so humorous as might be expected from George Cruikshank, are admirable as works of art. The drollest of all is the scene from Burns's song, "The De'il cam fiddling through the toun." When we first saw this, we guffawed until our sides ached. Nothing can exceed the humour of this plate. Sathanas has his tail entwined around the neck of the unfortunate exciseman, and is lugging him along, fiddling and capering with true demonical delight. This one etching is alone worth the price of the book. The style in which the work is got up is truly elegant, and the size of the plates is adapted to all the editions of the British novelists.

The Naturalist.

GNAT DANCES.

It may prove interesting, we think, to turn our attention to some other movements of insects which seem to be expressive of pleasure when they are not stationary, and leaving out of consideration, also, their foraging for food. A familiar instance of what we allude to occurs in the aerial dances of the tipulidan gnats and some other insects. These are performed not only in summer, but frequently even in winter and in the earlier months of spring, in sheltered places, indeed, such as under trees and hedges, in lanes, and when a day chances to be finer than usual, though the mildest day is of course at these seasons comparatively

chill. The most common of these winter dancers is called by Harris the tell-tale (Trichocera hiemalis, MEIGEN) a troop of which may be occasionally seen gamboling in a sunny nook, though the ground be covered with snow. When the weather is warm and mild, however, the dancing Tipulida prefer the decline of day; and we have remarked them keeping it up as long as we could distinguish them between the eye and the waning light of the western horizon: how much longer they continued to dance we cannot tell.

If

It is a very singular fact connected with these gnat dances, that the company always consists exclusively of males. This any person who will take the trouble may verify by enclosing a group of them in a butterfly-net. this be not at hand, he may procure good evidence by wetting the hand, and passing it quickly amongst the thickest of the crowd; when several will be caught, and will uniformly exhibit the beautifully fringed or plumed antennæ, which in the female are without the hairs or the plumelets. What it may be, besides the same delighted and buoyant spirit which causes lambs to group together in their frolics, that induces those tiny gnats to sport in this manner on the wing, is, perhaps, inexplicable.

INSECT EQUESTRIANS.

In speaking of what appear to be the sports of insects, we cannot omit taking notice of the very singular proceedings of some species of ants, which, at the intervals of busy industry, amuse themselves with something apparently analogous to our wrestling and racing matches. Bonnet says, he observed a small species of ants, which employed themselves in carrying each other on their backs, the rider holding with his mandibles the neck of his bearer, and embracing it closely with his legs, the position which the renowned John Gilpin may have sometimes been disposed to assume in his famous race through Edmonton. But though the very palpable mistakes committed by Bonnet respecting these very ants may perhaps, tend to invalidate his authority with respect to their riding, we have the undoubted testimony of both Gould and Huber for their wrestlings. "You may frequently," says Gould, "perceive one of these ants (Formica rufa, LATR.) run to and fro with a fellow labourer in his forceps of the same

species and colony." Mr. Gould observed, that, after being carried for some time, it was let go in a friendly manner and received no personal injury. This amusemeet is often repeated, particularly among the hill ants, who are very fond of this sportive exercise. 1b.

MOTION OF INSECTS.

The apparatus in the feet of the common fly, which enables the insect to move with ease over hard polished surfaces, such as glass, &c. consists of two or three membranous suckers connected with the last joint of the foot by a narrow neck, of a funnel shape, immediately under the base of each claw, and moveable in all directions. These suckers are convex above and hollow below the edges, being margined with minute serratures, and the hollow portion covered with down. In order to produce the vacuum and the pressure, these membranes are separated and expanded, and when the fly is about to lift its foot, it brings them together, and folds them up as it were between the two claws. By means of a common microscope, these interesting move ments may be observed when a fly is confined in a wine-glass.

Ib.

Customs of Various Countries.

FUNERALS IN TIBET.

At H'lassa, when a man dies, his

head is forced into contact with his knees, the hands are placed between the legs, and the body is kept in this attitude by cords; the corpse is then clothed in the ordinary dress of the deceased, and put into a leathern sack or a pannier. Men and women lament the deceased, after having suspended the body by means of cords to a beam.

Lamas are invited to say prayers, and according to the means of the party, butter is carried to the temples to be burned before the holy images: a moiety of the effects left by the deceased person is given to the temple of Botala; the other moiety is appropriated to the, lamas invited to say prayers-that is, in giving them tea and in other disbursements on their account, so that the relatives of the deceased obtain nothing. A few days after the death of the person, the body is carried on shoulders to the place of the cutters, who, fastening it to a stone pillar, cut up the corpse into small pieces, which they give to dogs to eat; this is called terrestrial burial. With respect to the bones, they are

pounded in a stone mortar, and mixed with roasted meal; of this they make balls, which are thrown to the dogs, or given to vultures; this is celestial burial. These modes of interment are considered as very desirable. These cutters of the dead have a deba as their chief. The expence of this cutting up of a body amounts, at the very least, to some tens of silver pieces (each worth about 1s. English). The bodies of those who have no money are cast into the water; this is called aquatic burial, and is regarded as a misfortune.

When a lama dies, the body is burnt, and an obelisk is raised to him. When a poor man dies, his relatives and friends club together for the support of his family. At the death of a wealthy individual, they carry handkerchiefs and console the relations and family: they also send tea and wine.

The mourning ceremony consists in the men and women not appearing in ornamented habits for one hundred days, and not combing their hair or washing themselves: the females wear no earrings or necklaces. The opulent sometimes summon lamas to recite prayers for the soul of the deceased: all this concludes at the end of a year. Generally speaking, young people are respected in Tibet, whilst old men are shunned; and the death of an individual but little regarded. Sick people are in war is considered as a subject of exultation for the whole family.

Anecdotiana.

GEORGE THE SECOND.

When the great grandfather of the present king came to the throne, complaints having been daily made of the defalcation of public money, his Majesty was resolved to inspect the accounts himself along with his minister; and for that purpose told Sir Robert Walpole he would begin next morning. The king accordingly came into his closet about nine o'clock, and Sir Robert soon after followed with three waggon loads of papers, which were beginning to be unloaded just before the palace gate. "Where are the papers?" said the king. "They are unpacking, Sir," said Sir Robert, "that is, as many as could be got ready at so short a notice, for I have been to collect three waggon loads to-day, but by next, God willing, I am in hopes to fill seven more. "What, ten waggon loads of papers," exclaimed the astonished sovereign, "well, well, take it back

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long quilt cap which came two or three inches at least over his eyes, which served him as an umbrella to defend his eyes from the light about every three hours his man was to bring him a roll and a pot of ale to refocillate his wasted spirits; so he studied and drank, and munched some bread; and this maintained him till night, and then he made a good supper.-Now," adds old Aubrey, "he did well not to dine, which breaks off one's fancy, which will not presently be regained."

EPIGRAM.

With wig profound, old GALEN cries,
"My patients ne'er complain!"
"I do believe thee," NED replies;
"Thou put'st them-out of pain!"

Diary and Chronology.

Saturday, July 31.

St. Helen of Sweden, mar A.D. 1160.—Sun rises 17m after 4-sets 42m after 7. July 31, 1743. -- Died the unfortunate Richard Savage, in prison, where he was confined for debt. The hard fate of the poet deserves compassion, though there was little in him either amiable or respectable. He was, however, generous to fellow sufferers from indigence when he had any thing to bestow, and actually shared his last guinea with a woman who attempted to swear away his life. The works of Savage, though some of his pieces contain some vivacious sallies and pathetic sentiments, must be considered as consigned to oblivion; and, had it not been for his accidental acquaintance with Dr. Johnson, the poet's name would long ago have ceased to interest the world.

Sunday, August 1.

EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.

Lessons for the Day-13 chapter Kings, b. 1, morn-17 chapter Kings, b. 1, Even

St. Pelegrini hermit, A.D. 648.

August 1, 1715.-DOGGET'S COAT AND BADGE.-This being the first anniversary of George 1.'s accession to the throne, Thomas Dogget gave a waterman's coat and silver badge to be rowed for by six young watermen in honour of the day. And, to commemorate that happy event, he bequeathed at his death a sum of money, the interest of which was to be appropriated annually, for ever, to the same patriotic purpose. The candidates start, at a signal given, at that time of the tide when the current is strongest against them, and row from the Old Swan, London Bridge, to the White Swan, at Chelsea Mr. Dogget was an actor of great and original merit, belonging to Drury Lane Theatre. In his political principles, he was, in the words of Sir Richard Steele, a "whig up to the head and ears;" and so strictly was be attached to the interests of the House of Hanover, that he never let slip any occasion that presented itself of demonstrating his sentiments in that respect. He died in 1721.

Monday, August 2.

High Water Oh Om Morning-0h 21m Afternoon.

August 2, 1704.-BATTLE OF BLENHEIM.-Upon this day the confederates, under the command of Prince Eugene and the Duke of Marlborough, fought the French and Bavarians at the little village of Blenheim, on the Danube, north of Augsburgh, in the circle of Suabia. Near twenty thousand of the enemy were slain or drowned in the Danube, and upwards of 13,000 French and Bavarians were taken prisoners, including the French General Marshal Tallard, who was brought to England, where he remained seven years in captivity, chiefly in Notting

ham Castle.

Tuesday, August 3.

St. Walther, Abbot, A.D. 1160.—Sun rises 21m after 4-sels 38m after 7. August 3, 1765.—A violent storm of thunder, lightning, and hail, happened at Kennet, near Newmarket, by which more than 200 acres of corn was destroyed. At Hampstead, a boy aged 18 was struck dead by the lightning, and at Bicester, in Oxfordshire, the electric fluid struck the church-steeple, and shattered the pinnacles, and otherwise greatly damaged the fabric.

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Illustrated Article. THE

WRECK.

For the Olio.

[The following narrative, we are informed by our kind correspondent, is little more than a transcript of events in which he himself was a partaker.]

WITH a favourable breeze, the Hercules quitted Madras Roads to complete her voyage from Europe to Calcutta. The shadows of evening had given place to the deep gloom of a tropical night; and the spacious decks, deserted by their late numerous and joyous occupants, were tenanted only by the wakeful officers of the watch, and groups of weary and slumbering seamen. A solemn stillness prevailed throughout the ship; the monsoon blew in one continued current of gentleness, scarcely creating a ripple upon the surface of the ocean; and the deep blue sky above, gemmed with innumerable stars, with their cold and sparkling lustre, shed over the face of nature that uncertain and mysterious twilight VOL. VI.

G

See page 100.

which imparts so soothing a calm to the wearied and troubled spirit.

It was such a night, the third after our departure from Madras, and yet that balmy breeze bore on its wings destruction and death; and the deceitful sea only awaited the call of the infuriate winds to wreak upon our devoted ship and her luckless crew, its blind and frantic vengeance!

A harsh grating-proceeding, as it seemed to me, from the deep beneath, accompanied by a quivering throughout the ship, awoke me. A feeling I cannot explain, though I felt no clear idea of danger, induced me to quit my hammock, and to spring up the main hatchway to the quarter-deck. It was pitchy dark, and the waves were hurrying wildly and confusedly past the ship's sides. At this time a mere novice in nautical matters, I found my way to the forecastle, among a group who were anxiously gazing at the sea a-head. All I could distinguish was the sullen boom of the waves, and a long streak of snow-white foam on the otherwise dark sea. The experienced eyes of

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