it is a sweet, unaffected, feminine, and graceful figure. From this we pass to The Infant Christ, by Murillo: a justly famed specimen of this great master, whose genuine pictures are truly beautiful, but rare. The happy, placid sleep of the chief figure is exquisitely expressed; and nothing can exceed the softness and natural delicacy of the colouring. The whole picture has a charming air of quiet repose. Several fine portraits by Sir Joshua Reynolds grace the various rooms; among our chief favourites are Siacust Ukah, a man of colour, painted with great force and brilliancy; and Doctor Ash, a large and very fine whole-length-a very characteristic picture of Reynolds's best style. Of Sir Thomas Lawrence we have no favourable example. His pre-eminent excellence lay in his unapproachable delineation of female and infantine beauty; the grace, individuality, mind, and refined elegance with which he invested his fair and noble sitters, comprise his chief strength, great as he was in all his works. But portraits of royalty, such as the two full-lengths of the third and fourth Georges, are not the subjects in which to see Lawrence. They are fine and masterly works; but other hands might have achieved them. The grand he divided with brother artists-the beautiful was all his own. From the glitter and glare of coronation robes and regimentals, we gladly turn to Wilson's half-divine landscape. Wait to see this picture until a sudden gleam of sunshine illumines its clear sky and aërial distance, so strongly, yet harmoniously relieved and heightened in effect by the dark masses of trees in the foreground. The bright lights which sometimes transiently rest upon the pictures have an almost magical effect on this superb landscape; they seem to change it from the perfection of painting to positive reality. The large picture of The Lucy Family, by Jansen, is highly interesting, not alone as a work of art, but as a memorial of the costume of its era. The brief paragraph appended to the title, in the catalogue, is too amusing to be passed over in silence. It runs thus "Portraits of Sir Thomas Lucy, knt., and his lady, Alice Spencer, with three of their children, member of Parliament for the county of Warwick in six several parliaments, and grandson of the Sir Thomas who prosecuted Shakspeare, and who built Charlecote House." How are we to understand this enigmatical announcement?—that "three of their children" were consolidated into one "member of Parliament ?"-(most likely, for three Justice Shallows would go to one man, without bringing much head to the partnership). We next find this trinity considered as grandson to the Sir Thomas who prosecuted Shakspeare, and who built Charlecote House!" both these performances being considered equally meritorious by his dutiful descendants! Verily and indeed, if this extraordinary paragraph be the composition of any of the Sir Thomas's " ancestors who have come after him," the family likeness remains marvellously strong. If it owe its existence to the compiler of the catalogue, we call on the committee to "look to it." Instead of three children (the wondrous trinity in the unity of one member of parliament), we find in the picture, besides the knight and Lady Alice, three young ladies, with brocade gowns and Mechlin ruffs; one young gentleman, looking very tight in a new doublet, stepping out of the garden with a plate; another, younger, is placed beside his mamma, and apparently sitting upon nothing; two more juveniles are deposited in front of the group: while the youngest hope of the illustrious family appears in nurse's arms, in the background. We leave our readers to select for themselves, out of these eight sedate little people, the Member-of-Parliament-trinity. The individual portions of the picture are painted with minute and exquisite finish. Rembrandt's Tobit and the Angel, though a work of great beauty as regards its execution in many parts, is so burlesqued in design and idea, that we can scarcely do justice to the manner in which it is depicted. Rembrandt's finest pictures are those the life-size, either portraits, or simple half-length groups; such as The Standard Bearer, Eli and Samuel, &c. In grouping scriptural figures smaller than life, he is too apt to degenerate into the coarse and absurd, especially where any angelic personages are introduced. The angel in the picture now before us is one of the most substantial, athletic figures imaginable; heavily clad in a thick, long garment, outside which he sports a pair of magnificent brown wings; and his proboscis is portentously red. Guido shews us a far better Angel delivering St. Peter from Prison; though this is inferior in beauty to the generality of celestial beings imagined by this graceful painter. His Susanna and the Elders is a fine picture. In the female figure his peculiar and delicate manner of delineating the flesh is well shewn. We are compelled to pass slightly over many gems to which we would willingly devote individual notices: among these are Paul Potter's admirable animal portraits, Cuyp's sunny and delicious fields and half-living groups of cattle, several fine coast scenes by Vandervelde, landscapes by Rubens, Berchem-that prince of truthpainters; Sir Joshua Reynolds, &c.: but as we must condemn sundry court beauties by Sir Peter Lely to the same fate, we can scarcely be accused of partiality. Gainsborough's portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, though good, only incline us to rejoice more heartily that he discovered his superior strength in landscape painting. Vandyck's Portrait of Prince Maurice is a splendid picture. The present exhibition is most rich in his works; among them is his superb Portrait of Sir Kenelm Digby, whose fine intellectual head lives on the canvass. Nor is Waller's Sacharissa (the Countess of Sunderland,) one of the least interesting of the great master's bequests to posterity. The portrait painters of the present day would do well to qualify their studies of the brilliant and luxurious Lawrence by an equal attention to the chaste, quiet dignity, and calm unobtrusive grace of Vandyck. Sir Kenelm Digby and the fair mo ther and child in the inimitable picture we first noticed, are examples which cannot be too earnestly contemplated. Vandyck and Velasquez would be likely to inspire their students with a truer and purer feeling for the great, the refined, and the beautiful in art, than many of the more popular favourites. Three very extraordinary pictures by Platza, in a miniature style, finished with great delicacy and beauty, occupied much of our attention. The first is The Assumption of the Virgin, containing a multitude of figures, representing all manner of unrepresentable things, but designed with infinite ingenuity, and drawn with great accuracy. The other two are classical subjects, apparently Bacchanalian festivals, most exquisitely arranged and executed; light and delicate in colour, yet possessing wonderful relief and richness. They are truly cabinet gems. Tenier's Alchymist is another of the cabinet treasures. It is a most admirable example of this master's best manner, and, in subject, far preferable to his usual scenes of boors gaming, drinking, &c. Vanderneer's Skaiters absolutely seem skaiting on the canvas, the motion of the figures is so admirably conveyed. Rembrandt's Hagar and Ishmael escaped our notice when alluding to his other works in this collection. It is a beautiful picture, forcible, brilliant, and finely conceived; the figure of Abraham, witb his hand laid on the boy's head, as if pronouncing the parting benediction, is of a superior character to Rembrandt's patriarchs generally. The Brazen Serpent, by Rubens, is a splendid historical composition, the figures smaller than life, but grandly and magnificently grouped. One or two fine reliques of that almost superhuman genius Salvator Rosa add their wild and strange beauty to the exhibition, and sundry would-be Salvators and Claudes; but there are likewise some real gems of the glorious Italian's creation, making us bless the day he deserted the bakehouse for the studio. The game pieces of Snyders and Rubens are inferior to the productions of the same firm which we have seen here before. In the large picture of dead game, the pathetic and very sentimental expressions of the domestics introduced savours somewhat of the ludicrous. In so brief a survey as this, we must unavoidably omit even the mention of many pictures perhaps quite as worthy remark as those we have alluded to; but want of space must be our sincere apology. Farewell, gentle reader! pardon us for all omissions of works of art, for the sake of science and the Bristol meeting. 117 MEETING OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR THE The sixth Anniversary Meeting of the British Association took place at Bristol on the 20th of August; and if the numerous valuable scientific papers read before the respective sections are a just criterion, this meeting may be considered the most important in its results of any which has been held since the formation of this society. On no former occasion has such a constellation of scientific men assembled to elicit great truths, and to promulgate new and momentous discoveries. The number of members enrolled was 818 from distant parts, and 568 inhabitants of Bristol; total, 1386. Amongst the most distinguished persons present were-The Duke of Beaufort, Marquis of Northampton, Earl Bathurst, Lord King, Lord Nugent, Lord Sandon, Lord Edward Somerset, Lord Cole, Lord Browne Mill, The Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells, Marquis de Spineto, Baron Dupin, The Rt. Hon. Spring Rice, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rt. Hon. Henry Hobhouse, Hon. C. A. Harris, Capt. Sir John Ross, Sir Chas. Lemon, Sir Thos. Acland, Sir H. Strachey, Baronets; Sir David Brewster, Sir David Wilkie, Sir Peter Laurie, Sir Richard Phillips, T. G. B, Estcourt, M.P., T. Estcourt, M.P., J. J. Guest, M.P., R. B. Hale, M.P., G. A. Hamilton, M.P., H. Handley, M.P., Colonel Gore Langton, M.P., E, A. Sandford, M.P., P. J. Miles, M.P., W. Miles, M.P., T. Wise, M.P.; Professors Buckland, Daubeny, Rigaud, and Powell, (Oxford); Sedgwick, Whewell, Cumming, Henslow, Peacock and Challis, (Cambridge); Babbage, Baily, Christie, Cooke, Don, Phillips, Ritchie, Todd and Wheatstone, (London); Forbes, (Edinburgh); Johnston, (Durham); Barker, Evanson, Geoghegan, Sir W. R. Hamilton, Lloyd, McCaul and McCulloch, (Dublin); Stevelly, (Belfast, Ireland); Von Breda, (Leyden, Holland); Moll, (Utrecht); Parigot, (Brussels); Munier, (Geneva); Nilson, (Lund, Sweden); Von Raumer, (Berlin); Hare, (Philadelphia); Doctors Lloyd, (Provost of Dublin); Dalton, (Manchester); Lardner, Apjohn, Bliss, (Oxford); Bowring, Fiske, (America); Henry, Luppenburg, (Hamburg); Metcalf, (Kentucky); Davies Gilbert, Esq., Thos. Moore, Esq., the Very Rev. the Dean of Wells, the Rev. W. L. Bowles, Rev. W. D. Conybeare, &c. &c. At the first meeting of the general committee, a letter was read by the secretary from the Marquis of Lansdowne, announcing his inability to preside, in consequence of the alarming illness of his eldest son, the Earl of Kerry.* of Northampton one of the vice-presidents, who promptly attended An express was dispatched to the Marquis to officiate for the noble Marquis. After effecting an alteration in one of the rules, limiting the number of vice-presidents to three, the meeting proceeded to the election of the officers and committees * The death of this lamented nobleman took place on the following day. 118 MEETING OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION for the different sections during the week. The following are the GENERAL OFFICERS announced for the occasion: Trustees (permanent)-C. Babbage, Esq., F.R.S., R. J. Murchison, F.R.S., John Taylor, Esq., F.R.S. President The Most Noble the Marquis of Lansdowne. Vice-Presidents. The Most Noble the Marquis of Northampton, F.R.S., Rev. W. D. Conybeare, F.R.S., James C. Prichard, M.D., F.R.S. General Secretaries-Francis Baily, F.R.S., Rev. William V. Harcourt, F.R.S. Assistant General Secretary-Professor Phillips, F.R.S. Treasurer-John Taylor, F.R.S. LOCAL OFFICERS. Treasurer-George Bengough, Esq. Secretaries C. Daubney M.D., F.R.S., V. F. Hovendon, Esq. We shall now proceed to give a brief analysis of the proceedings of the respective sections,* and we regret our limits restrict us from giving a more ample notice of several highly interesting subjects which came under consideration. SECTION A.-MATHEMATICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCE. President-Rev. W. Whewell. Vice-Presidents-Sir D. Brewster, Sir W. R. Hamilton. MONDAY.-At eleven o'clock the section met, when the president took the chair. Mr. Lubbock read a paper of much interest, connected with the proceedings of nearly all the meetings of the Association, on the Investigation of Tides. The general inference was to confirm Bernouilli's theory of equilibrium. Mr. Whewell read a report respecting the committee appointed to fix the relative level of the land and sea, with a view to determine its permanence. Another committee was formed-1. To strike level lines for considerable distances along the land; as, for example, from Bristol to Ilfracombe, and from Bristol to Lyme Regis, with great accuracy: the permanence of these two lines (independently of reference to the sea) would determine the permanence of the relative level of the points. 2. To refer the extremities of these lines to the sea at each extremity: the tides at the extremities being of any different amount, the observations would decide whe * The_Literary Gazette and Bristol Mirror are the sources from which we have condensed our abstract. |