FINE ARTS. 425 



picture is well coloured, and painted in a broad, mellow style. Miss 

 Emma Jones's favourite Pup, and her Girl and Grapes, are well drawn 

 and coloured, with much good taste, vigour of pencil, and forcible ciFect. 

 The Orphans, by J. G. Wood, are two whole lengths, well grouped and 

 drawn, with a simple expression of imploring sorrow ; the mellow 

 breadth of style with which the hght and shadow are massed, 

 does great credit to the artist. The landscape background is also 

 successfully studied. There are three pictures by T. Barker, of 

 Bath; ** 189— Four Sand Boys," and ** 159— The Mower," both the 

 property of Mrs. Denham Cookes, and "160 — The Cotter's Family ;** 

 the first is a fine specimen in his last and most powerful style ; the 

 second in his middle style, and the third in his early manner, about the 

 time he painted the Woodcutter, which spread his reputation all over the 

 kingdom. Handcock's Pet and Recovered Sailor have much merit ; but 

 the former would have a better effect if on a canvass of half the size. 

 There are several other pleasing fancy subjects, which the visitors, I 

 hope, will duly appreciate. 



The London landscape exhibitors, and others at a distance, the two 

 Fieldings, Baker, Lee, and Vickers, the two Laportes, Starke, and Prout 

 have a number of precious gems. Canella has four very small street 

 views in France, crowded with figures, painted with the correctness and 

 spirit of Canaletti. ** No. 65 — A Scene on the River Tamar, careening a 

 Vessel by Night," is a most admirable specimen by P. H. Rogers. The 

 lovely gradations ^by which the moonlight and firelight are insensibly 

 blended into one solemn tone, produce an eflfect not inferior in stillness 

 and beauty to the finest moon and firelight by Vernet. There are two 

 clever three-quarter-length portraits by R. Evans ; the one of the Rev. 

 Professor Lee, of Cambridge ; and the other of Miss Harriet Mar- 

 tineau. The portraits and characteristic studies of Mrs. Joanna Cox, of 

 Bewdley, display much agreeable taste and a high degree of practical 

 excellence, with some inequalities. "No. 41," her half-length of Miss 

 Montgomery, is a very attractive specimen of her style, which, if duly 

 appreciated, cannot fail to crowd her sitting-room with commissions. 

 The increasing pressure of severe indisposition renders me unable to 

 hold the pen any longer, and compels me to shorten ray communication, 

 leaving the names and works of many clever artists unnoticed. This is 

 a source of great regret to me, and I must only hope that what I have 

 endeavoured to write, in hours of pain and debility, may, in some degree, 

 contribute, with other advocates, to draw the attention of the public to 

 the works of art in the present exhibition. 



It would be a vain attempt to disguise or conceal the fact, that the 

 first ten days have not been favourable, or at all encouraging. The 

 number of visitors has been few, and only four pictures sold. If these 

 circumstances could be concealed by my silence here, there are some 

 persons who would deem concealment prudence. But when the broad 

 facts are known to the few visitors, and spread by them, in the course 

 of conversation, through the city, any exaggeration from me, however 

 well intended, would not be of any avail, but it would cast a discredit on 

 the whole of this communication. There are in every part of England 

 persons whose vanity is flattered by having it to say, as a boast, " we have 

 an exhibition in our town or city," — and they conceive that to be a proof 

 of their own taste and public spirit, and of the taste and public spirit of 

 the vicinity. But the interests of the British school require that the 

 truth must be told. I have seen many of those pretenders to taste and 

 liberahty confine their patronage to paying a shilling for their admission, 

 and, with an economy a little out of place, save a shilling by borrowing 



