] 806.] Ahjlract of the Bankrupt Law of Hamburg. 



$37 



ers are proved to be, the greater will be 

 the commercial refult of the Inbour ol' the 

 engraver. But thefe aHertioiis, jull as 

 they ccrUiinly are, by no means tend to 

 weaken the arguments urged above, be- 

 cau'.e altliough prints from fine works 

 w ill be certain of finding a-liile, and the 

 fale will probably be in proportion to the 

 excellence of the works oftered to the 

 view of the purchafer, it yet remains 

 equally true, that if the detire of the gain 

 likely to arife from fuch fale be the mo- 

 tive for painting the works, it is an in- 

 conlillent and derogatory motive, and 

 will impede, inftcad of promoting, the 

 progrefs of the painter towards fuprcme 

 e.;( cllence in his profeffiou. 



^Vhere then, it may be aflced, (ball we 

 find a fcope for the ambition at prefent 

 awakened in the arts ? What hopes may 

 be entertained that tiiey will ever attain 

 to final excellence in a country where 

 they are neceilarily unconnetlcd with its 

 general and principal fource of profperity 

 and induence ? 



The anfwer is as obvious as the means 

 are difficult. 



If the channel of commerce be fliut to 

 the progrefs of the arts, they mull open 

 their paflage through the more arduous 

 but more congenial paths of rank and ho- 

 nours. Their advancement iimft be de- 

 rived from the attention of the ftate to 

 raife the cxercifc and employment of 

 their higher branches to their juft degree 

 of confideration, and to exempt the artilt 

 employed in tliofe branches from the ne- 

 cclfity of becoming rich.. 



The latter will readily be allowed to be 

 the more difficult point. Every artiil 

 may be expected to plead the neccllity 

 of becoming rich in a country where fo 

 many abound iniiches; he will find it 

 iiecnffiuy to his fupporl, to his comforts, 

 to liis public eiliniation — every one but 

 the real arlilt of genius, the candidate for 

 jimuortality. Him it is in the power of 

 the Itutc to place iieyond the reach of 

 this imaginary neceliicy, by exemptions 

 and h(jnours. 



Let us lirll inquire what has been in 

 England the condui-t of our late political 

 governors in refpeCt to the promotion of 

 the arts. Mas it laid open any ])ath to 

 the career of the arts, and has it tended 

 to ])roduce or provide this re(pMJite litua- 

 tion of an artilt ? Unfortunately, it 

 mull be acknowledged that the reverfe 

 ha* been hitherto the cafe. The paint- 

 ers, as a body of men, are faid to have 

 fljewn a laudable zeal lor the elevation <)i 

 iHoMHVy iNUc;., ISo. 1,19. 



the arts in our country. T'ley are faid 

 t ) have made repeated propoikls to the 

 St;ite for the execution of" plans conneft- 

 cd with the higheft improvement of art. 

 Have tiiafe plans been accepte J and en- 

 couraged .i" Have they not been laid 

 alide in filence, or reje<;ted .? Did the 

 late great financial Minillcr ever difco- 

 ver the fmalleft fenlibility, or difplay the 

 fmalleft marks of favour, towards tbo 

 arts ? Alas ! he feeined fcarcely to 

 knov/ that they exifted under his admi- 

 niftration, unlcfs wlien he included their 

 produds in a tax. Even the Royal Aca- 

 demy of Somerfet iloufe pays at this 

 moment the ordinary afl'elTments of 

 HouJ'e and Windo'.os ; — but this a llight 

 grievance ; the impoft is defrayed by the 

 united lahou!>, of the incorporated artifls 

 in the annual Exhibitions. 



Thcfe are quefblons of the highefl inte-. 

 reft to the public : they are interefling to 

 the fame, to the rank, to the edimatioa 

 of England. Should the arts continue 

 deftitute of the favour of the State, there 

 is little chance that they can ever reach 

 any very conlider,a!)le point of eminence 

 amongit us. If they can neither be unit- 

 ed with the commerce nor witii the ho- 

 nours of the country, adieu to the ad- 

 vance of Englilh art ! But far be it 

 from Englillimen toi lit inert and fdent, 

 and behold the clouds of defpair in- 

 volve, any part of their profpeCts ! The 

 road in which pa nting mav hope to ad- 

 vance, by being connected with the ho- 

 nours of England, is long and fpacious, 

 and its examination iliall therefore form 

 the next portion of our fubfequent inqui- 

 ries into the progrefs of the arts. 



The conteil of fame is of too great im- 

 portance among men to be neglcWcd. 

 It is clieemcd fo, even when the palm is 

 ftaiued with blood, and gathered by tha 

 hand of devailation ; — What then, when 

 it crowns the triumph of intellect and 

 tafte .? 



For the Monthly Magazine. 

 An ABSTKACT of the liANKnt.'Px law of 



the CITY of HAMBURG. Bj/ i\ A. XEM- 

 N'TCH, L.L.D., o/" HAMBURG. 



THE exrenfive C'^uiniercial inter- 

 courfe between Great Britain and 

 Hamburg makes the knowledge of the 

 bankrujjt lavv of that city particularly iii- 

 terefting to the BrifiOi merchant, efpeci- 

 ally as it diiFers in fo many points not 

 only from the Englilh ilatntes, but from 

 the principles of the Iloinan law, which 

 prevails in moft of this other countries of 

 'j w Europe, 



