586 



Monthly JRetrofpecl of the Fine Arts. [Jan. 1, 



Mr. Rofs's mufe fias often excited our 

 uamieft commendation, and we lliould 

 If uiijull were hc to withhold it in tlie 

 piefcnt indance. 

 Vjfcure du Mutin, a jtiatre tn a dtuK ma'ms, 



fr-ur k Piano- Fcric, Comfofce far Augiiftui 



Vogt. zs. 6J. 



This piece is fiift arranged for two 

 pcrfoimers, and altorwards coiiftruftcd 

 for one ; a phm which we cannot but 

 conunend, a', hi;;hlY accommodating to 

 the piattitiotier, who is lujt al«ays in a 

 fituation to conuiiand a partner. The 

 production is fimiile, hut ploafuig, and if 

 property performed, will not fail to at. 

 tract attention. 

 Ti'e Damask Rofe, a fanmrite Ballad, tvriitfti 



hy J B. 0,r-e, F.fy Corrfofed a«d Vedicaud 



to Mr. Braham, by T. Piii'day. 



The melody Mr. Purday lias given to 



this well-written fong does rnnch credit 

 to his tafte and jiidi;ment. It flows with 

 eafe and fmooihnels, and produces an 

 etfeit at once plealing and inipreirue. 



We are glad to have to aimounce tl:e 

 fpcedy pubhration of upwards of fifiy 

 fnn!;s, compofed hy the late inijenious 

 Mr. Jonathan Battilliill. They arc fe- 

 lecfed from orisiinal mannfcripts in the 

 poifelVion of the Hon. George Tonierov, 

 T. Forftrr, efi]. and MelVrs. Groonibridi;e 

 and Weldon, hy ^Ir. Page, vicar-choral 

 of St. Paul's Cathedral ; and are to in- 

 clude the airs in the operas of Almena 

 and the Rites of Hecate. The work is to 

 he hronjrhi out in an elegant ftyle, nwi 

 to be einhellilhed with a portrait of the 

 con'ipofcr. 



MONTHLY RETROSPECT OF THE FINE ARTS, 



%* The Ij'e </ all Keo; i';-i«/.«, and Cimimunicalions of Articles of Intelligence 



are rfqitejkd. 



ROYAt, ACADE.'MV. 



ON the evening of Wcdncfday the 

 ]oih of Dtcemhcr, a council was 

 held at the Royal Academy for the pur- 

 pofe of electing a prefident, and diltribu- 

 ting liie three iilver annual prize medals ; 

 when after fitting from fe\en until half 

 pafi eleven o'ch^ck, Iknjamin Weft, e!'f|. 

 was elected prefident! Mr. Wyatt, tiie 

 late prchdcnt, then prrfenled the medals; 

 to Mr. Miilready, for the heit drawing 

 from liie. Mr. ('.■.le, for the hell model 

 from life. Mr. (iandy, for an architect 

 rural drawing, which was a wtll view of 

 St. Paul's, from afiual meafurement, 

 Wr. Gaudy's drawing was the only one 

 preientcd for the architectural medal. 



At the time of the lali vac.mcy of a 

 prelident of the Royal Academy, it was 

 <iiid ll^at -Mr. Weft had hcju diiven from 

 the chair hy the ungenerous intrigues of 

 foine of the 'Royal Academician.-, — tliat 

 lie had great reiilon to be diirmistied with 

 their mode of coiidu<^;n.g their oppolituin 

 to his rc-ele<!-iion ; and when he ijuilted 

 tl-.e chair, .anus \V yatt, effj. wasijcciared 

 his fucceiVor, and it was not imagined that 

 Mr. \\'cll would ever have the inclination 

 or o| portiinity to retin-n to i!ic oHice. 



^\ e liave been told, that fur fome time 

 back, Mr. Wyatc has not indulged the 

 Royal Acadoniiciiins with much of his 

 company at !-oniorfet houfe ; that fundrv 

 .otiicr j;enilenieu were propofed to he 



i'et up in oppofitinn to his re-eleftion, but 

 that the artifts had fo many opj-olitt iiw 

 terefts clafping with each other, that they 

 could not agree ; but at length, (with a 

 very few e\ceptionsj formed a coalition, 

 and requeltcd Mr. Weft to refume his 

 former feat. lie has done fo, and by this, 

 excited as much fmprifc as he did hy 

 fjiiitliiig it. Without entering into the 

 raiifes, o: being certain that thcfe are the 



fnccife circuiiiftances, certain it is that 

 lis being again elevated to his lately ab-? 

 dicated fiat, is creditable to the inftitu- 

 tion ; as independent of all other conli- 

 dciations, a difpallionalc looker-on will 

 generally think that the prclident of a 

 ibfiety of painters ought to be a painter, 

 — the captain of alhip Ihould be a failor, 

 — and a general of an army a foldicr, 

 and iS:c. aiul ^-c. This has been the dc- 

 cluredfnftvin of all well regulated govern- 

 ments, and has been ufually ucieil upon j 

 taoiigh V, e recollect a few exceptions, one 

 is leeorded by Swift in his voyage to 

 LapiUa, where a |'ei'li>ii v as api'ointed to 

 lie comptroller and director of the royal 

 hand of military engineers, beeaufe he 

 was moufe-tr.ip niukcr to the Kmptror 

 of Lilliput. 



TUE BIMTI^lI OAI.iri'.Y. 



A gallery where the' younger artifts 

 might at their lelfure ftudy and cop v va- 

 luable pictures by the <;:)cient piafters, 



iia» 



