Retrospect of Domestic Literature—V oyages, Ke. 
‘To this class, also, rather than among 
the Line Arts, we shall place the ‘* Anec- 
dotes of Painters who have resided, or 
deen long in England; with Critical Re- 
marks on their Productions: by Epwaro 
Epwarops, deceased, late Leuchcr of Per- 
spective, and Associate, in the Academy ; 
intended us a Continuation to the Anec- 
dotes of Painting, by the late Horace, 
Larlof Oxford? 
[t is singular that, since 1780, when the 
Honourable Horace Walpole published 
the last volume of his Anecdotes, to the 
present time, no regular or systematic 
memorials of the arts or artists have ap- 
peared; though a few notices have oc- 
easionally been insertedin periodical pub- 
lications, 
In the Introduction we have some ac- 
count of the encouragement and assis- 
tance which the arts received, by the 
establishment of several Institutions, 
which were formed before the accession 
of his present majesty to the throne. 
“These events, so mtunately connected 
with the history of the polite arts in this 
country, could not be passed over in si- 
lence, especially as several of the artists, 
who are mentioned in the following pages, 
were so much engaged with those Insti- 
tutions, that many occurrences, noticed 
in their memoirs, would be unintelligible 
to future readers, without some prepara- 
tory information upon those subjects.” 
un the arrangement, chronological or- 
der is preserved, agreeable to the dates 
of the deaths of the artists whose names 
are introduced, except in two or three 
instances, in which the parties retired 
from thew profession so long before the 
close of their lives, that they certainly 
may be placed as they stand with great 
propriety. 
It is also necessary to ebserve, that in 
this volume, which is intended as the 
first, the author has confined himself to 
the list of painters only; Jeaving the 
other artists, such as architects, sculp- 
tors, &c. to be included in a secund vo- 
luine. 
Many of the lives are short. Barry’s, 
the lust, is of a greater length than the 
generality. Prefixed is a very satisfac- 
tory life of Mr. Edwards bimselt. 
VOYAGES AND TRAVELS. 
An interesting account of the western 
part of America will be found in Mr. 
Asur’s “ Trazels, performed in 1806, for 
the Purpose of exploring the Rivers Al 
leghany, Mononguhela, Ohio, and Missis- 
sippi, and ascertaining the Produce und 
Condition of their Bunks and Vicinity ;” 
629 
in three voluines, duodecimo, With all 
the necessary acquirements, we are tald 
Mr, Ashe went on an exploratory jour- 
ney, with the sole view of examining this 
interesting portion of the Trans-Atlautic 
Continent, Lis researches are given in 
the familiar style of letters, and are as 
interesting to the naturalist and the auati- 
quary, as to the politician or the generat 
reader, “It will be seen, (says the pre- 
face) that the fallen. race who new in- 
habit America, are the successors of men 
who have been capable of architectural 
and other works, that would do honour to 
any age; and the remarkable anuquities 
which he describes, cannot but induce a 
still more minute enquiry and investiga- 
tion of objects of so great unportance.” 
Another work, of some interest, and 
much entertainment, has made its ap~ 
pearance in ‘* Travels through Spain, and 
part of Portugal, with Commercial, Sta- 
tistical, and Geographical Details. The 
principal merit claimed for them is that 
of extreme accuracy ; being, for the must 
part, written on the spot, when the im- 
pressions they describe were strong and 
precise. The author was the late ac- 
complished Mr. Wauittrncron, of The- 
berton-hall, Suffolk, of whom another 
posthumous work was announced in our 
last Magazine. The work having been 
printed in this form subsequently to his 
decease, it received, of course, some tri- 
fling amendments from its Editor, which 
more exactly adapted it to the use of the 
public, at a time when the political state 
of Spain was become gn object of sq 
inuch interest ! 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
In the second volume of Mr. Parse 
son’s ‘ Organic Remains of a former 
World,” we Lave acoutinuatiowof one of 
the most valuable works, which have of 
late appeared in Natural History; con- 
taining the Fossil Zoophytes. 
Mr. Parkinson first examines the Ty. 
biporites; and afterwards proceeds to 
the genus Madrepore, under which are 
placed all those corals, the cavities of 
which are divided by lamellz, disposed 
in astellular form, In the eleventh let. 
tet, (for our readers need not be told 
that the work is in the epistolary style,) 
we arrive.at the examination of the Fos- 
sil d/cyonia, a class of bodies of which it 
was remarked in the former volume, that. 
although they were decidedly animal sub 
stances of marine origin, yet, from the 
reseinblance which they bore to terres 
trial fruits, their animal origin had been 
doubted, und they had been considered 
. as 
