330 
dertook to, criticise our English poets: 
what a mean and miserable work he 
made of it, may be gathered from the 
way ip which he prints his extracts :— 
“ Seas roll to waft me.” 
“ Be pleas'd with nothing is uo bless’d 
with all.” 
“°Tis ne where to be found, or ever 
where.” 
These extracts are taken from the 
“ Essay on Man.” M. La Harpe pro- 
fesses to examine, most critically, the 
beauties of these extracts, and pro- 
‘nounces accordingly ; but no man has 
laid himself more open to animadver- 
sion. ‘The above instances, indeed, 
convict him of the grossest and most 
palpable ignorance respecting our lan- 
guage. 
THE FINE ARTS. 
A knowledge of the fine arts may be 
said to open a sixth sense upon every 
one who successfully cultivates them. 
The savage eats his food, and falls 
asleep; the man of mere wealth does 
little more: but to those who seek 
pleasure in cultivating a taste for the 
fine arts, the pleasures of sense will 
appear but subordinate. Previous to 
the institution of the Royal Academy, 
we had no native artists of celebrity 
either in painting or sculpture,—Ho- 
garth alone excepted. No sooner, 
however, was royal patronage extended 
to the fine arts, than a general feeling in 
their favour pervaded the kingdom, and 
the impulse thus given produced great 
exertions. The Royal Academy is not 
without its enemics, and some abuses 
may exist in the institution. Favour- 
itism in accepting and disposing of the 
pictures is known to have been mani- 
fested. ‘These are blemishes that should 
be remedied; but, taking into conside- 
ration the advantages which the institu- 
tion offers to young artists, and the love 
of the arts which it has generated, and 
continues to preserve, we must be se- 
vere censors not to be to its fanlts a 
little blind. 
JOHN ADAMS, EX-PRESIDENT OF THE 
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 
Mr. John Adams is mentioned in the 
Memoirs of Mr. Hollis, by Archdeacon 
Blackburne, as a man likely to act a 
great part, should a war ensue. 
Mr. Adams came. over to England, 
as minister-plenipotentiary from the 
United States of America, immediately 
after the ratification of the treaty of in- 
dependence. As he, or rather his lady, 
had concerts and musical parties at his 
house, several of the friends of liberty, 
s 
Slephensiana, No. XXIII, 
‘ 
; 
{ Nov. lt, 
and I believe Mrs. Macauley among 
the rest, predicted but little good from 
luxurious enjoyments of ‘this kind, 
which savoured rather of monarchical 
habits. But the ambassador, notwith- 
standing this, possessed republican ha- 
bits, and on all occasions evinced a 
certain simplicity of conduct and beha- 
viour. »Asa proof of this, while in town 
he frequented the shop of a bookseller 
in Piccadilly almost daily ;* and was 
anxious to converse with the literary 
men who were accustomed to repair 
thither. He was also very anxious to 
keep up a familiar intercourse with all 
those who had supported the American 
cause. This led to an intimacy with 
Mr. Brand Hollis; and both he and 
Mrs, Adams paid visits to that gentle- 
man, while residing at his seat at the 
Hyde, near Ingafestone, in Essex. 
A curious anecdote appears recorded 
in a loose memorandum, penned by his 
host, and discovered among his papers 
by his heir and executor, the late Dr. 
Disney, which shall be here transcribed, 
without either comment or remark. 
“T wish you, sir, to believe, (said the 
king to Mr. Adams, at bis first visit,) 
and that it may be understood in Ame- 
rica, that I have done nothing in the 
late contest but what I thought myself 
indispensably bound to do, by the duty 
I owed my people. Iwill be very frank 
with you, sir: L was the last to consent 
to the separation being made, but, that 
having been inevitable, I have already 
said, and I say now, that I will be the 
last to disturb the independance of the 
United States, or in any way infringe 
their rights.* 
Mr. Adams’s conduct, during his mis- 
sion to Europe, and indeed during the 
whole contest, was so much approved 
of by his countrymen, that they voted to 
him, in succession, the highest honours 
which a free state can bestow on a pa- 
triot citizen. The following very able, 
but extraordinary, letter, was _trans- 
mitted by him to Mr. Brand Hollis, 
while on his way to America with his 
wife. 
Fountain Inn, Portsmouth, 
April 5, 1788. 
My dear Sir,—If there ever was any 
philosophic solitude, your two friends 
have found it in this place; where they 
have been wind-bound a whole week, with- 
out a creature to speak to. Our whole 
business, pleasure, aad amusement, has 
been 
* See Memoirs of Thomas Brand Hol- 
lis, esq. F.R.S. and S.A. 
