80 Notices respecting New Books, 



The Artist : a Series of Letters on Science and Art. Edited 

 by Prince Hoare. Ato. 

 It has long been a matter of regret to those who wish well 

 to the arts in general, and lo the fine arts in particular, and 

 who can properly appreciate their importance,, and the rank 

 they ought to hold in civilized society, that means wore 

 not sooner adopted to diffuse a knowledge of them more 

 generally in this country. But, in truth, it was moie easy 

 to see the defect than to apply a remedy. Artists themselves 

 were either too little impressed with this truth, that in the 

 fine arts, as in every science, the public mind must be tu- 

 tored and instructed before it can be so captivated as to seek 

 to cultivate any correct acquaintance with them ; or they 

 were too diffident of their own powers to believe that any 

 beneficial effect could result from their individual exertions 

 in the field of literature. Some, indeed, who are called ar- 

 tists, but who are unworthy of the name, feel so little for 

 the digiiitv of their profession, that they hesitate not to sa- 

 crifice to false taste for the sake of gain, and thus contribute 

 all in their power to propagate ignorance and absurdity. 

 With these we mean not to occupy our readers' time j but 

 to those who feel the captivating powers of art, and who 

 are impressed with the importance of the instruction and 

 information which fine productions are calculated to afford 

 to the human mind, we would humbly suggest that they 

 have no more right to be anijry with the public for not re- 

 lishing them, than they have to be angry with any person 

 who refuses to eat when he is not hungry. Let the appetite 

 be once excited, and entreaties will then be unnecessary to 

 induce the public mind to satisfy its own cravings. To pro- 

 duce this appetite, abetter mean could hardly be devised than 

 such a pablicat'on as the present, if the contributors will 

 only keep in their recollection, that, in a great measure, they 

 have yet to beget that taste in others which affords to them- 

 selves such high gratification, and that every endeavour to 

 diffuse knowledge requires much patience, benevolence, and 

 even a considerable portion of self-denial. Their chief dif- 

 ficulty will be to command readers, for people do not wil- 

 lingly sit down to an entertainment composed of dishes to 



which 



