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drapery; while a thousand quivering lights 

 play around and amidst their branches in 

 every direction. 



But these beauties, Avhich give to spring 

 it's peculiar character, are not those which 

 are best adapted to painting: a general 

 air of lightness is one of the most engag- 

 ing qualities of that lovely season; yet the 

 lightness, in the earlier part, approaches to 

 thinness; and the transparency of the new 

 foliage, the thousand quivering lights, 

 beautiful as they are in nature, have a 

 tendency to produce a meagre and spotty 

 effect in a picture, where breadth, and 

 broad masses can hardly be dispensed 

 "with. The general colour also of spring, 

 when April 



Lightly o'er the living scene 

 Scatters his tenderest freshest green, 



though pleasing to every eye in nature, is 

 not equally so on the canvas; especially 

 when scattered over the general scene* 

 Freshness also, it may be remarked, is in 



