teain under the dominion of nature. 
In front, was Snowdon, towering. pre-~ 
eminent among the surrounding craggs ; 
and whenever we looked behind’ us, 
which we often did, the wide horizon 
was bounded by the sea: even our guide, 
who was accustomed to the scene, ap- 
peared totally changed from the dull 
being he was when he set out from 
Bangor; and as to ourselves, we were all 
hfe and vigor, our spirits were raised to 
an unusual height, and we bounded on, 
scarcely feeling the ground on which we 
trod. ve het sie pha 
- Inspired, as we were; it was no won- 
der if we missed our road; and accord. 
ingly we soon found ourselves by the 
side of the Jake of Llanberris, about a 
mile too far to the right; it fortunately 
Ahowever happened, that by our devia- 
- tion-we had an epportunity of seeing 
the fine slate quarrics, the property of 
Lord Penrhyn, which shelve into the 
fake, Lilanberris lake is a fine piece of 
water, lying between tao petteétly bar- 
ren ridges of slate rock, and, of course, 
Mot very interesting; however, we much. 
enjoyed its cool appearance, exposed as 
we were to the rays of a July noon, 
reflected from.the slate rocks under 
which we were passing: nor is this its 
only advantage; for it furnishes a few 
miles of water-carriage towards Caer- 
narvon for the slates, and for some very 
rich yellow copper ore, which is got 
aut of a horizontal gallery driven into: 
Snowdon. With some difficulty, we 
procured a few oat cakes and butter, 
and three eggs, the svhole stock of the 
village: with these the “ rage of hun- 
ger was repressed,’ and we were en- 
abled to wait, with tolerable patience, 
the arrival of a supply of provisions, 
which we were tald was hourly expeéted, 
from Caernarvon. Ji the mean time, 
we strolled into she church-yard, and 
there found the village-council assembled 
in the porch, to distribute the rewards 
for destroying foxes; there sere pre- 
sented the heads and skins of about half 
a dozen. | 
[ To be concluded in our next.4 
NE 
For the Monthly Magaziye. 
STATE OF THE ARTS anv PUBLIC 
TASTE In ENGLAND. ' ~~ 
MpHE floprishing appearance ‘of the 
~ Arts in England, at this period, com- 
pared with their present dormant state In 
State of the Arts and Public Tafte in England. 
- 
167" 
every other part of Europe, must afford © 
abuadant matter for pleasurable contem- 
plation to all Englishmen of taste ; espe- 
cially to such as remember the ridiculous” 
opinions and sarcasms, thrown out and 
disseminated, not long since, by those 
shallow continental critics, abbés Win- 
kleman, Du Bos, and others, who have 
idly busied themselves in calculating the 
effects of climate on the human imaginas 
tion; endeavoured to measure the degrees 
of genius of the inhabitants, by the de- 
grees of latitude in which a countr 
happens to be situated; and have igno- 
ranily and impudently decided, that 
England is placed too: far north, to ex- 
peét any of those warm and vigorous ” 
exertions of fancy, experienced in the 
more southern, and, consequently, hap- — 
pier regions of Italy, and other countries 
onthe continent. <7" = ‘ 
The futility of those suppositions, has’ 
been ably exposed by an erminent artist of 
this age, in an Enquiry into the Causes of | 
the slow Progress of the Artsin England : 
where he has sufficiently proved, what, 
indeed, no Englishman, or foreigner, ac- | 
quainted with the works of Englishmen, 
could require proof of, that the course 
of art has been impeded, not by frigidity” 
of climate or imagination, but by vari- 
ous politico-religious causes, commencing - 
with the reformation; and much more 
effectually destru€tive to the growth of 
Tefinement and taste, and, consequently, to: 
the progress of the fine arts, than any 
combination of frost, fog, wind, rain, 
and sunshine, incidental to this, or per- 
haps any other country, Nova Zembla 
and Siberia not excepted. 
The strength, originality, and variety, 
certainly possessed by the English school, 
consistent with the national charaéter, 
and its having made of late a greater 
improvement, in less time, than has been 
made, perhaps, by any other, since the 
revival of thé arts, might very rationally 
excite a hope, fosee it rival, if not ex- 
cel, the happiest produétions of the most 
cetebrated’ échools of Italy, if properly 
seconded by taste and liberality in the 
public; which qualities are to an artist 
of genius, What a good suil is to a plant 
or tree, and neither the one or the other 
can be’expected to flourish, or bear fruit 
of the highest flavor, if the ground be 
ncongenial, barren, or overgrown with 
weeds. wes 
Of this encouragement, it is to be 
lamented, that very feeble hopes can yet 
\be entertained ; as, notwithstanding the 
general opulence of the nation, notwith- 
2 standing 
