554 
veteran artifts, this piece was fmugeled by 
his friends into the then exhibition, and was, 
to their aftonifhment, fet down at once for 
the firt prize. But when the committee 
came to fee a country lad come in to own the 
picture, they begun to fufpeét their own 
judgment—they found the General was dref- 
fed in ftockings inftead of boots; in fhort, 
the fecond prize was adjudged him, though 
the picture was infantly fold for a large fum. 
From this, however, his reputation began to 
bud—he began to feel his own powers; but 
he wanted the fan&tion of the Italian fchool: 
for this advantage he laboured day and night, 
and ** Sunday fhone no fabbath day to him !” 
till his pocket afforded the means: he then 
Crofled the Alps, and found himfelf among 
the works of Raphael, Michael Angelo, &c. 
in a ftate of ee and fire of emula- 
tion, that approached almoft to madnefs! 
The admiration he alwavs exprefied for the 
works of thefe great mafters never ceafed till 
his lat hour; and the number of copies and 
fketches he took from their works, fhew his 
tafte for the grand, the fublime, and the ex- 
preilive. Fraught with thefe rich ideas, he 
returned to London, opened an elegant paint- 
ing and fhew-room: thefe he foon began to 
ornament with the heads and perfons of many 
of the firft nobility. But, alas! his fort was 
charater, expreflion, fancy, defign 5 but por- 
traits brought the money—and who expects 
to figure in a trading country without that 
ingredient } ? Gilinea. therefore, to this me- 
chanical part of the art, he begun, and threw 
by many hundreds of portraits with indignant 
impatience, folacing himfelf with fketching 
at night what an admiring public would not 
fuffer him todo byday. Thefe defigns were 
numberlefs, before the numbers he deftroyed ; 
and fhew that hiftoric painting was that in 
which nature defigned him to excel. The 
Storm raifed by Profpero, in the Shakefpeare 
Gallery ; Milton di€tating the Paradife Loft 
to his two Daughters; Scenes from Efchy- 
Jus; Saint Cecilia; King Lear ‘and his 
Daughter Cordelia, &c. &c. &c. are among 
fome of his hiftoric ideas, and fhew what he 
would have done had he been independent 
enough to have given latitude to his genius. 
That independence, however, took place, 
but too late in life to advantage the arts or 
the public. He had cafts taken from moft 
of the celebrated ftatues in Rome and Flo- 
rence, and built a large room for their recep- 
tion, which he intended to decorate alfo with 
fome elegant defigns of hisown. Burt, alas! 
how vain are our projects! he had always 
an irritable temper, fo that even {mall inci- 
dents of vexation fhook his conftitution, and 
no doubt haftened its diffolution. A growing 
imbecility (diftreffing to his friends) made 
him give up the pencil before its luftre was 
tarnifhed, and he retired to Kendal, where, in’ 
the laft month, he departed this life. Asa 
painter of genius, he fhewed the utmoft va- 
riety in bis attitudes. His likenefles were 
Mtr. Randall, « 
[jan. i; 
juft, elegant and charaéterifticm-there was 
mind in all his faces; the foul was painted in 
them, and in its beft hurhour. Sir Jofhud 
Reynolds confeffed liim his rival when but 
young in reputation; and he was celebrated 
by one of our beft poets. As to his colours, 
they ftand, grow mellow, and more like na< 
ture, by age. 
(The ia obn Randall, efg. fhip-builders 
of Greenland Dock, whofe death was an-= 
nounced in a late Niupiber: was the fon of a 
fhip-builder at Rotherhithe, and received a 
liberal education under the tuition of Mr. 
Denfham, aided by Dr. Price. At the de- 
ceafe of his father he took on himfelf the 
management of the fhipping bufinefs, whick 
he conduéted with the. moft honourable at- 
tention to the interefts of all with whom he 
was concerned until the hour of his diffolu- 
tion. He was at the head of a firm eminent- 
ly refpeGtable for integrity and profeffional 
fkill, to which, during his fuperintendance, 
this country owes the conftruétion of 50 
fhips of war and other veffels for the fervice 
of Government, 31 for the ufe of the Eaft 
India Company, and 60 merchant-veffels — 
This extenfive bufinefs he managed without 
difficulty or uneafinefs, until the laft few 
years, during which the fyftem of focieties, 
eftablifhed among the manufdéturing claffes, 
having extended itfelf to the workmen on 
the river Thames, has given countenance to 
the mot alarming tumults. The following 
is the ftatement of the particulars relative to 
his death. The fhip-wrights belonging to 
the merchant-dock-yards on the banks of the 
Thames having, with a view to an increafe 
of pay, ftruck their work, Mr. Randall, af- 
ter ineffe€tual remonftrances to his own 
workmen, finding no other refource, was 
under the neceflity of applying to the Go- 
vernment, through the medium of the Eaft 
India Company, for 2 number of men from 
the King’s yards at Deptford, to enable him 
to refit the Bombay Caftle, a€tually lying in 
his dock. This requeft being granted, the 
men were fet to work, when, on Saturday 
Auguft 21, the mutinous fhipwrights, from 
the dock-yards in general, aflembled for the 
declared purpofe of fruftrating the intentions 
of Government in fegard to the affiftance 
given to Mr. Randall by the fupply of work- 
men, and proceeded fo far in their attempt as 
to lay violent hands on them, and prevent 
them from continuing to work. Mr. Ran- 
dall, finding that his moft earneft entreaties, 
which were urged with his accuftomed hu- 
manity, could not prevail with the mutineers 
to difperfe, or return to their duty in an cr- 
derly manner, thought it necefiary to call in 
the aid of the civil power, not only for the 
fafety of his perfon, but forthe proteétion of 
his property, which was menaced with total 
deftrnction. But the outrageous proceedings 
of this tumultuous body increafed to fuch a 
degree, that Mr.Randall was at length obliged 
toreturn home. The hurry of his pe 
uring 
