- 
1802.7 
remembering. He often talked of the pe-- 
riod of his recovery, but never with im- 
patience ; and the triumph of mind over 
body continued fo complete to the laft,. 
that he looked with intereft and pleafure 
at his diffe€&ted maps within half an hour 
of his diffolution. Without entering with 
unneceffary minutenefs into the nature of 
his diforder, it will be interefting to pa- 
rents in general to be informed, that it 
afforded no confirmation of the ccmmon 
idea, that early expanfion of intellect is 
unfavourable to the continuance of life. 
In confequence of the remarkable form of 
his head, which had been much admired, 
efpecially by artifts, fome doubts had 
been fuggelted, that rendered it defirable 
to have the head as well as body examin- 
ed. From the refult of this inveftigation 
it appeared, that’ the brain was unufually 
large, and in the.moft perfe& and healthy 
fiate: that the diforder, as it was uni- 
formly confidered to have been, was in the 
ftomach, and had received all the relief 
that medical fkill and the mof anxious at- 
tention could afford: and that there was 
more than ordinary probability, from the 
vigour of his conftitution, and the well- 
proportioned formation of his body, of 
thofe accidents ia the fyftem, to which 
the old and young, the healthy and infirm, 
are equally expofed. 
_ His illnefs lafted from the firft to the 
thirty-firft of July; a period which, under 
fuch fevere fufferings, none but a natu- 
rally ftrong patient could have reached. 
On the morning of the thirty firft his me- 
dical friends, Dr. Lifter and Mr. Toul- 
min, {aw him, and converfed with him, 
as he with them, after their ufual man- 
ner: and though they had given little or 
fo encouragement for many days, they’ 
Monthly Retrofpect of the Fine Arts; 
Sat 
k 
did not, on their laft vifit, fuéh was ths 
cotleé¥ed fate of his mind, and ftrength of 
his fpirits, apprehend his diffolution to be 
fo near. Soon after eleven o’clock he ap- 
peared much exhaufted 3 his breathing be- 
came very difficult, and his voice, which 
through his illwefs had been ftrong and 
clear, began to falter. Still, however, 
he was firm.and compofed, wi hout the 
flighteft appearance of diffatisfa&tion or 
alarm: he talked at intervals with the 
moft perfect confiltency—with his accu 
tomed powers, and ulual kindnefs for 
thofe about him, till he could no longer 
uttera found. Ina few minutes after he 
had ceafed to articulate, and a little before 
twelve o’clock, he funk without a firag- 
gle or a groan, exciting more admiration 
under circumftances from which human 
nature is apt to revolt, than when in the 
full career of mental and bodily improve- 
ment. 
Thus ends this fhort hiftory of a child, 
whofe mind, though his years were few, © 
feemed to have arrived at maturity. His 
powers of underftanding, of memory, of 
imagination, were all remarkable; and the 
reafonablenels of his mind was fuch, that 
he always yielded his own to the withes of 
his arriving at manhood, but for one of : 
his friends, as much from convittion as 
compliance: his difpofitions were as ge- 
nerous and amiable, as his talents were 
brilliant and univerfal: and there can be 
little doubt, that in after-life, whether 
he had devoted the powers of his n¥nd te 
the fine arts, ‘to belles-lettres, or to the 
feverer ftudies, his fuccefs would have 
been pre-eminent, and would have placed 
him, in-the eftimation of the wife, what- 
ever might have been his external condi- 
tion, high in the catalogue of worthy and 
ufeful members of lociety. 
MONTHLY, RETROSPECT OF ‘THE: FINE ARTS, 
(Communications and the Loan of al! new Prints are requefted.) 
Reading.—Singing. .A Pair of Prints. Maria 
Spilfoury piaxit. Charles Turner feulpfit. 
E have had painters, and thofe of 
no mean reputation, who, inftead 
of attemptins to give that expreffion 
which arrefts the foul—inftead of giving 
mind to thew charafters, and lighting up 
the features with the fpirit which fhouild 
animate their hearts, have aimed at daz- 
4 
zling the eye with a glare of drapery, and 
prepofterous inundation of light ; forget- 
ting that colouring; without character or 
drawing, is imagination withoutjudgment, 
Very different has been the aim-of the 
young Lady who made thefe two defigns, 
which augur great future excellence. In 
fome little points the drawing 1s incorreét 5 
but they are conceived with truth, tafte, 
feeling, 
A 
