1810.] 
chants, are resident: in this ‘capital, or 
resort to it, These lanes, or passages, 
for the security of thei property, are - 
closed every night, at both ends, with 
thick doors, plated with iron, and filled 
with nails; so that. though the town be 
unfortifed, it would prove a work of 
some difficulty to penetrate into its 1n- 
terior parts. From the upper stories of 
many opposite houses, cominunications 
are made by small bridges, 
Benares is the principal mart for dia- 
monds, on the eastern side of India. It 
possesses also a manufactory of gold and 
silver tissue, atlass, silks, and gauzes, 
keemcaub, mushroo, and gulbuddun, 
Like other places of fanatic or.super- 
Stitious enthusiasm, It is notorious for 
unrestricted gallantry, and licentious in- 
trigue 
From hence to Dehly, the women 
above the vulgar class, are generally per- 
sonable, many eminently beautiful, and 
few deformed, Neither France nor Italy 
can boast of courtezans more expertly 
skilled in the cosmetic art, or in decoy- . 
ing allurements to captivate, to influence, 
to fascinate, and to fleece, their para- 
miours. 
= a 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
ANECDOTES Of PAINTING. 
ORACE Walpole, whose literary 
character stands deservedly high, 
has already given the world, ‘ Anec- 
dotes of Painting in England.” This, 
however, should be no motive why the 
subject should not be taken up by ano- 
ther, particularly as Walpole may be 
said to have ended when the Fine Arts 
-began to flourish in this country, namely, 
at the establishment of the Royal Aca- 
demy. 
The reigns of the two first Georges, 
may be considered the Gothic night of 
the Artsin England; for those monarchs, 
whatever may have been their virtues, 
bad no taste: and it was not till the aus- 
picious period commencing with tne 
present reign, that Painting miay be said 
to have reared her head in the British 
* nation. 
In. former periods, the artists of any 
celebrity who resided amongst us, were 
generally foreigners: such were Torigi- 
ano, Anthony More, Hans Holbein, Ra- 
bens, Vandyke, Lely, Verrio, &c. &c. 
and except Dobson, Isaac Oliver, and 
Cooper, who gave some indications of 
genius, we had.very. little, cause for ex- 
ultation on the score of native talent. 
This dearth of excellence ainongst us in' 
i~) 
Anecdotes of Painting. 125 
painting, may have suggested to the 
Abbe’s Du Bos and Winkelmann their 
absard notion, that the influence of a 
northern or ‘cold climate is unpropie 
tious to the efforts of genius; an absur- 
dity, which, both in his paintings and his 
writings, has been ably refuted by the 
late Professor Barry.* — 
Previous to the formation of the Royal 
Academy, there existed a society of 
painters, who held their academy in St. 
Martin’s lane, and who were denomi- 
nated “The Incorporated Society of 
Artists.” But as they had neither pa- 
tent, exclusive privileges, nor the sanc- 
tion of royal authority, they could be 
considered, in fact, no better than a mere 
club of pamters. In this society, which 
was rather numerous, there were some 
good, and many inferior artists, a selec- 
tion from whom, with the addition of 
Bartolozzi, Cipriani, and some other 
foreigners, formed the first body of Royal 
-Academicians and Associates of the 
Royal Academy of Arts. 
The institution of the Royal Academy, 
under the auspices of our present most 
gracious Sovereign, may be hailed as the 
dawn of that happy era, wnich brightens 
as it advances, and which, we may fairly 
predict, willshed a lasting lustre on our 
national character, and class the efforts 
of British artists with those rare pro- 
ductions which adorn the civilized 
world. _ 
I cannot introduce, in more appro- 
priate language, the commencement of 
this brilliant period than by adopting a 
couplet from Dr. Jobuson’s motto to 
the Works of our immortal Bard : 
¢¢ When Painting’s triumph o’er her barbarous 
foes 
First rear’d the arts, immortal Reynolds 
rose.”” 
It was a fortunate circumstance for the 
arts, that the Royal Academy should 
have had for its first president a man of 
such classic taste, and consummate skill,, 
as Sir Joshua Reynolds; a man, whose 
whole mind seemed devoted to the higher 
excellencies of his profession, and whose 
great ambition was to tread upon the 
Greek and Roman names, whose prac- 
tical excellence, and theoretic Poors 
* Barry’s book, or rather pamphlet, on a: 
subject, is an able production ; and borne on 
as he is by the splendid talents. for painting wal 
which have been recently exhibited in this 
country, we may consider the question re~ 
specting the influence of climate, as irrefra- 
gably answered in our ' favour, ) 
ledge, 
: 
