1806.] Anfwer refpeéting the Merits of the Hiftoric Lottery. 205 
¥ thisk, however, that if the tranflator 
would mention his addrefs in your Maga- 
zine, he might receive from Ireland fome 
account of the author. 
It was faid fome time ago that a tranf- 
lation of all the Poetical Works of Taflo 
was in contemplation. Can you favour 
me with any account of this undertaking ? 
A tranflation of the “* Gerufalemme Libe- 
rata": by Mifs Watts was promiled, but 
has not appeared. 
this lady publifhed is juftly and highly 
praifed by Dr. Drake. 
It is faid by the author of ‘* Hiftorizal 
Ellays on the Revival of the Drama in Tra- 
ly,” p. 182, that at one period in Italy 
the ftage curtain was divided into two 
parts, and drawn back on each Gide when 
the f[cene was to be expofed. Would not 
this appear to have been the cuftom in 
England in the time of Maffinger, from the 
following paflage in the ** Guardian”? 
This is but an induéticn; V71l draw 
The curtains of the tragedy hereafter. 
The hiftory of the flage.curtain in dif- 
ferent countries, however unimportant it 
may appear to fome of your readers, is 
certainly a curious fubject. 
A. B. 
ee 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
OBSERVE in your laft month’s Ma- 
gazine a letter from Leeds, figned 
*6 An Artif,” requefting that fome bro- 
ther-artift in town would give your coun- 
try-readers information refpeéting the va- 
lue of the different articles that compofe 
Mr. Bowyer’s Hifloric Lottery. Should 
you not happen to receive any communi- 
cation on this fubjeét from an abler pen 
than my own, I thail feel fome pleafure 
in your giving room to the following few 
obfervations. 
I mutt firft premife that I think the 
proprietor was perfectly right in conceiv- 
ing it.neceffary and proper that every in- 
dividual article to be difpofed of by the 
luitery fhould be fubmitted to public in- 
fpection ; and I deem it equally honour- 
able to his head and heart that he has 
taken fo much pains to give every poffible 
degree of publicity to the different parts 
which compote the lottery, particularly to 
thofe engravings that are to be given for 
the blanks ; ard though it may be begin- 
ning at the wrong end, yet while Iam on 
this part of the fubj:G@ I conceive it-right 
to fay, that I have vifited Pall-mall more 
than once for the purpofe of feeing thefe 
engravings. Every individual print is 
~ 
The f{pecinen which | 
there exhibited, and a board put up, war 
ran’ing every purchafer of a ticket that 
not a fingle engraving will be given but 
what is io that room, and that of every 
one of them there fhall never be delivered 
a fingle bad impreffion. Out of about 
fifty that are there, twenty three are en- 
tirely new plates, never yet publithed ; 
and I certainly can have no hefitation in 
faying, that thefe are fome of the beft 
things of the kind I have ften for many 
years, — Wefall’s Four Sacraments ; 
Opie’s Tired Soldier and the Companion ; 
Stothard’s Hermit; Morland’s Winter, 
and feven or eight others by that mgenious 
man, — are certainly choice engravings 
and beautiful fubje&ts. All of them, too, 
are of a good fize; and I cannot perceive 
one among them to which any objection 
can be made, 
With regard to the gallery of pictures, 
it is certainly true, as Mr. Bowyer men- 
tions in one of his Lottery-profpectules, 
that ** they were painted during a period 
of war, where from the nature of things 
the artiffs were not hurried.” They cer- 
tainly area gallery of the fineft produc- 
tions of Biitith genius ia this country, and 
their being of a moderate fize, very much 
increafes their value. 
With regard to the prizes, which are 
compoled of the complete fets of the Hif- 
tory of England, every one knows that 
this is the firtt werk in Europe, taken al. 
together. There are certainly a few piates 
in it not quite equal tothe reft ; but this, 
T fuppofe, no human fagacity could pre- 
vent in a work which embraces two hun- 
dred engravings, and of fucha magnitude 
as to colt feventy thoufand pounds ; and I 
underftand ‘the faét of this expenditure 
was proved before both Houles of Parlia- 
ment at the pafling of the Lottery-bill. 
The works of the Views in Egypt, Pa- 
lefline, &c., are taken from the beautiful 
collection of drawings of Sir Robert Aint 
lie*s, and cannot but be very interefting. 
The execution of the plates, which are 
done in a way to imitate the originals, is 
certainly much to the purpofe, and has 
been managed very fuccefsfully. 
The work to commemorate the great 
naval victories is now become very inte~ 
refting fromrecent circumtances. When 
it is known that Smirke made the defigns, 
and that they are engraved by Bartolca2zi, 
Landfeer, and Parker, and in their very 
bef manner too, there needs little to be 
faid farther refpecting them: they mu& 
be excellent. 
Thus, Sir, I believe T have given my 
brother-artift every information which 
may 
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