The Microcosm of London or London in Miniature: Carlton House

published by Rudolph Ackermann in 3 volumes, 1808–1811.

The annexed print is a view of the great hall, which is conceived with a classic elegance, that does honour to the genius of the late Mr. Holland, who was the architect of Carlton House. The size of the hall is forty-four feet in length and twenty-nine in breadth. The entrance to the hall from the vestibule is by a flight of steps, which gives it an air of uncommon grandeur; it is supported by eight fine columns of the Ionic order, with architrave, frieze, and cornice. The ceiling is coved, and ornamented with plain caissons, and lighted by a skylight of an oval form. The columns are finely executed in scaglioni, of a yellow porphyry; the capitals and bases are bronzed, as are all the ornaments in the hall. In four corresponding niches are casts from the antique, of two Muses, the Antinous and the Discobulus; on the cornice are placed busts, urns, and griffins; over the niches are basso-relievos, which are also bronzed. At each . end of the hall is a stove of a new and elegant construction; six Termini of fine workmanship support a dome or canopy: the whole is executed in cast-iron bronzed. Over each fire-place is an allegorical painting in imitation of bronze basso-relievo, and compartments over the doors in the same manner: the tout-ensemble is striking and impressive. There is in this hall a symmetry and proportion, a happy adjustment of the parts to produce a whole, that are rarely seen; it is considered as the chef d’ oeuvre of Mr. Holland, and would do honour to any architect of any age or country.

Of the print it may be proper to say, that it is drawn with great accuracy and feeling, the perspective is easy and natural, and the general effect broad and simple. The figures are few, but introduced with great taste: it must be obvious, that a greater number would have impaired the general effect of the architectural design.

The new circular dining-room, when completed, will unquestionably be one of the most splendid apartments in Europe: the walls are entirely covered with silver, on which are painted Etruscan ornaments in relief, with vine-leaves, trellis-work, &c. There are eight fine Ionic columns in scaglioni, of red granite; the capitals and bases are silver, as are also the enrichments, moulding. See. of the architrave, frieze, and cornice: the latter is surmounted by an ornament that is somewhat Turkish in its character, and which, if it does not belong to the Ionic order, nevertheless adds to the splendour of the room. There are four immense pier glasses, and under each of them a fine marble chimney-piece of exquisite workmanship. As this sumptuous apartment is not yet completed, it would be improper to attempt a perfect description of it; indeed, almost the whole of Carlton House is undergoing alterations and improvements. On the south side of this apartment a door opens into the ballroom, a most magnificent and princely apartment: the walls are painted white, but the room is nearly covered with a profusion of gilding; the pilasters, architrave, frieze, and cornice are all covered with gold; the ceiling represents a pleasing sky, in which are genii sporting on the clouds; and in the compartments between the pilasters are some Etruscan ornaments, painted with great lightness and delicacy. On the opposite side another door opens into a new room, intended for a drawing-room, and though at present in a very unfinished state, it strikes the eye with the uncommon symmetry and harmony of its proportions.

Amid the curiosity and interest raised by a view of Carlton House, nothing can exceed that which is excited by an examination of

The Armory

This valuable and unique collection is a museum, not of arms only, but of various works of art, dresses, &c.: it is arranged with great order, skill, and taste, under the immediate inspection of His Royal Highness. It occupies five rooms on the attic story; the swords, firearms, &c. are disposed in various figures upon scarlet cloth, and inclosed in glass cases: the whole is kept in a state of the most perfect brightness. Here are swords of every country, many of which are curious and valuable, from having belonged to eminent men: of these the most remarkable is a sword of the famous Chevalier Boyard, the knight sans pear et sans reproche. The noble reply of this illustrious dying soldier, made to the Constable of Bourbon, deserves to be remembered. In the war between the Emperor Charles V. and Francis I. of France, the constable had gone over to the emperor, disgusted at the persecutions he met with in France, from the rage of Louisa of Savoy, the queen mother, whose overtures of marriage he had rejected. The emperor made the constable generalissimo of his armies; and in a battle which was fought in the duchy of Milan, and in which the French were obliged to retreat, the Chevalier Boyard was mortally wounded. Charles of Bourbon seeing him in this state, told him how greatly he lamented his fate. “It is not me” said the dying chevalier, “it is not me you should lament, but yourself, who are fighting against your king and country.” A sword of the great Duke of Marlborough, one of Louis XIV. and one of Charles II.: the two last are merely dress swords. A curious silver-basket-hilted broad sword of the Pretender’s, embossed with figures and foliage. But the finest sword in this collection is one of excellent workmanship, which once belonged to the celebrated patriot Hampden; it was executed by Benvenuto Cellini, a celebrated Florentine, who was much employed by Francis I. and Pope Clement VII.

Peter Torrigiano, who executed the monument of Henry VII. in Westminster abbey, endeavoured to bring over Cellini to England, to assist him; but Cellini disliking the violence of his temper, who used to boast that he had given the divine Michael Angelo a blow in the face with his fist, the marks of which he would carry to the grave*, refused to come with him. Vasari, who was contemporary with Cellini, speaks of him in the highest terms. He was originally a goldsmith and jeweller, and executed small figures in alto and basso-relievo with a delicacy of taste and liveliness of imagination not to be excelled: various coins of high estimation were executed by him for the Duke of Florence; and in the latter part of his life, he performed several large works in bronze and in marble with equal reputation. He wrote his own memoirs, which contain much curious and interesting information relative to the contemporary history of the arts.

The ornaments on the hilt and ferrule of the scabbard of this curious sword are in basso-relievo in bronze, and are intended to illustrate the life of David: it is a most beautiful piece of work, and in the highest preservation; it is kept with the greatest care in a case lined with satin.

In the armory is a youthful portrait of Charles XII. of Sweden, and beneath it is a couteau de chasse used by that monarch, of very rude and simple workmanship. A sword of General Moreau’s, and one of Marshal Luckner’s: but it would be impossible in our limits to notice a hundredth part of what is interesting in this collection.

In another room are various specimens of plate armour, helmets, and weapons; some Indian armour of very curious workmanship, composed of steel ringlets, similar to the hauberk worn by the Knights Templars, but not so heavy, and the helmets are of a different construction. Here are also some cuirasses, as worn at present in Germany; a very curious collection of firearms, of various countries, from the match-lock to the modern improvements in the firelock; air-guns, pistols, &c. In this room are also some curious saddles, Mamaluke, Turkish, &c.; some of the Turkish saddles are richly ornamented with pure gold.

Another room contains some Asiatic chain armour, and an effigy of Tippoo Sultaun on horseback, in a dress that he wore. Here are also a model of a cannon and a mortar on new principles; some delicate and curious Chinese works of art in ivory, many rich eastern dresses, and a palanquin of very costly materials.

In another apartment are some curious old English weapons, battle-axes,maces, daggers, arrows, &c.; several specimens also, from the Sandwich and other South Sea Islands, of weapons, stone hatchets, &c.

Our young men of fashion who wish to indulge a taste for antiquarian researches, may project the revival of an old pattern for that appendage of the leg called boots, from the series of them worn in various ages, which form a singular part of this collection.

In presses are kept an immense collection of rich dresses, of all countries; and indeed so extensive and multifarious are the objects, that to be justly appreciated it must be seen. His Royal Highness bestows considerable attention on this museum, and it has in consequence arrived in a few years to a pitch of unrivalled perfection. Among the dresses are sets of uniforms, from a general to a private, of all countries who have adopted uniforms, and military dresses of those who have not. All sorts of banners, colours, horse-tails, &c.; Roman swords, daggers, stilettoes, sabres, the great two-handed swords, and amongst the rest, one with which executions are performed in Germany, on the blade of which is rudely etched, on one side a figure of Justice, and on the other the mode of the execution, which is thus: — the culprit sits upon a chair, and the executioner comes behind him, and at one blow severs the head from the body. There are also some curious portraits in these apartments; besides the one of Charles XII. there is one of Frederic the Great, and various other princes and great men renowned for their talents in the art of war.

Of the exterior of Carlton House it may be sufficient to observe, that it is situated on the north side of St. James’s Park, and that the principal front faces Pall-Mall*. The portico is a most splendid and magnificent work, of the Corinthian order, enriched with every embellishment that elegant order is capable of receiving. It has been objected, that the other parts of this front are too plain to correspond with so rich a portico: the front is rustic, and therefore does not admit of ornament; but the eye is hurt by the violence of the transition from the most luxuriant decoration to the most rigid plainness. Carlton House, with its court-yard, is separated from Pall-Mall by a dwarf screen, which is surmounted by a very beautiful colonnade. A riding-house and stables, belonging to His Royal Highness, are at the back, immediately contiguous to St. James’s Park. The garden is laid out with the utmost taste and skill of which its limits are capable.

On the 8th of February, 1790, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales had a state levee, for the first time, at his palace of Carlton House, which was the most numerous of any thing of the kind for many years; and, except the want of female nobility, was more numerous and splendid than the generality of the drawing-rooms even at St. James’s.

Carlton House was a palace belonging to the crown, and presented by His Majesty to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, on his coming of age, for his public town residence. The old building being out of repair, it was judged proper by Parliament to enable His Majesty to erect the present noble edifice in its room; and Mr. Holland had the honour of being appointed the architect. There is only one thing wanting in this palace, and which, from the present state of the arts, and still more the liberal manner in which they are at present patronized, we hope it is in His Royal Highness’s contemplation to supply. It is a collection of pictures by living artists; these, selected with His Royal Highness’s well known delicacy of taste and judgment, would complete the decorations of this truly magnificent and princely palace.

* This event happened in the palace of Cardinal di Medici: — Torrigiano being jealous of the superior honours paid to Michael Angelo, brutally struck him in the face; his nose was flattened by the blow: the aggressor fled, and entered into the army, but being soon disgusted with that life, left it and came over to England.

* Pall-Mall was formerly laid out as a walk, or place for the exercise of the mall, a game long since disused; its northern side being bounded by a row of trees, and that to the south by the old wall of St. James’s Park.

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The Microcosm of London or London in Miniature: Bartholomew Fair

Oct13

The annexed print is a spirited representation of this British Saturnalia. To be pleased in their own way, is the object of all. Some hugging, some fighting, others dancing: while many are enjoying the felicity of being borne along with the full stream of one mob, others are encountering all the dangers and vicissitudes of forcing their passage through another; while one votary of pleasure is feasting his delighted eyes with the martial port of Rolla, and the splendid habiliments of the Virgins of the Sun, another disciple of Epicurus is gratifying his palate with all the luxury of fried sausages, to which he is attracted by the alluring invitation of “Walk into my parlour!” The ambitious, who, seated in triumphal cars, are by the revolution of a wheel, like that of Fortune’s, raised to the highest pinnacle of human wishes, look down with scorn on the little grovellers below, reckless that they gain their dangerous elevation at the hazard of their necks, and that, by another turn of the wheel, they must sink to the base level from which they arose.

A number of youths, each with the lass he loves, are carelessly disporting in the swings; indeed so carelessly, that one of them appears to have fallen out. The mighty Nimrods, each bestriding their fiery coursers on the round-about, pursue the chace with ardour; their ladies, seated in chariots, lead or follow with alacrity in their circle of amusements.

The wise zoologist finds ample gratification in Mr. Prdcock’s astonishing exhibition of wild beasts, assured by the stentoric showman, that here is to be seen “The largest elephant in the world, except himself!” The conjuror overwhelms his wondering spectators with . his surprising manual dexterity, and the philosophic operation of eating fire. Saunders, with his equestrian exercises, rope-dancing, and tumbling, has also his full share of attraction. Richardson delights a joyous group with the humours of their old and ever-welcome friend Punch; while a lady, with a tambourine, and a hero with a trumpet, are, with all their powers, adding to the concert of sweet sounds, which resounds from every quarter.

The general effect of this print is highly interesting. The contrast of the gaudy glaring lights of the various booths, opposed to the calm and serene light of:

“the wandering moon,

“Riding near her highest noon,”

has the happiest effect imaginable. The bustle and confusion of the various groups are well conceived, and executed with spirit. The surrounding scenery, St. Bartholomew’s hospital, the church, and the houses in Smithfield, are correct, and give an identity and value to the scene.

Of the origin and progress of this ancient and celebrated fair, it may be necessary to give some account; and it may not be uninteresting to give some idea of the other sports and diversions of our warlike and gallant ancestors, when Smithfield was the principal scene of action.

From “Hogarth illustrated, by John Ireland,” the following essay on the rise and progress of fairs is extracted. — Vol. I. article Southwark Fair.

“At a time when martial hardihood was the only accomplishment likely to confer distinction, when war was thought to be the most honourable pursuit, and agriculture deemed the only necessary employment, there was little social intercourse, and so few retail dealers, that men had no very easy means of procuring those articles which they occasionally wanted. To remove this inconvenience, it was found necessary to establish some general mart, where they might be supplied. Fairs were therefore instituted, as a convenient medium between the buyer and seller, and were at first considered as merely places of trade*. They were generally held on the eve of saints’ days. Some of them continued open many weeks, and had peculiar privileges, to encourage the attendance of those who had goods upon sale. The pedlar travelled from city to city, or from town to town, with his movable warehouse, and furnished his customers with what served them until his periodical return.

“As men grew more polished, their wants increased, their intercourse became more general, and the importance of commerce was better understood. The merchant deposited his goods in a warehouse, and the trader opened a shop. Fairs, deserted by men of business, gradually changed their nature, and, instead of being crowded by the active and industrious, were the haunts of the idle and dissolute. Such were they at the time of this delineation [Southwark Fair], made in 1733, and may be considered as a true picture of the holiday amusements of that period. Bartholomew Fair had a similar origin.”

According to Fitz-stephen, a writer in the reign of Henry II. “Without one of the gates was a smooth or smethe field, both in name and deed, where, every Friday, unless it be a solemn bidden holiday, is a notable shew of horses to be sold. Earls, barons, knights, and citizens, repair thither to see or to buy. There may you of pleasure see amblers pacing it delicately; there you may see trotters fit for men of arms, sitting more hardily; there you may have young horses not yet broken, &c. In another part of that field are to be sold implements of husbandry, as also fat swine, milch kine,” &c.

“To the priory of St. Bartholomew’, Henry II. granted the privilege of a fair, to be kept yearly, at Bartholomew’s tide, for three days, to wit, the eve, the day, and the next morrow. To the which the clothiers of England, and drapers of London, repaired; and had their booths and stalls within the churchyard of this priory, closed in with walls and gates, locked every night, and watched, for the safety of men’s goods and wares. A court of Piepowders was daily during the fair holden for debts and contracts. But now, notwithstanding all proclamations of the Prince, and also the act of Parliament, in place of booths within the churchyard, only letten out in the fair-time, and closed up all the year after, be many large houses budded; and the north wall towards Long-lane being taken down, a number of tenements are there erected for such as give great rents.” — Stow.

Smithfield, besides being. a market for cattle and horses, hay, straw, &c. and a cloth fair, was famous also for the celebration of royal jousts and tournaments. A general fair was likewise held a Bartholomew tide.

To shew the gallantry of those days of chivalry, it may not be impertinent to give an extract of one of those royal jousts from Froisart.

“In the fourteenth of Richard II. royal jousts and tournaments were proclaimed to be done in Smithfield, to begin on Sunday next after the feast of St. Michael. Many strangers came forth out of other countries, namely, Valerian, Earl of St. Paul, that had married King Richard’s sister; the Lady Maud Courteney and William, the young Earl of Ostarvant, son to Albret of Baviere, Earl of Holland and Henault.

“At the day appointed, there issued forth of the Tower, about the third hour of the day, sixty coursers, apparelled for the jousts; upon every one an esquire of honour, riding a soft pace. Then came forth sixty ladies of honour, mounted upon palfraies, riding on the one side*, richly apparelled; and every lady led a knight with a chain of gold. Those knights being on the king’s party, had their armour and apparel garnished with white harts, and crowns of gold about the harts’ necks; and so they came riding through the streets of London to Smithfield, with a great number of trumpets and other instruments of music before them. The king and queen, who were lodged in the bishop’s palace in the city of London, were come from thence with many great estates, and placed in chambers to see the jousts. The ladies that led the knights were taken down from their palfraies*, and went up to chambers prepared for them. Then alighted the esquires of honour from their coursers, and the knights in good order mounted upon them; and after the helmets were set on their heads, and being ready at all points, proclamation was made by the heralds, the jousts began, and many commendable courses run, to the great pleasure of the beholders. These jousts were continued many days with great feasting.”

One other instance we shall take from Stow, to shew that these sports were attended with some danger.

“In the year 1467, the seventh of Edward IV, the Bastard of Bourgoigne challenged the Lord Scales to fight with him on horseback and on foot. The king therefore caused the lists to be prepared in Smithfield: the timber-work cost two hundred marks, besides the fair and costly galleries prepared for the ladies and others: at which martial exercise the king and nobility were present. The first day they ran together with speeres, and departed with equal honour. The next day they tourneyed on horseback, the Lord Scales’s horse having on his chafron a long pike of steel, and as the two champions coped together, the same horse thrust his pike into the nostrils of the Bastard’s horse, so that for very pain he mounted so high, that he fell on the one side with his master; and the Lord Scales rode about him with his sword drawn, till the king commanded the marshal to help up the Bastard; who said, ‘I cannot hold up the clouds; for though my horse fail me, I will not fail an encounter, companion.’ But the king would not suffer them to do any more that day.

“The next morrow they came into the lists on foot with two pole-axes, and fought valiantly; but at last the point of the pole-axe of the Lord Scales entered into the side of the Bastard’s helm, and by force might have placed him on his knees, but the king cast down his warder, and the marshal severed them. The Bastard required that he might perform his enterprise, but the king gave judgment, as the Bastard relinquished his challenge.”

These were the amusements of the higher orders; those of the citizens are also interesting and instructive. “Let us now,” saith Fitz-stephen, “come to the sports and pastimes, seeing it is fit that a city should not only be commodious and serious, but also merry and sportful. In the holidays, all the summer, the youths are exercised in leaping, dancing, shooting, wrestling, casting the stone, and practising their shields. The maidens trip with their timbrels, and dance as long as they can well see.”

These manners continued with little variation to the time of Henry VIII.

In the infancy of the drama, the young men were taught to perform in the Holy Mysteries; one of which was exhibited in 1591, at the Skinners Well, adjoining Smithfield, which lasted three days together, the king, queen, and nobles being present; and in 1409, one which lasted eight days, and was intended to represent the Creation. To these succeeded the performance of tragedies and comedies, then called stage-plays, which have continued a favourite diversion with your Englishmen ever since the time

“When sweetest Shakespeare, Fancy’s child, “

Warbled his native wood-notes wild.”

Bartholomew Fair had now for a long time, instead of three days, lasted a fortnight, and was unquestionably productive of some habits of dissipation, and much loss of time, among the lower orders of people who attended it. At length, in 1708, the magistracy of the city determined to reduce the fair to the original time of three days, and confine it to its first purpose, that of selling merchandise only; and an order of common council was made accordingly: but seems to have been ill obeyed, as in 1735, the court of aldermen came to a resolution touching Bartholomew Fair, “that it shall not exceed Bartholomew eve, Bartholomew day, and the day after; and that during that time nothing but stalls and booths shall be erected for the sale of goods, wares, and merchandises, and no acting be permitted.” This order it appears was obeyed no better. But Southwark Fair, and many others, were at this time suppressed.

Of the acting at Bartholomew Fair, little is known before the time of Elkannah Settle, who is only now remembered from having been the rival of Dryden, and having been honoured by Pope with a niche in the Dunciad. Settle was born in 1648: in 1680 he was so violent a Whig, that the ceremony of pope-burning, on the 17th of November, was entrusted to his management;he wrote much in defence of the party, and with the leaders was in high estimation. Politicians and patriots were formed of much the same materials then as they are now. Settle being disappointed in some of his views, became as violent a Tory as he had been a Whig, and actually entered himself a trooper in King James’s army on Hounslow Heath. The Revolution destroyed all his prospects, and in the latter part of his life he was so reduced as to attend a booth, which was kept by Mrs. Minns, and her daughter, Mrs. Leigh, in Bartholomew Fair. From these people he received a salary for writing drolls, which were generally approved. In his old age he was obliged to appear in these wretched exhibitions; and in the farce of St. George for England, performed the part of the dragon in a case of green leather of his own invention. To this circumstance Dr. Young refers in his epistle to Pope:

“Poor Elkannah, all other changes past,

“For bread in Smithfield dragons hiss’d at last;

“Spit streams of fire, to make the butchers gape,

“And found his manners suited to his shape.”

In these humble representations some of our greatest actors made their first appearance, and not a few of them, after they had attained high eminence, ranted, strutted, and bellowed through all the days it was kept open, to their own emolument, and the heartfelt satisfaction of Thames-street beaux and the black-eyed beauties of Puddle-dock. In 1733, a booth was built in Smithfield for the use of T. Cibber, Bullock, and H. Hallum; at which the tragedy of Tamerlane, with the Fall of Bajazet, intermixed with the comedy of the Miser, was actually represented. The bill of fare with which these gentlemen tempted their customers, may properly enough be called an olio; and the royal elephant sheet on which the titles of the play were printed, throws the comparatively diminutive bills of a theatre royal into the back ground.

In some of the provinces distant from the capital, dramatic exhibitions are still given out in the quaint style which marked the productions of our ancestors. This sometimes excites the laughter of the scholar, but it whets the curiosity of the rustic; and whatever helps to fill a theatre, must be the best of all possible methods. From the mode of announcing some late productions at the two royal theatres, there seems good reason to expect, that the admirers of this style of writing will soon be gratified by having it introduced into the London play-bills, or at least into the London papers.

But leaving the mighty characters who tread the London boards to their admirers, let us return to humbler scenes, and give one example out of many which they annually afford. A play-bill printed some years ago at Ludloiv, in Shropshire, was nearly as large as their principal painted scene, and dignified with letters that were truly capital, for each of those which composed the name of a principal character was near a foot long. The play was for the benefit of a very eminent female performer, the bills said, to be written by herself, and thus was the evening’s amusement announced:

“For the benefit of Mrs. ******, by particular desire of B. G. Esq. and his most amiable lady, this present evening will be performed a deep tragedy containing the doleful history of King Lear and his Three Daughters, with the merry conceits of his majesty’s’ fool, and the valorous exploits of General Edmund, the Duke of Gloster’s bastard. All written by one William Shakespeare, a mighty great poet, who was born in Warwickshire, and held horses for gentlemen at the sign of the Red Bull in St. John’s-street, near West Smithfield; where was just such another play-house as that to which we humbly invite you, and hope for the good company of all friends round the Wrekin.”

“All you who would wish to cry or to laugh,

You had better spend your money here than in the alehouse by half.

And if you likes more about these things for to know,

Come at six o’clock to the barn in the Highstreet, Ludlow;

“Where presented by live actors, the whole may be seen:

So vivant rex, God save the king, not forgetting the Queen !”

See Hogarth illustrated by John Ireland.

After Cibber and his companions, Shuter and Yates exhibited at Bartholomew Fair; since which time none of the performers of the theatres royal have had booths there, and the fair has been reduced to its original term of three days.

*The fairs at Chester, and some few other places, still keep up the spirit of the original institution.

*It was in this reign side-saddles were first used in England.

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The Microcosm of London or London in Miniature: The Bank

Oct6

published by Rudolph Ackermann in 3 volumes, 1808–1811.

The Great Hall – Bank of England

The annexed print represents the hall in which bank notes are issued and exchanged: it is a noble room, seventy-nine feet by forty, and contains a very fine marble statue of King William the Third, the founder of the Bank; an admired piece of sculpture, and the production of Cheere. The various groups of figures in this hall are well conceived, and the busied and careful countenances of the monied interest, well contrasted with the countryman’s gaping face of astonishment, and the gaiety of the sailor and his chere amie: the perspective is good, and the effect of the whole striking and impressive.

The building called the Bank, is a stone edifice, situated a little to the north of Cornhill. The front, composed of a center eighty feet in length, of the Ionic order, on a rustic base; and two wings, ornamented with a colonnade. The back of the building, which is in Lothbury, is a high and heavy wall of stone, with a gateway for carriages into the bullion-court. The principal entrance into the Bank is from Threadneedle-street. On the east side of this entrance is a passage leading to a very spacious apartment, which is called the Rotunda, where the stock-brokers, stock-jobbers, and other persons meet for the purpose of transacting business in the public funds. Branching out of the Rotunda are the various offices appropriated to the management of each particular stock; in each of these offices, under the several letters of the alphabet, are arranged the books in which the amount of every individual’s interest in such a fund is registered. Here, from the hours of eleven to three, a crowd of eager money-dealers assemble, and avidity of gain displays itself in a variety of shapes, truly ludicrous to the disinterested observer. The jostling and crowding of the jobbers is so excessive, and so loud and clamorous at times are the mingled voices of buyers and sellers, that all distinction of sound is lost in a general uproar: on such occasions, which are not unfrequent, a temporary silence is procured by the beadle or porter of the Bank, in the following manner: Dressed in his robe of office, a scarlet gown, and gold-laced hat, he mounts a kind of pulpit, holding in one hand a silver-headed staff, and in the other a watchman’s rattle. By a powerful exercise of the rattle, he soon silences the vociferous and discordant clamour, and produces a temporary calm.

The Bank of England was first established in the year 1694, partly for the convenience of commerce, and partly also for the emolument of the proprietors; and it is the greatest bank of circulation in Europe. The scheme was projected by Mr. William Paterson, a merchant, and long debated in the Privy Council. At length, by an act of William and Mary, c. 20. it was enacted, that their majesties might grant a commission to take particular subscriptions for 1,200,000/. of any persons, natives or foreigners; whom their majesties were hereby empowered to incorporate, with a yearly allowance of 100,000/ viz. 96,000/. or 8 per cent, for interest till redeemed, and 4000/. to be allowed the intended Bank for charges of management. The corporation was to have the name of “The Governor and Company of the Bank of England;” their said fund to be redeemable upon a year’s notice after the 1st of August, 1705, and payment of the principal, and then the corporation to cease. The company was enabled by this act to purchase lands, &c. unlimitedly, and to enjoy the other usual powers of corporation: their stock was to be transferable. They were restricted from borrowing more than 1,200,000/. except on Parliament funds; and from trading in any merchandise, except in bills of exchange and bullion, and in the sale of such goods as were the produce of lands purchased by the corporation; and all bills obligatory under the seal of the said corporation, were made assignable by endorsement. The charter of incorporation was executed July 27, 1694; which directs, that there be a governor, deputy-governor, and twenty-four directors; and specifies the qualifications of voters and directors, together with other regulations, which have been farther amended and enlarged by subsequent statutes.

In 1697, the Bank was allowed to enlarge its capital stock by an engraftment of 1,001,171/. 10s. This engraftment is said to have been for the support of public credit. In 1696, tallies had been at 40, 50, and 60 per cent, discount, and bank notes at 20 per cent. During the great recoinage of silver which was going on at this time, the Bank had thought proper to discontinue the payment of its notes, which necessarily occasioned their discredit. By this engrafting act, as it was called, the capital stock of the Bank was to be exempted from any tax: no act of the corporation, nor of its court of directors, nor sub-committees, should subject the particular share of any member to forfeiture; but these shares were subject to the payment of all just debts contracted by the corporation: and it was made felony to counterfeit the common seal of the Bank affixed to their sealed bills, or to alter or erase any sum in, or any endorsement on, their sealed notes, signed by order of the said governor and company, or to forge or counterfeit the said bills or notes. This act was judiciously framed for the restoration of public credit; and it served to effect two points, viz. the rescue of the exchequer tallies and orders from the stock-jobbing harpies, by engrafting them into this company; and also cancelling the engrafted bank notes, which had been at 20 per cent, discount, because the government had been greatly deficient in their payments to the Bank; and a good interest was secured to the proprietors of the increased capital. By the statute 6th Anne, c. 22. it was enacted, for securing the credit of the Bank of England, that no other banking company in England should consist of more than six persons, empowered to issue bills or notes payable on demand, or for any time less than six months; which is the only exclusive privilege belonging to the Bank. In pursuance of the 7th Anne, c. 7. the Bank advanced and paid into the Exchequer 400,000/.; making in all 1,600,000/. which it had advanced upon its original annuity of 96,000/. interest, and 4000/. for the expence of management. In pursuance of the same act, the Bank cancelled exchequer bills to the amount of 1,775,027/. 17 s. 10-1/2 d. at 6 per cent, interest: it likewise undertook the circulation of 2,500,000/. of exchequer bills, issued for the supply of the year; and it was at the same time allowed to take subscriptions for doubling its capital: in 1709, therefore, the capital of the Bank amounted to 4,402,343/. 17 s. 10-1/2 d. and it had advanced to government 3,375,027/. 17 s. 10-1/2 d. By a call of 15 per cent, there was paid in and made stock 656,204/. 1 s. 9 d.; and by another call of 10 per cent, in 1710, 501,448/. 12 s. 11 d.: in consequence of these two calls the Bank capital amounted to 5,559,995/. 14s. 8 d. In consideration of the sum of 400,000/. advanced to government without interest, the exclusive privileges of the Bank were prolonged to one year’s notice after the 1st of August, 1732. By the 12th Anne, c. 11. the company obtained an additional term of ten years to the period of their continuance as a corporation; so that they were not to be dissolved but upon a year’s notice after the 1st of August, 1742. In the following year, they first received the subscriptions to a loan for the public service, which had been hitherto usually taken at the Exchequer; but the Bank being found more convenient for monied persons, has usually received them ever since. In pursuance of statute Geo. I. c. 7, 8, 9. in 1717, the Bank delivered up two millions of exchequer bills to be cancelled; and it had therefore, at this time, advanced to government 5,375,027/. 17 s. 10-1/2 d.: it was now agreed to reduce the interest from 6 to 5 per cent. In pursuance of statute 8th Geo. I. c. 24. in 1722, the Bank purchased of the South Sea Company, stock to the amount of 4,000,000/.; and in this year, in consequence of the subscriptions which it had taken in for enabling it to make this purchase, its capital stock was increased by 3,400,000/.: at this time, therefore, the Bank had advanced to the public 9,375,027/. 17s. 10-1/2 d. of which the sum of 1,600,000/. was entitled to 6 per cent, interest till the 1st of August, 1743; but the rest was to be reduced to 4 per cent, from and after Midsummer 1727; and the capital stock amounted only to 8,959,995/. 14s. 8 d. It was upon this occasion that the sum which the Bank had advanced to the public, and for which it received interest, began first to exceed its capital stock, or the sum for which it paid a dividend to the proprietors of bank stock; or, in other words, that the Bank began to have an undivided capital, over and above its divided one; and it has continued to have an undivided capital of the same kind ever since. In 1728, the Company of the Bank advanced to government 1,750,000/. at 4 per cent, interest, without any power of enlarging their capital. In the following year, they advanced the farther sum of 1,250,000/. at 4 per cent. The capital due from government, after sundry redemptions, was 10,100,000/.; of which the sum of 1,000,000/. was redeemed in 1738, being part of the principal for exchequer bills cancelled in 1717. In 1742 the company advanced a farther sum of 1,600,000/. towards the supply for that year, without receiving any additional allowance for interest or management; but they were empowered to enlarge their capital stock to the same amount. And by the act 15th Geo. II. c. 13. establishing this contract, by which the privileges of the Bank were continued till one year after the 1st of August, 1764, it was declared, that the acts of 7th and 12th Anne, and all other acts for determining the corporation, should be void; and that the Governor and Company of the Bank, should remain a body corporate and politic for ever, subject to such regulations as were contained in the acts and charters then in force. The whole sum advanced on the original fund of 100,000/. thus became 3,200,000/. and the interest upon it, from the 1st of August, 1743, 3 per cent, per annum.

In consequence of the statute 19th Geo. II. c. 6. in 1746, the Bank agreed to deliver up to the Treasury 986,800/. in exchequer bills; in lieu of which, it was to have an annuity of 4 per cent, for that sum out of the fund for licensing spirituous liquors; and the Bank was empowered to add the said 986,800/. to its capital stock, by taking in subscriptions for that purpose: accordingly, at Michaelmas 1746, the whole debt due to the Bank by the public was 11,686,800/. and its divided capital had been raised, by different calls and subscriptions, to 10,780,000/. The state of these sums has continued to be the same ever since. In 1764, the Company of the Bank agreed to advance 1,000,000/. towards the supplies in exchequer bills, to be repaid in 1766; and to pay into the Exchequer 110,000/. without any repayment of the principal, or allowance of interest for the same: in consideration of which, their charter was extended to the 1st of August, 1786, and the dividend on the company’s stock was raised from 41 to 5 per cent.: at Michaelmas 1767, it was raised to 5-1/2 per cent.

From a very early period after the establishment of the Bank, it had been the practice of the company to assist government with money, by anticipation of the land and malt taxes, and by making temporary advances on exchequer bills and other securities. In the year 1781, the sums thus lent to government amounted to upwards of eight millions, in addition to the permanent debt of11,686,800/. An agreement was now entered into for the renewal of their charter, the term of which was extended to 1812, on the company’s engaging to advance 2,000,000/. on exchequer bills, at 3 per cent, interest, to be paid off within three years out of the sinking fund. In order to enable them to make this advance, a call of 8 per cent, on their capital was thought necessary, by which their former capital stock of 10,780,000/. was increased to 11,642,400/. The sum on which they now divide the dividend was also increased one half per cent, so that it now became 6 per cent. In consequence of large advances to government, the great exportation of coin and bullion to Germany and Ireland, and several concurring circumstances, which, at the commencement of the year 1797, produced an unusual demand of specie from different parts of the country on the metropolis, an order of the Privy Council was issued on the 26th of February, prohibiting the directors of the Bank from issuing any cash in payment till the sense of Parliament on this subject was obtained. This restriction was sanctioned by Parliament, and a committee was appointed to examine the state of the Bank; from whose report it appeared, that, on the 25th of February, after examining the outstanding claims against it with the corresponding assets, the amount of the demands on the Bank was 15,770,390/.; and that of assets, not including the sum of 11,686,800/. of permanent debt due by government, was 17,597,298/.: so that there was a surplus of 3,826,908/.

Soon after the meeting of Parliament in November following, the committee of secrecy, appointed to enquire into the expediency of continuing the restriction on the Bank, reported, that the total amount of outstanding demands on the Bank, on the 11th of November, was 17,578,910/.; and of the funds for discharging the same, exclusively of the permanent debt, 21,418,640/. leaving a balance in favour of the Bank at that time of 3,839,730/. The report stated, that the advances to government had been reduced to 4,258,140/.; and that the cash and bullion in the Bank had increased to more than five times the value at which they stood on the 25th of February, 1797, when it was about 1,272,000/.

By this statement, the solvency and solidity of the Bank were satisfactorily evinced; and indeed its stability must be coeval with that of the British government. All that it has advanced to the public must be lost before its creditors can sustain any loss. No other banking company in England can be established by act of Parliament, or can consist of more than six members. It acts, not only as an ordinary bank, but as a great engine of state. It receives and pays the greater part of the annuities which are due to the creditors of the public; it circulates exchequer bills; and it advances to government the annual amount of land and malt taxes, which are frequently not paid up for some years. It likewise discounts the bills of merchants, and has, upon several different occasions, supported the credit of the principal houses, not only of England, but of Hamburgh and Holland. The business of the bank is under the direction of a governor, sub-governor, and twenty-four directors, who are elected annually by a general court; and is transacted by a great number of clerks in different offices.

The qualification of a director is 2000/. of a deputy-governor 3000/. and of a governor 4000/.; 5000/. bank stock entitles the proprietor to vote at general courts, provided he has been in possession of it six months.

The company may not improperly be denominated a trading company, and that which is peculiarly distinguished by the appellation of bank stock, is a trading stock, the dividend of which, amounting to 11,642,400/. paid half-yearly, and now 7 per cent, accrues from the annual income of the company: and this arises from the interest received for the money advanced by the proprietors to the public, or the permanent debt of 11,686,800/.; from interest on the annual temporary advances; from the profits of their dealings in bullion and of their discount; from the interest of stock held by the company; from the sums allowed by government for the management of the annuities paid at the offices of the Bank, such as an allowance of 450/. per million for management of the public funds, and the allowance of 805/. 15s. 10d. per million for receiving the contributions to loans; and from some other smaller articles.

The Bank of England may be considered as the main spring of that complicated mechanism, by which the commercial payments of this country are transacted, and by which the comparatively small sum of money with which they are transacted, is kept in perpetual and regular circulation. The subordinate parts of this machine consist of about seventy private banking-houses in London, and about three hundred and eighty-six banks dispersed over the country. By the joint operation of these various money-dealers, almost all bank payments founded on commercial bargains, are ultimately settled in London with the money which issues from the Bank of England. This money consists, in ordinary times, partly of coin, and partly of bank notes. From its large capitaland extensive issue of paper, that Bank indirectly supplies the nation with as much gold as is required for circulation. Its notes are issued in loans, granted either for the accommodation of the public Treasury, or for that of merchants, by discount of their bills; and, in consequence of a common agreement among the bankers, no notes of any private house are current in London. All the large payments of that metropolis are in this manner effected by the paper of the Bank of England, and they are chiefly transacted by the private bankers, who, according to a conjectural estimate, make daily payments to the amount of four or five millions, and have probably in their hands a very large proportion of the whole of the notes circulating in the metropolis.

The following table will exhibit, at one view, the state of the cash and bullion, the average of bank notes in circulation, and also the discounts and advances to government during the several periods which it comprehends.

In the beginning of 1798, the Bank advanced to government 3,000,000/. of exchequer bills, and in the progress of the year a farther advance of 500,000/.; so that the total sum advanced by the Bank for the public service, and outstanding on the 7th of December, was 6,777,739/. At a general court held the 14^th of March, 1799, it was agreed to advance to government 1,500,000/. on exchequer bills; and it was proposed to divide among the proprietors the 5 per cent, stock held by the company, for the million subscribed tthe Loyalty loan; and with this view, to purchase 39,240 /. of the same stock, to make up the sum held by them to 1,164,240/. in order to make a dividend of 10/. 5 percent, stock for every 100/. bank capital: accordingly the transfer was made on the 1st of June.

In November following, a negociation was entered into for renewing the term of the company’s charter, although about thirteen years of it remained. The proposition was agreed to at a general court held January the 9th, 1800. The conditions were, that the Bank should advance to government 3,000,000/. for the service of the year 1800, on exchequer bills, payable, without interest, out of the supplies to be granted for the year 1806: in consideration of which the term of their charter was continued till the end of twelve months’ notice after the 1st of August, 1833.

The amount of bank notes in circulation had gradually increased since the beginning of 1797, and, during the year 1800, amounted to about 15,000,000/. The amount, on an average of a month, to the 25th of January, 1801, was 16,365,200/. consisting of 13,845,800/. in notes of 51. and upwards, and 2,519,400/. in notes of 1/. and 2/. At a general court held the 19th of March, 1801, another occasional dividend of stock was proposed. This dividend was to be made of 582,120/. of 5 per cent, navy annuities, at the rate of 5 per cent, for every 100/. bank capital; and the transfer was made on the first of May.

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The Microcosm of London or London in Miniature: An Auction

Dec23

published by Rudolph Ackermann in 3 volumes, 1808–1811.

The print annexed is a spirited representation of that interesting scene, a public auction. The various effect which the lot (a Venus) has on the company, is delineated with great ability and humour. The auctioneer, animated with his subject, seems to be rapidly pouring forth such a torrent of eloquence as cannot fail to operate on the feelings of his auditors; indeed, having two of their senses enlisted in his favour, there seems to be little doubt that he will succeed. The eloquence of the rostrum is of a peculiar nature, Foote, who delineated every object that he chose with an astonishing truth and felicity, has, in his Minor, drawn an auctioneer with so much whim and drollery, and which, if a little outré, possesses so many striking characteristics, that it may serve for a portrait of the whole. Our animated auctioneer, adorning his Venus with all the flowers of rhetoric, seems to be saying, with Smirke in the Minor, “A-going for five and forty, — no body more than five and forty? — Pray, ladies and gentlemen, look at this piece! — quite flesh and blood, and only wants a touch from the torch of Prometheus, to start from the canvass and fall a-bidding!” And these flowers are not scattered in vain; (‘for,” continues Smirke, “a general plaudit ensued, — I bowed, and in three minutes knocked it down at sixty-three — ten”

The tout-ensemble of this print is marked with propriety and interest. The great variety of character, the masses of light and shade judiciously opposed to each other, the truth of the perspective, and the felicity of touch which the artist has adopted to give the idea of old pictures in the back ground, hwe the happiest effect imaginable.

That in the rage for purchasing old pictures the craft of experienced dealers should frequently impose upon those who might think it necessary to appear to have, what nature had denied them, taste and judgment, is not to be wondered at. All living genius was discouraged, or only found patrons in these dealers if they would condescend to manufacture for them Raphaels and Claudes, Corregios and Salvator Rosas. That they could not always get a sufficient supply of copies from Italy, the following extract from a valuable work may give some idea: — “Among the papers of a lately deceased virtuoso, I met with a few manuscript sheets, entitled ‘Hints for a History of the Arts in Great Britain, from the Accession of the Third George.’ The following extract proves, that painting pictures called after the ancient masters, was not confined to Italy: we had in England some industrious and laborious painters, who, like the unfortunate Chatterton, gave the honours of their best performances

To others. To the narrative there is no date, but some allusions to a late sovereign determine it to be a short time before we discovered that there were, in the works of our own poets, subjects as well worthy of the pencil as any to be found in the idle tales of antiquity, or the still more idle legends of Popery.

“The late edict of the emperor for selling the pictures of which he has despoiled the convents, will be a very fortunate circumstance for many of the artists in this country, whose sole employment is painting of old pictures; and this will be a glorious opportunity for introducing the modern antiques into the cabinets of the curious.

“A most indefatigable dealer, apprehensive that there might be a difficulty and enormous expence in procuring from abroad a sufficient quantity to gratify the eagerness of the English connoisseurs, has taken the more economical method of having a number painted here. The bill of one of his workmen, which came into my hands by an accident, I think worth preservation, and I have taken a copy for the information of future ages. Every picture is at present most sacredly preserved from the public eye, but in the course of a few months they will be smoked into antiquity, and roasted into old age, and may probably be announced in manner and form following:

‘To the Lovers of Virtu.

‘Mr. — has the heartfelt pleasure of congratulating the lovers of the fine arts upon such an opportunity of enriching their collections, as no period, from the days of the divine Apelles to the present irradiated era, ever produced; nor is it probable that there ever will be in any future age so splendid, superb, brilliant, and matchless ail assemblage of unrivalled pictures, as he begs leave to announce to the connoisseurs, are now exhibiting at his great room in; being the principal part of that magnificent bouquet, which has been accumulating for so many ages, been preserved with religious care, and contemplated with pious awe, while they had an holy refuge in the peaceful gloom of the convents of Germany. By the edict of the emperor, they are banished from their consecrated walls, and are now emerged from their obscurity with undiminished lustre! with all their native charms mellowed by the tender softening- pencil of time, and introduced to this emporium of taste! this favourite seat of the arts! this exhibition-room of the universe! and need only to be seen to produce the most pleasing and delightful sensations.

‘When it is added, that they were selected by that most judicious and quick-sighted collector. Monsieur D, it will be unnecessary to say more; his penetrating eye and unerring judgment, his boundless liberality and unremitting industry, have insured him the protection of a generous public, ever ready to patronise exertions made solely for their gratification.

‘N. B. Descriptive catalogues, with the names of the immortal artists, may be had as above.’

“THE BILL.

‘Monsieur Varnish, To Benjamin Bistre, Dr.

‘To painting the Woman caught in Adultery, on a green ground, by Hans Holbein £3 3 0

‘To Solomon’s wise Judgment, on pannel, by Michael Angelo . 2 12 6

‘To painting and canvass for a naked Mary Magdalen, in the undoubted style of Paul Veronese 2 2 0

‘To brimstone for smoking ditto 0 2 6

‘Paid Mrs. W for a live model to sit for Diana bathing, by Tintoretto 0 16 8

‘Paid for the hire of a layman, to copy the Robes of a Cardinal, for a Vandyke 0 5 0

‘Portrait of a Nun doing Penance, by Albert 0 2 2

‘Paid the female figure for sitting thirty minutes in a wet sheet, that I might give the dry manner of Vandyke* 0 10 6

‘The Tribute Money rendered with all the exactness of Quintin Mestius, the famed blacksmith of Antwerp 2 12 6

‘To Ruth at the Feet of Boaz, on an oak board, by Titian 3 3 0

‘St. Anthony preaching to the Fishes, by Salvator Rosa 3 10 0

‘The Martyrdom of St. Winifred, with a view of Holy well Bath, by Old Frank 1 11 6

‘To a large allegorical Altar-piece, consisting of Men and Angels, Florses and River-gods; ’tis thought most happily hit off for a Rubens 5 5 0

‘To Susannah bathing; the two Elders in the back ground, by Castiglione 2 2 0

‘To the Devil and St. Dunstan, high finished, by Teniers 2 2 0

‘To the Queen of Sheba falling down before Solomon, by Murillio 2 12 6

‘To Judith in the Tent of Holofernes, by Le Brun 1 16 0

‘To a Sisera in the Tent of Jael, its companion, by the same 1 16 0

‘Paid for admission into the House of Peers, to take a sketch of a great character, for a picture of Moses breaking the Tables of the Law, in the darkest manner of Rembrandt, not yet finished 0 2 6

It is to be hoped, that a general knowledge and taste for the arts are now so far diffused among us, that the nobility and gentry are awake to living merit, and can properly appreciate those powers by which the old masters have acquired their high reputation. They are no longer to be imposed on by the stale tricks of those jugglers in picture-craft, who made large fortunes by their ill-reposed confidence. A few recent examples will suffice to prove the increased taste and judgment of the public.

In March 1795, the very fine collection of pictures by the ancient masters, the property of Sir Joshua Reynolds, was sold by auction for 10,319/. 2s. 6d .; and in April 1796, various historical and fancy pieces of his own painting, together with some unclaimed portraits, were sold for 4505/. 18s. His very valuable collection of drawings and prints is not yet disposed of.

In April 1806, thirty-two choice Flemish pictures were sold by auction, and produced 6733 guineas. One of them, by Paul Potter, was knocked down at 1450 guineas; though this, it is said, was bought in.

But it is only for works of the very first-rate excellence, which, in the present state of pictorial knowledge, the nobility and gentry will be liberal; and many speculators in second and third-rate pictures have been miserably disappointed, notwithstanding the pompous and high-sounding names with which they crowded their catalogues. In the year 1802, Count Hagen consigned to England a collection of pictures, the catalogue of which announced a most select assemblage of the very first masters; and the prices they were valued at raised the expectation of cognoscent to the highest pitch: their number was about sixty, and their value he estimated at 20,000/. After many consultations whether they should be exhibited and sold by private contract, or public auction, the latter were as determined on; and that Mr. Christie, instead of two days’ view, should allow a week for their exhibition. This being settled, the sale came on, and the produce did not nearly cover the expences: it is true, that four of the best were bought in and sent back to Dresden; but the proprietor had a deficit to pay upon the others amounting to 183/. 16s. besides the freight, &c. for the return of the four unsold: so that he paid for selling his pictures, and gave them into the bargain.

About the same time a Mr. Lemmer arrived with another cargo from Vienna. This was a smaller collection, amounting to about thirty: it was generally supposed that they belonged to Count Harrach. This collection, however, met with no better success: for, after a long private exhibition, a public sale was resorted to; and the result was, that Mr. Lemmer let his rubbish go for whatever it would fetch, and bought in all the pictures that were tolerable. This mad speculation, considering the great distance, the travelling of three people in a carriage built on purpose, and drawn by six horses, and a residence of above eight months in London, could not have cost the noble speculator less than 12 or 1500/.

The fate of the Truschessian gallery is still a stronger proof of the absurd notions which foreigners entertain of the knowledge and judgment of English collectors. The count brought over a collection consisting of above one thousand pictures: and that among them were several chefs d’oeuvres, cannot be denied; but he asserted that the whole were unique, and of themselves sufficient to form a splendid national gallery; and, by his estimation, at a fourth part of their real value, they were worth 60,000/. But as Messrs. Fries, bankers at Vienna, had advanced 27,000/. to the count, and taken this collection as a security, after many unsuccessful endeavours to dispose of it, the mortgager determined to sell by public auction those not sold by private sale. These pictures were publicly exhibited for about two years: of course their merits and demerits would be fully ascertained. The net produce of the public and private sale did not amount to more than 18,000/.: and here it must be observed, that the mortgagees bought in more than twenty of the best, which they accounted for to the proprietor at the sums the auctioneer knocked them down at, and which are included in the 18,000/.

By the statute 19th Geo. III. c. 56. s. 3. it is provided, that no person shall exercise the trade or business of an auctioneer, or seller by commission, at any sale of estate, goods, or effects whatsoever, whereby the highest bidder is deemed the purchaser, without taking out a licence; which, if it is in the bills of mortality, shall be granted by the commissioners of excise, and elsewhere by the collectors, supervisors, & c.; for which licence to sell by auction in any part of England or Wales, shall be paid the sum of twenty shillings, and elsewhere five shillings; and the said licence shall be renewed annually, ten days at least before the expiration of the former; and if any person shall act without such licence, he shall forfeit 100/. if it is within the bills, and elsewhere 50/.

All kinds of property sold by auction, except cloth wove in this kingdom, and sold in the piece as taken from the loom, and in lots of 20/. or upwards, pays a duty of seven-pence in the pound; and the auctioneer shall give a bond on receiving his licence, with two sureties in 5000/. that he will, within fourteen days after every such sale, deliver an account thereof at the next excise-office, and will not sell any goods contrary to the directions of this act, 27th Geo. III. c. 13. &c.

*Some of the ancient masters acquired a dry manner of painting from studying after wet drapery. WEBB on painting.

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The Microcosm of London or London in Miniature: The Asylum, or House of Refuge

Dec9

published by Rudolph Ackermann in 3 volumes, 1808–1811.

THE ASYLUM, OR HOUSE OF REFUGE

Is in the parish of Lambeth, in Surry, and was instituted in the year 1758, for the reception of friendless and deserted girls, the settlement of whose parents cannot be found. It was incorporated in the year 1800.

The annexed print is an interesting representation of the objects of this benevolent institution at their repast, in the presence of some of their guardians, who seem to contemplate the good order, cheerfulness, innocence, and comforts of their little wards, with all that interest and delight, that luxury of fine feeling, which irradiates the countenance when the heart is glowing with benevolence, animated with the exercise of an important duty, and gratified by the conviction that their virtuous endeavours are crowned with success. The coup d’ceil of the print is most impressive, and does great honour to’ the talents and feelings of the artists. The sweet innocence of the children, the benevolence of the guardians, and the chaste and matron-like simplicity of the building, aided by a fine breadth of effect, form a whole, which at the same time that the parts are in perfect harmony with each other, is admirably calculated to awaken the tender emotions of the humane heart, and excite the spectator to the exertion of those tender and kindly feelings, which do honour to our nature.

This charity owes its establishment to that vigilant and active magistrate. Sir John Fielding; who had long observed, that though the laws of this kingdom provided a parish settlement for every person, by birth, parentage, apprenticeships, &Y. yet many cases continually occurred, in which such settlements were difficult, if not impossible, to be ascertained; and therefore he and others were solicitous to remove, in part, this source of female wretchedness. By their exertions, and the continued endeavours of those who have hitherto conducted the plan, their benevolent intentions have been rewarded with the most signal success. The generous and discerning public has bestowed the means, which have prospered in the hands of the guardians, by whose care two hundred deserted females are daily sheltered and protected from vice and want, supplied with food and raiment, and taught whatever can render them useful in their situation, or comfortable and happy in themselves.

Carefully instructed in the principles of religion; in reading, writing, needlework, and household business, they are trained to habits of industry and regularity, by which means there is a supply of diligent and sober domestics for the use of that public, which, by its contributions, has so nobly acquired a right to their services.

The particular objects of this charity are, the children of soldiers, sailors, and other indigent persons, bereft of their parents, at a distance from any of their relations; who being too young to afford the necessary information respecting settlements, are often left destitute of protection and support, at an age when they are incapable of earning a subsistence, and contending with surrounding dangers.

Females of this description are, in a particular manner, the objects of compassion, and have also a double claim to the care of the humane and virtuous, from being not only exposed to the miseries of want and idleness, but, as they grow up, to the solicitations of the vicious, and the consequent misery of early seduction.

The following are some of the regulations for the government of this charity, which have been made by the guardians from time to time, and now continue in force.

Qualifications of Guardians.

The qualification of an annual guardian is, a yearly subscription of three guineas or upwards.

The qualification of a perpetual guardian is, a subscription of thirty guineas or upwards.

Legacies bequeathed to the use of this charity of one hundred pounds or upwards, when paid, shall entitle the first-named acting executor to be a perpetual guardian.

The guardians, conceiving it to be very essential for promoting one of the chief objects of this institution, earnestly solicit the ladies, who are particularly qualified for that purpose, frequently to visit the charity, inspect the management of the house, and particularly the employment of the children; also to see that they are properly instructed in housewifery, so as to be qualified for useful domestic servants; and from time to time communicate to the committee, by letter or otherwise, such observations as they shall deem proper to make.

Employment of the Children.

The children are to make and mend their own linen; make shirts, shifts, and table-linen; to do all kinds of plain needle-work, and to perform the business of the house and kitchen; to which latter twelve are appointed weekly, according to their age and abilities, to assist the cook, to wash, iron, and get up all the linen. They are likewise taught to read the Bible, write a legible hand, and understand the first four rules in arithmetic.

All kinds of plain needle-work are taken in at the Asylum, and performed

by the children at certain rates, which are regulated by the committee.

The following ore the Rules for placing out the Children.

They are to be bound apprentices for seven years, at the age of fifteen, or sooner, as domestic servants to reputable families in Great Britain.

No girl shall be apprenticed until the character of the master or mistress applying for the same, shall have been enquired into, and approved of by the committee.

Every person applying for an apprentice must appear at the committee, to give the necessary information respecting their situation, unless such appearance be dispensed with by the committee.

When any girl shall become qualified to be an apprentice, the guardian who presented her shall be acquainted therewith, in order to know if such guardian has any place in view for her.

The guardians, desirous of encouraging the children to serve their apprenticeship faithfully, have empowered the committee to grant any orphan apprenticed from the charity, who shall produce to the committee a certificate, signed by her master or mistress (or both if living), of her good behaviour during her apprenticeship, the sum of five guineas, such orphan having first returned public thanks in the chapel for the protection she has received. The committee are empowered to put out at any time, to any trade they shall think proper, such orphans as may have contracted any disease or infirmity, which may render them incapable of domestic service, with a premium not exceeding ten pounds.

The Establishment is as follows:

Patroness of the Institution.

Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen of Great Britain

President.

His Royal Highness Prince Adolphus Frederick, Duke of Cambridge.

Vice-Presidents.

The Marquis of Blandford.

Right Honourable Earl Spencer, K. G.

Right Honourable Earl Mansfield.

Right Honourable Admiral Lord Radstock.

Right Honourable Lord Chief Baron.

Sir William Leighton, Knight and Alderman.

A chaplain, a morning preacher, an evening preacher, two physicians, two surgeons, an apothecary, a secretary, messenger, and collector. There are also a treasurer, and a committee consisting of nineteen gentlemen, that are elected annually at the general court held every April. Concerning these for each year, and many other things relative to this praise-worthy institution, every necessary particular may be found in a small abstract account to be had at the Asylum; from which we extracted the following regulations respecting devises or bequests to the charity, as we have much besides in the preceding pages.

Well-disposed persons, who may be inclined to make devises of rent, or bequests of personal property, for the benefit of this charity, being authorised so to do by the act of Parliament whereby it is incorporated, will be pleased to make such devises and bequests to this corporation by the style and title of The President, Vice-presidents, Treasurer, and Guardians of the Asylum for the Reception of Orphan Girls, the Settlement of whose Parents cannot be found.

Bankers and Receivers .

Messrs. Hankey and Co. Fenchurch-street.

Messrs. Drummond, Charing-Cross.

Messrs. Hoares, Fleet-street.

Messrs. Croft and Co. Lombard-street.

Messrs. Vere, Lucadon, and Co. Lombard-street.

Messrs. Sikes, Snaith, and Co. Mansion-house-street.

The committee, who meet at the Asylum every Thursday, at eleven o’clock in the forenoon.

Charles Wright, Esq. treasurer, and The Rev. Mr. Agutter, at the Asylum, chaplain and secretary.

We shall close the account of this benevolent institution with the animated apostrophe of the amiable Pennant.

“It is an institution of a most heavenly nature, calculated to save from perdition of soul and body the brighter part of the creation; those on whom Providence hath bestowed angelic faces and elegant forms, designed as blessings to mankind, but too often debased. The hazards that these innocents are constantly liable to from a thousand temptations, from poverty, from death of parents, from the diabolical procuress, and sometimes from the stupendous wickedness of parents themselves, who have been known to sell their beauteous girls for the purpose of prostitution, induced a worthy hand, in the year 1758, to found the Asylum, or House of Refuge. Long may it flourish, and eternal be the reward of those into whose mind so noble a design entered!”

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The Microcosm of London or London in Miniature: The Admiralty

Nov12

published by Rudolph Ackermann in 3 volumes, 1808–1811.

The Admiralty is a brick building, containing the office and apartments for the lords commissioners of the Admiralty, who superintend the marine department, and is contiguous to the Horse Guards on the north. With respect to the architecture, the principal front facing Parliament-street displays a proof that the noble lord and board who presided at the time it was built, had objects of more consequence than symmetry and proportion to attend to: it was designed and erected by Shipley. The screen in the front (which was designed and erected by Adams) is so peculiarly elegant, that it in a degree redeems the other part from disgrace. On the top of the Admiralty are erected two telegraphs, the inside of which may be seen by proper application to the porter, or person who works the machine.

The lord high admiral is classed as the ninth and last great officer of the crown; and the honour it conferred, and trust it vested, were formerly considered to be so great, that the post was usually given either to some of the king’s younger sons, near kinsmen, or one of the chief of the nobility. To the lord high admiral belongeth the cognizance of contracts, pleas, or quarrels made upon the sea, or any part thereof which is not within any county of the realm; for his jurisdiction is wholly confined to the sea. The court is provided for the trial and punishment of all offences committed on the high seas, and is a civil court. Courts-martial in the Admiralty have a judge advocate appointed to assist them. The present judge of the Admiralty is the Right Honourable Sir William Scott, Knight, LL. D. the salary 2500/. The present king’s advocate general is Sir John Nicholl, Knight, LL. D.

In King Henry III.’s days, and in the reigns of Edward I. II. and III. Richard II. Henry IV. V. and VI. there were several admirals; for the cautious wisdom of those days would not trust a subject with so great a charge, nor permit any one man to have a certain estate in a post of so great importance. But, nevertheless, in those days there was a great admiral of England.

King Henry VL in the fourteenth year of his reign, constituted John Holland Duke of Exeter, and Henry Holland his son, admirals of England, Ireland, and Aquitaine for life.

The power of this great officer is described in a statute of Charles II.: it is enacted that he may grant commissions to inferior vice-admirals, or commanders in chief of any squadron of ships, to call and assemble courts-martial, consisting of commanders and captains; and no court-martial, where the pains of death are inflicted, shall consist of less than five captains at least; the admiral’s lieutenant to be as to this purpose esteemed as a captain: and in no case when sentence of death shall pass, by virtue of the articles (for regulating and better governing his majesty’s navies, ships of war, and forces at sea,) aforesaid, or any of them (except in case of mutiny), there shall be execution of such sentence of death, without leave of the lord high admiral, if the offence be committed within the narrow seas. But in case any of the offences aforesaid be committed in any voyage beyond the narrow seas, whereupon sentence of death shall be given in pursuance of the aforesaid articles, or any of them, then execution shall be done by order of the commander in chief of that fleet or squadron wherein sentence was passed.

He hath also power to appoint coroners to view dead bodies found on the seacoast or at sea; commissioners or judges for exercising justice in the High Court, of Admiralty; to imprison and to release, &c.

Moreover to him belong, by law and custom, all fines and forfeitures of all transgressors at sea, on the seashore, in ports, and from the first bridge on rivers towards the sea; also the goods of pirates and felons, condemned or outlawed; and all waifs, stray goods, wrecks of sea deodands; a share of all lawful prizes, lagon, jetson, flotson; that is, goods lying in the sea, goods cast by the sea on the shore, not granted formerly, or belonging to lords of manors adjoining to the sea; all great fishes, as sea-hogs, and other fishes of extraordinary bigness, called royal fishes, whales only and sturgeons excepted.

“De sturgeoni observatur quod rex ilua intergram: de balneo vero sufficit si rex habeat caput et reginse candum.” Master William Prynne, who is one of the commentators upon the above curious law, says, that the reason must be, that “our wise and learned lawgivers willed the queen to have the tail of the whale, that her majesty might have whalebone to make her stays forgetting that this was made law upwards of two hundred years before stays were ever worn or thought of. Note farther, that the bone used for stays, is taken out of the head, and not the tail of the fish.

On this ancient law being once mentioned to the late Dr. Buchan, author of Domestic Medicine, ike. &c. he repeated the following little impromptu, which I think has never before been printed:

“If a sturgeon should chance to be cast upon land,

“Honest George, Heaven bless him! the whole may command;

“But if equal misfortune befal a poor whale,

“Let the king have the head, and the queen the tail.”

It is not the object of this volume to say much concerning the great power and interest which the king of England hath in the British seas; and as to the antiquity of the Admiralty Court, and of the name of Admiral, it may be found in a record mentioned by the Lord Chief Justice Coke (Coke’s Institute, p. 142, entitled “De Superioritate Maris Angliae, et Jure Officii Admiralitatis in eodem), said to be among the archives in the Tower of London.

He is called admiral from amir, an Arabic word signifying prefect us, and in Greek marimis. His patent formerly run thus: “Anglise, Hiberniee, et Aquitaiise magnus admirallus, et praTectus generalis clargis et marium dictorum regnorum.”

The various distinguished actions which have been recorded of many of our admirals, and establish the honour and superiority of the British navy, would fill volumes. To enumerate them would occupy more space than can be here allotted to it, and does not come into the plan of this work; but to close the recital of any thing tending to the establishment of our naval character, without inserting the name of the late Lord Nelson, -would be a very improper omission.

Painters have exhausted their art in pictured representations of his actions; sculptors have hewn marble monuments to eternize his heroic professional abilities, which have been placed in the most conspicuous situations in different public buildings throughout the kingdom; and poets have invoked the muse, and exerted their utmost efforts to perpetuate his fame, in praises that, used to any other individual, might have been deemed extravagant panegyric: but the whole nation appear to have been so gratefully alive to his exalted merit, and so highly to revere his memory, that it is hardly deemed equal to what his conduct peremptorily claimed from his surviving countrymen. The Right Honourable Horatio Viscount Nelson, and Duke of Bronte, was a most active, brave, and able officer. He defeated the French fleet in Aboukir Bay, August 1, 1798, and took eight sail of the line; for which he was raised to the peerage. He was second in command at the battle of Copenhagen, where he displayed great courage and conduct; for which he was raised to the dignity of viscount. He completely defeated the combined fleet of France and Spain, off Cape Trafalgar, October 21, 1805, in which he lost his life.

In the advices some of our admirals have transmitted to the Board of Admiralty and others, there is a brevity, which Shakespeare says is the soul of wit; there is, however, a brevity, which is so admirable a model of epistolary writing, that I cannot resist transcribing one or two of them; premising, that as they are taken from memory, they may not do justice to the originals.

The first is from Sir George Rodney to the Governor of Barbadoes, and is as follows:

“Dear General,

“The battle is fought, — the day is ours, — the English flag is victorious; — we have taken the French admiral, with nine other ships, and sunk one. “G. B. R.”

The second letter was, I think, transmitted to the Admiralty.

“We have met the French fleet, and taken, sunk, or destroyed, as per margin.”

The last I shall subjoin is from a foreigner, but seems mixed up with a large portion of British spirit . It was written to Admiral Benbow, who died in October 1702, at Jamaica, of the wounds he received in an engagement with M. du Casse, in the West Indies, off the high land of St. Martha, in the same year.

Soon after Admiral Benbow’s return to Jamaica, he received a letter from M. du Casse, of which the following is a translation:

“Carthagena, August 1702.

“Sir,

“I had little hopes on Monday last but to have supped in your cabin; yet it pleased God to order otherwise: I am thankful for it. As for those cowardly captains who deserted you, hang them up; for, by G — d, they deserve it.

“Du Casse.”

The next print is a correct interior view of THE BOARD ROOM OF THE ADMIRALTY, with its appropriate decorations of globes, books, maps, & c. The lords commissioners are represented as sitting at the table, and may be naturally supposed engaged in some business relative to the naval interest of Great Britain: and considered in that point of view, may be fairly said to be transacting a business of more real importance to this country, than any other subject that could be debated; and if taken in all its nautical relations, the acknowledged preeminence of our navy, and the various appertaining et-ceteras, it is also a matter of infinite importance to all Europe.

After what has been said, it does not seem necessary to make any remarks on the extent of the building; but, as it has been before remarked, that the noble lords were engaged in transactions of more importance than attending to the symmetry and proportion of their house, which was probably left to the architect, who might in many cases leave it to the management of his foreman, it may afford some amusement to our readers, to recite a few sportive sallies of the wits of the time on the brick and mortar of the principal front.

They said, and truly said, that it is a contemptible piece of architecture. Of the portico of this building, composed of four Ionic columns, with a pediment of stone, a story is told, that, from the strange disproportion of the shafts, is highly probable. The architect, Shipley, had made them of a proper length, when it was found that the pediment of one of his shafts had blocked up the window of one of the principal apartments; and he endeavoured to remedy the error, by carrying his columns to the roof of the building: and in truth, in its present state, one is compelled to admit the truth of what was remarked by the late George Selwyn, that though the columns are certainly neither of the Doric, Ionic, or Corinthian order, they would be admirable models to take for a new one, which might be denominated the clis, or disproportioned order; “or,” added he, “if we chose to give it immortality, baptize it with an appropriate title, and name it the Robinsonian order, in honour of Sir Thomas Robinson.”

The figure of Sir Thomas Robinson must be in the recollection of many of our readers; — so long, so lank, so lean, so bony, that he struck every one who saw him, as distinct from all other men, and out of all manner of proportion. When the late Lord Chesterfield was confined to his room by an illness, of which he felt a consciousness that he should never recover, a friend, who visited him in the character of one of Job’s comforters, gravely said, he was sorry to tell his lordship, that every body agreed in thinking he was dying, and that he was dying by inches. “Am I?” said the old peer, “am I indeed? why then I rejoice from the bottom of my soul, that I am not near so tall as Sir Thomas Robinson.”

To return to the building: certain it is that such columns never were seen either in Greece, or Rome, or any other country.

The screen in the front, which was designed and erected by Adams, is so far from being liable to any part of this censure, that it forms a striking contrast, and would, if it were possible, shew in a more glaring light the gross absurdities of the principal front of the building.

On the inside of the Admiralty are two telegraphs, which may be seen by a proper application to the porter, or person who works, the machine.

More about the Admiralty Boardroom.

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The Microcosm of London or London in Miniature: The Royal Academy

Oct23

published by Rudolph Ackermann in 3 volumes, 1808–1811.

Previous to the institution of a Royal Academy, there was an exhibition at the Lyceum in the Strand. It was denominated THE SOCIETY OF ARTISTS OF GREAT BRITAIN; and the profits were to be applied to the relief of distressed artists, their widows and children. In this place were exhibited some very fine productions by Mortimer and other of our most celebrated painters.

The princes of the house of Hanover had many virtues of a description that adorn and dignify human nature. George II, was a gentleman of high honour and undeviating integrity; but he possessed no portion of taste for the fine arts, the professors of which were very coldly considered during his reign.

The accession of his present majesty displayed a very different scene, and those who had talents found now a sovereign who had taste to discern and appreciate them, and sought every opportunity of affording them countenance and protection.

The Royal Academy

In the year 1774, old Somerset Place was purchased of the crown, and an act of parliament passed for embanking the river Thames before Somerset House, and for building upon its scite various public offices, &c. The part of the building appropriated to the artists, is the object of our present enquiry.

The room on the ground-floor is allotted to models of statues, plans, elevations, and drawings.

The coved ceiling of the library was painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds and Cipriani. The center is by Sir Joshua, and represents the Theory of the Art, under the form of an elegant and majestic female, seated on the clouds and looking up wards: she holds in one hand a compass, in the other a label, on which is written,

Theory is the knowledge of what is truly nature.

The four compartments in the coves of the ceiling are by Cipriani, and represent Nature, History, Allegory, and Fable. These are well imagined, and sufficiently explain themselves.

The adjoining room, being originally appropriated to models and casts from the antique, of which this society has a most valuable and curious collection, is plain and unornamented.

The council room is more richly decorated ; the stucco is in a good taste, and in the center compartment of the ceiling are five pictures painted by Mr. West. The center picture represents the Graces unveiling Nature; the others display the four elements from which the imitative arts collect their objects, under the description of female figures, attended by genii, with Fire, Water, Earth, and Air, exhibited under different forms and modifications. The large oval pictures which adorn the two extremities of the ceiling, are from the pencil of Angelica Kauffman, and represent Invention, Composition, Design, and Colouring. Besides these nine large pictures, there are in the angles, or ospandrells in the center, four coloured medallions, representing Apelles the painter, Phidias the sculptor, Apollodorus the architect, and Archimedes the mathematician; and round the great circle of the center, eight smaller medallions, held up by lions, on which are represented, in chira-obscuro, Palladio, Bernini, Michael Angelo, Fiamingo, Raphael, Dominichino, Titian, and Rubens; all of which are painted by Rebecca.

Sir Joshua Reynolds

Sir Joshua Reynolds was the first president ; and his urbanity of manners, and high rank in the arts, gave him a respectability with the society, which it will not be easy for any of his successors to equal.

It is not proper to pass the name of this great man without some general account of his character:

“His art was nature, and his pictures thought.”

He was born heir to the manor of portrait-painting, the soil of which he has so improved, enriched, and fertilized, as to give this hitherto barren spot in the province of art, an importance it was never before thought capable of receiving. At the hour he began to paint he was the leader of his art, and, whatever improvements were made by his contemporaries, preserved that rank to the last year of his life. He was sometimes praised for excellences which he did not possess, and sometimes censured for errors of which he was not guilty. To analyze his character fairly, it is necessary to consider the state of the arts when he began to paint; and to say a man was superior to the painters who immediately succeeded Hudson, is, with very few exceptions, saying little more than that he was a giant among pigmies. By his fondness for experiments in colours, he frequently used such as vanished before the originals they were designed to commemorate, and many of them the world need not lament.

Every succeeding year of his life he improved; and that some of his later pictures have been painted with colours that fled, every man of true taste will regret; at the same time that the mezzotintoes so frequently engraved from them, shew us in shadow, that such things were. He did not aim at giving a mere ground-plan of the countenance, but the markings of the mind, the workings of the soul, the leading features which distinguish man from man; by which means he has represented real beings with all the ideal graces of fiction, and united character to individuality. Invention and originality have been said to be the leading excellences of a poet or a painter, and the president has been accused of borrowing from the works of others. Let it be remembered, that the merit does not lie in the originality of any single circumstance, but in the conduct and use of all the branches and particular beauties which enter into each composition. Such appropriation has a right to the praise of invention, and to such praise was Sir Joshua entitled. He frequently united the elegance of the French style with the chastity of the Roman; he imitated the brilliant hues of Rembrandt, but never introduced what was either mean or disgusting; he had the richness of colouring of Rubens without his excess and tumult; and by thus judiciously selecting and skilfully blending the colours of the various masters, he has formed a style wholly his own, on the merit of which other painters have separately about as high claim, as the mason who hewed the stones for Whitehall had to the honours due to Inigo Jones.

Considered in every point of view, he has given a new character to portrait-painting, and his pencil may, without exaggeration, be called creative.

The School

The stated professors of painting in its different departments, read lectures to the students in their various branches; and as they possess a most capital collection of casts and models from antique statues, &c. they have what may be fairly deemed a good school for drawing. A school for colouring they still want; and it has been recommended to them to purchase a collection of pictures, to which the students might resort, and compare their own productions with those of the great masters, whose works have stood the test of ages. The Lectures by Sir Joshua Reynolds are published, and are models of elegant composition as well as scientific taste. Those by Mr. Barry were published a few years ago, and contain much original and useful information, blended with some of this singular painter’s peculiarities.

Mr. Sheldon, professor of anatomy, delivers six lectures annually, during the summer season.

Prize medals (of silver), for the best academy figure, are delivered once a year.

Gold medals for historical compositions in painting, sculpture, and designs in architecture, once in two years. The latter are presented to a full assembly, and succeeded by a discourse from the president.

Students have generally during the whole year an opportunity of studying nature from well chosen subjects, and of drawing from the antique casts.

Admission to the lectures is by a ticket signed by an academician; they are held on Monday evenings, at eight o’clock, in Somerset Place.

The annual exhibition generally opens in May, and every person admitted pays one shilling ; and sixpence for a catalogue, if he wishes to have one.

A VIEW OF THE STUDENTS IN THE ROYAL ACADEMY, AT SOMERSET HOUSE, DRAWING FROM THE LIFE.

The room in which this is done we have already described; and by the manner in which it is arranged, and their errors being pointed out, a number of our young students draw with great correctness. It is devoutly to be wished that their colouring was as meritorious as their drawing; but for colouring they have not yet a good school, though several of the royal academicians have made many attempts to obtain it; but, alas! those attempts have not hitherto been crowned with success.

THE GREAT ROOM AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY, AT THE TIME OF AN EXHIBITION.

This most spirited drawing is covered with the representation of pictures and figures, in a manner with which it would not be easy to find one with which it could be paralleled; nor would it be easy to find any other artist, except Mr. Rowlandson, who was capable of displaying so much separate manner in the delineations placed on the walls, and such an infinite variety of small figures, contrasted with each other in a way so peculiarly happy, and marked with such appropriate character. The peculiar mode by which different persons shew the earnestness with which they contemplate what they are inspecting, and display an absorbed attention to the object before them, is incomparably delineated; and the whole forms an admirable little picture of that busy scene, in which such crowds are annually engaged in watching the progress of the fine arts as annually exhibited at the Royal Academy.

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