quently these plants, are never moistened by a single drop of dew, and they are but rarely visited by rain during the summer months. This singular fact perhaps adaits of being explained; the sand, whose surface is heated to so excessive a degree, is always found to be damp and cool at a certain depth; whilst every plant growing in it, sends out a long perpendicular root into the moister region of the soil, by which it is nourished against the withering influence of the external beat. "After a nomadic residence of eight days in the environs of the lake, which furnished us with a great variety of insects and beautiful birds, as well as plants, we retraced our steps, and once more reached Inderskoi Krepost, having been altogether three weeks absent from it. "Accounts from Moscow and Orenburg had previously brought me intelligence, that uncertainty still hung over the further execution of the Bukharian project, and that there was little likelihood of its taking place during the present year. This determined me upon departing from my original intention of returning to Orenburg; and I now resolved to follow the course of the Ural downwards as far as its fall into the Caspian Sea; thus completing my knowledge of the whole line of that river. 227 After a few days rest at Inderskoi Krepost, I once more took my leave of it, halted, in my progress along the Uralian Line, wherever any thing offered that seemed deserving of attention, and arrived in the course of about a fortnight at Gurieff, which is the last and most southerly place on the Ural, and also one of the southernmost points of the Russian dominions. Saratschieck, a Cossack station between Inderskoi and Gurieff, particularly attracted my notice, as it is not only built in the neighbourhood, but partly on the ruins, of an ancient Tartar city of the same name. These ruins, from their magnitude (for they appeared to me to extend over a space of ten or twelve versts), from the still perceptible traces of large canals, issuing from the Ural, and from the few remains of embellishments, consisting of a species of Mosaic in the Arabesque taste, awaken ideas by no means unfavourable to the ingenuity, and civilization of their former inhabitants. These were of the celebrated Golden Horde of Tartars, who are well known in the annals of the middle ages, and as late as the commencement of the seventeenth century. On this spot I had also the gratification of procuring several plants and insects, which I had not hitherto met with." (To be concluded in our next.) MISCELLANEOUS INQUIRIES. ROWLEY'S GLOBES. Mr. JABET, of Birmingham, solicits information relative to globes said to be printed by Mr. John Rowley, as may be seen in No. 552 of the Spectator. How many were made, and are any now in existence? THAWING OF FROZEN TURNIPS. HENRY OSBORN observes, that hot water will not thaw frozen turnips, but cold water will; and asks how this is to be accounted for. TREES BURIED IN THE MARSHES. T. R. W. inquires the reason why in the marshy parts of Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, and Lincolnshire, there are found, at the depth of from ten to twenty feet below the surface, branches, trunks, and roots of trees, the wood of a hard texture and very black. TYRON LATIN VERSE. PETER Would be gratified by any information respecting Tyron, and a work written by him recommending abstinence from animal food. He is mentioned in Franklin's life. The same correspondent also would be thankful to any of our readers who can furnish him with the name of the author of the following line: "Quisquis amat ranam, ranam putat esse Dianam." [ 228 ] EXTRACTS FROM THE PORTFOLIO OF AN AMATEUR. [April 1, In fact, anecdotes are small characteristic narratives, which, though long neglected or secreted, are always valuable, as being frequently more illustrative of the real dispositions of men than their actions of great publicity, and therefore particularly requisite in biography.-Supplement to NORTHCOTE's Life of REYNOLDS. BARRY (historical painter.) BARRY carried his independence so far as always to pay for his dinner at whatever table he might be invited. At one time he dined with Paul Sandby, and laid down 1s. 6d. for his meal; but, on recollection, paid another 6d. for his additional quantity of grog. He was not, however, so considerate at a dinner given by Sir Wm. Beechey. This gentleman, aware of Barry's custom, eyed him attentively at his departure; and observing him lay down his usual price, asked him what he meant. "Mean?" replied Barry, "why that I will not be beholden to any man for a dinner."-" But," said his host, "you have not left enough: consider the wine you have drunk.""Phoo!" said Barry, "I could have done without it: but you are a fool to give it if you can't afford it-let me go." One evening, at Somerset House, the late Mr. Peters said to Barry: "How do you do, Mr. Barry; I hope you are well?" To which Barry replied: "I don't be lieve a word of it." Yet Dr. Wolcott observed of him: "Go where he will, he always leaves a pearl behind him.” The introduction of Dr. Burney in his picture of The Thames, it is said provoked a remark from the musician's lady, who declared she was by no means obliged to the painter for placing her husband among a parcel of naked women in a horse-pond. Seriously, there is no looking at the doctor's well-drest wig without fearing an immersion, or at least a wetting from the playful nereids. It is said that in this picture Barry meant also to have introduced the portrait of Lord Nelson. It was no uncommon case for Barry's sincerity to overcome his politeness. One day he accompanied Sir Elijah Impey, who wished for his opinion on his portrait, to Rossi, the sculptor. Barry for some time looked at the model with ear nestness; at length he exclaimed: "What a dd ugly fellow!" but declared at the same time the correctness of the resemblance. At one time Barry invited Burke to dine with him on beef-steaks and porter: he literally made his guest cook the victuals while he fetched the porter. A cardinal once dining with Nicholas Poussin, and observing that the artist had no servants, lamented his situation, when Poussin remarked significantly, that he was only sorry his eminence had any. The Duke of Northumberland with becoming nobleness invited Barry to dine with him, and during the repast at Northumberland House the discourse ran upon the distribution of paintings round the room, among which was the inimitable effort of Titian, The Conaro Family. "How, Mr. Barry," said his grace, "do you approve of the placing of these pictures?"" Oh very well, my lord duke; but there is a capital place there at the bottom, there is a side-light which is unoccupied."-" I mean that vacancy," said the duke," to be filled by a production of your pencil, Sir, which I request you to finish as soon as possible. I wish the subject to be taken from the History of England, but shall leave the selection, and the size and price, to be fixed by yourself; and have only this to add, that you will contrive to introduce a master of the horse in the grouping, and adopt my portrait in that character." After this introduction the parties separated; and in the ensuing week the duke called repeatedly upon the artist, who was as uniformly denied. At length his grace, fatigued by such a caprice, sent a letter by his servant desiring to speak to him, when James Barry was pleased to express himself thus: "Go to the duke, your master, and tell him from me, that if he wants his portrait painted, he may go to the fellow in Leicester-fields (Sir Joshua Reynolds) for that office shall never be fulfilled by me." Mr. Tresham informed me, that Sir Wm. Chambers employed Barry to paint the heads in the angles of the ceiling of the council-chamber of the Royal Academy, and that after he had completed them, he ordered the porter to bring him a long pole, and, from caprice or indiguation at his talents being thus em 1816.] Anecdotes of Barry-Bartolozzi-Bellingham--Bligh. ployed, he thrust it through every one of the heads which he had just finished. At the time the writer was collecting these anecdotes, the question of altering the sky-light of the great room of the Society of Arts, in the Adelphi, was agitated by the members. It may be recollected by some of that body that, on a person complaining to Barry of the bad way in which the room was lighted by the present sky-light, he answered: "What's that to me?"-consequently he painted in the dark corners those parts which he wished kept down. How absurd then would these subjects appear when drawn to light?-yet the better lighting of the room was urged by some who ought to have known better. It is, we believe, well known that many a canvas is painted on after being hung on the walls of the Royal Academy, in order to paint to the light there, which is probably very different from that in the painter's study. But what shall we say to men who wished to revel in porphyry and verd antique? Let us leave them, as a facetious friend of ours advised, to gild or paint the cheeks of statues.When Barry's pictures were finished, some one had covered with size the centre lights of the dome of the great room, and when Barry inquired why this was done, he was told, to prevent the sun from injuring his pictures. He exclaimed with anger: Who is afraid of the light of the sun in such a dd climate as this?" Barry re-touched his pictures several The writer received the following anec- 229 of the sculptor on his own, they sallied Barry resisted all offers of assistance exertions. FRANCESCO BARTOLOZZI (engraver.) When Cipriani was making the drawings for the Orlando Furioso, he designed a frontispiece to the work, in which he delineated Time turning an urn of medallions into the waters of Oblivion, with the names of great men inscribed on them, but introduced a swan bearing away in its mouth one on which he inserted the name of Bartolozzi. This the elegant mind of the engraver caused him to omit, and he substituted the name of "Cipriani." When Beckford's book on hunting was first published, there was affixed to it, as a frontispiece, a design of Cipriani engraved by Bartolozzi. The late Charles Fox one day entering a bookseller's shop in Piccadilly, saw the book lying open, ran over the leaves, and then inquired the price of the work. He was answered five guineas. Mr. Fox put down the money, and tearing out the frontispiece, which he preserved, left the book behind him on the counter. BELLINGHAM, father of the notorious assassin, was an artist, and drew at the Duke of Richmond's gallery, where Mr. Nollekins remembers him. BLIGH (engraver). This artist died under circumstances at which humanity shudders. He put a period to his existence by cutting the arteries of his wrists, hands, and arms; but it is presumed that he repented the rash act, and wished afterwards to live, from the blood that was found about the lock of his door, which he had fastened, and which it is supposed his weakness prevented him from opening. He engraved many plates after Mortimer. [ 230 ] [April 1, INTELLIGENCE IN LITERATURE AND THE ARTS AND SCIENCES. EVER since the commencement of this Miscellany it has been our anxious endeavour to stand well with the public, not by stooping to be the panders of base passions, but by punctually fulfilling our engagements, by manly independence of principles, and by a rigid adherence to truth. To support the cause of Truth the NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE was established, and by Truth (so long, at least, as, the writer of this has any control over its pages) shall it stand or fall. With these sentiments we feel peculiar gratification in being enabled to refute most triumphantly a charge brought against us in a hostile work of having published a false and intemperate statement, accompanied with the intimation that people ought not to be surprized at any means which might be resorted to by such desperate and insignificant adventurers. Here follows our explanation as furnished by a correspondent : At the annual meeting of subscribers to the WALSALL LIBRARY, held in June, 1815, the expulsion of the Old Monthly Magazine was moved by Mr. WEAVER, surgeon, and seconded by the Rev. T. R. GLEADOW, who spoke in the strongest terms of reprobation of the religious and political principles of the Old Monthly Magazine. They did not use the word execration, but their remarks must unavoidably have excited this feeling in the breasts of all who were not indifferent to social order, due obedience to legitimate governments, and the necessity of implanting truly christian principles in the minds of the rising generation. There appeared no advocate for it excepting Mr. BowEN, who was in the chair, and made a speech in its favour. When he found the meeting unanimous against him, he proposed to tear out the objectionable parts from cach number. But this was over-ruled as a measure more likely to increase than diminish the danger, and it was unanimously agreed to discontinue it. The following notice on this subject appeared in the NEW MONTHY MAGAZINE for July: "At a general meeting of the subscribers to the WALSALL LIBRARY, it was unani mously resolved to discontinue taking in the Old Monthly Magazine, it being considered a work of dangerous tendency, and deserving the execration of every true patriot." At the first committee meeting after the appearance of the above paragraph, it was proposed by Mr. FLETCHER, in the name of Mr. BOWEN, (who was not reelected one of the committec,) that the committee should send a paragraph denying the statement. The committee refused this:-they agreed, that although the word execration was not used, the whole statement was substantially correct, and they merely authorised Mr. FLETCHER to state to Mr. BOWEN that they did not know any thing of the author of the paragraph. Notwithstanding this, the following appeared in the Old Monthly Magazine for October, 1815: "We are stimulated by respect for the WALSALL BOOK SOCIETY to give place to the following letter. We were not previously it alludes, though we are not surprised at acquainted with the circumstance to which any means which may have been resorted to by the desperate and insignificant adventurers in question: "SIR, "Walsall, Sept. 18, 1815. "I observe, with much surprise, the Editor of the New Monthly Magazine acquaints the public, that your excellent miscellany was, at our annual meeting in June last, voted out of the Book Society in this town with execration; permit me to assure you, the statement is as false as it is intemperate, and must be the suggestion of an unguarded temper, rather than of a cool and liberal mind. The committee request me to inform the Editor, that they disclaim any knowledge "I remain, Sir, of the illiberal author. 1816.] Intelligence in Literature, and the Arts and Sciences. lowing, of the same date, addressed to ourselves, to so innocent a cause: "SIR, "Walsall, Sept. 18, 1815. "Your humble Servant, The only character that we can attach to these lines, after the preceding explanation, is that of wilful and deliberate fulsehood :—and we shall now leave it to the Rev. Mr. PRATT, the Rev. Mr. GLEADow, Mr. C. FORSTER, Mr. C. DARWALL, and the other highly respectable inembers of the committee, to judge how far it is consistent with the interests of the society or creditable to themselves as gentlemen to continue the highest honours of their institution to a person who has so grossly committed himself. We beg leave to return our sincere acknowledgments to our friends-or rather the friends of social order, religion, and morality-in that committee, for their support; though, by the bye, we have a strong presentiment that this exposure will convert the violent respect professed for the WALSALL SOCIETY by Sir R. PHILLIPS into as violent a feeling of a contrary nature. The long-promised Historical Survey of Cornwall, by Mr. C. S. GILBERT, is announced for speedy publication by Mr. JOHN CONGDON, of Plymouth. It will form two volumes, royal 4to. with numerous graphic embellishments, from drawings by that meritorious artist Mr. II. PARKER, jun. of Plymouth. The first volume embraces a general history of the county and its inhabitants, its geography, natural history, antiquities, and heraldry, illustrated with engravings of at least 500 shields of armorial bearings, and accompanied with biographical sketches. The second is devoted to its topography. Mr. JOHN TUKE, of York, will publish, in the course of next summer, a new and corrected edition of his four-sheet Map of Yorkshire, together with an Alphabetical Index of the Towns and Villages in that extensive County. Mr. ROBERT SOUTHLY has in the press a poem with notes entitled A Pilgrimage to Waterloo. Mr. D'ISRAELI is preparing for publication An Inquiry into the Literary and Political Character of James I. 231 Mr. CAMPBELL's Selections of English Poetry, announced some time since, are not to appear for the present; as it has been judged better that the critical part of that work, containing a View of English Poetry, should be made part of Mr. Campbell's Lectures on Ancient and Modern Poetry, which are in preparation upon a very extensive scale. Mr. WM. MARINER is preparing for publication an Account of the People of the Tonga Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. The author belonged to the Port au Prince privateer, the greater part of whose crew was massacred by the natives of Lefooga, and was for several years afterwards a constant associate of the king and the higher class of chiefs. His work will form two 8vo, volumes. Miss HOLFORD has in the press a new poem entitled Margaret of Anjou. Mr. WM. WILKINS, the eminent architect, will speedily publish in an 8vo. volume, with plates, Atheniensia, or Remarks on the Buildings and Topography of Athens. Mr. MURRAY, of Albemarle-street, has announced for publication a Narrative of the Adventures and Travels of ROBERT ADAMS, a sailor, who was wrecked in 1810 on the west coast of Africa, detained three months in slavery among the Arabs of the Great Desert, and resided several months at Tombuctoo. It will be printed in 4to. uniformly with Park's last Journey and Life. Mr. WM. JONES, late acting surgeon at Serampore, will soon publish A Collection of Facts and Opinions relative to Widows burning themselves with the Dead Bodies of their Husbands, and to other destructive Customs prevalent in British India. Mr. BOOTHROYD, who is on the point of completing his Biblia Hebraica, has in forwardness Reflexions on the Authorized Version of the Scriptures, Reasons for attempting its Improvement, and a Specimen of such an attempt. A Translation of a work entitled De Cultu et de Amore Dei may shortly be expected The Elements and Genius of the French Language; being a natural and rational method of teaching a Language with Sciences, deduced from the Analysis of the Human Mind; is in the press. Memoirs of the Ioman Isles, and of their Relations with European Turkey, translated from the original manuscript of M. de VAUDONCOURT, late general in the Italian service, with a very accurate and comprehensive Map, will speedily be published. |