486. Flowers, from Nature.-T. Jones. 488. Group of fruit and flowers: Composition.-W. Peart, Esq. H. 489. The skittle-ground.-E. Fox. 490. Woodcocks.-W. Taylor. 491. Tam O'Shanter.-A. Carse. 497. View in Glen Coe, HighJands of Scotland.-W. Williams. 500. A basket of fruit.--C. Cranmer, H. 504. The carousal.-L. Clennell. $11. Fruit, a study from Nature. J. C. Burgess. 513. Fruit, from Nature.-Mrs. Kearse. 516. Fruit-J. Barney: OBSERVATIONS On the Sporting Subjects in the Exhibition of the Royal Academy at Somerset House, for the Year 1815, This annual display of the productions of British genius, like the return of the glowing days of the summer months, as it gladdens the sight, enlivens the mind. It is a sort of focus towards which all eyes are turned at this moment, and it affects us as the sunshine of an open lawn in the bosom of a dark forest. We emerge from the torpor of winter into the warmest scenes of Nature, exemplified by the restless and successful hands of Art. It is the reunion of the genial rays which emanate from the 522. Head of a terrier dog, from national Muse in her chromatic Nature.-Miss Dredge, H. 526. Flowers.-Mrs. Kearse. 528. Preparing for a race.-J. Cawse. 564. Dead birds.-H. Craig. 584. Heads of a pointer bitch and puppy, the property of W. W. Simpson, Esq. of Beleigh Grange, Essex.-E. Landseer. 592. Butterflies, from Nature. A Young Lady, H. 600. Marine shells, &c.-R. B. Elliott. 610. Flowers.-J. Maguire. 638. A spaniel.-Miss Cotton. 656. Detachment of infantry foraging.-H. Wilson. 671. Fish peculiar to the river Severn. E. Bell. 675. Fish peculiar to the river Severn.-E. Bell. 676. Fish.-E. Bell. 680. Portrait of a horse.-A. Edouart. 697. Portraits of dogs.-A. Edouart. 728. Landscape and cows.-S. Jennings. 877. The fall of Phaeton: model for a salver.-G. Garrard, A. excellence, the reflection of which surrounds the fostering hands of her noble and liberal patrons. Whilst, on one side, it opens to panting hope the gates of the long, rugged, and irksome road to perfection; on the other, it claims a due retrospect upon the labours of the numerous artists, who, with their imagination on the rack to invent novelties, their bands on the canvas and pallet to embody their conceptions, their hearts full bent, and eager to please, have created these causes, the never failing effects of which are general interest, and public entertainment.Were we to dwell upon the multifarious lucubrations of a painter, pent up in bis study, sketching, and rubbing out, resting on his mop-stick in expectation of a new thought, as the sportsman does on his gun waiting for a covey; were we to describe him annoyed with the effluvia of his venomous pigments, his feet shackled within the tripod-like easel, in a room where the light is forbidden to enter but at a small lofty window-and com pate pare him with the sportsman who paces the flowery meadows and fields, breathing the freedom of the country air, and enjoying, in a tangible shape, all the artist fancies and paints for our imaginary pleasure, when the days of real pleasure are gone by-we should consecrate to this topic more pages than the nature of our work allows us to do. However, we must say, in ge neral, that a cursory view of the rooms opened for the public inspection of the numerous paintings that have durst to face the light of day and the supercilious eye of stern criticism, will not fail to fill our countrymen, who have travelled during the last short space of tranquillity on the continent, with a noble and natural pride to find that, wherever they went, nor even under that part of the glittering vaults of the Louvre Gallery, where the works of modern artists were exhibited in November last, no where has the art of painting in all its branches surpassed, or, perhaps, equalled the success of which our artists may fairly boast. The new-fledged French eagle may fly with rapacious claws, and bring still to ber craving airy the booty of other realins, and pride herself with the possession of what she has stolen the noble, the honest Lion of Britannia will sit, proudly satisfied, by what he may call truly his own, and defy any nation either to claim, take away, or surpass in sober and sterling merit, what the sons of Albion have atchieved. After this proemium, in which we sported a few minutes upon general principles brought down to their respective tendencies, we in tend to mention, according to custom, some of the pieces in this exhibition, where any sporting sub ject, or sporting animal, has been mediately or immediately, accidentally or purposely, made a part of the picture. We feel, in the mean time, happy to find that the more common introduction of animals in landscape and portrait' painting, carries us back, with no blush on our face, to the bright days of chromatic perfection, to the days of Titian and Rubens. No. 1. Portrait of T. W Coke, Esq. M. P. R. R. REINAGLE, A. The dog shews the masterly hand by which he is painted; and the whole does credit to Mr. Reinagle. 11. Portrait af Madame Alexander. By H. SINGLETON.-This small painting is not without merit. The favourite animal is silkily painted, and seems to deserve, as well as he appears to feel, the notice which his fond mistress takes of him. 33. Scrub, a shooting poney, aged thirty years, belonging to Sir R. C. Hoare, Bart. with two favourite spaniels of the Duke of Newcastle's breed. By A. COOPER-It is curious that every one, in spite of Dr. Johnson, will spell poney instead of pony. However, it seems that the word being derived from the Latin ponè, "behind," it ought to be spelt with the e in order to preserve the original etymon.This small race of horses being obliged, according to their dimi nutive form, to follow non passibus æquis, the larger ones, are generally left in the rear. Virgil uses the word pone in that sense. Ponè subit conjux, says he, speaking of Creusa, the left-off wife of his hero. A sporting translator gives the passage in the following words, As my lord at his side, His brat, with quick'ning steps, he drags, Upon his neck, his sire in rags We may fairly suppose that in 68. Delpini, a charger, the property of Major T. P. Milles, 14th Light Dragoons. By A. COOPER. In representing this elegantly formed animal, the artist has succeeded admirably, and though a little more spirited handling might have been expected from the usual freedom of his brush, we cannot but pass a favourable judgment upon the whole, excepting, however, in this as well as in his other performances, the insignificancy of the back ground. SO. The Trespass compromised; or, the old woman's donkey redeemed from pound. By W. R. BIGG, R. A.-The story is well told, and the animal well shortened; the colouring, though rather feeble, is not unharmonious, 94. Crossing the brook. By J. M. W. TURNER, R. A.-The girl has forded the shallow and transparent water, ber faithful dog follows her, carrying a bundle at his mouth. The introduction of this simple and yet pleasing episode, gives us an opportunity to praise this deservedly celebrated artist for the composition of that truly Italian scene. We cannot help wishing for a little more of finishing in the execution of the different parts of the performance. It looks woolly, undecided in shapes, and, though a great deal of vapour is obtained by the art of scumming over the distances; yet this is not the manner adopted by Claude and Gaspar-and surely no one has. yet been confident enough to assert that this sloven way of touching the component parts of a landscape, though it may be easier and shorter, is better than the cares which the old masters took to make out the least prominent objects in their immortal landscapes. 125. The falco ossifragus, or sea-eagle and prey. By J. SILLETT.-As far as we could ken this noble tyrant of the air, the artist has done him justice, and we have no doubt, that could we have obtained a nearer sight of the picture, we should have had more to say in praise of the painter. 128. Portrait of Sir J. Radcliff, Bart. By W. OWEN, R. A.-The faithful friend of man is never an intruder in the room where his master sits-the representation of the dog at rest at the feet of the Baronet, is a great addition to this good picture. 132. Portrait of his sister. By R. T. BONE. A beautiful bird of the Mackaw tribe is introduced very harmoniously in this small performance, which is not without a great deal of merit, in regard to disposition and taste. 136. The favourite jackdaw. By E. Fox.-That a jackdaw may be a favourite, there is no denying the possibility; but we cannot help smiling at the taste. Surely, Catullus would never have been inspired to compose his charming elegy elegy Lugete Veneres, at the loss of so sooty a favourite. 148. Portraits of Prince Platoff's favourite charger, and of four of his Cossacks. By J. WARD, Ř. A. We truly rejoice to see in this picture less of that lumpish, crusty, bas-relief like mode of covering the pannel, which Mr. Ward has long adopted, and in which he is so original, that no one ever imitated him; and that he may therefore be proud to find himself" sans avoir de rivaux." The horse is the principal figure, and good; the accessary ones are bad, even as Cossacks. The sitting knight makes but a poor object and we sincerely wish this gentry to go off and leave the charger alone; the picture would gain considerably by the loss. 158. Dido building Carthage; or the rise of the Carthaginian Empire. 1st book of Virgil's Æneid. By J. M. W. TURNER, R. A.Not for the limpid water of this noble estuary on the shores of Lybia, sporting with crystal undulations, in the centre of the rising city-not for the lofty trees that seem to sport in the pure air their waving summits-nor for the noble sports of the muse who presides to the majestic works of architecture-nor even because Virgil's Hero sported a little too cruelly with the feelings of the African Princess, have we ranked among sporting subjects this noble production of the extensive aud creative imagination of the Aca demician; but because the most prominent figures, those nearest to the spectator's eye, represent boys sporting their little cockboat on the tranquil stream. Had Mr. Turner made a handsomer Dido, and taken a little pains with the other personages in the groupes, this per formance would have been less ob◄ jectionable. 163. Portrait of the Hetman Prince Platoff. By Sir T. LawRENCE, R. A. We point this out to the visitor at Somerset-House, less on account of the intrinsic merit of the piece, than because it represents a chief, who, on the wild banks of the Don, and among his countrymen, never dreamt of having his portrait exposed to public view in the capital of the British empire. 168. Portraits of a charger and a favourite poney, the property of the Right Hon. Lord Stewart. By J. WARD, R. A.-Certainly the gift of embodying on the pannel the fleeting attitudes of the horse, his trembling muscles, the intelligent eye, the quivering nostrils, and expressive ears, has been most lavishly imparted by the chromatic Muse to this academician; and, leaving his style aside, we may say that if he has no imitator as to the management of the pigments, he has no equal in success. The present performance will justify our observation. 175. A scene from Midsummer Night's Dream. By W. H. PICKERSGILL.-This passage, in one of the most sporting and fanciful flights of Shakespear's great and yet often playful mind, would bestow immortality upon its author, had he no other claim to it. 232. Portrait of Mr. G. Dodd. By J. JACKSON.-The artist seems to have closely studied the famous horse of Vandyke, but with no great success. 255. A View of Gordale, in the manor of East Malham in Craven, Yorkshire, the property of Lord Ribblesdale.-By J. WARD, R. A. If any body of taste and judgment can bring his mind to admire this, or any part of this coarse, dark, ostrogothic piece of mosaicpainting, we give him joy, but will not envy him, or even partake of, bis pleasure. 260. A favourite Cat. By A. COOPER. Here her tabby majesty, with a silver bell dangling at her neck, seems to proclaim, as another great character does, that she has given up ambitious views, and will now let rats and mice play undisturbed and free.-Will they believe ber majesty? 271. An Indian scene, with birds and animals. W. DANIELL, A.— This deserves notice; the characters of the animals are exceedingly well depicted. 341. Allied cavalry fording a river. By J. A. ATKINSON.-The singular talent of grouping horses and men, either in marches or in the battle, belongs to Mr. Atkinson, and be may be called the Vernet of England. 397. Mammoth, the property of Colonel G. Thornton. By H. B. CHALON.-This fearless animal does great credit to the talents and well-known skill of the artist, in the line of animal painting. 443. Portrait of a mute, the property of W. W. Simpson, Esq. of Beleigh Grange, Essex. By E. LANDSEER. Led by a typographic error in the catalogue, we expected to see some wretch out of the seraglios and harems of the East, when, to our astonishment, we found a mule, neatly drawn, well foreshortened, and staring at us full in the face. 497. View in Glen Coe, Highlands of Scotland. By W. WILLIAMS-A grand scene in those broken limbs of the ancient structure of our planet, where universal silence reposes in awful sleep upon Duke of Grafton's b. c. Whisker, brother to Whalebone, by Waxy (T. Goodisson) Gen. Gower's b. c. Raphael, by Rubens (J. Jackson). I 2 Bettings 8 to 1 agst Whisker; 3 to 1 agst Raphael.-Busto made severe play till within 200 yards of the ending post, when Raphael came up and passed him; but in the last two or three strides Whisker took the lead, and won by a head. This was the finest race ever remembered to have been run for the Derby. Jackson, who rode Raphael, was thrown off, after he had passed the winning post, by the man who clears the course running against him; he was not hurt. OAKS.-On Friday, the Oaks were run for as under :Duke of Grafton's Minuet (T. GoodLord G. Cavendish's f. by David (W. Arnold).... isson)....... I 2 Mr. Craven's Nadejda (S. Barnett)...... 3 Twelve started; 3 to 1 agst the winner; 8 to 1 agst Lord Cavendish's; 12 to 1 agst Mr. Craven's; 3 to 1 agst Lord Fo ley's Plover; 7 to 2 agst Mr. Payne's. Nadejda took the lead, and made severe running; Minuet laid third or fourth all the way, came up at last, and won cleverly. The Plover filly fell opposite the distance post, and dislocating her shoulder, it was afterwards found necessary to kill her.-Clift, the rider, was not materially injured. The Headley Stakes were won by Mr. Farrall's colt, by Gamenut; the Town Plate, by Mr. Wyndham's Wanderer; and the Derby Hunter Stakes, by Mr. E. Tattersal's b. g. Mad Tom. THE |