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sion, consisting of upwards of thirty of the most magnificent equipages in the capital of Christendom, and filled with some of the most erudite characters in Europe, conducted the young Quaker to view the master-pieces of art. It was agreed that the Apollo should be first submitted to his view, because it was the most perfect work of all the ornaments of Rome, and, consequently, the best calculated to produce the effect which the company were anxious to witness. The statue then stood in a case, enclosed with doors, which could be so opened as to disclose it at once to full view. West was placed in the situation where it was seen to the most advantage, and the spectators arranged themselves on each side. When the keeper threw open the doors, the artist felt himself surprised with a sudden recollection altogether different from the gratification which he expected; and, without being aware of the force of what he said, exclaimed, “My God, how like it is to a young Mohawk warrior !"'

It might be perceived, by the first part of this exclamation, that he had somewhere fallen into better company than the community at that same Springfield. It was not, however, because the terms of this sentence brought the idea of the Almighty God into connexion with a stone idol, that the superfine company present would be offended: it was the profane association of the idol with the idea of an Indian warrior, that mortified them exceedingly,' we are told, when the speech was translated to them. Robinson signified to West their chagrin, and asked for a distinct explanation.

"West described to him the education of the Mohawks; their dexterity with the bow and arrow; the admirable elasticity of their limbs and how much their active life expands the chest, while the quick breathing of their speed in the chase, dilates their nostrils with that apparent consciousness of vigour which is so nobly depicted in the Apollo. "I have seen them often," added he, "standing in that very attitude, and pursuing, with an intense eye, the arrow which they had just discharged from the bow." This descriptive explanation did not lose by Mr. Robinson's translation. The Italians were delighted, and allowed that a better criticism had rarely been pronounced on the

statue.'

This earnest examiner could not leave any work of distinguished merit unobserved. 'He never ceased to revisit, from day to day, with increasing pleasure, the celebrated statues ' ascribed to Phidias, on the Monte Cavallo.'- The works of ‹ Raphael, in the Vatican, did not at first particularly interest ' him; nor was it until he had often visited them alone, and studied them by himself, that he could appreciate the fulness of 'their excellence. His first view of the works of Michael Angelo was still less satisfactory. Indeed, he continued always to think, that, with the single exception of the Moses, that artist " had not succeeded in giving a probable character to any of

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his subjects, notwithstanding the masterly hand and mind 'which pervade the weakest of his productions.'

"Of all the monuments of ancient art in Rome, the obelisk, brought from Egypt in the reign of Augustus, interested his curiosity the most, and even for a time affected him as much as those which so agitated him by their beauty. The hieroglyphics appeared to re-→ semble so exactly the figures in the wampum belts of the Indians, that it occurred to him, if ever the mysteries of Egypt were to be interpreted, it might be by the Aborigines of America.

Here the Biographer goes off into a long, and we think rather impertinent digression, in which the high qualities and merits of the savages are outrageously extolled, and in a somewhat important tone a number of observations are made on wampum and hieroglyphics, which afford no information on the subject, unless it be information that the Indians have been observed to make use of the wampum when they have had to recount past events. As to any idea of deriving illustration from the wampum belts to the Egyptian sculptures, it was not worth while to employ five words on the notion, without having the power to prove any one point of analogy whatever, except the mere general fact that they have respectively a number of marks, and uncouth ill drawn figures. Indeed, some of the figures drawn by people in different parts of the world, might be identical, in so far as being imitations of some of the most familiar objects in nature, without warranting any inference available to interpretation; but our Author does not even pretend to know of any such correspondence in the present case.

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West attended several performances of the grand ceremonies of superstition, one in St. Peter's church, where His Holiness presided in person; and he felt inevitably a most powerful impression from the immensity, the magnificence, and the solemn music. A Scotch priest of the name of Grant, an adherent of the Stuart family, was his guide and director. While they were all kneeling at the elevation of the host, they suddenly heard, to the equal astonishment of the priest and the Quaker, a voice exclaiming behind them, in a broad Scottish accent, "O Lord, "cast not the church down on them for this abomination!" an 'exclamation, fortunately for the rash and intrepid protester, not ' understood by the other auditors. It was uttered by a zealous, but not quite right-headed man, who had arrived at the very 'time at Rome, on a self-appointed mission, to convert the Pope.' The notice of the incident is followed by the curious story of his adventures, in the resolute prosecution of his purpose at Rome. By the interposition of King James in his behalf,' he was saved from incurring any material injury, and ultimately shipped off for England.

In Introducing the Abbaté Grant, the Biographer, as one of

the very few consistent advocates of a political doctrine just now in vogue, takes occasion to condemn and bewail, in bitter terms, the exclusion of the Stuart family from their birth'right;' a divine and indefeasible right, in contravention to which we must acknowledge it would at any time be an impious impertinence to pretend to set up any right of the people to be rid of a Popish despotism, and still more any right to choose, and form, and change their government according to their judgement of national advantage.

The young American's attainments as a painter, were soon disclosed in a manner which very much surprised the Roman and English dilettanti. Robinson got together a large party of them, on purpose to produce before them a portrait for which he had secretly sat to West. It was known that he had been sitting for his portrait to Mengs, a painter of the very highest reputation; and he gave no hint that the picture produced was by another hand. It was admired by the company as a signal improvement of Mengs's style of colouring; and only one keen inspector could detect some inferiority to Mengs in point of drawing. It was eloquently praised by all; and all were astonished when the real artist, to whom Robinson had been the while interpreting their plausive observations, was pointed out to them. As artists are reputed, in common with poets, a jealous and irritable race, it is highly to the credit of Mengs that he was greatly pleased with the strange Quaker interloper and rival, and gave him the most liberal and beneficial advice, which he has ever since recollected with gratitude. He ingenuously told West that his attainments were above any need of a laborious course of discipline and imitative labour at Rome, and sketched to him a plan for availing himself the most effectually of all the great schools and repositories of Italy.

It is no wonder that so exquisitely susceptible a mind, suddenly brought from a scene of quiet and humble simplicity, and plunged among such a combination of enchantments, should have been in a state of excitement little less than feverish. He became sleepless and ill; and the result of a consultation of the best physicians in Rome, was a formal communication to Mr. "Robinson, that his friend must immediately quit the capital, and 'seek relief from the irritated state of his sensibility, in quiet and ' retirement.' This relief he obtained by passing a short time at Leghorn. On his returning to Rome, the same vivid unmitigated impressions reduced him again to the same condition; and the fever, from which he once more recovered at Leghorn, left an affection in his ancle, which cost him a painful confinement of eleven months, to his couch and chamber at Florence, whither he had been conveyed for the benefit of consulting an eminent surgeon. After his perfect recovery he made, in pursuance of

Mengs's suggestions, an extensive tour for the study of the grand works in some of the principal cities of Italy; and finally, he came by Paris to England; having experienced throughout every part of his visit to Italy the most gratifying facilities, and the most marked liberality and kindness. Indeed, the whole narrative of his life, thus far, is distinguished, almost beyond example, by favourable incidents and concurrences, by happy opportunities, by little auspicious interventions of kindness and patronage. In short, almost all things seemed to arrange themselves into a plan, without his control, to promote the purpose of

his solicitude and ambition.

We need but add very few words respecting the book, as a literary work. It is, on the whole, very well written; the narration is animated, and, for the most part, rapid. There is a little too much of what is called the dashing manner; and the Author's principal fault is a propensity to theorize and dogmatize. There is a sensible deficiency of precise dates about the middle portion of the history.

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Art. IV. Travels in Beloochistan and Sinde, accompanied by a Geographical and Historical Account of those Countries; with a Map. By Lieut. Henry Pottinger, of the Hon. East India Company's Service. 4to. pp. xxx. 423. Price 45s. Longman and Co. 1816. N the south eastern corner of that immense region which has been usually included within the shifting limits of the Persian Empire, lies an extensive territory, bounded on the E. by the river Indus and the Syndetic provinces, on the N. by the deserts of Afghaunistan, on the W. by the S. E. provinces of Persia, the whole of its southern frontier being washed by that part of the Indian ocean which runs up between Arabia and Hindostan, now generally called the Sea of Arabia. In our maps this extended tract has been commonly placed under the general name of Mekran, which is in truth only one of its provinces, while the national term has been inserted in smaller characters, under erroneous orthography, and without any mark of limit or distinction. Indeed, until very recently, this region was almost a terra incognita, and till the successful result of this spirited and well conducted enterprise, nothing further could be done than to form, by inferences from scanty and unsatisfactory materials, a general and imperfect guess at the interior of Beloochistan. The general habits of the population of this country were known to be wild and predatory; the government was arbitrary, but weak and unsettled; and the security of the traveller, both as to property and life, was extremely precarious. Into this un-.

known land, in the absolute certainty of all sorts of privations, and to the imminent hazard of their lives, did Capt. Charles Christie VOL. VII. N. S.

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and Lieut. Henry Pottinger, both of the East India Company's service, undertake to penetrate, and it must be allowed that they executed their dangerous adventure with admirable intrepidity, resolution, and judgement. Of these gentlemen the latter only survives the former having engaged, during the Russian war, in training the Persian troops to European discipline, fell in a night-assault, made by the Muscovites on the Persian camp.

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It is probably still in the memory of our readers, that about eight or ten years since considerable alarm was excited by the evident direction of Bonaparte's politics towards our Eastern possessions; and that counteracting steps were in consequence taken by the British Government. The embassies to Persia and Caubul were among the most important and conspicuous of those measures, and with these was connected, either immediately or remotely, a minor system of precautionary investigation, by means of political agents, along the whole of the western frontier of Hindostan. To this latter class may be referred the mission to Sinde, and the weary progress through Beloochistan. When General Malcolm, in 1809, was deputed as ambassador to Persia, it was made part of his instructions to use every possible 'exertion to ascertain the nature and resources of those countries through which an invading European army might advance towards Hindostan ; and he was authorized to detach any number of officers he should deem requisite,' on this critical service. Capt. Christie and Lieut. Pottinger had then just returned from the mission to Sinde; they immediately volunteered upon this new service, and after a short season of preparation, sailed from Bombay for the Belooche coast, on January 2, 1810. It had been thought expedient to furnish them with some ostensible character and motive, under the sanction of which they might find greater facility in eluding any suspicions that might arise as to the real nature of their visit, and they accordingly assumed the profession of horse-dealers, in the service of the Hindoo contractor for the Madras and Bombay Presidencies. They were attended by two Hindostanee-men, whose 'fidelity and honesty' are highly praised. On the 16th, they reached the bay and village of Sonmeany, in the province of Lus, where they quitted their incommodious boat, and commenced their journey by land, having previously shaved their heads, and adopted the entire native costume.' On the 22d, they reached Bela, the capital of the province, having passed through

'the burial ground in which the relations of the Jam, or Chief of the country, are interred. Two of the tombs are built with low cupolas of freestone, brought from the adjacent mountains, and they, and Likewise many of the graves, are ornamented with white and black pebbles, arranged in different short quotations from the Koran, and

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