notices, framed and arranged upon this principle, will

selves) more valuable, than mere descriptions of No. 1 and No. 2, intermingled with bits of small criticism, insinuated doubts of the authenticity of the picture, and sentimental tirades à propos des bottes-all intended to show off the critic to the best advantage. We are far from pretending to infallibility; for we have studied art long enough to know how great a degree of natural suscep tibility, and continued and anxious labour, is required to a thorough knowledge of its niceties. Yet we are not without hopes that some remarks may fall from us, which men of feeling and understanding may not think altoge ther unworthy of being remembered.

of Italy with which Vasari was more immediately acquainted; and the character of all the early Italian paint-prove more interesting, and (if we dare so far flatter ourings speaks strongly in favour of a similar origin in other districts. The art continued to improve; still, however, retaining a considerable portion of its original hardness and monotony, until the time of Da Vinci, Buonarotti, and Rafaelle, who, cultivating their natural genius by the study of the fragments of ancient art, first gave to painting that high ideal character, exquisite finish, and boundless variety, which became, in some measure, the character of their age. It would be out of place to enter at large, in this outline, into the individual differences of the artists and schools of this period. Suffice it to remark, that to the successful activity which for a while pervaded, in this department, the whole of Italy, succeeded an age of mawkish weakness. The immediate successors of Rafaelle, Titian, and Correggio, timidly imi.. tated the forms of their masters, without entering into their spirit, or daring to think or feel for themselves. Barocci, Pellegrini, and probably Parmeggianino, are exceptions; but even they have not escaped the prevailing mannerism. It was reserved for the Carracci to revive

the old spirit, and with them commences a new Italian school, akin in feeling and spirit to the old masters, although, like the second temple, it attained not unto the glory of the former. The more detailed history of this school-its successful disciples, Guido, Dominichino, &c. -its weaker brethren, such as Albani and Schidoneits opponents, Carravaggio, and his scholar Spagnoletto we reserve for another opportunity.

LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES OF
EDINBURGH.

WERNERIAN SOCIETY.

Saturday, 6th February.

DAVID FALCONER, Esq. in the Chair. Present,-Professors Russell and Brunton; Drs Scott and Charles Anderson; G. A. Walker Arnott, Robert Baid, Mark Watt, John Deuchar, Patrick Neill, and Robert Stevenson, Esquires.

of

THERE was read a communication from Mark Watt, Esq., entitled, "Observations on the Aranea horticola, obtectrix, domestica, &c.; and particularly on the power they possess of fixing their threads horizontally, or at any de gree of inclination to two perpendicular bodies at a consider The school of the Netherlands, in its origin on the able distance from each other, so as to suspend the circular banks of the Lower Rhine, claims kindred, as well as the part of their web in an open space, together with some remarks Italian, with the latter ages of the Greek empire. We on the food of spiders." Mr Watt attributed the diversity of can trace in history the immigration of Byzantine artists opinion among naturalists, on the first branch of his subject, at various times; and, even without this guarantee, the species and age of spider observed, and of the season of the to the want of sufficient accuracy in noting the particular works of the earlier Low German artists, their composi-year at which the observations were made. Mr Watt had b tion, colouring, and the traditional forms and features of served four species of spiders which possessed the power their saints and martyrs, show sufficiently whence they ejecting a thread of considerable length in a calm atmosphere, derived their art. A clear and genial climate, though and of directing it with great precision towards any spot to less glowing than that of Italy, a less perfectly beautiful which they intend to attach their web. These were: 1st, race of men, the absence of the relics of ancient art, acThe garden spider; 2d, A spider, not yet described, of a light count for the peculiar tone and character which the painting to one-third of the size of the common house spider; Sel, brown colour, larger than the gossamer spider, but not attaining of this country assumed in its progress towards perfection. Never rising so high as the Italian school, it never experienced, during the course of its existence, such an interval of weakness as did the latter, in the time immediately preceding the Carracci. Yet, after the intercourse of the Netherland artists with Italy became more frequent, the style of some of them received considerable modifications as may be seen in the paintings of Rubens

-modifications sufficient to entitle some of their artists to be noticed apart from the rest of their countrymen. Speaking of the paintings of the present Exhibition, we propose arranging them under four classes, as suggested by the preceding sketch. The first will contain the works of the great, the early Italian school. The paintings of this class are not very numerous; and, although there are among them many valuable morceaux, we cannot say that there is any one that gives us an adequate idea of the full powers of the different masters. There is, however, enough to convey a general impression of some of their most valuable characteristics. The second class will contain the works of the Carracci, and their immediate successors. The Exhibition contains sufficient materials to convey a pretty adequate notion of the state of art during this period of its Italian history. The third class will comprise the specimens of the native school of the Netherlands. There is not a sufficient number of paintings of this school to give a complete notion of its character; but some of the individual pictures are most exquisite gems. In the last place, we propose making some remarks upon the paintings of Rubens, Vandyke, and Rembrandt-natives of the Netherlands, but born at a period when the art of Italy had breathed something of her spirit into her more earthly sister. It appears to us, that

The common gossamer spider; and, 4th, A small spider somewhat resembling the sheep-tick, flat, green-bodied, with short dark-brown legs. This last mentioned spider does not seem to have been yet properly described. It is usually found among stones and old walls; and is very fierce, beating off spiders three times its own size. Mr Watt had placed a stone in the centre of a broad earthen plate, and filled the plate with then, by means of a little clay or putty, placed a slip of wood water so as to leave the upper surface of the stone dry; be or a straw, from one to two feet high, so that it stood perpendicularly upon the stone. Some spiders (the species was not mentioned) were then placed upon the stone. He uni formly found, that as soon as they had reconnoitred their situation, they had recourse to one or other of two precesses, in order to effect their escape. The spider either allowed itself to drop by its line about two inches from the top of the stick, when, twining its spinners towards the wall of the apartment, it threw out its threads with great rapidity, until they reached the wall, where they stuck, upon which the animal immediately turned round, and, after fastening the ends of the threads to the sticks, ran across upon them; or it ejected a line upwards, by the buoyancy of which, the spider (if small) was carried to the roof of the room, or some high part of the wall. Mr Watt had often observed, in the months of June and August, individuals of the gossamer species take their flight from the end of his finger, and ascend with great ra pidity. He had often observed the garden spider, when young, ascend, by emitting a long line at right angles to that by which it was suspended from any object. This aumal becomes, when it attains its full size, too heavy to ascend by this means. In return, however, the larger it grows, the greater becomes its power of shooting out its thread in a straight line. Mr Watt had observed atten tively the proceedings of a great many spiders of this spe cies in the botanical garden at Ghent. The open spaces over which the lines were stretched were sometimes twelve

was connected, had been found to exert a very strong influence over the compass.

SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES.

Monday, 8th February.

Sir HENRY JARDINE in the Chair.
Present,-Sir George S. Mackenzie; Professor Russell;
Dr Hibbert; James Skene, Edward Lothian, Donald
Gregory, &c. Esquires.

There were exhibited:-A splendid collection of Cyreneic Antiquities (marbles and terra-cottas), transmitted to the Society from the Colonial Office by Robert Hay, Esq., Under Secretary of State; two clubs and a paddle, brought by Chevalier Captain P. Dillon from the Fejee Islands, presented by William Moncrieff, Esq. M.D.; and a valuable collection of books and engravings, presented by Lieut.General Ainslie, a Fellow, and by several Foreign Correspondents of the Society. An anonymous communication was then read by Mr Skene, in which the various ancient authors who make mention of the aboriginal inhabitants of Scotland were enumerated, and the amount of information contained in their writings on this subject, judiciously summed up.

THE DRAMA.

eet across, and the circular part of the webs from one and half to two feet in diameter. In forming the long lines, the pider first ejects one across the whole space selected for its reb; after strengthening this sufficiently, it takes post n the centre, and thence emits the others successively. These long lines radiate from the centres of the open spaces t acute angles to one another. In the essayist's opinion, his regularity could not have obtained, if the spiders had not possessed the power of directing them during the proess of ejection to a given spot. The process by which piders were able to eject such long threads in a straight ne, Mr Watt proceeded to remark, had never been suffiiently investigated by naturalists. He was of opinion, that he projectile force of mere muscular motion was insufficient. He had noticed a geometric spider throw out half the length f line it intended to strike upon some object, and, after esting a little, lengthen it so as to send it quite across. He ad likewise observed spiders throwing out at once fourteen r fifteen filaments, and while these were flying so as to dierge considerably, exercise some power over them by which hey were made to coalesce into one line, and that line Forced to assume a straight direction. These phenomena emed only explicable upon the hypothesis that the spider mitted some gaseous matter, or some fluid analogous to The electric, along with the threads. Some thing of this kind would be necessary to enable the thread to penetrate an atmosphere to which it seemed, in the moment of emission, nferior in specific gravity. Mr Watt adduced, in the conlusion of his essay, a number of facts contradictory of the BEFORE saying one or two things which may be thought enerally received opinion, that all thespiders in this country a little severe, we beg to state that we look upon Vandeneed exclusively on flies and other insects. The web of the hoff as one of the best actors to be met with out of London. ommon house spider is ill adapted, on account of its hori-He has a good figure, a good face, and a good conception of ontal position and the closeness of its texture, for catching almost all his parts. He bears himself well upon the stage, lies. Great numbers of the webs of this species, too, are He has und in situations where flies rarely or never approach. and walks the boards with confidence and grace. These webs, indeed, seem best adapted for collecting house abundance of physical strength, and, on the whole, uses it ust, which consists in general of a mixture of the particles well. His perceptions are not very delicate, but in general f decomposed wood, lime, vegetable substances used as they are correct. He is of the Kemble school, however, and hatch, and the minute fungi called mould; and of these, the consequence is, that, though imposing, he is apt to be all probability, the food of the domestic spider in a frigid. But this is not his chief fault. His chief fault Teat measure consists. The nest of one of those spiders as allowed to remain for six weeks, in the autumn of consists in an overweening fondness for mouthy decla28, upon the roof of Mr Watt's dining-room. During mation, and a pomposity of manner at times scarcely enhat time, no fly was ever observed to approach it; durable. When Vandenhoff was here two years ago, he im of size was peeled off the roof to the extent of two possessed this fault to a considerable extent, but it has uches round the nest. Another individual of the same grown upon him since; or, in parliamentary language, pecies was enclosed by Mr W. in a box, fed for three "has increased, is increasing, and ought to be diminishonths on brown sugar, and increased, both in size and ac- ed." We can easily account for this mistake into which vity, upon this fare. In winter, this spider is dormant ; aring summer, if kept any length of time from food, it he has fallen, when we know that circumstances have gins to decrease in size. When the temperature is high, excluded him from the metropolitan stage, where he drinks water with avidity. would have had opportunities of forming his taste upon the best models, and have encountered actors, in most respects equal, and in many superior, to himself. Having, on the contrary, been obliged to remain a triton among the minnows of Liverpool and Manchester, he has not only had no opportunities of improving; but, finding himself the king of the establishment, he, very naturally, became grand, and formal, and most particularly pompous. Instead of acquiring additional ease, and grace, and flexibility, and energy,-instead of studying the effect of rapid transitions and varying modes of passion,

but a

There was next read a letter from the Rev. Alexander Duncan to the Secretary, containing a notice of a sort of scination practised on small birds by the whitrit or weasel. A gentleman, riding in the neighbourhood of Mid-Calder, served an object at some distance, apparently an animal iled up, moving round and round. On approaching earer, he found it to be a weasel; and he shortly after oberved a lark directly above it, gradually descending, and ttering low plaintive notes. At last, it descended so low, hat the weasel was able, by a spring, to catch and make off with it. The letter-writer's informant had been told of an stance precisely similar, which had happened in the North antry. The reverend gentleman mentioned, as analogous these facts, the account given by Howison of partridgeooting in Canada. When a covey rises, the birds usually rch on the lower branch of a tree; and if the dog keep zing and barking at them, they will sit there till they are not, one after another. If the dog retire, or withdraw his zing, they are off in an instant. A member mentioned, at he had occasion to know, that the dogs of poachers in is country had been known to exercise a similar influence ver the partridge.

The Rev. Dr Scot of Corstorphine read a Dissertation on the Dishong of Moses, or Gazelle of the Plain, the ygary of the English Bible."

Mr Deuchar exhibited an interesting experiment in Magtism. It is well known that soft iron is incapable of beg permanently magnetised. If, however, a ball of soft on be placed upon a magnet, and another ball of the same bstance applied to it, the latter will be found to possess a Tonger attraction for the former than the magnet. Mr ald remarked, that bars of soft iron, which had lately been troduced into the mining establishments with which he

Cyrene was the capital of the country called Pentapolis by the ancients, and extended along the northern coast of Africa, from the eastern limits of Mauritania to the borders of Egypt. It enjoyed, for successive generations, the enlightening influence, first of the Ptolemies, and then of the Romans. In 1821-2, Captain Beechey and his brother, the artist, examined and delineated this portion of the coast and its antiquities with care and accuracy; and, in 1824-5, M. Pacho, incited by a prize offered by the Geographical Society of Paris, penetrated from Egypt into Cyrenaica. The architectural remains of Cyrene are few in number-chiefly an amphitheatre and several temples, all much delapidated. The marbles above-mentioned consist of a tolerably perfect statue of Esculapius, some fragments of bas-relief, with figures apparently forming part of a procession, and some heads. One of the heads is remarkably beautiful; another, which is much defaced, has a dotted ornament on the bandage, in general found only on very ancient statues. The style of workmanship of the figures in bas-relief does not indicate the hand of a firstrate artist; but the fine attitudes, and the elegantly disposed draperies, lead us to infer, that they are at least clever copies from good masters. Of the terra-cottas we may perhaps speak on some future occasion. Meanwhile, we must offer our congratulations to the Society on this valuable acquisition. We regard it as the foundation of a department which has hitherto been a desideratum in their collection, -a series of antiquities, serving to illustrate the history of ancient art-one of the most important purposes to which their rescarches

can be devoted.

W.

instead of geting more classical and diversified in his gestures and, attitudes,--and above all, instead of attending to the more delicate modulation of his voice, to the richness of his tones, and the Tuscan accuracy of his enunciation, he has become, we are sorry to think, more stiff, more monotonous, and certainly more fond of mouthing his words, and of dwelling upon them with a certain rolling, rattling sort of noise in the throat, which may indicate a well-formed æsophagus, and a powerful pair of lungs, but which, from its continual repetition, grows at length almost ludicrous. We do not precisely accuse Vandenhoff of ranting; but we accuse him of what is nearly as bad, of bawling, nay, of absolutely bellowing through many of his speeches. In addition to this, his pronunciation, in several instances, is quite preposterous. He seems, for example, to have no notion whatever of the close sound of the letter o; but invariably makes it broad and full. Thus, in “Macbeth,” in the soliloquy about the dagger, he says,

"I see thee still, And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, Which was not so befaar!"

Or,

ced also to appear as Clari on Wednesday last, but
the evening came, the piece was not produced, which s
what disappointed us.
Old Cerber

METROPOLITAN THEATRICALS.
London, February 8, 183

RAYMOND'S melo-drama of "Robert the Devil, 1 of Normandy," produced on the 2d instant at Co Garden, is a melange from the French of severa ghost stories, rather skilfully put together; and, its many attractive and effective coups de theatre, 1 to have a run, as a substitute for the pantomime, w alas for the fame of Mr Farley! is now played only a-week. Thursday, February the 4th, made memo by the opening of Parliament, introduced a new di at Covent-Garden, Drury-Lane, and the Adelphi, a which were deservedly successful, and, in the orde their own importance, were as follows:-" Ninett the Maid of Polaiseau," a new three-act version of everlasting" Gazza Ladra," with Rossini's music, a ed by Bishop, introduced Miss Paton, after a two y absence, to a crowded audience, who welcomed her turn with clamorous enthusiasm; when she sang acted with all her unexceeded talent. The story i course, the same as in the former adaptations of the s opera; and, with the able support of Bartley, W Keeley, Penson, and a new bass singer of the nam Morley, "Ninette" will doubtless be popular. Dr Lane's novelty was Planché's long-promised transla of Scribe's "La Fiancée," in the shape of a two opera, entitled "The National Guard, or Bride and Bride," with the original music, by Auber. This, was decidedly successful. The plot is most admirably veloped; the poetry and music equally beautiful; when I state that the leading performers were Liston, Farren, Cooper, and Madame Vestris, it is quite u cessary to praise the acting. The Adelphi's attrac was a one-act burletta, called the "Bricklayer's Ar founded, I believe, on the same French bagatelle w furnishes the materiel for a new farce to-night at vent-Garden, under the euphonious title of "Teddy Tiler!" for neither of which can I predict great lo vity, though good acting may give them a tempor triumph.

"Methought I heard a voice cry, Sleep no maur !” "Still it cried, Sleep no maur! to all the house; Glamis hath murder'd sleep, and therefore Cawdor Shall sleep no maur,-Macbeth shall sleep no maur !" We have heard an anecdote of an actor, not unknown to Mr Vandenhoff, which we shall take the liberty of telling, because we think it characteristic. The gentleman in question was asked to read Campbell's" Hohenlinden" one evening at a private party; he complied, and went on to near the conclusion, when he stopped, and shutting the book, said," Were I to go on I should split the daar!" Now, Mr Vandenhoff not unfrequently feels a slight inclination, when on the stage," to split the daar." He has in reality an excellent voice, and he has no idea how much farther he might make it go did he only think less about it, and allow it to be more naturally modulated by the varying tone of his feelings. This is indeed what we chiefly wish to impress upon him-that his acting ought to be more full of the impulses of the moment, or at least of what might appear to be such. At present, he goes through a character too much as if it were all a splendid piece of declamation-a cold, preconceived, unbending study. But, whatever acting in point of fact be, it should never seem to be this, else the spectator begins to yawn, and the whole is pronounced heavy. This is the very epithet which will soon attach itself to Vandenhoff's acting, it will be called heavy, unless he looks to it narrowly, collects his good sense, shakes off the trammels of mannerism, thinks more of the part he is embody-matic news will not tire your patience in reading ing than of either his own voice or person, and ceases to chew his words before he lets them pass out of his mouth, dwelling upon them with a purring noise, and allowing the sounds to swell and die with a most musical cadence. This must be reformed altogether, else we should like to know with what conscience Mr Vandenhoff will be able to say to the Player in "Hamlet,"-" Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, TRIPPINGLY ON THE TONGUE; but if you мOUTH it, as some of our players do, I had as lief the town-crier spoke my lines." We throw out these hints in the hope that Mr Vandenhoff may profit by them, and that before he leaves us we may be able to report an evident improvement. We write with all kindly feelings towards this gentleman, of whose merits, which are many, we shall be glad to speak at greater length hereafter.

The theatre has been but poorly attended this week. Perhaps one reason is, that the public, knowing that Young is soon to be here, do not think it necessary to go till they can see him and Vandenhoff together. Jarman has returned to us, and appears to-night as Emily Tempest, in the "Wheel of Fortune." She was announ

Miss

The Drury-Lane Boxes being again, very wisely, ra to seven shillings, that measure, aided by the attract of Kean and the pantomime, has been duly felt in treasury since Christmas; and new dramas from ton, Poole, Peake, Peacock, &c. are in readiness at houses to continue their success. The remaining

Kean is absent, from one of his periodical illnesses ; French players have commenced at the English O House, with the very clever Potier as their leading s and the King's Theatre opened on Saturday last "Semiramide," to a very thin audience, and with present, by no means a first-rate company.

ORIGINAL POETRY.

A PICTURE FROM LIFE.

By Henry G. Bell.

I'LL tell thee, lady, what I saw

One evening in a lighted hall;
It is a sight we oft may see,

Yet felt by few, though seen by all.

I saw a youth of gallant mien,

With twenty summers on his brow, And many an eye glanced bright on him, As bright as thine is glancing now.