full length portrait; three fmall portraits of the royal family, under fize; and a fancy piece. No. 99. Jupiter and Io.This performance has great merit, the idea of annexing the features of the Deity to the cloud, originated, no doubt, in Corregio;' but in juftice we muft add, that the rapture of Io is defcribed by Hoppner with the fulleft evidence of human expreffion. No. 145. Portrait of a gentleman, a whole length performance.-There is great merit in the colouring of the gentleman; but the attitude is that of a fencer; his whip is his foil, pointed at a dead hare. The artist has fucceeded tolerably well in the horfe; for all artifts do not poffefs the univerfatility of the fcience like Gainsborough. The hare, and the action of the greyhound is natural, but the landscape is heavy. No. 220, 221, and 222. The Princeffes Sophia, Amelia, and Mary.We cannot compliment the artist upon his fuccefs in pourtraying the lovely fubjects. He has attempted a tendernefs of colouring, and failed in giving that prominence to the features which is requifite. No. 371. A primrofe girl.-A very pleafing picture. The girl poffeffes a rufticity and animated femblance strictly in nature; but her caft of form is too mafculine. Reverend Mr. PETERS. This difciple of St. Luke-for we do not find that the primitive Peter knew much of the palette-has produced three pictures. The fubjects are, a fortune-teller, No. 30-with the portraits, No. 70 and 87, of two noblemen, grand mafters of the Mafons, painted for Free-Mafons' hall.-The fortune-teller is a well-imagined little fubject. The firft of the portraits is meant for the Duke of Manchester. The drapery is the best part of the performance, for the likeness is indifferent; and in addition to this defect may be mentioned the right leg of his grace, which appears, by false fhading, to be contracted. That worthy character, Lord Petre, is the fubject of the other portrait, which certainly bears the pre-eminence, as the drawing is better and the likeness deferving praife. Mr. FUSILI. This artift poffeffes a mind warm with enthufiafm: magic, fupernatural agency, and fubjects of mystery he is fond of feizing. His pencil has force in defcribing thefe inftruments of terrour, and he judicioufly arrays them with fymbols that heighten their effect. Two performances are in the prefent collection, viz. 96. The Mandrake, a charm, "I pull'd him up though he grew full; and when I had done, the cock did crow." See Ben Johnfon's Witches. A lady in this piece, appears confulting the genius of the Mandrake: fhe is filled with horrour at the fate which is foretold to her. A forcerer is obferved hovering on the back of a cock, over the fcene of action, to give warning of the day's approach. There is great fpirit in this work. Mr. Fufili's fecond piece is Profpero. He is giving his orders to Ariel, who feems ready to take flight. Another fpirit is near at hand, decorated with leaves of hemlock, nightshade, and other plants, that are faid to be made ufe of in fpells. This piece has merit, but it is inferior to the former.. Mr. RIBAUD. The picture of Samfon which has been prefented to the Royal Academy by that veteran of the palette, Mr. Ribaud, is a performance that will long do honour to this country. The flesh is coloured with incomparable firmness; the countenance, in which anger is pourtrayed, is judicioufly fhaded, fo as to give every force to the paffion; and the light which breaks upon the body produces an effect inexpreffibly fine. This diftinguished work fhews the artift in a new point of view, as hitherto he has been confidered as a portrait painter only, and that in a middling degree. Mr. LOUTHERBOURG. The exhibition is under the highest obligation to the performances of Loutherbourg. They are ten in number: they do not difplay great variety in their fubjects, but are extremely pleafing No. No. 17. The launching of a fifhing boat. The fcene of action is Brighthelmfton fhore; and though the figures, who are engaged in heaving the boat into the water, have much character about them, they have rather the appearance of veteran fmugglers than fhipwrights or fishermen. The old feaman on the ftock of the anchor is a good object. The fpray of the fea is well defcribed; and the offing, diftant and bleak. Those who have cenfured this picture for being cold, appear to forget the fituation. No. 25. Lowdore waterfall.-Thefe romantic fcenes, in the neighbourhood of Cumberland Lakes, have engaged the pencils of two of the greatest mafters of the age. Mr. Gainfborough, as well as Mr. Loutherbourg, has exercifed his genius in a contemplation of thofe views.The productions of the former, on this fubject, have been marked with a wildnefs, highly accordant to the fpot. The picture under confideration is covered with a gloom, expreffive of the approach of evening. A peafant and his family are feated before a cottage, and a little boy, who appears in difgrace for mifbehaviour, is the beft of the figures. No. 63. A fea-port in the Levant. The time morning.-Some perfons of rank appear in the foreground. Bales of goods, pieces of ordnance, and other materials lie on the quay; the water is painted with a clearness, and a fky poffeffing correfpondent ferenity, combine to form an excellent little picture. No. 78. A ftorm on Windermere in Weftmoreland.To give every poffible fublimity to a fcene, the natural effect of which cannot be preferved on canvas; the artist has introduced a ftorm, lowering fky, and a boat in diftrefs; a green mift appears upon the face of every object, fave a lady, who is fainting in the boat: the light breaks with good effect upon her. This picture has merit, but greater contraft of colour is wanted to give it force. No. 140. An engine to draw water out of a lead mine.-The view is near Mattock. There is much fpirit in this picture. No. 151. A ftormy evening on Thirlmere, in Cumberland.-The remark which is made on the picture No. 78, holds good with this piece. To give that grandeur to the scene which is produced by its vaft extent, a ftorm is introduced. The red broken ground has force; and the cattle, and dog are painted with spirit. No. 161. A heath, with cattle and figures.-A pleafing effect. Some labourers are at work in a clay-pit; and the cattle are naturally disposed near a watering-place. No. 164. An inn near Conistone Lake.-A charming morning fcene. A water-bearer is at the lake. The waggon, team, and drivers before the inn, are well compofed. No. 171. A flate quarry, in Cumberland. The action of the horses in the cart is natural. The figures are not in the artist's beft method; but, upon the whole, the light and shadow is well preserved, and the coup d'ail in good harmony. No. 177. View of Ulfwater. This is companion to No. 164. The feafon is evening. The fky is tran quil, yet rich; and the water clear. Upon the whole, it may be remarked, that the works of Mr. Loutherbourg are better recommended on the fcore of genius, than thofe of any other amongst the prefent exhibitors. Mr. NORTHCOTE. The Exhibition has derived confiderable aid from this artift; his performances are as follow: No. 64. Portrait of a lady.-She is in a court drefs, and the drapery has of courfe too much formality for a pleafing picture. No. 82. A portrait, half length.A young gentleman, placed fo near the cieling, that were it not for the Sky-light which breaks through the rock in the back ground, it would be an obfcure object. No. 142. The Charity.This picture confifts of two girls; to whom a beggar boy, with a monkey on his back, is applying for relief. Mr. Northcote has fortified the eldest of his infant females with Seftini hips, that will enable her to match with Mrs. Hobart. The best part of this per3 B 2 formance formance is the boy; and the fecond beft, the monkey. No. 172. The fruit girl.-This picture has merit certainly, great labour has been exerted in the appendages, and thereby the principal object is too much kept down. There is befide, a blue fhading over the piece, which gives the whole a cold afpect. No. 196. A portrait of Lord Harcourt; a good likenefs: but from his lordship being pourtrayed in his peer's robes, and a florid complexion given to him, beyond the liberality of nature, the character appears deftroyed. No. 256. A vifit of two young ladies to their grand-mother.-A very pleafing picture, in which Mr. Northcote has done himfelf great honour. AIR-BALLOON EXTRACT of a LETTER from BOU LOGNE, April 22. ON 18the morning, the guns Monday the 18th of this month, at were fired, as a fignal for the balloon to depart for England. The concourfe of people that inftantly met together was very great, and the weather being extremely fine, added to the beauty of the fpectacle. The aerial travellers, Mr. Rofier and Mr. Romain, were much difappointed by the wind changing whilft they were getting their balloon in order; and as it was impoflible for them to reach England, they postponed their expedition till a better opportunity offered. M. Pilatre de Rofier, to ainufe the people, permitted the balloon to rife four times, and had two long cords faftened to it, which were held by two people, who let it afcend a proper height. The boat was well contrived, and though it had room for four, yet only two went in at a time. M. Pilatre de Rofier and M. Romain afcended the firft time. The Comte de Coloman, with a French lady, the fecond. Two English ladies, the third; and, laftly, another English lady and Mr. W. Fector. After Mr. Fector and the lady had quitted their feats, M. Pilatre had the balloon fecured, and waits with impatience for a favourable wind. A very large Montgolfiere is preparing with expedition, for Flanders, and, it is thought, will fpeedily be finished. INSCRIPTION in honour of BLANCHARD and JEFFRIES. A tranflation of the infcription that is to be put on the column which is to be erected in commemoration of Mr. Blanchard's aerial journey from Dover to Calais : In the reign of Louis XVI. In the year M DCC LXXXV. JOHN PETER BLANCHARD, a Frenchman, The grandmother is netting; one of the young ladies is at a like employment, and the other reading. Their attitude, air, and referved manner, are extremely well in character; the foot of the girl who has the book, is dif pofed fo as to give an appearance extremely just and natural to her form. The cat, work-bafker, and appertaining objects, are highly finished; but of thefe it must be observed, that the lefs diftinguished they are for neat penciling, the more confpicuous the principal objects are of course rendered. Befides the above-mentioned pieces, are two portraits, No. 158, a formal defign; and No. 387, a more natural performance, INTELLIGENCE. Accompanied by JOHN JEFFRIES, an On the 7th day of January, He first croffed the Strait, The citizens of Guifnes, filled, which afcended on Thursday, May 5, THE expedition with which the Balloon was from Mr. Dodfwell's, at Moulfey-Hurst, redounds highly to the credit of Mr. Sadler, who had the fole management of the bufinefs. The five in the morning, and was completely finished procefs was begun at thirty-three minutes after before eight. It took up about an hour more to attach the boat, which was fufpended by fiftythree ftrings, to make a convenient difpofition for a portable barometer of a new construction, fmall achromatic, and a fpeaking trumpet.a thermometer, an hygrometer, a compaís, a About two or three minutes before nine, the balloon afcended with Mr. Sadler and his companion, and above 300 weight of ballast, befides the inftruments; its hirft courfe was directly againit the wind, which fet from S. W. or S. W. by W. It continued in this direction, proceeding flowly, and at a moderate height, and turning very gently on an axis about half an hour, when it changed its course to the fouth, and began to defcend fo rapidly, that the two voyage agers were not without apprehenfion, that 1 tained, appears to have been one mile, seven furlongs, fixty-one yards, which is only 159 yards fhort of two miles. their machine was burften at the top; but being prefently lightened of much of its ballaft, which was thrown out in great quantities to leffen the force of the expected fall, it mounted again perpendicularly with great velocity, to a very confiderable height, turning in the former part of its afcent, much more quickly than before upon its axis. To top its afcent, it was judged neceffary to open the bottom of the balloon by cutting off the filken tube, by which it had been filled, above the ligature. At a great elevation in the atmosphere, it refumed its foutherly courfe, which it foon changed, however, for the eastward direction. Between one and two, the aerial voyagers having paffed over Southwark, Dulwich, and fome part of Blackheath, found themfelves nearly over the town of Dartford, and apprehending that they could not proceed much farther without danger of being carried out to fea, they attempted to defcend, and funk their veffel low enough to converse with the people in the fields. Finding their motion of defcent too quick, they had recourfe to the former expedient of throwing out ballait. In this they went too far, and were carried up again with rapidity to a greater height than they had yet attained. A machine which had been provided to ferve the purpose of a valve, without its inconveniences, failing in the application, they had no means of procuring a defcent, but by making from time to time rents in the filk of the balloon, from the edge at bottom, made by the amputation of the tube a good way up the fide, by which free regrefs might be given to the gaz, and a freer admiftion to the air of the atmosphere. They found themfelves croffing the river to the Effex fide a little above Gravefend; apprehending that the courfe which they Mr. BLANCHARD's AERIAL EXPEDI. were now upon, which was marked out to them by the shadow of the balloon on the furface of the water, would foon carry them beyond the Effex coaft, and having little hopes that their veffel could hold out to crofs the width of the fea, which on that fide feparates our island from the continent, they thought it prudent to have recourte to their cork jackets, for with fuch they were provided. Fortunately a crofs current of the atmosphere rendered the precaution unneceffary, returning them towards the Kentish main, where they finally defcended near the confluence of the Thames and the Medway, fearce a mile from the water's edge. The country people, to whom they had committed the care of the balloon, while their own attention was employed about the inftruments, either through inadvertence, or in fome alarm occafioned by the cracking of the tackle in the wind, fuddenly quitted their hoid. The balloon, with the boat attached to it, was in an inftant out of reach, and prefently out of fight, at least to the naked eye. Accounts have been received, that fome one obferving with a telefcope, faw it drop into the fea about four miles below the Nore. During the whole flight frequent obfervations were made of the barometer and thermometer, and an accurate journal was kept of all remarkable occurrences. Our correfpondent, who has feen it, affures us that in many particulars it is highly curious. The greateit perpendicular height which the travellers at Extract of a letter from Sunderland, relative to the Balloon in which Mr. Sadler and another gentleman afcended from Moulfey: ON Thursday the 5th of May, about half paft three o'clock, P. M. Capt. Sherwin, of the Peggy, took up a very large balloon, with a boat or basket made faft to it; eaft end of Ship pey Inland bearing W. S. W. nearly distant four or five leagues; the black tail beacon bearing about N. by W. diftant one mile, or thereabouts; and the buoy of the Moufe bearing E. by N. diftant two or three miles, or thererection about it, except upon the ballaft-bags, abouts, but not any perfon in it, nor any dion which was marked "Sadler, Oxford." There was no writing, or letters in it, nor any thing but a right-hand glove, a pair of fciffars, a grappling and label, with a fheet or two of Writing-paper. When the Captain first saw it, it was about two o'clock, at a great diftance in judged it might be a balloon; at three it got the air, lowering very faft; at half past two upon the furface of the water, making its courfe S. E. at the rate of seven or eight miles an to the N. W. occafioned by a breeze from the hour. When he got to it there was no water in the boat, nor any thing broke, but the bot tom of the balloon was quite open. He made all the hafte he could to it, for fear that any perfon fhould be in it; but found nothing but as above. TION, May 7. Mr. Blanchard, who afcended on Saturday, May 7, from Langhorn's Repofitory, in Barbican, defcended the fame day between five and fix at Tamenfields, in Effex, about fixteen miles from Brentwood, and 34 from London, having paffed over the Nore, and fallen within about half a mile of the water. Mr. Blanchard, who, though in excellent fpirits, appeared much fatigued, lay at Tamenfields that night, and next afternoon fet out for London in a poft-chaife, into which he took the balloon inclofed in a fack, the boat and other apparatus being placed on the roof of the carriage. This adventurous atmospherical navigator dined at Brentwood, and the fame evening he arrived at Mr. Sheldon's, in Great Queen-street. LUNARDI'S AERIAL EXPEDITION. Mr. Lunardi having completed his procefs, according to his promife to the public, this day, at a little paft one, afcended from the Artillery Ground. From the heat of the atmosphere, the air was not fufficiently buoyant to fufpend the balloon, fo as to admit of its carrying the lady who was to have attended the adventurous Italian. Mrs. Sage, the first female candidate, was found to have more gravity than what belonged to a wife name. Other ladies inftantly began to difpute the palm for volatility, but none were 374 were deemed fufficient flighty. Mr. Biggin was alfo among the candidates, but could not be accommodated. Mr. Lunardi, thus circumftanced, determined to afcend alone. He rofe flowly, amidft the acclamations of a numerous concourfe of genteel fpectators; but his ailiftants, not attending properly to his inftructions, detained him by a rope at length, he fpiritedly cut the ftring, and pulling off his blue coat, put on his city regimentals, and proceeded in a wefterly direction, rather inclining to the northward. The balloon formed a most beautiful fpectacle, but being unfortunately overcharged with vapour, defcended about twenty minutes after it arofe, in the garden belonging to the Adam and Eve tea-houfe, in Tottenham-Court-road. He was immediately furrounded by great numbers of the populace, and though he propofed re-afcending, they were not to be diffuaded from bearing him in triumph on their fhoulders. The balloon being torn in the fall, the body of vapour which arofe from it, formed a black cloud, which was not difperfed for fome time. Mr. Lunardi expreffed great concern that he had difappointed the public in not being able to make a confiderIt is faid, that he will make another attempt, as foon as his ballcon, which is lodged in the Pantheon, can be repaired. able tour. IRISH AEROSTATIC INTELLIGENCE. Dublin, May 13. YESTERDAY being fixed for the pofitive afcent of Mr. Crofbie's balloon, after the difagreeable difappointment on the preceding Tuefday, an innumerable multitude again affembled in all the fields, yards, roads, and wafte grounds in and about this city. At length the machine arofe with Mr. Crofbie, who finding his attempts to clear the top of the buildings rather difficult, he came down, and his place was immediately fupplied by an enterprifing young gentleman, fon of Arthur Maguire, Efq. one of the fix clerks in Chancery, whose intrepid fpirit cannot be too much admired. The balloon thus occupied arofe to a very confiderable height, and took a western direction for a few minutes; it then became ftationary for a fhort time, and, tacking about, feemed to move in a flow and steady manner towards the north-eaft, in which direction it gained a greater diftance from the earth. Its progrefs was continued in the fame point, as long as the eye of a fpectator could difcern, till it was loft in the great expanse. We are concerned to find that the enterprize of the youth, Enfign Maguire, who took Mr. Crofbie's ftation yesterday, in the chariot attached to the balloon, was nearly proving fatal to him; though the wind blew a fteady gale all the day from the fouth-eaft, and continued fo even till night, it appeared, that when the balloon had afcended into an altitude of about two hundred yards, it got into a current of air blowing from the fouth-welt, which of courfe impelled it over Fingal to the fea; this being obferved by Lord Jocelyn and fome other gentlemen, they rode to Mallahide, where hiring a fishing boat, they pursued the track of the bal loon, which, about two leagues from land, they obferved defcending on the water, into which Mr. Maguire, on feeing them, threw himfelf, and kept fwimming, perfectly collected, until they reached him; and in a fhort time had the pleasure of restoring the adventurous aeronaut to land, at Howth, where he was put to bed for a fhort time, and after receiving fome refreshment was conducted to town by a number of gentlemen, and, in the evening (amidit the acclamations of a great number of followers) was fafely lodged in his father's houfe, in Dawfonftreet. LITERARY Enfign Maguire certainly intended, and in all probability would have accomplished a flight across the Channel, if by fome accident the balloon, from which he was fufpended, had not burst. ARTICLE *M. Manilii Aftronomifon Libri Quinque. Cum Commentariis & Caftigationibus Jofephi Scaligeri, Jul. Cæfaris Scal. Fil. S. Junii Biturigis, & Fayi; bis Accedunt Bentleri Quædam Animadverfiones reprehenfione digna; Quibus omnibus Editor fua Scholia Interpofuit. Opera & ftudio Edmundi Burton Arm. A. M. S. S. Trin. Coll. Cantab. aliquando Socii. Londini ex Officina J. Nichols, venales apud T. Evans, the Strand. 1783. 8vo. THIS edition, though it appeared in the year 1783, and has been advertifed, we hear, many times in many newspapers, efcaped by fome accident or other our notice. For this overfight and for the delay that it occafioned we fhould readily apologize, if we had any reafon to think that the publi cation itself stood high in the estimation of thofe readers who pry into ancient philofophy, or hunt after modern criticism. An editor of Manilius muft doubtlefs have made fome proficiency in claffical literature; yet the well-meant endeavours of Mr. B. to rescue Manilius from oblivion, to ✦ From a learned correfpondent, adjust |