with burning brimstone which emits a blue flame, whose curlings form what was evidently intended to represent the sky.

Nos. 73, 142, 186, and 363, by W. Linton, are pleasing specimens of landscape scenery. If they are occasionally flat, or wanting in partial force, they never exhibit nature under any distortions. No. 32, Beckenham Church, by C. R. Stanley, is a poor subject prettily painted. Mr. Eastlake is a painter of no common merit--he presents us with six pictures in his characteristic style, which is rich in colour, forcible in expression, and neat, but not laboured in finishing. Nos. 304 and 310 are favourable specimens. Mr. Dighton's picture, The Defeat of the Turks under Ali Pacha by the Souliotes, is a bold and masterly performance, and deserves to find a patron. The Cat's Paw, by E. Landseer, is a charming production. The animals are well grouped, and the breadth of light is no less admirably than ingeniously obtained. The colouring is rich, yet chaste; and, with much careful handling, there is a boldness of execution which pronounces the artist a perfect master of his art. No. 280, Deer shooting, is the work of a youth which would do honour to a man of exalted character in his profession; were we disposed to find fault, we should say that there is a want of keeping in the landscape, but this is trifling, compared with the tasteful arrangement of the subject: the drawing of the wounded animal in the foreground, and the groupe of deer beneath the shade of venerable trees, in the middle distance, particularly claim our praise. We congratulate Mr. Lewis on his rapid improvement, and on the fit subject he has chosen for his pencil. In conclusion, we feel compelled to remark, that if only a very few pictures are sold, it is because the majority are not worth buying. These certainly are not times for throwing away money, but we are fully convinced that patrons will never be wanting in England while there are proper objects for encouragement.

L.

GYGES.

GYGES, a king of Lydia, (according to Herodotus), reigned 38 years, and distinguished himself by the immense presents which he made to the oracle of Delphi. According to Plato, Gyges descended into a chasm of the earth, where he found a brazen horse, whose sides he opened, and saw within the body the carcass of a man of uncommon size, from whose finger he took a famous brazen ring. This ring, when put on his finger, rendered him invisible, and by means of its virtue, he introduced himself to the queen of Lydia, murdered her husband, and married her, and usurped the crown of Lydia.-Herodot. i. c. 8.

FROM BOILEAU.

"With what delight rhymes on the scribbling dunce,
He's ne'er perplex'd to choose, but right at once;

With rapture hails each work as soon as done,

And wonders so much wit was all his own.
The genuine bard nor labour trusts, nor skill,
But fears a something left imperfect still;
Nor quite content, would hide behind a shelf
The work that pleases all-except himself."

THE PANTHEON.

(An Oxford Prize Poem.)

PALACE of Heaven! of every god the fane!
Where rapt Devotion holds her silent reign!
At once each bosom feels thy strong control,
Thy grandeur awes, thy beauty wins the soul.
Thee, Gothic rage, and warrior pride revered,
The spoiler trembled, and the victor feared;
Each in thy dome his nation's god adored,

Here raised the suppliant hand, and dropp'd the sword.
Proud, o'er the wreck of empire, swells the dome,
As, o'er the prostrate world, victorious Rome.
Sublime the scene-yet softer feelings rise,
Where martyrs sleep, and parted genius lies;
Ye radiant beams, the sacred spot illume,
And sport in mingled tints, o'er Raphael's tomb!
In full proportion stands the solid fane,
Fair as sublime, majestically plain :

Mark the bold porch on stately columns borne,
Whose lofty brows light leafy wreaths adorn;
Now sketch the view, the brazen gates expand,
Pillars around, and light pilasters stand.
How teem the niches with celestial life,
Where Art exults, and Nature yields the strife!
Soft o'er the pavement blends each varied bue;
Light springs the dome, and circling fills the view.
Lo! Fancy, kindling at the sight, descries
A mimic world, an emblem of the skies.
Heaven's image here the Persian might adore,
Wont on some mountain's brow his vows to pour.
Who deems his god no narrow fanes can own,
The world his temple, highest Heaven bis throne,
Here once in marble frowned th' avenging Jove,
Here stood the synod of the realms above;
Bright heroes there, enshrin'd amongst the gods,
Last the dread powers that rul'd the dark abodes.
Vain phantoms! chased by Truth's all-piercing ray,
Ye fled like spectres from the face of day:
Now through the vaulted roof hosannas rise,
And lift the soul in rapture to the skies.
Thus shall the world, as holy bards foretell,
To one true God the general chorus swell;

And when at last yon orbs their course have run,
When earth shall melt, and darkness shroud the sun,
Its crystal gates Heaven's temple shall display,
And light's sole fountain scatter endless day.

Oh! lead my steps, firm Hope, that ne'er canst tire,
Ev'n to that temple's gate, and there expire,
As thro' the desert led the prophet guide,
Just look'd, just saw the promised land, and died;
There white-robed saints before the throne shall fall,
One heav'nly dome, one vast Pantheon all.

VINDICATION OF THE CITY GIANTS.

WHEREAS it appears that certain men of straw, in the pay of Covent Garden Theatre, have had, for some weeks past, and still have, the temerity to personate our giant selves; and in so doing, have represented us in the performance of divers misdemeanours that we should scorn to commit; such as striding about the Guildhall in the midst of our Lord Mayor's feast, disturbing the worshipful corporation while busily engaged thereon, pushing some from their stools, pulling others about by the hair of their heads, clearing the said hall of the guests before the first course was cleared from the tables; and various other riotous and routous acts of the like rudeness, grossness, and impropriety. And whereas, the misdoings of such impostors, it is apprehended, have already had the effect of injuring our characters, and bringing us into disfavour with the corporation, by whose support we stand or fall. Insomuch, that as it appeared to us, the head of the corporation was the other day shaken at us in no very friendly manner; and certain members of the council cast significant looks at us, which we are at a loss to interpret, otherwise than " take care of your places."

Now, therefore, for the vindication of our characters, and for the satisfaction of our constituents, in whose eyes we are anxious ever to stand well, we do hereby most expressly and positively deny, first, That we have ever quitted our post since the year 1816, when we did quit it with the express permission, direction, and assistance of the corporation; secondly, That we have any understanding, connexion, or coalition with the persons (of straw or wicker) assuming our name at Covent Garden Theatre; thirdly, That we ever were in this place and at Covent Garden at one and the same time; fourthly, and lastly, That we have ever yet heard the clock strike one, which alone could warrant our taking the step which it has been maliciously and industriously reported that we did take. Furthermore, we deem it expedient to declare, that if ever a fit and proper opportunity should arrive for us to descend from our present elevated stations, we should no more think of misconducting ourselves after the ill-manners of the said impostors, than we should of flying in the air, encumbered with that armour and those implements of war, which our late ever-to-be-lamented friend and captain Richard Saunders deceased,* equipped us with, prior to our entry into this hall in the year 1708. the contrary, we should do all in our power to make ourselves agreeable; should merely pick a few haunches, empty a few tureens, munch a few turbots, in the shape of sandwiches à l'anchovie, quaff a firkin or two of ale, and pledge our Lord Mayor, and the worthy and independent Livery, in a bowl of punch. We should, in fact, merely take a snack for the sake of conformity, wipe our beards, make our obeisances, and resume our pedestals. We do therefore, in conclusion, anxiously hope, that the enlightened Livery will not suffer themselves to be prejudiced against us by the machinations of the men of straw, or others, their aiders and abettors, but will, at the next election day for placemen and officers, afford us that countenance and support which we have now had the honour to enjoy

On

* An eminent carver and gilder in King-street, Cheapside, who formed the figures in question. E

W. L. M. VOL. I. NO. IV.-Second Edition.

for upwards of a century. And hoping to retain our places for at least another century, we earnestly invite the Livery in our interest, to exert themselves, in the meantime, to strengthen the same by every customary means, lawful or otherwise; and in return, we do hereby jointly and severally, promise to stand by, and stand up for, them, their heirs, their privileges, feasts, and immunities, so long as we have a leg (a-piece) left to stand upon.

As witness our hands, this 20th day of February 1824.

* As most readers are curious for particulars respecting the persons of writers, I have taken pains to ascertain, that my correspondent Gogmagog, is in height 14 feet, that the circumference of his body is 12 feet, the length of his arm seven, and of his leg and thigh five feet; the calf of his leg measures 42 inches round, and his wrist 24 inches; his middle finger is 16 inches, his great toe 12, and his nose 12 inches long. His staff is 17 feet long, and his sword six feet six inches. Farther information may be obtained of himself. He is always at home' in Guildhall.

ARCTIC NATURAL HISTORY.

THE expeditions which have recently been engaged in for discovering a North-west passage, though unsuccessful in their main object, are generally, and very properly, considered, undertakings of great utility. Conducted as such expeditions now are, they cannot fail of procuring many valuable additions to the arts and sciences; whilst the spirit of enterprise kept alive by them, both in officers and seamen, renders them an appropriate service in time of peace, for the employment of a small portion of that navy, which during the war established our right, to the uninterrupted navigation of all "the mighty waters." It was not, however, to be expected that much could be learnt concerning the vegetable world, on a soil so barren, and in a climate so ungenial as the vicinity of the North Pole or that zoology could receive many illustrations from a visit to those high latitudes, where man, defended with all the artificial warmth which foresight and ingenuity could provide, durst scarcely venture abroad, to prosecute his researches. But notwithstanding these disadvantages, Captain Parry's first voyage--independently of the nautical observations which occurred in the course of it-led to discoveries in Natural History, which while they prove both valuable and interesting to men of science, inasmuch as they supply materials for the clearer definition and more accurate distribution of several genera and species, must also prove acceptable to all who take delight in contemplating those endless gradations of beings, animate and inanimate, with which the whole earth is replenished. Considerable delay has taken place in publishing an account of the natural productions collected by the expedition in the years 1819-20. This delay has, we regret to find, been partly occasioned by the indisposition of Mr. Brown, to whose skilful hands the collections of plants were committed, and partly to the difficulties which arose in determining certain species, either from the variable nature, and imperfect state of some of the specimens, or from the previous want of authentic specimens from other countries, to compare them with.

A supplement to the appendix of the Captain's first voyage, has, however, lately appeared: wherein each class of subjects is treated of, by gentlemen whose habitual studies, and previous labours, pointed them out as fully competent, in those departments of science to which the materials now examined, and arranged, respectively belong. The result of this wise distribution is the production of a work, which although from the limited nature of its contents, it may not throw any wonderful light upon natural philosophy, yet from the care and science of those engaged in collating it, not a scintilla is lost; and it reflects credit not only upon the several writers engaged in it, but on the age and country that have the spirit to encourage such enterprises as the northern expeditions, and the sense to render the information obtained by them available to the best purposes of science.

The contents of the volume before us are thus divided. Mammalia, Birds, Fish and Marine invertebrate animals, by Captain Edward Sabine : Land invertebrate animals, by the Rev. William Kirby: Shells, by John Edward Gray, Esq. Botany, by Robert Brown, Esq. and Rock Specimens, by Charles Konig, Esq.

A supplement to the appendix of Captain Parry's voyage for the discovery of a North-west passage in the years 1819-20, containing an account of the subjects of natural his tory. London, John Murray.