and it should seem that the fair travel- | Back o'er her shoulders from her forehead hung ler entered the province in autumn, and quitted it, before the severities of the second winter prevented her departure. There are many pleasing stanzas in the poem; we select those which describe a band of Indians-more civilized however, than some at the extremities of the province-partly because, it affords a subject new to poetical powers; and partly because, we desire to bring our readers acquainted with the sentiments of a lady on occasion of meeting them. She has naturally, paid the greatest attention to her own sex. 7 Hark! 'tis their shout-and lo, in wild costume disdain. 8 What though no zone in graceful folds confine The short dark vest that hides her bosom's swell, Yet may that form a gentle heart enshrine, 9 A while beneath an elm their steps they staid, Then two approaching claim'd a nearer view, Each in her hand her spell-wove wares display'd, The box and basket dyed of various hue; The one-her blanket thrown across her arm, Her hat's dark band a blushing wild rose stay'd, Gay beam'd her glance with youth's attractive charm, Gay on her lip the smile of candour play'd; Sedate the other's mien beneath a beaver's shade; 10 An olive blanket almost hid from view Her form, yet well beneath its folds were seen, The scarlet leggins edged with darker blue, The tinsel fringe and pliant mocasin 66 We are rather displeased with the epithet spell-wove;" spell-wove ware approaches too nearly to the rustic idea of a band of gipsies, which, except in the article of roving, during summer, these Indians do not resemble. In fact, the writer has done these red brethreu (and sisters) greater justice in her notes, of which therefore we annex a specimen. Each in her hand her spell-wove wares display'd. St. 9. p. 17. Band-boxes and baskets, composed of bark or wood split very thin, dyed, and neatly, though slightly wove; mocasins, or shoes formed of deer skin; and the ceinture or sash, generally worn over the great coat in winter, are the principal manufac tures of the Squaws. All who have wandered in the woods (or bush) of Canada, know that the Indian grudges no hospitality to his guest: whatever he possesses is free. That it should not meet a return is an extremely mortifying fact. Says our authoress, The welcome draught in Summer's parching air, &c. St. 15. p. 20, I have been told, that in many places of the United States, and even of the British provinces, Canada excepted, an Indian will lie in the open air, and suffer cold or hunger rather than ask admission into a house. This seems to argue that he has, at one period or another, been rudely repulsed. It is not so in Canada; at least, in the vicinity of Montreal, an Indian will enter a country house, and state his wants, not with the air of a medicant, but in a manner which seems to proceed from the consciousness, that were his host in the same circumstances to make a like request to him, it would be answered by every mark of kindness in his power. Nor, from aught I observed, do they seem to be repulsed, at least by the French Canadians. do not believe they come, except when really in want of something, which happens but seldom. The Squaws generally offer to pay for whatever they ask; I never remarked an instance of a man's doing so. The following circumstance is true; perhaps the reader may find it interesting. An Indian, who had been in the habit of calling occasionally at a country house, stopped there on a hot summer day to rest a little, and get a draught of water. The house had changed its inhabitants, and he was ordered to get out immediately. Hurt at this treatment, the more as contrasting it with his former reception, his passion rose, but it was vented only in expressions of detestation and contempt, and he turned from the inhospitable door, which there is no reason to suppose he would again approach. I sighed at the recital. I have often traced the picture of the indignant Indian; and regret that a groundless fear, or a groundless prdjudice, (for I should be unwilling to impute it entirely to pride or illnature,) should have dictated so harsh an answer to so simple a request. Whatever degree of ferocity, even of treachery, may be traced in the character of some of the Indian tribes, no late instance of either can, I believe, be produced in the conduct of those who reside in Canada towards its inhabitants. The Canadian peasantry, without scruple, address them as brothers; it is the title by which they themselves often address Europeans, and there seems something stern and even illiberal in that disposition which turns disgusted from it. This disposition, this brotherly love should extend all the world over; but, in the best taught countries, there will always be some rude individuals, who do not to others, as they would they should do to them; and if a settler new from England were to be so accosted, the difference between such freedom and what he had been accustomed to, would surely to him, be equally striking and embarrassing. The progress of the seasons is followed by this lady, with evident pleasure. Her description of Winter, may remind those acquainted with Canada, of some particulars; but many others are lost, probably from the sex of the writer, which induced her to keep more within shelter from the keen air, than a robust youth rising to manhood, and fond of manly sports would have done. sert a specimen, 12 We in Ev'n Winter brings its toils.-The blaze to heap, With hearts elate the homeward path they trace, shine; Yet dearer, sweeter than yon evening star, Gleams on the rustic's view a twinkling ray, 'Tis his own cottage, glimm'ring from afar, Through the shrunk shutter beams of welcome play, [repay. And there shall comfort wait, and rest his toils 14 Ere long, a nobler Muse, on loftier wing, O'er the broad lakes in daring pinion sweep, 15 Not such the minstrel's skill, nor such the lay, No classic grace adorns these simple strains; 'Twas but the passing pilgrim of a day, Who view'd with ling'ring glance yon verdant plains, Who haply found,-ev'n in that foreiga clime, Some fleeting hours, that live in Mem'ry's view, "In colours mellow'd, not impair'd by time," Some artless friend that wept to bid adieu, Who, with unpracticed hand, the changeful picture drew. From the "other poems," we select THE KEEPSAKE. Oh! know'st thou why, to distance driven, Still, when it meets the musing view, It boots not if the pencil'd rose "Keep it; yes, keep it for my sake;" English school, if school it may be called, then Thornhill, and a few others, during the blank period of George I. Hogarth distinguished himself under George II. but, it was not till after the accession of George III. that the arts obtained po pularity in England, and their establishment assumed any degree of consistency. Much about the same time, several men of genius started forth to public notice, and among them the subject of the present memoir, who was born at Springfield, in Chester County, in Pennsylvania, October 10, 1738. then stood, could have appeared less No situation in the world, as things The Life and Studies of Benjamin West, Esq. President of the Royal Aca-likely to produce an artist who should demy of London, prior to his arrival in afterwards become President of the Royal England; compiled from materials fur Academy of London ;-for, as yet, no nished by himself. By John Galt. such Institution existed, and it was 8vo. pp. 160. Cadell and Davies, Lon- the destiny of Mr. West to contribute to don. 1816. establish it. America itself, was then The history of the Arts during the latter half of the foregoing century has more than once occupied our pages, compiled from original documents, accessible only to the party who favoured us with those articles. But, the lives of individual artists are seldom published till after their decease has put the power of obtaining explanations beyond our reach. And yet, it must be acknowledged, that the life of an artist, is a principal ingredient in the history of art; and no man can judge properly on the progress of a School of art, who is not acquainted, more or less, with the lives of those professors who have risen to eminence in it. Most amateurs, probably, have first become acquainted with the history of certain masters, and subsequently, with that of their School. in respect to the arts, but a humble follower of the parent state; and from a others, could such a present, as a capital Quaker family in America, least of all Artist be expected. From the date assigned to the birth of Mr. West, the reader will perceive that he is now at an advanced age. We learn from the preface to this piece of Biography, that materials for the history of his life as an Artist, are preserved; but, they, says Mr. Galt, "be long immediately to the history of the Art." The present volume, then, is but an introductory Poem; and "appears in the Artist's own time, in order that the authenticity of the incidents might not rest on the authority of any Biographer." Combined with this account of Mr. West's early life, are many particulars If this be true of countries where the well entitled to attention; such as, the arts have obtained a regular patronage dislike of slavery, and the manumission and establishment, it is more especially of slaves, among the Quakers, anectrue of a country which could not boast dotes of events in consequence of Bradof so much as a public establishment of dock's defeat, and the situation of afany kind, not even an academy, in fa-fairs in America; also of persons, the vour of the arts. If we direct our at-acquaintance of Mr. West, in his youth, tention to the time of Vandyke, the hope of a School is the utmost we dare indulge, and that was crossed by incidents the most destructive to the arts. The lives of Walker, of Cooper, of Lely, of Kueller, continue the history of the who afterwards distinguished themselves, as public personages, officers in the revolutionary army, or otherwise. The gradual exertion of the child's mind, aud its direction towards the arts of design, the reader must peruse in the. took their respective forms on each side. After sitting some time in silence, one of the women rose and addressed the meeting ou the wisdom of God, and the various oc narrative but the permission given by both sexes assembled. Benjamin was placed the Religious Society to which he be-by his father, and the men and women longed, has in it something so peculiar, that, we presume, it scarcely can be matched in any instance, antient or modern, In short, Benjamin was---absitcasions on which He selected from among invidia; almost ordained by imposition of hands! the reasons for this, with the whole ceremony, are too striking to be withheld from our readers. His creatures the agents of His goodness. When she had concluded her exhortation, John Williamson also rose, and in a speech than which, perhaps, the porticos of Athens never resounded with a more impressive IV. The Assembly met in the Meeting oratory, he resumed the topic which had house near Springfield, and after much debeen the subject of the former address. He bate, approaching to altercation, a man of began by observing that it was fixed as the name of John Williamson rose, and deone of their indisputable maxims, that livered a speech upon the subject. He was things merely ornamental were not necesmuch respected by all present, for the pusary to the well-being of man, and that all rity and integrity of his life, and enjoyed superfluous things should be excluded great influence in his sphere ou account of from the usages and manners of their societhe superiority of his natural wisdom, and, ty. In this proscription, we have includas a public preacher among the Frieuds, ed," said he, "the study of the fine arts, possessed an astonishing gift of convincing for we see them applied only to embellish eloquence. He pointed to old Mr. West pleasures, and to strengthen our induceaud his wife, and expatiated on the blame-ments to gratify the senses at the expence less reputation which they had so long of our immortal claims. But, because we maintained, and merited so well. "They have seen painting put to this derogatory have had," said he, "ten children, whom use, and have, in consequence, prohibited they have carefully brought up in the fear the cultivation of it among us, are we sure of God, and in the Christian religion: and that it is not one of those gracious gifts the youth, whose lot in life we are now con- which God has bestowed on the world, vened to consider, is Benjamin, their young-not to add to the sensual pleasures of man, est child. It is known to you all that God but to facilitate his improvement as a sois pleased, from time to time, to bestow cial and a moral being? The fine arts are upon some men extraordinary gifts of mind, called the offspring and the emblems of and you need not be told by how wonder- peace. The Christian religion itself is the ful an inspiration their son has been led to doctrine of good will to man. Can those cultivate the art of painting. It is true that things which only prosper in peace be conour tenets deny the utility of that art to trary to the Christian religion? But, it is mankind. But God has bestowed on the said, that the fiue arts soften and emascu youth genius for the art, and can we be- late the mind. In what way? is it by withlieve that Omniscience bestows His gifts drawing those who study them from the but for great purposes? What God has robust exercises which enable nations and given, who shall dare to throw away? people to make war with success? Is it by Let us not estimate Almighty wisdom by lessening the disposition of mankiud to deour notions; let us not presume to arraign stroy one another, and by taming the audaHis judgment by our ignorance, but in the city of their animal fierceness? Is it for evident propensity of the young man, be such a reason as this, that we who profess assured that we see an impulse of the Di-to live in unison and friendship, not only vine hand operating towards some high and beneficent end." V. The effect of this argument, and the lofty commanding manner in which it was delivered, induced the assembly to agree that the Artist should be allowed to indulge the predilections of his genius; and a private meeting of the Friends was appointed to be holden at his father's house, at which the youth himself was requested to be present, in order to receive, in form, the asseut and blessing of the Society. On the day of the meeting, the great room was put in order, and a numerous company of among ourselves, but with all the worldthat we should object to the cultivation of the fine arts, of those arts which disarm the natural ferocity of man? We may as well be told that the doctrine of peace and life. ought to be proscribed in the world be cause it is peruicious to the practice of war and slaughter, as that the arts which call on man to exercise his intellectual powers more than his physical strength, can be contrary to Christianity, and adverse to the benevolence of the Deity. I speak not, however, of the fine arts as the means of amusement, nor the study of them as pastime to 1 fill up the vacant hours of business, though even as such, the taste of them deserves to be regarded as a manifestation of Divine favour, in as much as they dispose the heart to kind and gentle inclinations. For, I think them ordained by God for some great and holy purpose. Do we not know that the professors of the fue arts are commonly men greatly distinguished by special gifts of a creative and discerning spirit? If there be Buy thing in the usual course of human affairs which exhibits the immediate interposition of the Deity, it is in the progress of the fine arts, in which it would appear he often raises up those great characters, the spirit of whose imaginations have an interminable influence on posterity, and who are themselves separated and elevated among the generality of mankind, by the name of men of genius. Can we believe that all this is not for some useful purpose? What that purpose is, ought we to pretend to investigate? Let us rather reflect that the Almighty God has been pleased among us, and in this remote wilderness, to endow, with the rich gifts of a peculiar spirit, that youth who has now our common consent to cultivate his talents for an art, which, according to our humble and human judgment, was previously thought an unneces sary ministration to the sensual propensities of our nature. May it be demoustrated by the life and works of the Artist, that the gift of God has not been bestowed on him in valu, nor the motives of the beneficent inspiration which induces us to suspend our particular tenets, prove barren of religious or moral effect. On the contrary, let us confidently hope that this occurrence has been for good, and that the conse quences which may arise in the society of this new world, from the example which Benjamin West will be enabled to give, will be such a love of the arts of peace as shall tend to draw the ties of affection closer, and diffuse over a wider extent of community the interests and blessings of fraternal love." VI. At the conclusion of this address, the women rose and kissed the young Artist, and the men, one by one, laid their hands on his head and prayed that the Lord might verify in his life the value of the gift which had induced them, in despite of their religious tenets, to allow him to cultivate the faculties of his genius. For the progressive improvement of the young artist, his rising reputation in America, with the steps that led to his Voyage to Italy, we must refer to the book. VOL. V. No. 25. Lit. Pan. N. S. Oct. 1. An American, a Quaker, in Italy, was a character completely new; an American studying the arts, was a phenomenon. We are not, therefore, surprised at the notice such novelty excited among the English travellers in that country; nor at the inquisitiveness of the more indigenous Virtuosi. The following is a noticeable instance. V. Among the distinguished persons whom Mr. West found in the company, was the celebrated Cardinal Albani. His eminence, although quite blind, had acquired, by the exquisite delicacy of his touch, and the combining powers of his mind, such a sense of antient beauty, that be excelled all the virtuosi theu in Rome, in the correctness of his knowledge of the verity and peculiarities of the smallest medals and intaglios. Mr. Robinson conducted the Artist to the inner apartment, where the Cardinal was sitting, and said, "I have the honour to present a young American, who has a letter of introduction to your eminence, and who has come to Italy for the purpose of studying the fine arts." The Cardinal fancying that the | American must be an Indian, exclaimed, "Is he black or white?" and on being told that he was very fair, “What as fair as I am?" cried the Cardinal still more surprised. This latter expression excited a good deal of mirth at the Cardinal's expence, for his complexion was of the darkest Italian olive, and West's was even of more than the usual degree of English fairness. For some time after, if it be not still in use, the expression of "as fair as the Cardinal" acquired proverbial currency in the Roman conversations, applied to persous who had any inordinate conceit of their own beauty. VI. The Cardinal, after some other short questions, invited West to come near him, and running his hands over his features, still more attracted the attention of the company to the stranger, by the admiration head. This occasioned inquiries respectwhich he expressed at the form of his ing the youth; and the Italiaus concluding that, as he was an American, he must, of course, have received the education of a savage, became curious to witness the effect which the works of art in the Belvidere and Vatican would produce on him. The whole company, which consisted of the principal Roman nobility, and strangers of distinction then in Rome, were interested in the event; and it was arranged in the course of the evening that on the folowing morning they should accompany Mr. Re binson and his protege to the palaces. D |