We now arrive at the BRITISH PERIOD, and here we have a most interesting survey of the supposed scene of the engagement fatal to British liberty, between our Caractacus and the proprætor, Ostorius Scapula the opinion of General Roy, that the scene of the engagement was on the banks of the Severn, meets with the support of Mr. Hartshorne, and his hints for future investigation are deserving the attention of antiquaries.

The two several lines of camps created by the British and Roman leaders are carefully examined, as well as several other remains of this period,

the account of which concludes with an interesting detail of investigations made in a group of tumuli on the summit of the hills of this district.

The ROMAN PERIOD contains a full notice of Wroxeter, the Uriconium of Antoninus; a fragment of the ancient wall of the once spacious city still exists, and is ably described with the aid of a sketch.

A Roman way, popularly styled the Devil's Causeway, is minutely surveyhed: it is

"A way, partially at present, but originally formed of large blocks of basalt, which were procured from the neighbouring sides of the Lawley. They vary in superficial size from one to two feet in length, and from eight to fifteen inches in breadth, and are disposed in their longest direction across the road. At first they were placed with extreme regularity; and had their face much more even than it now has. From an average of several measures taken in different places, the road seems originally to have been thirteen feet wide. It is edged with roughly hewn stones, lying upon the surface of the soil, and varying from one to two feet in width; they are uniformly one foot in thickness, and stand so as to touch each o other." P. 137.

arch,-it springs from two centres, and assumes a curve, somewhat resembling a segmental arch, but more depressed than anything Norman, being in fact broader, as we see it in Roman examples. Secondly, the voussoirs are alternately parallelsided, and cuneiform, or acutely shaped at one end, as though the intention of the architect was to make them available in filling up the interstices between the regular parallel-sided voussoirs; and lastly, the whole is put together with concrete, as may readily be detected by taking the trouble to creep underneath the arch, and detaching a piece of it from the joints. If we couple the foregoing description of the road with these remarkable characteristics, the Roman claims of both are not unsatisfactorily established."

The Saxon period comprises several remarkable earth works, and is accompanied by a plate of sections of remarkable dykes, with a drawing of that which bears the name of Offa. The following undoubtedly ancient custom is worthy of notice:

"A wake is annually held on Palm Sunday on the top of Ponsert Hill, as it is termed, under the pretence of seeking for the golden arrow. I have in vain looked for elucidation of this custom, and can therefore offer nothing better than mere conjecture as to its origin; it may not be improbable that some tradition formerly existed of a golden arrow having been shot in the encounter between the century, and as Cenwalh fought at Easter, two contending parties in the seventh it seems but likely that Palm Sunday should be a commemoration day of the event, and that the golden arrow, whether fabled or genuine, should on that day especially be sought for; it is almost needless to add that the custom is now

merely a pretext for having a merry mak

ing." P. 180.

darkest and most obscure passages of early British history.

The number of Bury's-Cold harbours-Cots and Dans, are produced in aid of the author's views. The great number of places lying in Roman ways which terminate in "Ford," is very striking. Mr. Hartshorne remarks,'Only one instance occurs to me of a direct corruption from the Latin Vadum, which is Wade's Mill on the Ermine Street." He might have added Iwade in Kent, near the King's ferry, and in a neighbourhood rich in Roman works.

A list of places in Shropshire mentioned in Domesday book is appended, with the modern names where they can be found.

We are compelled, by want of space, to pass over the curious glossary of words used in Shropshire, which forms the second part of the book, and which will prove highly interesting to the investigators of local dialects.

We have only to observe, in conclusion, that the embellishments are numerous and appropriate, and the illuminated titles and initial letters give an air of great elegance to the volume.

The History and Antiquities of Durham Cathedral. By Robert William Billings. Part I. 25 plates, 4to.

WE have before noticed with satisfaction the spirited proposal of Mr. Billings to continue the illustration of the English Cathedrals left undone by Mr. Britton. This is a task of no ordinary magnitude, and we truly hope the author will receive sufficient patronage to enable him to fulfil his undertaking. Carlisle Cathedral has recently been completed by the author, and illustrated very satisfactorily by a series of engravings representing every material feature in that cathedral. It is probably owing to the distance from London, that the two northern cathedrals of Carlisle and Durham have never been satisfactorily illustrated. The present cathedral, the most important of the two, and in whatever point of view in which it is regarded, one of the most striking and interesting of the whole English series of cathedrals, is now, for the first time, about to receive the attention from the artist and the engraver which its paramount merits deserve. Durham may be regarded

as one of the earliest specimens of Norman work in the country, and it is further remarkable for the uniformity in the style of its architecture. One mode pervades the entire building; the additions of subsequent ages, and new modes of building arising after the first construction, are only visible in the chapels and the less important features of the structure. Severe in its character, bold and massive in its proportions, and solemn and grand in all its features, the cathedral of Durham stands almost alone among the splendid monastic edifices of our land. Nor is it remarkable alone for its architectural character: as an almost solitary remnant of our ancient feudal institutions remaining in an insulated position to our own days, it possesses an unusual degree of interest from the character which its Palatine Bishop enjoyed. That extraordinary combination of the ecclesiastical and military state, of which Germany furnished so many examples, is, when viewed in an historical light, an additional inducement to regard with interest this magnificent cathedral-a fitting edifice for a feudal ecclesiastic.

We now proceed to notice the illustrations of the fabric, constituting the whole of the present portion of the work, which is published without letter-press. The perspective view of the interior is very striking. The cathedral is singular in having a stone vault above the nave and transept, of Norman architecture; the section, it is true, forms a pointed arch, but the circumstance of the zigzag moulding which accompanies the ribs, the corbels from which they spring, and the evident provision made for the reception of a groined ceiling by the extension in height of one of the shafts of the main clusters to sustain the spring of the groins, all conspire to prove that the present vault is part of the original design of the church, although its execution was evidently later than the architecture below it. The pointed character of the arch is well worthy of notice, as it does not merely result from the intersection of the groins, but was evidently originally designed in this style, as the entire length of the vault is divided at every second bay by a perfect pointed arch; the entire composition may be regarded as one of

the earliest examples of this description of arch in England.

A most uncourteous custom prevailed in the cathedral, of restricting the devotion of the fairer portion of the congregation to the most extreme point of the nave, where a boundary line pointed out to the females that "hitherto ye may go out, but no further." In the engraving this line, with its inscription, THE WOMEN'S BOUNDARY CROSs, is shewn, and here they were stopped until the fiat of Henry allowed them to pass the boundary.

The chapel of the Galilee, hallowed as the resting place of good and holy men, ere burial within the church was allowed, with its four aisles and very pleasing Norman architecture, forms a most interesting plate.

There is a peculiar character about the architecture of this chapel, the entire structure closely assimilating with the cortile before the early churches, but which in the northern situation of this cathedral was very properly closed in from the weather.

The rich, though somewhat late, Norman entrance on the south side of the nave is shewn in two plates; the superior loftiness of the arch is remarkable; the doorways of this age being generally low in proportion to their width. The doors, as usual with early examples, are covered with iron work; in this case, perhaps, the richest examples in existence.

In the eastern portion of the church, some additions in the pointed style of architecture are engrafted upon the Norman work; these additions are of very early execution, and are very rich in their decorations. The chapel of the nine altars is a fine specimen of the style.

This mode of architecture is shewn in several plates, one of which exhibits specimens of several rich foliaged capitals; and another is remarkable for possessing a window which has a double suite of mullions and tracery.

The stall work of the high altar is of the most beautiful character, unrivalled perhaps by any other example: the four stalls for the officiating priests on the south side of the choir,

despoiled as they are of their pinnacles and statues by some barbarous hand, are still to be numbered

amongst the richest examples of that variety of the pointed style which prevailed in the reign of Richard the Second, and in which the altar screen at Westminster was constructed.

The episcopal throne, perhaps the richest and most gorgeous in the country, is a remarkable specimen of the decoration of a somewhat earlier period; its beauties are concealed and its graceful design obscured by pew work and pannelling, in an anomalous style of decoration, and of modern workmanship.

From the existence of brackets attached to the shafts of the main columns of the transept, we presume that the practice of affixing statues to the principal columns, so common in continental cathedrals, formerly prevailed at Durham.

The last of the engravings we purpose to notice, is a general view of the city and cathedral from the Newcastle road, which is drawn from a point of view well chosen to shew the bold and striking proportions of this splendid cathedral.

Mr. Billings announces that his work will be completed in five parts, containing seventy-five engravings of plans, elevations, sections, details, and views, accompanied by an historical and architectural description, to be presented with his last number; and we perceive that an arrangement will be made to avoid the feelings of disappointment evinced by the subscribers to Mr. Britton's publication, in consequence of the work having been eventually sold at a reduced price. To avoid all suspicion of the recurrence of a similar depreciation, and to ensure that no more copies of the work than the number announced shall be published, the author states it to be his intention, on the publication of the last number, to call a meeting of the subscribers, by public advertisement, at which the whole of the coppers will be totally destroyed. By this means the public will have a guarantee that the work will not be depreciated by a re-issue at a reduced price.

ROYAL ACADEMY.

FINE

The seventy-third Exhibition of our national school of art was opened to the public on the 3d of May, with 1343 contributions, of which 1216 are paintings, drawings, miniatures, enamels, &c., the remainder sculpture. It is, we believe, very generally allowed to be one of the best exhibitions of modern times, though much inferior to those presented to the public in the days of Reynolds. Wilson, Gainsborough, and Hogarth, while the institution was yet in its infancy; a circumstance which, considering that the continent has been, for the last quarter of a century, open to the researches of students, and that the wealth of this country has vastly increased during the period, is somewhat discouraging, nor is it easy to discover the cause. Is it that the patronage of the opulent is injudiciously dispensed, or that the more promising geniuses are held in check by those who are appointed to preside over and foster native art? Although great mischief is doubtless done by ignorant criticism, by the conventional applause of daring mediocrity, and the systematic detraction of modest merit, the non-progression of British art is, we think, certainly to be traced to one or the other, or, perhaps, both of these evils. The motto affixed to the Catalogue of the present season tells us, as upon the authority of Cicero, that, while the criticisms of the multitude are obliterated, the truth of nature is confirmed by time. If, however, artists of talent are denied, as is, we fear, often the case, the opportunity of bringing the fruits of their industry before the world, and are suffered to pine in indigence, Time is an arbiter who is never, as respects them, consulted. The pictures sent for exhibition this year are known to have been overwhelming in number, and the consequence is, that hundreds have been once more returned upon the hands of the contributors. The Academy have shewn more consideration than usual. They have not, in all cases, availed themselves of the privilege of retaining eight places for their own productions, good, bad, or indifferent; but still the rooms are all greatly overdone with portraits, the majority of which are inferior. Sir David Wilkie has, in No. 67, “A Student;" a specimen in this line of art, which displays a dexterity of hand and a refinement of taste unsurpassed by any thing that was ever done. The flesh tints are purer than we remember to have seen in any previous work of Sir David's; nor is the drapery managed

His portrait

in a less masterly manner. of Sir Peter Laurie is another most effective picture, and one of which the friends of the worthy magistrate may well be proud. Mr. Hart has several portraits; one of the Duke of Sussex, painted for the subscribers to the Jews' Hospital, Mile End, of which his Royal Highness is patron; but they are coarse and commonplace. Mr. Phillips has some capital heads, perhaps the finest he ever exhibited; but, while we find no improvement in Mr. Pickersgill, (who has a stiff, disagreeable, and by no means faithful whole-length of Harrison Ainsworth the novelist, and seven others of personages of more or less note, including one of Mr. Lawrence the eminent surgeon, and another of Mr. Wordsworth the poet,) Mr. Briggs has materially retrograded. His portrait of Mr. W. H. Ashhurst is respectable merely, but in No. 125 (Miss Milman), he is singularly tame and feeble. The one head by Wilkie, to which we first called attention, is unquestionably worth all the rest put together in the way of portraiture. Mr. Bradley, Mr. Lucas, aud Mr. Faulk ner have been more successful than common. The portrait of the Earl of Denbigh, by the first-named gentleman, is among the easiest and most ably-painted whole-lengths in the room. Mr. Faulkner always displays ability of a high order; and, with respect to Mr. Lucas, we are bound to admit, to say the least of him, that he has made a decided improvement since last year. His portraits of Viscount, Lady Augusta, and the Hon. George Fitzclarence (No. 467) are excellent, though displaying no very striking originality of treatment. Mr. Inskipp's "Zingarella" (No. 520), on the opposite side of the room, is a brilliant, as well as a most effective, piece of painting, the colouring and pencilling being in the best manner of the artist, and the composition in the purest taste. The countenance of the Zingarella, contrasted with the large black hat, beams with life and beauty, and will illuminate any private gallery in which it may be placed. Even amid the confusion of colours and the miscellaneous shapes and forms of a public exhibition-room, the attention of the visitor is held in thrall by its attractions. Mr. Etty's "Repentant Prodigal's return to his Father" is a production worthy of the talents of the mas

ter.

The composition is unexceptionable in point of morality, and finely treated. There are, however, distributed in various parts of the exhibition paintings from the same easel which we hold to be abomina

tions that are a perfect disgrace to the Academy, and really not clever, otherwise than in the colouring. Mr. Lee's landscapes are vulgar in taste and totally deficient in fine art. He paints what he sees, and that indifferently, but illustrates none of the beauties belonging to the sequestered umbrageous spots he selects for the purpose (and which are, indeed, well selected), with the feeling of a poet, or even the facility of a true artist. This gentleman and Mr. Witherington, who, by the way, has rather a pleasing subject in "Repose," No. 153, parts of which seem moderately well pencilled, are but poor substitutes for the names they represent of the great bygone school, Wilson and Gainsborough. Sixty years ago we had two landscape-painters of surpassing excellence, and now we have not one. This is the more lamentable, inasmuch as landscape-painting is the favourite department of art and the least arduous. Messrs. Turner and Stanfield have several works in the exhibition. Some of those of the former are less exaggerated than we have been wont to see, and accordingly more in unison with the public taste. Such are Nos. 53 and 66, scenes in Venice. Mr. Stanfield is effective, but there is a sameness in his subjects, and the mode of treating them, which requires relief. Mr. Roberts has representations of scenery in the East which are popular with a numerous class of spectators, and deservedly

So.

The zeal of Mr. Roberts in the prosecution of his studies, and the ability with which he brings the fruits of his labours before his countrymen, are equally entitled to commendation. Mr. Maclise has four pictures painted with his usual correctness of drawing, the same defects of colour, and, we may add, of good taste. We discover no falling off in any of the attributes of his pencil, but so fickle is the public favour that he who but three years since was worshipped as a prodigy in painting is already beginning to be looked upon with apathy. Neither the conceptions, nor the colour, nor the outline, nor the attitudes which Mr. Maclise gives to his figures will any longer satisfy. All is wrong together; wrong in the abstract, and wrong in detail. "The Covenanter's Wedding," No. 490, by Mr. M'Ian, is clever in parts, but he appears to us to have looked too much at Mr. Maclise, whose excesses he imitates, though we will not say that he does not, in some respects, improve upon his beauties. Mr. Mulready sends but one small picture, and that not a picture of high pretensions. The fierce reds offend the eye, and the whole has the appearance of having been painted on copper. Ornamented china

ware is scarcely so hard. Messrs. Collins, Allan, and Eastlake are all inferior to themselves; and Mr. Leslie's 66 Fairlop Fair," No. 95, though elaborate, is not a production that we can admire. The colouring reminds us of worsted work in the manner of Mr. John Chalon and the late Mr. Constable. No. 52, "Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme," is spirited and good.

Among the miniatures there are many clever things by Mr. A. Robertson and Mr. Denning. The worst of all is the "Homage," (No. 839), by Sir W. J. Newton. The likenesses of the numerous personages referred to in the Catalogue are most imperfect. Even the features of the Duke of Wellington are scarcely recognizable.

The sculpture-room is enriched with fine busts by Sir F. Chantrey, Mr. Behnes, and others. Sir Francis has, moreover, an admirable whole-length marble of the late Bishop of Norwich (Doctor Bathurst), while by Mr. Baily we have another Eve of exquisite symmetry and execution.

Mr. R. C. Lucas has a full-length statue of the late Sir R. C. Hoare, Bart. He is represented seated, in the act of writing. It is intended for Salisbury Cathedral.

BRITISH INSTITUTION.

There was nothing of any great worth or importance this year at the gallery of the the British Institution. Mr. Inskipp's

66

Surrey Commoner," Mr. Creswick's and Mr. Stark's landscapes, and Mr. E. W. Cooke's sea-piece, were among the most striking of the contributions. Mr. Martin's large historical subjects, of which there were two or three, did not appear to us to be very attractive.

LADY STUART'S PICTURES.

May 15. The cabinet of pictures belonging to the late Lady Stuart was brought to the hammer at Messrs. Christie and Manson's. It is a collection which has long been celebrated as consisting of pure and excellent specimens of the old masters. We subjoin the prices of some of the most remarkable. "A Dutch Dairy Farm," by Omegank, 115 guineas. A Lady served with Oysters," attributed to Old Mieris, 84 guineas. "A Boy with a Bird's Nest," by Murillo, 100 guineas; a "Mother and Child," by ditto, 130 guineas.

Seaport," by Brill and Carracci, 70 guineas. "Portrait of a Gentleman," by Rembrandt, 150 guineas. "A mounted Farmer feeing a Gipsy," by Morland, 210 guineas. Two "Sea-pieces," by William Vandervelde, one of good composition, though inferior execution, sold for 590 guineas; the other for 1120, being the famous Dundas picture, and considered,