FINE ARTS.

England and Wales, from Drawings by J. M. W. TURNER, Esq. lt.A.

lire believe it was LUTIZERBOURO who first discovered that England abounded in scenes of wild and picturesque beauty, and even gran- deur, and who opened the eyes of native artists to the capabilities of the landscapes of their own country for pictorial representation. Wissow, and Winona. of Derby, painted some fine pictures of English scenery; and GIRTIN produced water-colour drawings whose beautiful fidelity made the country-gentlemen, who had ridden over the country without seeing any thing but covers and five-barred gates, open their eyes with Surprise. They had been accustomed to see bald elevations of buildings, flat surveys of fields, and bird's-eye views of more extensive prospects ; and the supposition that Italy and other foreign countries could alone furnish subjects for the pencil of the artist, was not confined to them. The artists of that day put to the account of the scenery, the deficiencies which existed in the barrenness of their fancy, the dulness of their per- ceptions, and the poverty of their art. The early views of the lake and other scenery of the finest parts of England, by MmortrAN and others, were flat, none, and monotonous, destitute alike of poetry and reality. Gnanres works directed the attention of artists and the public to the picturesque character of English scenery ; but though Wit.soN and IALTuzunoofto had represented its beauties in their pictures, the com- mon run of engravings were mechanical, and generally copied from some meagre performance of a country drawing-master, specimens of which are afforded by the "Prospects" of this and that place, which adorn the walls of country inns. GAIN.S130ROUGIL'S truly English pencil developed' the hidden beauties of the rustic nooks and corners of our isle ; and the picturesque qualities of a new class of objects were pointed out to artists and the public. It was reserved for TURNER, however, to display the varied and wealthy resources of his art and the power of his genius in depicting the scenery of his native country. His views of the " Southern Coast of England," engraved by COOKE, and the drawings he contri- buted to the "Border Antiquities of Scotland," are fine specimens of his style, and are quite unrivalled, except by the present work. Wesg. Am.'s delicate pencil has given us some pleasing and even beautiful "Views of the Lakes," "The Thames," and of English scenery gene- rally; and the fidelity and neatness of his style, and the good quality of his art, render them justly popular. Rosso:sr, also, has given us some ac- curate "Views of Cities," with his calm twilight effects ; but these are all eclipsed by the glories of TURNER, before which they

" Pale their ineffectual fires,"

like the moon and stars at sunrise.

The work before us has reached its Twelfth Part, nearly half-way to- wards completion; of its attaining which there can be but little doubt

The drawings are such as TURNER alone can produce; and they are en- graved in the finest manner, and with great success as regards effect, by the first artists. We remember having seen an exhibition of the draw. ings for this work at the Egyptian Hall, and a rich treat it was. The engravings, excellent as they are, cannot give the effects of colour, though they imitate them very efficiently, and convey to the eye, fami- liarized to To usmit's style, a very vivid idea of the splendour and rich- ness of the originals, and of their brilliancy of tone. The originality of the artist's powers enables him to place scenes with which we have been before acquainted, in a new light and another point of view; his masterly skill in perspective avails him very effectively ; and he seems to delight ingrappling with the difficulties of his art, though his triumphs over them, and the variety of his resources, are equally observable in scenes of simple beauty or picturesque wildness. The commonest objects, and those which to vulgar eyes appear to possess no pictorial qualities, he in- vests with a charm which 'genius alone can throw over the scene. He- transmutes the dull and shapeless ore into lumps of shining gold. Here is a view of Colchester, at early morning : the town is half hid in mist, and the sun-light, bursting forth, is reflected in a horse-pond, while a mill and two or three pollards, with boys chasing a hare, are made into a picture_ whose wild reality and truth are like REMBRANDVS landscapes. The un- dulating hills, with their verdurous slopes dotted with sheep, and the hedge-row pastoral scenes of our garden-like country, are delineated with appropriate feeling ; while of the Fall of the Tees he makes another TERNI ; and Richmond, Launceston, Okehampton, &c., look like towers and towns cresting the summits of some rocky heights in the Apennines. or the Pyrenees, round whose base sweep time mountain-torrents in the narrow gorge of a valley bounded by precipitous declivities covered with wild foliage. Of Ludlow and Tamerton Castle he makes scenes of calm. Cr./Luna-like beauty; and Barnard Castle, and Valle Crucis Abbey, with the morning sun slanting over the hills on the lovely vale, seem to wear the beauties of Italian scenery. The powerful effects of his marine. views, such as Dover and Fowey Harbour, with a leaping sea, and the sky obscured by storms and blackness, are proverbial. An almost bird's- eye view of Yarmouth also is a fine specimen of his masterly skill ; and there is a view of Bilgarren Castle, with a rich splendour of effect like REMBRANDT. Mr. TURNER'S wizard pencil seems to control the ele- ments: he conjures up a rack of clouds, and covers the sky with the chaotic mass, or hurries them confusedly atross the scene, or scatters them in fleecy lightness before the sun. . His tranquil .effects are not less admirable than his stormy appearances the clear brightness of his morning light, and fervid splendour of his meridian suns, the mellow, glowing richness of his sunsets, burning behind a mass of foliage, and the placid beauty of his moonlight scenes, are given with truth and feeling and mastery of art, and equally attest his genius. The boldness of his compositions and the variety of his effects are also assisted by the appropriate scenes and incidents intro- duced into his landscapes. Whether it be a group of sailors dancing and carousing with their lasses—soldiers on their march—a rustic court- ship—a cattle fair in a country town—a coach unloading—a fish-market —harvesting—smugglers—a wreck, or what not, the picture lives, though the figures are mere bundles of clothes, and very shapeless masses of humanity. The engravings of this work are in a style of first-rate excellence ; and the artist has found very able interpreters of his meaning in Messrs.

GOODALL, WALLIS, W. R. SMITH, W. MILLER, VARRALL, BRANDARD,

&c. &c. The last number (.X I.)contains a splendid morning view of Windsor Castle, and an evening one of Eton, Bedford, and Pembroke,—both admirable.

The Gardens and Menagerie of the Zoological Society. Vols. I. and IL—Quadrupeds and Birds. With cuts.

In nothing is the increased beauty of typography so evident, as

in its wood engravings, which have arrived at a degree of per- fection, under the hands of a few artists that leaves very little im- provement to be desired. It seems but the other day that BEWICK'S birds, quadrupeds, &c. were looked upon as the ne plus ultra of wood- cuts, and their excellence is still deservedly appreciated. BEWICK was an indefatigable artist, and mainly assisted in raising the art of engraving on wood to a level with other branches of fine art. The

_superior delicacy,- richness, and elaboration which he introduced into wood-cuts,—before hard and coarse, and rather derogatory to the appear- ance of a book than any addition to its elegance,—not only called the public attention to his merits and elicited the highest approbation, but developed the capabilities of the art itself, inviting the attention of artists and publishers to this highly useful and ornamental addition to letterpress.

Mr. Haitycv is as celebrated for the beauty, spirit, and force of his designs, in one class of subjects, as GEORGE CRUIKSHANK is in another. His cuts are exquisitely finished pictures—full of effect, and admirable for the union of depth, richness, and delicacy. His original designs evince great taste and skill, and his copies are distinguished for accuracy and freedom. In the little vignette tail-pieces, also, where BEWICK indulged his comic vein in freaks of humour, he displays con- siderable fancy and ingenuity. It should be borne in mind, that the designer makes his drawing in pencil upon the wood, and the engraver cuts away the wood, leaving the lines of the drawing in relief ; the difficulty of preserving sharpness and delicate finish is therefore con- aiderable, while the talent required to make the drawings is also pe- culiar. The cuts being printed at the same time, of course require great care on the part of the printer. The excellence of Mr. WHIT- TINGHAM of the Chiswick Press, not only as a printer of wood-cuts, but for beautiful typography, is so widely known and universally ac- knowledged, that we need only say that be is the printer of the present work, and that it is worthy of his reputation.

These volumes form a very appropriate sequel to BEwrcs's works, being of the same size, and printed in a similar style, and containing foreign animals, while his were exclusively British. The figures in the cuts of these volumes are not mere bald profiles, but little characteristic back-grounds are introduced, and the animals are presented in various attitudes ; and sometimes two or more are given, in order to show any peculiarity of form or position. The drawings seem generally faithful, and are very spirited and picturesque ; and the nature of the several surfaces of fur, feathers, &c., and as far as black and white can pro- duce the effect of different colours, are very well expressed by the tex- ture of the engraving. The execution of the cuts also is excellent, as all those of BaarisTox and WRIGHT invariably are. The plumage of the birds is represented with peculiar delicacy and richness.

The descriptions and accounts of the animals are written with a view to blend the accuracy of science with the familiarity and interest of a popular work, and they are illustrated by facts and anecdotes and va- rious information. It is a very pleasing and instructive work for the visitors of the Zoological Gardens, both juvenile and adult. Among the numerous tail-pieces, are some pretty little peeps at the prominent buildings in the Gardens, which form very picturesque and ornamental additions ; these are interspersed with little fancies of the artist, and scenes descriptive of the habits and haunts of the animals.

Notices of Engravers and their Works. By WILLIAM YOUNG OTTLEY.

This volume is the commencement of a new Dictionary of Engravers, which the author has been compelled to abandon on account of the great labour and research required for the task, which were too much for his years and health. The fragment only extends to B, A, L; but as far as it goes, it is a valuable and useful contribution to this department of the history of fine art, from its comprehensive scope and minuteness of de- tail, to which there is every appearance of accuracy being superadded. The design thus chalked out, and so ably commenced, will, we hope, attract the attention of some connoisseur of engravings, whose industry and youth would enable him to undertake the completion of this elabo- rate work. The author has of course availed himself of the labours of ether writers on the subject, but has incorporated a great deal of new information gathered by himself; and he has not been contented with compiling a mere catalogue of engravings, but introduces a few descrip- tive notices of particularly fine and rare prints.