'int arts.
THE NATIONAL INSTITHTIDN.
The tenth annual exhibition of this Society opened on Saturday last, in the Portland Gallery. Its old distinctive character fades out from year to year, and the present exhibition has little to command admiration. It resembles the British Institution of the present season, however, in containing a number of careful nice pictures, marked by individual endeavour, and evidencing the tendency of the day towards faithful unaffected study.
We cannot commend either of the comparatively ambitious works contributed by the President, Mr. Lauder. "Meg Merrilies and the Dying Smuggler" is poorly because theatrically conceived ; and the "Death of Arthur, Duke of Bretagne," though more impressive at the first glance, is very deficient in the energy and passion of the Shaksperian scene. "Highlanders Secreting Arms—Scene on the Span Braes, Lochabcr," is interesting as being from the hand of the late Mr. Man; and savours of his manly straightforward quality, albeit slight in realization. Of the contributions of Mr. Marks, in that humorous though somewhat hard and coarse style of sixteenth and seventeenth century low comedy with which his name is identified, the best is the "Puritan Barracks —a Roundhead soldier smoking his pipe within the churchwalls. The " Divioing-Peel " of Mr. Sinallfield, very carefully and completely studied, is a step forward beyond any of his previous works ; and Mr. Roesiter has advanced very greatly in life, ease, and manliness. Two portraits by Mr. Couzens—a telling likeness of the late Mr. Gilbert A'Beckett, and a full length of a lady in black—are honourable for the purpose of dignified grandeur in character and style ; the model of this artist being evidently the noble portraits of Mr. G. F. Watts. The most striking feature of the exhibition, however, is in the landscape department—the "Salmon Trap, Evening," of Mr. Oakes, with its yellow-tinged water pouring through the weir and the horizontal lines of mist among the hills. This artist, whose remaining pictures also are full of grace and knowledge, is making for himself a most distinguished place among our landscape-painters. Truth and care are displayed by Mr. H. Moore ; ability of a superior order by Mr. Pettitt; some genuine imaginative daring by Mr. Bond; and rough-and-ready observation and dash by Mr. A. Fraser. Mr. Peel's "Coast Scene, Isle of Arran," far transcends the wonted produce of his graceful and facile pencil : indeed, the foreground and all the terra firma *here are exquisite. Another very charming picture, full of sweet simple feeling and valuable work, is "the Herd-Girl, Isle of Arran," by Mr. B. Leader. We shall look for this name another year, secure of progressive excellence. "The merry, merry month of May," is among the choice works of Mr. Raven : the sky, with its tossing white clouds, admirable for depth and openness, and all very airy and sunshiny. Even here, however, the artist's vicious uniformity of liquid surface mars the general impression ; and his other works, never dull, push the same blemish to excess, and have far too much the look of tours de force. This artist will have only himself to blame if he sinks into mannerism and fallacy.
The goats of Mr. Willis are well drawn ; and the still life of Mr. Pinlaison, Mr. Burcham, and "M. A. P.," is of uncommon excellence—the first (No. 155) splendid in its notion of colour, and quite belonging to the high art of its class, in virtue of the solid though somewhat neglectful breadth of its handling.
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