PICTURES AND ARTISTS.
FISHER'S Picturesque Illustrations of Great Britain and Ireland, is just that description of work which is calculated by its extreme cheap- ness to circulate most extensively, and by the excellence of its pictures to diffuse an improved taste for works of art among the community at large. It is published in numbers at one shilling, and in parts, contain- ing four numbers each, at four shillings ; each part containing two double plates, that is, ‘vith two views on each page, with accompanying letterpress. The counties of Devonshire and Cornwall are just com- pleted, and form a handsome quarto volume, being the third of the series; and the first past of the fourth, to contain Westmoreland, Cum- berland, Durham, and Northumberland, is now published. The views in this volume, and the principal part of those in the third, are by ALLOM, a young artist of great talent, whose skill as an architectural draughtsman, combined with taste and feeling in the delineation of pic- turesque scenery, well qualifies him to do justice to the variety of subjects he has to deal with. All the most remarkable objects, towers, castles, churches, mansions, &c., as well as points of beautiful scenery, are faithfully portrayed in a manner to satisfy the matter-of- fact man, and to please the lover of art. The engravings are of various degrees of merit ; sonic of them rising above the average standard of respectability, none falling below it ; while in most of them the general effect is preserved so as to convey the spirit of the original drawing.
The first part of Westmoreland, &c., contains several views of pecu- liar beauty and interest; the vignette in the titlepage, a view of Lang- dale Pikes, is of a grand character; one of Durham is also very fine ; there are likewise views of Howick Hall, the seat of Lord Grey, of Brougham Hall, the seat of the Lord Chancellor, and of Lambton Castle, the seat of Lord Durham. The topographical descriptions give completeness to the work, which may be regarded as the new and un- proved "Beauties of England."
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