AMERICAN ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS, BARCLAY STREET. We have been from the beginning warm advocates and admirers of this institution, and have ever lent an unwilling ear to the complaints of various kinds which have been more than whispered, concerning abuses which, as it has been alleged, have alienated many of the most promising artists of our city, and brought about the necessity of a second exhibibition. We have, it is true, always avoided the expression of opinions concerning the causes of this alienation, but of its effects we neither have heretofore, nor will hereafter, fail to speak freely, and if needs may be, severely. The fact is simply this, that there are not enough good painters in this city to furnish forth even one annual exhibition, without admitting some pictures utterly unworthy of notice, what must then be the case when two are bolstered up at one and the same time? What, but that, as is now the case, the walls of each are decorated with some eight or ten pictures of rare merit, but scattered, like angel's visits, few and far between, while the interstices are thickly set with specimens which it is equally insulting to the public and injurious to the youthful artist to see exhibited. Much, however, as this is to be reprehended, it is perhaps even more injurious to the progress of the arts in our country, that works of real merit should be excluded from any exhibition at all owing to any event how unforeseen soever;· and, indeed, we can scarcely conceive the possibility of any event occurring which could justify the entire setting aside of a display of pictures already announced and advertised. We know that many artists who have been in the habit of exhibiting in the rooms of the American Academy had actually sent down their pictures, on the understanding that, although postponed for a time, the annual shew would still take place; it is now announced to them that the directors have resolved VOL. III.

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to apply their rooms otherwise during the present season, and these meritorious painters, who, it must be recollected, look to the exhibitions as their great mart, are forced to lay by their paintings, deprived of any chance of finding purchasers, and of course complain bitterly that they were amused until it was too late to enter their works in the National Academy, and that they are thus disappointed in toto of the hard earned harvest of a year. As we have said above, we feel a warm interest in the American Academy, and we consider it an act of more true friendship to point out to them their error, than to suffer them to continue ignorant of the murmurs which are rife on all sides. It is very probable that the dust and rubbish of Mr. Astor's improvements might have deterred many visitors from going to the rooms, but no amateurs would have been delayed by so trivial an obstruction; and at all events if the rooms had been utterly unvisited, artists would have had no ground for discontent, and the public would have been unable to hint, as it now does, that the American Academy has acted the part of the dog in the manger, in that although unable to exhibit itself, it has prevented the sister, or, we fear we should say, the rival institution from profiting by its accidental and temporary inability. We hope that the directors may not experience a further secession on the ensuing year, but we warn them that we have heard more than one of their brightest ornaments express their resolution of sending their pictures hereafter to rooms in which they will have a chance, at least, of being visited.

Justly incensed, however, as the public are, we trust that they will not suffer their resentment to proceed to such a length as to hinder them from seeking gratification in the sight of the exquisite treat offered to the public in the masterly paintings of the CAVALIER GIOVANNI PAOLO PANINI. They are undoubted origi

nals, of exquisite beauty, and well worth not one, but many visits from all those to whom fine paintings are a source of pleasure. We have no hesitation in saying that the equals of these superb views and compositions have never been displayed to the conoscenti of our new hemisphere; and if, in addition to the mere beauty of these four pictures as works of art, be added the intense interest, the almost hallowed recollections which attach to the monuments of Rome, we may affirm this exhibition to be more worthy of universal approbation and applause, than any which has heretofore, or probably will again, in many years, grace our city.

As a painter of architectural perspective, Panini has scarcely a rival, and if to this be added the richness and warmth of his coloring,-for, notwithstanding that some critics have objected to the prevalence of a reddish hue in his shadows, we perceive much to be admired in this respect, and the clever figures, char acteristic costumes, and beautiful skies, which adorn his pieces, we conceive him to be equalled by few, and surpassed by absolutely none.

The pictures are four in number, and all of great, though by no means equal, merit. The first, a magnificent gallery, adorned with paintings of all the finest buildings of ancient Rome, is, in our opinion by far the best in composition, and at the same time most interesting. It consists of a vast rectangular apartment, with a long vista of arches retiring into distance from the centre, the side walls and flat portions of the back-ground entirely covered with gems of various sizes and aspects. To enumerate even the subjects of all these would carry us entirely beyond our limits; and yet, to constitute a fair and full review of the whole piece, each one of them should be regarded as a separate and finished painting; and, indeed, so exquisite are they, not in drawing only, but in chiaro scuro, coloring, and all that makes a picture, that any one of them accurately copied, but of a more important size, would be in truth a gem worthy a royal gallery. The relief of the masterly group of vases, statues, &c., in the right hand corner of the picture is superb, no less than the play of the shadows on the walls in the left hand portion. The only fault of the picture is the unnatural and gigantic height of the groups or single statues copied from the antique-the fawn fondling the child, and the fighting gladiator, in the centre of the recess, are equally objectionable on this point, the former figure presenting an appearance of actual emaciation from want of

breadth corresponding to the length of the limbs.

The second picture, an external view of St. Peter's Church, taken from the entrance of the grand piazza, with the two waterfalls and the circular colonades in beautiful perspective, is perhaps, at first sight, the least admirable of the collection. The general hue of the buildings and of the arena is decidedly and unpleasantly red, and it is not till the eye has become familiarized with this defect, that we can discern the exquisite architectural and aerial perspective, the loveliness of the sky, and the masterly grouping no less than the minute finish of the papal procession.

Number three, the interior of St. Peter's, is a sublime painting of an interior so vast, that it is with difficulty that we realize to our imagination its full extent. There is an effect of light streaming downward through the left hand aisle and crossing the pavement of the chancel, that is absolutely magical; but in most respects, we consider this painting inferior to all the others. In our humble opinion the perspective is somewhat faulty, the second rib of the vaulted roof appearing out of the true curve. The bronze baldichino or covering of the high altar, in the extreme distance, is too conspicuous an object, and from advancing too near to the eye of the spectator, diminishes the length of the central aisle and partially does away with the sense of vastness which the artist has so much labored to produce.

The fourth of the modern buildings, monuments, and beauties of Rome, is again a gorgeous picture, equal in its details and minutia to any of the foregoing, yet by no means equal in chiaro scuro or in general effect.

In conclusion we have only to say, that we believe it impossible to become fully sensible of the merits of these wonderful paintings in a single visit, and to announce our intention to the public of following up this brief summary of the four pictures, by a fuller and more satisfactory examination of each one in our succeeding numbers; en attendant, we earnestly recommend our friends to lose no time in visiting this exquisite collection.

THE CARTOONS OF RAFFAELLEBRUSSELS TAPESTRY. An exhibition more wonderful, perhaps, even if it be less pleasing than the last, is to be found in the celebrated tapestries wrought for that celebrated prelate, Leo X., which, after so many strange vicissitudes, and transfers from dynasty to dynasty, have

come at length to meet the gaze of us, poor transatlantic republicans.

The subjects of these four wonderful works of the loom are as follows:Christ delivering the keys to St. Peter -Paul preaching at Athens-St. Peter curing the cripple at the beautiful gate -and the death of Annanias and Sapphira. The paintings from which these are so minutely copied have been for ages, and still are, the wonder and admiration of the world; but those who go to look upon these tapestries, with the expectation of forming by their means any estimate of the Cartoons themselves, will be grievously disappointed; the colors being faded to such a degree, that not only is the air tone utterly destroyed, but in many places the middle tints have become the more powerful, and thus the effect is lost.

Still, as labors of the loom, none of their beauty is affected; or, if affected, so slightly, that the mind reverts easily from what they now are, to what they must once have been, and the pleasure of beholding them is perhaps even enhanced by the sort of veneration which we feel for the age of these celebrated tapestries.

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NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY DISTINGUISHED AMERICANS. No. XII. Since the appearance of our last number, the twelfth livraison of this excellent publication has been issued, completing the volume, and containing subjects not only of the highest beauty, but of interest to the citizen of the United States, that can never diminish, much less pass away. A medallion head of Washington on the title-page, a portrait of the hero by Trumbull while in his mid career of glory, another by Stuart of the President, and a small oval miniature of Mrs. Martha Washington, render the present number among the best of the collection. We trust that the forthcoming volumes may equal those already published in attractions, and unless we have been misinformed as to the amount of patronage already extended to this work, the proprietors will find it their interest to maintain the high character their publication has already gained. In the mean time, we would recommend to their attention the question, whether enough of the illustrious dead might not be found, wherewith to fill their pages, without having recourse as yet to living characters; some portraits having already found their way into the collection, of persons whose claims to distinction are at best very questionable, and the literary notices of whom, thus issued during the life and under the eyes, as it were, of the sub

jects, can amount to nothing beyond mere panegyric.

HARPERS' FAMILY LIBRARY-HISTORY OF PERSIA. We have here another of this excellent series, and one, we doubt not, of equal if not superior merit to any that have as yet appeared. We have not, in truth, found time for its perusal, but, contrary to our usual practice, we have no hesitation in recommending it warmly to every class of readers. It is the work of Frazer, the able author of many Persian romances. The Kuzzilbash, the Persian Adventurer-the Khan's Tale-which last is, by the way, the only volume of the Library of Romance worth reading-and sundry other tales, which evince, in no small degree, his fitness for the task he has here undertaken. A full acquaintance with the manners, peculiarities, country, and language of the people whose history he is engaged in writing, cannot but be powerful auxiliaries to every historian; and when to these is added a rich stock of anecdote, an easy and graphic style, both of which we know Mr. Frazer to possess, and a spirit of inquiry and research, without which no compiler can succeed a writer can hardly fail in contributing much, not to the entertainment only, but to the instruction of his fellows.

TALES AND SKETCHES BY WM. L. STONE-Harper & Brothers, Cliff st. We are in the first instance somewhat disinclined to collections. The interest is so frittered away into a number of minute atoms, and the thread is so continually broken, that we rarely attempt to read compilations of this nature. We have been tempted to do so in the present instance by the reputation which Mr. Stone has acquired as a tale writer, and we cannot deny that we have been wofully disappointed. Some of the tales are far-fetched, affectedly quaint, and therefore beyond the pale of our sympathies, as "The Skeleton Hand," "The Murdered Tinman," and "The Dead of the Wreck." Some are founded on powerful and striking events, as "The Romance of the Border," and "Lake St. Sacrament;" but exhibit such a want of skill in connecting these events with the fictitious tale, and in bringing out, by their means, the strong and conflicting passions which are ever the source of the highest interest in the romance, as to fail in producing their desired effect. Some, as that not a little affectedly entitled "Setting the Wheels in Motion," are a mere summary of occurrences which have actually taken place, neither of sufficient interest to deserve a recital at the

present day, nor told with sufficient spirit to ensure them a perusal. As a substitute for the journal des modes, or the petit courier des dames, the description of the perriots, poufs, creneaux, herrisons, &c., in which Mr. Stone luxuriates, may be serviceable to the milliners of our metropolis, if, as we have heard it hinted, the fashions of past days are already in vogue a Paris, and of course in progress towards the renowned city of Manhattan. In sober seriousness, we fear that Mr. Stone will have added little to his literary reputation by these "Tales and Sketches-such as they are."

THE ATLANTIC CLUB BOOK. 2 vols. 12mo. Being Sketches in Prose and Verse, by various Authors. Harper & Brothers, Cliff street. Otherwise, being a collection of articles published in the Mirror, a weekly journal of established character and very considerable merit. But why the deuce are they republished? They are not worth it collectively, and those few, which are worth it, are so mixed up and obscured by the trash, that they stand a great chance of never emerging. By far the greater proportion of these papers, although lively, pleasing enough, and well written, are of that light and ephemeral description, which, though well enough calculated for the pages of a weekly, are not of a nature to lure the wandering eye through the mazes of some 600 pages of closely printed letter press. Some of the tales are very good. "The Main Truck, or a Leap for Life," by Wm. Leggett, is a clever and graphic recital of an event of thrilling interest. Bryant's "Song of Marion's Men" has come before us in so many forms already, that, beautiful as it is, we can perceive no propriety in its introduction here. Sanford's Sketch of Pot-pie Palmer is excellent-racy, terse, full of point and character. We are acquainted with no more successful writer in a humorous vein. Some of the papers, on the other hand, are puerile to a degree. The Lament, by the accomplished Mrs. Butler, nee Frances Anne Kemble, our gallantry and high admiration for her glorious talents in another department, will not suffer us to except. If young ladies will become poetesses, they lay by the privilege of sex, and must receive their due measure of harsh or gentle criticism, even as they deserve it. A more perfect specimen of sentimentality as opposed to sentiment, of mock feeling, and of the bathos, we have never witnessed. But we are in truth wasting more time and ink on the work than it merits. It is but a catch-penny, after all, and as such

must stand or fall by its own deserts alone.

THE PRINCIPLES OF PHYSIOLOGY, applied to the preservation of health, and to the improvement of physical and mental education. By ANDREW COMBE, M. D., Edinburgh. No. 71 of Harper's Family Library. Among all the really valuable works made accessible to the people of the United States, by their introduction in the popular Family Library-a series, we may observe, en passant, which has already wrought, and is still working, incalculable benefit, and whose general diffusion is at once a means and an evidence of high moral and intellectual improvement-we feel strongly tempted to assign the first place to this production of Dr. Combe. It is not, indeed, as a specimen of literary elegance, or talent, or for the mere interest created by its perusal, that we name it for this honor. In the first of these merits, although any thing but deficient, it cannot, perhaps, be held superior to Abercrombie's treatise on the Intellectual Powers, or Milman's History of the Jews; nor yet, in the second, to Lander's Travels in Africa, and Lockhart's Life of Napoleon. But with talent and interest, it combines in a remarkable degree, practical utility, and that kind of information, given and illustrated plainly and familiarly, which makes it invaluable, and worthy to be considered as a family oracle. The writer is a brother of that Dr. Combe of Edinburgh, who has been for many years known in the ranks of authorship as one of the most zealous, able, and persevering advocates and expounders of Spurzheim's system of phrenology; and was himself one of the earliest converts. These two gentlemen, in the prosecution of their phrenological studies, have devoted years of intense and unremitting labor to the accumulation of facts, and the investigation of principles, connected with the true nature, powers, and attributes, of the human mind and body; recently, they have begun to make known the results of their inquiries and experiments; and there is high and well-founded hope that the system they are developing, will prove the commencement of a revolution in moral and physical science. Already has the work of Dr. George Combe, on the Constitution of Man, been translated into three European languages, besides that in which it was written; and gone through a number of large editions in England, and three in the United States. It exhibits the same views of the moral and physical nature of human beings, that are to be found in