This gallery I once flattered myself with being able to have left to that generous public, who have for so long a period encouraged my undertakings; but unfortunately for those connected with the fine arts, a Vandalic revolution has arisen, which, in convulsing all Europe, has entirely extinguished, except in this happy island, all those who had the taste or the power to promote those arts; while the tyrant that at present governs France, tells that believing and besotted nation, that in the midst of all his robbery and rapine, he is a great patron and promoter of the fine arts; just as if those arts that humanize and polish mankind could be promoted by such means and by such a man. You will excuse, my dear Sir, I am sure, some warmth in an old man on this subject, when I inform you, that this unhappy revolution has cut up by the roots that revenue from the Continent which enabled me to undertake such considerable works in this country. At the same time, as I am laying my case fairly before you, it should not be disguised that my natural enthusiasm for promoting the fine arts (perhaps buoyed up by success), made me improvident. For had I laid by but ten pounds out of every hundred pounds my plates produced, I should not now have had occasion to trouble my friends, or appeal to the public; but, on the contrary, I flew with impatience to employ some new artist with the whole gains of my former undertakings. I see too late my error; for I have thereby decreased my ready money, and increased my stock of copper-plates to such a size, that all the printsellers in Europe could not purchase it, especially at these times so unfavourable to the arts. Having thus candidly

owned my error, I have but one word to say in extenuation. My receipts from abroad had been so large, and continued so regular, that I at all times found them fully ade quate to support my undertakings at home-I could not calculate on the present crisis, which has totally annihilated them-I certainly calcu lated on some defalcation of these receipts, by a French or Spanish war, or both; but with France or Spain I carried on but little commerce-Flanders, Holland, and Germany, who, no doubt, supplied the rest of Europe, were the great marts; but alas! they are now no more. The convulsion that has disjointed and ruined the whole Continent, I did not foresee-I know no man that did. On that head, therefore, though it has nearly ruined me and mine, I can take but little blame to myself. In this state of things, I throw myself with confidence upon that public, who has always been but too partial to my poor endeavours, for the disposal of that which, in happier days, I flattered myself to have presented to them. I know. of no means by which that can be effected just now but by a lottery; and if the legislature will have the goodness to grant a permission for that purpose, they will at least have the assurance of the even tenour of a long life, that it will be fairly and honourably conducted. The objects of it are my pictures, galleries, drawings, &c. &c. which, unconnected with my copper-plates and trade, are much more than sufficient to pay, if properly disposed of, all I owe in the world. I hope you, my dear Sir, and every honest man, at any age, will feel for my anxiety to discharge my debts, but at my advanced age of 85, I feel it becomes doubly desirable. I am, dear Sir,

with

with great regard, your obedient and obliged servant, JOHN BOYDELL.

*

6th. The court of king's bench came to a decision in the case of the king v. Dowley, in which was involved the question "Whether a volunteer had a right to resign or not?" when Lord Ellenborough stated it as the opinion of the court, that such right did exist; and that the conviction of Mr. Dowley could not be sustained, and ought to be quashed.

7th. Mr. John Pauley put a period to his existence, by nearly severing his head from his body at a barber's shop, Charles-street, Portman-square, whither he went on pretence of getting himself shaved. The barber's wife being the only person at home, the deceased got possession of a razor, and effected his purpose. Coroner's verdict Lunacy.

11th. The sun was this day visibly eclipsed. The following were the particulars for London:

das, of Richmond, during the whole day. At 12 o'clock the following bulletin was issued, and shewn to the nobility and gentry who came to enquire after his majesty's health: Feb. 14, 1804.

"His majesty is much indisposed to-day."

A coroner's inquest was held on the body of Mr. Lacey, attorney, of Bread-Street-Hill, who, the preceding evening, cut his throat with a razor in a dreadful manner. By the evidence it appeared that the fact was committed during a paroxysm of the gout in the head, with which the deceased was severely afflicted. Verdict-Lunacy.

An ewe, belonging to Mr. Thomas Evans, jun. of Eastington, Gloucestershire, ycaned 6 lambs, all of which appear healthy and are likely to live. When dropped, they were nearly as large as lambs usually are at their yeaning.

15th. The bulletin of the king's health was couched in the following

terms:

"His majesty is to-day much the Same as he was yesterday."

16th. This day Mr. Astlett + was put to the bar; and the judge, after recapitulating the counts of the indictment on which he was convicted, noticed the opinion of the twelve judges, the majority of whom had determined that the embezzlement of the bills by the prisoner had subjected him to the penalty ofthe act of the 15th Geo. II.; or, in other words, that he was guilty of felony as laid in the indictment.On the Monday following, the recorder passed sentence of death upon him.

The

The bulletin of the king's situation was as follows this day:

"No material alteration in his majesty since yesterday."

17th. At the recommendation of the cabinet ministers, two more physicians, namely, Sir Lucas Pepys and Doctor Reynolds, were this day called in to consult upon the king's situation: their united report was in these words:

His Majesty has had several hours sleep, and seems refreshed by it."

18th. Brigadier General Picton, late governor of the island of Trinidad, appeared before the lord chief justice, and gave bail, himself in 10001. and two sureties in 5001. each, to answer to an indictment upon which a bill was found the last day of term, by the grand jury of Middlesex, for the infliction of tortures on Louisa Calderon, a free Spanish girl, under fourteen years of age.

The bulletin of his majesty's health, signed by the four physicians, was this day as follows:

"His majesty is much the same as yesterday, and we do not apprehend him to be in danger."

From this date till the 26th, there was little variation in the daily statements, and the public solicitude about his majesty was excited to the greatest degree. The alarm experienced by all descriptions of persons on this sudden, violent, and calamitous indisposition, was commensurate with the high stake at issue. Every man conceived his individual interest implicated; every man sympathised in the sufferings, and dreaded the loss. of him who was to his subjects a father and a friend. On Sunday, the 26th, however, the bulletins assumed a tone of gradual amendment, and the followVOL. XLVI.

ing form of thanksgiving and prayer was offered up at the numerous chapels and churches of the metropolis, including the limits of the bills of mortality, upon the prospect of his majesty's speedy recovery from his dangerous illness:

"O Almighty God, we render unto thee our unfeigned thanks and praise, that thou hast vouchsafed to be merciful and gracious to this kingdom, in granting to thy servant, our sovereign, the hope and prospect of a speedy recovery from his dangerous sickness. Confirm and establish, we beseech thee, O Lord, the work which thou hast begun. Make the. light of thy countenance to shine upon him, and renew in him his perfect strength. Grant that he may long continue a nursing father to thy church, and thy minister for good to all his subjects; and that, in the present crisis, he may be thy blessed instrument of restoring peace to the distracted world. And when thou hast lengthened his days on earth, in the enjoyment both of domestic happiness, and of public peace and prosperity, crown him, O Lord, with everlasting glory in the life to come, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.Amen."

22d. Early in the present week, after having received the compliments of the different prisoners of the French republic, at Ashburn, on their parole, General Rochambeau (captured at St. Domingo) gave an elegant dinner at his lodgings, in the market-place: at which were present Generals Boyer and Puget, le Capitain de fregate Mandelat (taken early in the present war, off Martinique, by the Hon. Captain Paget, in the Endymion), and several other officers. This has been followed by

similar complimentary parties by the other generals, who frequently walk with their general en chef. Their appearance to a stranger is somewhat singular, being a half-military undress, consisting of blue ridingfrocks, military pantaloons, boots, spurs, round hats, and a band of tri coloured ribbon, and cockade of the same colour, of the size of a ha f-crown piece. Gen. Rochambeau has solicited to be indulged with a horse, fearing, by the deprivation of the accustomed exercise, to add to the injuries his health has already received by his fatigues and hard hips while in St. Domingo, which appear, if one may attach credence to his relation, to have been dreadful in the extreme. "Pessed almost to death by the effet of absolute famine, and after having, for some time, wretchedly appeased the wasting calls of hunger, by feeding on our horses, mules, asses, and even dogs, we had no way to escape the poniards of the enraged negroes, but by trusting our fate to the sea, on which we were taken by the English pirates." These are the captured general's words, the last of which seems to be a most ungracious term of acknowIgment to the brave commanders of those vessels, who, though as prisoners, bore him and his suite with full swelled sails from the fury of the most terrible and powerful of enemies!"

25th. This morning a fire broke out at Messrs. Wild and Barrington's, cheesemongers, Charing cross, in consequence, as is supposed, of a light having been left unextinguished in the shop. The flames communicated to the house of Mr. Thomas Butcher, which they also consumed. The houses of Mr. Four

drinier, Place, and Tapster's baths, were considerably damaged. A maid servant perished in the flames.

28th. The public mind was still farther assured in the probability of his majesty's convalescence by the bulletin of this day, which stated the opinion of the physicians in these words:

"We have the same favourable opinion of his majesty's progressive amendment as we had yesterday."

And by the declaration of the minister (Mr. Addington) in his place in the house of commons, that there is not at this time a necessary suspension of the exercise of the royal authority."

At Carlisle, some eminently valuable and curious Roman sacrificial vases have been discovered in Sewell'sLane, Scotch-Street, which, both from their rarity, and from the elegance of the workmanship, must be extremely precious in the eyes of the antiquary. The name that the vase is generally distinguished by is præfericulum, and it is understood to have been appropriated to holding the incense, &c. used in the sacrifice. Many of these have been brought from Greece and Sicily, and have been highly estimated by the curious, for the elegance of the workmanship, and the beauty of the relief in the ornaments. But the Grecian vessels are principally of fine clay, or bronze. These vases we are speaking of, we believe, are the first which have been discovered in Britain; and the sculpture of such a vessel but once appears among all the altars found in this country it is on a beautiful Roman altar, discovered at Ellenborough, which was removed to Flathall, at Whitehaven, and is now in the possession of Lord Viscount Lowther

"Genio loci, Fortunæ reduci, Roma Eterna, et Fato bono," &c. It is said to be the most curious Roman altar that ever was discovered in Britain, and it is particularly described both by Camden and Horsley, who go into a long train of conjectures respecting the instruments sculptured on its sides, which are the præfericulum, the patera, the axe, and the knife.-The metal which the vases in question are formed of, seems to be a composition of refined brass, capable of receiving a very high polish, and so flexible that it allowed the artificer to form them excessively thin. At the top and bottom of the vases it is evident that they have been turned and finished in a lathe. From there being no accompanying altar or inscription, we regret that we cannot suppose exactly the time of the empire when these sacred vessels have been used. The only guide is the elegant sculpture of the handles, which consists of four tiers of groupes of figures, in excellent workmanship, and all apparently illustrative of sacrifice. The uppermost seems to be two persons holding, or preparing, a cow or bullock for sacrifice; the next, a person taking hold of a hog for the same purpose; the third, a priest clothed in his robes, standing at an altar, holding something on it; the lower one, which is the most beautiful, is, on the one side, a man clothed in complete armour, holding a knife, as if going to sacrifice a sheep or a lamb, which another person below holds for that purpose; on the other side the priest stands, with another knife or sword, attending the ceremony. These vases are, from their extreme rarity, and from

much greater value than was at first set upon them.

DIED.-2d. At Wallace town, Ayr, Jane George, aged 110 years and 10 months. This woman was born at Edinburgh, never had any illness, retained her faculties to the last, and died without a struggle.

She attended the late Earl of Eglinton in his infancy, and has enjoyed a pension from that noble family ever since. In her 47th year she had a son, who is now in his 64th year.

11th. Mr. John Miller, of LaneEnd, Staffordshire, aged 106. He was attended by thirty friends to the grave, whose united ages amounted to 1296!

13th. At Kingston, at the advanced age of 109 years, George Gregory, supposed to be the last of the crew of the Centurion, which ship bore Lord Anson in his circum-navigation. He never knew a day's illness since he went to sea in 1714.