the glass circulated imperceptibly, every thing was conducted with perfect ease, so that all the guests felt as if they were at home. When engaged in his painting-room he had the pleasure of seeing and conversing with the most beautiful, accomplished, and illustrious characters of his time; and when not professionally employed, his hours were generally spent in the most enlightened society that England afforded. Thus his mind was constantly invigorated, his manners were uniformly polished, and his conversation was always agreeable. He was a sagacious observer of character, and took a great delight in marking the dawning of juvenile genius, as well as the graceful actions of young persons. To London Sir Joshua was as much attached as his friend Johnson; and though he had a country-house on Richmond Hill, his visits there were only occasional and of short duration. To young artists he was always accessible, gave them the best counsel, encouraged them by his praises, and not only gave them free admission to his gallery, but leave also to take from thence such pictures and drawings as might be of service to them in their studies. The annual exhibitions engaged much of his attention; and indeed he always looked to them with some degree of eagerness, because he considered them as presenting the present criterion by which to form a due estimate of the progressive state of the arts. In his person, Sir Joshua Reynolds was rather under the middle size, of a florid complexion, and a pleasing cheerful aspect, well made, and exceedingly active. The portraits of him are numerous, and several of them were of his own painting, at different periods of his life. The last which he executed was in 1788, with spectacles, and it is a very exact resemblance of what he was in domestic life. At the Royal Academy is one with his cap and gown, as doctor of the civil law; and in this picture he has very appropriately introduced the bust of Michel Angelo, of whose works he was so great an admirer as to make it his last recommendation to the students to apply to them with unceasing diligence. Numerous engravings have been made from the portraits of Sir Joshua, by Valentine Green, J. Collier, James Watson, Caroline Watson, Charles Townley, J. K. Sherwin, Richard Earlom, Thomas Holloway, and other artists of reputation. In the summer of 1805 was established the British Institution, by the exertions of that genuine patriot, the late Sir Thomas Bernard; whose object was the encouragement of native art, by enabling its professors to exhibit and dispose of their works to the best advantage. The plan met with the approbation of the late King, who declared himself the patron of the institution, and his present Majesty became its president. The first exhibition took place on the 18th of January, 1806; and it is pleasing to record that the establishment has gone on in a flourishing state ever since. To give it additional splendour, by showing at one view what had been accomplished by the great founder of the British School of Painting, the directors, after the lapse of a few years, resolved to have an exhibition consisting entirely of the works of Sir Joshua Reynolds. Accordingly a number of his choicest productions, to the amount of one hundred and forty-two, were voluntarily communicated by their royal and noble possessors, to adorn that which had been the Shakspeare Gallery, in Pall Mall, which was exclusively set apart for this purpose. Previous, however, to the opening of this spectacle to the public, a grand dinner was given on Saturday, May 8, 1813, at Willis's rooms, where the Prince Regent sat as president, and the Marquis of Stafford as vice-president. After dinner, the memory of Sir Joshua Reynolds was drank with the most rapturous expressions of sentimental feeling; and the presence of the bust of the great artist behind the royal chairman seemed, as it were, to inspire the assembly with enthusiastic animation. At about halfpast nine the Prince was conducted by the Marquis of Stafford to the gallery, which was brilliantly illuminated on the occasion. Here the constellation of paintings, all emanating from one hand, which shone on the walls, gave an illustrious proof of the triumphant progress of art in this country; nor could there be a more magnificent tribute paid to him by whom that high elevation had been achieved, than what was displayed on this interesting occasion, when all that was beautiful, noble, and royal, met to present the votive offering of admiration at the shrine of genius. It was a scene, in short, to remind the enraptured beholder of that age of heroism and science, when men travelled from the remotest parts to Olympia, to contemplate the immortal works of Phidias ; every Greek deeming it a misfortune if death should overtake him before he had the felicity of feasting his eyes with a sight of those unparalleled wonders of human art.* The catalogue of the paintings of Sir Joshua Reynolds would be too long for this biographical sketch, and therefore, instead of it, we shall conclude with a poetical enumeration of the principal productions of his animated pencil, as given by Mr. Sotheby in his elegant epistle to Sir George Beaumont. "Hail! guide and glory of the British school, *Arrian in Epictetus,whose words are, aλX'eis OXvμπiav μεν αποθειτε εν' είδητε το έργον του Φειδίου, κ. τ. λ. Edit. Cant. 1655. Here, where the public gaze a Siddons views, Pour'd the wild scenes that daring Shakspeare drew; Whether, where terror crowns Jove's infant brow, (9) ་ Or in yon babe, (10) th' Herculean strength upholds |