are so much at variance with ours, that we visit them with the same kind of sentiments that we go to an exhibition. As for the Greeks, it is not possible for any man bred in Christendom, far less one bred in Britain, to endure long their interested obsequiousness, their invidious strictures on each other, and their still more intolerable assumption of superiority over all the rest of mankind, under the most flagrant ignorance and credulity. The Sultan Sultan Mahmoud is universally allowed to possess an inflexible miud; and, though only about thirty years of age, to display as much practical talent and knowledge of mankind as bis counsellors. His complexion is pale, his eye thoughtful and penetrating, and his physiognomy iudicates a reserved nature; but there is a melancholy cast in the general expression of his countenance, that is interesting, and rather, I think, conciliating. LETTERS ON THE MANNERS, CUSTOMS, &c. OF DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. (Continued from Page 143.) LETTER IV.-HUNGARY. rously tried to save, when the soldier, proud of the good action he was about to perform, presented himself before the father and his daughter; he took the old man in his arms, and made a passage across the thick planks through the flaming thatch, which fell in showers from all parts; yet he succeeded in saving this re of the house before the fire had caught their dwelling; and fearful that the conflagration would spread, she hastened to a neighbour, to request of him to help her father to some place of security; but the progress of the fire was so rapid, that the wisest precautions of our female Eueas were rendered useless, and the house was on fire when she returned. The Count Solyet, who had ran out of his chateau, to succour his vassals, commanded that the old man should be taken to his mansion, which was only half a mile from the village; there be should be taken care of, at the Count's expence, till he was perfectly recovered: what he means to do with the girl, I know not; she is pretty, expresses herself well in the Hun AN event which is almost of a tragical nature, and of which I myself was a witness, prevented my writing to you by the last post from Retskemetch to Vienna: a fire broke out at Radoon, where I past the night with Count Jian, and with whom you are acquaint-spectable family. The daugh'er had gone out ed. It was at a time when the wind blew violently, so as to carry the flames to the very extremity of the unfortunate village. The inhabitants, who are, for the most part, Sclavonians, took the cattle quietly out of the stables, and threw the clumsy furniture which filled their houses in heaps into their gardens, calmly waiting till the thatch and timber work of their dwellings, their only combustibles, were consumed; when, on a sudden, the most piercing shrieks were heard from a cottage already half-burnt down, and a young girl, aged about eighteen years, well known in the village for her filial affection, and only cossulting that fine feeling of the soul, rushed forwards amidst the flames and smoke; for. tunately an huzzar of the Archduke Ferdi-garian language, and speaks German, with a nand's regiment, had the intrepidity to follow her; she embraced her father, tried to lift him on her shoulders, that she might endeavour to carry out this old man, who, two days before, had broken a leg: but, alas! the feeble efforts of the maiden could not enable her to lift up the precious burthen, and she was near being suffocated with him, whom she had so gene || very foreign accent, but with much grace: I would not wish her to take the attention of the inhabitants of the chateau for a tribute paid to her charms; for you know that the woman who finds much pleasure in being thought handsome, soon ceases to be virtuous, because virtue prevents her receiving continual homage to her beauty. As I am not the guardian of the honour of the Hungarian ladies, I shall now quit my interesting heroine, and leave her to her own principles, while I return to my barks and boats. As I told you in a preceding letter, noue of them are constructed in Hungary; it is not for want of constructors, but for want of wood, the lands in the neighbourhood of the Danube being entirely divested of it, and the countries of Saltzburg, Suabia, and Upper|| Austria furnish it abundantly; and it is less expence to the Hungariaus to purchase boats ready built, than to construct them on their own account; for oft n wood for th se constructions must be transported tải her from au immense distance. I ought to speak here of the horses employed at high tides, but I know your temper so well, that you would be quite rude if I did; and I should not indeed wonder to see you yawn at reading a passage sufficient to weary all our present elegant amateurs in horsemanship. (To be continued.) THE NEW SYSTEM OF BOTANY, WITH PRACTICAL ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE PHILOSOPHY OF FLORA, &c. &c. &c. "From the moist meadow to the wither'd hill, WHAT heart endued with feeling has ever | witnessed the scene so sweetly described by the poet of the Seasons, without swelling with gratitude to the benevolent Author of all Good! And what heart endowed with feeling can witness this verdaut revivification of nature without adverting to those who, in the lap of friendship, or on the bosom of love, once revelled in all those innocent delights, now gone, alas! no more to enjoy the enlivening vernal breeze ter has been remarkably mild having been known to flower in January, but generally in the succeeding menth, on which account some love-sick swains have designated them by the appellation of "Fair Maids of February." It is, indeed, justly valued for its early appearance, often peeping out from under the apparently cold, yet genial bed of snow which protects it from the wintry nipping blast, as genial sighs may sometimes escape from the coldest bosoms, in order to cheer the shiver “For when shall spring visit the night of the ing admirer with some faint hope of vernal grave!" Yet even he who "clasps the cold urn of her whom once he loved," may, in the contemplation of the opening beauties of the returning year, find a symbol of her virgin excellence, for now "Along these blushing borders bright with dew, “And in yon mingled wilderness of flowers, "Fair-handed spring unbosoms every grace ; "Throws out the snow drop, and the crocus first "From the soft wing of vernal breezes shed." Nothing then can be more appropriate for the season than the SNOW DROP, love! It is, however, a flower in succession, and may therefore be contemplated on even the first of May; but then the single sert always come out first, and though their stalks are short and their flow rets small, yet peeping out in social bunches from their un potted canopy, they excite the most pleasing ideas, and prompt to some pretty sentimental reflectious, of which he, who would win the fair snow dr p of his affection, ought to be able to avail himself. It is remarkable that cur Avonian bard has not a single allusion to this flower. The Botanico poetico Darwin, however, has harmo the first humble floweret that appears afternized its classification in the most melliflucpt the winter solstice; sometimes when the win strains "Warm with sweet blushes bright Galanthus seems to be the meadows, though it is now glows, "And prints with frolic step the melting snows; "O'er silent floods, white hills, and glittering meids, "Six rival swains the playful beauty leads, "Chides with her duicet voice the tardy spring, "Bids slumbering Zephyr stretch his folded wing, [cave, "Wakes the hoarse cuckoo in his gloomy And calls the wondering dormouse from his grave, [grove, "Bids the meek redbreast cheer the budding "And plaintive ringdove tune her notes to luve." To descend, however, from the stilts of poetry, we may say in plain botanic prose, that this flower has its naine of Galanthus from the Greek, gala signifying milk, and anthe a flower; its modern appellation requires no comment. It is classed as HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA, and is of the natural order of Spathacea. In generic character, the calyx has an oblong spathe, obtuse, compressed, and withering; the corolla has only three petals, these are oblong and obtuse like the spathe; are equal in size, concave, and patulous. It has a cylindric nectary, three leafed, and half the length of the petals; whilst the leaflets are petal shaped, emarginate, obtuse, and parallel. The filamen's of the stamen are short and capillary; whilst the convergent anthers are acuminate, oblong, and ending in a bristle. The pistil has a globular germ; the style is filiform and longer than the stamens, and the stigma is simple. There is an oval, globular, and obtusely three sided capsule for the pericarp; it is also three celled, and three valved; and the seeds are several and globular. In essential character, the peta's are concave, and three in number, whilst the nectary consists of three small emarginate petals, and the stigma simple. The species of which we now generally speak, is the galanthus nivalis, or common snow drop, wh ch is bulb coated and truncated, has leaves yellowish at the base, and sometimes possesses varieties with double flowers. It is generally considered as a native of Switzerland and Austria, as well as of England, in all which places its favourite situation common with us in orchards, where, however, of former cultivation. modern botanists suppose it to be the remains In delineating its various babitats in this country, moderu botanists also mention it as being plentiful at the foot of the Malvern hills, in places where no traces of buildings or babitations have ever been met with; and also about Cirencester, in Gloucestershire; yet potwithstanding this they seem to consider this aud several other bulbous rooted plants as not being originally indigenous. If this is the case, it is now completely na turalized with us, so as to thrive in all situa tions, particularly under trees and hedges, when cultivated for ornamental purposes; and it may be considered as one of the simplest and readiest flowers for adorning our woodwalks, or the borders in wildernesses, as its roots will multiply most rapidly and extensively, if suffered to remain undisturbed. There are four other varieties, not ranked indeed as Galanthus, but as Leucoiun. The first of these is the great spring snow drop, which has an oblong bulb, and shaped like the daffodil, though smaller. Its deep green leaves are fiat, and much larger than those of the common snow drop. By its having no three leaved nectary, it may be easily distinguished from the common sort; but though some of the gardeners of the present day call it the spring snow flake, as a distinction, yet by Parkinson, in whose time (1596) it was introduced here from Italy, it is called the early flowering violet. This flowers in March; but the admirers of Flora in her simplest state, may have a regular succession, for after this comes the summer snow drop, a native of Austria and the northern parts of Italy. It is said, however, that it has been found wild on the backs of the Thames, amongst other aquatic plants, growing more luxuriantly even in this state of nature, than when introduced into the flower-knots of the florist, where it seldom has sufficient moisture. The autumnal species was not introduced here until the middle of the last century, but is very common in Portugal and Spain; and with us it flowers in September. The Leucoium Strumosum, is a native of the southern districts "And waste its sweetness in the desart air." The earliest companion of this delicate little Bower is THE CROCUS, supposed, in the classic mythology of Italy, to have undergone a change from the human to the floral form. Ovid, in his fourth book, makes Alcithoe say, whilst repeating her tale to her sisters,— "Crocus and Smylax may be turn'd to flowers, "I pass a hundred legends stale as these, It is not, indeed, surprising that with a genius so fanciful as the Greeks and Romans possessed, this simple yet beautiful flower should have been adopted as the subject of an allegoric or mythological tale, when we consider the elegant varieties which it presents to the eye of taste. With us it is said not to be indigenous, yet it will blow in a mild January and last sometimes to April; nay, we have even seen the autumnal crocus, which, however, can only be produced here by artificial cultivation, as it does not fructify in our climate. The stamen has three subulate filamen's, shorter than the corolla, and the anthers are sagittate. The pistil has an inferior roundish germ; the style is filiform, the length of the stamens; and the three stigmas are convolute. The pericarp possesses a roundish, three valved, celled, and lobed capsule; and the seeds are several, and round. The essential character consists in having a six parted corolla, with convolute stigmas. There are two species of this flower; the first is the crocus officinalis, or saffron of commerce; but the second, which is the object of our present inquiry, is the common, or spring crocus, and has no less than twenty-seven varieties known to our floral botanists, to which we must add a variety of new ones which have long been imported from Holland, dignified by high-sounding French or Dutch ap pellations. The most beautiful varieties, however, with us, and those most cultivated, are the Scotch, the blue, yellow, cloth of gold, &c.; but there are some charming varieties which Haller describes as being wild in Switzerland; these are white, with a purple base. Jacquin also describes a beautiful Austrian species as being purple with white; whilst in the mountains of Glarus it has been found wild, with a yellow flower, by Gesner. Though we are told that with us it is not indigenous, yet it is difficult to suppose that, when we consider its having been often seen in a wild state, not only about Battersea, in the London neighbourhood, but even in the meadows about Nottingham, where we can scarcely suppose it to have found its way if it had not been a native of this country. This is, indeed, now a matter of little consequence, except as a curious point of botanical chrono This flower has preserved its ancient name better than many others. In the days of Theophrastus it was called krokos, the derivation of which, however, has caused much ink to be wasted by the critics and commentators; some supposing it might originate from kroke a thread, others from Coriscus, a city in Cilicia. Its class is TRIANDRIA MONOGY-logy; and as we do not pretend to be conNIA, and its natural order Ensete. In generic character the calyx has a one leafed spathe; the tube of the corolla is simple and long, the border six parted, erect, the divisions being ablate, oblong, and unequal. jurors, we shall leave it for the investigation of those who, from the very critical nicety of their researches, seem to wish to know every thing, whilst they enjoy nothing. FINE ARTS. Illustrations of the Graphic Art; EXEMPLIFIED BY SKETCHES FROM THE NATIONAL MUSEUM AT PARIS. ENEAS DEPOSISTING ANCHISES ON THE BEACH. THIS, without doubt, says the French critic, and perhaps very justly, is one of the finest subjects for historical painting; but it is much to be regretted that in the present instance it has not been executed as one might have expected from the pencil of Van Dyk, nor as Van Dyk himself had a right to hope to perform such a task. to him her child, is very defective; she is too short and fat. We perceive in the secondary figures, women who offer their children to men who are embarking; but this is an historical error, for Encas did not find vessels on the beach where he fled for refuge; and he says himself, whil t recounting his adventures to Dido at Carthage, that he cut down the trees of Moust Ida, in order to build some small vessels. In fine, the whole of this extended compo It appears, indeed, that when this picture was on his easel, he was studying the Venetiansition, is but a small part of the subject; for School, in which he had so far succeeded, that this very picture has been supposed to be a Titian! Who could wish for a finer stretch of canvas, than he who had to cover it with the smoking ruins of Troy in the distance! A long file of fugitives arriving at the beach, are in part seated upon the sand; around are the wrecks of their property, disorder, tumult, affright, women pale and trembling, children surprised at the scene, and the aged in consternation. Poussin would have bere found room for ten groupes like those at the fall of manna in the wilderness. It must be conf ssed even that the principal groupe, that of Eneas and his father, is not what the subject promises; the whole weight of the body of the old man seems left to the care of a young attendant, whose softness of complexion bespeaks him unfit for the office; and Eneas covered with a lion's hide would have recalled the idea of Hercules, if the forms had corresponded with the costume. The groupe of a wounded warrior, dying in the arms of his wife, is indeed the embodying of a grand idea, and its execution is equal to the intention. That of the crowd which says to Eneas, "be our Chief," is well imagined; but the drawing of the woman, who presents in fact, it was impossible to tell the whole story in its various details, with the aid of only twenty figures; and besides all this, the form of the vessels is not antique, for the ancients had no idea of topmas:s, nor of rigging topsail, or topgallant-yards aloft. CHARLES 1. ELECTOR PALATINE, AND HIS BROTHER ROBERT. Here we see two young noblemen, with a noble expression, with the manners of a Germanic court, even their being of a sovereign race strongly marked, hands very delicate, warlike habits, but not the military air, com. plexions fresh and unexposed, which seem to have been too carefully guarded in the shade of a palace, and fine skins which have not yet felt the effects of the sun-beams. We must not blame the painter for not giv ing character where there was none to copy; but then the various shades of the armour are painted to a nicety ; the details of the hair are adjusted to a scruple, yet freely treated, and in every part shewing the band of a master of the art; for one can only perceive that having here to paint men of their high rank, his pencil has been a little less independent than usual in the execution. |