a little soiled, by time perhaps; for in painting, the light stuffs always suffer by time, and lose some of their brightness. looks at a portrait, pays most attention to the eyes; for this he is too much in the habit of sacrificing all the other features to their effect, and in the same manner he sacrifices all the rest to the face, and that he effects by lower The hand, perhaps, is rather unfinished, it looks too much like a sketch. Yet this is not the effect of negligence, but is, in fact, evi-ing the tone of colouring. Yet all this he exedently intended to fix the attention more strongly on the principal figure, and to prevent the eye from dwelling too much on what is only introduced as a foil, or contrast. Van Dyk knew well that every one who cutes with such a degree of management, that the spectator feels its effect immediately, but is obliged to study some time before he can discover the cause. POETRY. ORIGINAL AND SELECT. UPON THE SUBJECT OF PRAISE. PRAISE is the summer of the mind, THE OAK AND THE REED. "TWAS thus the Oak address'd the ReedNature to you's unjust, For the least bird that skims the mead The zephyrs that scarce curl the wave, You would not then have had to mourn, But to the wat❜ry bound confined Harmless round you the storm has howl'd, When, as he spoke, fierce Boreas scowl'd, The Oak, the blast unbending bore, Then he, whose forehead boasting rose Ob! may I with my charming maid, There, of pre eminence afraid, FRIENDSHIP. BY THE LATE REV. C. J. SELWYN. FRIENDSHIP! peculiar boon of Heav'n, The noble mind's delight and pride; To men and angels only given, To all the lower world deny'd. While love, unknown among the blest, Parent of thousand wild desires, The savage and the human breast Torments alike with raging fires. * With bright, but oft destructive gleam, On fools and villains ne'er descend; And hugs a flatterer for a friend. Directress of the brave and just, O guide us through life's darksome way! And let the tortures of mistrust On selfish bosoms only prey. Unnoticed let us tread the downy lawn, To sylvan shades and love-inviting bow'rs; Not lips alone, but souls should seal the kiss, Aud mingling swell the tumult of our bliss! When youth meets youth, and heart its kin-Some merry jest, or tale of murder dire, Or troubled spirit, that disturbs the night; Pausing at times, to move the languid fire, Or taste the old October brown and bright. A LOVER'S TALE. I RISE betimes my love to meet, In vain I cast my eyes around, In vain I list to every sound, O! where shall I my Celia find, Yet see! she comes! to ease my pain AFRICA. FROM MR. MONTGOMERY'S POEMS. O, AFRICA! amidst thy children's woes, Did earth and Heaven conspire to aid thy foes? No, thou hadst vengeance-from thy Northern shores Sallied the lawless corsairs of the Moors, Or toil'd or perish'd on thy parching plains. But where thine offspring crouch'd beneath the yoke, In heavier peals the avenging thunder broke. Despairing captives hail'd them from the coasts; They rush'd to conquest, led by Charib ghosts! Tremble, Britannia! while thine islands tell The appaling mysteries of Obi's spell; When Gallia boasts of dread Marengo's fight, And Hoben inden's slaughter-deluged night, The demon-spectres of Domingo rise, God is a spirit, veil'd from humau sight Supreme in grace, and infinite in power :- and fire No. XXVIII. Vol. V-N.S. Midst reeling mountains, and disparted plains, Tell the pale world" The God of Vengeance reigns." Nor in the majesty of storm alone, The Eternal makes his fierce displeasure known: At his command the pestilence abhorr'd Spares the poor slave, and smites the haughty lord; While to the tomb he sees his friend consigned, Foreboding melancholy sinks his mind, They tear his vitals with convulsive pangs ; Tremendous pulses throb thro' every vein; bed, The sky in ruins rushes o'er his head; He rolls, he rages in consuming fires, Till nature spent, with agony expires. WINTER'S RETURN. ONCE more the year, in circling round, To hurl destruction o'er the plain. He strips the trees, strikes low the flow'r, And bids the babbling stream be still; He sends his snow in frozen show'r, And spreads the plain, the vale, the hill. Still those who love and friendship share, Heed not keen Winter's coldest minute. But ah! on those whose want appals, The sons of mis'ry, grief, and sorrow; Heavy on them bleak Winter falis For them no joy illumines the morrow! The child half cloth'd, and poorly fed, In anguish vents his piercing cries; Cries rais'd in vain, perchance, for bread, While tears bedim his infaut eyes. Oh! ye who wealth and pow'r possess, Who know no wants, who feels no dearth, Your superfluities would bless, And make the poor a heav'n on earth! F FASHIONS FOR FEBRUARY, 1812. EXPLANATION OF THE PRINTS OF FASHION. at the back. A narrow fur passes from the top of the sleeve, is brought down the side seams, and relieved by fastenings of black silk cordon; four loops with frogs ornament the shoulders and cuffs; plain standing up ' collar tied with cordon: a fine cashemire shawl, with brown ground, and richly varie dress, in which is united both comfort and elegance. A Swedish hat of the same materials as the pelisse, lined with straw colour, and fastened up one side; the crown trimmed with two rows of narrow spotted fur, and one still narrower at the edge of the hat; a bunch of the Christmas holly in front, and two tassels falling from the summit of the crown, of black, to answer the pelisse, which is worn over a white round dress, either of plain or corded cambric. Beaver gloves, and demi-broquins of scarlet Morocco, laced with black, and lined with fur, complete the dress. No. 1.-EVENING COSTUME. An amber crape dress over white sarsnet, trimmed with pearls or white beads, with a demi-train; a light short jacket, rather scanty, with two separate fancy folds, depending about three quarters down the front of the skirt, forming in appearance a kind of Sicilian tunic, and trimmed down each division, like the bot-gated border, is generally thrown over the tom of the dress, with a single row of pearls: || short sleeves, not very high above the elbow, fitting close to the arm, and ornamented at the top with distinct points of satin, the same colour as the dress, relieved by pearls; two rows of the same costly material or of beads, according as the robe is ornamented, form a girdle. The hair dressed in the antique Roman style, with tresses brought together and confined at the back of the head, terminating either in ringlets or in two light knots; a braid of plaited hair drawn over a demi-turban formed of plain amber satin, with an elegantly embroidered stripe of white satin, separated by rows of pearl, and a superb sprig of pearls in front. Necklace of one single row of large pearls, with earrings of the Maltese fashion te correspond. Ridicule aux getons of slate colour, shot with pink; the firm base secured by a covering of pink stamped velvet, with pink tassels. Italian slippers of amber, fringed with silver, or ornamented round the ankle with a row of pearls or beads. White kid gloves.-This elegant dress owes its inven GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON FASHION AND DRESS. Hail Goddess of versatile attraction, changeful idol of the rich, the beautiful, and the young! Thy full influence now is felt in this our gay metropolis, and myriads follow thy tion to the tasteful fancy of Mrs. Schabner, of splendid car, attached in willing bondage by Tavistock-street. thy silken bands.-After this slight invocation to the Power which peculiarly presides over this part of our work, we proceed to inform our fair readers the prevailing modes in the No. 2.-A WINTER WALKING DRESS. A scarlet Merino cloth pelisse, lined with straw coloured sarsnet, trimmed with light || different periods of Fashion's daily peregrinacoloured spotted fur, and attached with loopstions. of black silk cordon and rich frog tassels; the broad fur in front, forming a tippet, pointed There has been scarce any variation in the mode of the pelisses since our last Number; |