accumulated in the various rooms; the veftibule, the firft room on the first floor, the faloon, the room which contains the Cottonian manuscripts, the two Harleian rooms and the hall, are all adorned with pictures, ftatues, and curiofities natural and artificial. Sir William Hamilton's collection is a moft ample repofitory of gods, arms, habiliments, vafes, and utenfils of every kind, illuftrative of the times, to which the reader of the ancient claffics muft tranfport his imagination. The Otaheite and South Sea Rooms are furnished by the induftry and judg ment of modern voyagers, with a vast variety of natural and artificial curiofities, the produce of thofe favage iflands, where human nature fhows the most accurate remaining fpecimen of reafon just tinged with the colouring which distinguishes it from inftinct.

In the inexhauftible fund of information and amufement which this grand national repofitory contains, the mind may be employed without fear of laffitude, and purfue with advantage almost every species of inftruction.

The care of this ineftimable collection, as already has been mentioned, is committed to truffees, of whom some are by office, fome by family, and fome elective. The official truflees are the archbishop of Canterbury, the lord chancellor, lord president of the council, first lord of the treasury, lord privy seal, first lord of the admiralty, lord fteward, lord chamberlain, three secretaries of ftate, bishop of London, fpeaker of the Houfe of Commons, chancellor of the exchequer, lord chief justice of the King's Bench, mafter of the rolls, lord chief juftice of the Common Pleas, attorney general, folicitor general, prefident of the Royal Society, and prefident of the College of Phyficians. The family trufees are two each from the families of Sir Robert Cotton, the earl of Oxford (Harley), and Sir Hans Sloane. The elective trustees are fourteen in number. There is a principal librarian, and there are three under-librarians, each of whom has an afliftant. These, and the keeper of the reading room, have apartments on the fpot, and a fufficient number of fervants is retained for neceflary purposes.

SOCIETY FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF ARTS, MANUFACTURES, AND COMMERCE. This inftitution, formed in 1754, originated in the patriotic zeal of the late Mr. William Shipley, brother of the late bishop of St, Afaph; and the active and liberal patronage of the late lord Folkftone, its first prefident; and the late lord Romney, his fucceffor, perfected its establishment.

The chief objects of the fociety are, to promote the arts, manufactures, and commerce of the united kingdom, by the donation of premisms and bounties for useful inventions,

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difcoveries, and improvements. In purfuance of this plan, they have already expended upwards of 50,000. derived from voluntary fubfcriptions, and legacies.

The inftitution confifts of a prefident, fixteen vice-prefidents, two chairmen of each of the committees, a principal and an affistant fecretary, a houfe-keeper, a collector, and a meffenger. The meetings are held at feven o'clock in the evening on Wednesdays from the fourth in October to the firft in June. The meetings of the committees are appointed by the fociety to be held on other evenings, as may be convenient. The matters referred to them occafion their divifion into feveral clailes; committees of accounts; refpondence and papers, and of mifcellaneous matters; and fix of premiums, namely, agriculture, chemistry, dyeing and mineralogy; polite and liberal arts; manufactures; mechanics; and British colonies and trade.

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The ordinary proceedings are thus conducted: there are four general meetings in the course of each feffion, for the purpofe of regulating the inftitution, by eftablishing new rules and orders, and reforming or refcinding thofe already in force, if neceffary: the rest of the meetings are occupied in receiving and difcuffing the reports of the committees, and the communications of correfpondents, and candidates for premiums and bounties. Tnefe communications are referred, in the order of their dates, to the respective committees, to be taken into confideration, at fuch meeting as the fociety may direct, to be fummoned for that purpofe; there the me rits of the claimants are examined and difcuffed, and the refult being entered on the minutes of the meeting, is reported in order of date to the fociety, where, after examination at two weekly meetings, the report is finally adopted or rejected. All the committees are open: and although particular members, who may be confidered as bett informed. in particular claffes, are chofen as chairmen, and fpecially fummoned as attending members; yet every member of the fociety is entitled to attend, debate, and vote, in every com

mittee.

The rewards, beftowed by the fociety, are both honorary and pecuniary. Of the firit, the gold medal is the higheft; Clver medals are alfo given as honorary rewards, and both are offered and given as premiums and bounties. In the clafs of the polite arts, gold and filver pallets of a greater and leffer fize, are alfo propofed and diftributed as premiums and bounties. The diftinction between a premium and a bounty, as given by the fociety, is this: premiums are annually propofed by the fociety in a lift, each of which, a fingle candidate,

or feveral competitors, may appear to claim. Bounties, either honorary or pecuniary, are rewards the fociety may think proper to bestow on meritorious individuals, in refpect of fubjects for which no premium has been offered. No invention or improvement, for which a patent has been obtained, can receive either premium or bounty from the fociety. Inventions and improvements of every kind, on which the fociety beftow their rewards, are laid open for public use and infpection. The refult of this fyftem has poffeffed the fociety of the greatest and most valuable repofitory of models and machines of new invention, and important improvements in others, in every department of the economical and useful arts, that is to be found in Europe; and to which free access may always be had, by applying at the fociety's office.

The premiums and bounties voted by the fociety, during each feffion, were formerly delivered to the fuccefsful candidates by the secretary, after they had refpectively been ordered by the fociety, but are now delivered by the prefident, on the laft Tuesday in May, in the fociety's great room, to the feveral claimants, or their authorized representatives, who are fummoned to attend for that purpose. This ceremony presents a most interesting and impreffive fpectacle to the numerous vifitors who attend it, among whom are generally found the firft nobility of both fexes in the kingdom, together with foreigners, and gentry of the highest diftinction.

The fociety have alfo improved on their original plan by publifhing an annual volume of the tranfactions, in confequence of which their correfpondence with persons of this country and foreigners affumes more of a literary character. This department, which includes letters from all parts of the united kingdom, and many of the continent, is confided to the committee of correspondence and papers, who, after revising and arranging the communications, direct their infertion in the enfuing volume of tranfactions. This measure has proved highly beneficial to the interefts of the fociety, in making public the general fervices they have already rendered to their country, as well as the objects which engage their immediate attention. Hence not only thofe fubfcribing members who could not affift at the deliberations of the fociety, and confequently remained unacquainted with their proceedings, receive complete information of them; but the attention of the public is alfo regularly called to the promulgation of useful and valuable information, relative to the deareft interests of this country in particular, and of mankind in general.

The series of paintings, by James Barry, efq. which occupies the whole circumference of the fociety's great room, an

extent of one hundred and fourteen feet by eleven feet ten inches in height, forms not only the greatest ornament of the institution, but the first feature in the character of the British arts, in the united empire. Its defign is to illuftrate this maxim: "that the attainment of happiness, individual and public, depends on the cultivation of the human faculties." The firft of the fix pictures, of which this feries is compofed, reprefents man in his uncultivated ftate, with its attendant mifery, invited by Orpheus to the enjoyments of focial order; the fecond, a Grecian thanksgiving to Ceres and Bacchus; the third, the victors of the Olympic Games; the fourth, the triumph of the Thames, or Navigation; the fifth, the Society of Arts, &c. diftributing their rewards; and the fixth, Elysium, or the state of retribution. The whole difplays a fund of the richest talent, the highest art, and the foundest morals, that profeffional excellence ever prefented in one grand effort, to the judgment of the amateur, the eye of the artist, or the contemplation of the philanthropist. In the poffeffion of this work the fociety may truly exult, they are crowned with the laurels raised by their own hands: for this excellent inftitution first called the genius of the country into action, and nurtured its efforts till they became worthy of royal patronage, and, through that, of public favour; and in effecting this patriotic and honourable purpose, they have devoted more than one third of the fums they have expended in rewards on all the other claffes, to that of polite arts alone.

Members are thus elected: Peers of the realm, and lords of parliament, are, on their being propofed by three members, immediately ballotted for. Every other perfon is alfo recommended by three members, at any meeting of the fociety, and his name, addition, and place of abode being hung up in the great room, until the next meeting, he is ballotted for: and if two thirds of the members prefent ballot in his favour, he is deemed a perpetual member, on payment of twenty pounds at once, or a fubfcribing member, on payment of two guineas annually. Every member has the privilege of recommending two auditors at the weekly meetings of the fociety. He has also the ufe of a valuable library, and is entitled to the annual volume of the fociety's tranfactions. Ladies are admitted as members

The meetings are held at an excellent houfe purchased for that purpose in John-street in the Adelphi.

The lift published December 19th, 1804, in the twenty-second volume of the fociety's tranfactions, contains 1519 names, of whom 190 are perpetual members.

INCORPORATED SOCIETY OF ARTISTS, AND ROYAL AÇADEMY. The ftate of the polite arts in England at the acceffion of his prefent majefty bordered on national reproach. In the preceding reign they had fuftained total neglect; but now a more than common attention to the arts began to manifest itfelf, not only among the profeffors, but among the higher ranks of fociety, which was ftimulated by the favour, fhewn to the new and popular inftitution, the "Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce," under whofe aufpices the annual public exhibitions firft originated. Tothis ftandard modeft merit was invited to receive fupport and protection, and ability acquired means of obtaining diftinction and liberal reward. This bias in favour of the liberal arts was not unnoticed by his majesty; and when the artifts formed their plan of uniting in a body to perpetuate their public exhibitions, and affumed a permanent character by incorporation, the royal confent was graciously conceded, and their charter granted January 26th, 1765.

From this "Incorporated Society of Artists of Great Britain," arofe the Royal Academy, in confequence of a difpute between the directors and the fellows, which occafioned a feparation of intercfts. On the 10th of December 1768, the inftitution of the prefent Royal Academy was completed, under the immediate patronage of his majefty; and Sir Joshua Reynolds, receiving the honour of knighthood on the occafion, was appointed its first prefident. It was inftituted for the encouragement of defign, painting, sculpture, &c.

This academy is under the immediate patronage of the king, and under the direction of forty artifts of the firit rank in their feveral profeffions. It furnifies, in winter, living models of different characters to draw after; and in fummer models of the fame kind to paint after. Nine of the abiest academicians are annually elected out of the forty, whofe bufinefs it is to attend by rotation, to fet the figures, to examine the performances of the ftudents, and to give them neceffry instructions. There are likewife four profeffors, of painting, of architecture, of anatomy, and of perfpective, who annually read public lectures on the fubjects of their feveral departments, befide a prefident, a council, and other officers.

The admiflion to this academy is free to all fludents, properly qualified, to reap advantage from the ftudies cultivated in it; and there is an annual exhibition of paintings, fculptures, and defigns, to which all artists of diftinguished merit may fend fpecimens. The money paid as the price of admiflion to thefe exhibitions has, of late years, proved fully fufficient to fupport the expenses of the establishment, but at its commencement it