"It is needless to say that, with those vast resources, his conversation was at all times rich and instructive in no ordinary degree; but it was, if possible, still more pleasing than wise, and had all the charms of familiarity, with all the substantial treasures of knowledge. No man could be more social in his spirit, less assuming or fastidious in his manners, or more kind and indulgent towards all who approached him. He rather liked to talk, at least in his latter years; but though he took a considerable share of the conversation, he rarely suggested the topics on which it was to turn, but readily and quietly took up whatever was presented by those around him, and astonished the idle and barren propounders of an ordinary theme, by the treasures which he drew from the mine which they had unconsciously opened. He generally seemed, indeed, to have no choice or predilection for one subject of discourse rather than another, but allowed his mind, like a great cyclopedia, to be opened at any letter his associates might choose to turn up, and only endeavoured to select from his inexhaustible stores what might be best adapted to the taste of his present hearers. As to their capacity, he gave himself no trouble; and, indeed, such was his singular talent for making all things plain, clear, and intelligible, that scarcely any one could be aware of such a deficiency in his presence. His talk, too, though overflowing with information, had no resemblance to lecturing or solemn discoursing, but on the contrary, was full of colloquial spirit and pleasure. He had a certain quiet and grave humour, which ran through most of his conversation, and a vein of temperate jocularity, which gave infinite zest and effect to the condensed and inexhaustible information which formed its main staple and characteristic. There was a little air of affected testiness, and a tone of pretended rebuke and contradiction, with which he used to address his younger friends, that was always felt by them as an endearing mark of his kindness and familiarity, and prized accordingly far beyond all the solemn compliments that ever proceeded from the lips of authority. His voice was deep and powerful, though he commonly spoke in a low and somewhat monotonous tone, which harmonized admirably with the weight and brevity of his observations, and set off to the greatest advantage the pleasant anecdotes which he delivered with the same grave brow and the same calm smile playing soberly on his lips. There was nothing of effort indeed, or impatience, any more than of pride or levity, in his demeanour and there was a finer expression of reposing strength, and mild self-possession in his manner, than we ever recollect to have met with in any other person. He had in his character the utmost abhorrence for all sorts of forwardness, parade, and pretensions; and, indeed, never failed to put all such impostors out of countenance, by the manly plainness and honest intrepidity of his language and deportment.

"In his temper and dispositions he was not only kind and affectionate, but generous, and considerate of the feelings of all around him, and gave the most liberal assistance and encouragement to all young persons who showed any indications of talent, or applied to him for patronage or advice. His health, which was delicate from his youth upwards, seemed to become firmer as he advanced in years: and he preserved, up almost to the last moment of his existence, not only the full command of his extraordinary intellect, but all the alacrity of spirit, and the social gaiety which had illuminated his happiest days. His friends in

this part of the country never saw him more full of intellectual vigour and colloquial animation, never more delightful or more instructive, than in his last visit to Scotland, in autumn, 1817. Indeed, it was after that time that he applied himself, with all the ardour of early life, to the invention of a machine for mechanically copying all sorts of sculpture and statuary, and distributed among his friends some of its earliest performances, as the productions of a young artist just entering on his 83d year! This happy and useful life came at last to a gentle close. He had suffered some inconveniencies through the summer; but was not seriously indisposed till within a few weeks of his death.. He then became perfectly aware of the event which was approaching; and, with his usual tranquillity and benevolence of nature, seemed only anxious to point out to the friends around him the many sources of consolation which were afforded by the circumstances under which it was about to take place. He expressed his sincere gratitude to Providence for the length of days with which he had been blessed, and his exemption from most of the infirmities of age, as well as for the calm and cheerful evening of life that he had been permitted to enjoy, after the honourable labours of the day had been concluded. And thus, full of years and honours, in all calmness and tranquillity, he yielded up his soul, without pang or struggle, and passed from the bosom of his family to that of his God!

"He was twice married, but has left no issue but one son, long associated with him in his business and studies, and two grand-children by a daughter who predeceased him. He was a fellow of the Royal societies, both of London and Edinburgh, and one of the few Englishmen who were elected members of the National Institute of France. All men of learning and science were his cordial friends; and such was the influence of his mild character and perfect fairness and liberality, even upon the pretenders to these accomplishments, that he lived to disarm even envy itself, and died, we verily believe, without a single enemy."

Benjamin West.

BORN A. D. 1738.-DIED A. D. 1820.

THIS eminent artist, though by birth an American, as an artist belongs, nevertheless, to England. He was the youngest son of John West and Sarah Pearson, of Springfield, in Chester county, Pennsyl vania, where he was born on the 10th of October, 1738.1

This family has been traced in an unbroken series to the Lord Delaware, who distinguished himself in the wars of Edward III., and particularly at the battle of Cressy. In the reign of Richard II. they settled at Long Crandon, in Buckinghamshire. About the year 1667 they embraced the tenets of the Quakers; and Colonel James West, the friend of Hampden, is said to have been the first proselyte of the family. In 1699 they emigrated to America. Pearson, the maternal grandfather of the artist, was the confidential friend of Penn, and the same person to whom that venerable legislator said, on landing in America, "Providence has brought us safely hither; thou hast been the companion of my perils, what wilt thou that I should call this place?" to which Pearson replied, "that since he had honoured him so far as to desire him to give that part of the country a name, he would, in remembrance of his native city, call it Chester." Mr Pearson built a house and formed a plantation in the neighbourhood, which be

The first display of talent in the infant mind of West was curious, and still more so from its occurring where there was nothing to excite it. America had scarcely a specimen of the arts, and in a Quaker's house, his child had never seen a picture or a print: his pencil was of his own invention, his colours were given to him by an Indian savage,—his whole progress was a series of invention,—and painting to him was not the result of a lesson, but an instinctive passion.

In 1745 one of his sisters, who had been married, and had a daughter, came with her infant to spend a few days at her father's. When the child was asleep in the cradle, Mrs West invited her daughter to gather flowers in the garden, and committed the infant to the care of Benjamin during their absence, giving him a fan to flap away the flies from molesting his little charge. After some time the child happened to smile in its sleep, and its beauty attracted his attention. He looked at it with a pleasure which he had never before experienced, and observing some paper on a table, together with pens and red and black ink, he seized them with agitation, and endeavoured to delineate a portrait,-although at this period he had never seen an engraving or a picture, and was only in the seventh year of his age. On the return of his mother and sister, Mrs West, after looking some time at the drawing with evident pleasure, said to her daughter, "I declare he has made a likeness of little Sally!" and kissed him with much fondness and satisfaction. This encouraged him to say, that if it would give her any pleasure, he would make pictures of the flowers which she held in her hand; for his genius was awakened, and he felt that he could imitate the forms of any of those things which pleased his sight.

Soon after he was sent to school in the neighbourhood, and during his leisure hours was permitted to draw with pen and ink. In the course of the summer a party of Indians came to Springfield, and, being amused with the sketches of birds and flowers which Benjamin showed them, they taught him to prepare the red and yellow colours with which they painted their weapons. To these his mother added blue, by giving him a piece of indigo. His drawings at length attracted the attention of the neighbours; and some of them happening to regret that the artist had no pencils, he inquired what kind of things these were; they were described to him as small brushes made of camel's hair fastened in a quill. As there were, however, no camels in America, he could not think of any substitute, till he happened to cast his eyes on a black cat, when, in the tapering fur of her tail, he discovered the means of supplying what he wanted.

In the following year a Mr Pennington, a merchant of Philadelphia, came to visit Mr West. He noticed the drawings of birds and flowers round the room-unusual ornaments in the house of a Quaker—and heard with surprise that they were the work of his little cousin. Of their merit, as pictures, he did not pretend to be a judge, but he thought them wonderful productions for a boy entering on his eighth year; and being told with what imperfect materials they had been executed, he called Springfield, in consequence of discovering a large spring of water in the first field cleared for cultivation; and it was near this place that Benjamin West, our illustrious painter, was born. When the West family emigrated in 1699, John, the father of Benjamin, was left to complete his education at the Quaker's school at Uxbridge, and did not join his family in America till 1714.

promised to send him a box of colours and pencils. On his return home he fulfilled his engagement; and, at the bottom of the box, placed several pieces of canvass prepared for the easel, and six engravings. The box was received with delight; in the colours, the oils, and the pencils, young West found all his wants supplied. He rose at the dawn of the following day, and carried the box to a room in the garret, where he spread his canvass, prepared a pallet, and began to imitate the figures in the engravings. Enchanted by his art, he forgot the school-hours, and joined the family at dinner without mentioning the employment in which he had been engaged. In the afternoon he again retired to his study in the garret; and for several days successively he thus withdrew and devoted himself to painting. Mrs West, suspecting that the box occasioned his neglect of school, went to the garret and found him enployed on the picture. Her anger was appeased by the sight of his performance. She saw, not a mere copy, but a composition from two of the engravings. She kissed him with transports of affection, and assured him that she would intercede with his father to pardon him for having absented himself from school. Sixty-seven years afterwards, Mr Galt, the recorder of these anecdotes, had the gratification to see this piece in the same room with the sublime painting of Christ Rejected ;' on which occasion "the painter declared to him that there were inventive touches of art in his first and juvenile essay, which, with all his subsequent experience, he had not been able to surpass."

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When the young painter attained the age of sixteen, a profession was necessary to be chosen for him; and, with a due conformity to the primitive habits of the Quakers, it was chosen in solemn assembly, after harangues by some of the brother or sisterhood, who decided on his adopting the profession for which he appeared to have been born. The men laid their hands on his head, the women kissed him, and this hope of Pennsylvania set out on his travels. In the town of Lancaster, in Pennsylvania, and the cities of Philadelphia and New York, he painted many portraits, and several historical pictures, with considerable success, till he attained the age of twenty-one, when the produce of his industry, and the predominant desire of acquiring excellence in historical painting, carried him to Italy-the great depository of the ancient and modern arts, and the most favourable school for genius.

In the year 1760 Mr West left the city of Philadelphia, and embarked for Leghorn, where he procured recommendations to Cardinal Albani, and other persons of distinction at Rome. Through these recommendations he was introduced to Raphael Mengs, Pompeo Battoni, and most of the celebrated artists in Rome; and was yet more fortunate in the intimacy he formed with Mr Wilcox, the author of Roman Conversations.' The kindness of this gentleman, and that of the late Lord Grantham, then Mr Robinson, procured him an introduction to all that was excellent in the arts both of the ancient and modern school. But the sudden change from the cities of America, where he saw no productions but a few English portraits, and those which had sprung from his own pencil, to the city of Rome, the seat of arts and taste, made so forcible an impression upon his feelings as materially to affect his health. The enthusiasm of his mind was heated with what he beheld, and op pressed at once by novelty and grandeur, the springs of health were weakened, and he was under the necessity of withdrawing from Rome

in a few weeks, by the advice of his physician, or the consequence might have been fatal to his life.

Mr West returned to Leghorn, and received the most flattering attention from the English consul and his lady. His mind was thus relaxed by friendly intimacy and society, which, together with sea-bathing, restored him to health and to the prosecution of his studies in Rome. He here fixed his mind upon the most glorious productions of ancient and modern art; and the works of Michael Angelo, Raphael, and Poussin, engaged most of his attention; but he was again compelled to withdraw from his studies, owing to the loss of health, and to return to his friends at Leghorn. The air and society of this place again restored him, and, by the advice of those in whom he most confided, he proceeded to Florence instead of Rome. He here recommenced his studies with increased ardour in the galleries and the palace Pitti, and was a third time arrested in his progress, and relapsed into an illness which confined him more than six months to his bed and room. The love of his art, however, and the emulation of excellence, triumphed over every pain of body and oppression of mind; and in the severest paroxysms of sickness Mr West never desisted from drawing, reading, and composing historical subjects. He had a frame constructed in order to enable him to paint when obliged to keep his bed, and in that situation he amused himself by painting several ideal pictures and portraits. When he was sufficiently recovered to bear removal, and to be carried out to enjoy the fine air of the Bobeli gardens, his youth and an excellent constitution united, so that nature soon made a complete restoration of his health; and, in order to confirm and establish what was so happily begun, he was recommended by his friends to travel. A gentleman from Leghorn, an Englishman of considerable talents and classical education, accompanied him to Bologna, Parma, Mantua, Verona, and Venice, in which cities he made himself acquainted with the paintings of the Caracci, Corregio, Julio Romano, Titian, and the other celebrated masters of the Venetian and Lombard schools, the chief productions of whose pencils are to be found in the above-mentioned cities. From Parma he extended his tour to Genoa and Turin, inflamed with a curiosity to examine the esteemed pictures of the Italian and Flemish masters, which those places are distinguished for possessing.

Having now taken an extensive survey of the treasures of modern Italy, and completed himself in those schools, as far as observation concurring with genius and industry has a tendency to complete the artist, Mr West was desirous of a yet wider survey, and grew unwilling to quit the continent till he should have exhausted whatever was left worthy of inspection. The French ground was still untrodden; he therefore proceeded through Lyons to Paris, in which he remained till he had made himself acquainted with the best productions of the art which France could at that time boast. He passed most of his time in the superb palaces of that city and its environs, in which the paintings of most repute were congregated, and, in August, 1763, he arrived in London. In the autumn of the same year he visited Oxford, Blenheim, Bath, Stourhead, Fonthill, Wilton, Langford, near Salisbury, Windsor, and Hampton-court. This tour, performed, like those in Italy and France, for the purpose of completing his knowledge of the paintings of the eminent masters, introduced him to all the works of art in the