e" by Mr Finch, gay with "all the finches of
the grove," but the country does not look indolent, nor the country for
indolence. Hunt's boys, clever as ever. The sleeping boy, with his large
shadow on the wall, is most successful. The companion, the boy awake, is
a little of the caricature. His "Pet," a boy holding up a pig, natural
as it is, is nevertheless disgusting; for such a toy will ever be the
biggest beast of the two. Mr Hills has several excellent drawings of
deer; but there is one, so perfect that it is quite poetical--a few
deer, in their own wild haunt, heathery brown, and almost treeless, the
few spots of stunted trees serving to mark the spot, separating it from
similar, and making it the home. It is furthest from the haunts of man.
It looks silence. The animals are quite nature, exquisitely grouped. The
quiet colouring, unobtrusive, could not be more nicely conceived--it is
the long Sabbath quiet of an unworking world. The picture is well
executed. It is one that makes a lasting impression.

Mr Oakley's "Shrimper," a boy sitting on a rock, reminds us of some of
Murillo's boys; it is as good in effect, and better in expression, than
most of the Spaniard's. "After the second Battle of Newbury," by
Cattermole, is a well-imagined scene, but is defective in that in which
we should have supposed the artist would not have failed. It is not
moonlight. "Tuning," by J. W. Wright, is a good proof that blue, as
Gainsborough likewise proved, is not necessarily cold. His "Confession,"
with the two graceful figures, is very sweet. "The Gap of Dunloe," W.
A. Nesfield--has fine folding forms--the distance and rainbow
beautiful--it is, however, somewhat hurt by crude colour, and too much
cut up foreground. The Vicar and his family supply work to many an
artist of our day. Mr Taylor's is very good--Moses pulling the reluctant
horse, is a good incident. We do not quite recognize Mrs Primrose, and
could wish the daughter had more beauty. We never could very much admire
Mr Richter's coarse vulgarities--and they are of gross feeling, and we
think, caricatures without much humour; but his sentimentalities are
worse. His "Sisters," a scene from the novel of "The Trustee," is but a
miserable attempt at the pathetic. Mr Gastineau's "Bellagio" is a
beautiful drawing, has great breadth and truth; but the water is
certainly too blue.

EXHIBITION OF NEW SOCIETY IN WATER COLOURS.

Generally speaking, this Society is mostly ambitious