reality; to be perfect in small things, as well as in great. When his picture of the "Blood Hound," from Mrs. Radcliffe's novel of the " Italian," was exhibited, a little girl was observed shutting the blinds in the room, one after the other, and when asked why, she said, "I want to shut out that light on the picture." In his great picture of "Jeremiah," the water jar on the left has attracted the notice of many, despite the majestic figure of the prophet. The minutest parts of his pictures bear impress of the master's hand, no less than the general idea of the composition. In his earliest drawings, in his last finished pictures, he never any where slighted or undervalued his genius. He describes the method of painting the light, in his celebrated picture of "Uriel," where that angel dwelt, in the following manner: "I surrounded him, and the rock of adamant on which he sat, with the prismatic colors, in the order in which the ray of light is decomposed by the prism. I laid them in with the strongest colors, and next with transparent color so intimately blended them, I re-produced the original ray. It was so bright, that it made your eyes twinkle as you looked at it." A young man who had a taste for painting, and was looking about after a profession, consulted Allston, through a friend, for his opinion. The great painter replied: "It is a calling full of delays and disappointments, and I can never recommend any one to pursue it. If he must be a painter, let him come prepared to bear up a mighty burden." It was his opinion that artists and literary men must of necessity be poor, yet he added, "I, surely, cannot complain of the public." Of pictures he used to say, that their interior meaning should be as much attended to, as their superficial effect. His advice to a young artist was: "Do not be anxious, but put faith in your fingers. When I paint I often do not look at my palette; I take off my colors by a secret sympathy between my hand and the pigments." Being asked whether he did not prefer a certain picture of his above the rest, he replied: "I love all mychildren. Yet in his chalk outline of a scene from the "Midsummer Night's Dream," he pointed out a dancing figure to an artist, as happily drawn. At one time, in London, he was reVOL. XIII.-NO. LXIV, duced to his last sixpence, when he suddenly received the payment for his picture of the "Resuscitation of the young man on touching the bones of the prophet in the cave." If this had gone only to his own benefit, it would not have been worth mentioning, but when we learn that liberally and at once he applied a part of this sum to the needs of a brother artist, and gave him the means of visiting Paris, where the latter had long wished to proceed, we feel the noble generosity of Allston. His criticism on pictures was not spread out in those sprawling Italianisms common with amateurs. "Your trees do not look as if the birds could fly through them," was his remark to the student. He used to mention with peculiar satisfaction the skill possessed by Powers in the making of busts; how closely he had imitated flesh; for other American sculptors too he showed the warmest admiration; while Greenough was very near and dear to him. The modern German school of painting he considered very promising, and the great work illustrating their pictures had been sent to him from the compiler. His great picture, as it is called, of Belshazzar's Feast, which was to have contained two hundred figures, is left incomplete; the scale of the piece having been often. changed, and the chief figure, that of the king, once nearly finished, quite erased. He was once asked how he got his light for this picture, when he said, "from the mysterious letters on the wall;-the MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. The lamp in the vast hall grows dim, in the brightness of that supernatural light." Mr. Allston's health had never been fully established, since a severe sickness he had abroad, some thirty years since; but until within the last two years, no anxiety of a painful kind had been felt. He died very suddenly on the evening of the 9th of June, 1843, aged sixty-three years, after painting as usual during the day, and conversing with his friends almost to the hour of his death. 28 In so brief a notice of so eminent a painter, no particular criticism of his various works can be looked for, and it belongs to his biographer fully to portray his moral excellencies. It has been said, that he will not be chiefly celebrated in future times as an histori cal painter, yet what American will compare, thus far in this line of art, with him? In the course of time, can any one doubt that such works as "Miriam," "Jeremiah," " Uriel," and others of the like character, will rank with the best historical pictures extant. His fame will not rest merely on these. Those designs, drawn from the artist's soul, so harmonious and perfect, that fitly to praise them seems impossible, must for ever remain to keep the name of Allston fresh in the memory of his country. STANZAS. INSCRIBED TO WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT. BY GEO. B. WALLIS, OF VIRGINIA. There is "Fountain" in our woodland dells, With spirits of love around-and thou art one of these. And oft in the warm sunset hours of June, On the green margin of our mountain stream, While scanning the blue fields where poets dream Is Love's eternity, the immortal theme Has come upon me in the "Evening Wind;" So sweet the visitation, one might deem The invisible zephyrs angels good and kind, Diffusing from their wings those sweets which fill the mind.. And in mild Autumn's "melancholy days," The skies, the earth, the spirit doth illume, In Nature's desolation :-in such hours, I think of that "meek blossom" of the tomb, With others gather'd from our summer bowers, That fair and gentle girl "who perished with the flowers." Sweet is it to commune on Nature's page, Her ample page, meek bard, with such as thee; Who teachest that a flower may assuage The mind, and quell its murmurs; that a tree May give a friend's companionship to me; That the hush'd woods are hallow'd temples, where Amid their sounding aisles, whate'er may be Our creed, or our condition, or our care, The heart unfolds its leaves like flowers which bloom but there. MONTHLY FINANCIAL AND COMMERCIAL ARTICLE. THE imports of the month have slightly increased, but the effect of the tariff of the Twenty-seventh Congress upon the finances of the Government has been ruinous, and exhibits itself chiefly in the fact, that although the national debt had been increased as follows Public Debt, including Treasury Notes, March 4th, 1841,. since then a $7,000,000 stock has been issued for the redemption of Treasury Notes, and the revenue is still $5,000,000 deficit for the year ending January, 1844. This amount, it is understood, will be issued in Treasury Notes in the old form, which according to existing laws may be done to that extent, or in notes bearing a nominal rate of interest, redeemable on demand in the city of New York, and receivable for all Government dues. This latter will be a mere Government paper money, and is now in contemplation. The general appearance of the fall trade thus far has been good. The dealers from the country who have visited the city, have been numerous and have purchased fairly at prices which, for most descriptions of goods, show a reasonable advance from the extreme low rates to which they had fallen. This has grown out of an advance in most articles of agricultural products, giving the consumers of goods the means of paying their store bills, and the dealers in their turn the means of coming to the city, and both paying old accounts and making new purchases. In a former article we alluded to the advance in price which most articles had undergone in the interior, consequent upon a belief that the crop of .8,381,555 .27,394,261 $19,012,706 England would be short. The Atlantic cities are now feeling the benefit of that advance. In the Western States, at the opening of the spring, the farmers, although possessed of good stocks, were not disposed to accept the extreme low prices then current. In May and June, the accounts from abroad gave an impulse to prices, which brought forth stocks and stimulated trade. In the valley of the Illinois in particular, wheat was at 30 a 35 cents, and farmers would not part with their stock; when the rate rose, however, to 50 a 55 cents, extensive sales immediately took place. The proceeds passed from the farmers into the hands of the storekeepers, who were thus, in a great measure unexpectedly placed in a position to make their accustomed visits to the sea-board, and both in New York and sister cities the presence of Illinois traders has been both welcome and profitable. No class of dealers stand in better credit or have paid up more promptly. The same gratifying result has been evinced in other sections, and although prices of agricultural products have not been sustained, their effects in drawing forth produce are indicated in the following table of wheat and flour arrived at tide water by the Erie canal for several years: FLOUR AND WHEAT ARRIVED AT TIDE WATER PER ERIE CANAL. Total flour, 1,624,855 Total wheat & flour, bbls. 1,083,407 967,712 1,805,139 The receipts to September 1st, are larger than ever before, even in the year 1840. Showing the immense increase of natural wealth, and also the fact, that the business now doing in the Atlantic cities is a real business. The purchases are not on credit nor with money borrowed, but with the actual proceeds of industry. Hence the business has not been accompanied with the usual demand for money for its prosecution; on the other hand, the plenteousness of money seems rather to increase as it progresses. The weather of the past summer has, however, been far from propitious to the development of business. The last winter was an unusually "hard" one, and the absence of snow in many large sections had an injurious effect upon the winter crops. The spring was then very backward, so that the cotton crop was thrown back some three weeks later than usual, and, followed by a long drought, destroyed in a great measure in succession the crops of wheat, corn, and cotton; while the drought in the State of New York was so severe as absolutely to suspend the flouring of wheat; all these are events which will have an influence on the winter and spring trade. These untoward events, however, in our varied climate, occur but seldom. The general result of the summer business has been to give an impulse to the cash system, and put in motion the elements of great prosperity. The general features of the whole trade are, abundant products at advancing prices, an increase of trade, a great plenteousness of money, and a continued firmness in public securities. All these are indications that the crisis has passed; that the lowest point of depression has been reached, and a United States, 1796,. That Pennsylvania is abundantly able to pay, is sufficiently apparent, even if we compare the population and debt of the whole United States in 1796, with those of Pennsylvania now, as follows: Debt. $83,762,172 The debt of Pennsylvania is not so large by $1.91 per head, after a season of twenty-five years profound peace, Population. Debt per head. and when they are in possession of pub- their own people, as the debt of the United States after a long and disastrous war, when the country was destitute of capital and without public works of any kind. Yet the latter debt was, without a murmur, faithfully paid to the last cent, while Pennsylvania, with ample means, remains inert amid her disgrace. The triumphant discharge of the national debt in 1835, is a conclusive proof that all existing debts can be discharged, and that eventually such will be the case. hesitation now evinced is the effect of The the moral paralysis which was the natural result of the losses by paper gambling. The fictitious excitement of the paper system, is succeeded by the same reckless disregard of moral obligation in the public mind as is the stimulation of a game of chance in that of a losing gamester. We have experienced the cause, and it has been succeeded by its effect. That feeling is now passing away. The wealth and the public morals are growing under the healthy action of industry and economy, and the time is not distant when the last stain will be wiped from State faith.pn York State Legislature, a law was During the last session of the New passed in relation to the State Banks, quarterly returns of their affairs to the by which they were required to make Comptroller, by whom they were to be published on the 20th of August, November, January and May of each year. The first quarterly statement was made on the 20th August, and is as follows, as compared with the previous returns: BANKS OF STATE OF NEW YORK, JAN., 1843, AND AUGUST, 1843. |