"But wedded Strephon now neglects his dame:
Tumble or not, to him 'tis all the same."
The costume of these two figures was in accordance with the date of the hey-day of Ranelagh Gardens; and the outline of the foliage was about on a par with those designs we often see cut out of paper, by an ingenious schoolboy yet they may be adduced as criterions of the average merit appertaining to the generality of the productions of the burine of "the old school."
In closing this erratic dissertation on the Annuals, we may remark, that an interesting article might be written, descriptive of the reformation which gradually elevated the art of engraving to perfection—a history of its emerging from the inanities which flaunt in the window of Carver and Bowles, in St. Paul's Churchyard, and arriving at the exquisite perfection of such achievements as "Alexander's Visit to Diogenes," and "Quintus Curtius leaping into the Gulf."
* * H.
FINE ARTS.
SCHOOL OF PAINTING AT THE BRITISH INSTITUTION, PALL MALL.
(To the Editor of the Mirror.)
Sir,—I have recently had the pleasure of visiting the British Institution, and hope the following remarks on a few of the best works will prove acceptable to those of your readers who are interested in the Fine Arts.