a discovery and preparation of a mucilage, or slackening matter, to be used in painting or colouring linen, woollen, and cotton, cloths, and silks, in cases in which gums, mucilages, and other thickening matters, are now employed. Communicated to him by a certain foreigner residing abroad. William Caslon, the younger, of Burtoncrescent, proprietor of gas-works; for cer tain improvements in the construction of gasometers. Edward Eyre, of Sheffield, fender-manufacturer; for an improvement in the manufacture of fenders, of brass, iron, or steel. Jacob Perkins, of Fleet-street, engineer; for improvements in the mode of heating, boiling, or evaporating, by steam, of fluids, in pans, boilers, or other vessels. NEW MUSIC AND THE DAMA. The celebrated Medley Overture to the Siege of Rochelle; in which are introduced the popular Airs of "Hearts of Oak," "Lira, Lira," &c. Composed, selected, and arranged for the Piano-Forte, by W. P. R. Cope. 2s. 6d. T HIS publication (occupying seven pages) comprises no fewer than five different movements; and, for the greater diversity of these, some are in the major, and others in the minor, key. The piece is obviously intended more for the use of young practitioners, whose power of execution it is calculated to promote, than for the gratification of more advanced performers and critical amateurs, whose taste, nevertheless, it is far from being unqualified to suit. The passages of the original matter, speak ing generally, are of a cast denoting that respectable degree of talent which we have so often acknowledged in Mr. Cope; and, the style in which he has given the adopted airs, is creditable to his judgment. As a practice for the instrument for which it is intended, this production forms a desirable addition to the juvenile student's collection; and, as an amusement, or divertissement, for more cultivated ears, will by no means prove unacceptable. The Words and Music of a Select Portion of Psalms and Hymns, used in Portland Chapel. 28. These melodies, some of which are harmonized for two, some for three, and others for four, voices, are selected with a tolerable degree of judgment, They are all, indeed, less or more popular; and, independently of the particular use for which their assemblage was designed, they will not fail to form an ac. ceptable acquisition to libraries of sacred music. Among those of them with which we are superiorly pleased, are the melodies of "Q Thou to whom all creatures bow," by Haydn; "To bless thy chosen race," by Millgrove; "Ye boundless realms of joy," by Dr, Miller; "Glory to thee," by Tallis; and "Jesus Christ is risen to-day," and "The Lord my pasture shall prepare," both here said to be by Carey, but the first of which emanated from the fertile mind of the late Dr. Worgan. Number II. of Monro's Gleaner, or Select Flute Miscellany. 28. 6d The present number of this little work consists, like the first, of airs, duetts, and trios; and, to the credit of Mr. Monro, the selector, they are judiciously chosen. Many of them are great and deserving favourites with the public, and the greater portion are not less eligible exercises for the young flautist than if they had been composed expressly for his practice and improvement. The movements are from various masters and various countries; and, while some are given as solos, others are arranged as ductts. On the whole, the Gleaner demands our approbation, and we accompany that approbation with our wishes for its encouragement and success. Rousseau's Dreum, an admired French Air; arranged, with Familiar Variations, for the Piano-Forte or Harp, by S. Poole. 2s. This air, as pleasing as it is simple in its style and construction, was well suited to the purpose to which Mr. Poole's ingenuity has turned it. The four variations of which he has made it the foundation, are conceived with taste; and, in regard of execution, form that climax which is both natural and agreeable. In the adjustment of his passages, Mr. Poole appears to have every-where consulted the convenience of the juvenile hand, as well as the disposition of the young and undisciplined ear, which, like the infant palate, prefers that unspiced sugary sweetness, rejected by experience and maturer taste, as insipid and unsatisfactory. The whole is recommended by a smooth, easy, airiness of manner; and, to those ears which have not been rendered fastidious by age, or high-wrought cultivation, wilt, we doubt not, afford considerable gratification. Trio for Three Flutes Concertante; composed by C. N. Weiss. 48. The piece now before us is, professedly, so constructed, that it may be performed either as a trio or as a duett. We, however, are not very ready to admit that a composition, properly framed for the joint execution of three voices, or instruments, can have any thing like justice done it by the union of only two. If the whole fabric be so constructed that the third part is superfluous, the piece, though nominally a trio, is virtually no more than a duett; and, if the inclusion of the third part be necessary to the effect intended, its omission in performance will be illegitimate, and greatly disadvantageous to the composer's repute. After sedulously examining this little work, we cannot say, that, with all the merit it possesses, (and that merit is very considerable,) we should receive as much satisfaction as regret, from its performance with two flutes instead of three. Indeed, it is to the praise of this trio, that it cannot be bearably executed without its full compliment of instruments. The parts here presented to us constitute a whole, too complete in itself to admit of a separation, without destroying its frame and character; and we are sorry that Mr. Weiss, for the mere sake of augmenting the demand for his publication, should have ventured even to suggest the mangling of his composition. As a trio, it claims our eulogium; and, as a trio, though not as a duett, we feel justified in recommending it to the notice of flute-practitioners. Russian Air; arranged with Variations for the Piano Forte, and dedicated to Madame la Comtesse de Forgac's, by Ignace Mos cheles. 2s. 6d. If the melody on which these variations are founded were to be received as a sample of the musical genins of the country from which it emanates, it would reflect no great honour on that country. What, however, ingenuity could make of it, Mr. Moscheles has effected. His embellishments, and super-additions, have converted a trivial and indifferent tune into an agreeable and improving exercise for the piano-forte, and young practitioners will find their account in adopting it as a lesson. Mr. M. in the formation of is passages, has obviously consulted the convenience of the earlier classes of pupils; and we have no doubt of his publication, if duly applied to, We proving as useful as agreeable. "Why are you wandering here, I pray?" The music of this little ballad, as here presented to us, is arranged for the Mr. piano-forte by its composer, Nathan. Of the melody we may justly say, that, with the exception of an affectation or two in the turn of the ideas, it is pleasingly conceived, and The harmony, simply characteristic. though in some instances quaint and unprepared, is, for the most part, of a cast to suit the nature of the air. This song, however, is not without some indubitable evidences of theoretical mastery, nor destitute of those proofs of skill, in the arrangement of the ideas, which indicate the real master as well as the man of talent. "The Grace Cup," a favourite Table Song, sung by Mr. Braham, in the New Opera of "A Tale of other Times,” as performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury-Lane. Composed by T. Cooke. 18. 6d. The Grace Cup" is set with fancy and spirit. The passages, while easy and natural in their style, partake largely of that free and convivial manner so proper to the subject of the words, and do credit to the talent and judgment of the composer. Little display of science is any where apparent; and, in a composition of this kind, but little was necessary; and the bass, if not chosen with the utmost judgment, is, in general, tolerably eligible. Among the secondrate vocal composers of the present day, Mr. T. Cooke holds no very humble station; and he is not too advanced in years to give just ground for hoping, that some day he may reach a station in the higher rank of caterers for the stage, in the operatic department of composition. "Poor Insect!" a Parody for one Voice, with an Accompaniment for the PianoForte, by J. Green. 1s. 6d. This melody is intended as a parody. on a favourite Scotch air; but the gene ral object in the composition of pieces of this short and familiar description, Scarcely even affecting to gratify the already-cuitivated ear, they should at least be calculated to improve the unpractised finger; and, with the class of executionists for whom they are intended, be useful as well as attractive. Select French Romances for the Piano-Forte, by S. F. Rimbault. 18. 6d. This is the sixth number of the periodical work, published under the title of French Romances, and consists of Le Troubadour du Tage, with variations. The melody itself, if not remarkably novel, is easy and graceful, and Mr. Rimbault has expatiated upon it with success. His super-added matter is progressively busy, and makes those increased calls upon the activity of the hand, which cannot but promote its executory powers. ral turn of the passages does notfully should uniformly be the predominant accord with the genius of the Caledo nian music. The seventh and fourth of the key (notes, the omission of which constitutes the predominant characteristic of the Scotch melody,) are, indeed, in this production, of such frequent occurrence, as to exclude the idea of its having either originated north of the Tweed, or been intended as an imitation of the highland or lowland melodies. Attempts similar to this have been so frequently made, and so often with little success, that we wonder composers of but moderate pretensions should feel encouraged to repeat them. Than the old genuine Scotch airs, none are sweeter and more affecting; than the unfortunate imitation of their beauties, nothing more ingratiating. "Sweet is the Murmur of the Gale," a Duett for Two Voices, with an Accompaniment for the Piano-Forte. Though there is little of the manage nient of art, and certainly not much of the sweetness of nature, in this composition, the general effect is agrecable. Contemplating the melody, independently of the junction of the under-part, or considering the latter without regard to the first, we cannot in candour say, that we are struck with any thing like prominent beauty, any more than we can profess to be delighted with the general style of the combination: and yet we are willing to allow that the whole is productive of a somewhat gratifying effect; and that, among similar compositions, there are a greater number with which we are less, than with which we are more, pleased. 18. 6d. "Good Night," a Song. The Music com posed by Augustus Blake. 1s. 6d. "Good Night" is a song characterized by the poetical style of its words, and the easy and pathetic flow of its melody. Some of the ideas are both original and affecting; and the general result of the composer's efforts is what it should be, and what he evidently intended. Besides being impressive in themselves, the passages have a just and natural bearing upon each other, and announce an address in connecting the thoughts, which in ballad-composition is no unimportant excellence. The Champion Waltz, or Rondo for the Piano-Forte; composed by J. Monro. 28. The Champion Waltz is a pleasant little movement, and, converted, as it here is, into a rondo, forms an agreeable practice for the unfinished performer. In our opinion, this latter qualification THE DRAMA. Though it may with as much truth be said that foul indeed must be the weather which keeps the public from the theatres, as that it must be a very ill wind that brings good to no-body; and that the summer of this year, so far as it has gone, has been exactly that which the managers of Vauxhall Gardens have had ample reason to lament, and those of the inclosed places of amusement no less cause to hail as auspicious; yet neither can we congratulate the town, nor praise the theatrical managers, on the variety of which the favourableness of the season has hitherto been productive. If at the Lyceum, the only conspicuous or striking novelty has been the re-appearance of Mr. Matthews, and even in him, nothing eccentrically interesting except his O'Rourke in the Polly Packet, and his Monsieur Tonson; so at the Haymarket nothing new has been produced since our last beyond the comic piece of Twelve Precisely. It certainly would be worth a summermanager's consideration, that, in proportion as his season is transient, the less he can afford to perpetually repeat the same short list of pieces, with which the public is so well acquainted, and with the repetition of which it has long been satiated. Instead of being occupied with the worn-out articles of the Barber of Seville, Blue Devils, the Beggar's Opera, the Padlock, the Review, the Young Quaker, the Marriage of Figaro, Simpson and Co. and others equally backnicd; and, on the whole, so much better exhibited by the winter theatres, the summer boards should present us with productions of their own, with pieces characteristically, that is, seasonably, light; and which, on account of their particular and exclusive appropriation to the time and place of their appearance, would be shielded from a disadvantageous comparison. Excellent as, in many particulars, are the talents Mr. Morrice's judgment and liberality have brought together, he will not deny, that, on the whole, all the above-named pieces have been more perfectly repre sented elsewhere dating the past winter; nor will be insist on the good policy of reminding the public of the superior excellence of other stages. We are convinced, that future attention to these remarks would not be unrewarded, because we feel assured, that nothing can be more advantageons to a summer theatre, than its performance of its own novelties, of pieces which only itself exhibits, and to which its own exclusive representation imparts an extrinsic value. PROCEEDINGS OF PUBLIC SOCIETIES. ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF FRANCE. View of Commerce and its Public Re sults in England and France. [M. DUPIN, to whom the world and the British public are under such weighty obligations for his splendid developments of the naval powers and resources of this empire, has, with the mind of an enlightened philosopher, ventured to draw a picture of our natural prosperity in the bosom of the French academy; and instituted comparisons between the state of industry in both countries so flatter ing to the people of England, that we shall be justified in devoting to it an enlarged space. No production of the press has indeed for a long time claimed more interestingly the attention of the people of England than this important document.] T HOUGH Great Britain be elevated to the highest pitch of naval power, a wider field having been opened for its display than ever was enjoyed by any other nation, people that live remote from the sea have nothing to apprehend from her fleets; and, notwithstanding her indubitable exertions in arms, and the apparent grandeur of her military achievements, There is nothing in the greatness or manner of these exploits sufficient to produce any quantum of false alarms in other states. But, with respect to her commerce, almost every resource which the highest ambition could covet has been placed within her reach, and the avidity of the mercantile passion has only been increased by approaching and attaining the pinnacle of power. It is not in the nature of this ambition suddenly to become quiescent, or, indeed, ever to rest satisfied with present possession, however vast it may be. In action, it has certainly led to discoveries, enquiries, and truths, the most valuable, and proved by experience to be of the first utility. It would be of essential service to enquire, how the English have obtained this widely extended commerce, with the sovereignty of the seas, in preference to any other European power; what it is that enables them, with superior facility and dispatch, to furnish the means of colonization and conquest, if necessary, in countries so remote, to send troops into and secure their possessions in the east, and all parts of the world; and why it is that other nations would strive, in vain, to wrest from them the naval sceptre. Accurately to analyse and describe the general principles and elements of British political power, M. Dupin has considered the different kinds of force, military and naval, the aggregate of means offensive and defensive; and how far these, in the different functions of office, trust, and manual operation, of persons or bodies, are most conducive to our national welfare. Nature has separated the British islands from the rest of mankind by the sea, as a rampart; and nautical art has particularly applied, to this singular constitution, obstacles so great as to preserve its stability, to repress and defeat the machinations and endeavours of other states and governments that would overturn it. England possesses in all the continents a sort of advanced posts that become a focus of commercial enterprise, and are useful, in great military undertakings, for the purpose of confirming her own confidence, and of inspiring terror incidentally into her enemies. In Europe, the British empire borders on Denmark, Germany, Holland, and France; and, by her outposts, it has con nexion nexion with Spain, Sicily, Italy, and Western Turkey. In Gibraltar, Malta, and the Ionian Islands, the English have the keys of the Mediterranean and Adriatic. In America, they have all the Northern Regions to the Pole, and to the confines of the Russian possessions,and those of the United States. Under the Torrid Zone, they cross the Gulf of Mexico, and establish their sovereignty in the midst of an Archipelago between the two hemispheres of America, and where dependence on the mercantile industry of the mother-country becomes an object of indispensible necessity. In Africa, by their forts on the Gold Coast, and establishments at Sierra Leone, they diminish the many and great instances of horrors that too often multiply in Negroland. They justly consider Negroes in captivity as in a preternatural and degraded state; and would have them to enjoy at home, in common with their brethren and their neighbours from Europe, such blessings as their country affords, and would permit them to enjoy kindred plentiful subsistence and the natal soil. In a part more advanced towards the Austral pole, in places where for centuries the Spaniards and Portuguese had only a port of refreshment, and the Hollanders a plantation, the English are establishing an empire, which will soon be aggrandized by subsequent colonization, and the addition of various contiguous dominions, This will become a new focus of commercial action, and perhaps of conquest, with respect to the adjacent islands, should any just mode and necessary cause of carrying on warfare be shown. At present, by its peculiar local situation, it becomes an object of the first magnitude, as it connects Africa with the Indies, and while it equally serves the purposes of a naval and military station, it forms a depository of mercantile resources. From this it appears that the focus of southern Africa will soon undergo a very important change. In India and its Archipelago, Britain is in possession of some of the finest countries of the cast; and indeed, on the Asiatic continent, her factors have dominion over sixty millions of subjects. Her arms have been usefully employed on the Persian Gulf, and in the Erythrean (or Red) Sea, in putting a stop to the unsparing ravages of marine bandits, a horde of robbers and buccaniers, who make no pretensions to civilization, who show no regard for the blood which they shed, or the desolation which they cause. The conquests of the English merchants commenced where those of Alexander terminated, and where the god, Terminus, of the Romans, could never arrive. We have, at this day, the spectacle of a commercial company, embodied in a narrow street of the city of London, employed, after reducing them to subjection, in making and establishing constitutions, partly democratical, among the conquered, in forming administrations and systems of government suited to the habits and genius of the people for whom they are designed, a people previously subject to pillage and coufiscation, and whose servitude had been perpetuated for ages. Thus, from a single centre, by the vigour of its institutions, and from the advanced state of its arts, civil and military, an island which, in the Oceanic Archipelago, would scarcely be reckoned of the third order, exhibits the sublime and interesting object of commanding attention, from the movements of her industry, and the weight of her power, in all the extremities of the four parts of the world. A further train of reflection is supplied if we add the diversity of objects connected with civilization which follow from British influence, and which we find rising to view from British colonization: perhaps one fifth of the globe will, one day, receive the laws, speak the language, conform to the manners, and fully participate in the commerce, arts, and intelligence, of Great Britain. Such an immense dispersion of colo-, nies and people would, in several circumstances, be a disadvantage to other nations, but are well calculated to be valuable acquisitions to a country where so useful a spirit of commercial emulation is excited, where attention is ever kept alive, where efforts are ever stimulated to interest all such feelings as commerce can wisely take advantage of, in the most direct manner. England is separated from her exterior provinces by enormous distances; hence, she is not vulnerable with them; those provinces are separated, one from another, by as great intervals, so that, if one part of her territories may have been placed in dangerous or critical circumstances, another will not be in the same situation; one single adversary would find it difficult to attack and blockade them both. As to nations that have no settlements on the frontiers of her possessions, the sphere of their action would be much more |