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THE 
 
 EXHIBITION; 
 
 OR, 
 
 THERE IS NONE GREATER THAN 
 
 Each mounted on his painting throne 
 On brother Brufhmen looks contemptuous down, 
 Like our great Admirals on a Gang of Swabbers. 
 
 Peter Pindar. 
 
 Now frormy fury rofe, 
 And clamor fuch as heard in Heaven till now 
 was never. Milton. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 PRINTED FOR R. FAULDER, BOND STREET* 
 
 NO NOT ONE. 
 
 BY TIMOTHY TAR- BARREL. 
 
 *793- 
 
 TRICE ONE SHILLING. 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 The following pages were written, 
 in the form of letters, for the Oracle, 
 and meant as a reply to a Letter 
 which appeared in that Paper on the 
 14th of March, containing, in the 
 ironical manner of Swift, a Satire on 
 the Council of the Royal Academy, 
 which, if it had been well founded^ 
 would have been fevere ; but the 
 
 length 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 length of his letters, or the prefTure 
 of political matter having prevented 
 their infertion, the Author has adopt- 
 ed this mode of publication, though 
 fenfible that many faults will be ob- 
 ferved and cenfured in a pamphlet, 
 which would have been over-looked 
 in a newfpaper. 
 
 THE 
 
THE 
 
 EXHIBITION, 
 
 The opinion held by the Father of my 
 immortal countryman, Shandy, that the names 
 of men have a kind of magical influence in 
 forming their characters, appears not to be fo 
 abfurd as we have been led to imagine ; for 
 however a few of the grey beards of the earth 
 may ridicule the notion, the reft of mankind 
 
 b feem 
 
( 1° ) 
 
 feem to acknowledge its truth, by conftantly 
 annexing an idea of character to every new 
 name. To thofe of rough, high-founding, 
 manly mouthing, they involuntarily unite 
 the ideas of courage, vigour, and magna- 
 nimity; and are as much difappointed to 
 find the noble names of George or Alexander 
 attached to a muling chaunter of Italian 
 Airs, as they would be to meet with the 
 confiftent unconquerable daring of a ge- 
 nuine Patriot, in the whipper-fnapper appel- 
 lation Napper Tandy. 
 
 Under the influence of this fage opinion, 
 my eye cafually fell upon a Letter, figned 
 Favonius, in the Oracle of the 14th day of 
 March. Lured by this mellifluous name, I 
 took up the Paper, expeding to be regaled 
 with the melodious murmurs of falling waters, 
 and the liquid lays of love ; when to my afto- 
 nifhment, I found only the fcrannel founds of 
 
 fatyr 
 
( '1 ) 
 
 fatyr. Such an incongruity would have fhaken 
 my Shandean opinion from its bafe, if an- 
 other incongruity had not happily reftored It 
 to all its honours. I difcovered that the blafts 
 of malice did not come from the Weft, as the 
 name imported, but on the contrary, were 
 directed full againft that quarter. That the 
 writer, well acquainted with the value of a 
 good name as a paflport to public regard, had 
 aflumed one, to which his god-father had giv- 
 en him no title, and that his name was not 
 Favonius, but Solanus — no, not Solanu*-— 
 there I am miftaken — but Eurus ; for the 
 genius of this pretended Favonius bears no 
 greater analogy to the biting keennefs of the 
 Eaft wind, than to the latent malignity of 
 the South. 
 
 The letter of Favonius was addrefled to the 
 Committee of the Royal Academy, whofe 
 bufinefs it is to arrange the Pidures for the 
 b 2 enfuing 
 
cnfuing Exhibition— As I followed him in 
 his career of ironical direction, I could not, 
 without pain, refledt how frequently cenfure 
 was attached to the mod neceffary and labo- 
 rious duties, whether fuch duties were, or 
 were not difcharged uprightly^ I have been 
 for feveral years no carelefs obferver of the 
 proceedings of the Royal Academy, and as a 
 lover of the Arts, attentive to its condudl with 
 regard to the Exhibition ; and every year I 
 have feen the Newfpapers teem with abufc 
 on the Committee, which fober truth and 
 candour declared to be ill- founded and un- 
 merited. — Why is ic thus ? Do the writers of 
 fuch abufe imagine they can terrify thofe, to 
 whom the painful office of arrangement de- 
 volves, from the fore-right path of re&itude 
 and propriety, in favour of their own partial 
 views and attachments ? Is it not rather to be 
 feared, that fuch animadverfions, reiterated 
 year after year, will make them parelefs of 
 
 cenfure* 
 
cenfure, and callous to reproof? Happily for 
 the Arts, the Committees of Arrangement 
 has hitherto preferred the effe6l of the whole 
 to the partial advantage of an individual per- 
 formance. — And when the multiplied diffi- 
 culties arifing from merit, fize, and manner 
 of colouring are confidered, an impartial 
 judge muft allow, that they have generally 
 deferved praife, and rarely, if ever, have been 
 cenfured with juftice. 
 
 But difficult above all other works of dif- 
 ficulty would it be, to reconcile the fituation 
 of each individual performance, to the wiflies 
 and vanity of its parent. Partial to himfelf, 
 and partial to the children of his genius, 
 he acknowledges no fuperior, and fees no dif- 
 tin&ion to which he is not entitled. Where 
 {hall I place your performance, Sir ? Let the 
 Council afk of every one — in the befl place 
 to be fure, will be every man's anfwer. Like 
 
 the 
 
( H ) 
 
 the Grecian Captains, after the battle of Ma- 
 rathon, however they might agree in difpofing 
 of the fecond place, every one would claim 
 the firft for himfelf. 
 
 I love to laugh a little now and then, and 
 think with my countryman before-mentioned, 
 that life is lengthened by laughter. In this 
 pleafureable employment I am occafionally 
 affifted by a venerable friend, long noted for 
 his fatyric humour, on which age has had 
 no other effe6fc, than to abate its feverity, and 
 to diredl its keennefs from individual to ge- 
 neral nature* He, like Shandy's Father, has 
 many whimfical opinions, which fometimes 
 appear like the vagaries of an extravagant 
 imagination, but they are frequently well- 
 founded in the paflions and propenfities of 
 men. One of his favourite notions is, that 
 the letter I ought to ftand foremoft in the al- 
 phabet ; and that an affediation of modefty 
 
 in 
 
« >5 ) 
 
 in the framers of alphabets has removed it 
 from its place— but every man, he afferts, 
 does it juftice in private. He hung over my 
 fhoulder as I was writing the foregoing para- 
 graphs — behold, he cries, a pregnant illuftra- 
 tion of my opinion. The Artifts to a man 
 will acknowledge that I is always the princi- 
 pal figure on his own canvafs. The time 
 of the Exhibition approaches. Every one 
 is now on the tip-toe of expectation, anxious 
 for the place his work is to occupy. It is his 
 firft thought in the morning, and at night 
 deprives him of " Nature s chief reJlorer y balmy 
 Jleep" Extended on his pallat, or finking in 
 a bed of down, the foliloquy is the fame in 
 fubftance, and varies only in language, ac- 
 cording to the education and manners of the 
 artift. " O that the Exhibition were open ! 
 c< Unlefs the malice of my evil genius pre- 
 " vails, I fhall now be diftinguifhed among 
 cc my fellows — I fhall occupy the moft con- 
 
 cc fpicuous 
 
( '6 ) 
 
 Cf fpicuous fituation. I already hear the 
 f Critics declare, that I defign with inex- 
 " preffible energy — that I colour with fuper- 
 <f lative brilliancy and fweetnefs ; while the 
 < c Ladies, one and all acknowledge, that I 
 <f make water more tranfparent than any 
 <c other man. I fee your Artaud's, and An- 
 " gelica's, your Biggs's, Banks's, and Bour- 
 c< geoife's, your Cofway's and Copley's, your 
 " Farrington's and Fufeli's, your Hodges's, 
 u Hoppner's, and Hamilton's, your Law- 
 u rence's and Loutherbourg's, your Opie's, 
 €i Rigaud's, and Ruffel's, your Smirke's, your 
 <c Weft's, and your Zoffanie's fink, into ob- 
 <f fcurity before the fplendour of my repu- 
 <c tation. There is-nons greater than 
 " I, no not one." While my friend thus 
 fwung through the alphabet, he held in his 
 hand a kind of perfpe&ive fketch of the 
 Chrift Crofs Row, in which a colo ffal irradi- 
 ated I occupied the fore-ground, and by its 
 
 magnitude 
 
 # 
 
I 17 ] 
 
 magnitude and brightnefs threw the reft of 
 the letters into ftiade. There, Sir, he faid, 
 is^the alphabet as each man frames it for him- 
 felf. Delighted with the novelty of the 
 thought, I chuckled with fatisfaftion. He 
 had omitted the H — I ventured to mention 
 it. The H, Sir, he returned, is no letter — 
 and the H, Sir, may reprefent the Prefident, 
 Sir, or the ProfefTor, Sir, or any other Artift, 
 Sir, whom I hates, and whom I knows to be 
 nobody. 
 
 My friend left me* and I continued to 
 mufe on the fubjeft of our converfation, 
 when I felt my felf gently lifted from my 
 chair by fome invifible power, and trans- 
 ported I knew not whither, while all my fa- 
 culties were fufpended in aftonifhment and 
 terror; but in lefs than an hour my feet 
 touched the ground, and I found myfelf in a 
 fpacious apartment, if one apartment it 
 c might 
 
[ *8 ] 
 
 might be called, that feemed to confift of 
 more than fifty large halls, each lighted by 
 a fky-light, and feparated one from another 
 by fcreens of columns, and open arcades, pre- 
 fenting on every fide an effect of perfpe&ive 
 fcenery, more ftriking than was ever devifed 
 by the genius of Perfian or Egyptian magni- 
 ficence. Several circumftances convinced 
 me that I was in a place appropriated to the 
 public Exhibition of Pi&ures, but whether 
 it was a building ere&ed for that exprefs pur- 
 pofe, or the upper ftory of fome immenfe 
 palace, I could not determine. A pair of 
 folding doors now flew open, and about forty 
 perfons, of a grave and reverend afpeft, 
 palled flowly by me to a diftant hall, where, 
 in a large niche at the upper end, flood the 
 Apollo Belvidere, apparently the prefiding 
 deity of the place. A lovely female, whom 
 I intuitively knew to be Tafte, was placed 
 on the right hand of the god, and on his left 
 
 another, 
 
c (i 3 
 
 another, whofe heavenly fweetnefs of coun- 
 tenance declared to be Candour. The leader 
 of the troop Tat down on a throne placed at 
 the feet of Apollo, while his followers feated 
 themfelves at a large (able ; and in one of 
 them, who prepared to difcharge the office 
 of Secretary, I thought I recognized fome- 
 thing like the. bald pate, and comely pre- 
 fence of Mr. Richards of the Royal Aca- 
 demy. I Toon difcovered that this was an 
 academic council, and that its bufinefs was 
 to examine the works of art intended for 
 public exhibition. An incredible number 
 of pidtures, ftatues and drawings, were now 
 fubmitted fingly to its infpe&ion. Some 
 were received with admiration, many with 
 pleafure, many more with <a fmile of good- 
 nature, and a few, but very few, were fent 
 away as unfit for the public eye. Though 
 the Members of the Council feemed to adl 
 from their own judgment, they were not 
 c 2 without 
 
without fuperior direction. To thofe of the 
 two firft claffes I obferved that Tafte, by a 
 gentle inclination of her head, gave an un- 
 equivocal fign of approbation. When thofe 
 of the third ciafs were held before her, Ihe 
 appeared to be almoft indifferent to their fate ; 
 but a glearn from the countenance of Can- 
 dour fecured their reception. Of the laft 
 clafs they were both regardlefs, and the Af- 
 fembly, feemingly unwilling to damp the ar- 
 dour of endeavour, or to wound the feel- 
 ings of blamelefs vanity, relu6lantly refufed 
 admiflion to thofe for whom neither Tafte 
 nor Candour could furnifla a plea. 
 
 The talk of arrangement commenced, 
 which was a work of infinite difficulty and 
 labour. Every Member of the Council was ac- 
 tively engaged in it 5 but a tall, white-headed, 
 venerable man was diftinguifhed by his ex- 
 treme folicitude. He meafured the walls, 
 
 he 
 
E $ 3 
 
 he meafured every individual pifture, and 
 made drawings of each apartment, and the 
 performance allotted to it, with all an ar- 
 chitect's exactnefs, and all a painter's atten- 
 tion to harmony and effe6L Five times was 
 the whole arranged, and five times a total 
 alteration took place. With fome of the 
 pidtures they had infinite trouble — they tried 
 them in all lights, and in all fituations, and 
 at lafl: left them where they appeared to the 
 leaft difadvantage, without being able to dis- 
 cover where they would look well. At every 
 alteration, I obferved that the Prefident fixed 
 his ~ye anxioufly on the Goddefs at the right- 
 hand of Apollo, and it was not till fhe had 
 given the fign of approbation that their toil 
 was declared at an end. 
 
 This great work being completed, an order 
 was ifTued to open the doors, that the exhi- 
 bitors might be convinced of the Council's at- 
 tention 
 
t ,» -3 
 
 tention to their refpe&ive merits, before the 
 whole was expofed to public obfervation. — 
 They burft in like a torrent— then dividing 
 into numberlefs ftreams, in an'inftant over- 
 flowed the whole theatre of Exhibition. 
 Having been witnefs to the folicitude of the 
 Council, I was weak enough to expeft that 
 every man would be fatisfied ; but, inflead 
 of the fmiles of grateful approbation, blank 
 difappointment gloomed every countenance. 
 Each man found his piftures were placed too 
 high, or too low, in too ftrong a light, or 
 too much in the ftiade. — Nothing was heard 
 but the murmurs of difcontent — they rofe 
 louder and louder, till emboldened by their 
 own noife, the Artifts hurried to the hall of 
 Council, and reviled the Prefident and 
 Members, in language that I forbear to re- 
 peat, becaufe I would not have the world 
 imagine that Artifts had ever heard, much 
 lefs had ever ufed, fuch language. 
 
 A 
 
I 23 ] 
 
 A fudden light now arretted their atten- 
 tion, and checked their turbulence. I fixed 
 my eyes on the groupe of ftatues at the up- 
 per end of the room. I faw the beautiful 
 vifage of Candour darkened with farrow, and 
 the eyes of Tafte fparkling with indignation, 
 while a lambent flame furrounded the head 
 of Apollo. All wasaflonifhment and filence, 
 when the God, cafting a look of benignity 
 on the clamorous crowd, in a voice that 
 thrilled through the hearts of the hearers, pro- 
 nounced, <e Let every man place his owu 
 pi&ure.'' 
 
 No time to thank Apollo — They rolled 
 away, one over the other, like the crowding 
 waves of a river, through a contracted chan- 
 nel. Few were the Ladies, and well it was 
 they were but few, for the uncourtly Artifts 
 caft them to the ground, but flayed not_to 
 help them up. They flew to their pictures, 
 
 they 
 
t H 1 
 
 they fnatched them from their ignominious 
 fituations, and then — began to confider where 
 they could be better placed. 
 
 Goddefs that infpired the chofen Bard, 
 who fung of war in Heaven, and mountains 
 ejaculated againft mountains, give me lan- 
 guage, give me lungs, to defcribe the hub- 
 bub which enfued ! 
 
 They did not wafte much time in confide- 
 ration-— Several places were univerfally allow- 
 ed to be preferable, but many of thefe were 
 occupied by the performances of Academic 
 and other Artifls not prefent. Envy united 
 its mighty ftimulus to that of vanity, and to re- 
 move fuch performances became in the eyes of 
 thefe new judges an indifpenfible duty. On 
 one another's fhoulders they mounted, like 
 monkeys plundering an orchard, and pulled 
 down works of ineftimable value ; and caft 
 
 them 
 
t v 1 
 
 them into corners, or trampled them under 
 foot, with remorfelefs barbarity. A charm- 
 ing ftatue of Simplicity, which in another 
 place I fhould have afcribed to Nollekens, 
 having loft an eye, and the tip of her nofc, 
 lay fprawling on the floor, like Primrofe Poll 
 at the door of a gin-ftiop. Two pi6iures of 
 young Alexander and of Monimia, in the 
 manner of Hoppner and Romney, had their 
 eyes bored out by a delineator of puppies, in 
 water colours. A ftriking picture of Dioge- 
 nous, by the Academic Profcffor of Painting, 
 was decapitated ; and the Battle of Pharfalia, 
 which was called the chef d'oeuvre of the Pre- 
 fident, was torn to pieces at my elbow. One 
 ingenious man difplayed his puny humour in 
 making water on a pi&ure of Etna in a ftate 
 of eruption, by the pencil of a Provincial Ar- 
 till. I faw a Miniature Painter, feven feet 
 high, feize with one hand a huge picture, (on 
 which I read the name of Reynolds) and 
 d whirl 
 
m\,,:*u: t * ) - 1 ''.'.-'..-:c --v.: 
 
 whirl it, with Herculean force, through the 
 principal fky-light, when, to the aftonifh- 
 ment of all beholders, it took fire as it flew, 
 and continuing to afcend, without confum- 
 ing, drew a long ftream of flame through 
 the fky, till it was loft in a blaze of celeftial 
 fplendour. 
 
 The moft obnoxious works being thus dif- 
 pofed of, now was the time for vanity to tri- 
 umph — now did bright honour dance before 
 the eyes of every man. Each flew to the place 
 he deemed the beft, vociferoufly afferted his 
 claim, and prepared with violence to defend 
 it. No fooner did one attain the obje£t of 
 his wifhes, than he was fhouldered from it 
 by another, who in his turn gave way to a 
 third, who in like manner yielded his poft to 
 the firft, who was again tumbled down by a 
 fourth, and a fifth in endlefs fucceflion. In 
 vain did a few, more wife and moderate, or 
 
 more 
 
( 2 7 ) 
 
 more infidious than the reft, attempt to rea- 
 fon — to infinuate, that as one place could 
 not contain them all, fome one mud give 
 way to his neighbour. — No man would give 
 way to his neighbour. Two funs cannot 
 fhine in the fame hemifphere, but what fun 
 will confent to be eclipfed. Arms alone could 
 decide the queftion of precedence — and to 
 arms they flew with democratic rage — Now 
 were broken nofes, black eyes, and bloody 
 crowns exchanged with wonderful quicknefs 
 and dexteri ty, and now was the palm of genius 
 at the difpofal of flrength or pugiliflic fkill. 
 Great among the Painters was he who had 
 received lelfons from Big Ben or Mendoza. 
 
 In all quarters the combat was hot and 
 furious, but for the place which had been oc- 
 cupied by Reynolds, the conteft was moll 
 dreadful and bloody. There the gigantic 
 Miniature Painter before-mentioned, defend- 
 d 3 ed 
 
( 28 ) 
 
 ed his conqueft with incredible valour. 
 Twelve leaders in hiftory and landfcape had 
 already felt the force of his huge mace-like fill, 
 befides a number of lefs renown overturned 
 with his heel or his elbow. Thefe recovering 
 their difgrace, and uniting their ftrength with 
 a large body of auxiliary forces, affailed him on 
 every fide ; but like a reckon the ftormy coaft 
 of Norway, againft which the Northern ocean 
 has vainly poured his waves for a thoufand 
 ages, he repelled all affailants, till the head of 
 Minerva, broken from a ftatue in the ftile 
 of Bacon, hurled by an invifible arm, ftruck 
 full on his cheft, and tumbled the hero to 
 the ground. His fall caufed a momentary 
 flight of his foes, as the falling rock dafhes 
 back the afTailing waters. 
 
 From the downfall of this champion, the 
 demon of difcord, created a frefh motive of 
 conteft. As the collofTal carets defcended 
 
 to 
 
( * 9 ) 
 
 to the earth, it overthrew and deftroyed a 
 hundred pi&ures, each the mafter-piece of 
 its owner, and the agonizing «artifts faw the 
 labours of a year, and all their hopes of fix 
 weeks glory, vanifh in a moment. In the 
 anguifh of difappointment they became 
 frantic, and diredting their defolating fury 
 againft the works that had efcaped the enor- 
 mous ruin, they broke, tore and deftroyed, 
 whatever was within their reach. And now 
 pi&ures encountered piftures, and frames 
 engaged frames, and buftos, and marble 
 fragments, flew about like hail-ftones, and 
 caft a horrid gloom on the fcene of action, 
 while the crafh of broken mouldings, and 
 tumbling ftatues, the cries of the wounded, 
 and the fhouts of the viftors, united in a 
 noife moft tremendous. This multifarious 
 room, which was lately adorned with fuch 
 an affemblage of art as the whole world be- 
 fide could not equal, in lefs than an hour ex- 
 hibited 
 
( 3° ) 
 
 hibited nothing but ragged canvafs, and tat- 
 tered galligaflcins ; and a croud of men, 
 whom genius, with pride and pleafure, called 
 his children, were transformed into a re- 
 giment of Sans Culottes, fighting for flops in 
 Rag Fair. 
 
 Though the pi&ures were all deftroyed, 
 and it was now ufelefs to contend for places, 
 yet revenge continued the conflift in all its 
 fury, and to me there appeared no poflible 
 means of reftoring peace, but by the total de- 
 ftrudtion of the combatants, as well as their 
 works. The wild uproar was however foon 
 quelled, by the interference of fupernatural 
 power. A flafli of lightening blazed through 
 the apartment — Peals on peals of crafhing 
 thunder, reverberating among the numerous 
 domes, fhook the fabric to its foundations ; 
 and a cloud of pitchy fmoke involved both 
 vidlors and vanquifhed in impenetrable dark- 
 
 nefs. 
 
( 3* .) 
 
 nefs. At this dreadful moment I attempted 
 to fly, without knowing whither to fly, but my 
 feet were rooted to the pavement. — The 
 fliouts of battle were now over, the thunder 
 cealed to roar, and a dead filence prevailed, 
 more horrible than the preceding noifes. I 
 trembled for the fate of the contending 
 champions, and believed that the vengeance 
 of Heaven had fwept them from the face of 
 the earth. 
 
 I was not permitted to remain long in fuf- 
 pence. In a few minutes the fmoke was 
 rolled away, and the fight, with the field of 
 action, prefented precifely the fame appear- 
 ance as before this manifeftation of celeftial 
 anger ; but wonderful to relate ! the warriors 
 in limbs and features were fixed as ftatues, 
 and the various miflile weapons, arretted in 
 mid^air, hung immoveable over their heads* 
 Oh, that the pencil of Smirke could have 
 
 delineated 
 
( 32 ) 
 
 delineated this grotefque fcene ! what a ftore- 
 houfc of kicksand cuffs, of attitudes and 
 incidents, would it have formed for future 
 painters ! with ten thoufand expreflive modifi- 
 cations of rage and fear, and envy, and defpair, 
 never yet feen or reprefented. I beheld on 
 my right hand a tall, ftout, broad-chefted 
 man, who had been engaged with a dapper 
 artift of four feet ftature. Him he had feized 
 by the waiftband of the breeches, and held 
 out at arms-length, kicking and fprawling 
 between Heaven and earth. In this fitua- 
 tion they had ftiffened, prefenting an ad- 
 mirable caricature of a windmill. I was 
 eager to draw this ludicrous figure, and a 
 number of others which appeared in endlefs 
 variety ; but, before I could accomplifh the 
 fmalleft part of my wifhes, thefpell was taken 
 off, and the Artifts refumed the exercife of 
 their bodily functions. The fpirit of ani- 
 mofity however was laid, and by common 
 
 con fen l, 
 
I 33 1 
 
 confent, or conftrained by fome fecret irre- 
 fiftible force, with a flow pace and downcafl 
 looks, all repaired to the Hall of Council. 
 
 I followed — my heart palpitating with cu~ 
 riofity and fear. We entered— the Prefident 
 was ftill feated at the feet of Apollo ; but the 
 Members of the Council were ranged in a 
 femicircle on his right and left, and a golden 
 bar kept the defponding crowd at a decent 
 dillance. The ftatues of Tafte and Candour 
 appeared dejected and drooping, but the God 
 himfelf was envelloped in fire. He ftretch- 
 ed out his right hand and fpoke, <f Artifts I 
 <f know your feelings, and forbear to reproach 
 <c you. Let the fcene which you had leifure 
 c< to furvey, while your limbs were deprived 
 cc of motion, never be effaced from your 
 cc minds, and let the misfortunes of this day 
 <c teach you to diftruft the fuggeftions of va- 
 <c nity, and to refpeft the determinations of 
 e aCouN- 
 
[ 34 ] 
 
 " a Counci l, who aft under the dire&ion of 
 cc Taste, and the influence of Candour : 
 " for here Merit alone can give prefer- 
 <c ence, and here Merit (hall receive juf- 
 P tice. Let this affurance ftimulate your 
 u future induftry. Return now to the Thea- 
 f f tre of Exhibition — you will find all things 
 " reftored and arranged in their priftine or- 
 c< der. All fave the picture of Reynolds, 
 <c which I have removed to thepalace of Jupi- 
 <c ter, my father ; and the diftinguifhed place 
 <c it held in this Exhibition, for which you 
 F have fc fkrcsiy cci-i ended, I beftow upon 
 f ? a Painter after mine own heart-— upon 
 " Tar-barrel." — Let him approach, and 
 <c receive from the Prefident the immortal 
 < f wreath worn by the favourites of Apollo." 
 Swelling with joy almoft to delirium, I boldly 
 advanced through the bar — I knelt at the feet 
 of the Prefident— I looked up, and though 
 every feature of his face was immoveably 
 
 grave, 
 
( 35 ) 
 
 grave, I faw that his midriff" was convulfed 
 with rifibility. The contagion darted from 
 his eye to mine — and was communicated 
 from one to another through the crowd, like 
 an-£le£lric fhock, rill all united in peals of 
 laughter fo long and loud, that " I awoke, 
 and behold it was a dream." 
 
 FINIS.