Sold by JAMES WATSON & Co. No 40. South Bridge: NEW PATENTS ENROLLED IN THE MONTHS OF Mr Todd's Hydraulic Pump. ON the 9th of May, letters patent were granted to Mr Thos. Todd, of Hull, Yorkshire, engine maker, for a new invented hydraulic pump. The hydraulic pump of Mr Todd's invention in fome particulars bears a refemblance to the ordinary one, but he has contrived to double its powers by the following means: Having prepared the piston cylinder, which may be twelve feet high, he cuts from the bottom three feet; at the end of the great cylinder he places an atmospheric valve, and to the top of the fmall cylinder a ferving valve. In the bottom of the small cylinder, which contains the ferving valve, is inferted an oblong eliptical curved tube, of equal caliber with the principal cylinder, and the other end is again inferted in the top of the great cylinder. This tube is divided in the fame manner as the first cylinder, with atmospheric and ferving valves, exactly parallel with the valves of the firft cylinder. The pump thus having double valves, produces double effects, which effects may be still farther increased, by extending the dimenfions. The cylinder is fcrewed, for fervice, on a male tube fcrew, which projects from the fide of a refervoir, or water ciftern, and is worked by the hand. The pifton-plunger is worked by a toothed segment wheel, fimilar to the principle of the one ufed in working the chain pumps of fhips belonging to the royal navy; and the wheel receives motion from a hand-winch, which is confiderably accelerated by a fly-wheel of variable dimenfions, at the oppofite end. This pump, in addition to its increased powers, poffeffes another very great and prominent advantage. By fcrewing to it the long leather tube and fire-pipe of the common engine, it is in a few minutes converted into an effective fire engine. Hence whoever poffeffes one, may be faid to have a convenient domestic apparatus against fire. Three men can work it; one to turn the winch, another to direct the fire pipe, and a third to fupply the water. Mr Garlic's Progreffive Motion Machine. ON the 9th of February, letters patent were granted to Mr Aaron Garlick, of Daggenwald, county of Chefter, fpining machine maker, for a machine which produces progreffive motion in fpinning and roving cotton, &c. &c. Mr Garlick's machine is of the loom kind, in the form of a parallelogram, elevated on four corner pillars, and confifts of three rows of cotton ipindles in the front. The cotton fpindles receive their motion from three long round bars, placed horizontally, one over the other, upon both ends of the loom, and thefe again are turned by three large-toothed wheels, the upper one of the three gives motion to the other two. Thus the progreffive motion is communicated to the cotton fpindles in the fame manner as it is to the different parts of a common time piece—by a train of wheels placed vertically instead of horizontally. In the centre of the wheels are inferted the points of the great horizontal bars, and thus the first motion produces all the reft. A lever hand-winch is the means employed to work the loom. SCOTS M MAGAZINE, For AUGUST 1797. TH CHARACTER OF. RUBENS. HE works of men of genius alone, where great faults are united with great beauties, afford proper matter for criticifm.-Genius is always eccentric, bold and daring; which at the fame time that it commands attention, is fure to provoke criticifm. It is the regular, cold, and timed compofer, who cicapes cenfure, and deferves no praife. The elevated fituation on which Rubens ftands in the esteem of the world, is alone a fufficient reafon for fome examination of his pretenfions. His fame is extended over a great part of the continent, without a rival; and it may be justly faid that he has enriched his country, not in a figurative fenfe only, by the great examples of art which he left, but by what fome would think a more folid advantage, the wealth arifing from the concourfe of ftrangers whom his works continually invite to Antwerp, which would otherwife have little to reward the vifit of a connoif feur, and if to thefe we add the many towns, churches, and private cabinets, where a fingle picture of Rubens confers eminence, we cannot hesitate to place him in the firft rank of illuftrious painters. Though I fill entertain the fame general opinion both in regard to his excellencies and his defects, yet having now feen his greatelt compofitions, where he has more means of difplaying thofe parts of his art in which he particularly excelled, my eftimation of his genius is of courfe railed. It is only in large compofitions that his powers seem to have room to expand themfelves. They really increafe in proportion to the fize of the canvas on which they are to be difplayed. His fuperiority is not seen in tafel-pictures, nor even in detached parts of his greater works; which are feldom eminently beautiful. It does not lie in an attitude, or in any peculiar expreffion, but in the general effect, in the genius which pervades and illuminates the whole. To the city of Duffeldorff he has I remember to have obferved in a been an equal benefactor. The gallery picture of Diatreci, which I faw in a of that city is confidered as containing private cabinet at Bruffels, the contrary one of the reatest collections of pictures effect. In that performance there ap in the world; but if the works of Rubens were taken from it, I will venture to affert, that this great repofitory would be reduced to at leaft half its value. To extend his glory ftill further, he gives to Paris one of its molt ftriking features, the Luxembourg Gallery; *This character was left in MS. by the late Sir Joshua Reynolds, and inferted in his works, juft publifhed, by Edmund Milone, Efq; one of his executors. VOL. LIX. peared to be a total abfence of this pervading genius; though every individual figure was correctly drawn, and to the action of each as careful an attention was paid, as if it were a fet academy figure. Here femed to be nothing left to chance; all the nymphs (the fubje& was the bath of Diana) were what the ladies call in attitudes; yet, without being able to cenfure it for incorrectness or any other defect, I thought it one of + B the coldest and most infipid pictures I for every artist to affume, when he has ever beheld. finished his ftudies, and may venture, in fome measure, to throw afide the fetters of authority; to confider the rules as fubject to his controul, and not himself fubject to the rules; to risk and to dare extraordinary attempts without a guide, abandoning himself to his own fenfations, and depending upon them. To this confidence must be imputed that originality of manner by which he may be truly faid to have extended the limits of the art. After Rubens had made up his manner, he never looked out of himself for affiftance: there is confequently very little in his works, that appears to be taken from other maiters. If he has borrowed any thing, he has had the addrefs to change and adapt it fo well to the rest of his work, that the theft is not discoverable. The works of Rubens have that peculiar always attendant on genius, to attract attention, and enforce admiration, in fpite of all their faults. It is owing to this fafcinating power that the performances of thofe painters with which he is furrounded, though they have, perhaps, fewer defects, yet appear fpiritlefs, tame, and infipid; fuch as the altar-pieces of Crayer, Schutz, Segers, Heyfens, Tyfens, Van Bulen, and the reft. They are done by men whofe hands, and indeed all their faculties, appear to have been cramped and confined; and it is evident that every thing they did was the effect of great labour and pains. The productions of Rubens, on the contrary, feem to flow with a freedom and prodigality, as if they coft him nothing; and to the general ani- Befides the excellency of Rubens mation of the compofition there is al- in thefe general powers, he poffeffed ways a correfpondent fpirit in the exe- the true art of imitating. He faw the cution of the work. The ftriking bril- objects of nature with a painter's eye; liancy of his colours, and their lively he faw at once the predominant feature oppofition to each other, the flowing li- by which every object is known and berty and freedom of his outline, an diftinguifhed; and as foon as feen, it animated pencil with which every ob- was executed with a facility that is af ject is touched, all contribute to awaken tonishing; and let me add, this facility and keep alive the attention of the fpec is to a painter, when he clofely exatator; awaken in him, in fome meafure, mines a picture, a fource of great pleacorrefpondent fenfations, and make him fure. How far this excellence may be feel a degree of that enthusiasm with perceived or felt by those who are not which the painter was carried away. painters, I know not to them certainly To this we my add the complete unifor- it is not enough that objects be truly remity in all parts of the work, fo that the prefented; they must likewife be reprewhole feems to be conducted, and grow fented with grace; which means here, out of one mind; every thing is of a that the work is done with facility, and piece, and fits its place. Even his tafte without effort. Rubens was, perhaps, of drawing and of form appears to cor- the greatest mafter in the mechanical refpond better with his colouring and part of the art, the best workman with compofition, than if he had adopted any his tools, that ever exercised a pencil. other manner, though that manner, fimply confidered, might be better it is here as in perfonal attractions; there is frequently found a certain agreement and correfpondence in the whole together, which is often more captivating than mere regular beauty. Rubens appears to have had that confidence in himself, which is neceffary This part of the art, though it does not hold a rank with the powers of invention, of giving character and expreffion, has yet in it what may be called genius. It is certainly fomething that cannot be taught by words, though it may be learned by a frequent examination of thofe pictures which poffefs this excellence. It is felt by very few paint ers ; ers; and it is as rare at this time among mortals, fuch as he meets with every the living painters, as any of the high- day. er excellencies of the art. The incorrectnefs of Rubens, in reThis power, which Rubens poffeffed gard to his outline, oftener proceeds in the highest degree, enabled him to from hafte and careleffnefs, than from reprefent whatever he undertook better inability: there are in his great works, than any other painter. His animals, to which he feems to have paid more particularly lions and horfes, are fo particular attention, naked figures as eadmirable, that it may be faid they were minent for their drawing as for their never properly reprefented but by him. colouring. He appears to have enterHis portraits rank with the beft works tained a great abhorrence of the meagre of the painters who have made that branch dry manner of his predeceffors, the old of the art the fole business of their lives; German and Flemish painters; to avoid and of thofe he has left a great variety which, he kept his outline large and of fpecimens. The fame may be faid flowing: this, carried to an extreme, of his landfcapes; and though Claude produced that heavinefs which is fo freLorrain finished more minutely, as be- quently found in his figures. Another comes a profeffor in any particular defect of this great painter, is his attenbranch, yet there is fuch an airinefs and tion to the foldings of his drapery, effacility in the landscapes of Rubens, pecially that of his women: it is fcarcethat a painter would as foon wifh to ly ever caft with any choice or skill. be the author of them, as those of Carlo Maratti and Rubens are in this Claude, or any other artist whatever. refpect in oppofite extremes; one difThe pictures of Rubens have this ef- covers too much art in the difpofition fect on the fpectator, that he feels him- of drapery, and the other too little. felf in no wife difpofed to pick out and Rubens' drapery, befides, is not pro dwell on his defects. The criticifms perly hiftorical; the quality of the stuff which are made on him are indeed of- of which it is compofed, is too accuten unreasonable. His ftyle ought no rately diftinguifhed; refembling the more to be blamed for not having the manner of Paul Veronefe. This drafublimity of Michael Angelo, than O. pery is lefs offenfive in Rubens than it vid fhould be cenfured because he is not would be in many other painters, as it like Virgil. partly contributes to that richness which is the peculiar character of his ftyle, which we do not pretend to fet forth as of the moft fimple and fublime kind. However, it must be acknowledged that he wanted many excellencies, which would have perfectly united with his ftyle. Among thofe we may reck- The difference of the manner of Ruon beauty in his female characters: bens, from that of any other painter fometimes, indeed, they make approach- before him, is in nothing more diftina es to it; they are healthy and comely guifhable, than in his colouring, which women, but feldom, if ever, poffefs any is totally different from that of Titian, degree of elegance.: the fame may be Coreggio, or any of the great colourists. faid of his young men and children: his The effect of his pictures may not be old men have that fort of dignity which improperly compared to clusters of flowa bushy beard will confer; but he ne- ers; all his colours appear as clear and ver poffeffed a poetical conception of as beautiful: at the fame time he has character. In his reprefentations of the highest characters in the chriftian or the fabulous world, instead of fomething above humanity, which might fill the idea which is conceived of fuch beings, the fpectator finds little more than mere YOL. LIX. avoided that tawdry effect which one would expect fuch gay colours to produce; in this refpect refembling Barócci more than any other painter. What was faid of an ancient painter, may be applied to those two artifts-that their 4 C |