Samuel F. B. Morse, His Letters and Journals In Two Volumes, Volume I.

-Copley.-Friendliness of West.-Elgin marbles.-Cries of London.- Custom in knocking.-Witnesses balloon ascension.-Crowds.-Vauxhall Gardens.-

ington Allston and by letters of introduction, was dazzled and filled with enthusiasm for the works of the master. He considered him one of the greatest of painters, if not the greatest, of all times. The ver

phy of Morse relates th

fidence of the King, and was actually engaged upon his portrait when the Declaration of Independence was handed

mity with the order given to his servant, Robert, always to admit Mr. Leslie and

ting with back toward me copying from it upon canvas. My name having been mentioned to him, he did not t

that picture

"I perceive it is the

e for that portrait when the box containing the Ame

appeared to be the emotions

ss of his heart," or words to that effect. "'Well, if they can be happier u

11, Morse writes

demy. It is a much harder task to enter now than when Mr. Allston was here, as they now require a pretty accurate knowledge of anatomy before they suffer them to enter, and I shall find the advantage of my anatomical lectures. I feel rather encourag

se gave him your letter. He was very glad to see me, an

elves; but I shall give America the better one.' He has begun a copy, which I likewise saw, and there are several alterations for the better, if it is possible to be better

obably be superior to the other. He favored me with a sight of the sketch, which he said he granted to me because I was an American. He had not shown it to anybody else. Mr. Allston was with m

ran up as nimbly as I could.... I walked through his gallery of paintings of his own productions; there were upward of two hundred, consisting principally of the original sketch

en, with their easels and palettes and oil colors, employed in copying some of the pictures. You can see from this circumstance in

e dozen on the top of my clothes. I went up into the city again and forgot the remainder until it was too late either to take them out or hide them under the clothes. So I waited trembling (for contraband goods subject the whole trunk to seizure), but the custom-house officer, being very good-natured

harm in smuggling and bribery. And, as another instance of how the standards of right and wrong change

erican papers again. I see by them that the lottery is done drawing. How has my ticket turned out? If

or the benefit of

wo thirds of those generally offered, but advised me to draw another and remedy some defects in handling the chalks (to which I am not at all accustomed), and he says I shall e

Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis, dated S

d unless he possesses almost an enthusiastic love for paintings. To possess a gallery of pictures is the pride of every nobleman, and they seem to vie with each other in possessing the most choice and most numerous collection.... I visited Mr. Copley a few days since. He is very old and infirm. I think his age is upward of seventy, nearly the age of Mr. West. His powers of mind have alm

wished me to call and see him often and be intimate with him. Age, instead of impairing his faculties, seems rather to have strengthened them, as his la

rting the great collection of splendid ruins, among them some of the original statues of Phidias, the celebrated ancient sculptor. They are very much mutilated, however, and impaired by time; still ther

exception of one or two, they all appear to be the cries of distress. I don't know how many times I have run to the window expecting to see some poor creature in the agonies of death, but found, to my surpri

the house rings the bell only; a strange servant knocks once; a market man or woman knocks once and rings; the penny post knocks twice

e heretofore done. From my own observation and opportunity of hearing the opinion of the people generally, they are extremely desiro

y high spirits, and sometimes a balance of each; which latter, though very desirable, I seldom have, but generally am at one extreme or the

d September 17, 1811, he thus desc

ntleman in a balloon. It was a very grand sight, and the next day the aeronauts returned to Hackney, having gone nearly fifty miles in about an hou

block up the way, which was across a bridge, with carriages and carts, etc., and as soon as the people began to move it created such an obstruction that, in a few moment

any women and children crying and screaming in all directions, and no one able to assist them, not even having a finger at liberty, they were wedged in in such a

ust say they far exceeded my expectations; I never before had an idea of such splendor. The moment I went in

aced the Turkish band. On one side of the gardens you enter two splendid saloons illuminated in the same brilliant manner. In one of them the Pandean band is placed, and in the other the Scotch band. All around the gardens is

there is an admirable deception of waterworks. A bridge is seen over which stages and wagons, men and horses, are seen passing; birds flying across and the water in great cataracts falling d

same orchestra till eleven o'clock. They then are called away again to the dark part of the gardens, where is an exhibition of the most sp

chief orchestra, and hundreds of groups are immediately formed for dancing. Respectable ladies, however, seldom join in this danc

ion over the human heart. Had the Eastern sage, who was in search of the land of happiness, at this moment been introduced into Vauxhall, I think

plays Scotch reels and dances. The music and this course of dancing continue till about four o'clock in the morning, when the lights are extinguished

ose and allowed to amuse themselves in any lawful way they please. The fair is held in Smithfield Market, about the centre of the city. The principal amusement appeared to be swinging. There were large boxes capable of holding five or six suspended in large frames in such manner as to vibrate nearly through a semicircle. There were, to s

six boxes capable of holding four persons. These are set in slow motion, and they gradually rise to the top of the wheel and as gr

ts, lusus naturoe, mountebanks, buffoons, dancers on the slack wire, fighting and swearing, po

iors, like many persons' heads, are but very poorly furnished. Strolling companies of players occupy these, and between the plays the actors and actresse

bout fifteen minutes in reciting a play and then a fresh audience is collected, and so they proceed through the

nd, in short, every possible instrument that can make a noise, that if a person gets safe from the fair without the total loss of his hearing for three weeks he may consider himself fortunate. Contiguous to the theatres are the exhibition rooms of the jugglers and buffoons, who also bet

g is now so very low that he cannot survive more than a week or two longer, and immediately on his deat

II, did not, howev

nto the habit very fast. It must be learned by degrees. I shall not say, as Salmagundi says,-'I shall spare no e

report respecting the capture of the U.S. frigate President by Melampus fr

, as it is cheaper living there even than in London, and there are great advantages there? I only ask the question in

Downs. I was really provoked. There is great deception about vessels; they advertise for a certain day and perha

len is still wind-bound. It makes my letters which are on board of her about five or six weeks old, besides the prospect of a long voyage. However it is not her fault. There are three or four

t to attempt another. I have accordingly drawn another from the Laocoon statue, the most difficult of all the statues; have shown it to, the keeper of the Academy and am admitted for a year witho

tomary. I have finished a landscape and almost finished a copy of a portrait which Mr. West lent me. Mr. Allston has seen it and complimented me by saying it was just a hundred tunes better than he had any idea I could do, and that I

s, riots, etc., have commenced as you will see by the paper

t, to relieve you from further expense on my account. Mr. Allston encourages me to think thus from the rapid i

from the increasing disturbances at Nottingham, and more espe

nt of the murder of one consisting of three persons, making the twelfth murder committed in that part of the city within three months, and

my bed, although there is little to apprehend in this part of the city. Still, as I find many of