stance, for when they are seen near by, they
fail to please, if they do not produce positive disgust. Report represents
him as having accumulated upward of one hundred thousand pounds sterling,
which he could only have done by adopting this distant, effective style;
for if he had continued to finish his pictures in the same manner as he
did those of his early works, which procured for him the foundation of his
present wide-spread reputation, he would not have realized one eighth of
that sum. To paint one of the former, costs but a few hours' labor, but
one of the latter would employ many days if not weeks; yet the momentary
effect of pleasure derived from seeing the one is greater than that of the
other. Hence those who visit exhibitions, having but a limited time, are
gratified; but place one of the chaste productions of CLAUDE LORRAINE, who
diligently followed nature with all the tenderness of a modest student, by
the side of one of the tinsel class, and observe the ultimate effect. The
former will gradually win your admiration, and continue to arouse pleasing
reminiscences; the latter will finally lose its charm, and be regarded
with something of the feeling with which one looks upon the ornamental
paper of a room. We have had many exhibitions of single large pictures,
such as DUBUFE'S 'Don Juan,' which have produced handsome returns to those
who have purchased them for such speculating purposes. The parties have
been well aware of the physical effects of size; for had the same subjects
been painted upon a small scale, though equally well executed, they would
have been less attractive to the multitude; yet the smaller ones would
have reflected the same sized images in the camera of the eye; since, as I
have already hinted, to see them properly they must be viewed at short
distances, as the large pictures must be at greater proportionate ones.

I will here digress for a moment, in the hope that I may be permitted to
make mention of my own works, without incurring the charge of undue
egotism. Let me, however, by way of apology for calling public attention
to the series of forty small Water-Color Drawings, (painted _con amore_,
and with no idea of gain,) which are now before the public, mention the
fact, that the commencement of their publication was owing to a suggestion
of Gen. CASS, who urged me to undertake the enterprise while I was in
Paris. The drawings then consisted of half the present number of landscape
views;