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In the year 1771 these amiable young men made their progrefs to Italy, where they gave unremitted application to their studies, and were patronised by the illustrious Erfkine.

John Brown attached himself to the academy, and the indefatigable study of the beautiful works of the ancients.

During the course of ten years residence in Italy, the pencil and crayon were ever in his hand, and the sublime thoughts of Raphael and Michael Angelo ever in his imagination.

By continual practice he obtained a correctnefs and elegance of contour, never equalled by any British artist; but he unfortunately neglected the mechanism of the pallet till his taste was so refined that Titian, and Murillo, and the delicate Correggio made his heart to sink within him when he touched the canvas.

When he attempted to lay in his colours the admirable correctnefs of his contour was lost, and he had not self-sufficiency to persevere till it fhould be recovered in that tender evanescent outline which is so difficult to be attained even by the most eminent painters.

He wished every thing important to be made out, and when it was made out, he found his work hard and disagreeable, like the first pictures painted by Raphael, and by all that preceded that wonderful artist.

I have ever regretted that John Brown did not persevere. I am persuaded he would have been a second Raphael.

By accidents like these does the lady on the slippery ball regulate the course of human affairs; but like all ladies she ought to be diligently and artfully courted.

John Brown's evenings in Italy were passed with dilettanti or at the opera. He became passionately fond

of the sister art, and he penetrated deep into music as a science.

I never knew any one who knew and understood it better, and with so little of the jargon and mystery of a professor.

If he had gone to Berlin the great Frederick 11. would have doated on him; and his genius would have been permitted to expand. But he came to the crofs of Edinburgh, from piety to his parents, and he languished in obscurity long after his return from Italy.

At last he was taken notice of by lord Monboddo, Dr Gregory, and some others, whose names I choose to suppress for reasons that are unnecessary to be mentioned. He was employed to draw fifty portraits of the chief members of the infant Society of Antiquaries, and he drew about twenty of them, besides some persons of eminence either in learning, fashion, or beauty. He drew a beautiful characteristic head of the late worthy Sir Alexander Dick of Prestonfield; of Runciman the historical painter; of Smellie the famous naturalist, the Reaumeure of Scotland; of Drs Cullen and Black, our Sydenham and Bergman; of Blair, our Mafsillon; and of madame Lally, our Sapho, playing on a harp, and inchanting all who came within the reach of her influence,

He brought a pocket book with him from Italy in which there were some fine ideas; and he had some portraits of eminent persons that were very interesting.

I believe from the certainty of his contour he was the only person who was able to give a portrait of the famous Piranese, and he had his portrait in the collection that was sold at London after his decease.

Piranese could never sit in one posture for a moment, so his painter was forced to fhoot him flying like a bat

or a snipe; and John Brown brought him down at the first fhot.

All painters draw in reality from memory, for one cannot both draw and look at an object in the same moment. The only difference is, that the painter, when the object is before him, can recur very often, and strengthen the impression made upon the retina and upon the brain. In the spring of the year 1786. John Brown, invited by persons of eminence acquainted with his merit, went to London, and there he was employed by Mr Townley to draw from some of his fine Greek statues, particularly a fine busto of Homer, which he exquisitely finished in his manner of dotting with the black lead pencil. This, and a head of Pope, were afterwards engraved by Bartolozzi, for the benefit of his widow and child.

Had he lived we should have had fine drawings of all the capital statues and gems in England, not like those of the Marlborough collection, but in the true taste of the antique.

After some stay in London, his, health which had never been robust, yielded to extraordinary application, and he was forced to try a sea voyage, and return on a visit to Edinburgh, to settle his father's affairs, who was then dead, having been some time before in a state of imbecility. On the passage from London to Leith, he was somehow ne. glected as he lay sick in his hammock, and he was on the point of death when he arrived at Leith. With much difficulty he was brought up to town, and laid in the bed of his friend Runciman, who had died not long before in the same place. When I saw him for the last time, he was speechlefs, and I could by no means make him recog

nise me.

I set him up in his bed ;-I took him by the hand;-I embraced him. Alas! I could not make my Leonardo da

Vinci know that I was come to offer

my

last consolation

to the dying son of Apollo !

"Vixit et quem dederat cursum fortuna peregit,
"His saltem accumelem donit et fungar inani munere.

He died on the 5th of September 1787.

**** His portrait with Runeiman disputing about a passage in Shaksepeare's Tempest is in the gallery at Dryburgh abbey.

It was their joint work the year before Runciman died, 1784.

The head that accompanies this number, is done from a fketch in black lead, by Mr Brown himself; the likenefs as usual, with all Mr Scott's ingravings is strikingly preserved, and the manner of working happily imitated.

RECEIPT FOR MAKING SOUR CROUT, A FAVOURITE GERMAN DISH, AND OTHER RECEIPTS, COMMUNICATED BY A RESPECTABLE CORRESPONDENT.

For the Bee.
Preface.

Ir is believed that nothing would conduce more to the health of the inhabitants of this island than the use of sour crout. It has been found of singular benefit to our sailors on long voyages, being an antidote as well as a cure for scorbutic and other putrid complaints, occasioned either by moisture or bad or foul air, so frequently engendered in the houses of the lower class of people both in town and country. This favourite dish of the Germans is not very palatable to strangers; but the taste is soon formed to it, and it is highly relished ever after.

The following receipt for this preparation of cabbage, is taken from the mouth of a gentleman who has been

Germany, and has had fremaking of it.

The same

for these last thirty years in quent occasion to direct the gentleman has also mentioned a preparation of butter unknown to us, but much used in Germany, and known by the name of Smatts. It is from him also that the hints here subjoined respecting fruit trees have been obtained. He speaks from experiments fairly made over the whole of a garden; every other tree was treated in the maner he describes, and bore plenty of fruit, while those omitted were quite barren.

Sour crout as made of cabbages in Germany. 1. Strip the cabbages of their outward leaves. 2. With a pointed knife cut out the stalk.

3. A longish box, open at the top, is provided for cutting them in.

4. When cut, which should be done very small, take a hogfhead which will contain about 400 cabbages & put salt in the bottom to cover it quite thin; then lay in cut cabbages four or five inches thick; a person with his feet well cleaned goes into the cafk and tramps down the cabbage; a good handful of salt is then thrown in, and four or five inches more of the cabbage. The person continues tramping in the caik, the whole time it is filling with these succefsive layers of cabbage and salt. The cafk is filled till within ten inches of the top. The top, which lies loose upon the cabbage, has heavy weights laid upon it, which always continue. Some juniper berries are sometimes taken and beaten in a mortar and applied with the salt, about three pounds weight to the hog head. In fourteen or twenty days the fer

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