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ed by seeing three people who were on a rock at some distance, shewing signs of terror and astonishment at something they saw in the water: on approaching them, we distinguished that the object of their wonder was a face resembling the human countenance, which appeared floating on the waves; at that time nothing but the face was visible. It may not be improper to observe, before I proceed further, that the face, throat, and arms, are all I can attempt to describe, all our endeavours to discover the appearance and position of the body being unavailing. The sea at that time ran very high, and as the waves advanced, the Mermaid gently sunk under them, and afterwards re-appeared. The face seemed plump and round, the eyes and nose were small, the former were of a light grey colour, and the mouth was large, and from the shape of the jawbone, which seemed straight, the face looked short; as to the inside of the mouth I can say nothing, not having attended to it, though sometimes open. The forehead, nose, and chin were white, the whole side-face of a bright pink colour. The head was exceedingly round, the hair thick and long, of a green, oily cast, and appeared troublesome to it, the waves generally throwing it over the face; it seemed to feel the annoyance, and as the waves retreated, with both its hands frequently threw back the hair, and rubbed its throat, as if to remove any soiling it might have received from it. The throat was slender, smooth, and white; we did not think of observing whether it had elbows; but from the manner in which it used its arms, I must conclude that it had. The arms were very long and slender, as were the hands and fingers; the latter were not webbed. The arms, one of them at least, was frequently extended over its head, as if to frighten a bird that hovered over it, and seemed to distress it much; when that had no effect, it

sometimes turned quite round several times successively. At a little distance we observed a seal. It sometimes laid its right hand under its cheek, and in this position floated for some time. We saw nothing like hair or scales on any part of it, indeed the smoothness of the skin particularly caught our attention. The time it was discernible to us was about an hour. The sun was shining clearly at the time; it was distant from us a few yards only. These are the few observations made by us during the appearance of this strange phenome

non.

If they afford you any satisfaction I shall be particularly happy; I have stated nothing but what I clearly recollect; as my cousin and I had frequently, previous to this period, combated an assertion which is very common among the lower class here, that Mermaids had been frequently seen on this coast, our evidence cannot be thought biassed by any former prejudice in favour of the existence of this wonderful creature.

To contribute in any degree to your pleasure or amusement, will add to the happiness of,

Madam, your greatly obliged,
(Signed)
Eliz. Mackay.

C. Mackenzie.

Letter from Mr William Munro, Schoolmaster, of Thurso to Dr Torrence, regarding a Mermaid seen by him some years ago.

Thurso, June 9. 1809. DEAR SIR,-Your queries respecting the Mermaid are before me.From the general scepticism which prevails among the learned and intelligent about the existence of such a phenomenon, had not your character and real desire for investigation been too well known to me, for supposing that you wished to have a fertile imagination indulged by a subject of merriment, I would have been disposed to

in combing its hair, which was long and thick, and of which it appeared proud, and then dropped into the sea, which was level with the abdomen, from whence it did not re-appear to me. I had distinct view of its features, being at no great distance, on an eminence above the rock on which it was sitting, and the sun brightly shining. Immediately before its getting into its natural element it seemed to have observed me, as the eyes were directed towards the eminence on which I stood. It may be necessary to remark, that previous to the period I beheld this object, I had heard it frequently reported by several persons, and some of them persons whose veracity I never heard disputed, that they had seen such a phenomenon as I have described, tho' then, like many others, I was not disposed to credit their testimony on this subject. I can say of a truth, that it was only by seeing the phenomenon I was perfectly convinced of its existence.

have concluded, that in this instance you aimed at being ranked among the laughing philosophers, at my expence. Sensible, however, that this is not the case, and taking it for granted that you are sincere, I shall endeavour to answer your queries, though there is little probability that any testimony which I can give respecting the Mermaid, will operate towards convincing those who have not hitherto been convinced by the repeated testimonies adduced in support of the existence of such an appearance. About twelve years ago, when I was parochial schoolmaster at Reay, in the course of my walking on the shore of Sandside Bay, being a fine warm day in summer, I was induced to extend my walk towards Sandside Head, when my attention was arrested by the appearance of a figure, resembling an unclothed female, sitting upon a rock extending into the sea, and apparently in the action of combing its hair, which flowed around its shoulders, and of a light brown colour. The resemblance which the figure bore to its prototype, in all its visible parts, was so striking, that had not the rock on which it was sitting been dangerous for bathing, I would have been constrained to have regarded it as really a human form, and to any eye unaccustomed to such a situation, it must have undoubtedly appeared as such. The head was covered with the hair of the colour above men(Signed) William Munro. tioned, and shaded on the crown; the To Doctor Torrence, Thurso. forehead round, the face plump, the cheeks ruddy, the eyes blue, the mouth and lips of a natural form, resembling those of a man; the teeth I could not discover as the mouth was shut; the breasts and abdomen, the arms and fin

gers of the size of a full grown body of the human species; the fingers, from the action in which the hands were employed, did not appear to be webbed, but as to this I am not positive. It remained on the rook three or four minutes after I observed it, and was exercised during that period

If the above narrative can in any degree be subservient towards establishing the existence of phenomenon, hitherto almost incredible to naturalists, or to remove the scepticism of others who are ready to dispute every thing which they cannot fully comprehend, you are welcome to it, from, dear Sir, your most obliged, and most humble servant,

Critical Survey of the new Theatre,
COVENT-GARDEN.

ARCHITECTURE is, perhaps, less

correctly understood, as a fine art, than any other branch of taste. With respect to the skill of the builder, we are not inferior to the antients; but in the features of the building we possess neither the powers of expression nor of elegance with which they raised

their public edifices. It was the peculiar felicity of the Greeks to impart a portion of mind to whatever they executed. Their works always spoke; always appeared to be pervaded by some particular sentiment. The moderns, in almost nothing, display a similar delicacy of discrimination. We talk much about sentiment, and our writers run through volumes of unmeaning frivolities and fanciful feelings; but the simple and unartificial manner of imparting ideas, which we may perceive in every production of nature, is wholly lost; we imitate the external forms of Grecian art, without any reference to their internal meaning; we select and we combine the most prominent features of their astonishing designs; and we apply our heterogeneous compilements to any purpose promiscuously. We have Athenian temples with the porticoes of Asiatic palaces, for various public erections; and an ancient bath with some fragments of an amphitheatre, very often serves us for a church, We have before us the principal parts of the Acropolis, or elevated citadel and treasury of Athens united, so as to form the exterior of a modern playhouse. The Acropolis of Athens was seated on a rock: it could be seen from any part of the city; and the temple at tached to it was dedicated to Minerva, the tutelary divinity of the Athenians. Impressive grandeur and awful solemnity were its striking characteristics; the safety, the wealth, the superstition of the people were contained in it; and its appearance combined, in one view, strength, magnificence, and awe. In a modern theatre, we do not require such exalted expression; and we cannot think that the model has been judiciously selected by Mr Smirke. In a position so confined as the site of Covent-Garden Theatre, the grandeur of the original must be totally lost, and in no station can the eye of the spectator grasp the whole front, so that the magnificence of its October 1809.

simplicity is necessarily broken, and the parts lose their dignity for want of combination. Position is, however, either the happiness or the misfortune of the Architect, who is not to be blamed for the crowded houses and narrow streets with which he is surrounded: if he can in any manner accommodate his design to the place allotted for its erection, he has done all in his power: we have therefore to lament that Covent-Garden Theatre will never be seen to advantage: we can only regret that we possess so fine an imitation of the Athenian Acropolis which we can never behold, and applied to a purpose so contrary to the expression of its exterior.

The Order of Architecture is the grandest style of the Doric: the portico consists of four pillars of this order supporting a pediment: the pillars are very large and fluted, without bases, and the portico is elevated upon a flight of steps. It has a simple dignity, truly admirable; had it been the entrance of the British Senate, we could have felt all the sublimity which seems to belong to it; but the portico of a theatre required a magnificence of a less awful nature. Could we however obtain a view of the front at a sufficient distance, we should probably discover that the Architect has departed from the ancient plan with considerable judgment, and rendered it more suitable to the appearance of a Theatre.-This he seems to have done by breaking the bold simplicity of the Athenian structure with two projecting wings, surmounted with the entablature of the portico, which is sustained by pilasters. In the close view which a spectator can only obtain from the opposite side of Bow-street, these projections seem too abrupt, and the plain part between them and the portico appears meagre. It would certainly have been better to have continued the entablature across these plain parts of the front, unless the demolition of the opposite houses could have afforded a

more

more comprehensive view, in which the parts would have been compressed into one elegant whole. The niches in the wings, and the basso-relievos between the wings and the portico, would undoubtedly soften the severity of the general plan, could they be seen together. As it is, they take away from the simplicity without adding to the beauty: the figures of the basso-relievos in particular, when seen so distinctly, have a littleness that is very discordant with the massive grandeur of the Doric pillars. It is much to be regretted that the basso-relievo by Rossi, representing the Modern Drama, adds very much to this littleness by its want of unity in the design, or a proper combination of the figures in the execution. As a distant point of sight could not be obtained, great attention should have been paid to the grouping of petty ornaments.-The other sides of the building are certainly not correct subjects of criticism: they are plain, and that in Hart-street is elegant, Altogether, the Architect merits great applause he has displayed much grandeur of conception, and we earnestly wish to see him engaged in some other public edifice which may afford his judgment more time to form its designs, and to execute them with all the perfection of mature deliberation. Few men either in ancient or modern times could have done what Mr Smirke has performed in the course of six months he has adapted one of the most magnificent of the Athenian edifices to modern purposes, and reared a theatre more elegant and more majestic than any this nation has hitherto possessed. The interior is elegant, but is scarcely answerable to the magnificent idea with which the portico impresses any one about to enter the theatre. The vestibule is grand, and the staircase ascending between two rows of Ionic columns, between each of which is suspended a beautiful Grecian lamp, has a splendid effect. At the head of the ircase is an anti-chamber surrounded

with Ionic pilasters, in which the statue of Shakespear meets the eye on a pedestal of yellow marole. The figure of Shakespear is by Rossi, and is in the costume of his age : he holds a roll of paper in his hand, but his air is rather that of a barrister than a poet. We cannot account for this deficiency of expression, which we are sorry to observe in the works of Rossi. From the anti-chamber you come into the lobby of the lower tier of boxes: it is in the same style of Ionic architecture, and is divided with arched recesses, the semicircular parts of which are filled with paintings from various scenes of Shakespear painted in relief. The fronts of the boxes are elegant, though simple; a gold fretted flower, of antique form, runs along each tier, upon a pale coloured ground: above and below the flowers are rows of stars. None of the boxes project beyond the others in the manner of those usually termed stage boxes; and the fronts are perpendicular, without any of that rotundity which rather hurt than enriched the coup d'ail in the former theatre. Slender pillars, richly gilt, separate the boxes; and from a golden bracket, above each pillar, is suspended a chandelier of cut glass: these chandeliers are novel in their form. The seats of the boxes are covered with light blue cloth, and the seats are more in number than in the boxes of the former theatre. The pit is divided by two passages through the middle of it, and the seats are much elevated above each other. The twoshilling gallery is more ample than has been represented, and the slips are very wide and commodious. The most remarkable novelty consists in the construction of the shilling gallery: here the architect, to preserve the unformity of his design, has rested the piers of a row of arches which support the roof, in such a manner that the gallery is divided into five parts, resembling separate boxes. We are at a loss to surmise, in what light the Godhead of the Mob will chuse to regard this division

of

gallery; these boxes have a saloon and an anti-chamber, with a private staircase entirely separate from any communication with other parts of the house. The backs of them are painted in imitation of rich crimson drapery. Each of the galleries has an extensive lobby attached to it, and numerous ventilators are so disposed in different parts of the house, as to keep a constant supply of fresh air.

of its heaven; the Mars, Bacchus,and is immediately beneath the two-shilling Apollo of the theatrical upper regions have been so accustomed to a consolidation of their divinity, and to combine the thunder of their authority, that we are rather fearful that these intervening piers will be considered as most impious interrupters of that celestial unity which has frequently produced very wonderful effects in the dramatic world. Perhaps the deities may feel themselves honoured in this approach to the appearance of boxes in their accommodations: punning Theodore has already declared, that these one shilling boxes will prevent a good deal of boxing. We advise the Managers to call them one shilling boxes, as a sort of mediatory term.

The stage is large and well calculated by its depth for the exhibition of processions and extensive scenery. Two very elegant and lofty pilasters support a semi-elliptical arch, over which is the Royal arms. Two figures are painted on each side of the arch in relief; they are females, holding wreaths of laurel, trumpets, &c. A crimson fall of drapery in rich folds is painted within the arch, and covers the supporters of the curtain. The ceiling is painted to resemble a cupola, divided into square compartments; and surmounted with the figure of an ancient lyre.

The

This, however, wants shadow to give it the appearance of concavity; without that imitation of natural shadow it looks flat and deformed. shape of the house before the curtain is that of a rounded horse-shoe, wide at the heel. This shape is continued from the bottom to the top of the house with unbroken uniformity, and by those means every sound as it enters is regularly diffused, and the slightest whisper is rendered audible. Still the width of the proscenium is sufficiently ample to present all the scenery to the view of those in the sides of the pit, or the side boxes. The private boxes include the whole of the third tier, which

The general character of the interior is simple elegance. There is nothing superior in splendour or attraction. We have already said that we think the portico seems to promise more. The exterior is characterized by massive and masculine dignity; the interior by a tender and well-proportioned delicacy of a feminine cast. Perhaps in neither is there enough of that luxuriant brilliancy which animates while it pleases, and seems to assimilate with the nature of the drama, the dresses and vivacity of the inmates of the boxes, and indeed with the general idea of pleasure which should reign in a play-house. The portico seems the entrance into the temple of the Tragic Music: the interior should be the hall of Thalia : it is certainly beautiful-it is suited to the character of Terence or Menander, but the warmth and vivacity of Shakespear demand a richer degree of decoration.

Description of the SWEDISH Mines of
DUNAMORA, SALA, and FAHLUN.
From Travels, by Robert Ker Porter,
(2 vols. 4to. London, 1809.)

DUNAMORA.

HAVING visited all above ground,

we now proposed to explore the nether regions; and accordingly set forth for Dunamora, the nearest mine, and particularly celebrated for its iron and furnaces. Its depth is above eigh

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