The exhibition by our local artists is not a very large one this month, but it contains some extremely pretty and effect One feature of it is a competition for Chinese landscapes, and this has brought out, 1g others, two efforts of high merit, although hould think, be no questi the prize: pagoda in the dist rough and hasty in pi el in our favourite, 'This is called Morning: from the Bund,' and repr reach of the Huang a, with China Merchants' godowns ly isible, and the forest of junks" looming ainuly through a thick fog. It is a clever and, indeed, admirable work of art, th ground, with the deep dip down hill, and the distant roofs pooping over the tree-tops on the other side of the intervening valley, is excellently brought out. The beauties of the Western Hills near Peking receive recognition at agi the hands of a well-known lady artist in the capital. There is a view of the curious "white pines" at Pi Yun Sze, besides two Kang Sze, These are all pretty, but all pictures of Chieh ''ai Sze, and one of Ling
appear to have been taken in the springtime; why doves the artist ignore the far eater beauty of autumnal tints? There fs a thinness and crudity, too, about the colouring, a lack of richness and solidity of tone, which detracts from the general effect of her prettiest forest-glades. A bold oil-picture representing Chin Wan passage, Hongkong, is one of the most prominent features of the exh it is not quite up to the painter's usual work is at least full of very ster-Ting merit, Among the smaller pictures "The Chess-players' is unquestionably the most admirable, and shows talent of a high order, Moonlight on the Brandywine' is surely too black and gloomy. The crayon and pencil sketches include the trait of 'A Japanese Lady' and a fow landscapes of varying merit. It will have been remarked that the stands were differently placed on this occasion from formerly, the pictures being made to face the windows on each side, north and south, instead of having " cross light over them. The change, we think, i an improvement.
9th April.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.