[1] Here is a card “extraordinary” of one of our humble English dancing-masters:—­“As Dancing is the poetry of motion, those who wish to sail through the mazes of harmony, or to ’trip it on the light fantastic toe,’ will find an able guide in John Wilde, who was formed by nature for a dancing-master.—­N.B.  Those who have been taught to dance with a couple of left legs, had better apply in time, as he effectually cures all bad habits of the kind.”

The oddity of some ideas of dancing is really ludicrous.  The Cambro-Britains, in a very late period, used to be played out of church by a fiddle, and to form a dance in the church-yard at the end of the service.  But the ideas which the Chinese have of dancing exceeds all others.  When Commodore Anson was at Canton, the officers of the Centurion had a ball upon some court holiday:  while they were dancing, a Chinese, who very quietly surveyed the operation, said, softly, to one of the party, “Why don’t you let your servants do this for you?”

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FINE ARTS.

SCHOOL OF PAINTING AT THE BRITISH INSTITUTION.

(To the Editor of the Mirror.)

I beg to present you with a brief notice of the School of Painting at the British Institution, Pall Mall; you may rely upon its correctness, as I have been extremely cautious in making my notes, and in ascertaining every particular relative to the subject.

The students at this excellent institution have, for several weeks, been arduously engaged in copying the fine pictures which were entrusted to the directors by his majesty, and the nobility, for that purpose.  In general, the students have been very successful, and deserve much praise; I must, however, in my prescribed limits, only mention a few.

Vandyke’s Duchess de St. Croix has been cleverly copied by Mr. Boden and Mr. Faulkner; the latter gentleman has well imitated the color and the beautiful finish of the original.  Messrs. Frisk, Child, Howell and M’Call have likewise made clever copies of this chef d’oeuvre of art.  Many bold efforts have been made to copy Hobbima’s large Landscape; Mr. Laporte’s is the most complete, though not quite spirited enough in the handling. The Spanish Gentleman, by Velasquez, has engaged the pencils of numerous artists, though they have not all been so successful as could have been wished; Messrs. Inskipp, Frisk, Morton and Child have produced the best fac similes.  The Lime Kiln, by the younger Teniers, has been carefully studied by Mr. Gill, &c.; and Messrs. M’Call and Morton, have executed the finest studies from Innocent X., by Velasquez. The Embarkation, by Claude, is extremely well imitated in Mr. Cartwright’s copy; and the Virgin and Child, which is one of Julio Romano’s best works, has met with due attention from Mr. Farrier, and others.  Mr. Novice