M. Couture, mais ils la faisaient pressentir; et, à la vue de celle-ci, le spectateur, après le premier étonnement, a dû se rappeler les deux précédentes. Aucun de ces points ne sera par nous contesté. Nous ne relèverons même pas le ridicule de certaine tentative qui chercherait à introduire dans le vocabulaire pittoresque l'expression peindre français. Sans faire la chasse aux mots, nous irons droit aux choses, et nous demanderons à M. Couture si c'est en vertu du principe traduit par cette locution nouvelle, qu'il a imposé à ses Romains la physionomie et la couleur françaises. Est-ce là, poursuivrons-nous, le ciel de l'Italie, et la transparence de l'atmosphère méridionale? Qu'y a-t-il ici de romain? les costumes, les meubles, les statues et l'architecture, c'est-à-dire les accessoires. Pourquoi ce désaccord ? Et puis, à quelle heure se passe l'action de votre tableau ? Ce ne peut être au milieu du jour. Est-ce le matin ou le soir? Si c'est le matin, est-ce le commencement de la scène que vous nous présentez ou en est-ce la fin? Ce n'en peut être le commencement, puisqu'il y a déjà des convives que le vin a terrassés. Nous assistons donc à la fin d'une orgie que les premiers rayons du soleil viennent pour ainsi dire de réveiller. Mais où sont les candélabres qui ont dû éclairer les débauches de la nuit? Où sont les restes du dernier service? Où sont les vases brisés et les vins répandus? Avez-vous craint le papillotage et avez-vous simplifié les éléments de votre sujet pour en augmenter la signification? Regardez les Noces de Cana: Paul Véronèse a-t-il reculé devant la diversité du spectacle qu'il voulait peindre? S'est-il contenté comme vous d'un seul plan? N'a-t-il pas, au contraire, pris son point de vue de manière à n'esquiver aucun détail et à laisser pénétrer le regard aussi loin que possible? Est-ce, en outre, avec deux vases renversés qu'il a fait fuir le plan où se groupent les principales figures de sa composition? A-t-il enfin jeté ses fonds dans une vapeur grise, pour obtenir à meilleur marché du ressort et de l'effet sur ses devants? Non; il s'est hardiment mis à l'œuvre, et il n'a pas voulu se donner les apparences de la force sans en avoir la réalité. Ses lointains ont toute la consistance qu'ils affectent dans la nature sous le ciel italien, et aucun des plans qu'il parcourt avant d'arriver à la ligne de terre n'est escamoté. A mesure qu'il approche du lieu même de la scène son pinceau s'élargit, sa couleur et ses empâtements deviennent plus vigoureux, et son effet principal, au lieu de n'emprunter sa valeur qu'à son isolement, s'accroît de tous

discharge of the public trust in the disposal of these lands must also be taken into the account. The danger, however, lies in the enormous landed monopolies created by these grants and the long time they may probably be held out of the market in order to realize higher prices. Thus they might give rise to speculations in real estate and paralyze for the time being the productive capacity of immense regions of counThe policy of future landed subsidies as a general thing may, therefore, well be questioned. It were far more to the public interest, if aid of this kind be really required as a national necessity, that it be granted in the form of loan subsidies. It was to be expected, however, that, in this opening chapter of our railroad development, erroneous views of necessity would be entertained and that serious evils would inevitably result from our ignorance of the true conditions of the problems to be solved. These, however, are by no means appalling. The vital force of free civilization is ample to control any evils yet developed by our wonderful progress. The withdrawal of Government aid will throw the financial public back upon its ulterior resources. Railway building will lose its character as a mere speculation and settle down to a calm and close calculation of resources and actual expenses, engineering science will be prompted to achieve still higher triumphs over the obstacles of nature, and the art of road building and equipment settled upon legiti mate principles. The experience of the past five years has shown the necessity of a multiplication of through lines across the continent. We have seen that the local traffic of the line already completed is amply sufficient for its support, and that this, with the growth of the country, will still further expand. The multiplication of these lines at proper distances is found not at all to interfere with their material prosperity. The Pennsylvania Central Railroad, though directly connected with only a portion of the Ohio Valley, and though competing with four powerful rival lines of transportation, the New York and Erie Canal, the New York Central and Erie Roads, and the Baltimore and Ohio, has found it necessary not only to double but also to triple its track and rolling stock. To meet the demands of our rising settlements in the West we will find it necessary to enlarge our railway accommodations over the public domain west of the Mississippi. The single line now subsisting might become a mere monopoly, if no competition be aroused to dispute its sway. The power which Congress has reserved, of regulating the charges and of protecting the public against imposition, is one very delicate in its nature and difficult of execution. It is not easy for the legislative power, with its general processes, to interfere with reconized interests without producing some other derangement. If the end in view can be otherwise secured it will be infinitely better. The establishment of competitive lines of route, will obviate all necessity for such an interference and secure the points desired without any sacrifices of admitted interests.

The necessity of further lines of through traffic is also sufficiently evident from the fact that the present existing line is a compromise line. Its location was not secured solely by considerations of the greatest advantage to the enterprise itself, but to a considerable extent by conflicting interests of rival sections which were to be benefited by its construction. On this central line it was found impossible to pass the Rocky or the Sierra Nevada Mountains at an altitude less that 8,262 feet in the former and 7,042 feet in the latter case. These lofty elevations during the winter expose the workings of this line to very serious interruptions. Both north and south of this line are found localities in which this passage may be made over three natural ravines at far less cost of

être signalées. Vers le centre de la composition se trouve un Romain dont la tête penche sous le poids de la boisson, et dont l'humérus droit semble avoir pour prolongement naturel l'avant-bras d'un autre convive. Il eût été facile d'éviter cette disgracieuse confusion. Ne pouvait-on aussi restituer aux deux vases qui sont placés près de la ligne de terre, et dont les plâtres seuls étaient à la disposition du peintre, la matière plus noble dont sont faits les originaux?

Nous l'avouerons toutefois, s'il n'y avait pas eu d'erreurs plus graves dans le tableau de M. Couture, peut-être eussions-nous, moins sévère pour les défauts, loué avec plus d'abondance l'effet tranquille et les contrastes harmonieux qui donnent un cachet de maître à cette composition. Maint savant détail aurait été mis en relief par notre critique plus indulgente, et nous n'eussions oublié ni certain dormeur rappelant le style de Michel-Ange; ni le jeune homme qui, le dos tourné vers le spectateur, se tient debout au premier plan; ni la femme brune dont l'attitude est empruntée aux statues de fleuves; ni l'architecture, malgré de fàcheuses négligences dans les chapiteaux; ni enfin les étincelantes draperies que l'artiste a si élégamment jetées parmi ses figures, et dont le seul tort est d'avoir presque autant d'empire que les carnations. Mais la tendance de cet ouvrage nous paraissait trop dangereuse pour que notre attention pût se diriger ailleurs, et plus la brosse de l'artiste nous charmait, plus nous nous détournions du moyen pour ne songer qu'au but.

M. Couture était libre de représenter les Romains de la décadence, mais à la condition de remplir les principales conditions de toute œuvre pittoresque. Deux routes s'ouvraient devant lui: celle de l'art absolu et celle de l'art appliqué. L'art absolu se suffit à lui-même, et dans les objets de la nature il ne voit qu'une occasion de se satisfaire. Tout sujet n'est pour lui qu'un cadre où il développe sa seule image. Il ne tire du spectacle des choses que la conscience qu'il en diffère, ou du moins qu'il les domine. Comme les mathématiques pures, il se constitue en un système indépendant, et il semble qu'il soit, comme elles, antérieur aux êtres concrets. Le possible, ou en d'autres termes l'idéal, est son objet propre. L'art appliqué tient compte du réel et s'inspire du sujet. Moins impassible et plus social que l'autre, il est mieux adapté à l'organisation humaine. Le beau lui paraît être la splendeur du bien, et, sans le réduire à n'être qu'un des aspects de l'utile, volontiers il nous le rend plus sympathique en le revêtant

was absolutely inarable, and that this portion was covered with heavy timber. The great wheat-growing regions on the left bank of the Upper Missouri promise a rapid settlement upon the opening of a line of travel and transportation to the eastern markets. Each section of the road will, immediately upon its opening, from local traffic alone, present excellent returns for its investment.

The eastern portion of this route will be temporarily superseded by the Saint Paul and Pacific Road, now in rapid process of construction. It embraces a main line to Breckenridge, on Red River, with authority to continue down the Red River Valley to the international frontier, and, also, from Big Stone Lake to a point on the Missouri River north of the forty-fifth parallel. It likewise has a branch line from St. Paul to Watob, 80 miles long, which is finished. Of the main line, a section of 96 miles to Willmar is complete and open to the public. These lines are endowed with a land grant of 20 sections per mile, under the acts of March 7, 1857, and March 3, 1865. The entire distance to Breckenridge will be open for business at an early day, a distance of 206 miles. The operations of the last calendar year embrace the transportation of 148,723 passengers and 76,793 tons. The gross earnings amounted to $373,448, and the operating expenses to $235,037. The total land subsidy accruing under the grants of 1857 and 1865 are estimated to cover 2,635,000 acres. The road and its equipment with the lands in the grant are mortgaged to discharge indebtedness already incurred for construction. Land sufficient, of choice quality, still remains at the disposal of the Government for the completion of the line, and propably to leave a surplus. The State has granted to the company the privilege of town building along its line, from which it will derive a very considerable emolument. It is thought that this will secure an enhancement of the landed endowment of the company, amounting to $1,000,000. This road has already demonstrated its importance and value by attracting a large Scandinavian population to the fertile valley of Red River. It taps the important and unique overland trade of the Red River country, now carried on by half-breeds in large caravans of ox and dog carts, sometimes numbering 1,500 in a single train. At St. Paul the eastern connections of this line are already extensive, and will still further increase, bringing it in close relations with the railroad system of the Mississippi Valley and of the Atlantic slope.

The opening of a southern transcontinental route within a few years seems to have been fixed upon in the public mind as a requirement of the times. Several enterprises now aspire to meet this public expectation. The Kansas Pacific company, originally authorized as a branch of the Union Pacific, having transferred its franchises west of Denver to the Denver Pacific Company, now aspires to the dignity of an independent through line. Preliminary reconnoissances have been made along the thirty-second and thirty-fifth parallels, following in the track of the initial explorations along these lines made by the Topographical Corps of our Army under the act of 1853. Either of these routes would present special advantages for construction and would accommodate large industrial and commercial interests. The preference now seems to be inclining to the thirty-fifth parallel. The company, however, is awaiting the aid of land and loan subsidies to assist in this work, about which it may be suggested there is no certainty in the present state of public opinion; and with the newly acknowledged jealousy of landed monopolies, the people seem convinced that by this time further Pacific Railroad building is an enterprise possessing within itself elements of profit sufficient to secure its execution without Government aid.

The Atlantic and Pacific Company also proposes to occupy the zone bordering the thirty-fifth parallel. This company was incorporated by act of July 27, 1866, with authority to construct a line of road and telegraph from the west line of Missouri and Arkansas, passing by Albuquerque, Agua Frio Pass, and the headwaters of the Colorado Chiquito River to the Pacific Ocean. This road is endowed with 40 odd-numbered sections per mile in the Territories, and with 20 sections in the States. About 200 miles of its line lie within the lands of Texas, being endowed from the Texas State lands. A consolidation has been effected with the South Pacific Road of Missouri. It has already completed 291 miles, extending from St. Louis to Pierce City, and is pushing the work as fast as the financial means are provided. The company has issued bonds to the amount of $25,000 per mile. Its gross earnings during the last year amounted to $348,217, and the operating expenses to $144,745,17, leaving a net profit of $203,472, or nearly 60 per cent. of the entire receipts.

The Memphis, El Paso and Pacific Company, incorporated under the laws of Texas, and endowed with 16 sections of State land for an extent of 800 miles, proposes to build a line westwardly, traversing the zone bordering the thirty-second parallel. It asks of Congress only the right of way through the public lands, proposing to cross the Terri tories of New Mexico and Arizona, connecting with the proposed line of the San Diego, Gila and Southern Pacific Company of California, the franchises of which it has purchased. Some time ago it placed under construction some 65 miles of its eastern portion, and was preparing to construct the western section in California. It thus appears that responsi ble parties are ready to complete the lines of transcontinental road along the thirty-fifth and thirty-second parallels. We may look for the early completion of these lines. To one of them, the Atlantic and Pacific, an ample landed subsidy has been granted, and a promising commencement has been made. The offer of the Memphis and El Paso Company to construct their line, with the sole franchise of the right of way through the public domain, indicates that this enterprise is becoming sufficiently strong to secure it an accomplishment. Within the next decade, and most probably prior to the celebration of the first centennial anniversary of American independence, on the 4th of July, 1876, there will be at least four transcontinental lines of railway crossing our public domain west of the Mississippi. But east and west lines will be a necessity only until a homogeneous civilization has been established round the entire world. The full development of home production in each latitude of the earth's surface will diminish the necessity of exchange of products of similar isothermal zones. The climatic differences of successive zones of the earth, however, will give scope to a large extension of north and south lines. Our great thoroughfares of the future, instead of following parallels of latitude, will most probably follow the meridians of longitude. The necessity for the construction of lines running in such directions is becoming more apparent, and already quite a number of north and south lines have been projected, especially in the public domain.

From Junction City, on the Kansas Pacific Road, the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Company is constructing a line of railway and telegraph down the Neosho Valley to Fort Smith, in Arkansas, where it will make close connections with the railroad system of the Gulf States. This company-late the Southern Branch of the Union Pacific Companyholds a land grant of ten sections per mile within the limits of Kansas, the entire length of the line being 325 miles, of which 178 miles, from