GULLY'S NEW ZEALAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 1341, 11 August 1877, Page 4

GULLY'S NEW ZEALAND.

The chromo-lithographs of the series of four teen of Mr John Gully's views of New Zealand scenery have been landed, and are being issued to the subscribers. The work is a credit to the house of Marcus Ward and Co., of London, and is emphatically a cheap five guineas' worth. The descriptive letter-press is by,Dr f Julius Yon Haast, and with the views, should do much among the' numerous subscribers .which the work, we hope, has secured in the old country, to commend New Zealand to the notice* of tourists, No. 1 view is Bradshaw Sound, and in this the appearance of the water attests, the truthfulness of both painter and lithographic artist. * The hills are splendidly drawn," being a 'study, for many New' Zealand' artists, and the atmospheric effects are very' fine. No. 2,' Valley of the Wilkin, a branch of the Makaroa river. « No. 3is a Waterfall in Thomson's Sound. In this, we hava a wall of rock covered with green vegetation, wiLh a waterfall, divided into numerous streams, rushing over it, while overhead towers an > enormous snow-capped pinnacle. New Zealand scenery would, of course, be incomplete without something from Milford, and accordingly we have No. 4, the Mitre. Here we have sunset gilding the craggy, rocks, and, to quote Dr Haast, "the sky appears in all the beauty which a fine sunaet - throws ■ over it in New Zealand, and which no painting can fully representr-so,; dazzling, varied, and, gorgeous are the tints, and so deep" and brilliant is the glow. " If the artist has not fixed all the glorious brilliancy of a New Zealand sunsetamong the mountains, his pictures will certainly call Buch to mind to those who have ever witnessed them. No. sis Mount Cook from the Hooker Glacier." No. 6 — Mount Cook and Mount Tasman from the Sea— the only failure in the series. No. 7. — The ■ Wairau Gorge (Autumn) — A. storm clearing off, >vith a pale sunlight striking down into the valley and lighting up the river and the base of the mountains. Though not taking at the first glance, this is a very fine picture. - No, B.^Waimea Plain, in Nelson.' -^-A beautiful red pine 1 tree 1 which appeared -Li'- the' foreground of'- the original does not appear in the chromo, and the elision ,is but an improvement. No. 9 — Valley of the Awatere, .with the inland Kaikouras — for beauty of foreground, depth,and everything t¥a ! t?consbitut'es a fine landscape, this view is simply'hbt to be' surpassed. 1 5.0. New Zealand vegetation— open country. , . This, is a lcvely view. ,11, View on, the Wanganui. 12. Mount Egmont, the peak appearing bathed in sunlight. 13. Tongariro arid Ruapehu. 14.', New Zealand forest,' Of the last view we can- L not speak too highly. • One seems to look into ■ a vast depth of forest, and to see the distant light between the trees, aad united to the artistic power which creates and reproduces such effects, we" have the greatest 'attention to detail. 'The Tutu, totara, supplejack, and the various undergrowth and climbers of the New Zealand forest are severally recognisable. In concluding our notice we may observe there is not a scene of which it cannot be said that the .artist or artists have not caught and faithfully reproduced the'style of Mr Gnllyj'and the succees'with which ths task has been accomplished causes almost a feeling of wonder. -

These chromos have been executed by Marcus Ward and Co., of London, who, we understand, were the prize takers forchromo work at the Philadelphia Centennial last year. 1 ' It was' in May, 1876, the original water colours were given into their .hands, so that they have been hard at work on them for ov6r twelve months. This will readily be believed when it is explained that each chromo required 17 separate printings, and that therefore the drawings of theset occupied 255 lithographic stones. The views are being issued by Messrs H. Wise and Co.