The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1804-05-03 00:00:00

EZTTESITION AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY. On Monday this -exhibition was open, for the first time this season, to the inspenion of the public. In its general charaEler, it too much resembles the exhibitions of former years ' in a defect which has been the complaint of the lovers of the art, and the reproach of the science in this country. In every parr. but especially in the great room, the eye is offended with a multitude of portra;ts ; as if there were no passion in those who patroni ;e English painters, but to see their portraits multiplied from .ear to year ; or, as if our artists could attain no eminence but in this very inferior branch of the art. While we make this observation, however, let it be understood that we condemn the taste of the public, rather than that of the artist. We can have no hesitation in saying, that the artist, eho must live by his profession (and the greater number, and the most valuable for genius and science, must be such), is compelled to pay his chief attention to portraits, to employ most of his time in producing them, or be coutecit with perniiry and neglect. Till those who have a love for the art, and a passion for its rerfeCtion in this country, with the means of aiding its progress, are decided in giving a preference to produCtions drawn from history, poetry, or other elevated subjects of like nature, we shall have this monstrous proportion between portrait+, and those more noble produdliuns, which is the absolute ridi cule of all the rest of Europe. We think it our duty to give this admonition to the friends of the art, while we proceed to notice chiefly the successful efforts that have been made by our painters for the present year. Among the works of imagination, that which perhaps holds the first rank, 1.; Gil Nos taking the hey front Dame Leonor.r, in the ca.-ern of the banditti. This piCture is he Opie, and has all the ent.Tetic style of the best of his other produdions, with less of his deltas. The expression is vigorous, especially in the charaEler of the aid seaman; and it has gene rally much clearness and felicity of colouring. Cicero, and the Atigidrates of Syrneu-e, ordering the tomb Areltimedes to he freed.frone the bushes that had oiscured it, by Mr. West, is a picture of considerable sweetness and dignity. The whole expression is fine, And the landscape adds greatly to the serenity and pleasing died of the scene. The other histo. rical works of Mr. West, in this exhibition, have nearly the same charaFfer, although not in the same degree. His Phaeton about to conduct the chariot of :he Sea, is a beautiful picture, although not so chaste as•the former. The d-straltion of the Beast and False Prophet, from Revelations, by the same artist, has great merit in she expression ; especially in the white horse, and the fgure mounted upon Airs. Next to these we may mention a piOure by Mr. Howard, representing the S , zia Trans.... 4 sounding, front the Revelations. This produCtion is an ex tremely promising one. Mr. Howard has here at tained a degree of excellence that gives him good reason to prosecute the study of the art with unre mitting seal. as it holds out the prospect of a bril liant success. The figure and countenance of the angel sounding the trumpet, are respeCtively fine. The four angels in the river Euphrates exhibit great power of the pencil, though perhaps there is a little extravagance in the expression in this part of the griaure. The colouring is generally good. There is another piCture by this artist, represent ing Helenas and Cauandre sleepinf in the temple of Apollo, while they are inspired. Phis is not equal to the former. It, however, possesses much beauty. A Shipwrecked Marino., by H. Thomson, is a most spirited produCtion. The figure and expres sion of the Mariner are fine. The raging sea and elements, seen below the rock on which he is sitting, are grand. Some minuter parts of this pieture are also well finished. There is, however, a great de fer% perhaps in the attitude of the Mariner, but certainly in the elevation of the rock on which he is placed. There is something aukward in one or both of these, that much diminishes the dignity of • the scene. The Beggars, by W. Owen, consist of an Old Woman and Boy; the former leaning on her stick, and the latter kneeling in the front of her, holding out his hat. This is a very sweet picture ; the ex pression of both figures is perfatly natural. The supplicating air of the child is'itistinguished with peculiar judgment from that of the woman. The finishing and colouring are good; the hand of the woman resting on the stick deserves particularly to be noticed in these respetts, In a word, this pm dation, though of modest pretensions, possesses much merit. We shall conclude our account, for the present, with two pictures by J M. W. Turner. he hrA comes strictly within the class we arc now describ ing ; and the latter has so much merit, that we will sot separate it from the other in our observations. Nacsi.sus and Echo is the first we have alluded to. We acknowledge the great beauty of this pic ture is the landscape which forms the scene. Yet the story is gracefully told. The whole of the landscape is rich in compcsition. The opening and distance in the middle part, and towards the right, art uncommonly pleasing. This picture will hear much critical examination ; while its general effect is extremely beautiful, and ranks it in a vet y high class. The sobjecl of the other pieture, by the same ar tist, is &Mil carrying out avri f rabies so Dutch ~,,n .1 untr. This is a gt Am! sea-psece. It is ad nor:ible, at once, for the beauty of its style, and its faithful representation of nature. ANCIENT MUSIC. Last night, the Concert of Ancient Music was attended by a numerous assemblage of subscribers. The Earl of 1) was direitor. as proxy for Lord nine:L[lAM. Mrs. BILLINOTON sung " Hide sac jeons days,"; Handel ) and was greatly applauded. The glee, " Fair Flare &els, " (Darn ley) was charmingly sung by K. . ilaa snots, and BARTLri .sN, and encored. The Second et commenced with the Overture (Iphi gcnia), followed by part of Alexander's Feast, is which BsertEstars sweetly sung " Revenge Ti smaheus." 'roe Prince of WALU was present. as were the Earls of I:XARIDGt. DARALLY. Foa. TALCLIF. CnasTrxrittn, and DARTMOCTIL, Lords Wityrwoarn, Gx....v DC W;11,) , .. And ELILSIIO - 72te Concert lasted till :car twelve. ~: LAW INTELLIGENCE. COURT OF CIiANCERY, MAY 2. r i Loan VISCOUNT COUITENEY D. OODSALL. This was a bill filed by Lord Courteney, against the Defendant, who is a coachmaker in Long Acre, and against the Sheriff of Devonshire, praying that the latter might he restrained by an injunaion from proceeding to sell the effedts of the Plaintiff, taken in execution under a writ of fern furiax, issued by the Defendant Godsall, and that the Defendant Cod sales demand might be referred to one of the Mas ters of the Court, to be examined, being an unsettled account.' The bill stated, that Lord Courteney, during his minority, and since he came of age, had employed the Defendant Godsall as his coachmaker, viz, from the year 1789, to the year 1793 ; that during these four years, Mr. Godsall's bill for various carriages amounted to 11,8471. and in one year alone, came to between five and six thousand pounds. That the Defendant pressing for the payment of this account, and it being then inconvenient to Lord Courteney to discharge the same, he offered to give his bond for 8,5001. on account of the demand, payable by two instalments, at six and nine months, with 4per cent. interest ; and that this bond was given with out any settlement or examination of the accounts by Lord Courteney. That upon the first instal ment on this bond becoming due, Lord Courteney received a letter from Messrs. Pybus and Co. the Defendant's bankers, demanding payment of the same, they having advanced money to the Defend ant, on the credit of Lord Courteney's security ; and that in consequence of such application, his Lordship did pay 4,0001. with interest on the ' amount thereof. That it being inconvenient to Lord Courteney to discharge the remaining instalment, he proposed to the Defendant, to execute another bond for 7,0001. payable at three instalments, one of 3,0001. and two others of 2,0001. each, bearing interest at .5 per cent. which proposal was acceded to by the Defendant, and the bond was according ly given, but without any esaminatic.n, admission, or settlement of the Defendant's account. That upon the first of those instalments becoming due, the Defendant pressed for the payment, with which Lord Courteney, being then unable to comply, de sired his Solicitor to write to the Defendant, pro posing that a new bond should be given, allowing further time for the payment, and promising that his bills should be examined and settled as soon as possible. That a new arrangement was according ly made, by which Lord Courteney agreed to pay the Defendant's demand in three years with interest ; and a bond, and a Warrant of Attorney as a further security, wereexecuted by his Lordship That the first instalment upon the last-mentioned bond be came due in the year 1799, when the Defendant in sisted upon the same being immediately paid, which it being out of the power of the Plaintiff at that ' time to comply with, the D 'fendant proceeded to enter lip judgment, and sue out execution thereon. That Lord George Thynne thereupon paid the De fendant, on the Plaintiff's account, the sum of 4,0001. but that no settlement of the Defendan.'s ac counts then or since took place, and that upon the other instalments not being paiS, the Defendant had issued as execution upon she Plastid's goads in Powderham Castle, to a very great amount. The bill then prayed, that, this being an unliqui dated account, never examined or approved of by Lord Courtney, the Defendant might be restrained from proceeding to a sale, until the demand should be reviewed by one of the Master. Mr. Roxixt.r and Mr. PEMBERTON. for Lord Courteney, contended. that even some of the items, in the Defendant's kills, would justify the Court in granting an injundion, in order to afford room for a farther investigation of the fairsass of the charges. That in one year, the Defendant's bills amounted to between five and six thousand pounds, no less a sum than 16401. being charged for a landau, and 13601. for one coach, with many other charges equally exorbitant, as 170 guineas for a hammer cloth. and 2651. for a set of harness ; and in the space of the same year, no less than twelve carria ges being charged to the Plaintiff. But even if these extraordinary charges were not admitted as a sufficient ground for the interference of the Court, yet the fact of these accomts never having been in any manner settled or adjured, would alone justify its interposition. The letters from the Plaintiff's solicitor all state, that I ord Courteney had never I seen the bills; and the only ground which can be urged, as affording an appearance of a settlement, is the circumstance of Lord Courteney's Steward having made scone observations upon the margin of the bills as to some of the charges, which the De'endant had since deduEled, to the amount of 1901. Mr. 11/ CHARDS and Mr. LEACH for the Defend. ant. " The mere amount of the charges in this case, can furnish r • • ground for the Court's granting this injuntinn. Lord Courteney is well known as a Mil o: extraordinary taste, and the gratification of it must necessarily be attended with extraordinary ex pence. His carriage', as Mr. Godsall .wears, were of the most sumptuous description. They were lined with real gold and Over lace, with coronets of solid silver round the top, and the most eminent artists were employed in every part of the work. Mr. Godsall states, that he had difficulty to find Herald painters, who could emblazon with sufficient elegance and diet% his Lordship's alms upon the paunch ; and, in order that the carriage might not be claimed by a wrong owner, paint the motto upon every spoke of the wheels. Indeed such care WAS taken in the finishing, that your Lordship will find an item of two g uineas in one of the bills, for attending at the Herald's College, to examine the arms of the Courtney family, lest the present Noble Lord should lose the honour of his high descent, by the omission of a single quartering. The charges for the landau and the coach, are cer tainly very extraordinary in their amount ; but it must be recolleded, that it was a very extraordinary coach, and a very extraordinary landau. Even such charges as these may be exceeded; for your Lord shp may recolleCt, that a Noble Lord, who held on,: of the highest offices in a Sister Country, similar to the one your Lordyliip holds here, I mean the Earl of Clare, paid no less a sum than 400UI. for a coach in which he might go with due solemnity to the Court of Chancery, in Dublin. " LORD CHANC ZSLOR-...." Yes, but that Was Irish magnificence; we are not quite 40 expensive here. Wl:e4 I cam:: into ofnce, the old state coach. which had been in use since the time of Queen Aline, 64 I broken down, and, with some help from my prede cessor, I had to build a new one. But my s4cces sur will not have quite so much to pay for it, as Lord Clare had fur his." Nlr. RICO A OS —" With respell to the of .r point, has Lord Courteney ever questioned the.e accounts of Mr. Goodsall'S ? Has he impeached their fairness ? No ; and he has affirmed the trans aftion, by giving security, and paying part of the money. 'the letters make no complaint of exorbit ance, and all that he has done fetich to prove the fairness of die dernaod. This is decidedly proved, by his returning to employ Mr. Godsall, in the year 1798, after ceasing to employ him from the year 171:3. Mr. Rost t.t.sr—" It can be easily proved that Lord Courteney did not employ Mr. Godsall in the year 179 d, and to the present time, as a volunteer, but was compelled, from the apprehensions of Mr. Gudsall's taking out an execution aq,tinst him. He would very gladly have resigned the privilege of employing the Detendant." LORD CHANCLI.LOII—" Yes, Mr. ROMILLY ; but his Lordship in this case was a volunteer, who had not a risk to reign I will give my opinion in this case some other day." COURT OF KING's B ENCH, WESTKINSTiIt, MAT 2. THZ KING V. JONATHAN PANTHER. The Defendant in this case was brought up to receive the Judgment of the Court. He was con vsled of making and publishing a . gross and sedi ti ins Libel, for the purpose of exciting and causing sedition and rebellion among His Majesty's loyal subjects. The libel was, written on the back of a return which the Defendant was to have made to the Commissioners, under the Mt of Parliament fcr embodying the Army of Reserve, and purported to be an Address to them, by way of complaint against the Government of this Country, which writing was couched in most seditious terms, and as persing, in opprobrions epithets, His Majesty's Mi nisters. It appeared, upon his examination before Sir RICHARD FORD, that he admitted the paper was signed by him ;_ and he further added, he was ready and willing to do the same over again. The affi davit of the Defendant was read, which stated, that he was 4 coach maker, and had been much injured in his trade by the late war • that he never intended to publish any libel against Government, but merely to shew to the Commissioners bow he was airefied by the war ; that he could not write himself, but procured his niece, Margaret Dodd, to write it for him ; that he never belonged to any political so ciety ; that he bad a wife and large family, who were totally dependant upon his industry for their support. Margaret Dodd's affidavit was then read, which stated nearly the same as Defendant's ; that she had written the paper alluded to by his direCtion, anc signed his name to it; that she was is the habit ot signing bills and receipts for him, and kept his books ; that his entire family was dependant on him for sup port ; that be supported his wife's sister, who was bnd ; and that if he was to be confined for any time, they must all inevitably be ruined. Some affliavits were then read as to his general charafter, as an honest man and a good subject. The ATTORNEY GENERAL On tae part of the prosecution, made a few observations on the affi davits now read, and remarked, this was a defence originally set up by the:party against the verdift ; that on the trial the witness, Margaret Dodd, was k .9t hack, that the Defendant had persisted in his offence, as fully appeared from his examination be fore the Magistrate. There was no evidence pro duced to make it appear a mere draft, the writing was plain and legible, fairly written, without any interlineations, corteftions, or erasures, the affidavits, in his opinion, were a base fabrication, in order to impose upon the Court, and greatly aggravated the crime. Mr. GALkow made a few observations on the same side. Mr. ERSKINE, on the part of the Defendant, felt he could say little in mitigation of his punishment, and though much pressed by his Client, he declined making any observations on the subject. The Court ordered that he should again be brought up on Friday the 11th. THE KING V. A ITHER SALE. The Defendant in this case was convieted of a libel of a seditious nature, and was brought up to receive the judgment of the Court. The libel pub lished, was an abusive and scurrilous attack upon the present Government, and observations of s aan gerous kind upon the present war. The aritdavit of the Defendant was read in mitigation ; he ac knowledged his conviiaion was a just one ; and that when he was brought up to plead to the indi&rnent. he applied to his Counsel to allow him to plead guilty ; that he was a volunteer, and a printer by trade ; but since his apprehension and confinement, he has lost all his business, and has not more now left than will pay his debts ; that at the time he printed the libel in question, he was also publishing several loyal papers, &c. &c. The Court ordered him to be brought up on Fri day the I lth instant. THE RING R. WILLIAM WALES HORNE. The Defendant in this case is a Dissenting Mi nister ; he was tried for a libel before Mr. Justice Roots, at the last assizes at Leiceuer. and was found Guilty by a special Jury. The words of a se ditious nature were made use of by the Defendant in presence of several persons. It appeared he also drank a disloyal toast—A* to our frichei ocer the wa ter e" or one purporting to be so. He said, "1 he hod a good j Sipper, he did we core whether he tad one saran to the King or to Bonaparte." It also appeared on the trial that the Defendant was a well•informed man, and fond of argument ; that he repeated se veral times these were his real sentiments. Mr. Lamaze, on the part of the Detcn.tant, con. tended he had no seditious design in m:.k•ng use of the expressions alluded tot that he had a ale and family who entirely depended on him for their sup port ; that on no previous occasion he had ever ex pressed sentiments against the king and Govern ment. Lord ELL IN 30ROUGH observed, he did not dis avow those sentiments even in his affidavit. He was then committed to the King's Bench, and or dered to be brought up again on Friday the I itL instant. • '=l:alarr i THL KING V. STVP.IICHII and ACNEW., Messrs. Stephens and Agnew were brought MIS to receive Judgment. They were indiaed under an Mt of the 33.1 year of his present Majesty, and convitled of having taken a bribe while in the employment of the British Government in India_ Those gentlemen, it appeAred, held the office of Supervisors of the province of Malabar, and whale in that situation, accepted a bribe to the amount of 9 or 10,0001. Mr. DALLAS, on the part of the Defendants, con tended, that to bring the parties within the opera tion of the Aa, the bribe must be token during the time they were in office, and consequently that the indiament should set forth the day on which the offence was committed, whereas in the present case it did not. Upon this ground, he moved an arrest of judgment. The Court granted a Rule to shew cause, and the Defendants were remanded. THE KING V. JAMES SALTER, WILLIAM BENNETT, JOHN NEIL, 'ETU weitfr, AND WM. MITCHELL. The. Defendants in this case were journeymen hatters, and brought up to receive lodgment for combination : it appeared that they had worked for a Mr. Wall, and upon his refusing to discharge one of his workmen, because he had not oomplied with what they termed Garret Match (certain bye laws), they all deserted their work. It was a case of pe culiar hardship on Mr. Wall, and absolutely obliged him to give up his business in the Borough, and transfer it to Newcastle and other places. The Court ordered they should loe committed to the New Goal in the Borough, and brought up again on Saturday the 12th inst. COMMON PLEAS, Wisrmatiesian, MAT 2. /*IOUS v. WILSON. Mr. Serjeant COCKEL moved to set aside the ver did given in this case and enter a non-'uit. It was an adion tried before the late Lord ALvara brought to recover 211. given for a horse, warranted sound, which proved to be blind in one eye; the Plaintiff being at Croydon fair in October last, bar. gained with the Defendant for a ;fey gelding, and paid the above sum for it; when the porch:is:. was made, an objection was taken by the Plaintiff to the horse's off eye, which appeared to be disorateJ; the Defendant, however, said the horse was soand, and if it should prove otherwise, he would take it again, in consequence of which the animal ,was taken home by the Plaintiff, and shortly After said to a dealer in horses, named Smith, who returned it the day following on finding the horse blind and unfit for the servic)for which it had been purchased. namely, to run in a chaise. The Defend:;nt, on being applied to for the 211. refused to take the horse back, alleging no regular warranty had been made, and that the Plaintiff should have sent the horse back without suffering it to go into other hands. But the Jury, when the cause came to be tried, were induced to give the verdid on the fol lowing words being proved by the evidence of a Mr. Taylor to have been spoken by the Defendant : " I warrant the horse sound and to run in harness, if not I will take it again." In support of the motion for a new trial, the for mer objeßions were made by the Learned Serjeant. The Court, however, were of opinion, the verditt ought not to be disturbed.—Rule discharged. MAIDSTONE, 1,4,,T 1. 4•. Yesterday morning, between five and six o'clock, this neighbourhood was visited by a tremendous thunder-storm, attended by lightning and much rain. The lightning in the south-west direCtion was apparently the most vivid ; a tree on Banning Heath was struck by it, and shive ed to tiiecei. and several houses greatly damaged in the adjoining villages. The West Kent regiment of Yeomanry are or dered again into quarters at Maidstone, on the 7th of May ; the Tunbridge Wells troop, com manded by Lord Boyne, in consequence cf Capt. I)odgin, their Adjutant, having given such uni versal satisfaCtion, by the pains he took, both while they were here in quarters, as well as before and since, in improving them in the manctuvres, as a small token of the high opinion they entertain of him as a soldier, presented him with a highly finished sabre on Thursday se'nnight, at the head of their troop near Tunbridge Wells. The publication of the Smarr, Coerutrum, wh'c't is to make the Government more stable by the ele vation of its Chief, is every day expeCted at Paris. Capt. G. !duke v, although promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral, is to at as First Captain to Lord NELSON, in the Mediterranean. Great inconvenience having been felt last summer in the exercise of the field-pieces belonging to the Guards, little ammunition carts are now constructed, so as to be capable of carrying a sufficient number of men to work each piece, and it is fastened by a strong iron hook and ring to the tail of the cart. Tuesday morning, as May Day, according to • custom time immemorial, the singing men and cho titters of St. Mary Magdalen College, Oxford, as. ' cended With a band of music to the top of the Ca thedral Tower belonging to that Seminary, and at ' sunrise performed in concert for an hour. This , tower was built at the ilistance of Cardinal Wotszy at the time when he was Fellow and Bunn of that College. Saturday nett will be the Fourth Day's. Draw• ing of the present Lottery ; and until that time, Tickets and Shares, warranted =drawn, may be had in great variety, at both the old established Offices of T. B ISM. 4, Cornhill, and 9, Charing- Crass, where all Prizes from Twentr Pounds to Twenty Thousand will be paid on deemed. The fcllowing is the state of the 'Wheel : . 2 Piissa of L. 20,000 9 Nees of Ir 3,0 A 1 3 5000 13 - 2,000 34 ie. rte. we TaistOD•YorDaawino—TbeTieltetNo.ll,l9% drawo vestnday, a Prize of TWO THOUSAN.i) P was sald in One Quarter, TWO _kghtiu and Eight Sixteenth shares, at the Old Office f Swat and Co. in the Poultrt. where No. 3,093, a. Piirr of ONE THOUSAND POUNDS, on the First Day, and N 0.46,187, a Prise of cipTE THOU SAND POUNDS on the Second Day of the pre sent Lottery, were also sold in Shares. The Kurth Day of Drawing will be on Saturday Len.