The Express.
London, England, 1847-02-11 00:00:00

PROVINCIAL.

UNIFORMITY OF TIME.—H. Booth, Esq., has addressed
the chairman of the railway commissioners on the subject
generally, of the inconvenience experienced by travellers,
poet-office keepers, and railway managers, from the differ-
ences of time, sawed, of course, by the difference in the lon.
gitudes of places ; and he strongly urges the adoption of a
uniform time for England. At present the difference of time
between Liverpod and Manchester, not to speak of Leeds
and Hull, produces many troublesome miscalculations. This
may be obviated by the use of electric clocks to all having a
common motive power.
NOILTIIUMBERLtN D.
MCRDRIL.—EM.I7 on Sunday evening last, a murder was
committed at Newbrough, near the Fourstooes station, a
few miles west of Hexham, on the Newcastle and Carlisle
Railway. The particulars are given by the Netecattk Ad-
vertiser The murdered man, whose name was Proud, and
who was hind to Mr. Maughan, of Newbrough-lodge, had a
child to be baptised on Sunday afternoon, and after leaving
church Proud and his friends went to a public house in the
village of Newbrough. While there, some misunderstand.
ing took place between Proud and a labourer named Welsh.
and on Proud and his party leaving the public-house, Welsh
left also, and went in the same direction. The quarrel was re-
newed, and a struggle took place between Webb and Proud,
the latter having the best of it. They then separeel, but
they had not gone far up the lane, when Welsh suddenly
re-appeared, and seizing Proud's head, pulled it back, and
cut his throat so severely that the unfortunate victim
died almost immediately. After committing the deed,
Welsh instantly ran off, and called at the same
public-house, where he got • pot of whisky, and having
drank it, be stated to the mistress of the house that
it was the last time she would see him. He then left,
and hastened to the Founitones station. On reach-
ing it he seems to have been entirely overcome, partly by
the liquor he had taken, and the exertions made to flee from
the locality of his crime. In the meantime intelligence of
the murder soon spread over the village, and a constable
mounted a horse and went to the Fourstones statism, where
Welsh was taken.

CtKlovs ALLEGED OUTILAGZ AT COTTENHAM.—The
Cambridge Advertiser, of yesterday, reports a case which it
describes so one of the most extraordinary that ever came
under notice. The facts, as elicited by an examination
before the inspectors of police, on Monday last, are these :
A married woman, residing in the village of Cottenham, was
(according to her own etatement) suddenly accosted in the
public road at eight o'clock on the evening of the 31st ult.
by some raglan unknown. Before she had time to
reply, a plaster was applied to her mouth, she wee
grasped by the wrists and legs., and transported
on the shoulders of the mysterious stranger seer
hedges and ditches, to a lonely field There she was
set down,and coolly told that her head would be cut
off if she ude the slightest uproar, or attempted any resist-
ance. At the same time no indecency, approaching to felo-
nious violence, was committed or even offered. The woman
was plundered of her marriage ring, and some money. Her
clothes were then cut from her person, a portion of her hair
was deliberately cut off, and else was net at liberty. Thus
4r the woman's own story ; and whatever suspicions may
hang over it, there appears to be no doubt of the fact, that
she did certainly arrive at the house of a relation, at a
late hour in the evening above-mentioned. in a state
of absolute nudity, with the exception of her shoes and
stockings, and a piece of flannel attached to one of
her legs. But the mystery remains to be told. The woman
had no sooner blazoned her story in the village, than two
men (one of them a police constable) traced carefully, with
a lantern, the route which he said she had been carried.
The impediments, in the shape of quickest hedges, and
ditches 3 and even .5 feet wide, were such as seemed to render
it morally and physically impoeeibls that any man could have
carried a woman on his shoulders along such a route, with-
out on any one occasion placing down his burden. The
clothes were found lying in the held which the woman had
indicated, manual): cut up from top to bottom, but the marks
of the footateps leading to and from tae field, which were
carefully examined and measured by the light of the lantern,
were those of only one person, and moreover they exactly
corresponded to the woman's own shoes.

CILIIIIRATION OF H;iijliA.l6B...TY.B WIDDING-DAY.
The seventh anniversary of the union of her Majesty with
Prince Albert was celebrated at Windsor yesterday with the
usual rejoicings. The bells of St. George's Chapel and of the
parish church of St. John rang merry peals; at noou kroyal
salute was fired from the corporation ordnance. A...reed
salute was also fired from the Belvidere Be.tiory pt yo
tv
Water. Several of the Qra's tradeunspi dined
at the New Awk, and 9 .v*4 .I.lleritym g bell jig
honikr erne ',Rust of the

_

a, ...

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AMNRICAN HOMINY IN ENGLISH UNIONS.—The clerk
to the Board of Guardians, Kuutaford, writes
regards hominy bring a gaol substitute for potatow4. „
I have not the slightest hesitation in saying that it
is the very best article of its kind yet introduced,
solely from its sound nutritious qualities. The horn's,
arouse and pudding which I prepared (being precisely LIP
same as given to the inmates) for our Board of Guardians to
see, taste, and judge for tnemselves, gave general saiis-;„,
faction on our last board-slay—in fact, one and all declared
the hominy arouse to be a most savoury dish. It was
prepared an the taming manner:--The beef, 30165. •
weight (being the quantity required as per diet table);
was boiled in a copper by itself ; a portion of the liquor
from the meat wan nicely seuoned and made savoury ; the
meat afterwards being cut into small pieces—and the
whole, when well mixed together, and served up quite hot,
was really excellent, and very satisfying in its nature.
From inquiries made from our inmates, who had been accus-
tomed for years to live principally upon potatoes and
buttermilk, how they liked hominy u a substitute for po-
tatoes, they declared (with only one or two exceptions),
that they liked this Krouse better than they did potatoes.
and assigned as their reason, that they did not feel huager
so soon after a meal of this kind as after a meal of pota-
toes; clearly showing its satisfying nature, and that it
remained in the system much longer than potatoes. The
quantity of hominy *noose given to an adult is one pound
weight, with four ounces of cooked meat, at acct of lid. per
head. In point of fact, if you could supply me with hominy at
its present price, I cruld effect a saving in the expt adi-
tare of this utsbliahment, in one article of provisions
alone, of 21. weekly. The hominy pudding I also prepared
for the board to see and taste in the form in which I pre-
pared it for the inmates. It was simply the hominy well
boiled, afterwards mixed with a little milk, a kw currants,-
and a little spice ; then placed in tins and put into the oven.
to brown over. The puddings came out of the oven beautiful
and crisp, with a nice brown crust at the top, and looked
and ate moat deliciously—is fact, I had some diltisulty in
convincing our board of guardians of the entire abaene•
of eggs, sugar, &c. They really thought it impossible-
(looking at the article) that it could be made into such eke ,
puddi•ga at so trifling a cost—the whole amount not
avenging ware than one halfpenny per head fur this amid-,
flow) meal."

jfint arts.
NATIONAL (lALLEItY.—DECISION OP TM'. LIPS?
TeES.—The minutes of the trustees of the National Gallery
during the yearelB4s and 1846, containing Mr Eastlake 's de,
fence of himself eeriest " Verax," Mr. Morris Moore and Mr.
Coningham, have just been issues by the House of Commons
iareturn to an address of the 26th of January. The minutes
occupy nineteen folio pages, and contain several entries, par
titularly interesting at the present moment. At a meeting
on Monday, the 24th of August last, Mr. Eastlake, the
keeper, reported to the traders " that some of the pictures
of this gallery stand in need of cleaning and other restora-
tions," and it was then resolved :—" That Mr. Eastlake is
empowered by the trustees to use his discretion in causing
such pictures, as appear to him to be in want of this treat-
ment, to be cleaned and otherwise restored, by competent
persons whom he shall select for the purpose, u far
as practicable during the approaching vacation." At
the next meeting of the trustees, held on Monday the 255th of
January last (not three weeks ago), a note was read from the
Earl of El'esmere to the secretary " requesting him to lay
before the trustees a letter he had received from Mr. Morns
Moore, of the 10th of December last, enclosed with his lord.-
ship's communication ; in which letter Mr. Moore states his
opinion that three pictures, the • Bacchus and Ariadne,' by
Titian; the ' Peace and War,' by Rubons ; and the
newly.purchasod picture by Vella:fun; have been injured in
the cleaning they have recently undergone." The letter
read, it was then resolved—e" that this letter be referred to
' Mr. Eastlske, in order that he may report to the trustees at
their next meeting, to Se specially summoned to recehe his
report, the steps he has taken in pursuance of the minute
of the trustees of the 24th of August last, and his opinion
on the present state of these pictures, and the proceed-
ings resorted to in cleaning them, and their results." At the
special meeting, held on Monday, the 4th February, Mr.
k.attlake's report wits read, and the trustees present, the Earl
of Aberdeen, the Marquis of Lansdowne, the Earl of Ripon,
the Earl of Ellesmere, Lord Monteagle, Sir Robert Peel,
Sir James Graham, Mr. Samuel Rogers, and Mr. William
Wells, unanimously resolved, " That in the opinion of the
Trustees, the report made by Mr. Eastlake is entirely
satisfactory, and Justiftesthe confidence which they have re.
posed in his judgment in respect to the treatmenl of the
pictures is the National Gallery." That part of Mr. East-
lake's report which refers to what he did in accordance with
the resolution of the 24th of August last (already referred
to) will attract attention " The pictures which appeared
to me more especially to require attention were the newly-
purchased N elioquez, the " Allegory of Peaoe," .by
Ruben,' ; the " Landscape," by Cusp ; and the " Bacchus
and Ariadne," by Titien. I considered that one
picture-ale ever would be eufficient for the work pro.
posed. I requested Mr. Seguier to examine these pictures,
and to give me his opinion as to the expediency of cleaning
them, and the possibility of doing what appeared to be ne-
cessary with safety. Tree opinions expressed by him on the
occasion in question had my entire concurrence." The pre;
liminary arrtaToututents agreed upon, the operation of clean-
!rilla=us"and about
te
'!hwease4tTelirsor lr"at nwit.T; taken is
hand. "Mr. Seguier did not recommend clewing the
Titian so much as the other pictures. Some of the trustees,
as well as Mr. Seguier and myself, had remarked an ine-
quality in the upper and left corner of this pict*e, arising
from the canvas haying become partially detached
from its lining. Mr. Seguier states that it woo not
feasible to get rid of this inequality entirely without
relining the picture ; but that operation I did not con-
eider requisite. The picture was accordingly cleaned only
to the extent proposed by Mr. Seguier, and the defect in the
canvas was remedied as far as it could be. The latter ope-
ration was the only one, coming under the head of restora-
tion, which was considered necessary in the late cleaning."
The Velaaquer and Cuyp were next taken up. "T."
Velasquee and the Cuyp were freed from the darkened
varnish which obscured them. In cleaning the latter, it
was hoped that two light spots in the sky, produced by
restorations which bad been made before the picture was in
the present building, would cease to be apparent. The re-
sult has been quite satisfectory. The Velasques speaks for
huff." The Rubens, on which the greatest injury (irre-
parable injury) is said to have been wrought, was the last
that was taken up. Hear Mr. Eastlake on the state
of the picture before the last vacation " The Ruben&
may be said to have been long buried snider re-
petted coats of yellowed and soiled varnish. It was
found that these could be removed with perfect safety, as the
surface of the picture had that extreme hardness which the
works of this master, above all others, often possess. The
doubt which I had expressed, whether the picture might
have been restored at a termer period, proved to be un-
founded. Mr. Seguier distinctly states that it is extremely
rare to find a large work of the age of this specimen in so
pure a slate of preservation." Having thus explained what
was actually done to the four pictures under consideration,
and by whom the work was performed, Mr. Eastlake adds
his "entire satisfaction of the reselt," and expreems
his acknowledgments to Mr. Seguier " for the care
with which he executed the task undertaken by him."
The Titian, the Cusp, and the Velasquez speak, as he says,
" forthemselves ;" on the Ruben', however, he begs to submit
a few observations. " I have already remarked, he says,
" that if some pictures are cleaned, while others hanging
beside them are in a dirtier state, the clean pictures may,
for a time, present a considerable contrast to the rest. This
difference is more likely to be apparent when a Ruben', so
placed, is freed from the accumulated effects of a London at-
mosphere. A work by so florid a painter, in his brightest
manner (as suited to a cheerful subject, such as an allegory
of peace), might almost, under any circumstances, be ex-
pected to present a contrast to pictures originally executed
in a much lower tone ; and this contrast must be greatly in-
creased after such a picture has been cleaned. The differ-
ence, however, soon ceases to be striking, ftom the effects of
time and of au impure atmosphere, on the fresh varnish.
The change has been already witnessed in two
pictures, ' The Brazen Serpent' and the Judg-
ment of Paris,' by the same master. Those works-
were cleaned in 11444; and at first, es was generally remarked
at the time, looked comparatively crude. They have now
acquired due mellowness of tone." This would teem, as it is
satisfactory enough, but Mr. Eastlake, a competent Ratko! .
rity on such matters, has something to add, and to the point—
" lite preservation of the most delicately executed details in
this picture (the Rubenx) is a proof of the care with which
the surface has been cleaned. Lest, however, it should be
supposed that gluing,' may have been removed with the
soiled varnish, I beg leave to observe that an experienced
picture-cleaner is not likely robe deceived on such points. Aa
experienced pieture.cleaner knows, from long habit,
the general nature of the materish need by the
great painters, and eau distinguish between such
materials, and the modern varnishes which may be 'Tread
over pictures, from time to time, to preserve or to renovate
them, and which, sooner or later, according to local circum-
stances and conditions, become discoloured. In the picture
now under consideration, the central portion, which has the
most unequivocal indications of the master's hand, is painted
either altogether, or to a great extent, on a dark ground,
contrary to the usual habits of Ruben*. The figures to the
left, again, appear to be painted on a light ground. Those
who are conversant in the practical details of painting are
aware that these different conditions generally involve an
original diffvrence of treatment." But Mr Eastlake
does not rest his defence merely on his own
plea of " Not Guilty." He calls Ruben' himself to
his aid, and afterwards summons five Royal Acarlemichun
( Mulready, Etty, Edwin Landseer, Gle(a and Stanfield) and
three others—Smith (author of the " Catalogue Raisonnee"),
Thomas Emmerson, and Peter Norton, all of whom indi-
sidually and collectively approve of the late proceedings in
every respect as "entirely satisfactory ; " and fully confirm
I the trustees in the decision they came to at their hart meet-
ing. The letters of Mulready, Etty, and Edwin Lendseer,
deserve insertion :

_ .
Links Orove, Bantrater, Sidt. l, 1041. X
Mhdie:r Sir,—The " Banton sod Arintme,* by 11Xxx• EMI "Pox* • r.,
'.
&I away the Myron of War," by islstee. on ►OM Illi re Pie-
t urea t I know beet. I have seenax= MX QM .
since tbey were last eleamed, and I So prig
,
with!' lay neck but I bine Met
leads me to newt that the pillyass law ban Itlark lirmssusilli
et dewing Moot I have lament Om. I etmelm. W. fie. • • . tole
—C. I. Eastlake. Keg., R.A. • ...:.4.
My deer Str,
tehelLer I had
1 04;44 the c 4
tem* Of Uve 1...
nedar &aims ,
I fif opyortantty •
t; g„„ r , and diA

'•

Like, Fp., ILA. • •
14, eseldngbantatrest, Woad, D. la, 13411.
ea,--On Saturday I neared a seat dram ple,4agednirsi • .1.,
ad head of the letters which hove bans ta lip •
cleaning of some of the pawls la • . •• • _
!Id hear several perverts sneak% • • • • 1. • --
be papers, mad se I wet sasterwr Ss lee*
rims to see hew Or 1 eartakhrei- •
tortsinity one dam day (ea 1 have *ere, • •
sopsaled by • &lead. I was Mb • ,
mad did sot !•ce the Titian Baschne ' j. • •
:11