The Express.
London, England, 1850-06-27 00:00:00

FINE ARTS.

The announcement of the sale of the late King of
Holland's collection of pictures, which is to take
plea at the Hegira on the 15th of July, comes ac-
companied with that solemnity and regret with
which we part with old friends. Somehow, when a
well-knows gallery is broken up, its component parts
seem to disappear, to return no more. We rill to
witness that of Cardinal Penh, which, though more
considerable in numbers, as completely illustrated the
the and progress of the Italian schools as this does
that of the Flemish. To the artist and the oonnois-
sear these two collection., taken together, presented
the comprehensive scheme of art from the period of
the Van Becks and their pupils, who were the pre-
cursors of the Italian. to Ruben. end Vandyck, who
were subsequently their debtors. Bat by far the
most interesting portion is that which was the Law-
rence collection and which a fourteen years' posses-
sion his identified with the name of the King of

Not only in forming this collection, but in design-
ing the structure which contains it, the late William
H. seems to have had a spirit somewhat akin to that
of the King of Bavaria, minus the artistic genius of
Germany to second it.
Without going through the catalogue of works,
which is at all times tedious, the number of Van
Eyck', &e., it may be useful to stets what there is
not. As au example, Michiels, in hia valuable, but
somewhat prolix work, mentions Herr'ing's series
of ten pictures illustrating the life of St. Bertin in
this collection. Only two are now to be seen ;it seems
problematical whether the remainder will be forth-
coming; Hemling appears, even in these torn-
panels with all the charm of a favourite
scholar, who seems to have won Van Eyck'e
secrete. From the came source, we 'learn
that the celebrated portable aitar-tryptio of Charles
the Fifth is by Rivet, and not Hemling. This ex-
change of names is puerile and perplexing. At no
other period was individualism more merged in one
mode of thinking and one way of expressing ideas,
which renders their style exclusive, not the least
amenable to imitation. A family portrait-piece, large
and life-like, by Vender-Helot, looks like a graceful
intruder on the exclusiveness of these quattrocentisti.
Though inferior in many respects to the ban-
quet scene by this master, it is yet an ad-
mirable sample of his fa-cinating pencil, which has
so much influence on continental arr. The subject i.
a simple and pleasant one: " A young man present-
ing his bridi• to his parents." In the honest painting
and anatomical flielity of the heads and hands, in tit.
accuracy of costume, and breadth of touch of drape-
ries, we recognise the model of more than one modern,
M. P. Delaroche among t the number. Here
closed the long and prosperous epoch of Dutch art ;
Thierry, of Haarlem, and Vander-Helst here stand
opposed, its alpha and omega ; and as we look abroad
the world of Holland seems scarce to have moved
since that period, neither the green pas'ures of Potter,
the interiors of De Hooghe, nor the streets of Jan
Steen.

A flight of steps leads to the principal room, which
contains a few gems amid a world of paste. A few
portraits by Ruben., Vandyck, and Rembrandr,
assert, nevertheless, their genuineness by their sparkle,
though this is probably the result of their short
sojourn at the Hague. Tne "a in of itambrandt "
is worthy his father's celebrity. The turbaned Bur-
gomaster is as beautifully coloured, and moreover as
highly as any of his etchings. There is a copy or
repheu of Ruben.' " Boar-hunt."
Those who are not pirticolar about first impres-
sions, will find excellent secnirl editions of Vels.qui z,
Murillo, Vander-Neer, Raphael, Albino, Titian, &c.
There is a genuine flobbimi ; the Wouvermane, if
there be any, has slipped our nirtrory ; and the lsrfe
Wappers form the collection, which amounts to ISO
works in oil painting, omitting the moderns from the
list.

The Emperor of Rumia made the offer of pur-
chasing the whole collection of the late King for the
sum of 40,000 guilders, which met with no greater
success than that of Prince Gagarin to acquire the
drawings alone. Meanwhile the cfficial catalogues
are, we balm, issued, containing a host which at
present lie in portfolios, besides those we have
glanced at.

NEW SOCIETY OP PAINTERS IN WATER COLOURS.-
Her Majesty and Prince Albert, attended by Colon, l Grey
and Mies Anson, and accompanied by the Prince of Prussia,
honoured the N-w &clew of Painters in Water Colours
yesterday by tiring their gallery. Fier Maj•aty was pleased
to mark her approbation of the rxhibi.ion by purchasing ttia
Hootian picture, "The Wise Men from the East," by Mr.
Warren, the president; and Mr. E. Corbould's beautiful
norms de Nene."

EMIGRATION.—LIMERICK.—Since the lit of Jo-
angry 26 vessels have sailed from this p,rt to Canada, with
4,113 mole; Si sailed for the U..ited Stotes, with 3,330 souls
—malting in all 7.443, and showing the emigration to Ca-
dale and the States to be nearly equal. The firol rumber
of emierants for the year 1849 to the States and Canada was
11.554. This gives a striking illustration of the preference of
our countrymen to the governmeest of *he &atm.
RIOT AT DUNFERMLINE.—TIIE MILITARY CALLED
ore.—For the last few days (say. the Adinburgh Advertiser)
great excitement has been occasioned in the western district
of Fife, by certain outrageous proceeding, which have as-
sumed so alarming an aspect as to induce the eiiil authorities
to apply for military aid. On Saturday et-tiling last, about
11 o'clock, • band of " navvies," armed with b.tidgeons and
knives, made * savage and unprovoked attack on tome of the
inhabitants of Dunfermline, I of whom were s ly
injured—one, it is feared, fatally—from a stah in the neck
and fracture of the 'hull. Ultimately the ravvies were over-
powered, and 11 of them lodged in gaol. Again, on Sunday
evening, two men were attacked sad stabbed, in the suburbs
of Baidrigeburn. The f. clings of the townspeople had now
become much exasperated, and a attain class resolved on
summary retaliation. Aceording4, aticut 10 o'clock on Mon-
day morning, • mob of 400 or 600. principally wry young men
and boys, paraded the streets, vowing to send all the Irish
out of the town, and, pr acediog to the Irishmen's lodgings,
tarred them suromorily out of doors, giving them time ohly
to take their clothes with them. Only one man, we. be-
lieve, resisted, having struck at one of the townsmen with an
axe, and cut open hie arm, for which he was severely
punished by • drtadiul blow from • bludgeon, which laid his
scalp open. Toe mob Laving proceeded to the work; of the
Stirling end Dunfermline Railway, about a dew men were
marched thence, and the whole paraded through the town
for the purpose of being seat MOM the Forth at Queens-
ferry. A gentleman who left Disiitereoline on Monday
afternoon saw from 40 to 60 at North Queensferry, where the
sheriff and fiscal had proceeded, and managed to protect
them from any ill usage. A company of the IS!tt Light
Dragoons passed through Elieiburgh at seven o'clock on
Monday sight, to aid the civil authorities, as it was appre-
hended that the populace would riso against the Irish
weavers sad colliers in the district, of whom there are a grid
missy. It was slate feared thet about 300 monies who are
employed on the Connie section of the railway, would march
in to aid Mu it countrymen.
CONVICT ADVENTURES.— A circumstance has
lately transpired which has exhibited events of n 1 comm n
occurrence. A few weeks since a labourirg men was bided
on hoard the Rookery, and to this accident may be st.ri-
bated th following extraordinary disclosures. In July, 1833,
eieht prisoners of the crown made their evens from the
eolnr.y in • stall craft beloopi g to the govertmint. The
little vessel was of about twenty-fits toe., and was called the
Badger; she was loaded with sores and Christmas supplies,
which ware to be conveyed to Macquarie Harbour. The
Badger was manned by seven prisoners, tad was pla:vd
under the command of a min named William Philips, also a
convict, who had been transported for met ndiarism in de-
*train • ship. Philips hod • wife and several children in
England, and he had repeatedly expressed • desire to
abscond and settle in America. Under these circum-
stances, the opportunity of July, 1833, was too
favourable to escape, and the vessel was accordingly
carried off. The ehmenders were traced t., Japan, at which
place they put in for water, but after that nothing was heard
of them, and they were given up for lost. What became of
them for the first three or four years atter their steep* is not
known; b..t about that time the Badger ouddenly visited
Padstow, a small sea-port in Cornwall, and Philips, dressed
in a widow's habiliments of mourning, went on shore. In
this disguise he succeeded in making arrangements for con-
veying his wife and family on board, ate, r which he /m me
diately put to sea, and, it is supposed, steered for America;
and with his departure from the coast of Cornwall the story
of Philips ceases. But the narrative does net end here.
One of Philips's comrades, named Lachlan M'lntosb, ids
longing to return to his native place, proceeded to Scot-
land, and being there recognised as an e,aapre, was
speedily seat back under sentence of transportation for life.
Arr.ved in this colony • second time, he owed through the
gene.,variou ..d.
preluimpotathryeartiseogri
jAporetvaiotiuseketot-ofo-hletaavineinbee asnaindul
oc-
casionally employed at the when' in helping to load and d:s-
elm,. vessels. He was thus engaged on beard the %argue
Rookery, when the accidental ratline of a block shru,.tly
terminated • hie which had often been exposed to dangers •
thousand times more formidable and threatening, but which,
notwithstanding, had been preserved to be at last tail down
in that country which he loathed. Such was the end of
M'lntosts: what has befallen hi. seven companions in peril
it is impossible to imagine ; doubtless but few, irony, now
survive to record that catalogue of anxiety and suffering in-
cident to the revolution of 17 years.—Lautwertim ( lan Me-
ows's Latest) Examiner.

HAYMARING.—A whirlwird visited
a har field on the farm of Lord Braybr woke, near Saffron
Walden, on Meader and rather astonished the troop of
h.yntakers by hurrying off part of the material upon whi:h
they were labouring, carrying it in fantastic shape over the
tops of the 141 tress, and derniting soma of It hat a mile
off.—Esse: Herald.