Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-09-14 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL ACADEMY'S EXHIBITION.

The private view of the paintings which form this year's'
exhibition took place on Saturday, and was very nurser'
°ltaly attended. The hurried glance at the contents of the
rooms, which the time allowed, would scarcely enable 120
to speak of this season's display in other than very gene-
ral terms. There appears rather a fewer number than
usual of works of local artists, a tad. which vre regret to
observe. The pre-Raphaelite element largely prevails
indeed, if we might be allowed so vigor' us an expression,
we would say it runs to waste throughout the exhibition.
veryvvheie the visitor turns he is met by the same sharp
outlines, minute details, and photographic effort at idea'
thy with the objects represented. Millar's " Sir Ina,
bart at the Ford," for
.which every one eagerly looked
upon entering, hal not arrived up to the time of our
visit. A blank space upon the wall,. with a chalk
inscription, informing visitors that an accident,: Lad
delayed its corning, was all we had to see instead'
of this much-discussed, lauded, and abused painting"'
It was, however, expected to arrive on Saturday'
evening, and probably has, before this,• filled up its
place. We did not observe that any of Holman Hunt's
pictures wee in the collection. Mr. Ford Maddox Browns.
whose painting of " Christ Washing Peter's Feet" was
awarded the prize at our last exhibition, has several pie"
tures here this year. Among them is one, " English
Autumn Afternoon—Hampstead scenery," which is cer•
tain to create considerable discussion. We are not very
enthusiastic admirers of this artist's style, either in
figures or landscape, but, at the same time, it can scarcely
be questioned that in this ;painting there is much beauty
of colouring, and rich, soft autumnal scenery, to make
one forget the singular harshneso and painful attention to
minutiae with which he microscopically labours to imitate
nature. A painting by Millais, "The Blind Girl," is even
a more surprising specimen of the pre-Raphaelite
school than the " Awakened Chnscience." If such
fields—and trees—and skies—and such a rainliew,
are truthful representations of nature, then it
seems to us that neither Italian nor German, Euelish nor
French schools can pretend to compare in this quality
with the Chinese schools of art. The teaelray, the willow"
pattern plate, can alone surpass this marvel of outlines
and colours, Mr Solomon's fine paintieg, " Waiting for
the Verdict," attracted well deserved attention. The
bowed figure of the broken old man, who covers his face
with his hands in the agony of expectation ; the grief"
worn face and distracted appearance of the woman, and.
tale cony baby in delight with the novelties around it, are:
simply and affsctingly life-like. There is a painting hr
Mr. Stirling, entitled the " Princes and the Seen'
Dwarfs," around which groups seemed to gather the on°l°
of the day. ft is full of vigour, and animated varied elt*
pressions, telling enough of its own tale to make us sell-
sible of its interest. The fable itself we recollect to have
reada but can scarcely tell where—perhaps in the
Brothers, .Grimm's famous collection. We well re"
member, however, an exquisite poem, by! Ferdinand
Freibgrath, in which an allusion is made to the stcry. in
lines which we may, perhaps, translate from memory after
this-fashion :

"In the dim old times, of which legends tel 4
A King once banished his only child,
And she strayed far over the hills to dwell

With seven dwarf youths in the greenwood wild;
But a draught from her Finless mother% hand
Soon robbed of life the poor little maid;
And her tiny and faithful companion band

In a coffin of crystal her body laid.."
The catastrophe ce.f the fable, however, has not come about,
at the moment the picture represents. The wandering
Princess is here found by her kindly little guardians .fast'
asleep in the bed which one of them owns. A. very grace".
ful picture, although of a somewhat too refined and unreal
style, is " Canute listening to. the Monks of Ely,"' neat
which is a very striking painting entitled "Life in,South
Africa," " A. Florentine Holiday," from Boccaccio ;. and 3`
" Souvenir of Scutari," are remarkable pictures, in 'ithe
same vicinity. " Mr.Vandenhoff, in the character of
Sktoek," is a truthful and very well painted portrait.
Several of Mr. Erskine Nicolls's admirable and lively
paintings have a place, we are glad to see; in, this collec-
tion. There are many very beautiful landscapes and sea-
paintings, some over which we could gladly stay longra
and of which we could speak in praise at greater length
than our space would now admit. Mark Anthony has
two paintings, each full of a peculiar beauty. We must
mention a large painting by Mr. Norbury, " coedelia
Disinherited," of which a well—deserved eulogy might be
spoken, notwithstanding that one might have thought tho-
subject utterly exhausted in all varieties of art, and
that the attitude of the group has the fault, very common'
to pictures from Shakespeare, as if the artist drew upon
his recollection of a stage representation, rather than )115
own conception of the poet's scene. Mr. Leslie's'
" Hertnione " appears to us not free from the sahl°-
defect. " Tartufre at Supper," is scarcely as satisfactory
a realisation of the group as one- might have expected to
see. Madame Organ lying on the sofa with the headache
is the best figure; Darin?, is not at all petite and piqncslite
enough to meet our ideas of that most lively and
humorous of waiting-maids. We must not omit to
mention Mr. Frank Howard's ,“ Ophelia Drowning," 5
picture original in its kind, although of a subject which
art has often followed. It is a p'Ainting whose merits
deserve a better place than the somewhat unfavourable
s; of to which it has been consb_::ned. There are several
portraits in the collection deserving of notice, among
which we most eqlecially point to that of Mr. William
Brown, by Sir J. Watson Garden, a fine likeness as most
visitors could testify on Saturday, by comparison with
the original, when Mr. Brown,. with some of his friends"
personally inspected it ; and that of Mr. John Stewart
our late mayor, by Mr. Robertson. Some of Mr. Dobbin's
carefully finished exteriors and interiors of Continental
churches will be observed with pleasure by the visitors et
this season. We have already said that in such a notice
alt his we cannot attempt oven to mention many of the prig'
cipal works these roams contain. The few we have mime'
rated we have only selected by• a kind of random hap'
hazard. We shall have opportunities hereafter of' expressiog
our opinion in detail, and endeavouring to do something
like justice to the contents of the exhibition. It may be
said, however, that there is more variety of subject that;
we have lately seen, and a happy freedom from many
the stock groups one wearies over year after year. It
is specially gratifying to add, that what are tercas!
"classic subjects" are almost entirely absent. This, at
least, is some compensation to those who may think With
us, that the school which Mr. Ruskin patronises, is son2e.
what over prolific in its contributions this season.

[Since writing :the above, :we learn that
.the missilig
picture has arrived.]

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DEFEAT OF THE REBELS.

MORE MUTINIES.

PROGRE3S Cl! THE SIEGE.

ARRIVAL OF RE-INFORCEMENTS.

ARRIVAL OF SIR COLIN CAMPBELL.

XAIIO2IUEDAN CONSPIRACY.

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OVERLAND MAIL.

OFFOJAL DESPATCHES.

RUNDRED OF THE REBELS SHOT DOWN.

Elie following telegtaphic despatch was received
4t
tile Foreign Office, through the Admiralty,
ei3t. 13, 5.30 p.m,

Secretary of Admiralty, Sfpt, 11.
The Pekin4tb arrived at Suez from Bombay on the
Inst., with Bombay news to the 15th August.
a General Havelock defeated the rebels at Abipur
411? Gunge, on the 20th and 30th of July, taking
1:111.1.Y all their guns. He expected to reach
liehnew °n the 31st of July.
Irregular
7thp Bth, and 40th regiments, and the 12th
2:egniar Cavalry mutinied at Dinapore on the
—4l of Jul
Her
Majesty's loth Foot shot down 800 of them.
witneh excitement prevails at Benares, towards
City the mutineers were advancing.
The latest date from Delhi is the 27th of July.
tiThe siege was progressing slowly, and reinforce-
nts Were beginning to arrive.
tteeneral kleid has relinquished the command on
13 !Glint of illness, and has been succeeded by
Igadier General A. Wilson.
4t Agra the Europeans remain in the fort, well
; to Lola out, but-anxiously awaiting reliefs.
enl'Pa of Yeomanry Cavalry is being formed at
se.iltta for service in the North West Provinces.
Colin Campbell has arrived at Calcutta.
"e Sealkote mutineers, on their way to Delhi'
liire°htotit
ily destroyed at Goodahpore, by Brigadier
'n 's force.
'l\iatinlutit)-37 has broken out in the 27th Bombay
lia: Infantry, at Kolapore, in the Southern
t4ratte, country.
.411;t.11.°Pean troops have been sent against the
t eer3, and are said to have quelled the dis-
-14bance.
Great
alarmkitnalarmprevails in Belgaum, Dharway,
have gtierrY) and Sattard, where means of defence
,tilueen adopted..
have eb e-Ratlee of Sattard, and a native Rajah'
ere t been
talicn into custody and brought prison.
° 'elnb A i\iala ay
.
la the 11°111(lan conspiracy has been discovered
poo
°lllbay Presidency, and the Moolvie of
n-, wio,
-men several accomplices, have been appre-
deq
nd await trial.
°` Artilier.37 "VS 33rd Regiment, and a company
and the 1' arrived at Bombay from Mauritius,
41.1 gust. ..°ttitiger, and Canning, on the 4 h of
a ,07010001 Stuart's column has reached Inhour
n'
I`n'l:Wore, and tranquility is restored in,ceutral
I The Bombay Times considers that the
—iltinY is no longer confined to the Bengal army,
the rebellion has been checked, and that the news.
this mail is decidedly of a cheering character.
The Columbian arrived at Suez from Australia
ontile morning of the 7th. The Bentinck was
in sight al five o'clock, p.m., on the same
mat y.
This intelligence was received from the Acting-
fonslll-General at Alexandria, under date Sept. 7,
r
the Earl of Clarendon.
Signed, M. STOPFORD, Rear-Admiral.