The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-12-09 00:00:00

Mr. (iv ex er repeatedly insisted on the edmiseion of the two
editions; it W.l very excusable wed natural that misprints should
creep inn the first edition.
Mr. SCAOLLTT *rid iris beamed Friend was very anxious span
the eubleet of n.isprints and mietakes. It was with ben as with
the poet—
" Hand ego yemeis offender tnaulis
I:bi plura Intent."
At the sac 'inn of the Counsel for the defendants, several ex-
, tracts irons the first edeion of Mr. ei'estreazottes Catalans*. wore
rued. lead Samell and Sir %Vellum Curtis were described in very
.
flattermg ternis to the manter fen T.Lawrencee but the pictures
were elan deseribed as ugly as the originals. (More laughter.)
We subjoin one or two prisegee, which the learned Counsel ( Mr.
Se:whet) required to be read, as a specimen of the style of Mr.
WeAtftlACO!l'a purferriatire :
" 3en. enmet at sea after a storm. (F. l)aaby.) Excites the
astonishment tat any Oct who leeks at it, and engrosses their at-
tentem."
leiet. A Nymph : a seem In marble. (It. ‘Festmartet, R.A.)
A einetsbirly clemte and treittiful specimen, classical and elegant,
with ell the toffee-se and soietnere of virgin innocence. The ex-
pie 'sem is heavenly and bieethee serenity of mind--the hair is
tastefully dimes/el : the outline is exquisite, when viewed sideways
in a lint from Cli intrey's statue tif Pr. Jackson. The lightness
and playfulness of the drapery *truck us as being in the moat fell-
entitle style of are"
" h., l'ortreit of the !light Hen. Lord Chief Justice Abbott.
(.1. Wood.) This is s facture of very considerable merit, atilt as
we suspect the artist is young, he I rumises to excel in his pro-
fession."
Several other passages were read, which were afterwards referred
to in the statement of the Learned I 'mined foe the defendents.
Mr. SCAR LICTT nildreseed the Jury on behalf of the defendants.
Ilia friend Mr. Abbott haul read to teem the documents connected
with this ease. On three documents principally their decision
woulil be formed. Mr. Ceirney had stated to them that paintings
were a leeitenate subject of criticism. He agreed with his Learned
Ft ;end that they were ; but he would go farther, and any, that nut
only paintings, but public-atones of every description, were in no
less a degree subjects of criticism and camtnent. The writer of
any `sore had no in. re rich than the artist who had painted a
picture, to easy that he should be spared. or to determine and specify
time treemure of retire which should be dealt oat towards hint.
Of the writer of tee publication which formed the subject of
critieisin in the fiforrior Iltrold. he (Mr.S.) knew nothing, except
that be thought proper to publielt a cetalogue to the exhibition
of the 'loyal 21 rulenly, WIII7II he was pleased to call "critical
and descriptive." To his qttalitications for criticism and description,
he (Mr. S.) weeel shortly have occasion to call their attention. To
this peelication was attested tee ',ante of C. Westin:mote There
was also a catalogue of the !loyal Academy ; but for the puepouse of
forestalling the sale of the Coral Academy's catalogue, porters and
other pursuits were stationed shout the demn of the ma ion,
shove 'hey it was to &spire of this tentlopie of Mr. WeStelaCOtt,
to visitor who were not aware of the distinction between the car.
rem and incorrect catnlogno. Tee lint charge, therefore, which
he (Mr. S.) had to bring against Mr. IVemelecott, was that of
having committed a (mud upoto the Royal Academy, by endeavour-
ing to destroy tile sale of their catelogue by the one which he thus
stureeptieously substituted for ft. Ills hind ( Mr. Homey) ad.
meted, that if he published the exert ropy of the Royal Academy's
catalogue he windui be liable to an action mr a piracy of their copy-
right; tint the catalogue was at. drawn up, as, by certain altera-
tions and omissions, to avoid a betidey to action. The manifest
object of the publication in the Nei Niue /fends, was to prevent
the mischief, and to counteract the prejudice which this imperfect
catalogue might produce ten the minute of the visitors to the Royal
Academy. With regard to the person who undertook this tebli.
cation, he would ask what right or what qsalifiestion he had fur
such an office ? do not attack hint (said Mr. S.) from motives
of malice, but we attack' him lot bed grammar ; we attack him for in-
capacity ; and we furilier allege that it is the compilation of hireling
writers: and he (Mr. S.) ens satisfied, when the Jury duly weighed
it, they woeful agree with him, that the article complained of in the
Aforofog llo.ald was just, meritorious, and laudable. Who is the
person, he would ask, who haul undertaken the task of fomiiag the
public taste, end rf handing down to posterity the fame mid the
praises of the artists of this country ? et'hat proof did he afford of
his competency fur such a task ? Wee it that he praised persons
of admitted merit in the art which he undertook to write upon ?
%Val his praise of e'er Thomas Lawrence a test of his competency
and merit ? Ily nu means ; the thispraise of each a man, and of
persons of mknewleiged end eetablished reputation—a sneer upon
them would be of no avail, for it would be in opposition to the uni-
versal verdict of mankind. lint although artists of the clam he
had mentioned would not be affected by criticisms of this kind, yet
dime who had nut arrived at that eminence in their profession
might consider then/selves injured by such publications. The cri-
ticism in the toferniNg Herald was a useful correction both to the
publisher of this work' and a useful warning to the public
against being deceived by its misrepresentations. 'l'he writer
dioneht proper, in the commencement, to indulge in what he called
a Pintlarte ode. Ile had probably heard or read that there were
some persons who, in former times eminent for their genius. were
unwilling to convey their idea. in regular poetry, and thought pro-
per to disdain the aid of numbers, in order to &Weed greater facility
for throwing off the effusiens of their genius. With this Pindaric
ode he would not lung ectupv their attention, further than to say,
that the chief part of it was absolute nonsenee, as they must have
perceived from the reading of it by the officer of the Cmtrt. Ile
would neat call their attention to the first note of this publication,
from which they would perceive that he who was in ready to accuse
others as beefier% was not himself altogether free from a
disposition to hind fault . Ile dial not mean a disposition to libel
maliciously, foe the note was ctiolally exempt as the present para-
praph hem such a diameter. The note was to the following
uffect

" This annual dinner of the Academicians is a useless and
eyrie:Tani experiliture of filar hundred pounds. that might be
much more ben.titially employed in the advancement of the Arts,
by the encouragement of rising Online."
By the encouragement of rising genius it is to be presumed he
meant that he should himself be put to school, to ham grammar.
This would be a proper appropriation of 11.101. Ile Wl.lllll now
read to them the seimild rate, 110111 which they would perceive
how much he atom! in need of instruction in the initiatory rules
and principles of grammatical construction. He (Mr. $.) had
understood that a verb wis an north taut mend,' of a sentence,
but here would be found a tionittatiee case with no verb to
follow : . .

"The Society of ' llritlsh Artists,' recently established,
who have erected moat commodious galleries hi Pall-Mall East,
for the exhibition and salt of their works. This institution, which
gonna, fair to become a formidable rival to the Royal Academy,
have, in their arrangement, set the parent body an example worthy
of imitation." _ _ _

.....
Now it was manifest that the word " who," in this sentence wu
an expletive, and had refenr.ce to no antecedent : and " the Society
of Bntish Artists," which was the nomieative case, was kit with-
out a verb, by which it was to be governed. Nur was this the only
fault in the sentence; ibe part of the sentence which followed it
evinced a still mitre glaring ignorance of grammar. 'fliey all knew
that a noun of number might precede a verb in the singular or
plural; but it was never eupponal that a verb could be in the sin.
gular and the plural in the satire sentence with the same nominative
case; lint it was hiund in the singular—`• This Institution which
promises," and immediately afterwards came the earl) in the plural
• have." It only served to slew he did not know " who" or
" what" he was about. (A laugh). The next note to which he would
have to call the attention art the Jury was one in which the very
meaning of the language was perverted. It was to the following
effect :—" if at this penis! the leueorary titles of the Academy were
fixed in proportion to tire number of professors in Sculpture and
Painting, which was no doubt taken into conaideration, then it is
but lair to expect that these distinctions and excitements to the
rising and improving talent of the country should be extended to
meet the high clueracter and increasing consequence of the British
artists of the present slay. Without this liberal and just extension
of reward, the arts will retrograde, and its professors lase all relish
for a science where the honorary distinctions bear no comparison to
the Fruit's, talent, and numbers engaged."
Now here he would call the attention of theJuvy to the word
" fixed ;" it was manifest tile writer meant the very reverse—that
he meant '• veiled ;" fur the titles, it was plainly suggested, should
• tare in progortion"—they could not remain " fixed," if distri-
hired •• in proportion to the rising and improving intent of the
country." Ile was anxious to call their particular attention to the
notice of lestly E. Itelgreve. This picture was described to be—
" fleshy in tone ante firm in Kiwi!, with strong characteristic
power. There lire six other pictures of merit his the present Exhi-
Infirm by this artist."
Now what was to he understood by this ? Could any reasonable
man compn hem! it ? One might easily une:erstand what a fleshy
toe or a fleshy foot meant; but who could explain what was meant
by " fleetly tone." Ile might as well have said, " fleshy in
.pencil,
and firm in pencil," and if he Ilia so, all that could be raid of it
was, that it was equally unintelligible. This was written for the
niece purpose or alliteration. The next specimen of had grammar
he should notice was the exprcsaion singular line," for aingu.
lady fine. No person of taste or education would hare written
such a sentence; but he would row acquaint them with a disco.
very of the plaintiff: They ell knew there were three degrees of
comparison—till positive, the ciiinnaratire, and the superlative.
But the plaintiff added another —•• the 13101. i superlative "—a dtrree
above the superlative. It ocentred in the following passage. The
Pucheas of f ainicester was the subject of the picture.
Ibtaryosi.—There is in the composition of this artist more
true genius thin generally tails to the Ire of ratan ; toe fine conceit.
lion he adds the guest requisites of a fnrrible pencil -nil an uncom.
mon ere for colour ; the richness of style and happy distribution
of lighi and shadow in the work before us, joined to it classic ex.
cellence and fascinating subject, meat ensure it a place in sortie
diatingueslied enllectiaa. It is a monody effort in the very Ligliest
and insist superlative style ef r' t."
Again a mistake was made, in the insertion of the picture of
law! Chins iriam : it was inserted Lind Pitswilliain, and mention
"rot made of •• this venerable nobleman," whereas there was no
such picture at all as that of lanai litzwlllixm, who was very old,
sea whose portrait was Wirer, he believed, taken by Sir 'l'. laiw.
recce; but the portrait was that of Lord CLenwillinn. who 1141.
ioung man. Of • painting cf Check,. there was the following
topeCI.Mll of correct Crii;lish and testtful obstrvation f—" We shall
exhibit a charitable feeling on our parts, to pass this in silence."
The passage to whic'r be should next C.:11 their attention exhibited
• remarkable *smple of the anti-climax. It was said of the paint-
ing No. 3ao, " It tills us with estonishment, and CIIFMISSib% our
attention." One would naturally think, that when one's astonish.
went was filled, his attention was of necessity engrossed : but the
writer thought otherwise. This was not bad grammar, but it
certainly was oansene. The preen., words were, " Filled one with
admiration, and engrossed their stunsisw" The loaned Uncle-