The Sun.
London, England, 1840-05-05 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF 2HE SUN.

SlR,—There is a strange fatality in all our Government
undertakes when in connection, with the Arts. If a monu-
ment is to be erected—a public bAding (our National
Gallery, to stit)—cr anything clic, where bcaaty of
design is required, if in Government hands, they make
sad work of it. This appli .s doubly to the Postage
envelope a.nd adhesive stamp, 'just isinec.'—more disgrace-
ful productions it is impossible to conceive ; there is nei-
ther design nor execution but of the poorest description ;
and this, too, after all the parade of premiums and
invitations to foreign and English artists to send forth
something worthy this age of refinement. . The result
is before the public—and such result l—lt is abso-,
lutely disgraceful to all the parties engaged in the
production of such vile trash ; even the paper itself is
below mediocrity If better things have not been sug-
gested among the thousands sent to the Treasury for ap-
proval, it is a most unfortunate business ; but I 'cannot
imagine this to be the case, aid hope that the various
designs and plans will be exhibited, that the public may
judge if the contributors have hail fair play. Designing,
engraving, printing, and embossing, as well as papr-
min!, are carrier! to such perfection in this country, that
there can be no difficulty in obtaining something chaste, ele-
gant, end beautiful, as well as very difficult of imitition, in-
stead of rime miserable trash just tssead. For the honour
of our couniry, let these wretched things be put aside!
I hope that jchbiog is not at the bottom of all this,
and that Rowland Hill's anxiety to secure to his
brother the situation of manager or director of
the envelope and stamp department, although totally unac-
quainted with the business, has not b-en the cause of
this failure. How Messrs. Cluwes, Perkins, and Co., and
Mr. DicEnson, must laugh in their sleeves at the party
who superintends the execution of these envelopes and
stamps.

AN ADMIRER OF THE ARTS.

QUEEN' BENCH.-(THIS DAY.)

(Sittings ru Banco.)
LANE V. CHAPMAN.
This was an action brought by the assignee of a btak-
rupt against the Marshal of the Queen's Bench, for having,
discharged a prisoner out of custody, who was in his cus-
tody at the suit of the bankrupt. The Marshal pleaded,
as a justification, that he had discharged the person out of
custody by orders of the plaintiff's attornej-. The case
came on for argument on demurrer this day.
Mr. Richards appeared for the plaintiff, and the.Atter-
ney-General for the Marshal of the Queen's Bench. The
arguments having been conc'uded,
Lord DENMAN said that the question was whether the
Marshal could defend himself for the escape of a prisoner,
on the ground that•the plaintiff's attorney in the original
suit had authorized the release, the plaintiff having become
bankrupt. It appeared according to some of the old books,
that the authority of the attorney terminated with the
judgment, but according to the later books it appeared
that the authority of the attorney lasted for at least a
year afterwards.. But in this case he thought sufficient
had not been shown to release the Marshal from his tespon-
sibility. The whole statement amounted te this, that the
attorney for the plaintiff had authoi z .d the release without
stating that the attorney had his client's authority for so
doing. It appeared upon this pica that it was the act of
the attorney alone, and this was no defence to the action.
the Marshal had been deceived, it was an unfortunate
thing for im ; but this pica was really no defence to the
action. It had been argued that the Marshal would have
been subject to an action for false imprisoitment, if he had
detained this prisoner ; but he thought that if, under such
circumstances, the Marshal had been sued, and it had been
shown on the trial that the original plaintiff himself had
not authorized the discharge of the prisonee, that then
such action must have failed.

The other Judges concurred.—Demurrer allowed.

MONEY and COMMERCIAL NEWS.

CITY, TWELVE O'CLOCK
LAVERPCOL COTTON .MARKET, MONDAY.—The Saki; of
this - day arc 6.000 bales; prices the same as Frday, and
steady.

Arrivals this morning—French mail ; also a mail from
Lisbon: by the Iberia, sailed from Malta, April 16, from
Gibraltar, April 23, Cadiz, 24th, Lisbon, 27th, Oporto,
28th, Vigo, 29th. No ship letters.
The accounts from Lisbon are uninteresting. . The
meeting of .the new Cortes does n:t take place until the
25:11 of,next month, and the strength of the Ministry can.
not be known until that period.
Same serious r:ffrays have taken place at Oporto, be-
tween the Government and Sep:embrist parties, but in
which no lives have been lost.

Th 3 French packet ship Ville de Lyons, of the Bth ult.,
from New York, is ariived in the roads of Havre.
Mr. Waghern has arrived in London, and report says he
comes with despatches from the Pasha of Egypt, and does
not bring any letters or intelligence from India.