The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-10 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, JANUARY 10, 1861.

BRITISH POSSESSIONS.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.-(THIS DAY.)

LIT.ERAT ÜBE.

COURT OF BANKRUPTCY.
(Before Mr. Commissioner Hoiroyd.)

British Artists from .Hogarth to lumen By
Walter Thornbury, author of "Art and Nature,"
"Life in Spain," &c. 2 vols. Hurst and
Blackett.
This collection of Mr. Thornbury's delightful
artistic sketches will be gladly welcomed by the
public. Although we have outlived the era when
it was considered good taste to depreciate the genius
of our countrymen, we still know too little about
their individual 'careers. The general reader may be
aware that.Glainsborough and Wilson were great in
landscape, that Law-cence was a famous portrait
painter, and Barry coloured the walls of the new
Society of Arts; but of the story of their lives, the
fluctuations of fame and fortune, the capricious
patronage, the professional jealousy which helped
or hindered them, of these we know nothing. Mr.
Thornbury, with his love and knowledge of Art,
and his stores of antiquarian information, is espe-
cially qualified for the task of supplying this defi-
ciency, and he has arranged his materials with
appropriate artistic effect. He takes us from the
fresh Suffolk fields, where "our first English
painter of English landscape" played truant from
school to draw a cluster of dock-leaves, to the
squalid attic in Tottenham-court-road, where an-
other landscape painter, poor Wilson, dragged out
miserable years. From the luxurious and " rose-leaf
world" abode of the courtly Sir Thomas he trans-
ports gas to the dingy house where miserly old
Nollekens ends his days, raving if two candles are
lit E instead of one. Beside the records of
prosperous lives, widespread reputations, and
youthful aspirations crowned with the laurels of
success, he shows us the reverse of the pic-
ture—talent mistaking itself for genius, genius
obstinately opposing itself to the spirit of its age ;
respectable mediocrity, welcomed by courtiers and
connoisseurs, while ability of the highest order
struggles neglected in garrets. All these varying
and often quoted scenes of the great melodrama
does he give us, not without drawing sometimes a
moral for the painter as well as for the critic. "In-
evitable misery," says our moralist, " must follow
when genius despises common sense. If genius
will sell shoes when people want hats, genius must
starve—and deserves it too for being a sheer fool.
If genius will paint monster frescoes when people
have no walls for them, and no money to pay for
them, genius must, nathless, go wear pepper-and-
salt at the Union." Yet Mr. Thornbury informs us
that these biographical sketches are only to be
regarded as the precursors of a more ambitious
work, to be styled "A History of English Art from
Hogarth, its founder, to Turner its perfecter," in
which not alone the trials and triumphs of the
individual painter will be described, but the tardy
rise and gradual development of the National
School of Art. But in waiting for these more elabo-
rate volumes, the reading public may gather
much incidental information from these photo-
graphs of many and various lives and deaths, as
well as from Mr. Thornbury's own critical com-
mentaries at the conclusion. As the best sample
of the work we subjoin a few of his life-like
sketches—

IN RE STREITEJELD, MORTIMORE, AND C0..--THE GREAT

LEATHER CASE.
This case was resumed to-day to a still thin audience.
The various legal gentlemen appeared for their several
clients, and

Mr. Bright well (manager of the London Discount Com-
pany) was the first witness called. He said that he had
been induced to advance a person named Draper a sum of
£5,000 upon the representations of one of the bankrupts.

Mr. Laurence was then re-called, and his examination
was proceeding when the report left.

POLICE I.2VIELLIGENCE—(This Day),

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

JEALOUSY AND ASSAULT.—Mr. Charles Cattle, 17,
Norfolk-street, Middlesex Hospital, a canvasser, was
charged with assaulting Mr. John Porter, merchant, 15,
Nassau- street.

Mr. Edward Lewis, of Great Marlborough-street, who
appeared for the complainant, said the defendant was charged
with a violent and unprovoked assault en the complainant,
arising out of a feeling of jealousy for a lady the complainant
was living with, and as the complainant had before been
assaalted he (Mr. Lewis) must ask his worship to order the
defendant to find sureties.

Mr. Porter said he resided at 15, Nassau• street, with a
lady, and knew the defendant, who had assaulted him
before. He was at home the previous day about five o'clock,
and seeing the defendant coming across the street, and
knowing his violent conduct he locked the door of his apart-
ment. Shortly after he heard a loud knock at his door,
but not opening it, and having seized upon a poker for his
own defence, it was burst open by the defendant, who then
rushed into the room. The defendant then seized the poker,
burnt his hand, tore his coat, and struck him. He managed
to escape, and gave defendant into custody. He believed
the defendant had formed a kind of attachment for a female
he (complainant) lived with, and which had aroused his
jealousy.

Defendant said he met the lady on the previous day, hav-
ing known her for years, and she asked him to go to her
lodgings, as she wanted to see him, as did also Mr. Porter,
to have some explanation; and he went there, and on the
door being opened he saw the complainant with the poker
or something shining in his hand. Ho believed the place
belonged to the lady, and not to the complainant.
Horsemore, C division, said on entering the place he
found the defendant sitting by the fire with the poker in
his hand.

The lady was in court, and frequently interrupted the
proceedings.

Mr. Tyrwhitt said he should order the defendant to find
one housekeeper in the sum of £5 to be surety for him.

THAMES.

EMBEZZLEMENT BY A COMMERCIAL TRAVELLER.—
Henry Rushbrook, a man of respectable appearance and
address, was brought before Mr. Yardley, charged with
feloniously embezzling various sums of money, amounting
in the aggregate to about £3O, he had received for and on
account of his employer, Mr. Ward, a drysalter, at West
Bromwich.

Mr. Beard, solicitor, stated the case for the prosecution.
The prisoner entered the service of Mr. Ward, as traveller,
in August last, at a salary of three guineas per week, and
his duty was to obtain orders for goods, but not to receive
any moneys whatever. The prisoner, however, in spite of
the agreement, had received cash in payment of goods from
many of Mr. Ward's customers, and had appropriated the
same to his own use. The prisoner had only been recently
taken into custody, and the prosecutor was telegraphed for
last night and had just arrived in London. He should not
therefore be able to complete the case to-day, and after
offering some evidence asked for a remand. Mr. Beard
then put in some documentary evidence affecting the pri-
soner, and called

Mr. Ward, who, in answer to questions by his solicitor,
said he had not received Bs. 6d. of Mr. Partridge, of High-
street, Poplar ; £1 15s. of Mr. Headsworth, Victoria-dock-
road, Plaistow, Essex; £5 16s, of Mr. Messent, Bromley;
and £5 of Mr. Johnson, Stratford. The prisoner had not
accounted to him in any way for those sums.
In answer to questions by Mr. Yardley, the prosecutor
said the prisoner had received his salary of three guineas
per week regularly through Mr. George Barton, of 44,
Fore-street, Cripplegate, his town agent and manager.
Mr. Barton said the prisoner had not paid to him any of
the sums mentioned in Mr. Ward's evidence, and that
the receipts for them now produced were in Rushbrook's
handwriting. The witness then mentioned other sums whioh
the prisoner had received at the West-end and had not ac-
counted for it. The prisoner said he had received the
money named by Mr. Beard of three customers, Hinds-
worth, Messent, and Partridge, and had lost it. The pri-
soner also said if you do not mention it to Mr. Ward I will
make it up. He had no idea of any deficiency until he
waited on the customers. He had not yet waited on all the
customers.

Mr. Dobson, also in the employ of Mr. Ward, said the
prisoner had recently received £5 of a customer named
Johnson, which he has not accounted for.
Mr. Yardley.—ls that one of the three sums which the
prisoner said he had lost.
Mr. Barton.—No, it is not, sir.

Other cases were about to be gone into, but on Mr.
Beard stating that the necessary witnesses to complete
them were not in attendance, and had not yet been sum-
moned, the prisoner was remanded until to-morrow.