The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-09-14 00:00:00

icrous des cr

A heavy woman—a
on a cloud, with a box in her hand; and in a line with her
face, Mercury, who is lying on the same cloud, as it sig-

e most ba

in of naked

female

nailing to some one below has his feet turned up ! Littlecherubs, with wreaths, B:c., in their hands, hover above
the pair, and complete the picture. There are, of course,
some good bits of painting in the forty or fifty square feet
of canvas : but as a picture, historical, allegorical, or ima-
ginative, it is most unworthy of the painter.' In No. 140,
a Portrait of David Hodgson, by the same artist, we have
a very different picture,—an excellent likeness, full of
character, and very clever. But Mr. Patten ought now to
be convinced, by his many failures, of the wisdom of
sticking to the line in which he possesses undoubted
ability, and of abstaining from attempts, for success in
which he evidently does not possess the requisites.
In this room are some other large subjects of superior
merit, from amongst which will have to be selected the
prize picture. Amongst these is No. 57, " The Burial
of Charles 1.," by A. Johnston' whose picture in last
year's exhibition was considered as scarcely second in
merit to the successful one. Another (No. 77) is a large

—the finishing and

louring of which is Wonderful

although scarcely_ coming up to our viev

of a good
kee of the

pair
widow, upon the body of whose murdered husband the
ordeal is being tried, is one of the most perfect pieces of
painting we ever saw, and will bear any examination.
Most of the other figures and accessories are painted with
similar finish ; but, as we have already said, the picture
wants harmonizing to render it a perfect whole. Perhaps
it would be improved if the figures in the background
were less prominent, or mellowed down.
No. 148, " Quitting the Manse," is another large
picture by G. Harvey, and possesses some merit, which
however might have been displayed in less compass. In
fact the eihibition contains not a few ambitious efforts
to fill a large area of canvas, in which the artists would
more have studied their advancement by confining the
size of their works, and bestowing the necessary attention
to detail, colouring, &c.
We shall, next week, devote a column to a more parti-
cular notice of the exhibition ; and, probably, may take
first a glance at the pictures produced by our Liverpool
artists, of which we observe several. At present we can
only find space to enumerate a few of the names of the
exhibitors ; amongst whom are—A. Hunt, Miss Jane
Naswyth, A. W. Hunt, P. Westcott, W. G. Herdman
(the secretary), J. B. Pyne, R. C. Leslie, D. Roberts, R.A. ;
A. Carbould, E. H. Carbould (whose painting, 472—
"the Departure of St. Paul from the Shores of Great
Britain"—ought to attract the attention of every lover
of high art), F. Pickering, W. Linton, W. Strayer, C.
Fielding, Charliffe Nasmyth, Augustus Egg, H. J. Bod-
dington, E. V. Kippingale, T. Clater, A. Cooper, R.A. ;
F. R. Lee, R.A. ; W. Huggins, E. M. Ward, A.R.A.
(who has contributed a clever picture, No. 272—" the
South Sea Bubble ; a scene in Change-alley, in 1720"),
G. E. Herring, J. F. Herring, jun., F. H. Henshaw, W.
Havell, W. L. Windus, R. Ausdell, &c. Some of the
above have contributed largely ; and, although we observe
a few paintings, which may fairly be set down as very bad,
the average is much above mediocrity.

MORE EXTENSIVE FAILURES

(From yesterday's Times)

Much excitement was occasioned this morning by the
announcement of the failure of Gower, Nephews, and Co.
The liabilities on bills alone are alleged to amount to
£600,000, and it is considered probable that the total
commitments of the firm will be found to reach £BOO,OOO.
For two years past the position of the house has been from
time to time a subject of inquiry, and this in so many,
quarters as to lead irresistibly to the conclusion that no-
thing but the circumstance of one of the partners being a
Bank Director could have kept it in a degree of credit up
to this period sufficient to render possible the wide and
crushing consequences which mitst now be sustained.
The standing of Mr. A. L. Gower in the Bank direction
was such as to bring him very nearly in rotation for the
office of Deputy-Governor, and he was one of those passed
over, or by whom the office was declined, on the recent
occasion of the vacancy caused by the failure of Mr.
Robinson. In addition to the post of Bank Director, we
believe he also held that of Governor of the Mines Royal
Copper Company.
The immediate causes of the present suspension are said
to have consisted in the failure of Gemmell and Co., of
Glasgow, and of some of the other houses which have re-
cently been reported ; but it is apprehended that the real
difficulties of the firm will be found of much more distant
date, and that its liquidation will expose a long existing
state of unsoundness. Railway speculations—the source
whence the public are destined to find the solution to a
deplorable succession of misfortunes yet to come—have
operated, it is expected, in this instance to no small ex-
tent ; and although in some transactions, such as those
connected with the Dutch Rhenish, and Canadian Com-
panies, which do not occupy a very favourable place in the
recollection of the community, the partners in the firm are
understood to have made large profits by the peculiar
mode which was adopted of introducing the shares upon
the market, there is every reason to believe that on the
whole the losses sustained by them have been extensive.
Consequent upon the failure of Gower, Nephews, we
have that of Alison, Cumberlege, and Co., a smaller firm,
in the South American trade, with which they were con-
nected. About a month back Mr. Alison sailed for Val-
paraiso, and as Mr. Cumberlege is already resident there,
the junior partner, a Mr. Gower, is the only representa-
tive of the house now in London. The liabilities in this
case have not been stated.

THEFT.—At the Police-court, yesterday, a woman,
named Margaret Thompson, was committed for trial at
the sessions for stealing a pair of boots from a shop in
Cheapside. _ _

THEFT FROM A CHURCH.—Yesterday, at the Police-
court, a youth named John Broom was charged with
stealing two religious books from a pew in Trinity church.
He was seen to take them, and was given into custody. It
appeared that he had on a former occasion been imprisoned
for stealing books from St. Martin's church. The case
being clear, he was committed for trial at the sessions.
RAILWAY FRAUD.—On Saturday, a young man named
Ryan, was charged before Mr. Rushton, with having com-
mitted a fraud upon the London and Northwestern Rail-
way Company, by representing that he had paid his fare
from Birmingham, when he had not. The case was
made good ; and as the prisoner had no goods upon which
distraint could be made, he was committed to gaol.
ASSAULT ON A LADY.—On Saturday, at the police-
court, William Dowling, a watchmaker, was fined £5, and
costs, for an unprovoked assault upon Mrs. Jerrold, mo-
ther of Mr. Douglas Jerrold, and mother-in-law. of Mr.
W. J. Hammond, the comedian. Mr. Hammond was
returning home from the theatre yesterday evening week,
when the assault took place in Commutation-row. The
fine not being paid the defendant was taken into custody.

ACCIDENT TO THE NAUTILUS STEAM SHlP.—Tfie
Nautilus, auxiliary screw steamer, Captain Brown, which
sailed from Alexandria, on the 24th ult., for this port,
returned on the following evening, the cargo, consisting
of 250 bales of cotton, and 650 quarters of wheat, having
taken fire. The damage is considerable, the after part of
the ship, including the cabin, being completely gutted,
and it will require at least a month to repair the vessel,
and refit her for sea. The origin of the fire, which broke
out full 50 feet fram the engine-room, is unknown. Her
masts, yards, bulwarks, decks, and rigging are nearly de-
stroyed.

PROSTITUTE ROBBERlES.—Yesterday, at the Police-
court, Charlotte Gregory was charged by Frank Rooney
with robbing him of eleven sovereigns in a house of .ill-
fame, where he had been for some hours. His clothes,
which he placed for safety under his head, had been ab-
stracted, but though the prisoner was detained, there was
no proof that she was the actual thief, and she was conse-
quently discharged. Another prisoner was charged in a
similar way with stealing a watch. Mr. Rushton said it
was impossible for the magistrates to do anything, at the
cost of the borough, for foolish men who went into such
places with valuable property about them, and this pri-

senor was also discharged

THE HARVEST.—The weather, since our last publica-
tion, has been very favourable for the conclusion of the
Harvest operations in this quarter. We regret to say
that the late Potatoes in this district are daily becoming
more affected by the disease, but in other quarters the
crop is fair. The turnips in Lancashire and Cheshire are
generally fine, being fed by the late rains.. In the- South
of England this crop and others have suffered much from
the drought, which has parched up dome of the grasses.
A turnip was grown by Mr. H. Littledale, at Liscard,
last week, measuring thirty-three inches in circumference.
Taking the whole country at large the crops may be said
to be a full avertge, especially of grain. The after-grasses

ly most promising.
CHARGE OF STEALING MONEY.—At the police-court,
on Saturday, an Irishman, named Jim Gilligan, charged
one of his own countrymen, Jack Shawn, with stealing
from him six sovereigns. It appeared that the complainant
and prisoner slept in the same bed, but before turning in
the former secured, as he thought, his money, by sewing
it up in the tail of his shirt, and thus keeping it near his
skin. In the night he missed his cash, and saw the prisoner
standing on the floor. The tail was cut from the com-
plainant's shirt, and the prisoner made off, the owner
running after him, nearly naked, in the street and had him
secured by a policeman who was at hand. None of the
money was, however, found. The details, as given by the
complainant in the Irish vernacular, were highly amusing.
The prisoner was remanded until yesterday, when no fur-
ther evidenee being procured, lie was, of necessity, dis.
charged,

here are genera'