The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-11-13 00:00:00

MR. AIKIN AND THE MAGISTRATES

We know not in what section of the municipal act it was
provided that the reputation of the bench was to be intrusted
to the safe keening of our town councils. The new member
for Castle-street, however, with that feelosophic acumen for
whi he is distineuished, quck (malt to
toebe practice, it it is not the law, of the land ; and frorn
henceforth, we presume, any individual who shall have the
hardihood to utter unpleasant truths respecting the conduct,
or impugning the dignity of our Russell magistracy, shall be
denounced at the council board, and be compelled to recant
or apologise at the footstool of- the worshipful head of that
august assembly.
If we can command the requisite gravity—for our sides
have been aching for two days past—we will endeavour to
detail the history of the first crusade of Mr. Aikin in defence
of magisterial purity ; and had we the pen of Cervantes, the
encounter of the Knight of La Mancha with the windmills
would be far outdone by the achievements recorded in our
HISTORY OF THE MODERN QUIXOTE,
MEWING HOW HE TILTED AGAINST A BUSHELL, AND WAS

UNHORSED

We are not, however, at present prepared to immortalize
Mr. Aikin, and shall therefore record merely the plain facts.
The heinous offence, for the perpetration of which the mem-
ber for Abercromby ward has been so nearly extinguished,
appears to be his charging some of the magistrates of Liver-
pool with having broken the laws which they were appointed
to defend, by aiding and abetting the illegal proceedings of
the Protector Society. It will be in the remembrance-of
our readers that, a few months ago, we published what, we
were informed, was a list of contributors to the Protector
fund, in which were included the names of a number of gen-
tlemen who possess a seat in the council and upon the ma-
gisterial bench. We stated at the time that our authority
was not one which we could warrant ; and if we had been
very far in error, we should most likely have been authori-
tatively required to withdraw our statement. We received
no contradiction. The general correctness of our statement
is up to this time unimpeached ; and Mr. Bushell had, we
maintain, a perfect right to conclude that it was unimpeach-
able, and to use it as an established document.
The allusion to it appeared, however, not to be very pa-
lateable, and on Tuesday, Mr. Aikin made his formidable
demonstration, and called upon Mr. Bushell to apologize
forthwith. Mr. Bushell gave his authority—read over one
by one the names of those magistrates who had been included
in our list of protectors, and called upon them to deny the
fact, and he would at once apologize. Not a word of denial
from a single magistrate ! The Mayor still hoped that Mr.
Bushell would apologize ; that gentleman refused to apolo-
gize to any but to those whom he had misrepresented, and he
looked round the council room for the expected denial—but
none came! The Mayor looked puzzled, some particular
members looked vexed, the member for Castle-street looked
silly, and the farce was ended by a good-natured friend mov-
ing the order of the day.
That this farce was, to use theatrical language, in the bills
of the day, cannot be denied ; and we are more surprised, on
that account, at the indiscretion which allowed its being
brought forward, unless for the purpose of enabling those
gentlemen, holding magisterial authority, an opportunity of
disclaiming connexion with an illegal association. It is evi-
dent now that our radical justices do not pride themselves
upon their alliance with the protectors. They may some of
them have received an intimation from head quarters, that to
contribute openly to such a society is not very decent ; and
it is obviously their opinion, as it is ours, that the soonet
they get rid of the imputation the better. For this purpose
our columns are open to them. We will gladly publish the
fact that neither Sir Joshua Walmsley, nor any other of his
colleagues on the bench, have contributed a farthing towards
the funds of the Protector Society ; and although these gen-
tlemen refused Mr. Bushell's invitation, we trust that, on
reflection, they will not refuse the opportunity which we now
offer them, of doing themselves justice in the eyes of their
fellow-townsmen.

To return, however, to the quixotic member for Castle-
street, we are beginning to fear that we cannot congratulate
the ward upon their acquisition. The constituency imagined,
no doubt, that in Mr. James Aikin they had caught a feelo-
sopher. We are afraid, however, that after all, their feeloso-
pher is riot a Solon, or even a Solari goose, but only a very
ordinary Scotch gander. Mr. Aikin had much better in fu-
ture confine himself to ordinary business matters, for we can
assure-him he is not calculated for leading parts.

TEE FINE ARTS.—One of the noblest pictures of the pre-
sent day is now on view at Mr. Lacey's' in Bold-street, and
we earnestly draw the attention of all those who love art, and
admire painting; to obtain a ticket and see it. To say they
will be pleased with it, is but to express coldly what their
sensations will be on examining it—they will be delighted.
The subject is the entrance of Prince Charles Edward into
Edinburgh, after the battle of Preston. We need not say
how the selection of an event of so stirring a nature for the
vanvas, will give it charms in the eye of every Scotchman ;
but, independent of that, let a man be from what country he
may, he cannot look upon Mr. Duncan's picture without pro-
nouncing it to be a masterpiece of art, either as a whole, or
in detail. Once, twice, or thrice will not suffice to satisfy
a spectator : we know that again and again will he wish to
look upon it, and every time will he discover a something not
previously observed. We cannot do better than quote the
following able description of it, which appeared in an Edin-
burgh paper, promising to revert again to the subject, merely
observing, en passant, that the picture is to be engraved, and
thus those who covet the painting, may have a " counterfeit
resemblance of it :—" A picture of a very high class, and
treated in a masterly manner. The composition and gene-
ral arrangement are excellent ; highly diversified, yet com-
plete as a whole ; filled with animation, yet graceful. The
happy introduction of portraits of well-known individuals,
gives it an interest which even its own merits, great as they
undoubtedly are, would hardly have secured for it. The por-
trait of Professor Wilson, in particular, is beyond question
the best portrait of that gentleman which has as yet been
painted. The colouring is, as was to be expected from Dun-
can, most admirable. In this picture there is the warmth of
sunshine, and the aerial transparency of nature,—brilliancy
without glare,—transparency without weakness,—harmony
without tameness. The horses are beautifully painted and
drawn, and the whole subject well treated and rich. It places
Duncan in a very high station in art, which, it is to be hoped,
he will long live to grace with similar ornaments. There
need, nay, there can be no doubt, that the engraving to be
published from it, will be a most successful one, and for its
good fortune it has our best wishes." •
On the 2d instant, a general assembly of the academicians
was held at the Royal Academy of Arts, in Trafalgar-square,
when Mr. C. Barry, Mr. R. Redgrave, and Mr. T. Webster,
were elected associates of that institution.