The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-05-10 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD, TUESDAY,

lawyers, with whom it is pleasant to sit on the " lee side
of a bowl of punch" when business is over. Mrs.
PEARSON is one of the most accomplished women of the
day ; her portraits frequently adorn the walls of the Royal
Academy and other exhibitions at this season of the year ;
they are faithful in the extreme—glowing with vitality—
but thin. Women should paint nothing but the poppy,
the daisy, violet blue, the pansey, the yellow cowslip,—
queen of flowers the rose, white and red—
" Look on these flowers as o'er an altar shedding
O'er Milton's page soft light from coloured urns
They are the links man's heart to nature wedding
When to her breast the prodigal returns."
ARISTOPHANES, if I recollect aright, says something
about " speaking roses." Women should paint nothing
else. _ _ .

Gossiping thus about the city solicitor, let me attempt
to describe a scene in Guildhall the other day, the chief
actor in which was the City Solon, Sir PETER LAURIE,
your almost townsman, knight, and alderman. Sir PETER
is a Scot, characterised by what is sometimes called the
" beggarly virtue" of his country—prudence—and a
national excess of vanity, which has induced several viru-
lently disposed men to write PETER LAURIE down, one
of those animals which GAINSBOROUGH so naturally
painted. Sir PETER'S irrepressible desire for talk is the
cause of all this ; he got a rap on the knuckles about the
silly propensity, some years ago, from The Times, and he
has been tolerably quiet ever since. Sir PETER was
taught the art and mystery of a saddler in your good town;
he was a sorry hand at " stuffing saddles,"—so his fellow-
apprentice, afterwards of some histrionic note in certain
metropolitan theatres, told me ; this artist taught PETER
to " stuff" saddles—it would appear a nice job. PETER,
by that and other lessons, learned afterwards how to stuff
a purse as long as a saddle-bag. Certain young men of
Liverpool—good workmen, as I know there are
many such tip-toppers in your town—essayed Richard
the Third, after the fashion of amateurs ; it was rather
hazardous. I have been cast for Frederick, in " Lover's
vows," but I frankly confess I should shrink from
Richard. However, the Liverpool lads did the play, and
PETER LAURIE—" Oh, my prophetic soul !"—was cast
for The Lord Mayor. PETER came to London, and one
day, dispensing justice at the Mansion House, with the
sacred symbol round his neck, indicating that he was in-
deed a 'Lord Mayor, his old fellow-apprentice called to
see him ; he, too, was a Scot, and, in brief, I will give
you the interview, as near as I can, in Scotch. (Sir
PETER on the judicial bench ;—enter his quondam fellow-
apprentice slightly in amaze—they eye each other.) Visi-
tor loquilur," Hoo's a' wi' ye, Sir Peter ?" (no time for
answer) " wha wad bee thocht, when ye played the Lord
Mayor, in Liverpool, in jest, ye wad live to be a real
Lord Mayor; eh ! Sir Peter ?" This was indiscreet. Sir
PETER knit his magisterial brows, and as much as told his
old, kind, hard-working, clever fellow-apprentice, "not
to make a fool of himself talking that way." I have
met Sir PETER many times since, " merry and wise,"
over city cup ; and though 1 was so far gone in the" feast
of reason" as to think that the Knight was uttering
twaddle, and that Goo and MAGOG were making faces
and winking at one or other, or both of us, I never
" drained" heartily with him after the cold reception of
his fellow-apprentice. The scene in the Guildhall justice
room the other day, with which I set out, was supremely
ridiculous. Sir FITZROY KELLY, a soft-hearted Con-
servative, but great lawyer, gave five or six hundred
pounds a few weeks ago in aid of a soup-shop for city
vagrants. I always considered these soup places bad con-
trivances ; we pay Poor-rates, and, after all, overseer and
churchwarden do their unpleasant work discreetly.
CHARLES COCHRANE, a Creole, who was as near as a
" toucher" M.P. for Westminster not long ago, was at
the head of the City broth shop ; they got hold of SOYER
to look after the kettles, and see that the peas were turned
out " thick and slab," and not like little bullets, as they
had been elsewhere. Thousands of LAZARUSES were
attracted to the soup place. SOYER sent out soup with a
flavour you might have smelt at the top of the chimney.
Sir PETER LAURIE did not like the game, and was
determined " to put it down ;" he blew up COCHRANE in
his absence; said the soup kitchen was all smoke; he
(Sir PETER) never lent his name to humbug concerns—
bubble companies ; in short, he gave the public to under-
stand thet he was too clever to he done, Meantime, the
soup establishment, with Sir FITZROY KELLY'S name
and purse at its head, got into difficulty ; an assault was
committed—the assaulted withdrew from prosecution,
the respectable parties not liking it. Sir FITZROY looks
rather bilious over the concern ; itwas too bad to pay £5OO,
and get laughed at into the bargain by a City Knight.
We shall surely become, in time, a polished nation, udg-
ing from the recent fine-art proceedings. I can do no
more than glance in gossipry at the chief of them ; were I
to dilate, your space and the patience of your readers
might be endangered. Picture sales at this season are
always attractive ; those by two or three west-end
auctioneers are exceedingly interesting, because every bit
they sell is unquestionably by a master, either ancient or
modern. Of the latter the beautiful collection of water
colour drawings, by our greatest artist, belonging to Mr.
BERNAL, realised a little fortune, the whole of the works
fetching far more than their purchase-money. Mr.
BERNAL is a true fine-art man, long the chairman of the
committees of the House of Commons—though that
office has not much to do with the fine arts—he gave great
satisfaction to members on both sides of the house. He I
was looked upon as a father by the poorer inhabitants of
Rochester, which he represented in Parliament, but the
constituency treated him scurvily in the end. He is the
pa of BERNAL OSBORNE, M.P. for Middlesex. The
name is Bernalis, I believe of Portuguese Jew extraction.
The Royal Academy dinner on Saturday week—in the midst
of the pictures—was a great event. It was probably the ,
grandest on record, since the drowsy days of BENJAMIN
WEST, though no painter, first president, and patronised
to no limit by good KING GEORGE 111., simply because
WEST'S chief works were of a sacred character. Some
great men were absent from the banquet,—PEEL and
WELLINGTON for example. Prince ALBERT ;lad gone off
with the QUEEN—she is pale, hut well—and the children
to Os'ecrne-house four or five hours before. The chief
pictures are those by Sir EDWIN LANDSEER, " Night"
and "Morning" (stags fighting), and DAVID ROBERTS'
Venetian Views, worthy of CANALETTI'S renown. DAVIE
ROBERTS is a wonderful creature ; his works are all
prized ; he has been over most parts of Europe—where
churches and cathedrals do most abound ;—into Egypt
also ; always on the move in the travelling part of the
year, and working hard when he comes home again.
DAVIE is now a Royal Academician and a " prosperous
gentleman ;" he was a little Scotch boy, painting sign-
boards for his master, a housepainter, of the name of
IRVINE, in Perth ; I believe the Rev. JOHN BURNETT, of 1
Camberwell, laid on the first or coarsest coats of paint to I
the same master, at the same period. Glorious country
is this same England, where the " divine right" of
genius commands supreme ! Esto perpetua I I dis-
tinguished but few of the Academy people at the Opera
in the latter part of the evening, as was wont to be the
way ; probably because there was no ballet. Painters
and sculptors care more for classical grouping than for
fine singing. At the close I found myself sipping watered
Genera with an R.A., who had doffed his dinner finery,
and donned honestgrayTweed. On the same day there was
a private view (if a mob of several hundreds be private)
of the exhibition of Drawings and Sketches, by amateur
artists ; very interesting. Not the least so are two views
in Rome, by Viscount MAIDSTONE. Another exhibition
which opened on Saturday week, was that of modern
German artists. There is no trifling apparent in any of
these works ; they are peculiar in treatment ; and as it
was a long time before I could eat sour kraut, with any-
thing like gout, or hear German music, with improve-
ment or pleasure, so I fancy it will be with their pictures.
Our own artists' works, if above mediocrity, please at
once,—the Italians have only to be looked at a minute.
and their sunshine captivate
s ; in a twinkling you are in
love, over head and ears,—if, indeed, the latter are not
those of that great ass, MIDAS. The pictures of the
French school take the eye by storm. Look at DELA.
ROCIIE ! But your heavy, great-headed, great-hearted
German demands thought ; because in him thought and
learning, like the rod of the Priest of Antiquity, swallow
up—sham.
Our principal English theatres are doing, I am afraid,
poor business. To be sure, there is a a never-failing lull
before holidays ; and, though those of Whitsuntide are
but brief, the same effect is felt. The small theatres,
with exceedingly pauperised prices, are filling. Mr.
JAMES ANDERSON. "eminent tragedian, and late lessee
of Drury-lane," as he is rather cruelly styled in the bills
of the City of London Theatre, once a Grub-street Chapel,
where I have seen the great EDMUND KEAN play, is
drawing good houses ; and JAMES appears daily in the
fashionable world,—say Rotten-row,—either in ninety
guinea cab, ditto cab•horse, with white-gloved tiger ; or,
in bad weather,—" too much water, Ophelia,"—in close
brougham, looking nobly, though obese. JAMES
ANDERSON,—he always insists on the preenomen, to
contra-distinguish himself from JOE ANDERSON, not the
carlie with the "frosty pow,"—made as good as £15,000
in America not long ago ; and, in an evil hour, well-inten-
tioned, but misguided man, thought he could achieve
two things impossible—make a fortune at Drury-lane, and
foster the legitimate drama! In one short season JAMES
lost £ll,OOO. WILLIAM FARREN, at the Olympic, a man
who has drawn in theatrical salary upwards of half a mil-
lion sterling, is doing little good. Young TALFOURD'S
travestie of Macbeth makes even worshippers of the bard
of Avon laugh at the moment,—it is so preposterous
and daringly impudent, but it makes the " judicious
grieve" afterwards. Judge TALFOURD ought to have told
his boy—he lives at home, and I believe is not yet of age—
not to " touch the ark." The actor who plays " Mac-
beth" is really a prodigy. After all, it was a " sorry
sight." CHARLES MATTHEWS and his rib VESTRIS are
doing indifferently well. One of the BROUGHS has pro-
duced a smart adaptation from the French, which suits
that versatile creature MArriiews, who makes the most
of it. Madame, notwithstanding reports to the contrary,
still looks well. I often wonder how the couple can con-
tinue in good health ; they never walk, or breathe anything
like fresh air. At the Royal Italian Opera GRIST and
MARIO are triumphant—the latter as merry and musical
as ever. The management say they do not raise the curtain
under £5OO a night ! ! I

THE Docx COMMITTEE'S contract for hats has been
taken by Mr. Henry Gibson, of Lord-street, not Mr.
Thomas Gibson, as stated in a contemporary.
THE SPINNERS' ASSOCIATION, at Blackburn, have
resolved to advance the wages of their spinners and self-
acting winders five per cent.
A PORTER IN THE ALBERT DOCK, named John Clucas,
48 years of age, residing at Summerset, was found dead
in bed on Sunday morning. He was apparently a very
healthy man, and had regularly attended his work up to
Saturday night last.
COMING LAUNCHES AT LIVERPOOL.—The launching
of the Charity and Argentine from A.lr. John Laird's
building-yard, at the Dingle, has been postponed to the
21st or 24th instant. It is expected that the Manx boat
will be launched from the yard at Birkenhead at the same
time.
THE ELECTION COMMITTEES.—AnOthCr batch of Eelc-
Lion Committees came out on Saturday. The following
committees are to be fixed :—Monday, May 23rd, Clare
h
County), Liverpool, Sligo, Sligo (County). Tuesday,
May 24th, Bury St. Edmonds, Peterboroug , Durham,
Tuesday, May 31st, Blackburn and Lancaster.
ILLEGALLY PAWNING.—Andrew -Winder, a journey-
man watchmaker, was charged by Mr. Samuel, watch-
maker, in Whitechapel, with having illegally pawned a
watch which the prosecutor had entrusted to him to re-
pair. The prisoner was ordered to re-fund the money
which he had obtained upon the watch, amounting to
seventeen shillings and sixpence, and pay a fine of 292, ;
or, in default, be committed for s 4 weeks.