The Statesman.
London, England, 1822-02-20 00:00:00

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emend ea the most promises; picture la lestlzlitbl.
Dank of firsterAmby 0. Jews.. 1 will
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the plane itself. "h is tee larp." ear tegeipas-
has se postal effect," says another; "it lea
piece of "keriuff." says a third. " bat too mesh is
detail to have any effect; it waste settler and sksh-.
log," observed a fourth; " it is too nom; it woos
repose," in the opinion of sigh; "it ism mere map
of the battle. enlivened by figures," obvert". sixth.
There is truly' some reason in this last remark; for
what else should it be?. Bat. Sir, this picture it seems,
like the stains of the secient sculptor, Potpies's.
should have had a deebk Polyclatas ; de net the criti-
cisms before head, and nude two settees; tiet ass
after his own conceptions, the other altered according
to the individual criticisms of the judges of the day i
and when finished be exhibited them both. .'Bin was
admired, the ether was hissed, yet, as be observed to
Geese, it was their owe. As to the pictaroftiouestion,
it has faults, and what picture has not ? But the
halts are neither glaring nor elementary. The
painter had to produce a picture from a subject not
formed Is the imagination for a pictorial effect, bat
on fact, sad charged to become an historical record of
a greet national achievement; besides be was assisted
to a particular form of ground, and what wM shim
particular colours, and these principally blue sated,
" two fierce extremes." How he has overcome all
dun difficulties inhereat in his subject, let candour
and real judgment answer. Let the most matinees
paiateri of our school acknowledge what they all feel,
that he has produced, not a splendid as our grids
imagines, but a deep-towed and sober-eoloured picture,
with a powerful effect, arranged with astonishing
skill (in despite of the ruggedness of the materials,
in broad masses). and abounding with poetical fire,
excellent drawing and masterly handling. It is true
that the effect might have been more simple and im-
pressive, bad the doable action of the general battle.
and the 'reaping is the (ore ground not been cow
blued. bit then it would not have Mee an historical
record. and its osly interest would have been an an.
lees display of skill is showing the world bow Beg-
lisbusen cat sad slashed their enemy. We simeld
have had a life guardsman here slicing (oar saves
siert at a stroke, and there a miserable Preach
Lancer, in vain imploring mercy from an English
Hussar. Bat these things do not happen to battles, net-
time should they appear in the representations of them.
Sir Joshua Reynolds says, " the first aim of a painter
should be to please," and eceues of blood, and wounds,
and fury, do net please. Why then should troth be
suriiced to produce a painful effect? With better
taste, and finer feeling, Mr. Jones has told his story ;
the attitude. the place, the large group., and the
priicipal light, all containe to point oat the Hero of
the piece, calmly directing the great motement which
is tilde( place about him. while the British Army, If
we may be allowed shy simile, lent fanned
'rings, driving the confused toot of Freights.° before
him, as birds before the mighty King of the air. He
also le ,be connecting link benne that action and the
grouping is front. So mach for what may be termed
the grand prtion of the picture. Then, with what
delicacy of feeling is the mournful part told by the
broken gun, the melancholy prisoners, and the few
dead bodies in front, and the friendly Maces performed
by General Alava and Captain Wright to Lord Fitzroy
Somerset and Colonel Delaney i at the same time die.
closing with the nicest touches the minor occurrences,
by that beautifal passage where a horse is drinking at
one of the pools, which mark the wetness of the wea-
ther before the battle. A strong poetic feeling is dis-
played in the wild form and sulphareons appearance
of the atmosphere, mid the gleam of sunshine upon La
Belle Alliance, with the dark cloud rolling heavily off
beyond the Prussians. These are the nice discrimi-
nation of a man of real genius and fine taste, and will
be felt as suck by all who know bow to value their
qualities. If we only look for defects it is easy to
find them in all human productions. If we look for
merits there are emoogh to be found in this picture to
satisfy a sound critic, that the English school of
painting may bops to rival the proudest school of an-
tiquity. ANTI ZOILUS.
Sion writing the above I have beard that the Di-
rectors of the Institution have awarded to Mr. Jones
their first Prise of 200 Guineas; their second, of 1511
being given to Mr. Edward Landseer, for his splendid
picture of the Larder imitated.

A correspondent notices the neglected condition of
the house of Weston, near Olney, so long occupied by
the poet Cowper, and where be penned so much of
hls elegant poetry, sad wrote so many of his ad-
mired letters. The house, we are informed, was
very lately, and, we believe, still is occupied by pau-
pers, the garden which this Poet delighted to cultivate
and adorn is ruined, and the bast of Homer placed ,
there by him removed.
A petition, signed by upwards of 150 respectable
householders. having been presented to the Magistrates
of the town of Hertford. complaining of the bad qua-
lity of the beer vended by most of the publicans in
that town, the Mayor called a meeting of the Alder-
men on Wednesday last, to take the matter into consi-
deration, when samples of beer from I public
houses were produced, which fully sustained the
prayer of the petition. After a great deal of conversa-
tion between the corporate body and some of the peti-
tioners, the Meyer declared and wished it to be under-
stood by all the publicans in the town, that if they
were not in future supplied by their landlords, the
brewers, with good wholesome bier, according to the
present price of malt and hops, such as their customers
approved of, they (the Magistrates) would grant the
Innkeepers' licenses to free houses i* any part of the
town where they could get the same.

CHESTER SPRIDIG CIRCUIT, 1822.
CIIAILIS WARREN. EN. sod SAMIIII. HASSIIIALLi Ser-
pa:a at Law.
Montgomeryshire—Katurday. Hatch 23, at Pool.
Deabiorhsbire—Friday, Hardt 29, at Rathia.
Irlintslalre—Tbareday, April 4, at Mold.
Cheshire—Welseatlar, April IU, at the Cults of Chester.

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