The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-12-07 00:00:00

LAW INTELLIGENGT.

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COURT Or RING'S BENCH• DsC• 6.

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Sittings before Lard gi.s.attaeotoefast, tape; et
Special Jury, dl Westminster.
ouson v. atasairotto.
M s,i. Jes t.r., fur the Plaiutiff, regretted that he
was obliged to go into any detail of the amuse.
stances of the case. He bad to represent it, as not
merely is violent and outrageous violation, but a
total denielition'of property ; and ter this' he came
to ask damages. The Ptaisttiff was a Frettehman,
aud•ouriog the period which he spentin his native
country, possested a high repotatiou is hies art.
Though we Were at war with France, toonanst not
deity that tho b.tts were justly appreciated, and
higbiy patrosticed these. 'lite aid of which Mr
Dubuat was a professor, the art of painting, mai 1
*advent:ly regarded in France; and to have ettateesil
celebrity there, required peculiar powers. The
Plaintiti came over a few years since edit a paint-
ing of his, which bad been highly admired in,Paris.
Merit most find its say--rho painting was seen
liereosed purchased by a Gentleman of known
tastes. It was impossible to look round the Court
and not see the interest which the cause of the
Fine Arts excited this country. After a resi-
dence of some length here, the.Plaintilf formed an
' Exhibition in Amongother pietoks was
ewe froos the old Arabian tale of Beauty and the Beast.
When it was said, that this' was from Mr. Dubose',
paten, probably enough was said of its merits. It
was scarcely to be supposed that any one, should
have wished to destroy such a picture. It was, bor.!.
ever, destroyed, and by the Defendant, the adv.
Mr. Bertsford, a son of the Archbishop of TiEsi.
That Geutlarnan, on the 10th of June, came ‘to
,the Exhibition ; there was some delay among the
persons at the door about changing the money
• which he gave, and in amumeut alter there was a cry
that 64 the Gentleman was cutting the p ours to
pieces." The picture of Beauty and the Beast was
actually cut to pieces. It was nut easy to conceive
the motive which could have induced this Iteverend
Vandal to destroy such a work, unless he had
{nought with him some peculiar taste of the kind
from his own country. Mr. Beresfurd then turned
round, with the knife in his hand, upon the people
who were coming in, as if to strike any person
who ventured near him, lie continued his work of
destrnetion fur at least half an hour. TN: Plaintiff
said, if there was any thing wrong iir the picture, it.
,taught have been punished by the law. Constables_
were sent for to Marlborough.street, but before their
coming Mr. Beresford had gone away. The Plain-
tiff valued this picture at 1.000 .guineas. This
price might seem high, but the Jury knew the sums
• that wets often given for paintings. Is a late exhi.
bition, a water-colour drawing was -old-fur eight
hundred guineas. The Ju.y rr uW form their esti-
spate Win this. The Plettitiff claimed, not .only
for.the knee of his picture, but fer.ihe prolix of his
exhibition. While the Beauty and the Beast was
-shown, the peeks amounted to ten guineas a day,
laud Mr- August .might count on making a little
foetus. by It. When the picture was destroyed,
the, profits sunk to two pounds a day. The Jury
woeld cottd,dee all the circumstances. A foreigner
sucking the protoetioo of British laws fur violent
injury; a loss to the arts; asid, as the other aide,
a conduct. immutable to any man, bat peculiarly so
to the Defendant, whose functions should/.have
taught him other things. 64 Tanis; ne sidesiseddes.

tibia ital." •
Three person, of the names of Beaky, Hewit,
and Stanley, receivers at the door, or connected
with the Ealsibition, wee, called to prove the ex.
istence of the picture in its perfect state, and its
subsequent injury. Basky said that Mr. Elmsford,
when going into the room, passed bias like a flash
of lightoieg ; whereas the Prince of Wales and the
Royal Dukes very deliberately enquired their
felharres Sonnergt, evil:died by Mr. MAR.
Itytakei:Z•44 Was In the outer room when Mr. Be-
resferdwent in. Soon after be heard a cry of, " the
Goofteman is destroying the picture." ,He ran in,
end raw the Defendant with a knife in one hand,
and a stick in the other. The knife was held out
towards him; he thought he was piing to he mur.
dere!, and ran away ; first to the Palace, for the
body guard, and twat to the office for the con-
stables. Re teas away about an hour; when he
cane bark, the picture was lying in pieces on the
flour. Before lie went fur the constables the pic.
lure was merely thrown on the floor; when he re-
turned, it was all in pieces. ..
Gross-cxamined by the Armilatear.GE:itit AL.—
There was but little money tot at the exhibition in
the beginning, biit it .afterwartia tooreasel.
mess used to give any explanation tar_llio pictures
that was wanted. The nitrite Of Beauty and this
Beast was beautirul. rte sobbl..Mst telt Whether
there was. a likeness of Mr. Hope in •the Picture.
lie knew that Mrs. Irdpeankeilits in the Picture
iron net like Wei; -Crisis answer, which was ex.
titriell by the Attottrey.Oeseral, producer 't onsi.
derabie laughing iti eulrt.) Tite'poople'wbotivati
to the exhibition said, 11r. now. tilkiness irst'ex.
ociltrirt bat Mis.'llops'iruut goo; There. *is
portrait of 'Mrs. Holier aisles by the Plaintiff, for
which he was paid four handredtuiness. lie heard
that Mr. Hope had a roost balled the star-chausbert
trout the ceiling being painted with stars. That
town was representel in the picture. He did
lint think the beast was a horrid, hideous, of.
Pensive monster ; he thought it rather pretty, or,
at least, very good.natured. jtl was hairy like a
bear. tt had nu clothing hutitair. It might be hand.
sumer than a bier, for besot% host different kinds
of "beauties. Every one had his taste; but the
Beast in the Ocher./ was a set? gond-humoured
beast. It had long hanging ears. It was not so
pretty tt's tht.s, tamale figtire called the Beauty,—
There was a chest fell of jewels before Om Bees‘—
Me had hip pa! on the sheet, and vas offering the
jewels to Beauty. Site was n riper% her hands, and
its great distress, at being exposed to that Rost.—
All' this was but a Nursery Tale. It was the aubject
of'an Opera tailed Zee/re and Asir. pith not
know why 14111 t OuPerik dregs in her portrait was
put upon Beauty. Thought it rather an milled
kiwi, of dress. . Sant Mr. Hope but once in the
street. • 'book for subacriptions to a print fro*

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