The Press. — London, England, 1854-09-16 00:00:00

PinuopicAL LITERATURE. THE Irish Quarterly for September contains, among other subjects, a vast amount of statistical informa tion upon prisons, prison discipline, and reformatory schools. The solitary and silent systems have failed, and a higher object than the mere punish ment of the prisoner for the violation of the law ought to be held in view; but, in the attainment of that object, the reformation of the felon, we must not en tirely overlook the due intlicticn of the penalty awarded to the offence. This is exactly the point that the pure reformatists always appear to ignore. We read here that " the prisoner ought to be provided with everything ne cessary for comfort, cleanliness, and health during the day, and for repose during the night ; with sufficient food of wholesome quality, he is to be allowed fresh air and exer cise whenever he requires them, and any mental discom fort that he may suffer from is to be immediately alleviated by the governor or chaplain of the gaol." Really, under such circumstances, a prison would be a remarkably comfortable residence during a severe winter, when provisions are dear and coals rising; and at any time a desirable place for an indolent man, without friends to feel ashamed of his position. We must protest against such principles as these. No doubt the reformation of the prisoner is one great object to be obtained, but we cannot see how that point is to be gained by "alleviating his discomforts," and excluding punishment for indulgence. We are rather of opinion, and here we have the great autho rity of Mr. Recorder Hill, that criminals, when con demned to prison, ought at once to take leave of every indulgence, and "no quarter ought to be given to " their prevailing vice—indolence." Instead of having every comfort given to them the moment they come into prison, they ought to be subjected to the most rigorous fare and accommodation, consistent with decency and support of life, and they should be daily employed upon a task which would stimulate exer tion, in the hope that by good conduct they might acquire indulgences, which at any time they should be liable to lose by bad behaviour. "To effect the " moral cure of a prisoner, the application," says Mr. Recorder Hill, " of any amount of pain, absolutely " necessary to the object in view, ought not to be " neglected." The article upon reformatory schools opens one of the great social questions of the day. The bill which passed last session for the. Better Care and Reformation of Youthful Offenders" isun doubtedly a step in the right direction, although the main benefit desired by the philanthropic projectors of the bill has been comparatively neutralised by clause 11, which directs that the child, when con• victed of any crime, is first to undergo the punish ment awarded to the offence, and than to be sent to the reformatory school. Surely the very object of the establishment, of a reformatory school is to abo lish the picking-oakum and weekly-whipping system. And it is difficult to discern the advantage obtained in sending a child to the preparatory penitentiary for a few months, and then handing him over to the milder and more humane influence of the reforma tory school. If we are to have these latter institu tions, we shall not want gaols, at least for children; and it is in this respect that we hope to save the vast annual expense of juvenile crime, to get rid of com mittals and recommittals, prosecutions and cost of maintenance, and half the paraphernalia of gaols and gaolers, penitentiaries and houses of correction, with their moral advantages of oakum-picking and gypsum pounding. We believe that a child, even when criminal, should yet be treated as a child, and should be sent direct to the reformatory school, instead of being subjected to the hardening, if not vicious, in fluence of a gaol. Surely the worse use one can put a child to is to send him to gaol. We trust that this obnoxious part of clause 11 will be repealed, inclu ding, as it does, a point so directly opposed to the principles of reformatory schools. We are, neverthe less, glad to see that the necessity of "parental re sponsibility" is now recognised by the Government, and that henceforth all parents of convicted children will be compelled, if proved able to do so, to defray the cost of the child's maintenance to an amount not exceeding ss. weekly. A very interesting article upon " English Bongs and English Music" contains some curious information upon the real authorship of many of our old ballads and songs ; and there are other clever papers in the number. Matrimonial Shipwreel ; or, Mere Human Nature. By Annette Marie MaiPard. London : Routledge and Co. IT is not often that we meet a novel with so very dis mal a title as " Matrimonial Shipwrecks." Which of us would care to contemplate for amusement the vanishing of bright hopes and gradual breaking of generous hearts? When we take up a fiction, we like to be cheated out of the cold and formal realities of monotonous existence, and we do not care to be introduced to " mere human nature" as it ordinarily exists, uninspired by high designs or unadorned by noble qualities. Mrs. ?laniard aims stpainting"mer4' ~~...: ~;.:.~. THE PRESS. reality, and to a cbrtain extent she has succeeded. Her characters have a strong mechanical resemblance to human beings ; their talk, also, is very natural ; and many of the scenes described are photographs from the commonplaces of existence. But to copy is not to create, and characters cannot be vivified by merely cataloguing their qualities. Mrs. Maillard has sense, and some constructive skill, and she has a good theoretical knowledge of the world, but she wants that subtle insight into the complexities of the heart indispensable to a novelist who would rivet the attention. With increased practice as a novelist, her views have acquired more breadth and boldness. Her portraits are often elaborated with care. Here is a picture of an old maid, from the original of which we should certainly be disposed to recoil : " Reader! Have you ever met with a young woman who, despite her youth, bore that stamp upon her which involuntarily makes you feel that she was cut out for an old plaid in Natpre's studio of statuary ?—cut out in cold grey granite, rigid and heart-chilling to look-upon—whose 'clothes seem swathed round this chiselled block of stone like the bandages of an Egyptian mummy, out of which enfohling drop long, pale, Linn hands, with nails of scrupu lous exactness in length? Toes first are seen propelling forward this sad body without the slightest undulation of figure, it seems this same granite statue on a truck ; then uprises the long, meagre neck, crowned by the cold, unwel coming face, from which every passion and feeling fly, whether of love, sympathy, or kindliness ; the face is a frozen surface, from which they would glide into the cold waters of oblivion for evermore Such a being was Angelina : not a tinge of colour ever crossed her cheek, no one had ever seen her smile except in scorn or derision, and then the cold blue lips, shrunken end thin, parted, and the face made a wrinkled grimace ; the eyes were of a cold, unchanging greenish-grey; the hair, what colour could it be but white? There seemed no blood in that frame to colour it deeper; it was a cold, sickly flaxen, without the slightest gloss, and this hung in long, lank curls down either side of her cheek—she conceived it beneath the dignity of her great acquirements to study or care for appearance ; yet in this too there was conceit. She looked in her glass, and thought that her pale, studious countenance Faust win some kindred soul ; she fancied her statue-like appearance in accordance with her classical mind. Angelina never for an instant dreamed that any one could do other than admire, though they might dread and shun, her superiority!" The Village Millionaire. By Miss Lamont. London Hurst and Blackett. THE first work of this authoress gave indications of talent, and we expected that in her new attempt she would have displayed more skill than is exhibited in 0 The Village Millionaire." The composition is hur ried, and the story is awkwardly put together. The matter, also, is too conventional, and there is a want of freshness in the characters. Yet there are cle verly-written passages, in which Miss Lamont shows reflective power and skill in using knowledge ac quired from hooks. In the first volume we are in troduced to the young adventurer turning his back on his native village, as he proceeds to seek his for tune in the world. In order to produce new effects, the authoress attempts to paint Anglo-Indian life, and takes us to Calcutta and to campaigns in the East, wherein she soon shows that a feminine pen is not equal to scenes of strife and passion. Discus sions upon the right of the English to India are out of place in fiction, and the last hundred pages of "The Village Millionaire" are quite unlike the end of a novel. The talents of the authoress appear to be better suited for biography or essay writing than for works of invention. Church Furniture and Decoration. By the Rev. E. L. Cutts. London : John Crockford. THE reverend author displays great research and antiquarian knowledge in this manual of church furniture and decoration, and he arranges his mate rials with taste and discrimination. The book is at least a valuable compilation, and although the matter has already appeared in the pages of the Clerical Journal, yet in its present compact form it will no doubt be better appreciated by all admirers of mediiaval church antiquities. The volume is illustrated with numerous woodcuts and coloured plates. PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED. BOOKS. Pope's Yearly Journal of Trade, 18,54-15. Pope. Early Musings. Poems by A. Brewster. Hope and Co. Fern Leaves from Fanny's Portfolio. Second Series. Orr and Co. On the Right and Coat of Redeeming Property in Freehold Land Societies. J. H. James. Butterworths. The Volunteer Rifleman and the Rifle. J. Boucber. Hardwicke. Charles Dallaway. Mosley. Life and Landscapes from Egypt. B. Taylor. Sampson Low and Co. reuvilLrrs. speechas ort &Incalion in the Howe of Lords. Lord Brougham. Ridgway. Address to the Geographical Society. Earl 0( Ellesmere. Thf Syitoditwh 1 4 ;04. 1 1 2,0, and 4. Thompaou. IUSIC. DRURY LANE has reopened with Maritana. Mine. Rudersdorff, who pronounces English to perfection, took the part of the heroine. The rest of the com pany consists of creditable performers, whose aim is English opera, and may succeed in enlivening the public at this dull season. THE NORWICH FESTIVAL has been the great music a l attraction of the week. Benedict, to whom the management was committed, had engaged a company which, though wanting some of the stars of the first magnitude which graced former festivals, yet con tained Mme. Bosio—whose reputation has been greatly enhanced by her performance here--Mme. Weiss, and Miss Dolby, with Lablache, Sims Reeves, Belletti, and Gardoni. At Norwich there is not—as at the festivals of the three choirs—any great cathe dral service on these occasions, perhaps from the small size of the cathedral. The festival commenced on Tuesday morning with Rossini's Stabat Mater. The Creation and Beethoven's Mass in C were given on Wednesday morning, the Elijah on Thursday, and The Messiah—according to the received tradi tion—on Friday. The " miscellaneous concerts which enlivened the evenings afforded more novelties, as they had greater opportunities. The principal of these lien, in the second concert., on Wednesday evening —a romance from a comic opera of Mendels sohn; the spirited French air, "Ah quel plaisir d'être soldat ; " and a few of the less-renowned pieces of the modern Italian authors, selected with much judgment. Unfortunately, so many pieces were given, and so much trash amongst them, that this concert gave not half the pleasure as that of the previous evening, when Acis and Galatea and a few stock pieces were given, with much ability, it must be admitted. The old town was greatly animated, and the festival pronounced a success, but the attendance at some of the concerts was almost thin. The Elijah, as usual, drew a capital audience. A dress ball closed the proceedings last night. The Duke of Wellington was amongst the visitors. The Mayor very judiciously took the opportunity of laying the first stone of the free public library about to he erected, amidst the almost unanimous applause of the citizens. The building is not to be confined to the library, but to contain rooms for several literary and scientific purposes. ST. GEOROVS-HALL at Liverpool is to be opened next week with due solemnities, amongst which is to be prominent a series of musical performances. These will be mostly religious, after the fashion of the festivals. The Messiah, The Creation, and The Last Judgment will be given in succession. There has been P good demand for tickets. ST. COLUEB CHOIR.—In connection with a beauti ful church now building at Notting-bill, at the sole expense of the Rev. Dr. Walker, rector cf St. Columb Major, Cornwall, a college of choristers, of the above name, has been founded for the training of sixteen or twenty boys for the purpose of performing daily cathedral service. These boys are boarded, lodged, and educated gratuitously, and a large organ is pre paring at the manufactory of Gray and Davison, which will be divided and placed, partly in the northern and partly in the southern transepts, for the more effective accompaniment of the chanters. Dr. James Pecb, of New College, Oxford, is the organist and choir-master. THE THEATRE ROYAL. DUBLIN has been taken by Mr. Beale and opened for Italian opera with more than usual eclat. Cruvelli is the heroine, but the company is in other respects an excellent one. It embraces Mlles. Marai and Albini; Signors Tamber lik, Tagliafico, Fortini, Polonini, Luchesi, Santa, and Monterarisi; assisted by a numerous corps of female and male vocalists in the choruses and minor parts. The orchestra is large and effective. The hou.se , opened on Monday with Norma. It was completely occupied, and presented a cheering and brilliant spectacle. Some thought it a hazardous s p eculation on the part of Mr. Beale, as this is the dull season ; but the house on the opening, and the well filled box-sheets for the remainder of the engagement, prove that it will be a thoroughly - succe ssful o n e. Tt was the first appearance of Cruvelli in the city, where she has made an impression of the most favourable character. TEE DEATIi OF Mne. FizzwiLuAm has lessened the already small band of eminent theatrical artistes. She was taken ill on Saturday, but appeared, never theless, and played with her usual spirit. On Mon day she died. tier disease was a phase of the pre vailing epidemic. The following account of her career is given by a contemporary : " She was the daughter of Mr. Robert Copeland, manager of the Dover and other Kentish theatres, and was horn in 1802. At the early age of two years Miss FarIDY Copeland may be said to have commenced her theat rical life as one of the children in the play of 'The Stranger. When five years old she player) in Tom Thutnb, singing all the music ; and, at the age of twelve, she presided atfte the r then fashionable promenade concert s at Margate. A devoting three years to her musical studies, she returned SATURDAY,