The Press. — London, England, 1858-07-03 00:00:00

634 lowing in a lung line, one by one. The Syrian sheep have very pecnlisr Oils, hanging loose from the middle of a great round cushion of fat. It is very interesting to see the sheep all going after the shepherd. as of old, though T fear that, from the big atones thrown occasionally ett a straggler, some of them are hirelings. The good shepherd now en- eouragra his flock by talking to them, " ow, aow, auw,aow, kik, kik, kik, kik, kik, tehe, tchi, wehke, weehke, chke, iz, uzz, iz, sz, lz, sz, Natl, sshh, sshh, ashh, ow, ow, ow," end so on. I copied it down verbatim, so it is quite cor rect. The " weehke "is a deep, deep. deep guttural, pro :minced rather below the pit of the stomach. Subsequent letter tell of success and fortune, Academic envy and selfishness, a secold return to Egypt, and the close of a lice tbr the world, and the hopes of his friends, only too short. lie arrived in Cairo pale and thin on the 3rd of November, and in three weeks sunk and died. " The Sunset in the Pyramids" and these Letters of his will keep in good remembrance. One-and-Twenty. By the Author of " Wild flower." Three Vols. London : Hurst and Blackett. THOUGH these volumes will not give their author any claim to rank among the Dii Majores of contemporary fiction, yet, like his previous works, they have a certain originality, which raises them above the common standard of the circulating library. They are in some degree an instance of what Mr. Stephen in his essay " On the Relation of Novels to Life" pointed out as seldom attained by novelists—a story the interest of which turns, not on the exceptional experiences, but on the every-day life of the hero, and the vicissitudes of which grow naturally out of the course of his ordinary occupations. Quitting the beaten tracks of fashionable or merely domestic life, he has founded his tale on the struggles, successes, and reverses of a City business; and here also, avoid ing the temptation of employing for his ma chinery the Merdle aspect of commercial affairs which novelists, following in the wake of " Little Dorrit," have begun to use rather too freely, he has endeavoured to depict the manner in which such pursuits, honestly followed, affect the mind and character. The business in question is that of a corn-factor, and the scenes in which the actors move are new enough to the general reader to im part a good deal offreshnesa to the book. A more romantic thread than that connected with Mark lane is not, indeed, wanting,—affected, how ever, as such threads are wont to be, by objec tions on the score of probability. iVe are inclined to disbelieve in the placability of the hero towards the principal villain ; nor is the character of the latter, even supposing such diabolical malignity enough for the pur poses of fiction, one to whose due development the author's powers are entirely adequate. The story is told in the first person—a method the conveniences of which hardly compensate for its obvious disadvantages ; and the conversations have, perhaps for this reason, a certain air of unreality and weakness which renders the execu tion of the book unequal to its conception. however, the style of people and manners de scribed are distinct in one's memory, and, as we have said, uncommon ; and the plot shows sufficient ingenuity to render it doubtful whether the clCnouement is to turn upon the attainment of material happiness or in( ral wellbeing. On the whole, therefore, " One-and-Twenty may be pronounced interesting, and is certainly an advance upon the author's previous works. PUBLTCATIONS RECEIVED.-JUNE 24. BOOKS. Tho Oricast and the Poor of London. Rev. F. Meyrick, MA. Rivingtons A Short Account of the Ancient British Church. Sir Oswald Morley. Ridgway The Scholar and the Trooper; or, Oxford During the Great Rebellion. Rev. W. E. Heygate, M.A. J. H. and J. Parker The Facts and Fallacies of the Sabbath Question. H. Fulton J. Chapman The Court of Exchequer and the County Courts. Stevens —Homely Rhymes. PERIODIChf.. Fraser's Magazine. J. W. Pal ker—The Bombay Quar terly Review. Smith'and Elder—Le Folk!. Simpkin and Marshall—Blackeroetro Magazine. Blackwood—Bentley's Miscellany. Bentley—The Englishwoman', A nima l. Piper—Daresport Daunt. Chapman and ll•lll—Celbara 'a New Monthly. Ditto—The National Rerieer. Ditto— Titian. G roombri.lge—D 14 Dian l'Hirersity. Htir.t. anal Bleekett—The London Review. Heylin—Art Journal. Virtue anal Hall—Weatninaiter Review. J. Chapman—The Matto Bag. Oakey. hh, THE PRESS, JULY 3, ISSB. Dlusit. ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA. WE have to record two novelties during the pre sent week at this theatre—the first, the revival of Otello, after three years' repose ; and the second, the pr.itluction of a new opera, by Flotow, entitled Marta. Everything within the range of art that could add to the charms of Rossini's beautiful opera was done on Tuesday, and we never listened io it with greater delight. The event of the evening was the reappearance of Signor Tamberlik, who returns after an absence of two years. This popular singer was heartily welcomed by a well sustained roUing.fire of applause. We have heard him in better voice, but, on the whole, he gave good cause for congratu lation to the musical world, on bis return to this country. In the duet between Otello and lago (act ii., scene 3), which was encored, he swig with much feeling, never better ; but he was not equally good throughout. Signor N. Baraldi acquitted him selt' in the part of Roderigo with more than usual credit, and Especially in the aria, " Eccome gicento," substituted for scenes L and 2 of act ii. " All ! vieni," too, in the fourth scene of the same act, was rendered with much expression. Had the move ment, however, been ashade faster, it would have been more according to the design of the composer, and more consistent with the character of the song. A , - for Mine. Grisi, we cannot speak too highly of her Desdemona of 1858, which could scarcely have been surpassed in 1838. To those accustomed to watch the rise and fall of opera singers, it seems almost impossible that the admirable Desdemona of Tues day last was thought to be in her prime twenty years since. Without laying oneself open to the charge of being hypercritical, it would be difficult to point out any portion of this long and trying part in which one could have wished it to have been in any other hands. The subordinate parts were well supported by Mme. Tagliafico and Signori Tagliafico and Ron coni. The beautiful overture was executed with the greatest precision and finish, and nearly all the concerted music gave evidence of the untiring and successful efforts of Signor Costa, and the excellence of the musicians under his control. Marta, which has been promised to us several times during the last fortnight, was brought out on Thursday. This opera, which is the production of Baron Flotow, a nobleman whose musical talents have made his name familiar to the musical world all over the continent of Europe, is a sort of musical pot-pourri, made up, like its floral prototype, of elements which, though age has deprived them individually of their pristine freshness and fragrance, have, by the circumstance of their union, acquired a new and original sweetness. Some of these elements, too, in this musical mixture, just as we find in the floral compound, are more difficult of recognition than others ; some are bet little altered—others have scarcely a trace remaining of their former selves. One flower, however, is found in Baron Flotow's not•poarri in miraculous preserva tion. Let our readers imagine the surprise that would be experienced if, on lifting up the cover from the porcelain jar containing last year's gatherings, they should find the last rose of 1857's summer hardly diminished in bloom or in scent. They will then be able to realize our surprise when we wit• ness d the production from Flotow's jar of the real, identical " Last Rose of Summer " of olden times ; dressed up, indeed, in a new name, " Qui sole, virgin Rosa," but showing no symptom of decay, nor any but the slightest conceivable alteration from what it was the day it bloomed ! No other entire flower was brought from the jar in such good condition as this one ; but very well preserved portions of different and favourite ones were seen in great abundance. To depart from our metaphor, those parts of the music which are original, whilst they bear unmistakeable marks of amateur parentage, are by no means devoid of intrinsic merit, and they are generally consistent with the scene represented. The plot is laid in this country, the time being the reign of Queen Anne. A certain Lady Henrietta, although surrounded with everything that wealth and position can supply to make up the happiness of humanity, finds that ines timable possession beyond her reach. One day her attention is arrested by a chorus of voices proceeding from a number of peasants on their way to Richmond statute-fair. The merry sounds pene trate into her room and into her heart. She suddenly resolves to disguise herself as a peasant, and go to the fair. Her maid, Nancy, and her cousin and rejected lover, Lord Tristan, are pressed into her service—the latter much against his will. Properly equipped, they set off together and arrive at the fair, just as two young farmers, Lionel and Plunkett., are looking for servants. The young men, who have been brought up and live together as brothers, are struck with the appearance of the two women, who, under the name of Marta (Lady Henrietta) and Betsy (Nancy), express their willingness to be engaged Lord Tristan (who is called John on this occasion) endeavours to interfere; but he is quickly surrounded by peasants and carried off. Marta and Betsy, not knowing the consequences of so doing, engage themselves to the two farmers as servants, and receive the earnest money, which makes a binding con tract for twelve months. Left alone, they are discus sing the means of escape, when Lord Tristan appears at the window of the room, through which they soon make their exit. Pursuit is immediately, but vainly, commenced. It now appears that Lionel's heart has been transfixed by the charms of Marta, over whose memory he raves continually. Sometime afterwards a royal hunt brings a party of ladies and gentlemen (amongst whom are found the two who went to the statute fair) to the neighbourhood of an inn, where Plunkett and sonic peasants are drinking. Lionel hears and recognizes the voice. Lady H., when he addresses her, pretends not to know him, and treats him with disdain. He resents this at length, by claiming her as his servant. Lady H. calls or help, and her cry is answered by L-rd Tristan and his follower♦, who arrest Lionel and carry him off. The latter, how• ever, before he is taken away, ...sods a ring to Plun kett, which had been given or bequeathed to him by his father, with an injunction to present it to the Queen, it' be should ever be in difficulty requiring assistance. Lionel begs his friend to deliver the ring according to his father's instructions, which he does ; and the consequence is, that the obscurity in which Lionel's birth had been before enveloped is dispersed, and it becomes known that he is the son and heir of Count Derby, who had been unjustly banished his country. Lady Henrietta, who had her self presented the ring, seeks Lionel at his farm house, makes known to him his origin and present position, and offers her hand to him in marriage. Maddened by her previous conduct, he indignantly refuses her hand and her love. She then resorts to stratagem, in which she is assisted by Plunkett. A facsimile of the fair scene where they first met is got up in Lady H.'s park. Lionel is brought there, and the old association (as was of course intended) restores him to himself, and l►e then agrees to marry Lady H., whilst Plunkett and Nancy enter into a new and similar engagement. The music, as we have before said, is not new; nor do we think the opera, which is some twelve years of age, has any chance of evert the same suc cess in this country that it has had in Germany. But, A 3 the work of an amateur, it deserves great commendation ; its chief failing, beyond its want of novelty, being found in the concerted parts, which, generally, are highly inartistic and contused. There are other and better works by the same hand, of which Marta may be merely the avant-courier. We trust that, if they are to be represented on London boards, they may have as much justice done to them by those to whom they may be intrusted as was done to this one at Covent Garden on Thursday. The mice-en•scene of the fair, and that of the forest, within which the inn where the rencontre between Plunkett and Nancy takes place after the escape is situated, are beautiful beyond description. Mario was not in such good voice as on Tuesday, but he earned well-merited applause throughout, especially in the aria, " M'Appari," in scene 4 of act iii., " Ah! cite a voi perdoni," in scene 7 of same, and " Era l'astro dell'amor," in scene ;3 of act iv. The beauties of the first•mentioned are so occult that few singers could have brought them to light, much less pro duced so touching an effect as that which procured f-r it an enthusiastic encore. The part assigned to Bosio was executed with that delicacy and finish for which she is so deservedly known. Its main feature is a continual warbling that is impos sible for any but a very flexible, and scarcely en durable from any but a very sweet, voice. Mme. Bosio possesses these qualities to a high degree, and she availed herself of them to the utmost in •• Qui sole, virgin Rosa '• Baron Flotow's edition of " The List Rise of Summer "), which she was called upon to repeat. Mlle. Didiee had not great scope for the exercise of her powers. Her rendering of "Il the sirs! nel lanciar," in scene 2 of set iii., and her efforts in the various concerted pieces in which she was called upon to take part, were all that could be wished for. Signor Graziani, as Plunkett, sang the drinking song (sc. 1, act iii.)—one that has attained great popularity in Germany—with much spirit and truthfulness. CRYSTAL PALACE. THE Handel performances of last year, though only professing to be rehearsals for the great festival which is to take place in 1859, were very profitable aff.iirs. It is no wonder, then, that something like a repetition should be attempted during the present season—the chorus singers have the benefit of more practice, and the company of some more money. So on Friday the same enormous band of musicians and amateurs was brought together, and the follow iag selection performed : Parr I.—Chorale, " The Hundredth Psalm."—Chant, " Venire exultemus," Tellis.—Trio end Chorus, " Lift common