The Press. — London, England, 1853-05-28 00:00:00

MAY 28, 1853. is worthy of the name of a satire which never hits one tit' the abuses of the original ; and the author has taken so little pains to acquaint himself with the spirit and peculiarities of his subject that ho leaves untouched all the numerous salient points of attack which the character and conduct of the English legal profession unquestionably present to an enemy of even moderate ability anti power. To ;;ire one in stance out of twenty. 'the universul nepotism of at wrneys, and the obstacles they present to any 'liven communication between the barrister and his client, is at the present day a subject of much discussion and animadversion ; and the construction of the piece affords a fair opportunity for the expression of the author's opinion upon this question, which is undoubt edly one of some public interest. In the place, however, of any solid or tangible suggestions we find nothing but the wildest impossibilities. We are in troduced to a perfect phtrnix in the person of a brief less barrister, the only relative of an attorney in large business, who, moreover, iu the sacred precincts of Westminater, communicates directly with his clients in a manner which would effectively ensure his exclusi , from all practice. Mr. Lawrence should also learn that the legal term "pleading" refers to writing and not speaking, and that important mistatementa of fact " in pleading " would in all probability prove fatal to the best cause that ever made its appearance in Westminster-hall. We should also advise a little more attention to correctness of costume. visit to Westminster-hall would satisfy Messrs. F. Matthews and Baker that they never could he mistaken for grave and learned serjeants. The character of Settle, the old attorney, was played by Mr. Cooper with propriety and feeling ; and Miss Robertson, as Mrs. Bickering Brown, was very pleasant to behold. ADELPIII THEATRE. MR. WEBSTER has found it necessary to reproduce Jack Sheppard and The Green Bushes this week. The failure of The Merry Wives Windsor is a great proof of the good sense end di s crimination of the Adelphi audience, and has, we trust, taught the manager a useful and practical lesson. FRENCH I'LAYS. Le Mari a la Canspagne was produced for the first time this season on Wednesday last, on the occasion of Mr. Mitchell's benefit ; M. Regnier, Mlle. Brohan, and M. Lafont sustaining the principal characters. Although the cast embraced names of some distine• tion, the play was very slowly and lifelessly acted, and, if we had not on a previous occasion had an opportunity of seeing M. Reguier play the hen pecked husband, we should have scarcely thought MS impersonation of Colombet so remarkable a per formance as in fact it really is. In these days, when remarks are so frequently made to the prejudice of English actors and actresses, especially with re faunae to stage costume, it is perhaps consolatory to *etch the French artists occasionally tripping. We 40 not pretend to propose any standard of Quaker sim plicity, or to lay down what is precisely the correct ess of a Paris devoti; but we will nevertheless venture a confiaent opinion that the scarlet robes in which Madame Thibault enacted the part of the tyrannical mother-in-law, Madame Aigueperse, were entirely out of place. Mlle. Brohan, ton, who surely ought to know better, considerably marred the effect of her part by the want of contrast which the handsome dress she wore, as the serious lady, pre sented to the magnificent toilette which announces her conversion (some people might post. ;illy call it perversion) to the worldly tastes of her husband. We were sorry to see so thin a house; the smallness of the audience was no doubt attributable to the in fluence of Ep_som races, rather than to any want of respect fqa* Mr. Mitchell. usit. ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA. Tat production of Neyerbeer's Roberto ii Diarolo aq 3londay last is deserving of notice so far only as it shows that the subscribers and the public should fie ever w►►tchful lest the manager of a theatre, which is a mere speculation, and under no G overnment super vision, should, by advertising the names of a fa Iv first rate singers, and by the occasional production of a well mounted opera, find an excuse for the const ant appear ance of moderate talent and a systematic neglect of de tail upon the greater number of ordinary subscription nights. We must enter a protest against the en gagement of Mme. Julienne, which might, with ad• vantage to all parties, be immediately cancelled. This lady, a singer of some celebrity in France, is totally unfit to sustain the character of a prima donna on the Covent Garden boards. Her voice is of a disagreeable quality, her school of ►sing ing vicious, and, though she occasionally produces certain effects which may be popular with foreign audiences, she never can become a favourite with opera-goers in this country. She is, monover, a very indifferent actress, and her appearance as Alice, in a modern peignoir and a common " wide-awake," will at- THE PRESS. The other characters in the opera were as well sustained as could be reasonably expected. M. Formes appears to great adva n tage as Bertram, and it would be difficult to find more efficient representa tives for the parts of Isabella and Roberto than Mute. CasteMut and Signor Tamberlik. We cannot admit as any excuse for the slovenly manner in which this opera has been put upon the stage that it is not a meetly, or t h at the scenery and appointments lune been maid before. The direetors of Co% cut. Garden must he judged by their own professions, and, if they cheese to produce a work which requires elaboration of detail. they are bound, under any ciremnstanees, to do their best to ensure a satisfactory result. The scenic effects, as well as the general stage manage ment, throughout this opera, evinced great l'arPleag ness and want of ability. The manner in which the nuns were resuscitated would have thrown discredit upon a country theatre of any moderate pre tensions and certain gentlemen habit.d in tow and red calico, who appeared on the stage with the red fine as the curtain was about to descend in the third act. reminded the spectator of Bicha.dson's booth and a country fair rather than the Royal Italian Opera. We have often heard the question asked, why the ballet at this theatre is so unreasonably bad? The non-existence of a school of dancing in England is no sufficient answer, for the managers of the Lyceum and the Princess's produce ballets more than respecta ble. If economy be the "cause of this defect," let the management take warning by the fate of Mr. Lumley, and remember that the true way to avoid competi tion is by ensuring, so far as is practicable, at least respectability of talent in every department. This evening Signor Bellotti is to make his first appearance at this theatre, in the opera of Ernuni. The engagement of this excellent artist ought to be a source of g.eat satisfaction to the subscribers : it is a matter of regret he, should have been so long ab sent from this country. The Huguenots is announced for newt week. Why is this opera not produced upon a subscription night ? QUARTErr ASSOCIATION. THE fourth performance of the Quartett Asiewiation took place son Thursday last. The programme was as follows :—Quintetto in E flat, op. '2s—Gebel ; Orand Trio in F minor, op. 47—Mendelssohn ; Quintett in E fiat—Beethoven ; Solo, contrabass°. Performers : Violin, Messrs. Salmon and Cooper ; Tenor, Messrs. Webb and Boileau; Violoncello, Signor Piaui; Con trabasso, Signor Bottesini ; Pianoforte, Mrs. Jewson. MILE. PAULINE VIARDOT gave her farewell cone at St. Petersburg on the B th i nst. The Hall of the Nobility could scarcely contain the audience. A tam GRAND OpEns, entitled Sakounta/a, by the Baron de Perfall, a young diUetante, has been re cently produced at the Grand Theatre in Munich, the author himself appearing in the orchestra as con ductor. The work was received with the greatest applause. OLE the renowned violinist, continues to give concerts in the United States. According to letters recently received in Norway, his native country, he has purchased 125,000 acres of land in Pennsylvania, which he is again selling to those of his countrymen, or Swedes or Danes, who are willing to colonise it, at three dollars per acre. The number of colonists at present. amounts to about 700, two. fifths of whom are Germans. In the laws of the colony it is provided that every drunkard shall bo melled, and the property he may have acquired he shall sell within a given time. PROFESSOR AYTOL'N'S CLOSINU LECTURE. Tut marked popularity of Professor Aytoun as a lecturer will probably suggest the publication of his lectures. When before us in a revised literary nom, we will carefully consider his opinions on " Poetry." In the meanwhile we may here record the persunal pleasure we experienced in listening to him. He His tone was genial and manly, and the hearty fresh. ness of his enthusiasm for those branches of poetry which he specially appreciates was very gratifying to persons wearied with the mechanical cant of criti cism. As a reader of Scotch poetry he is unrivalled; he feels what he recites, and his sympathy gives a quickening force to his del;very, not to be attained by the trick of the elocutionist. Since the days of Sir Humphry Davy and Sydney Smith at the Royal Institution, we do not believe that any lecture ever addressed a more brilliant and fashionable audience than that attendant on Professor Aytoun. He has had the credit of introducing the Muses into the pre cincts of Almack's, and has thus taken away fora the imputed "exclusiveness" of the Graces. On Tuesday last the learned professor delivered his closing lecture of the series. The subject was "Modern British Poetry ;" but, with the exception of a graceful compliment to Mr. Rogers, the lecturer made no comments on living poets, using, we think, a sound discretion. He took occasion to state, that in his opinion young poets should on their first ap be kindly treated, and he deprecated that • of which modern British poets were suweetect at we ouiset. Commencing with Scott, he discussed in a simple and nervous style the broad characteristics or tiro departed poets of the past age. Of the enduring power of geott's poetry he never hail any ,doubt ; it was based upon truth anti poetic reality, and. thongit the effusions of his muse were unequal. )et rho of his greater iticees Was, bold. outsell anti pietilresulte. His eat' was and he Was 14411110111It's111111, iml when hedid exert his powers he ilisplii)ed those of a giant, The pro. lessor took the opportunity of !wonting the opiuitat attributed to Goethe, in Eckel-maws -conversations.. that a distinctly new species of art was Olsen Able in Scott's 011101•01111'111'). Scott wro te without due regard to art. Ilc swelled in realisat 4ll of the scene: and writing tinder stnaig emotion, with complete lootwledge of his subject. he "4111.1.14'k1e1l in painting histiwieal scenes, to a ilegtve that tievcr been excelled. .11.. Scott was the poet of action, ho Worilswiorth was eniphativall) the poet of colloquial, non. Ile had great powers. and ix entitled to a high rank ; lint his great fault. was, that he often wrote without being under the visitations of t h e m use . composed as it' 11 utan roust write poi.try like a diary —an egregious fallacy ; for a poet, in writing, should be raised bey and his ordinary feelings. Still t re was much that was beautiful in hie poems, 1111t1 Professor fessor Armin recited with great feeling " Intimations of Immortality." Ile regretted that Wordsworth s o often confounded the humble with the mean ; and he marked the difference, its themes, between llurus' " Cottier's Saturday Night" and " Peter Bell." Byron, according to Professor Aytoun, was tin. questionably the greatest phenomenon in literature of our time. But the taste for his poetry has visibly abated, and his genius is unhealthy. His appetite for admiration was enormous, and he illustrated the fact, that comets often recede as rapidly as they ap proach. Shelley and Keats have had more influence on living poetry than any of their contemporaries. To Keats the lecturer gave great prairie, retninding his hearers that "Endymion" was the production of a mere youth; and he read the " Ode to a Nightin. gale" as a proof of Keats's powers. Coleridge was a man of immense genius. The " Ancient Mariner" and " Oenevieve" were written under the witehers of inspiration, but he lost himself in cloudy tnystichmt and system-mongering. Campbell was a brilliant lyrist, who combined the thrilling and the didactic in a manner rarely realised. Southey squandered his powers on intractable themes, and he must fade ; and it is to be regretted that Moore, of whom Ireland may be so justly proud, took up Oriental themes. After cordially expressing his sense of obligation for the reception that was accorded to him by his audience, Professor Aytoun concluded amid hearty greetings. 1 . 1,e ltmg. Sir lie Lacy Evans, M.P. for Wesuninster, is appointed to command a brigtolo at the ramp at Citobham. Slajor tienertil Fane, M njor•General lientinek, and Mojor-Ocuend Sir Mehunt England, it is said, WV also to commend too glide* during the operations. It is understood that Viaeount lilardinge has finally approved the new uniform for the infantry of the army. In consequence of the present quiet state of Ireland, it is intended to send one regiment only to that country, to serve in the room of the bud regiment of Light Infantry, and the Slat Royal Lincoln Volunteers, both now under orders for the Emit Indies. The 21st Royal North British Fusiliers, under the command of LieutentinuColutiel Fitsli•vick G. Ainslie, at present stationed at . ell, is the regiment appointed for service in Ireland, in the Loon of the above-mentioned regiments. The Commander-in-Chief, amotrirmied by his Itn)a Highness the Duke of Cambridge, Vtsooent Ceenbermet i-.I and a great number uf plural ull cos end d swivel iv ti foreigners, inspeeted the squadion c ot s th 24 Lire Li mods and detachment, of sob regiment of the F.H t Cmardm, doing duty in Lando., en the Parade in lit. Janwee Park, on Tuesday nosing, in honour of her Mojesty's birthday. The fortithlitiatne for some thus pal in progress at . Dover are in an advanced aline towards completion. Guild fort Battery, near the sea at East Cliff, is n .w ready for the reeirdtion of the six guns intended for it, w itch are to be of a Luger calibre thou the four 4-pounders U) merly moulded there. The works in the ShoubW•ocmutt .n Field and on t to Western Heights will. in a a few elee..e, Le ready for their guns. Nauru. Royal Sherwood Foresters, or Nuttlaghimishlro R •et.—llenry HOW" 1.8 q., late Captain in lwr Aarp. ty'. 38 o i4•..0., to be ad iteteet utast. with the rank of Captain , ' t oe earth, who retires. 2.t of Royal Cheabbro—CaptaJa Trevor Davenport , la te o f the ht .of Foot, to be *Quest. Boyal Corneal and Doren Wien itegt.—Ralph libettletreetb Alba. Esq., Captaa Italflay Royal Artillery, to be Wee, glee Wlllyame, read. H o rd Mooloosith—Lieutenant Chutes Lewis to be C • Ileute. met Jews Davies to be Ceptim ui ll= of 'burley WON. de None., Oast., to be Boyd Cumberland N ir. SalaU•l IV a :/iWimai Goalkeraolk Ittp.. a beCaptain.uel Weer, Is be Oast. ssasoni•surcson. Ist st a git York Teorolita Ca Maeda& de Cass Manta Gent.. to be etesit ea of West York — Ids lesien A EN.., to be Cap is jfieresi Wilkinson. kt is elea,.: Sor b. cet:=lmmiasse::::_csialts.._ 111..1ti iv Cl= — llles Mewl to be i 44.. TITTord pronolid. 1 %I'm -goers us ►uss tAn.anaaaj• indifferent actress, and her appearance as Alice, in a a sound discrmaon. woss 0% a as, ••, modern peignoir and a common" aide-awake," will at- in his opinion young poets should on their first ap- 1118 1 •84014 . 4 I , b e gagiss.. be sup!iirvi . =_:zwes teat that Ale pays but little attentiou to her stage cos. pearance be kindly treated, and . he deprecated that k• jest,cim i ss on; twisiso,'Xr47l:l:rel fume. fierce and trnettlant style of criticism to which Rome pramossi. •