The Press. — London, England, 1857-11-07 00:00:00

1092 Now, we have no wish to see the nature of the connec • n between the British nation and its military officers hanged in this respect. We think that it is at once the most honourable sal the least expensive that could be devised. It gives us precisely that at raugement which, in a constitutioual country, is best calculated to render en armed force not only effective but safe. We have the officers taken principally from those classes in civil life which, being accustomed from their boyhood to command, command iu a generous spirit, and the ranks filled with men who, being accustomed from their boyhood to obey, render a willing obedience to those w:ioin they acknow ledge as their sock' superiors. The former, connected by the ties of relationship with the rank, the wealth. and the more advanced intelligence of the country, can be relied upon wider all circumstances to maintain order aad obey the laws. 'rime latter, constrained to look up to their officers as much by private feeling and association as through the force of discipline, never think of entertaining opinions of which their officers disapprove. But if you bring about a violent change in all this, you must make up your minds to at least the chance of disagreeable consequences. In " Cambria and Cottonopolis " the Premier meets with some heavy punishment from Tlepolemus ; and the other papers, especially that on Panama, are very able and useful. It would require more space than wa can affaril to do full justice to the contents of Fraser. We have twelve articles, all on interesting, and at the same time widely different, subjects. A tierce exposure of an evidently worthless book tnititled " Edinburgh Dissected," a paper on "Metropolitan Communica tions," another on St. Simon, and we need not add " The Interpreter," are perhaps the best contribu tions. The naturai-history article, usually so plea sant, is this month rather overladen with learning; and the piper on Dress is written too exclusively from the pictorial point of view. Nor is the author consistent with himself —as, for instance, in con demning broad cloth because it is spoiled by rain, and then recommending hats with feathers, which would surely spoil much quicker. Besides, as we have before repeated, in an age like the present that dress will always be the most i:opular which hides the most defects. "The Interpreter" is this month uncommonly good. Neither Napier nor Maxwell have often given a more stirring battle piece than the assault of the 7th of September. From " Metro politan Communications" we extract the following, which expresses pretty much the same view as we advanced in this Journal more than a year ago : Another very important office which a metropolitan system of rails would perform, is that of taking the working population to and from their labour. At present, as we have seen, the higher and middle classes desert the Cty and great centres of metropolitan trade when the business of the day is over. The workman, however, is unhappily not thus provided for; and the money value of property in the neighbourhood of great thoroughfares is gradually squeezing out his dwellings, and driving him far away from his work We are, in fact, gradually bringing about a similar state of things to that which exists in Paris. IVhat we call " improving a neighbourhood," means improving the dwellings of the working classes off the face of the earth. We destroy what the police term rookeries in St. Giles' and Westminster, without making any provision for the rooks. House accommodation for the poorer classes, by these so-called improvements, is greatly increased in price, and iu many instances is not to be had on any terms; consequently the workman has to walk long distances to and from his work, thus causing a loss of time and strength, which to him i 3 money. It is a matter of great importance that this great injustice should be remedied; and no better method could be devised of elevating working men's condition than by giving them the means of following the example of the classes above them, and of exchanging the loathsome, high priced dens in the fever jangles of metropolitan courts and alleys for the purer air of the suburbs. When we con sider that the great lines of railway can carry coals at a halfpenny per ton a mile, and that coals cannot load and unload themselves, as passengers do, it is quite clear that the working population can be carried at a rate entirely within their means. "Lord Macaulay of Rothley " is a brief but appa rently careful account of that nobleman's family, and his connection with the English Babingtons. The Dublin opens with an excellent article upon France. The style is strong, the criticism clear, and the conclusions on the whole just. The review of Alexander Smith's poems is, we think, too laudatory. We have never been among that gentleman's depre dators, but we cannot shut our eyes to the fact that, with all his powers, he belongs to a vicious school, and has as yet betrayed no symptoms of emerging from it. The next in merit are papers upon "Chancery Amendment in Ireland," and " The Castle of Dublin," one of a very interesting series which has now reached the sixth number. The following is curious : From the official correspondence of these times we learn that the Queen used occasionally, at the instance of the viceroys, present silk gowns of the newest London fashion to the wives of the more powerful Irish chieftains, seeking thus to insure their favourable influence with their hus bands. Writing of Torlogh Lynogh O'Neill, the Deputy, addressing the Queen, says :—" For that his wife bath been an instrument and chief counsellor to frame him to this order of obedience and dutiful manner of proceeding, I humbly beseech your Majesty to bestow a garment upon leer, as a token of your favour, which Mr. Marshall telleth me your Majesty did give order for at his being there, who THE PRE S S, NorEmEn 7, 1857. was a suitor for it on her behalf." A letter from Gerard, Lord Chancellor of Ireland, to Burghley contains the fol lowing refetence to the Queen's present to this important personage, whom the Deputy describes as a grave, wise, and well•spnken lady, both in Scotch, English, and French, and very well mannered. " I sent my man," writes the Chancellor, " with her Majesty's gown to Torlogh O'Neill's wife, who is a continual good instrument to continue him in quiet. I made a forepart altich wanted to it ; his letters to me acknowledging the receipt I send your honours to be male known to her Majesty; her Highness never bestowed a gown better. howevor, make' the same complaint of this magazine that We have done of fllackwoml—i.e., that it contain, too little pure literature. Bentley, in a smaller compass than the three lead ing magazines, presents us with more readable matter than either its Scotch or Irish contemporary. Two tales—one capital, the other of that light, vs samer character which just suits a lazy reader—a couple of lively French papers, and a good sporting d►ary, which if not strictly veracious is none the less exciting, atflrd us a varied and stimulating enter tainment. One political article, on "The Day of Humiliation," is very much severer than usual upon the Ministry. It is curious to see how public feeling is veering round upon this point; and we cannot but feel gratified at seeing many statements which when made by ourselves some time ago were denounced as factious, gradually adopted with more or less qualifi cation by numerous writers who must be supposed to possess some sense and ability, or they would not be employed. Here is a most remarkable coincidence not a little surprising in a periodical which like Bentley is usually " the other way ": PRESS, Oct. 1 0 . BENTLEY, Nov. I. On the 10th of July Lord Even so late as the 10th Palmerston point blank re- of July, or two months fused to take any steps for nearly after the news of the providing substitutes or re- insurrection had arrivaand serves for the Line. "He while every mail was bring- WM no reason why the in- ing tidings of fresh disas telligence from India should tens, Lord Palmerston deli cause any change" in the berately refused to take any intentions of Government. steps for providing substi- On the following day he re- tutes or reserves for the peated his refusal in still Line. He saw no reason more emphatic terms. And why the intelligence from this, too, when Delhi was in India should caase any possession of the rebels, change in the Government and our losses had already policy This refusal was amounted to some thirty repeated in still more arro thousand men. On the t2Stli, gant language by Lord Pan in spite of Lord Ellen- more in the House of Lords, borough's warning, this opi- and it was not till some nion was repeated by Lord weeks afterwards that Go- Panmure in the House of vernment gave way to the Lords with characteristic incessant pressure, and doggedness. And it was lot called out ten thousand of till fairly frightened out of the Militia. The mere fact their hauteur by the united that this amount was not demands of the Opposition sufficient, and that fifteen and the public, that a slight thousand more men are now concession was made, and beingslowly collected,speaks 10,00 n of the Militia em- volumes for the foresight of bodied. Fifteen thousand the governmental policy. more are now to be called out, and there can be no doubt that it will end as we predicted, in the whole force being employed. The Train, the National Magazine4and the Trish Metropolitan are all cleverly written—the National more than cleverly—but as they abstain from con troversial topics, they do not invite criticism or com pel reply. We are very glad that it is so. It is a boon to the public tha► they can have an amusing and well-managed periodical without being either wearied by 'esthetics, irritated by politics, or driven mad by theology. Cassell's Art Treasures (First and Second Quar terly fart.•).—This is a work both the design and execution of which we can cordially approve. Taking its origin from the opening of the Manchester Ex hibition, it at first proposed no more than to lay before the public copies of the great masterpieces then for the first time publicly displayed, together with such criticisms and explanations as should be deemed necessary. Now, however, we are informed that it is not the intention of the proprietors to con fine themselves to such paintings only as were exhibited at Manchester, but to include say others which may seem either to throw light on the manner of paiticular artists, or which from their beauty de serve a place in their serial. Of the present num bers we can conscientiously say that, considering the price, the engravings are very meritorious, and the text fully adequate to serve as an introduction to such readers as may be unacquainted with the pre liminary information necessary to the real enjoyment and comprehension of an artist.. The Ladies' Treasury for November deserves its title. It is a repertory of matters interesting to the femidine gender, containing some nicely written tales, sketches, and lessons. The illu , trations are very fair, and the patterns for fashions doubtless all they ought to be. Several other periodical we received too late for notice this week. PUBLICATIONS EECEIVED—Novamm O. BOOKS. Mauleverer'e Divorce. Three Vols. By the Author of " IV hit efriars." C. J. Skeet The Poetical Works of Edgar Allan Poe, with Original Afrowir. Illustrated. Sampson Lowe The Purgatory of Prisun(nr. ISt astkrs 7'he Baling Passion. Rainey Hawthorne. Three Vols. oti len g l o e n ; Carew Raleigh. Mrs. Thomson. The Rival Kings ; or, Orerbeartng. Kent and Co. .11elatieholy, and Other Poems. Thomas Cox. Saunders and Odey PERIODICALS. Le Falter. Sitnpkia and Marshall—.fand Marshall—Jto rton'a New Farm, re .41manack. Mackie and Son—The Art Journal. Virtue and Co.—Tilan. Groombridge—Deconport Dunn. Chap. man and Hall—Yew Monthly, Ditto—Paced with Gold. Ditto—The North British. Hamilton and Co.—The Farmers' Alinanack. Itidgwxy—Lmidon University Magazine. Hall and Co.—Nest of Scotland Magazine and Review. Hall and Virtue•—Casselts Illustrated Alinanack. Kent and Co.—The Commercial Traveller's Magazine. Ditto—The Atlantic Monthly. No. I. Trulmer and Co.— The British Expedition to the Crimea. Routlelo—Rout. lodge's Shakespeare. "The Meny Wives of Windsor." Ditto—Lett's Diarg for 1858. Letts. PIMP H LET. Question of the Danubian Principalities. E. Wil ion. s r. THE NEW OPERA. BAISE'S Rose of Casalle is attracting large audiences to the Lyceum Theatre. The popularity of the composer, and the brilliant vocalisation of Miss Louisa Pyne, the general excetlence of the execu tion, and the strong disposition on the part of amateurs to support an English opera-house, will account for a triumph, the origin of which is not to b 3 found in the work itself. The opera, on the whole, is one of Balfe's feeblest productions ; but there are two or three redeeming pieces quite worthy of his high reputation. The principal defects are a want of form anti coherency. There are all the signs of ex cessive haste in the setting, as if the composer ha,' drawn promiscuously from his stock on hand, and had trusted more to his memory than his imagina tion. Here and the:e there are indications of a Spanish nationality in treatment ; but the school is essentially a mixture of the French and Italian masters, Auber, Donizetti and Rossini having been evidently uppermost in Balfe's mind. In fact, This Rose of Cestille is infinitely less Balfeish than any other of his well-known operas, and Balfeish is a term that will be well comprehended by his admirers. It was a racy, graceful, and vivacious mode of composition, in which the Irish idiosyncrasy was always in the ascerdant over the Italian educa tion and experience. This is why the Balfeish works had their great success on the Continent, as well as here. Perhaps the composer may have been puzzled by the complicated incidents in the libretto —certainly be could not have been inspired by the lyrics. Of the mawkish insipidity and yawn provoking twaddle of the dialogue and poetry a most amusing analysis might be made; but the published book is already a nonentity to the artists—they alter and " gag " ad libitum, and Mr. G. Honey, the low comedian, who plays a Spanish grandee in a com pound style based on that of the William Farren and Compton, has been obliged to improvise a saying, the joke of which consists in his asking when a disagreeable thing is uttered, " Why did you not say so before?" The other characters are a Spanish villain, conspiring to obtain a throne, allotted to the basso, Weiss; his confidant, a second tenor, Mr. St. Albyn ; a muleteer, who is a monarch in disguise, assigned to the " tender" tenor, Mr. Harrison ; the " Rose," wbo is the Queen of Spain, Miss Louisa Fyne; ber maid of honour, a lively soubrette, Miss Susan l'yne ; and a dismal duenna of a duchess, enacted by Miss Prescott. Pablo, master of the posada in the first act, Mr. Walworth, completes the dramatis persona. It will be at once guessed that the King and Queen, who are betrothed, assume dif ferent characters to ascertain if they can like each other, and that their disguises are turned to account by the conspirator, Don Pedro, to force the Queen to abdicate. The epoch is passed before the union of the crowns of Leon and Cestille. Now the complica tions, if ingeniously contrived, snperadded to a sparkling dialogue, might have rendered the book a good one for selling. As it is as bad as bad can he, Balfe is entitled to the benefit of the consideration in the estimate of his music, esvcially as his task was undertaken and completed, according to rumour, in about a month. The score may be rapidly fol lowed. The overture has a bolero which is not