The Press. — London, England, 1856-12-27 00:00:00

DECEMBER 27, 1856. sence of such persons produces its effect upon the m anagement. We find good pieces, well played by a company in winch, if there are no brilliant actors, there are no stupid ones, and where decoration is the a ssistance, not the essence of the representation. Sadler's Wells is now the aristocracy of the drama. The puff system now in vogue can therefore do little mischief. The private patrons of the actress do not care what the press says, and the rest of the house come with the same stolid stupidity, applaud ing vulgarity and utterly neglecting good acting, let the press say what it likes. The "criticisms " are very good advertisements, but, despite the silly sen sitiveness of the profession, they have no other effect with such audiences as now assemble. Actors think differently, but they know nothing about the matter, and collect their ideas from little cliques. Managers know all about it, and take care to secure, not criti cisms, but advertisements. How they do it is best known to themselves and their critics. Some mana gers give champagne, some get at a writer in another way, and some furnish the criticisms themselves to such papers as will insert them. The whole system is very rotten, but not. very deleterious. As we have not put on a force of reporters—a contemporary (the best theatrical organ going) announces that he has seventeen !—and do not trust the " holiday notices," we can only look at the hills. We shall probably take an opportunity here after of mentioning any of the Christmas productions that are worth it, but this week we have no criticism to offer. The largest theatre, Drury Lane, gives a pantomime, in which the foolery of doubling the number of the performers is adhered to; and the smallest, the Strand, offers a lady harlequin and clown, and a singing columbine. Against the last innovation of all we have nothing to say—all the rest is atrocious. The Haymarket dramatic com pany is very weak, but the spectacles here are usually tasteful. The pantomime is probably a good one, as Mr. 13uckstone, though he cannot turn the demimonde into artists, usually shows much spirit and good sense in what is within his power. At Mr. Kean's the pantomime is no doubt very showy, and he usually introduces some graceful feature which refines this class of spectacle. His last " Shake sperian revival" still menaces us in the bills ; it consists of a magic-lantern effect repeated to bore dom, one pretty dance round a Maypole, and a concluding scene of fairies and lamps, and this is far inferior to the one got up by poor Mme. Vestris in the same play—a word that reminds us to add that the revival consists of passages from the Mid summer Night's Dream, delivered worse than we believed possible. At the Lyceum there is a bur lesque introduction to a pantomime, upon which card the fortunes of the management are probably staked. Mr. Dillon has been much puffed. The truth about him is, that he is a practised but unrefined melo dramatic actor, not so good as Mr. Anderson, but better than Mr. Hicks, and by no means recognised by the public as an attractive actor. Mrs. Mellon, +tie Woolgar, is the actress here, and an excellent One, with blemishes acquired at the Adelphi, where any artist would he spoiled by the audience. At the last-named house is Mr. Webster, one of the two best serious actors in England (the other being Mr. Phelps), and here he frequently acts very finely, and as often very carelessly, as if despairing to make an impression in the unappreciating blockheads who have just bellowed applause at a bit of intolerable buffoonery. Here is Mme. Celeste, who ought long since to have resigned the stage and become stage-manager, as in her present position she interposes between the public and more attractive artists, while her stage knowledge, which would be valuable if applied to a whole piece, can do little towards making her own parts interesting. The introduction to the pan tomitne is by Mr. Mark Lemon. At the Olympic Mr. Planche once more takes a fairy tale in hand ; but dresses, scenery, and music, always his strong points, have in his later pieces been thought of more than the pointed dialogue of his earlier burlesques. We shall be glad to see that Robson is fitted with a good part. The illness of Mr. Wigan is perhaps a sufficient, reason for our abstaining from pointing out managerial errors here. At Sadler's Wells, of which we have already spoken, there is a regular panto mime, and its predecessors have been good. The only theatre advertising in yesterday's Times that it would give Shakespeare on Boxing-night was —out of about a dozen—Astley's, where Macbeth, who according to Duncan "rides well," has to show his horsemanship. This is a sort of conspectus of the Christmas entertainments provided by the principal theatrical managers. Our recurrence to the subject will depend upon the merits of the productions. SACRED HARMONIC SOCIETY.—The final Christmas performance of The Messiah takes place at Exeter hall on F ri d a y nex t, th e 2 n d o f J anua ry. Clara No vello, Miss Dolby, Sims Reeves, and Mr. Thomas, will be the principal vocalists. THE PRESS. CAPTAIN MORRISON, of the English Artillery, has written a history of Napoleon 111. The French papers publish the flllowing letter of thanks from the Emperor in return for a presentation copy : Palace of the Tuileries, Dec. 6. Sir,—When the truth is so often distorted, it is con. soling to see a disinterested and dispassionate writer take upon himself the task of collecting documents which render to facts their certainty, and to intentions all their purity. This delicate task you have been good enough to undertake in my favour, and, as I have observed in many passages of your work, you seem to have accomplished it. lam very thankful. It is not for me doubtless to praise a book which contains the narrative of my life, but I may at least be permitted to express to you how sensible I am of the n )ble motive which inspired the work. Accept, sir, with my sincere thanks, the assurance of all my sentiments. NAPOLEON. Dn. WAAGEN has sent to the papers a letter from Lord Bloomfield, and also another written to him by the Procureur du Roi (Staatsamvalt), which will serve as a complete answer to the accusa tions brought against him by Mr. Morris Moore. The final sentence of the letter of the Procureur du Roi is sufficient to establish the inaccuracy of Mr. Moore's charge : I therefore have no hesitation to give you herewith the declaration that you have not stood in the remotest con nection with the late summons to the said ➢loore, and I leave it to your discretion to make what use you like of the same.—With every sentiment of respect, your obedient servant, NOERNEA. Berlin, Dec. 4. Berlin, Dec. 8. Dear Dr. Waagen,—Having seen a letter addressed to the editor of the Times, signed William Coniogham," in which it is said that. I had volunteered bringing forward your name as mover of the late police proceedings against Mr. Morris Moore, I feel it right to state to yourself that, in the conversation alluded to, J used no expression which could justify the supposition that I believed you had in any way instigated these proceedings. It is true that I spoke of the calumnious reports that had reached me, but I did so to mark my entire disbelief in them.—Truly yours, BLOOMFIELD. Dr. Waagen. 1243 bankers, while the bankers themselves have had, and are now preparing for, greater demands from their customers. To these incidental circumstances must be added another which was not expected, namely, a senseless run upon cer tain banks in Ireland. This run, by hastily placing a large mass of Exchequer Bills and other immediately converti• ble securities upon the market, has again abstracted a large amount of coin : and, though it never occa sioned any but the smallest possible anxiety, it has assisted to diminish the available supplies by temporarily locking up more capital. The dealers have naturally felt the effects of this combination of circumstances, but though the demand upon them has consequently been very great, we du not find that their terms have been unduly hardened. The best hills have been done at fully Ito j under the Bank minimum. In other cases full rates have been charged. But, so far as our inquiries have extended, we have heard few complaints of accommodation being restricted General credit, indeed, stands high; and the conviction is extending on all sides that we are upon the eve cf great improvement. It is to this conviction that we trace a prominent desire in Lombard-street to obtain long bills, and also the disposition on the part of all merchants whose capital and trade will admit, to dis- count for the shortest possible period. Five per cent. seems to be the minimum rate expected; but it is also expected that when once attained that will be the average :If money through the greater part of 18.57. The demand for money to•day was again very active. It may be useful to state the present rates of discount upon the Continent. Paris, six per cent ; Frankfort and Berlin, five per cent; Brussels, four per cent; Hamburg, seven per cent; and at Amsterdam, five and a half per cent. The Bank of France has, at last, though, we believe under considerable pressure, relaxed its rule under which for several months past it has refused to discount bills having more than sixty Jays to run. It will now discount seventy-five days' bills. There is a general desire in Paris and the manufacturing towns that discounts should be extended to ninety days. Our letters lead us to believe that this concession will be made before the middle of January, and that before the end of that month the rate of discount, which is now six per cent., will be reduced to five and a half, if not to five per cent. Of course this expectation is founded upon the assumption that the stock of bullion in both the Banks of England and of France goes on increasing. The Bank of France has at the present moment about 8,500,0001. If it in creases to 9,000,0001. or thereabouts, and the policy is continued of discouraging merely Bourse speculations by restricting its advances upon stock and shares, the Directors will be in a position to help legitimate trade by reducing the rate of discount. We feel tolerably certain that they will hesitate a good deal before they again venture to encourage individual or associated specu lation at the expense of indigenous commerce ; and we regard, indeed, their reluctance to extend the icheanee of bills from sixty to seventy-five days, as a proof that their policy next year will be cautiously directed, but directed in ►he interests of trade. The specie arrivals of the week have been very moderate. They only amount to 200.0001., and the greater part has been taken fur the Continent. Silver continues in demand. About 71,0001. was reported to have arrived this afternoon at Southampton from the United States in the A►ayo. This, of course, is in addition ; and probably about half of it will be retained in this country. The exchanges are gradually improving. The process, however, is very slow. Business in English Securities has been interfered with, as is always the case at this season, by the festivi ties of Christmas, which have taken many of the principal dealers into the country, and by the occupation of the clients of others in the balancing of their books. Prices, however, have been very little affected thereby. They have been remarkably steady, and with a general tendency to advance rather than to retrograde. This is a highly satis factory feature, when it is considered that during the early part of the week the market here, and in Paris as well, was disturbed by apprehensions of a hostile collision be tween Switzerland and Prussia upon the Neufchatel ques tion, and by rumours first of difficulties with Russia in our campaign against Persia, and next of irreconcileable . differences upon the principal questions which are to occupy the attention of the plenipotentiaries at the ap proaching Congress. In fact, political questions of this sort entirely governed the course of the market until this morning, but it is remarkable that though the whole, or indeed, any one of them, would involve some very serious complications affecting the interests and the position of this country, the range of fluctuation in Consols was less than is often the case in calm and quiet times. It barely amounted to a quarter per cent.—a fact which proves the confidence felt in the future, and which may be accepted as an indication that the tendency of things is upward. The closing price of Consols last Friday was 94 to 1 ex div. The lowest quotation, subsequently, has been 931 to I ; but on Wednesday (there being no business yesterday owing to its being Christmas lily; they closed at 931 to 94. This morning financial considerations began to exert more influence. The change made by the Bank of France with respect to the discount of bills ; the cessation of the run upon the Irish banks; reports of a favorable Bank return ; and the certainty that considerable amounts of gold must shortly arrive ; all more or less operated upon the minds of dealer& The opening price was 931 to 94 ex div., but they almost immediately improved to 94 to 1, and subsequently to 94 to This quotation was not maintained, owing to the absence of business; and the last official price was 94 to very firm. After regular hours there was a return to 94k to and the market finally closed firm, but quiet. The principal business of the day was in Reduced and in the New Three per Cents., both of which improved one•fourth per cent. The demand for coin, owing to the run upon the local banks in Tipperary and Limerick, has caused extensive sales of Exchequer Bills during the week, and they have tone glarket anb tit Inttiligentt. FRIDAY EVILNING. TFIL return of the Bank of England for the week ending the 20th inst. shows the following ci,anges compared with that for the week preceding:— Decrease in Circulation Increase in Public Deposits Increase in Other Deposits Increase in Government Securities 229,564 Increase in Other Securities Decrease in Bullion 178,703 Increase in Rest Increase in Reserve Bullion in Both Departments .... 10,513,823 Circulation, including Bank Post Bills The changes shown in this comparison possess con siderable importance, and they are of • satisfactory character, considering that we are just at the end of the year and upon the eye of a large accession to our floating capital from the January dividends. The Public Deposit.. now approach to an aggrega►,e of nearly 7,000,0:)0I., while, notwithstanding the active and profitable employment which can be found for money out of doors, the l s rivate Deposits have increased to the extent on nearly half a million. The means obtained from these sources has enabled the Bank to enlarge its advances and discounts to the amount of 825,0001. more than in the preceding week. This item, which now stands at 17,654,0001., shows the demand for temporary accommodation have been mode rately active last week. The increase in the Government Securities is partly owing to the calls upon the Bank in connection with the run upon some of the Irish banks referred to subsequently, and the same cause will explain the somewhat heavy diminution in the stock of bullion. The falling off in the Bullion is well understood to have been caused exclusively by the demand for sovereigns to be sent to Ireland ; and as that gold will shortly find its way back, the diminution may be regarded as only tempo rary. The Reserve, which includes the notes and coin in the till together, shows but a trifling increase; but the actual increase in the notes is 40,7051. The notes, indeed, have been accumulating since the beginning of November, and it is tolerably certain that according to present prospects they will continue to increase during the next month or six weeks. On the whole, the present return is calculated to confirm the opinion to which we have given expression below, that we are emerging from the late season of trial and pressures. although the reduction of the rate of discount to six per cent. last week has produced all the effect anticipated from it in easing the Money Market, and relaxing the tightness which preceded it, the demand in the current week has been exceedingly great. At this period of the year the Customs and Excise payments to the Revenue are always very heavy, and these payments have, at the present time, been severely felt in some branches owing to the difficulty of getting money in from the smaller dealers, for it is not to be supposed that the dear money of the last three months has produced no embarrassment whoever. Besides the demand from this cause, the Waimea drawn at the end of the year, the arrangement of accounts, and the general settlement of transactions, have compelled most houses to increase their reserves at their - ' -- U- --- -