The Press. — London, England, 1855-04-21 00:00:00

of the and per- ednesday night two and attractive that formed by the Rooms, , chorus, pity that internal voices, _ and an admirable orchestra—should, for want of dis crimination in the choice of a conductor, b 3 corn pelted to present the best compositions in its reper toire with their details improperly distributed, or imperfectly executed. Herr Molique may be (though we do not say that he is) an excellent executant ; but, as we have before asserted, he wants the deci sion and energy that ought to be the primum mobile in a leader; one upon which almost the whole effect of a performance is dependent, as peculiar excel lence in any number of single players is of no avail, unless their individual abilities are properly amalgamated by the bdton into an harmonious result. The overture, scherzo (encored), interlude notturno, and wedding march, in the Midsummer Night's Dream, were deliciously and spiritedly played, the last obtaining a rapturous encore; but of the vocal parts throughout the whole of the per. formanoes we will not venture to speak, except inci dentally of a new basso, Mr. Wallworth, whom we do not remember to have ever heard before, and who certainly was perfectly inaudible on Wednesday night. The great chorus " Come with torches," in which the owls screech and the ravens croak and flap their wings (Walpurgis Night), was the only concerted vocal piece that went well; and, we are bound to say, it was the most difficult one. Signor Piatti was condemned, we can call it nothing else, to play Molique's long, dreary, uninteresting violoncello concerto, each progressive movement being longer and more dispiriting than the other. His tone was rich as ever. There is something in Men delssohn's music, apart from its scientific elaboration and cunning contrivance, so romantic and attractive that we cannot help feeling much regret that such singers as Miss Stabbach and Miss Heywood should be selected to portray, vivd voce, its beauties. Deli cacy and fineness are required in the vocal expres sion of such compositions, not harshness, uncer tainty, and misinterpretation. We should heartily exhort the directors of this society to manage a little better, and not select the worst singers for the best pieces ; but rather even to reverse that arrangement, and try to render palatable their less tempting morceaux by calling forth the talent of real artists to make the most of them. The frequent abstinence from applause, "that cheapest, and yet dearest reward of merit," as Burke calls it, represented silently, but effectually, on Wednesday night, that the audience (who were throughout most attentive) shared our opinion. SIR HENRY BISHOP'S CONCERT.--EXETER -HALL.— On Monday evening the second and last of the even ing concerts took place. The selection on this occasion embraced the usual favorite pieces. "Lo here the gentle lark," " Foresters sound the cheerful horn," "The winds whistle cold," "Tell me my heart," and "My pretty Jane," &c. The hall was crowded upon the occasion, the encores were nume rous and well deserved, and if anything was wanting to establish the fame of the composer it was achieved at this performance. The glees, solos, quartets, and concerted pieces were all sung with admirable feeling and effect, and their beauties fully rendered. We regret, however, to state that Sir Henry Bishop was suffering so severely from illness as to be unable to attend the concert ; and it may not be out of place here to call attention to the sad circumstances under which these concerts have been improvised. It is the object of Mr. Mitchell and of the friends of Sir Henry Bishop to give a series of similar cot certs in the metropolis and after the season, in the provinces, in order to provide a fund which shall secure the re maining days of our distinguished composer from want or ruin. It is a painful truth, but one about which there need be no reserve, that Sir Henry Bishop, prostrated by disease, finds himself com paratively destitute. This fact needs no further remark, and the public to whom the name and works of Bishop are so familiar will scarcely fail, under such a stimulus to their benevolence, to do all in their power to forward the views of Sir Henry Bishop's friends. A committee of gentlemen have been ap pointed to manage the affairs of the fund; and from the success which has attended the first concerts we have little doubt but that a handsome sum will be realised. Meanwhile we can only bear witness to the excellence of the performance, and to urge all those who love English melody to attend these concerts, the first of which will talc. place at the Hanover-square Rooms, on Saturday afternoon, April 68th, from three to five p m. VERDI . I4 new work at toe Brand 0 pera, Paris, is p#►ot expected to be ready for reprobentation before a Igo porio4 of tho summer. THE PRESS. - Corrtspontantt. LIBERAL SPAIN. If after a successful revolution we do not enter on a course of liberal refonns, we shall never realise thew.—Speech of Senor Sapiente in the Cortes, Feb. 15,1805. TO THE EDITOR OP " TES PRESS." Sir,—lt was confidently anticipated by all foreign Protestants residing in Spain that the advent of a soi-disant liberal Government would be characterised by a more liberal policy, not only in political, but also in religious matters. The wish, as it so frequently is in life, was father to the hope ; and it has been reserved for an ultra-liberal, or revolutionary, Govern • ment to permit, if not indeed to saneiton and to justify, not only an outrage on all liberty of con science in the person of an English clergyman and a small congregation of three or four persons, but at the same time a violation of a private domicile fur the objects of intolerance, which has no parallel in the history of bigotry—that is, in the history of Spain. That in this enlightened land a British subject bad been at one time buried in a gasometer at Madrid—that at another the wife of a British consul had been thrown into a ditch—that on several occa sions travellers had been sentenced to imprisonment for recommending the perusal of those scriptures which Spaniards themselves profess to believe in-- all this and much more was well known and re gretted; but I believe it is the first time that the private residence of a British subject has been forcibly entered on a Sunday, on the plea that five or six persons were collected together performing their devotions in accordance with the dictates of their consciences and their faith. Yet this is reported to have been the case at Seville ; and the outrage, in itself so flagrant, has been, if possible, rendered more glaring by the manner in which Senor Lu zuriaga, the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, has re ceived Lord Howden's temperate demand for expla nation and redress. Lord Howden, in the first instance, demanded information on the general question of liberty of conscience, requesting Senor Luzuriaga to determine the precise amount of liberty of conscience to be enjoyed under the 129th Article of the Penal Code, which article declares, " Whoever celebrates public acts of faith which is not that of the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church shall be punished by the pain of banishment." Senor Luzuriaga, in reply, states that the same law exists now as formerly, and that it belongs exclusively to the tribunals to interpret the laws, and to advise the consuls of her Britannic Majesty who reside in this country ; and subsequently Senor Luzuriaga refers Lord Howden for his own individual opinions to his speeches delivered in the Cortes on the religious clauses of the Constitution. It is well that there exists a Spanish Hansard to record these models of eloquence, for there has been nothing like them since the young Constitution of Greece was born. We must give Senor Luzuriaga credit for his wawa, when he advised each member before he voted on the question to go home and consult his wife, children, father, or mother (he ran through the whole table of consanguinity) ; and, having thus excited the feelings of his audience by this appeal to their social relations, he began to work a little on their fears. " The Government," he proceeded to say, " was in a position to know that this was the feeling of many provinces, whose loyalty would be greatly shaken if the people saw rival altars rising by the side of those of their ancestors ; and then the Ministers could not answer for the preservation of the public peace—indeed, the total overthrow of order might be the consequence. I say this not as wishing to influence you by your fears." No, not at all ! and he terminated this appeal to the " lowest passions " by, "El govierno no deja de ser liberal." For all this the Government is not the less liberal. But the disgraceful occurrences at Seville clearly prove how right Lord Howden was in begging that the 129th Article in the Penal Code should be clearly defined, and also the following article in the Constitution : The nation obliges Itself to protect and to maintain the worship and the ministers of the Catholic Church which Spain professes; but no Spaniard or foreigner can be pro secuted for his opinions or belief, unless he proclaims them by public acts contrary to religion. It is right to state that if Spain has become more bigoted within the last half-century (since 1795—f0r at that time the law simply declared that no foreigner, under any circumstances, could be attacked for his religious opinions), it is not the fault of our Minister, Lord Howden ' who is the only Minister of a l'ro testant State who has made repeated efforts to obtain a franker toleration. He has had to contend with the influence of the Court and the prejudices of the whole Government; and it is an important fact that he has obtained that the word civilinente should he struck out of the clause as it was originally proposed, for it' this had remained it would have left full scope th! Mow of t h ecolniivitkal trammels. Lard S. 7 Howden, in a despatch to Senor Luzuriaga remark able for the eloquence of its expression, the clear , ness of its argument, and the earnestne s s of its conviction, if we may judge from some passage; whioh have fortunately obtained publicity, urges, with great truth : With regard to all public acts, the Government of this country has an undeniable right to exact implicit obedience from all foreigners who come to reside here, and who should keep away if the intolerance of its laws and habits disgusts thew; but the Spanish Government has no right whatever to violate the dooliMe of an Englishman, and penetrate into his private chamber, iu cases iniconnecte4 with criminal acts and the safety of the State. It certainly seems that, if anything, Lord Howden has in this passage placed far too liberal a construc tion on the principles of international law. We are nut at all prepared to admit that any Government that professes ko have emerged from barbarism eau arro gate to itself the right to make lawi so exceptional and severe against the subjects of any State in such close alliance with it, and then meet all demands for redress by the reply, " Yuu may keep away if you find our laws too intolerant." The apology, it' such it can be called, is as untenable in public as it would be held in private life, if any man were to receive friends in his house, and then render it intolerable by his eccentricities and intolerance. I remember that it was used recently in another public transac tion by his Majesty King Gogo of Dahomy; for, when expostulated with by Admiral Bruce for his savage, barbarous customs, which sometimes led him to the entire destruction of tribes in alliance with his own, he replied, " That it' foreigners did not like the customs of Aboukeka, they might stay away " ; and, as these customs not rarely consisted in Laing car ried about cooked on men's beads in a large basket, a good many strangers took the hint, and left his Majesty's dominions. But States which pretend to be more enlightened than Aboukeka can scarcely avail themselves of such an argument. But what shall we say when we remember that the nation against whom this stringent intolerant piece of legislation is mainly directed is a nation not only in close alliance with Spain, but the nation to which Spain is mainly indebted for what remains of its nationalities—which has sacrificed for Spain its blood and treasure—the nation whose fleets are at this very moment defending her dependencies—and to whom a constitutional queen and a constitutional Government owe their very existence. But to return to Lord Howden, who proceeds to remark that Senor Luzunaga's two notes are virtual refusals, not only of redress, but of all cognisance of unlawful proceed- ings against all foreigners in religious matters. The representative of a friendly nation was told by the natural protector of foreigners to seek for explanations where they may be casually afforded, and redress wherever he may imagine it to be found ; while it was quite certain that if a question of illegal interference were brought before a Spanish tribunal k where an humble English clergyman was the plaintiff. and the authorities of the town were the defendants) what would be the result. What the result was likely to be is no longer left to the imagination. It appears that some explanation was demanded from the civil Government of Seville, who denies that it was a party to this outrage. It may be so; but is there no such a thing as an eccle siastical authority residing at Seville, at whose dis posal the police is sometimes placed or if, as is now stated, the police did not actually enter the house, is there no authority besides the civil governors which has power to compel the owner of a house to turn an English clergyman out because he was known to read the service to a few friends not exceediug six in number? It is true that a more liberal and enlightened spirit manifests itself among some classes in Spain, but it is surely not on the part of the Government — this liberal Government—which, on the contrary, takes every opportunity of crushing it. The eloquent and distinguished Senor Corradi prepared an amend ment the other day, "To permit strangers who establish themselves in Spain to exercise their worship under the condition of maintaining it at their own expense and within the limits assigned by the laws." He supported this with a power of argu ment and an eloquence rarely heard within the walls of the Cortes. After quoting several instances of persecution, he pointed out that Spain takes the lead of all other nations in bigotry and intolerance. In Rome, in Naples, and in Tuscany foreigners are per mitted to worship God after their own hearts; and he added that Spain might even take a lesson from Mahometan countries in that catholic charity which should be the most prized possession of a Catholic Church ; and he concluded with a forcible considera tion I will but use one other argument—that is, that intole rance and exclusion in relivious questions ore terrible evils even to that Catholic Church which we desire to pro tect. How do we know that the law of Talion 1 tetaliation) will not some day he applied to us—that intolerance will not be met by intolerance ; exclusion by exclusion? Senor Corradi's amendment was del eated, but only bi lievel 4 Weas the numbers being lae so ut. Bei it 384 bar. Taken as a whole, this was a concert highest order, both in regard to selection ai formance. Hatmoste UsioN.—On Wednesday nig works, the most characteristic and attracti' Mendelssohn ever composed, were performed Harmonic Union at the Hanover-square With excellent instrumentalists, a second4lite and third-rate artists for the solos. It is a p this society, which is endowed with the elements of success—namely, good chorus