The Sun. — London, England, 1851-02-20 00:00:00

T 11 - ----- c '4T RE ROYAL, DRURY-LANE. _----- c e._ ' , The new grand operati c spectac l e, f oun d e d on t h e ' l3 d opera of L' Enfant Prodiyue, which at this lose . . t... " is attracti ng (teed here last • ail Pails to the Grand Opera, was Pro d' 1 evening under the title of Azael the I `gag, an I le' ' Ith giliy as our expectations had been raised le., e r"Perta of its magnificence and splendour, we t‘.."‘ Co nfess that those expectations were more, infinitely ?ruotire anrealised by the reality. Never has there been a ll ee ed oo any stage a dramatu ape eteclo which 4toll 'Pproah Azael, either for int •rest. fur plot, or for tßneoua magnificence of scenery; the far-famed Jewess a ksci e t for one moment be compared to it, and Azael t hith 8 lig a spectacle, if not unsurpassable, at , leas , eto nna %rev the . Pproached. The scene . is laid in Egypt led 4 tulle when Memphis was in all its splendour, 4 '44 1 ? t he desce ndants of A were still let i, 1 . In tents in the desert. ThU rab sc a e M ne of the first the de aid to the tent of Reuben (Mr. Vandenhoff) in_ th e i si se lt- The scene is an accurate representation of Pettairrr of the dwelling in the desert of a rich and the ; 12 ' Patriarch. The back of the tent is open, and . °Peoi till ' e t in the desert, as seen through this ne', i s , ~ and •fl eent uffect. The hat" , It splendid rnegio }libi e " and his family engage in the evening worship, refer Az tel ( Wi'. J. Anderson), is absent. A zael soon be tted' eceompanted by a caravan of travellers, whom piteii ; ; elt t in the desert, and to whom he cffo-s the h i c.:3 . - tclhis (V r his !wiper's t ent . A mong t h em are A m e 0 e'''',_. Emery) and his sister Nefee (Mrs. Walter seei n ,";'• e '''n so l e d one the curiosity of Azle' by their de to 4 41 of the wonch rs of Memphis, that he determines ran thttraisaion of his father to accompany the carao ,lophteli"tr, which permission is, at the intercession ae _f , te!sts ° ,(Stiss F. Vining). the betrothed o A . 1 return's:Ml granted, on his promise to make a speedy hid; he Before his departure Jephtele gives him a " scarfthe kni t , Prom ises always to retain. The act ends with I tild4P 4 of the caravan, forming a most picturesque l Vied d 'Mated procession, in which some real came s In thi s se e : e lt and , several horses are introduced. he ve there is some pretty incidental music, which n getkr, / 1 7 deliglatfully sung by Miss Julia Bleian thee . gre at a 'ter, and the chorus. The second act opens n : of Memphis, and we see the arrival of Azaci, d With ~i- e, ,thad by Nefte, whose costume is resplen ll e r . tees i b" r u. and who, it is evident, has obliterated a e kediittatiee,,,Of Jephtele from the fickle heart of the iclk ca e m ern n° gates of the grand temple ern, and 4 Pia % - i." 4111, 8 the sacred procession of the Ox• god inte nie"e u°3o high priest Bucbaris (Mr. Cooper) de tastes ' r ° 4 l his worshippers fresh offerings, and in i ths N at t h e necessity of a human sacrifice should 4 lk'„ ile not speedily rise. The beautiful titai °`', the ascred dancing girls, now enter, Lie (M all t h e L it toe most graceful evolutions, and .4,14741..0 Victorine LP rain the chief of the I t rtei;; Performs a as de fascination, which !o coin ee—e lear il r leifiet es Azael P that she obtains from him . even . s , — ti o f -rka Jephtele. Madlle. Victorine Legram ve i r s „ I ttie h„,.",," most exquisite dancers who has e h. " I t tie "alit on the boards of Drnry-lane, and t h is Ed hth a perfect recollection that Lucile Gra • n ' 4 gh t : 4 Vabbri made their first appearance before an LI or a tdienc e on this stage ; her personal attractions _ s ___ - "ute „„- ~`"Ch order, and she has a buoyant elasticity of 1,7 1 3:1 41 D -" ,;' Ina a dashing broad style of execution, . -4 1,,. •n 0 by the most perfect grace, that renders er Ns 471;defaecination in every sense of the word. She h%tat.")lll„,,"lblY sup orted by Madlle. Falser, a very .sl'otaii,;"'Y. who bids fair to attain to the very highest . L a te, -; °f her art, and by Madlle. Louise. s i I lt inna of Lia, discloses to Azael that 4 sim . a t -Ile of the most licentious of her ree, Is .°4 k ti ,. ° convince him, procures for him admit 411_,Site * - 7„, °t ßies celebrated by the priests and Alm&s, 4 ILL or I the em Temple of Isis . This scene of the "°f the l e f Isis ;tends unapproached %re originnlitye el er Pe novelty of design, for pic htifOiett.e..BB ;of gariloupin (or gorgeous magnificence ir 4tu e 'P and of costume, and for brilliancy of effect. k a Attie . represents a gorgeous eastern temple, such as to-lrestireonig.htihtayseimagined in the floor moments of I fitted from the to the roof with t.! : 13 t 4 i i r i f i ers " , a p ta ri ri e sin one above another, all occupied , acs, and dancing girls, on whom shine ~- 94 111; et ' fights innumerable, which are reflected back Att thi 'Mn the magnificent drinking-cups and gorgeous . Njo b ell °f the revellers. The Alraies perform aMC a l °d 4t l e f elegant , voleptuous and intoxicating dunces, N t - ogth ' - excitement , the revellers ti to i . eir I overcome by the .. Ste T : Azad enters, and seizes his scarf from the 11 thQ„ 44 ,,, but is disturbed, seized, and condemned . to d 'lei,h", / i lle la being led to his doom he is recognised 1 ,7 Wha .e ; ie, who, with his father, has come to seek him, ,711, Q e ; 4 condemned by the priests to be the human I liitii tr , l ta,ving rescued her from death, Azael ke Quillen" ma fate and is thrown into the Nile. -,sd ee, in a rapture of enthusiasm, called Mr. I, ll kld ra t i °ll ,,nn at the conclusion of this act, and ap i7atz e i:Ln i i to the echo. In the third act we find ; :we b y te i has been fished up from the river b . ' 'lay n camel driver, who has reduced him il le to -e e r Y k 2t_nd wh . o leaves . him to perish in the desert, iNlvi nß " 4 a tlBlola (admirably managed by a series of ka t , ' e kther vie ") , in obedience to which he returns to I, ' W hOni he finds celebrating his harvest 1%4) w h en h, i s r 'orgiven 'and married to Jephtele. The k ite! °f the harvest home is most beautiful. At the k.o_ikid x !,. 14 i0n all the Performers were called on the stage, ~-r• A.ndeeson m ade i t, as h e might well do, a sub bah - , just h Op era •,ollSt, that while the management of ( t , he e. la l'lnt had taken twelve months to-get up dtd z t 4 isfr o g et ? o one it i n one. The house was croe o The libret to (Frc m the Times) 1/4th of .L'Enfant Prodigue recently produced ', of e the G the rand Opera at Paris, and one of the " lions ti e lle td" 1101 1 season, has been used f, r a spectacle pro- 1 L i l P - ,L lBt night at Drury-lane,' under . the title of Aza . e music is 4 7er ri v i9 . 2 4 An opera-book without the laei b il e . prior affair, but this is . n . ot the case with - "c11 le A - cidigat. The opportunities for h acting af prodigal's f t t i t tl . Lo i lir. Vanilenhoff, who plays i ‘se -181rining who plays the prodig t al' e sbetrothed; alkle,titilAnderson-, ' who plays the prodigal himself, are, "ectii.. l ., nt few, but the capacity of the subject for scenic 44red L great, 34 15 , 14 --t1 ; ,, , 7 t i t 3 l,, ' , and no pains or expense have been manager to make it as grand a spectacle 41 'ts : lu te. The story is simplicity itself, but its pro itit!l/It4i4ezatr_"gly marked, and at every stage an opp.or eh ~58 for scenic effect. The portion of the piece 1.71 3 0 i t , `"e action takes place at Memphis is the most ,1 1, 14414-g• Probably there has never been seen on the Z th,Tstage such an effect as that of the grand . debauch Z_ lt ele b eli Vlc of Isis. A flight of steps, occupying the 'JP, i i " re ndth of the stage, and rising eearly ea to ei th . e Nry veelnpletelv occupied with carousing pers( t ) su, g . ,„„ ,, l o n _ °f lheiratietY of .. position and whets these from l n i ! pr,,,od e-,,Ptctions suddenly ' fall asleep, a new variety s el ‘ 4 k ti 4; 3 . i ?,. /31 .Y a l arge stage could give its full brillianc y . S orel atm 4 e this, and Mr. Anderson has well unthr er„,e, l and ,„, em PloYed his s advantag . e. Another ees scene, less ! pleasing, is the con ,„,tlie p ,s Orgeous, but scarcely less P v i ew o f '441 IliePretentati n of the prodigal's home—a kti'ved,ievsznost elitt u ior a t ly " set.' illigh tcat . " " "co in the e niinutest dets A il n s d th l e e r t e lt is n be ot T ° t h h b e e - Ntli 4P1)41141 ofslovenliness or neglect. th i) ,Inee e _ ut ice V ie . g .s ltiCe a, i l l ° e, only costly, but carefully studio I. and t nt, and in which Md . 11e .. . liti ee w ri i r il? . LegrZi are Important, itTurriuincipa. figure, i are stillti s ia,, n all t i tniß dr,it6elPlilied.l Alto ether the whole work I i-atiLl'inve- Yearn e citnen of perfect stage production. lcre It n --klq h as since so grand a spectacle on so large As the * , ~, , nk s boe n presented to a London audience. . t' a kite**- n " v, h i at e cot e the piece may imagine that it is rt,t4tottliel3re4t;:n religious sen grounds, it is but just to state li kii " f or th • Sub j ect more inoffensively handled. .Was pi,,,, t t defi h ., 0 French title, L ' Enfant Prodigue, which IC to -I`e m eaning, there would be nothing about the th ,arii lt ,Td ip.. i . ,_ te referen ce to a sacred subj. ct. With thee 'l3 no i vt " . ne, Mr. Anderson has nothing to do, and 1 ,., dg otrinsic reason to connect the story told . on '`'eard:',,e'luad entitled A zael the Prodigal, with anything Initli vn " els ew . 1 , 'w here. At the couctusion a crowded 4tlders4o4:_nlset into enthusiastic applause, and called Mr. wh o gratefully returned his acknowledgments. i. a erilia „ (From the Daily News.) 17 4, reli-nri Auber's new opera,. L'Enfant Prodigue, . 44 ill fb • 'NI lts triumphant course at the Grand Opera, i k etser lB ,°ed the materials for the " new grand opera r tie . a l ne ht-te, called Azael the Prodigal, produced at Dru y it liKts-illigt. Mr. Anderson has done well to call . .'i, i ty : t e ., fur this designation does not mislead the pub illilel,"`age titles very often do. People did not go to see Zeir - ev tit to hear the ie of an opera; they went to have et di d:ha entertained with a sh ow, an d assuredly they were 1e,... -t°46 o /°l nted; for, in so far as beautiful scenery, rich il - ',K ti t a b h : ll4 toad dresses brillia havenacing, and seenimos lYtle,,4lx, were coneer ' ned we carcely ever 41144tt1e-,6 Thesorgeous and 'magnificent in an English as`a el by i R principal characters were well acted; -14 4'' utr- Anderson, his father by Mr. Vanden f ho h ll e ; Nee* ePhthele by Miss g. Some o the e lide wer e „,....._ se 'cry effective, P articularlyp the return of .h 11t/f the r, Which was really pathetic. But the attraetio e. I ,4l4 f i ecc lies in its spectacular qualities; and the t r r _ . Kit e to 'e excellence of the dancing must greatly eon i . r , 4110 Aril!" success. The principal danreuse, Mademoi T li t it e eO -e la r n r i,no Legrain, is a very charming performer ' , ,„ 'Ac t , reLent to take a leading part at her Majesty s --elt4ostereefie; joyee'rrdst.hilhouse was crowded, and nothing could . be than the manner in which the piece p Th e lid . (From the Chronicle.) Odi a P t atlon as an operatic spectacle of L'Enfant ;I"N r ig le attracted last night an overflowing audience to 0 111 1 , 1 , 414 _,e• No small degree of public interest and cue 'lie e ; h ad been prey:owl excited, and the result of 1 : i t L'i 3 : t f ic4 nt Was decidedly Y successful. The subject ~1 11P le t-ja4e Prodigue demands, of course, the broadest, Z`e fele a-1 1 , 4111 most massive treatment. The incidents . „",ere, ;Cut great and momentous, each forming, as it pky ii,'"e catastrophe of a stage of the drama. The e' llt " esi got uP w ith great care and laudable attention to ~,_- eil 1 rie„"111 discoveries. The costumes—the simple th - ltre t e '„v e ; on 4 white ground always prevailing r e 0 , - i r a Ltl ns from their faithful adherence to -1)1 n W " of colours and stsange sculptured ( 4 1 tisl, .teeentlY opened up by the excavations The IN- "Ilciont citiesofthe Tigris and the Euphrates. its tirri4sl.oral character of the Sheik's tented home, with P li i: tb n i alll bl i n e j gr a r ie -P n s d of in habitants, contrasts well with . splendour which ensues, es, as does the sun oriiiitsrler melody sung ) beneath the desert tent, with d the e ti hkl- ut Illarch music of the priestly processions an dance. The ' t i t ! strai ns to which the circling Almees . psi rites : a ,of Isis, in the second act, ho processions of wei p i , 444 p nes, bearing till ~- and tialtetende'cl by .clouds sy o m f b el o a l n s c o in f g Eg g y ir p l t s i , an ar w e ° a r il orgh i s 4l Q effectively grouped and managed, while the tte nue. at e se nt) in the temple is fine in the ex tobey The devotees, in their white flowing fr ont _lit,cd festive chaplets, are grouped from the tertaio":tethe stage up a series of steps or terraces, ler e 4 , by great vistas of massive Martin-like 4triiPppr" porticos. The whole of this scene is ,ith Il s etec ith rust spleudcur, and, what is even better, 4 4 Isnss e YI for picturesque end energetic effect. '''`"' kiitieuble feature of the third ant is the (.1163i3" THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 20, 1851. like valley of the desert, with its harvest festival, to which the prodigal returns. Mr. Rafter sawe the prin cipal melodies. In the incidental ballet, a Wile. Vic torine Legrain made her Mut. She dances with energy, succeeding also in flinging some archness of colouring over her coquettish pantomime. The drama presents few or no strong features for the actor. Its character is entirely declamatory, and the principal speeches were given by Mr. Varidenhoti, as the aged father, and Mr. Anderson, as the prodigal, with force, appreciatim of the sentiment, and earnest energy. Azad, the Prodigal, was announced by the manager for nightly repetition. (From the Morning Past) Last evening. an adaptation of Auber's last new opera, entitled L'Enfant Prodigue, now being performed with prodigious success in Paris, was produced at the ahove theatre, under the title of Azad, the Prodigal. It must be considered as merely founded on Scribe and Auber's opera, the aim has been to produce a gorgeous spectacle, including every species of scenic and choreo graphic f ffccf, interwoven with an interesting story, furnishing appropriate characters for the leading actors of the establishment. Viewing the matter in this light, we are bound to admit that the adapter has acquitted himself most admirably cf his task ; for from the first scene to the last there were interest end excitement. A new splen dour in scenery, costume, or decoration, arose each in stant to dazzle the eye. Ever and anon came a quaint Auberian melody freshly upon the ear; and sufficient scope was constantly afforded for excellent acting and dramatic t tree, to employ the mental faculti( s and affect the heart. [After deieribing the plot of the piece, the critic thus speaks of the gorgeous scene, which con cludes the second act.] We. have now arrived at the most gorgeous scene in the spectacle; the most bril• liant, perhaps, over seen in any piece, if we look at it with reference to the poetry of its conception, as well as the perfection of its execution. It is the interior of the Temple of Isis, during the celebration of the sacred orgies. The priests and Alm has, drunk with love and wine, mingle in the giddy dance. Wild bacchanalian retains fill the air—everything that the imagination can picture is present to delight the senses. The scene, too, is arranged in a totally novel manner; a platform rises gradually to the top of the back scene, display ing the costumes and forms of the dancers to the greatest possible advantage. Nothing can be more striking than the coup d'icil. We have not space to give a detailed account of ail the magnificence of this scene, but hope, on a future occasion, to be able to enter more fully into its merits. At the conclusion of this act, the applause was most tumultuous. The concluding scenes of the spectacle afforded opportunities for some admira ble acting by Mr. Anderson, Mr. Vandenhoff, and Miss F. Vining, as well as clever mechanical effects; and the curtain fell at midnight amidst most enthusiastic applause. THE EASTERN COUNTIES RAILWAY.—We under stend that efforts are being made in Manchester to secure, at the meeting to be held on the 27th instant, the election of Mr. Waddington, M.P. (formerly deputy-chairman of the above company), as a member of the board of directors. Con sidering the prominent part taken by Mr. Waddington in the not very " pleasant" proceedings of the com pany, from 1845 to 1848, we very much doubt the success of the Manchester move, notwithstanding the extra ordinary scene enacted at the recent special meeting of the company, chiefly through the instrumentality of some of the small fry of its very declamatory, very unreasonable, and very changeable proprietary.—• Morning Herald. ITALIAN ANTI-PAPAL MEETING.—Last night, meeting, which had been twice postponed, was held at the Music Hall, Store-street, for the purpose of hearing the very interesting statements of several Italian converts who ad dressed the meeting, and who depicted in the most eloquent language the frightful tyranny which was exercised by the Romish Church over the consciences of her adherents. Un fortunately, no interpreters were engaged for the occasion, nor were the names of the speakers announced, as they should have been. Signor Bezzi, we were informed, took the chair. The speeches had reference, of course, to recent events, and many allusions were made to the interposition of Austria in the late struggle of the Italian people. The hall was pretty well filled, but the private boxes were almost empty. The speeches gave much pleasure to the audience, a great part of whom were foreigners, who fully appreciated the impassioned bursts of the speakers, who indeed presented a bright pha lanx of converts to Protestantism. II UN TE RIAN SOCIETY.—Dr. Lever delivered the twenty-third annual oration to the members of the society yesterday afternoon, at the London Tavern, Bishopsgate street. He chose for his subject, " The consanguinity of child-bed fever and erysipelas." The lecturer described at considerable length the various symptoms of child-bed fever and erysipelas trom his own observations and experience. He concluded his lecture by hoping that he might be per mitted to suggest to the council that as this year was to be a jubilee year, he might say with reverence a second Pen tecost year, and as thousands would be assembled in this mighty city, and amongst them many of the medical pro fession, attracted from all quarters of the globe, he consi dered that it would redound to the honour of the Hunterian Society, if they held occasional conversaziones to receive their foreign brethren with that spirit and cordiality which had at all times been the distinguishing character of the society. The suggestion was received with loud applause, and assur ance was gives that it would not be forgotten. The mem bers then adjourned to another room, where they dined to gether. A SOFA MADE or CoAL.—The Fife Advertiser, referring to one peculiar characteristic of the coal found in that district, which can be converted into articles of house hold furniture, such as looking-glass frames, writing-desks, chairs, and tables, states that Mr. William Williamson is at present engaged in making a sofa wholly composed of coal. It is nine feet long, with three compartments or divisions, and is sufficient to contain seven people silting on i'. The front standards are beautifully carved, displaying three mongrel animals, which forcibly remind the spectators of those richly-carved figures that appear so frequently in Dr. Lavard's remains of ancient Babylon. This rare geological curiosity was ordered by General Wemyss, and it is highly probable that it will appear at the Great Exhibition, as it was ordered to be finished previous to that time; and as the General bolds an appointment in the Queen's household, it may yet be transferred from the Crrtal Palace to the palace of her Majesty. SOCIETY OF ARTS.—At the eleventh ordinary meeting of this society, held last evening, Professor Calvert delivered a supplementary lecture before the members of the institution, on the laws of colour, with relation to the com bination and arrangement of coloured fabrics. Having fur ther elucidated, by the aid of diagrams and illustrations, the reciprocal influence exerted by different colours, either in brightening or tarnishing their respective tints when placed in close proximity to each other, the lecturer proceeded to point out in varied - de ail the necessity for due attention to the principles involved in these results in the " setting off " of coloured goods—whether silks, calicoes, paper-hangings, or any other description of fabrics requiring colours —at the approaching Exhibition of the industry of all nations; otherwise (he explained) the result would be that in many instances the piece of goods most entitled, from its intrinsic beauty, to carry off the prize in the competition, would be thrown into the shade by articles really inferior, but having the advantage of a better disposition for the purposes of display : The lecture was listened to with very great interest ; and at its close an animated discussion among the members ensued, in the course of which much additional information on various practi c al points connected with the subject was elicited by the auditory. The thanks of the society were cordially voted to Professor Calvert, and the proceedings of the sitting shortly afterwards terminated. DETERIORATION OF COPPER AND SILVER COIN. The licenced victuallers of the metropolis and its suburbs have literally been inundated with spurious silver coin, prin cipally half-crowns, so beautifully moulded and finished off almost to defy detection. Vast numbers of drilled penny pieces and halfpence are also in circulation, of not half the current value—the cop; er coin of the Channel Islands, Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man, is also abundant. In short, Wood's copper or brass coinage, that called forth the Draper's letters from Dean Swift, could not be more abo minable. With regard to the silver coin adverted to, many a licensed victualler unwittingly gives change for his own absent, or rather abstracted, quart pot l It is, indeed, truly wom:erful with what rapidity a " stray h a lf•pi nt " i s trans formed into a plausible-looking half-c rown , or a me l te d handle of a pewter quart into a respectable looking shilling ! tee. royal Philippe. ts The influx Franc-pieces, too , are numerous, and the unwary r ec ipi en t, elve of Victoria, comesin instead off do f witht receiving nilyan e . p rightnn) Louis of foreigners, on the approaching great Exhibition, renders it necessary, particularly among the great body of licens e d victuallers, that they shou ld be u p on their guard, for both internally and externally they have enough to contend with. A avertiser. INSECT LlFE.—lnsects generally must lead a truly jovial life. Think what it must be to lodge in a lily. Ima gine a palace of ivory and pearl, with pillars of silver and capitals of gold, all exhaling such a perfume as never arose from human censer. Fancy, again, the fun of tucking them selves up for the night in the folds of a rose, rocked to sleep by the gentle sighs of summer air, nothing to do when you awake but to wash yourself in a dewdrop, and fall to eat your bed-clothes. —American Paper. DEATR OF COLONEL CocK, C.B.—Thi3 officer died in England on the 17th inst. He belonged to the East India Company's service, Bengal Presidency, and for his ser vices in the east was in 1838 nominated a Companion of the Bath. SUICIDE OF A DISSENTING MINISTEE.--AD inquest was held on Friday at Kidwelly, on the body of the Rev. William Davies, generally known as Mr. Davies, of Africa, from the circumstance of his having many years ago been engaged as a missionary at Sierra Leone, in connexion with the Wesleyan Missionary Society. It appeared by the evi dence adduced at the inquiry that for seven years the de ceased had been subject to occasional periods of great mental excitement, but during the last four months of his life he became exceedingly depressed. It was likewise stated that his last marriage was a very infelicitous one. A verdict was returned to the effect that deceased committed suicide b y h an ging himself, he being at the time insane.—Swansea Herald. DARING ATTEMPT OF A DESERTER TO ESCAPE. — On Sunday evening a corporal and private of the 9th Foot were escorting a deserter from Mullingar to Dublin by the Midland Great Western Railway. When within about seven miles of the Dublin, and near Clonsilla station, the prisoner managed to relieve himself of the handcuffs, and having cautiously opened the carriage door, he jumped out. The corporal in charge on missing the prisoner at once made a spring out after him, although at the imminent risk of his life, the train going at the rate of fully 25 miles an hour at the time. On the arrival of the train in Dublin the matter was reported to the superinte ndent, who retu rned on an en gine to where the accident occ urred, under th e impression that both parties must have been either killed or so disabled as to remain where they jumped o ut. On reachi ng the place he found both the corporal and prisoner quite safe, and pro ceeding on their march to Dublin. UNFLEASART INVITATION.—The following was posted on the door of the Ludlow Church, in Hertfordshire, some time back :—" This is to give notice, that no person is to be buried in this churchyard but those living in the parish. Those who wish to be but ied are desired to apply to me, Ephraim Grub, parish clerk." TuE SAXON BLOOD.—Wherever the descendants of the Saxon race have gone, have sailed, or otherwise made their way, even to the remotest regions of the world, they have been patient, persevering, never to be broken in spirit, never to be turned asid e f rom enterprises on which they have resolved. In Europe, Asia, Africa, America, the whole world over; in the desert, in the forest, on the sea; scorched by a burning sun, or frozen by ice that never melts, the Saxon blood remains unchanged. Wheresoever that race goes there law, and industry, and safety for lite and pro perty, and all the great results of steady perseverance, Ica 'certain to gise,-.-,Dickens'; Household Words 3 MONTHLY CONCERTS. ST. MARTIN'S HALL. The fourth of the series was given by Mr. Mullah, last evening, when he produced Mendelssohn's oratorio, Elijah, with an effect and a success surpassing, perhaps, all his previou, efforts. The great room of S'. Martin's Hall, Long-acre, was crowded to the walls. In the un reserved seats there was not standing-room for one. per son more, and a grr at many who wiohed to press in for their chance of accommodation were necessarily refus , d admission to that part of the hell; whereas the admis• sion of a doz !n more in the reserved seats would have seriously incommoded the occupants of that privileged portion of the building. The audience, although s nu merous, was, strictly, in the received meaning of the word, select. Nor should we use the term "elegant" in a common-place signification, applying it to the com pany on this occasion, for the appearance and style, and the manifestations of practised end refined taste which marked their demeanour throughout the evening, call for the use of that epithet most especially. Without any noisy applause, there was no lack of a sufficiently em phatic expression of high gratification throughout the surpassingly fine performance to satisfy all engaged in the production that their rare excellence in almost every particular was fully appreci,,ted. Applause, indeed, there was—very much more than at any of the three previous concerts of this series. There were also several indications of a disposition to encore; but these received no encouragement from the great body of the audience, or from Mr. Hullah himself, arid the great work proceeded from the overture to the magnificent close, in the final chorus of thanksgiving, with smoothness and perfection, rarely (if ever) before witnessed in the first productio❑ of so great and difficult a work. Mr. Hullah may well exult in pride of the ex cellence of his choir of pupils. Of the principal vocalists, Miss Williams, Mr. Weiss, and Mr. Lockey are so well known, that a word more of especial notice would be superfluous, beyond saying that they displayed their usual powers, but under circumstances and in a mood which actually compelled one to fancy for the time that these most accomplished and able singers bad improved amazingly even upon their previous excellence. There is no doubt that the performance of Miss ,Kearns is an improvement equal to that of ten years upon that of her deinit here in November last. In a fourth appearance, never was there known so surprising, so delightful a progress. As the child sent by the prophet to observe from the mountain whether there were signs of rain from the sea, in replying to Elijah's question, " Hath my prayer been heard by the Lord?" her tone was delicious. "There is nothing," was ut tered in such pure notes—so child-like—se sweet—as to characterize the angelic youth that must be chosen as the interpreter of the Lord's will to his honoured ser vant, in that grand trial. Another soprano, Mrs. Ender shon (a pupil of Sir George Smart's), made a very triumphant debu'r, as was foreknown from the announce ment, for Mr. Hullah risks no failures. Miss Kent and Miss Gill distinguished themselves most creditably in the parts assigned to them, as did also Mr. Herberte and Mr. Buckland. On the whole, it is, seriously, not too much to declare that it was affirmed with truth, by those of last night's audience who had heard the ora torio under Mendelsshon's own conduct, that the glori ous work was never done so much justice to as at this hail. COWES, ISLE OF WIGHT. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) COWES, FEB. 19. LAUNCH OF A TURKISH STEAM.SIIIP.— On Wednes day afternoon, at a quarter-past one, was launched from the ship-building yard of Messrs. John and Robert White, a splendid steamer for the Ottoman Government, in the presence of the Turkish admiral and captains and officers of the Ottoman squadron at Portsmouth. The steamer was named by the admiral " Shapere" with the accustomed ceremony, and on the dogshores being knocked away she glided along her ways to her destined element amid the hearty hurrahs from the spectators. This graceful model is 750 tons, with two masts, and was launched all a Panto, and is destined, like her three predecessors built by the same firm, to carry the Turkish mails between Constantinople, Smyrna, and the Black Sea. She will be placed in the Medina Dock to be cop pered, and then proceed to London to receive her en gines by Messrs. Maudslay and Co. SPORTING INTELLIGENCE. NEWMARKET SECOND OCTOBER MEETING, 1851.— THURSDAY. Sweepstakes of 200 sovs. each, h ft. A.F. Mr. Mangsn's Russborough, 4 yrs, Bst 71b—Duke of Bedford's Bordeaux, 4 yrs, 83t—Lord Stanley's Uriel, 5 yrs, 7st 81b. BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH. SOUTHAMPTON, THURSDAY, 11.30 A.M. The Peninsular and Oriental Company's ship Indus, Captain Soy, is just signalled from Alexandria, with the East India, China, and Mediterranean mails. BURGLARY AND ATTEMPT TO MURDER AT WlNDson.—This morning (Wednesday), at half-past one o'clock, the house of Mr. Tucker, the well•known verger of St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, who resides at No. 4, Clarence-road, was burglariously broken into by two nightly assassins, who effected an entrance through a aide window at the basement of the house, forcing it with a jemmy. They first ransacked cupboards, chiffoniers, and drawers in the lower rooms of the house, and, not finding the object of their attack, proceeded upstairs with lighted candles, which one of them held whilst the other entered the respective sleeping apartments of Mr. Tucker and an elderly lady named Whittaker. Having first entered Mrs. Whittaker's apartment, she was awoke by the light and noise, and im mediately exclaimed " Who's that ?" The fellow, in reply, said, "I'll let you know," and struck her a blow on the head with an iron instrument; be repeated the blow, inflict ing two severe wounds, and with another blow broke her arm, which she held up to save her head. Mr. Tucker, on hearing Mrs. Whittaker's screams, jumped out of bed and ran to her assistance, but was met by the burglar, knocked down by a blow on the head, and on rising three consecutive times was knocked down, receiving fur severe and dangerous wounds on the head, during which period Mrs. Whittaker endeavoured to throw up the window, screaming murder and police as well as her faint state would permit. The police were soon at band, but the cowardly villains had decamped. Mr. Larangey was called in to attend the sufferers, who are in a most dangerous state. Mr. Tucker is upwards of 90 years of age. BURGLARIES.—THE CANNON GANG.—An investi gation before the county magistrates at Chatham, which lasted for three days, has terminated in the commitment for trial of George Weston, J. Thomas, and J. Clark, for a bur glary, on the 2d inst., at Graveney, near Faversham ; of George Weston and J. Clark, for breaking into Townsend's redoubt, in the fortifications at Chatham, in December last; of T. Wilson and his wife, for receiving goods stolen from a grocer's shop at Newington, near Sittingbourne, in January last, and also for receiving various other stolen goods, the produce of different burglaries. These two last-mentioned persons, it will be remembered, were landlord and landlady of the Cannon. In a great number of instances the stolen property was found in the private apartments of Mr. and Mrs. Wilson. A woman named Harriet Summers, who has been acting as lodgers' chanibermaid at the Cannon, is proved to have sold or disposed of many of the stolen ar ticles. Superintendents Dunne and Everest have been inde fatigable in their exertions to detect the proceedings of this formidable gang, and to their labours the public are indebted that the offenders are about to be brought to justice. The former of these officers has also ascertained that the men who broke into Holford- house were in connexion with the gang at Chatham. THREATENING SIR W. SOMERVILLE.—In the course of Yesterday morning Sir William Somerville, Chief ' Secretary for Ireland, -waited upon Mr. Broderip, -at the 'WestminSter Police- court, and having handed hitn' some letters, the contents of which did not transpire, a warrant was immediately issued against the writer for threatening p erso nal violence to the Right Honourable Baronet. The warrant was forthwith executed, when the accused, an Irishman of genteel appearance and good address, gave his name. Samuel M'Carthy. In the course of the inquiry it ap peared that an imposition had been practised upon the de fendant which led him to apprehend that he bad been ill used by the Right Honourable Baronet. The explanation appearing to be well founded, Sir William Somerville did not press the matter, and the defendant was discharged—the Magistrate observing that, had it been proceeded with, good bail would have been required. SERIOUS FIRE AT LEEDS.—LEEDS, WEDNESDAY. —About nine o'clock on Tuesday night the warehouse of Mr. Fletcher, furniture-dealer, Kirkgate, was found to be on fire. Information was quickly conveyed to the police-office, and soon afterwards the fire-plug apparatus of the town was in full operation ; but such was the combustible nature of the property, that notwithstanding a good supply of water, and every exertion, the fire was not subdued until the building had been completely gutted, and the furniture entirely destroyed. Considerable fear was felt for the safety of the adjoining property. Mr. Furness, druggist, had a warehouse Contiguous to the one in question, containing a large quan tity of naptha ; but, from the well-directed exertions of those present, the fire was prevented from spreading. It is not known yet how the fire originated, but we may say that it is suspected that it was not the result of accident. The same premises were on fire a short time ago, and there were then strong suspicions on the part of the fire-offices of foul play. - - THE SAILORS' STRIKE AT LIVERPOOL.—LIVER WEDNESDAY.—The sailors in this port continue on strike, and perambulate the streets w i t h mus i c an d f l y i ng flags. Yesterday Mr. Kenworthy, shipowner, obtained a warrant to bring up three seamen for not proceeding in the ship Lintin, when ready for sea. The crew were shipped, it appears, at the Sailors' Home on Friday, when they signed articles to be on board on the 17th instant, two hours before high water, to proceed to sea. But the sailors now on strike mobbed the ship, and three men bad to be taken off to her in a boat. The men complained that they bad been intimi dated against joining her; and after lying in the river for two hours, with a steamer attached, the ship had to proceed to sea one man short of her complement. Mr. Rushton said the chairman of the Local Marine Board had called his atten tion to this vessel, and he had given such orders as would prevent future interference. THE LORD CHANCELLOR AND THE WELSH LAN GUAGE Some short time ago the Lord Chancellor presented the Rev. David Jeffrey, curate of Neath, in South Wales, to the rectory of Tir Newydd, in Anglesey, vacant by the death of the Rev. Rhys Hughes. Mr. Jeffrey is a Welshman, and well acquainted with his mother tongue; and in reference to this subject, it is asserted that the Lord Chancellor has ex pressed his intention of not bestowing any of his Welsh pa tronage on ministers who are not thoroughly proficient in and masters of the Welsh language. This was the first Welsh living which had fallen to the Chancellor for disposal, and the fact that it was given to a Welshman whose superior qualifications in his native language were well known is con sidered evidence of the Lord Chancellor's intention that clergymen shall understand the language spoken by the great majority of their flock. A BOLD CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.—Messrs. Thomas Tucker and Co., of Liverpool, ship-builders, have offered to accept the American challenge, to construct a sailing ship, of any size, to compete with one of the Yankee build; and the owners of the winning ship to gain the losing one. LADIES' VEILS.—A celebrated writer on sight says that wearing veils permanently weakens many naturally good eyes, on account of the endeavours of the eye to adjust itselt to the ceaseless vibration of that too common article of dress. Ladies, then, should beware of hiding their pretty eyes and faces with veils. THE PRECIOUS BUDGET. SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS. CHRONICLE.—We are not at present aware Tw he- ther any foundation exists for the rumour of an ap proaching dissolution of Parliament. The circulation of inch reports is a familiar method of recalling wavering adherents to their allegiance, and if they have been countenanced by Ministers, it is more than probable that a working majority in the present House was a more immediate object than the problematical result of an ap ical to the constituencies. At the same time, the rash ness which, in Lord John Russell's character, is so sin gularly combined with timidity in carrying out reckless and hasty decisions, renders the desperate resort of a new election not improbable, as a mode of escaping from party difficulties. If any such plan is under considera tion, it would be well for those who have a voice in the decision to reflect on the entire absence of all the cir cumstances which render an appeal to the country con venient or necessary. It is true that the Ministry is in volved in serious difficulties, which may be expressed in three, or rather in two propositions. It is impossible that the sham anti-Aggression Bill can he tarried. The Budget cannot be carried through the House of Com mons; and therefore it is difficult to conceive that the Chancellor of the Exchequer can retain his office. The anti-Papal difficulty is inherent in the nature of the question itself, although it has been complicated by the imbecility and insincerity which have characterized all the o(cillations of the polemical policy of Ministers. It is possible that a dissolution might anticipate the entire subsidence of the ferment, which is nevertheless rapidly subsiding, among the gulled believers in the Durham Letter; but all the answer which could be given to a No Popery appeal would amount at most to a declara tion that something must be done. If any consequence could result from so vague an aspiration, it it clear that it trust be produced by more vigorous agency than that of the authors of the new prohibition of local titles. Lord Stanley could bid higher for ultra-Protes tant support ; and although we by no means attri bute to Mr. Disraeli or to the Duke of Richmond any enthusiastic desire for a new election, it is probable that the numerical gain would be greater to the Pro tectionists than to the thorough• going supporters of Ministers. Ireland, on the other band, would return a larger proportion of Roman Catholics, all pledged to resist any encroachment on the: freedom of their religion. The majority and the minority would be more directly opposed to one another than ever; and their relative numbers would not be materielly changed. With the more immediate ancfpressing difpulty of the Budget, the constituencies would be still more incompe tent to deal. They would probably be tinanimens in requiring a more politic plan, and in wishing for a more successful financier to frame it; but a generel election cannot be decided on considerations of the felative merits of coffee and chicory. The House of Conimons is fully competent to judge of the demerits of a proposal which is principally remarkable for the absence of any definite policy whatever. From the beginning to the end of his speech, Sir Charles Wood abstained from enunciating any theory which could justify either tee small and unsatisfactory changes which he proposed, or the im posts which be had determined to ,eetain. Even the continuance of the income-tax, which was the necessary foundation of his whole Budget, was announced in an apologetic and hesitating tone which could only encourage Criticism and opposition. He had voted against it, he confessed, when Sir Robert Peel first proposed it; but he had afterwards thought that the imposition was justified by those great reforms in the tariff which it rendered possible. Further relief from indirect taxation was still possible and de sirable; and it might, by a natural inference, have fol lowed that the income-tax was to be retained to cover the commercial experiments which promise results not inferior to th ,se of previous reductions. Sir Charles Wood proved to demonstration that the refusal of the income-tax would not only absorb the surplus in future, but would leave a positive deficit; but on his own show ing, a third of the tax might be removed, or the most unpopular schedules abandoned, without reducing the revenue below the expenditure; nor could there be any justification for maintaining it at its present rate, if no advantage was to be taken of the surp:us which . it afforded. The country will certainly -not consent to bear any income-tax for the mere purpose of purchasing Three per Cents. at 96. The burden is endured that the springs of consumption may be lightened, to the increase of the public and private resources of the country. The admission that it could only be justified as an instrument for reducing indirect taxation became equivalent to an invitation to reject the tax, from the moment when it appeared that no serious reforms were to be proposed in the Custcms or Excise. There is much to be said for and against the income-tax; but the questions relating to it cannot safely be entrusted to the discretion of a Minister who appears scarcely to believe in the expedi ency of his own proposals, and who declines to undertake the policy which on his own showing is ne cessary to justify the impost. It is far from improbable that the supporters of free trade and commercial reform may be compelled to support the position which the Finance' Minister so feebly defends, for the purpose of keeping the ground open for a perseverance in the policy which he has neither courage, skill, nor capacity to carry forward. The proposition for revalieg the window-tax was brought forward with the same hesitating appearance of inviting defeat. The Chancellor of the Exchequer declared that house property was not unduly burdened; and if he slighly referred to the irregularities in the assessment of the window duties, and to the social evils which they are said to produce, it was difficult to under stand why, among many obnoxious taxes, he had selected an impost for abolition of which he entertained so favour able an opinion. Agreeing with him that house-owners are not entitled to monopolise a surplus of two millions, we might have received with comparative satisfaction the announcement of a moderate house tax, to be levied in proportion to the value. The greatest evil in the win dow-tax consists in its inequality, and capricious gra duation is precisely that feature in the esystem which is to be especially preserved in the new duty charged upon houses. A small house with many windows is to pay more than a tenement of double value and fewer glazed openings; and, as if to make the injustice more glaring by contrast, new houses ere to be fairly assessed in comparison with one another, and therefore unfairly in comparison with the vast majority of dwellings. The builder of a house worth 30/. a year, in addition to the ad vantage of untaxed brick and glass, is to be rated at an annual house duty of 11. 10s.—while his.next neighbour, if he bas the misfortune to have twenty windows, may be charged with three or four times the amount. This un just and impracticable arrangement will not be rendered more palatable by the Minister's dilettante explanation of his course. He had taken warning, he said, by his experience in the stamp duties, and he must decline to un dertake an adjustment of taxation, which might in some cases involve an increase of assessment s Yet it seems the pe culiar duty of a financier, in bringing forward a new fiscal arrangement, to adjust, as far as possible, the burden to the ability, even at the risk of dissatisfying the few who might be losers by an enforcement of justice. As if to answer even the feeble excuse which is offered, there are actually certain cases in which , under the plan as it stands, taxation will be increased; but these cases are isolated, and the grievance can in no instarce affect the wealthy and powerful. The basis of the Budget, both in respect of the taxes which it retains and those which it modifies, has been rendered unsafe by the diffident position of its official advocate and author. Until the debates hare commenced—perhaps until divisions have been attempted —it will be difficult to judge .whether, ,the resources on . which the Minister cal rulates will '.really be left at >his disposal. Bat, on the assumption that he hes- the surplus which appears on the face of his statement, the most serious of all the charges against the Budget re mains—that he has frittered it away in peddlize, and petty modes of application, and jias wasted a great op portunity. Sir Robert Peel tried his bold and suecereful experiments in the face of an alarming deficit. It would be unreasonable to expect that the bow of Ulysses should be bent by feebler and more timict arms; but at least it might have been expected that asurplus revenue would be the means of conferring some benefit on the country. Entire branches of trade might be raised into prospe fby, a the communitydisposal s of the resources might find their r it enjoyments y,an d vast which are now at the command of the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the H ouse of C ommons. It is not by trying to bribe, first one interes t and then another, nor increased, massescreased o , by admitting their claims without satisfying them, that a skilful and far-seeing financier would make use of a good fortune which Sir Charles Wood seems to fear and deprecate from a conscious inability to turn it to account. ADVERTISER. —The Whig Ministry are in a help less and hopeless condition. Their greatest enemies must pity them. They have come t o a d ea d fi x; they have sunk so deep in the mire, that we see no human probability of their extrication. Even Hercules himself could hardly get the m out of the m u d, I t i s a ll t h e i r own doings. They ha ve the.n?tTi yes alone to blame for the pretty predicamen t in which they are placed. Lord Stanley and Mr. Disraeli may severally apostrophise the Russell Administration in the words of Macbeth— " Thou canst not say I did j,.. We always predicted it would come to this. We have uniformly said, " Give them rope enou g h . " The quota tion is too well known to require that it should be given at length. It would appear as if the Premier and Chan cellor of the Exchequer were just now running a race. It looks as if there were a regular competi tion between these two members of the Cabinet, as to who shall most speedily and most effectually damage, previous to destroying, the Whig Govern ment. Each is acquitting himself with great ability in his way. The Papal Aggression Bill of the Noble Lord and the Budget of the Right Hon. Gentleman, are re spectively very much adapted for the purpose. Neither Minister could have been happier in his choice of instru mentality for destroying the Whig Government. Which I of the two is labouring in his vocation with the greatest success, is a point on which we find a difference of opi nion to prevail. It appears to many a neck-and neck race, so far es it has gone. between Lord John Russell and Sir Charles Wood. Either of the two would have sufficed to accomplish their object before any long time had ( lapsed. As both are working in harness together, they cannot fail to do it in a very brief period. Our own opinion, if we must needs express an opinion, is, that Sir Charles Wood will be the winner. Others, we know, think different; but that will not diminish the strength of our faith in our own c onclusions. Were we disposed to gamble, we would back the Right HOD. Gentleman against the Noble Lord. At Tattersall's also, were bets to be taken in that c elebrated locality, the odds, we are sure, would be in favour of the Right lion. Gentleman. The Budget, we hold, will beat the Papal Bill in precipitating the dissolution of the Ministry. The latter would have done the deed in the long run, but the Budget will do it at once. The odds, in the estimation of others, as well as in ours, are decid e dl y i n favou r of Sir Charles. Lord John seeks to delay his measure in its various stages. Charles is determined that the di3cussion on the more vital points of the Budget shall be taken forthwith. The Chancellor of the Exchequer is, therefore, the wan for us. With the discussions which aro impending on the financial plans of Sir Charles, we should think him a desperate gambler who would bet in favour of a four weeks' existence of the Ministry. Taking the measures of the Noble Lord and the Right Hon. Gentleman together, the downfall of the Whig Administration may be regarded as a moral cer tainty. There is nothing of a contingent character about it. Lord Carlisle is a poet. If, therefore, he means to pen the epitaph of the Whig Cabinet, it is high time he were preparing himself for the task. The extinction . of the Ministry will, no doubt, be lamented by some parties. It would be strange if that Ministry, bad as it has been, had no friends. If it has no other parties to sorrow over its ' dissolution it must have mourners among those whose . situations will cease with it. Let, then, such persons prepare their tears; they will soon have occasion to shed them in profusion. The Budget of the Chancellor of the Exchequer is unique of its kind. It stands alone among all the financial statements ever made in tl e House of Commons. In the absurdity, the injustice, the iniquity of some of its more important provisions, it is altogether unprecedented. "None but itself can be its parallel." It were difficult to say whether the want of capacity or of justice be the more glaring defects in the measure. The union of the two attributes is singulary striking. Taking it altogether, "we no'er shall look upon its like again." For the man who could propose, or the Ministry who could sanction so outrageous a finie cial scheme, it is difficult to make any allowance. Both must be crushed by the measure. Mr. Disraeli and his Protectionist troops must be delighted with the Budget of Sir Charles. It is just the thing which the Opposition leader must have wished to have. No doubt he and they are already prepared to take advantage of the chance which Sir Charles has given them. The author of "Coningsby" must be already preparing for an onslaught. Let us give him a hint, leaving it optional with himself whether ho adopt it or not. We know that he will not regret it if he do. What we would suggest is, that when the question of sanctioning the Bill for another three years comes before the House, Mr. Disraeli should be ready with a measure, either in the shape of an amendment, or a substantive motion, having for its object to protect precarious in comes against the unhallowed hand of the tax-gatherer. Let all professional men—those who spend their days and nights in unremitting and often uncertain labour, in their struggle to earn a livelihood, be exempted from the operation of this unjust and tyrannical tax. If the Member for Bucks cannot insure the support of his Pro tectionist forces, we will guarantee to him the aid of a sufficient number of Liberal Members, to render success a matter of certainty. Nor will he win by a narrow majority only. He will have a large majority in favour of his proposition—the first majority, we believe, he ever had since the commencement of his legislative career. We cannot suppose that Mr. Disraeli will lose so favourable an opportunity of tripping up the heels of the Whig Cabinet, especially as, for once in his life, he will be carrying out the wishes of the people, at the same time that he promotes the views of his party. Such a chance may not again occur in the legislative life of the lion. Gentleman—not even if his Parliamentary existence were to be prolonged to the end of the present century. Should we, however, be wrong in assuming that the Member for Bucks will lead the opposition against the Ministerial proposal to renew the provisions of the property-tax as regards precarious incomes, we cannot doubt that some of the Liberal Members will. It is a thing which must be done. The term for which it is proposed to renew the income-tax, with all its iniquities and injustice, is three years. One year's renewal would have been bad enough. A re newal for a period of three years is a thing not to be endured. it is an impost on men's minds—a tax on their bodies. To pay the tax on mere incomes derived from mental exertions, many myriads have to spin their brains at the imminent risk of impairing the faculty .of reason. Myriads more are shortening their days by labours which break down the body as well as destroy the mind, in their anxiety to keep themselves and fami lies in a respectable position in society. To them the income-tax is not only oppressive, but an act of abso lute cruelty—a piece of downright inhumanity. For such unhappy beings—persons in as deplorable a condi tion as can be imagined—Sir Charles Wood has no bowels of compassion. But the House of Commons has, and before a 'fortnight has passed away she Right Honourable Gentleman will be furnished with a proof of legislative humanity, which neither he nor his colleagues in the Cabinet will altogether relish. THE SOUTH NOTTS ELECTION. The very severe contest which has taken place in South Nottinghamshire will no doubt be long remem bered on the banks of the Trent, for the excitement which it occasioned, the zeal with which the battle was fought, and the close hazard of the result. But there is considerable interest in the subject for those also who were not so immediately concerned in the struggle as the dwellers in Robin Hood's county. The success of Mr. Barrow points to an important fact in the history of our representative system. Fortunately, the grounds on which he received such energetic support are singularly cleared from the entanglement of any of the ordinary points of difference which are put forward fie the rallying cries of electioneering contests. Nor was all this vehe mence excited, as was often the case in old times, by mere family or local rivalriee. Both Lord Newark and his opponent came forward on the same side of public questions. Both are unequivocal supporters of a pro tective policy; both enunciated the same views on the absorbing topic of Papal aggression. in short there was no political question of any moment—we might perhaps say no political question at all—which was at issue be tween them. Nor can it strictly be said to have been a personal question, except so far as Mr. Barrow was known to the constituency, while Lord Newark, we be lieve, although he is said to have materially improved his position in this respect during the contest, had been previously almost a stranger to them. But the social influences respectively represented by Lord Newark and by Mr. Barrow were found sufficient, on the present oc casion, to bring about a more severe ami more exciting struggle than has for a long time been afforded by a Parliamentary election. Of course, we may put away from us the standing stock of inanities which will fill some of our free-trade contemporaries up to the brim—we mean all those phrases about liberty of election, despotism of landlords, undue influence, and the like. In all constituencies, and through all time, wherever people are at all eager about the result, they will resort to such methods of persuasion and pressure as shall most easily suggest themselves; and these will be more or less unjustifiable in proportion as the canvassers are more or less regard less of the duty of doing to their neighbour as they would have their neighbour do to them. Those who think they can bring about a state of things in which they will so reconcile the right with the expedient, as to enable a man to obey the dictates of bis conscience without danger of any inconvenience to any of his worldly interests, may perhaps agitate for the ballot as an instalment of such a blissful existence, regardless of all the objections to that measure; but as we arc not only sceptical about the possibility of this Benthamite paradise, but extremely doubtful as to the ballot being any approximation towards it, we are not at all disposed to join these speculators in blowing their bubbles. The recent contest in South Notts, if it could be re garded as one between landlord and tenant, a colour which some are endeavouring to give to it, would not only be a very mischievous circumstance just now, but it would bo unimportant from being necessarily excep tional; for the interests of landlord and tenant are much too closely copuected to suffer anything,like a permanent divergence. Nor, we are bound to say, does it appear that Mr. Barrow at all endeavoured to array class against class, and to put himself forward as peculiarly the re presentative of any one order among the electors. Its this respect it is totally distinct from the ridiculous pretence at a contest, which some decoy farmers in the interest of the Manchester school are getting up in Bedfordshire, where a Mr. Houghton, who represents himself as a tenant-farmer, asks for the suf frages of the electors under the anomalously com bined characters of a Cobdenite, and a farmer's friend. The farmers, we may remark, would not at all improve the condition of their cause, by returning men of their own class to the House of Commons—even men whcm they could trust, for we do not imagine for a mo ment that they would ever send representatives of Mr. Houghton's stamp. The men who would probably seek this office would be bad farmers, and worse legislators; and we are sure no man can be a good legislator who forgets his constitutional position as member of a deli berative council, and is willing to sink into that of the delegate of a class. But Mr. Barrow belongs by educa tion and habits to that body which may most reasonably be expected to furnish the leaders of our rural popula tion. He is a country gentleman, an active magistrate, and so forth. But it appears he is the architect of his own fortune, and the confidence which is reposed in him by a majority of the electors of South Nottinghamshire, is given to his personal ability and straightforwardness, not to all those various accidents which go to make up what is so well understood in England by the term " position." Now, it would be a great injury to our representative system if this latter source of recommendation were al together to fail of its effect. In fact, it can hardly so fail as long as England remains what it is. But suppos ing it could do so, it must arise from circumstances that would make the business of legislation in the Lower House a thing to be avoided by those who occupy the highest ranks in our social scale, and this would inevi tably tend to make it also cease to be the coveted prize of the highest merit of all kinds, and thus degrade the standard of men serving the office of logisltitor. It would be a misfortune, we repeat, taking the English y• character as it stands, if the heir of the Pierrecoint;, or the Clintons, or the Bentincks, did not come forward as a candidate for Nottinghamshire with a considerable pi es tige in his favour. But on the the other hand, it mus t not be forgotten that it would also be a great misfortune if such men, by the mere weight of their lineage and station, could so occupy the representation of our countie.l, as to leave no opening for men clpable of advantaging the country, and who deserve the opportunity of so doing, from inferior degrees of sect ty. Such a monopoly would not only be injurious to the composition of the Howe of Commons, but it would bo not less so, pet }ips, to the nobility itself. Much, too, depends on th , t par ticular condition of the period at which the two kinds of influence come into comparison. Personal costal( scions will be more especially regarded at a time when strong political struggles aro going on, when great interests are at stake, and great questions are debated. Such is the case just'now. The farmers throughout the country feel that their very existence as a class ishasw.-dcd, and they are fully aware that it is above all thing to them to secure able and industrious champions. Act ing on this conviction, they have selecte d Mr. Barrow as their Member. —Post important Dispatches were sent off yesterday from the Colonial. office to the Governor of Ceylon, and also ti) the Gover nor of ilt)Dg•K9Pg• LITERATURE. TRADITIONS of TUSCANY in Verse. By Mrs. D. Ogilvy. The same skilful pen which, some time back, cele brated in " a book of Highland Minstrelsy" the beautiful legends of the north country, has now been employed on a theme of similar interest, but of dif ferent attractions. Instead of heath-covered hills, we read of sunny landscapes, and in place of the exploits of the hardy mountaineers we have thrilling legends of crime and passion. Dissimilar in character are the Highlander and Italian, and equally dissimilar are their respective climaes, as described by Mrs. Ogilvy in some lines on "A December Day in the CampFgna :" On Scottish graves the sncw is thick, Its flakes of wintry foliage cling Along the planetree's withered stick, That querulously moans for Spring. But round the Roman Lady's Tomb That looks upon the Appian Way, Geraniums scatter wilding bloom, And sunshine loving lizards play. The mountains of my Scottish home Are labouring is December's storms, The driving mists; in wreaths of foam, Like vapory mantles, wrap their forme, But here 6oracte pales the rose, The reddest rose that tempts the bee, And gleam the high Abruzzi snows, Like frigate•saih far out at tea. I❑ Scottish Town from murky skies, The shiverer to his hearth repairs, Heaps up the blaze, the flagon plies, Forgets the cold and all his cares. Far different our December joy In the long heathy grass to muse, Until our ravished soul we cloy, Drinking the Noon's delicious hues. A dreamy and reflective mood, It gendereth our eyes to cast Here on the Peasant's cabin rude, There on the Relics of the Past. The antechamber and the hall, Vaster than palaces—to lave A Caesar's luxury, and the small, Low niches whero they tombed the ala►e. Slowly a long, long sigh we fetch, And turn away our saddened eyes To where the Volsciac mountains stretch, Like violets budding in the skies. To where the nearer Sabine hills Reflect the Amethystine ray, And Alba with red lifeblood fills At the last kisses of the Day. This man changed never—cannot change, The wolf-nursed Twigs beheld it too, In their fierce eyes yon mountain range Wore the same rich exhaustless hue. Trampled beneath the victor's hoof, No widow-weeds can Rome assume, Her raiment must be sunbeam woof, Her cheek bath everlasting bloom: Girdled she is with cestas rare, That must bewitch us through all time, Through all her misery and despair, Meet for the canvas and the rhyme! The traditions of Tuscany selected by Mrs. Ogilvy are the eventful history of " Bianca Cappello," ar ranged in a dramatic form, and described with con siderable power; the often•told tale of "Madonna Pia," the victim of the Maremma ; " Camilla Mar telli ;" the jealous artist, "Andrea dal Castagno ;" " Ginevra Degli Anieri," and some others. Some passages from this last story afford a felicitous spe cimen of Mrs. Ogiivy's abilities as a ballad-writer : And at this her memory starting, Told what did her trance precede, How they wedded her repugnant, And protesting 'gaitist the deed. How her spirits ebbed with anguish Till the tide of life ran dry, Till the sleepless nights of weeping Drained the moisture from her eye. How she stood before the altar Stunned through every priestly prayer, Till the kiss of marrisge slew her As the climax of despair. More returned not, save this waking Cold, deserted on her bier, Friends and Bridegroom all forsaking In their selfishness of fear. "I will up and seek some dwelling," With affrighted sigh she said; " E'en my Husband's loveless bosom Will seem warmer than these Dead." Slow I.he reared her on her elbow gasped an Ave in her need To the saintly-browed Madonna, Saying, " Mary, bid me speed!" O'er her naked feet she gathered Her robe's amplitude of fold, On her brows the bridal chaplet Did her raven braids uphold. White and shining as New Sal,m Moving down to meet the Lamb, In the stream of holy moonlight, Visionary fair sbe swam. Cold the pavement to the pressing Of her small feet, bare of shows, Ah! but colder was the welcome That repelled her all too soon! In the deep and starry silence She bath found her husband's gate, On the outer threshold pausing Suddenly, afraid of Fate! The poetic legends are prefixed with brief expla nations of some of the historical events to which they relate. The most remarkable is the following, a striking instance of the evanescence of popular favour : " THE TUREE ILLUMINATIONS. " A few introductory words are needful to draw atten tion to the phenomena of these strangely-marked fes tivities; each of which was followed by the downfal of a sovereign. " In Paris I happened to witness the last Few do Roi, May Ist, 1847, the seventy-fourth birthday of Louis Philippe. Everything then looked in profound repose, the army numerous 'and well-disciplined, commerce in creasing, the city n ewly encircled with her much-praised chain of forts, and the King in the flush of triumph of the Montpens:er Marriage. Within a year, that King had fled; and the angry Parisians had exiled for ever from France himself and the children for whose aggran dizement he had schemed so lucklessly. Paris was a scene of riot and bloodshed, and the rifled Tuileries con verted into an hospital for the wounded citizens. " Pending t hese events, the Carnival ut Rome was dragging out a more than usually stupid course. Men's minds were pre-occupied, and the interest felt in French affairs alarmed the already tottering Government of the Papacy. The fear of a disturbance made it prohibit the rnoccoli or tapers with which the gay crowd generally light out the last day of the merry-making. All strango reports mere rife of detected conspiracies meant to have been E xploded in the hour of rejoicing. '" But such had not well"set in ere came from Vienna the tidings of its insurrection which inflamed the Ro mans into a frenzy of sympathy. They concluded the Austrian Eagle had now received a mortal wound, and rushing to the Austrian Embassy they tore down the insignia of Hapsburg, and tying it to a donkey's tail, they set on the auimal a hunchback, whom they saluted as Metternich, and in this guise proceeded to the Piazza del Popolo, where they made a bonfire of the escutcheon, with music, vivas, and waving of ladies.' handkerchiefs. " That evening, without consulting Pope or Cardinal, in defiance of it being Lent, they lighted the whole city, and bore the Moccoli in triumph through the Corso. It was forbidden to blow out the lights as is usual with these tapers, and the political nature of the festa was only too apparent. Above the deep cheunt of Senza Moccoli, the ordinary rcprcach to those who neglect to carry a taper, there rose a perfect storm of vivas, shouts for Pio Nono, and cries of Death to Metternich.' One of the visas for Pio Nono, added, President of the Italian Republic. Ominous hint for the Supreme Pontiff! Within a year the same voices which now called him saviour of Italy, reviled him as its betrayer: he, disguised in menial dress, was a fugitive, and abandoned by all who once idolized him. " Finally, in Florence, I was present at the illumina tion in honour of the capture of Pischiera from the Austrians. Carlo Alberto did not hold it long, only long enough for the Florentines to burn out their pretty lamps of oil enclosed in clear round globes of glass, brighter in consequence than the Roman fashion of en closing the light in a tinted lantern of oiled paper. Florence had lost many of her sons a day or two pre viously, but she forgot their equivocal fate in the excite ment of a festa, and I saw one palace sparkling whence an only son had gone to die in that inglorious war. Within one year, this third illumination was followed by a third flight of Kings. The gentle but misguided Prince deserted his capital, and a few wild demagogues swayed the city of the Medici. Where the gay lustre' glittered in the windows of the Pitti Palace, a red e ap . (af liberty, emblem of bygone homerhorors, insulted with , 1 1 ,5 rude presence the desolate of a homeless ruler. EASTBURY ; a Tale. By Anne Harri et Drur y , Authoress of "Friends and Fortune." Pickering. Last Christmas, we noticed , in terms of cordial eulogium, Miss Drury's very excellent and delight ful tale of " Friends and Fortune;" and, this year, we are glad to have occasion to pronounce a similar commendation upon "Eastbury.' Postessing many of the attractive characteristics of its predecessor, " Eastbury" has peculiarities of its own. T i h n e te n re a s r t - , nar rative is of a de e p er and more enthralling and the characters introduced are more numerous and more diversified. In the portrayal of so me o f these charact ers the autho re s s evinces a peculiar felicity. Some portions of the tale are somewhat painful, and some few of the personages somewhat repulsive, but in the pathos Fassages of co nc erning them, the power and the the writer are displayed. The chapters which we prefer, how ever, are of a more genial kind, and conspicuous among these is the Seymour faticl c omposed ,T of the kind, hospit a bl e baronet and his ly l the gentle, shrewd gran dmother, and th e fr ank, aci: a u joyousJulia, snbeam. whose presence is as life-diff us i ng a Contrasted with Julia are her widely-differing friends, the quiet, plain Jane Bernard, the curate's daughters ever busy ttimi ever dow . Kgood, sad Doti trice Eustace the beautiful and most unhappy heiress of the flail. With these such a multitude of minor but not uninteresting characters crowd upon us, that we dismiss them without ennumeration, always excepting the hero, Lionel Revis, a more heroic character than heroes always are. How shall we give an inkling of the mysterious in terest of the tale, without revealing to , ) much ? Rather than commit such an indiscretion, we leave it undisturbed, referring the curious to the pages of " Eastbury," where they will infallibly reap pleasure as well as profit. The very tone of the narrative has, moreover, a charm about it. Every page evinces the general sympathy and cheerful Chisistianity of the writer. Many of the most beautiful passages are evidently heart-spoken, and, as such, are possessed of an especial fascination. Miss Drury promises to prove one of our most valuable domestic novelists, if she he careful not to abandon for artificial ' conven tionalities her charming simplicity of style and sen timc,nt. COURT CIRCULAR. His Royal Highness Prince Albert rode out on horse back yesterday morning, attended by Lieut.• Colonel the lion. Alexander Gordon. The Royal Family took their usual exercise yesterday. Her 'Majesty and Prince Albert visited her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester yesterday evening, at Gloucester-house. Her Majesty and his Royal High ness were attended by the Countess- of Edgcumbe, Lord Charles Fitzroy, and Lieut.-Colonel the Hon. Alexander Gordon. Their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Cambridge and the Princess Mary visited her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent yesterday at Clarence-house, St. James's. A deputation on the causes of the seamen's strike, consisting of Mr. Hume and Mr. Wawn, accompaVed by the following delegates:—John Smith. from Shuth • Shields; Thomas White, from North Shields; John Chalk, from Sunderland; and Robert Holman, from Hartlepool, had an interview with the Right Hon. Henry Labouchere yesterday at the Board of Trade. Colonel Phipps, of Dilton Court, Wilts, accompanied by Mr. James Wilson, M.P., had an interview with Sir George Grey yesterday at the Home-dffice, to present an address to her Majesty on the subject of the Papal aggression from a public meeting of the inhabitants of Warminster and the neighbourhood. A deputation from the Grand Junction and Regent's Canal Companies, on the subject of the London Coal Duties Bill, consisting of Sir John Yarde Buller, M.P., the Hon. Richard Cavendish, Mr. De Salle, Mr. Parker, Mr. Lyon, and Mr. Rogers, had an interview with Mr. Labouchere at the Board of Trade yesterday. The Transatlantic Packet Station Commission met yesterday at the Board of Trade. Present—Earl Gran ville (Chairman). the Hon. William Cowper, M.P., Sir James Gordon, K.C.8., Sir John F. Burgoyne, K.C.8., and Captain Stephenson Ellerby. Lord Hobart (Secre tary) also attended. Mr. French, M.P., bad an interview with Lord John Russell yesterday, at his official residence in Downing street. Mr. John Wood, Chairman of the Board of Inland Revenue, had an interview with the Chancellor of the Exchequer yesterday at his official residence in Dawn.. ing-street. * The Cambridge University Commission met yesterday at the official residence of the First Lord of the Trea sury, Downing-street. Present—the Bishop of Chester, the Dean of Ely, the Rev. Professor Sedgwick, and the Rev. W. H. Bateson (Secretary). Lieutenant-Colonel Eyres had an interview :with Sir George Grey yesterday at the Home-office, to report on the state of the Cosford Union-house. Sir Thomas Fremantle, Chairman of the Board of Customs, bad an interview with the Chancellor of the Exchequer yesterday. The Judicial Committee of the Priry Council sat yes terday; present—the Master of the Rolls, Baron Parke, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Cornwall, the Judge of the Admiralty Court, and Sir Edward Ryan. " Lamb v. Singh" (Bengal), " Newton v. Ricketts" (Prerogative Court, part-heard) concluded, and " Austin's Exten sion of Patent," vs ere disposed of. " 13ahoo Sheodass Narain v. Mussumat Kawalbas Kocer" (Bengal) was part-heard. NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. The appointment of Mr. Mills, master of 1829, to succeed Commander Henderson (on his retirement) as master attendant; and of Mr. Brown, of the Agincourt, master of 1831, to succeed Mr. Mills, as assistant-master attendant at Devonport Dockyard, hays been made. Surgeon. John Findlay (1846), to the Alecto steam sloop, fitting at Woolwich for the coast of Africa. This officer's last appointment was to the Ferret on the same station, and we think in common fairness ho was entitled to have a f2v, years spell in a climate of a more salubri ous nature, unless he has volunteered to proceed again to the field of his former labours. Chief Engineer—John Snell to the Alecto. Assistant Engineers—Alexander Brebner, W. M. Biden, and R. J. Sergeant, to the Alecto. Masters Assistant—David Moore, to the Blenheim serew•ship, 6. Porstmouth ; Charles M. Palmer and Frederick H. Buist to the Alecto; W. H. Cummings to the Banshee steam-packct, Woolwich. Mr. A. Glogaf., tiiird-class clef k, of the Deptford vic tualling eatablishment, has been promoted t, the at cord class vacancy . at the Royal victualling establish ment, Stouthouse, rice 6cott. This is a most fair pro motion. Mr. Glogue has been a third-class clerk for 20 Scam. :- 2 CALE OF ECCKYARD PRICE'S AND WAGE,.—Mr. Nowtor, mei.surer of Devonport Dock) urd, ordered to Portsmouth to form one of the merobtrs of the committee of measurers, who are to assemble at that yard under Mr. Firicham, the master shipwright, for the purpose of comparing and arranging the returns from the dock yards preparatory to the assembling of the committee of master shipwrights to consider, and submit fur their Lordships' adoption, the scale of prices for dockyard work, and also the accounts hereafter deemed advisable to be kept by measurers. Apollo, 8, troop-chip, Commander Rawetorne, left Sheerness on Tuesday. She is to call at I'lymouth on her way to Cork, to embark troops. Birkenhead steam troop-ship, Master-Commander Salmond, went out to Spithead on `Tuesday. She looks all the better for ber topgallant forecastle. The Sprightly, steam-tender, went out to her yesterday morning and took her newly entered men on shore to the pay-office, to receive advance pay. The Birkenhead was to proceed to Cork yesterday afternoon to embark her troops. Virago steam-sloop, in charge of Mr. Henderson and party, returned to Devonport from Falmouth, with the Autrey store-ship in tow, on Monday afternoon. Crane, 6, packet-brig, has been taken into No. 2 dock, and the Cambria, 40, into No. 3 dock, at Devonport. Sampson, 6, steam-frigate, Captain Jones, her steam tender Bloodhound, and Pandora, 8, Commander Drury, were mustered, inspected, and paid advance at Devon port, on Monday, by Commodore Lord John Hay. Dispatches arrived for the Sampson on Tuesday morn ing—but the wind being fresh from S.W. she did not sail. Topaz, old htilk, has gone alonyside Portsmouth yard, to have her interior fitting removed, previous to her going up to Dorchester If.ke, as a distant target for the prac tice of shot and Ebel! from thc: Excellent. POIITSMOCTH, WEDNESDAY.—The Consul, convict ship, and the Americmn ETle, Now York packet, are wind bound at Spithead. There was nu sign of the Regent at noon this day. Commander St. Leger and the officers of her Ma; jest's steam-vessel Flamer, lately lost on the coast of Aft ea. ewe home passengers in the Piniwular and Ori ental Compan3 . 's steam-frigate Bentinck, which arrived at Southampton this morning, and came on to Ports mouth by railway. They now are on board the flag ship Victory, awaiting taeir trig' by court-martial. By these arrivals we learn that C. - :mmander Patten, of the Hound, 10, was made Acting Flag-Captain to Com modore Fanshawe, the Commander-In-Chief on the coast of Africa. Mr. George Biddlecombe, the master of the St. Vin cent, 120, is appointed to the St. George, 120, at Devonport. The Royal yacht schooner Zephyretta arrived yester day morning from Gibraltar, 20 days out. SHIP NEWS. LIVERPOOL, FEB. 19.—Wind W.S.W., fresh.—Laura Anu sloop, of Caernarvon, for Lancaster, is on shore on the beach at Southport. Arrived —Joseph Wheeler, from Demerara; Invincible, from Virginia; St. Grorge, from .`savannah; Louise, from Stettin; Corkscrew, from Dunkirk; Tam O'Shanter, from New Orleans; Carnatic, from Charleston • Conqueror and Si ddons, from Ne w York ; Alexander Grant and Adriatic, from New Orl fresh, squally. A r e ig. an — d W r in r d esi N de ” nt Ner Rout eren, GRAVESEND, u r r e i v y e E d s_E N E n c , r o F z E e p a o . from Calcutta; Acis and Patriot, from St. Michael's; Saucy Jack, from Patras Cerere, from Ode ssa; Incog nita, from Jam aica ; Earl of Newberry, f rom Santa ' Martha- I n dus, from Alexandria; Golden Fl eece, f rom Bahia; Sir Edward Banks, from Ostend; Albion, from Boulogne ; Gustav Adolph, from Ancona; Sarah, from St. John a; Edward, from Barletta; Lively, from B o rdeaux; f.au:LLnonednoina ; ra m ck a e g t ne a t, and from Echo, Rouen; fromSL E M liz ic s, ha f e r l o ' m s; Viper, fromuer n sey . for ASailed—s t p a o d l t l o , Dordrecht, Dosdt; Magnet and Palermo; Rainbow, for Rotterdam; Roscommon and Diana, for Harlingen; Stanhope, for St. Michael's ; Mountaineer, for Syra; Triton, fo r O sten d ; W for Singapore • hampoa, ; Countess of Lonsdale, for liamburgh. VESSELS SPOKEN WITH. American ship Yeoman, Feb. 19, in lat. 48 N. , long. 25 W. Ilenriette, found east, Feb. 7, in lit. 48 N., long 22 W. Ellen Maria. Feb. 20, in lat. 50 N., long. 10 W. Sti amer Euxine, steering south, Feb. 11, in lit. 39 N., long. 9 W. Beni ' i que Apollo, of London, from I:emerars, Feb. 5, in lat. 43 N. long. 14 W., having lost her rudder. Brig Randolph, from Greenock for Pernambuco, Feb. 6, in lat. 48 N., long. 13 W., had lest bulwarks and jib boom. No. 6,529, srcond distinguishing pendant, Feb. 11, i n !at. t 0 N., long. 14 W. Ship Osterly, steering to the south-west, Feb. 1, is lat. 43 N., long 13 W. ---- %party is all p ass i on an d th e imitate About as well as ice and o fi t r h e e_ i r a a E t l e l i h iz in e a d s i c f7 oo er b h e; s c re j e , ,tu inw r i n li ca. THE REPRESENTATION OF ST. ALBANS. —A peti tion from certain electors of St. Albans, complaining of the late election in that borough, was presented on Tuesday evening by Sir James Duke, and referred to the General Committee of Elections. We understand that Mr. Sheriff' Carden's friends cau prove a very strong me Poing the rot= of Air. Da ) 6