The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-01-22 00:00:00

MUSIC AND THE DRAMA.

AT THE PHILHARMONIC HALL, Thomas's shilling concerts
continue to offer their manifold attractions to the public; but,
owing to the extremely unfavourable state of the weather for
the greater portion of last week, we regret to say the attend-
ance has not been commensurate with the exertions made to
deserve success. The vocalist of the week was the accom-
plished, versatile, and devoted artiste Mrs. T. G. Reed, who,
under her own name of Miss Priscilla Horton, won such
general and deserved favour. During the week she read and
sung the musical portions of several of Shakspeare's most in-
teresting dramas, including " The Midsummer Night's
Dream," with all of Mendelssohn's music : this was performed
twice. She also gave selections from the musical .portions of
the "Tempest," and "Macbeth." Besides these, Mrs. Reed
gave her fine collection of the "songs of all nations," in all
of which entertainments the gifted daughter of song displayed
her wonted fine taste and variety of power. The orchestra, as
usual, was full and efficient, and, on the whole, the concerts
of the week, like those of its predecessor, consisted of a high
musical treat. The chief vocalist for this week is Miss
Thirlwall, who is new to Liverpool. She made her first ap-
pearance last night. The programme for the week is highly
attractive, and it is to be hoped the musical people of Liver-
pool will avail themselves of the opportunity of enjoying first-
class performances at so low a rate of charge.
AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, "Harlequin Steam" continues as
attractive as ever. This favourite pantomime has been per-
formed nightly to crowded houses; and on Saturday last, the
morning performance got up for the special edification of the
juveniles was, as on the two previous occasions, a bumper.
AT THE ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE, the splendid equestrian
troupe continue the exhibition of their wonderful and pleasing
feats of skill and dexterity to crowds of admiring spectators.
Many of these feats are of a highly interesting character, and
elicit warm plaudits from all parts of the house.

AT THE ROYAL PARK and the ADELPHI, the pantomimes
belonging to these establishments still maintain their place in
popular favour, and are welcomed nightly by delighted
crowds.

NO ENVOY TO PARIS.

(FROM THE PRESS.)

"It is right that I should mention," said the Premier, at a
recent Cabinet Council, "that the propriety and advantage of
the presence of a member of Her Majesty's Government in
Paris during the deliberations of this Council of War have
been suggested to me from more quarters than one."
" To be ready to give information, and possibly advice, if
needed," said Lord Clarendon. " Very sensible. But who is
there that could go ?"
" That consideration made me reject the idea," replied Lord
Palmerston.

"As to that," said Sir Charles Wood, " I could go, easily."
Not more easily than we could spare you, my dear fellow,"
said the Premier, laughing. " But what good would you be ?"
" If this is to be a naval campaign on the part of England,"
returned Sir Charles, "the head of the Admiralty might
have something to say in the matter."
" Without unduly depreciating the value of so dear a head—
tam cari capitis—Charley," replied his Chief; "it won't do.
We must not be laughed at. Panmure might, and ought to
have gone, and would, but for an unlucky word of four letters
that keeps him away."
" Gout ?" asked Lord Granville.
"Kars," replied Lord Palmerston.
" Yes," said the War Secretary, placidly, " it would be very
disagreeable to have that Arminian place flung in one's face. '
" Armenian, Pan," said the Premier, not Arminian.
Though, to be sure, its defence showed the efficacy of good
Works."
" How can you ?" said Sir George Grey, deprecatingly.
" Why did not Granville go ?" asked the Colonial Secretary.
" He speaks French like a native."
" For that very reason," said Lord Palmerston. " There
might be many questions asked which it might be incon-
venient to answer without reflection, and Granville would not
be believed if he replied, as Johnny Russell used to do, ' May,
mosieu, je ne comprong par totallment.' "
" The same objection would apply to me," said Mr.
Labouchere.
" That—and some others," replied the Premier, smiling.
" It is pretended, not real, opacity that one wants in an
envoy."

" thank you," said the Colonial Secretary.
" Pooh, pooh, don't look angry," returned his chief. "You
are much too clever a man to be afraid of a joke. Why, you
were not afraid to take the Colonies, the best joke of our
whole career."
" I trust the Colonies will not find it a joke,"'• said the im-
placable Labouchere.

" I'm afraid they won't," said the Premier, rather more
earnestly than is his wont ; " but sufficient for the day is the
deevil thereof, as we say in Scotland."
" Why did you not suggest my going over ?" asked the
President of the Board of Control, trimming his finger-nails
with an ivory instrument.
" Because the Frenchmen would have called you Smeet,'
my dear Vernon, and I would not willingly expose a man who
is particular about his name to so barbarous an outrage."
" India may be attacked next year," said Mr. Smith, lan-
guidly drawing on his white glove.
By that time you will be more at home in your Indian
Sceptre Exercises, and able to defend it," said Lord Palmer-
ston. " Meantime, I can't afford to spare so invaluable a
colleague."

" You flatter me," said the pleased Controller.
"By Jove, do I?" returned the Premier. " Your advice is
most salutary. I never bought such good perfumery and
tooth-brushes, until you told me what shop to go to."
" Frederick Peel might have been sent to Paris," said Lord
Panmure. " Kars could not have hurt the pachydermatous
Fred."

" Couldn't send a clerk, my dear fellow," replied Lord
Granville. "Else, I agree with you, he would not have felt
the sore place. On the contrary, he would have looked up
arguments to prove that Kars ought to have been sacrificed,
that it was not worth keeping, that the black basalt of the
houses made them unwholesome, that the river Arpa was
dirty and spread malaria, and that in his eminently military
opinion the conquest of the town was a loss to Russia."
" " There is nobody else, you see," said Lord Palmerston,
whom one could, with any decency, select. Argyll was
good enough to say that he would go and set the Council
right, but only on condition that he had a seat and a vote,
which they could hardly accord to a civilian, even though he
wore the red coat of a postman."
" I said I would wear the uniform of Vice-Sheriff of Argyll-
shire," said the Duke, angrily.
"I fear even that splendid array would not dazzle the
soldiers in Council. Remember what they are in the habit of
seeing."

"Bat his oratory would," said Lord Panmare, mischie
vionsly.

" T'ant pis," replied the Premier. "On the eve of a cam-
paign men should see clearly. On the whole, I preferred to
keep him at his letter-box."

"-I think you were right," said the President of the Board
of Trade, sententiously.
" Praise from Sir Philip Stanley, of Alderley' and so forth,"
quoted Lord Palmerston, laughing. "Perhaps you would
have liked to go yourself ?"
" What for ?"
" For the same reason that brought you into office."
" And what w

" I really don't know," said the Premier, " and I never
could find anybody to tell me. But there's one riddle that
may probably occur to you all, and that is, why, at such a
momentous crisis, I did not run over myself, and discuss what
will be about the most important campaign ever projected."
" Yes," said several voices, " why did you not ?"
" Do you give it up ?"
"Yes, yes."
" Because I didn't choose."
" Connu," said Lord Granville, and the Council broke up.