The Press.
London, England, 1855-06-23 00:00:00

OLYMPIC.

The School for Scandal was performed for Mr.
Wigan's benefit last evening, the character of Joseph
Surface. being supported by Mr. Wigan. The even•
mg commenced by a decided "row," in consequence
of the unexpected curtailment of the proportions of
the pit, more than half of it having been converted
into stalls on this special occasion. In answer to
the most vociferous calls from that part of the
audience which held itself injured by the arrange-
ment (or disarrangement), Mr. Wigan appeared
before the curtain, and, having patiently en-
dured the usual amount of " inarticulate animal
noise," addressed the malcontents in intended
mitigation of their annoyances. The gist of his
speech seemed to us to be that he was sorry for the
error he bad committed, but that be trusted to the
" good sense," &c., of the audience to arrange the
matter among themselves, calling upon those who
had illegitimately intruded themselves into stalls for
which they had not paid, to remove in favour of the
owners, and gently hinting at the police in case
of any little difficulty in the transference. After
much squabbling, the play began, the first
scenes being entirely inaudible, in consequence
of a skirmish at the stall entrance between
two or three victims to injustice and the
attendants, supported by the police. This slight
affair having been settled satisfactorily, the audience
turned its attention to the stage, indemnifying itself
for its outraged sense of justice by vociferously
applauding everything applicable to the dispute be-
tween itself and the manager. A few "hits" of this
sort soon restored good humonr, and, at the end of
the evening, Mr. Wigan was called for, and cheered
with a heartiness which showed that all (by that
time) old grievances had been generously forgotten.
Mr. Wigan's " entrance into" this " quarrel" was,
perhaps, imprudent, sufficiently extensive previous
notice not having been given, hut, "being in," be
acted wisely as well as manfully in sticking to his
colours. Of his Joseph it is unnecessary to say much.
The character is too artificial to afford much scope for
his peculiarly real style; it is almost impossible for
any actor to deliver Joseph's " sentiments" in such
a manner as to render their effect on the other cha-
racters (if one may apply the word to Sheridan's
puppets, mere mouth-pieces for good English and
bad principles), as given in the comedy, in the faint-
est degree probable. There were a few touches
of nature, however, which showed the power of
the artist in vivifying the " dry bones " of life•
less composition. The scene with Lady Teazle
was given with the utmost truth of which it is
its
points, with its regularly-balanced sentences,
points, and its antitheses ; but the forced merriment
with which Joseph palms off upon Sir Peter the
story of the "little French milliner " was ad-
mirable for its ghastly affectation of reality. Mrs.

THE PRESS.

Stirling's Lady Teazle was a graceful and intelligent
impersonation ; she committed the usual error
of giving too little country breeding to her ladyship ;
but in the scandal scene she was thoroughly at
home, and gave the points of the famous dialogue,
full of rare delicacies of thought and language,
with an amusing relish. Mrs. Wigan made a
tolerable Mrs. Candour; she had not the unctuous-
ness, the full, rich enjoyment of malice, which
Mrs Glover has taught us to look for, but she
filled her place in the play effectively enough,
notwithstanding. Compared to Farren's, Mr.
Emery's Sir Peter is a stage shadow to flesh
and blood—laughable enough in more senses
than one, and with a certain sledge hammer strength
about it; but Sheridan's " hits " are not blows after
all. A word of praise to Mr. Robson's Moses ; like
all he does it was full of genius; the by-play capital;
and the intense professional enthusiasm which he
threw into the well-known description of the money-
lender's method of doing business only just missed
being too powerful for the occasion. The comedy
was tollowed by the farce of Poor Pilikoddy.

MR. STANFORD, ever forward and indefatigable in
meeting the public demand for information upon the
various localities of the seat of war, has published an
extremely good map of the Sea of Azoff. The line
of coast is well defined, the depth in soundings accu-
rately given, and the different military roads clearly
and distinctly drawn. We should like to have seen
a little more of the neighbourhood of the river Don,
and of those towns upon its banks near the mouth,
but the map, as it is, is nevertheless very acceptable
at this moment.

POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTION.—A colossal candela-
brum, one of four manufactured to the order of the
late Viceroy of Egypt for the Egyptian Government,
by Messrs. Williams, of Oxford-street, is now on show
at this institution. The candelabra are made of
white metal strongly coated with silver, and are the
largest ever manufactured. The ornamental base is
composed of shells, beautifully chased out in bold
relief with Egyptian ornaments, over which rises a
column of flat and hollow flutes in three sections,
each section divided by collects ornamented with the
acanthus leaves. The summit of the column has a
vase ornamented in the same manner. The height
of this magnificent candelabrum is 171 feet, and its
weight, including the plynth, is 3,3601b5. The
execution of this work certainly reflects the highest
credit upon the manufacturers, and forms at present
a very marked object of admiration at this attractive
place of amusement.
THE ENGLISH DRAMATIC COMPANY commenced
their representations yesterday week, at the Theitre
Italien, Paris, Salle Ventadour, with Macbeth. A
ludicrous mishap occurred in the incantation scene.
So much real brimstone was put into the witches'
cauldron that the odour penetrated the whole house,
and half suffocated the audience. Several ladies
were obliged to leave the boxes for a few minutes.

Enitarsitg ntelltgtittt.

OXFORD.

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The following degrees have been conferred :

--
M.A.—Rev. Alexander Colvin Ainslie, John William
Church, Charles Wrottesley, Rev. Charles Allan Dickins,
Oswald L. Chapman, University; Rev. John Newman,
Rev. Francis Charles Gosling, Oriel ; Rev. Gordon Heslop,
Rev. Edward W. Heslop, Rev. Hugh James Hare, Robert
H. Witherby, Queen's ; Rev. Wentworth Webster, Rev.
George Hanbury Fielding, Rev. Frederick Henry Gray,
Lincoln ; Rev. Thomas Baugh, Christ Church ; Charles
John Hill, St. John's ; Rev. Edward Montague Hare,
Rev. Joseph Harris, Trinity; Rev. William Evan James,
Rev. Hugh Davies Owen, Thomas C. Prickard, Jesus;
Rev. Robert H. Nisbett Browne, Edward Slater Browne,
Fred. Joseph Sidney Edgoombe, Worcester ; Rev. Horatio
Giles Symonds, Magdalen Hall.
B.A.—Henry Everett Ravenhill, Charles William
Woodhall, Augustus Thuraby Pelham, University; Hon.
Edmund John Monson, Balliol ; George Eden fiber,
Merton ; Russell England, Exeter ; Thomas Alfred
Stowell, Queen's ; Charles Edward Oakley, Magdalen ;
William Purto", Lincoln ; Wyndham Lewis Williams,
Brasenose ; Henry Murray Oswald, Alexander Colvin
Blunt, Christ Church; George Windsor Tucker, Trinity;
William Abraham Bartlett, Wadham; George Nelmes
Merrefield, Magdalen Hall.
B.M.—Richard Hacking, Worcester College.