The Press.
London, England, 1855-09-22 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

of the frame. The inconvenience of their after-
lite when grown up is scarcely conceivable. At
present they do not appear to suffer mentally or
physically, and as they gallop across the room, or
romp with their attendants they present a most curi-
ous and attractive picture. In appearance they are
exceedingly interesting children, but differ as widely
in temper as they do in expression. Yet, on the
whole, they seem to agree very well, and, from habit
or necessity, to act together in tolerable concert.
Of a light copper colour, with large eyes, very
intelligent expression, boisterous spirits, and pretty
faces for Africans, they are rather attractive than
otherwise, and in appearance present nothing repul-
sive or remarkable. They look precisely like two
children tied round the waist back to back. Sir
Benjamin Brodie, Sir James Clark, and many of the
most eminent surgeons of London, have examined
them, but no careful physiological or anatomical
report has yet been drawn up on the phenomenon
which they present. The Lancet, we believe, was to
produce one shortly.
LYCEUIL—The popularity of the "Wizard of the
North" appears to be unbounded. Although ten
years have elapsed since Mr. Anderson's last per-
formance in London, and the most famous conjurers
of the Continent have more or less successfully en•
gaged public attention, yet never before were such
crowds attracted to an entertainment of legerdemain.
Some of his tricks, excellent and elaborate to a
degree, have rarely been equalled and never sur-
passed, and the delight with which they are received
by the juvenile portion of the audience is not the
least entertaining part of the evening's amusements.
His clever mechanical illustrations of spirit-rapping
attract considerable attention—the spirits reply to
every question, and unfailingly return the most accu-
rate answers. The theatre is nightly crowded to
excess, from the pit to the gallery, and the wizard's
bon•bons and free gifts are upon the most liberal
scale.

CREMORNE-GARDENS.—A series of brilliant spec-
tacles have taken place during the week at these
popular gardens. The capture of the Malakoff is, of
course, the piece de resistance ; and, while great im •
provements have been introduced since its first
exhibition at the Wellington F ete, many additional
and striking effects are displayed. The preliminary
bombardment, the forming up of the columns of
assault, the spattering fire of the iiflemen, the blast
of the bugles, the roll of the drum, and the rush of
the columns, are given to the life. Then the stubborn
resistance of the Russians, beating back the first
assault, the re-formation or the allied columns, their
final irresistible rush, and the capture of their hardly-
acquired conquest amidst the enthusiastic cheers of
the spectators, creates an effective dinouement. As a
pyrotechnic display, it is undeniably one of the best
seen for some years. The gardens have been nightly
crowded to excess. We understand that the proceeds
of the Wellington Fete handed over to the authozities
amounted to upwards of 8401. sterling. Bearing in
mind that the whole proceeds of this week's enter-
tainments are to be given to the Patriotic Fund, few
will dispute the claim of the proprietor of these
gardens to being one of the most munificent and
liberal subscribers towards these two funds. "Ne
despicias donum quovis exortum."
VAUXIIALL-GARDENS.—It is late in the season to
open these gardens, and, with such a rival as Cre-
morne and its Malakoff, a questionable experiment;
but the brilliant entertainments which have taken
place, and the tolerable weather, have attracted
large numbers of spectators. Fetes in commemora-
tion of various occasions have been held, and the
usual "150,0(X)" coloured lamps have displayed un-
wonted brilliancy. The entertainments have been
numerous and varied, comprising songs and music,
some clever equestrian performances, and a tolerable
display of fireworks. Upon the whole the gardens
have been well attended, and the entertainments
attractive.

WYLD'S NEW MAPS.—Mr. Wyld has lately pub-
lished a small map containing an admirable panora-
mic view of the Crimea and the surrounding coasts
of the Black Sea. An excellent coup d'oeil of the whole
theatre of war is thus obtained; and though the scale
is small yet the outline of the country, the positions
of the different towns, and the tracts of the main
roads are preserved with clearness and accuracy. A
second edition of the map of Sweaborg gives us the
position of the allied vessels during the bombard-
ment of last month, with the depth of water, &c.,
around the islands. These accurate and excellent
maps, so useful to a thorough comprehension of the
locus in quo, are not the least valuable publications
which the war has brought out. _ _

AN accurate and well-drawn map of the position of
the allied and Russian armies during the battle of the
Tschernaya has also been issued by Mr. Stanford,
who continues his series of these useful and historical
documents with praiseworthy promptitude.
IT is said that a railway between Boulogne and
Calais is in contemplation, and that all the prelimi-
nary surveys have been completed.

SATIIRDATs

tip pram&

DRUItT LANE.—Since the departure of the Italian
company we have had a long series of English
operas at this house; and it would be unjust to the
management to deny that the attempt has been in
the highest degree creditable and successful. The
house has been nightly crowded, and the constant
variety offered, as well as the admirable company
engaged, have contributed to the most successful
result. Among the operas which have attracted a
great deal of attention is Handel's Acts and Galatea,
which has been revived during the week. Through-
out the whole of this exquisite serenata the
music is inexpressibly beautiful, and, though
not highly florid, yet presenting many oppor-
tunities for singers to distinguish themselves.
Miss Lucy Escott, who on Wednesday evening sang
the music allotted to Galatea, achieved a great suc-
cess, especially in the florid " Hush, ye pretty war-
bling choir !" with its fanciful, imitative accompani-
ment. "As when the dove" was also given with
great feeling and intelligence. Miss Huddart, as
Acis, and Mr. Geier, as Damon, admirably sustained
their respective characters ; but, though Mr. Hamil-
ton Braham's deficiencies of voice scarcely enabled
him to successfully fulfil the part of Polyphemus,
the choruses were generally correctly given, and the
performance of the serenata throughout was highly
satisfactory. The house was crowded on the wee-
sion—a "benefit" for the Manager—a proof of the
appreciation felt by all classes for his praiseworthy
efforts.

HAYMARKET.—The Man of Many Friends may
prove to have a good many in this theatre, but the
Spanish senora has more. Her recovery from
position and reappearance on the stage have brought
back her crowds of old admirers once more, and in
the new ballet of a Pretty Gipsy and the Bullfighter
she displays more than her ordinary grace, elegance,
and skill. After Peres. Nene, conventional ballet
dancing proves very insipid ; in Spanish dancing
there is a vitality, combined with a national grace,
which all other schools fail to attain. There is a
warm, southern reality about the one, while with the
other all is stereotyped and conventional even to
that brilliant smile with which the coryphie concludes
her postures. The popularity of the Spanish Dancers
does not appear to fail at all; on the contrary they
seem to attract as much admiration and to draw as
good houses as in the first week of their engagement.

THE theatrical season would be dull at present,
were it not that as soon as one house closes another
opens, and a fair average of novelty is thus sustained.
The Princess's, with its gorgeous display, and whole-
sale costumier style, has no sooner concluded its
representations with a parting speech from Mr. Kean
—who, en passant, represented himself as conferring
considerable benefit on the memory of one William
Shakspeare—than at the other extreme of London
we have a revival of another of Shakspeare's plays,
The Tempest, which Mr. Phelps has put upon the
stage with scenery of the most beautiful and varied
kind. His revival of Pericles, Prince of Tyre, last
year, was a marvel of scenic display, but in The
Tempest the romantic beauty of the views, with rock
and sea, and wooded hill and valley, so skilfully and
exquisitely painted, quite surpass all previous effort.
The east of the characters is also excellent, and the
parts well sustained by Mr. Phelps as Prospero, Miss
Eburne as Miranda, Miss Hughes as Ariel, Mr.
Robinson as Ferdinand, and Mr. Barrett ss Caliban.
The elaborate care which has been bestowed upon
the mice en scene, and the extreme beauty and wag:
nificence of the effect, must insure for Mr. Phelps a
most successful result.

THE PATRIARCH Or THE GREEK PAPISTS died a few
days since in Alexandria, and his bode, seated on a
throne, with a jewelled mitre on his head, was taken
to ,the Latin Church with great solemnity. Several
consuls attended in full dress, and a company of
Egyptian soldiers, with music and drums, beaded
the procession. Great crowds of Papists flocked
about the body, to kiss the hands or part of the
dress.

A LETTER from Rome, in the Venice Gazette,
states that grape-blight has destroyed nearly all the
vines of Albano, Marino, Ariccia, Genzano, Castel
Gandolforf, Tivoli, &c., all at a short distance from
Rome. This is the fourth crop lost, and wine which
used to be bought at thirty scuds per cask now
costs 170.

THE cases of cholera in Genoa up to the last ac-
counts were 1,040, of which 590 were fatal. In the
province of Voghera there were 3,666 cases, and
1,978 deaths.

M. MEYERBEER, who has been rather seriously ill
since his return to Paris, has now quite recovered.
He intends leaving Paris towards the end of the
present month.

■il

SEPT. 22, 1855.

jortign ;Art, Sittraturt, Vic.

THE PARIS ITALIAN OPERA Will open on the 2nd of
October, under the direction of Signor Colzado. The
singers engaged are mostly old favorites, beginning
with Grisi and Mario. The prime donne, De Roissi
and Penco, are new for Paris. Both have sung with
success at the St. Carlo, Naples. The contralto,
Borghi-Mamo, is also engaged, and will appear again
in the Trovatore, and other operas where a good con-
tralto part is to be found. It will be seen, from the
following list, that the company is strong in old
favorites:—Primi soprani assoluti : Mmes. Bocca-
badati, De Roissi, Fiorentini, Orisi, Penco, and
Pozzi. Primo contralto assoluto : Mme. Borghi-
Mamo. Primi tenon assoluti : MM. Carrion, Mario,
Mongini, and Salvi. Primi baritoni assoluti : MM.
Everardi and Graziani. Primo basso profondo :
M. Angelini. Primo buffo assoluto : M. Zucchini.
In selecting the operas to be given this season, the
direction, it would appear, bas sought to reproduce
these standard works which are always well received
in Paris and London. The pr gra►ome gives the
following operas to be given this season :—Rossini's
Semiramide, Otello, Mose, Assedio di Corinto, Bar-
biero di Siviglia, Cenerentola, and Matilde di
Shabran ; Mozart's Don Giovanni ; Bellini's I Puri-
tan{, Sonnambula, Norma, and Capuleti e Montecchi;
Donizetti's Lucretia Borgia, and Lucia di Lansmsr-
more; and Verdi's II Trovatore and Ernani. The
two operas new at Paris will be—Leonora, by Mer-
cadante ; and Fiorina, by Pedrotti. The opera com-
posed expressly will be Bottesini's Aasedio di Firenze,
dedicated to Prince J. Poniatowski.

Among the medals struck during the Congress of
Verona, in 1822, is one in honour of the Emperor
Nicholas. Surrounding the bust is "Emperor of
Russia, Verona, Oct., 1822," and on the reverse these
significant words, " I should like Constantinople."
ME. J. BRETT passed through Turin on the 14th,
on his way to Cagliari, where the steamer with the
telegraphic submarine cable which is to join Sardinia
and Africa had arrived. He engages, if the sea con-
tinues calm, to despatch a telegraphic message from
Algiers to Paris before twelve days.
THE ItEcEirrs of the theatres, balls, and concert-
looms of Paris amounted, during the month of
August, to 1,462,504 f. Those of July were only
1,180,249 f.; so that the balance in favour of August
is 282,255 f.

4 ,rmg.