The Press.
London, England, 1854-01-28 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

link of two seas, between low undulating hills thickly
clothed with spreading trees, the Spanish chestnut
and the bay, that throw around a dark and grateful
shade, while everywhere—on the hills, by the road-
side, in the market-place, and the cemetery, alike re-
flected in the glassy wave, and relieved against the east-
ern sky—the cypress stands like a monumental column.
Between the dark green foliage are coloured domes
and minarets, columns and spires, portals and palaces,
castles, harems, and prisons, mosques, kiosks, the
interior of St. Sophia, the great bazaar; a mysterious
subterranean water reservoir of unknown extent,
supported on massy pillars of countless number, the
secrets of which men have gone forth to discover in
boats, but the light from their torches, which grow
dimmer and dimmer, was lost at last by those
who watched, and the rash adventurers were
seen on earth no more. From this gloomy
region we again ascended to the fairy land of the
Arabian Nights—to the fountains raining diamond
drops, the rich shawls, the pipes (Bismallah ! the
word of art is Nargilleh), the arms and the jewels,
the grave P aeh aon his white arab, the solemn Moslem
in his stately robes gracefully and reverently bending
as the Prophet enjoined in the holy place, the Emir,
dressed in the sacred green, and lastly, that gloomy
cemetery, with the graves of the janissaries defaced,
through which Anastatius rode for leagnes the night
he fled from Stambonl, after slaying his latest enemy.
Two scenes only seemed not unfamiliar. One was
Constantinople by moonlight, with a eonfiagration ;
and the other, the entrance to the Black Sea. It may
have been fancy'; but here, where a wide expanse of
sea appears, the air seemed less bright, the sky more
grey ; but we had, perhaps, been dazzled by the gor-
geous colours of the buildings, the land, and water,
on our way from the Mediterranean. The straits
were like the Rhone at Geneva, or the blue sea when
it is most beautiful, glancing in living gleams of
sapphire, topaz, and emerald light ; whilst the build
ings, each a mass of columns, domes, and minarets,
alternating with rich arabesques, and red and yellow,
with earth and water, were bathed in that golden
glow and aerial light which invests the view with that
lazy, soft, dreamy, voluptuous beauty which is an
attribute only of the East and South. The descriptive
lecture was not written by the gentleman who spoke
it. His manner was good, but he would benefit by
the advice of a candid critic. Many jokes were intro-
duced which a numerous and good audience did not
laugh at. The room was much too hot; one lady
was taken ill. Constantinople is well worth a visit.

lottign gkrt, Sitraturt, at.

The Merchant of Venice has been brought out at
the Ambigu Comique Theatre in Paris. The play is
Shakspeare's—with a difference. By way of " ex-
plaining " the hatred which Shyiock bears to the
Christians in general and Antonio in particular, there
is a long prologue, or introductory scene, prefixed to
the drama, wherein Shylock's house is plundered by
masked robbers; and when the unfortunate miser
calls for help, two Venetian nobles of whom Antonio
is one, instead of assistance give him a terrible beat-
ing, and have him thrown into prison. Afterwards,
in the trial scene, the " wise young judge" is a real
man, whom the Jew recognises, at the critical mo-
ment, to be his own son; and for Portia there is
substituted a courtesan, denominated Imperia, with a
role of the most terrible character. However, the
piece succeeded with the audience of the Ambigu
much better, probably, than if it had presented the
veritable "Jew which Shakapeare drew."
Paovisctu, TREATY/5 IN FRANCE seem just now
to be bad speculations. Many of the managers have
retired from the hopeless enterprise, and many more
have become bankrupts. The latest and worst failure
has been that of M. de Courchart, director of two
houses, the Thesltre des Arts and the Cirque Imperial
at Rouen. He had been absent from Rouen for some
time, leaving salaries and bills due on the Ist of
January unsettled. The company understood that
their manager was in Paris, raising money, but as
time went on and he did not show they grew alarmed,
refused to play any longer, and appealed to the au-
thorities. A process in bankruptcy was then com-
menced against M. Courchsrt, and, search being
made in his residence, it was found stripped of every-
thing portable and valuable. Notice has accordingly
been transmitted to Paris, and orders issued for his

arrest.
A CONGRESS OF NATURALISTS is to be held in
Christiania during the course of the summer. Towards
the expenses of this meeting the Norwegian Govern
meat has granted 1,800 crowns, or about 4007.
sterling.
A BURLESQUE DIVERTISBEMENT IS, it is said, in
preparation for performance before the Imperial
Court, in which La Cerito and M. Levassor are to
dance the principal pas.
MEYERBEER'S NEW OPTS*, the Etoile du Nord, is
in active rehearsal at the Opera Comique, and will
be produced early in February. Scribe has written
the libretto.