The Press.
London, England, 1854-09-09 00:00:00

g)„mustintnts.

THE POLYTECHNIC.-0/1 Thursday last the first of
a series of lectures, to be delivered every Monday and
Thursday, upon the " Destructive Chemical Re-
sources of Modern Warfare," was given by Dr.
Scoffern at this institution. Dr. Scoffern entered at
some length into the vast revolution in the means of
warfare caused by the introduction of gunpowder, at
the same time giving some interesting experiments
upon its manufacture and projectile force. He also
refeired to the possible destructive power of such
submarine floating shells as are supposed to have
been sunk off Cronstadt, and distinctly stated his
()pinion that the effect of such machines, even ex-
ploding directly under a vessel, would be very limited
indeed, if not comparatively harmless, from the
explosive effect being so much deadened by the
surrounding medium. One or two experiments were
given in proof, but on too small a scale to be satin
factory. Dr. Scoffern's theory may be currect, but
the practice on a large scale, as we have witnessed
it, has appeared to effectually fulfil the purposas
required.

860
foreign ctrt, Sittraturt, kr.

THE admirable comedian Bouffe, whose state of
health has long been considered nearly hopeless, has
surprisingly recovered, and will shortly again resume
his duties on the Paris boards.
IN consequence of difficulties which have arisen be•
tween M. Perrin and the Dramatic Authors' Society,
he has deemed it expedient to resign the manage-
ment of the Paris Theitre Lyrique, the privilege of
which is now consequently in abeyance.
THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT has revoked all the
permissions it had granted to Russians or Poles to
exhibit their productions at the Paris Universal Ex-
hibition of 1855, and has at the same time prohibited
all Russian subjects from making any purchases,
either directly or indirectly, at the Exhibition.
1111Ims. RACHEL is announced to make her rentrie
at the Francais to-morrow (10th), as Camille, in
Horace. Bressant will reappear in about six weeks,
and comes back in a new piece. Madame Plessy's
rent,* will not take place for some months to come.
AT Turin, a new opera, by M. Cagnoni, entitled
Ainori e Trappolo, has been well received at the
Team Gerbino. Mme. Lipparini, the prima donna,
is well spoken of ; and the other performers, Messrs.
Errani, Bonafous, and Frizzi, are also eulogised.
AT the Carignano a drama has been produced
called L'Assedio di Silistria, in which Turks and
Russians perform prodigies of valour. One of the
principal episodes is a love-passage between the
daughter of Mussa Pacha and a son of the Russian
general, the marriage of the lovers concluding the
piece.
M. RICHARTZ, a munificent citizen of Cologne,
has given 100,000 thalers for the building of a mu-
seum in that city. He has received all the honour
due to such an action at the hand of the municipality
of Cologne, and the building will be begun forth-
with, that the worthy patriot may live to see what he
has so pfaiseworthily originated.
THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF BERLIN held
an extraordinari public sitting on the 24th ult., to
celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the day when
Baron Alexander de Hum ooldt was elected member
of it. A colossal bust in marble of that illustrious
man was placed in the hall where the sittings are
held, in honour of the occasion.
A CIVIL WAR of no mean proportions is at this
moment raging between the French journalists and
the management of the Grand Opera. On the open-
ing night last week all the representatives of the
public press, without exception, were turned away
from the doors, and informed that the free-press
admissions were altogether suppressed. A day or
two afterwards the editors of several j Jurnals were
sent for by the Director of Public Safety, who told
them that the refusal to admit the press on the first
night was owing to a regretable mistake, that the
Minister of State had resolved to put the free list of
the imperial theatres on a new footing, but had not
had time to communicate his final decision to the
manager of the Opera. It was intimated that in
future only one ticket would be given to each journal,
instead of two or three, as has been customary; and
there is a report that, instead of the boxes and stalls,
which have heretofore been secured for the leading
journals on the first night of a new piece, simple
tickets of admission will be given—the bearers being
left to take their chance of finding a place. The
journalists are by no means satisfied with the Go-
vernment explanation of the affront put upon them
on the opening night of the Opera, and they resent
the proposed curtailment of their ancient privileges.
They are indisposed to accept as a favour, grudgingly
granted, what they have looked upon as a courtesy
sufficiently reciprocated by gratis advertisements and
critical notices. The journals have accordingly pre •
served a complete silence as to everything produced
there since the dispute began.
THE Moniteur cites a despatch of
General of Algeria, from which it appears that a na-
tive who quitted Timbuctoo in the early part of June
has declared that he met, two Europeans there
clothed in Arab costume. One was of a stature
above the middle height: he had a light beard, and
he commonly used a lorgnon of blue glass. The
other, who was a little less tall, had a brown beard,
rather dark. It is probable that these two Euro-
peans were Dr. Barth and M. Vogel. If this is so,
this is the most recent news that has been received
conceraing those travellers. According to the testi-
mony of the Arab, they were both under the protec-
tion of the Sheik En-Nebigh des Tonareg, chief of
the tribe of the Haalen, a powerful and formidable
man, possessed of several houses at Timbuctoo, one
of which be had placed at the service of the tra
Yellers.
GRISI AND MARIO arrived at New York in the
BaUic on the 19th ult. The Musical Fund Society
had chartered a steamer to meet them with a select
company of ladies and gentlemen, but the early ar-
rival of the Baltic took them by surprise.
Ws read in the Revue dts Beaux Arts that M.
Chardigny, the eminent sculptor, has by no means