The Press.
London, England, 1854-04-15 00:00:00

:356

noir.


NEW PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY.
THE programme of the second concert was as
follows :•—•
PART I.—Overture (Naiades), W. sterndale Bennett—Aria,
' Qui adogno" (Mozart), Herr Formes—Concerto, violin and
orottestra,Mendalssohn ; violin, Herr Erost—Aria, "Ah perlido,"
(Mozart), Madame Caradori—Syniphooy in F. No. 8, Beethoven.
PART 11.—Overture (Der Standhafte t'rinz), Lindpaintner—
Aria (Mozart), Mlle. Sedlatzek—Serenade, pianoforte and or-
chestra, Mendelesohn—Pianoforte, Mlle.Grasver—Duet (Hugue-
nots, Meyerbeer), Madame Caradori and Herr Formes—Fantasia
on Hungeris.o airs, violin, Herr Etnst—Overture (Zanette),
Auber.
We think that the promoters of these concerts are
acting a very foolish and impolitic part this year, in
placing themselves in open rivalry with the Philhar-
monic Society, by invariably :electing their music
so as to include one or more important compositions
that have been performed at the Philharmonic
concert immediately preceding. By so doing they
are not only departing from that independence which
was the basis of their original prospectus, but they
are exposing themselves to certain discomfiture, in•
asmuch as it is impossible for them (notwithstanding
what may be said or written to the contrary by in-
terested critics) to engage a band which can execute
instrumental music as perfectly as that of the old
Philharmonic. The selection of Mendelssohn's
symphony in A minor at the first New Philharmonic
concert, and Beethoven's No. 8 at the second, are
sufficient evidence that the spirit of competition
exists, and we have reason to fear that, if the pro-
moters should be so ill advised as to persevere in
this system, early decay and speedy death will be the
fate of their speculation. We have no fault to find
with the execution of Beethoven's No. 8. It was
excellently played, though for our part we failed to
discover any new readings on the part of the con-
ductor. The time taken was the time always ob-
served in this country ; indeed we doubt whether any
conductor could induce our orchestras to abandon
one set of traditions and adopt another, even if such
a result was desirable. The " allegretto" was much
applauded and repeated. Be it remembered that the
New Philharmonic would have done good service to
the cause of art had they prohibited what in musical
slang are called " encores" of movements in sym •
phonies, but it seems they have not thought fit to de,
so. M. Ernst, who was greeted with enthusiastic
applause, was very successful in Mendelssohn's violin
concerto. Notwithstanding that, his tone is thin and his
intonation at times defective, he is undoubtedly a great
artist, and, though we by no means concur with those
who rank him as the first violinist of the day, lie dis-
plays in everything that he does an ability and in
telleet which cannot fail to command the respect and
admiration of every true lover of music. The piano-
forte concerto was a poor affair. With the exception
of " Ah perfido," which was sufficiently well sung by
Madame Caradori, the vocal music was wretched.
The duet from the Huguenots loses much of its in-
terest from the absence of the stage situations and
business ; and M. Formes' singing was anything but
agreeable to our ears. We must not omit to mention
that, full justice was done by the orchestra to the
three clever overtures which completed the instru-
mental portion of the programme : that by M. Lind-
paintner is well written and effective, but withal rather
laboured. This concert was full an hour too long,
and did not terminate till late.

MR. ALLCROFT'S CONCERT.
MR. ALLCROFT has provided a musical entertain-
ment for this week, in the shape of five concerts,
given respectively on Monday, Tuesday, Wednes-
day, Thursday, and to day. These concerts were
constructed upon a very good plan, the first
part of each being confined to the classical com-
positions of Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and
Weber; and the second to instrumental solos,
quadrilles, polkas, and every speceis of vocal corn-
position, the singers being Miss Rebecca Isaacs
and Mr. Augustus Braham, and several other artists
of less pretension. Mr. Ernst contributed a solo
on each evening. The other soloists were Miss
Nixon, and Messrs. Lazarus and Prospere, and the
London orchestra, under the conductorship of Mr.
Frank Mori, discharged their duty most efficiently.
We sincereiy hope that Mr. Allcroft's present series
of concerts have proved remunerative in a pecuniary
point of view, for they are certainly most useful to
art, as giving the general public a means of obtain-
ing some insight into the mysteries of classical
music, without disheartening them with its difficulties.
Mr. Allcroft should be more sparing in the use of
the words " by special desire," which are generally
accepted as an intimation that royalty is present,
when he had no warrant for so doing.

A rownoN of the Egyptian Railway has been used
for the first time in the conveyance of the passengers
from India by the last overland mail, who came
from the Nile to the canal, near Alexandria, about
fifty miles, by this more pleasant and more speedy
mode of transit.

THE PRESS.

lortign Sittraturt, &r.

ON Saturday last the Emperor and Empress,
accompanied by the court, most of the ministers' the
Prefect of the Seine, and municipality or Paris,
inaugurated a part of the embellishments of the Bois
de Boulogne. The hydraulic apparatus having been
prepared, the Emperor touched a spring, and imme-
diately the Seine waters spouted forth in abundance
from an ornamental rock, and commenced filling the
new lake. The rock was decorated with flags,
streamers, and scutcheons, in the midst of which was
the legend Les ouvriers a l'Empereur et
trice." The Empress's bust was placed on a pedestal
on the summit or the rock. The lake, which is very
large and deep, was entirely filled in the course of
a few hours, and in a few weeks the artificial river to
Auteuil will be completed. The aspect of that part
of Paris is altogether transformed by these splendid

improvements.
Fr is said that the inventor of the infernal
submarine machines, stated to be in the possession
of the Emperor of Russia, for blowing ships out of
the water by the agency of an electric wire, is a
Frenchman, and that, when he communicated his
invention to the Russian Government for a considera-
tion, he expressly stipulated that, in case of war
between France and Russia, he should be at liberty
to give his own country the benefit of his discovery.
It is reported in Paris that a few days since this
gentleman was received at the Ministry of Marine,
and, in the presence of M. Ducos and a board of
naval officers, explained the fearful means of
destruction which he claims to have originated.
The board, incredulous at first, closely examined
the matter, and in the end were very much struck
by the demonstration, and not a little alarmed.
Sir Charles Napier, on the admission of the in-
ventor, was already prepared for what he might
have to encounter. A telegraphic despatch was
immediately sent off to warn Admiral Parseval
Deschenes.

IN the last sitting of the Societe d'Encotuagemen
pour 'lndustrie Nationale a paper was read setting
forth a plan for making paper from wood. The bark
is first taken off the wood, and the wood is then cut
in such a way as to be easily made into shavings ;
the shavings are then cut very thin ; next they are
placed in water for six or eight days, then they are
dried, afterwards they are reduced to the finest
powder possible by means of a corn-mill. This
powder is then mixed with the rags which serve to
prepare the pulp of paper, and the ordinary opera-
tion of paper-making is proceeded to. All white
woods, such as the poplar, the lime, and the willow,
are suitable for the purpose, but the discoverer
ascribes a good deal of his success to the quality of
the water he employed—that of the little river Doller,
which runs near Mulhouse. For the first ex-
periment he employed the wood of the trembling
poplar, and he presented specimens of paper made
from it.
MADAME GOLDSCHMIDT (Jenny Lind) gave her
third concert on the Bth inst. at the Grand Redouten
Saloon in Vienna. Upwards of 2,000 persons
were present. The concert went off with immense
Mat.
SWISS JOURNALS give the following details relative
to the discoveries recently made in consequence of
the extraordinary fall in the water in the rake of
Zurich :—" At about 100 feet from the right bank of
the lake, opposite the village of Mellen, there have
been found several rows of piles formed of trunks of
trees. The piles are about a foot apart, with an
interval of sixteen feet between the rows. These
piles support enormous beams, which form a very
large area. Between the piles there have been
found the skeletons of animals which are no longer
to be seen in Switzerland, but no trace of any
domestic animals. On removing the mud there was
discovered an immeese number of heads of arrows
and spears made of stone, carefully cut, and very
pointed; poignards made of flint, with bnckhorn
handles ; a battle-axe in stone ; clay vases, evidently
formed by the hand without the aid of any instru-
ment, and afterwards baked in an oven ; and several
other articles in stone and baked clay. A human
skull has been also found. These remains, which
are considered to have belonged to the ancient Celts,
are now under examination by a commission of
antiquarians."
THE number of beetroot-sugar factories at work
in France is 303, or 85 less than this time last year.
The quantity of sugar manufactured during March
last was 73,987,419 kilogrammes, being an increase
of 2,530,318 kilogrammes over the quantity manu-
factured during the corresponding month of 1853.
THE SOCIETY OF CHRISTIAN ART at Cologne is
preparing a grand exhibition of the products of
mediaeval art. This exhibition will take place during
the summer.
ROSSINI'S work, Le Satre A Rheims, will be per-
formed at Vienna upon tl e marriage of the Emperor
of Austria. The parts are already distributed among
the artists selected.

SATURD.

AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY has just been made in
the neighbourhood of Luneburg, in Hanover, of a
deep stratum of quartz sand about four feet below
the surface, and which is found to contain quicksilver
in the proportion of nearly one pound of that metal
to a cubic foot of the sand. The authorities have
taken the necessary measures for working this
valuable discovery.
TIIE PIEDMONTESE GOVERNMENT has granted a
sum of 80,000 f. to MM. Sommeiller, Grattoni, and
Grandis, for experiments upon an invention for the
application of compressed air to locomotion, which
will probably be used in the ascent of Mont Cenis
and the Col de Tende. _ _ _

THE Europhn, Paris journal (formerly the Presse
Religieuse), which recently received a warning, has
ceased to appear.
COUNT SPARRE'S INVENTION, by which he can at
pleasure in a few minutes manufacture bank notes
of any kind, has been often asknowledged to be
absolutely perfect. He is going to visit England
and France to offer his counter-discovery to the
banking authorities there. A committee is sitting on
his offer to the Swedish banks.
AN OPERA, in five acts, called the Santa-Chiara,
composed by his Royal Highness Prince Ernest of
Saxe Coburg, was performed for the first time at
Gotha on the bth inst. The representation was
most successful, the opera being received with
enthusiastic applause. It will be reproduced very
shortly in the Prussian capital. Among the visitors
present at the first performance were M. Hulsen,
director, and M. Dorn, leader of the orchestra at the
Berlin Grand Opera.
THE KING OF PRUSSIA has just bought, at the
price of 152,000 f., a " Holy Family," by Raphael,
which for more than two centuries past has formed
one of the chief ornaments in the gallery of the
Prince,: Terra Nuova at Rome. The late King of
Prussia first commenced negotiating for the purchase
of this picture, but difficulties arose, and the Meaty
dropped for a time. it was, however, renewed more
successfully by his present Majesty. The picture
is now on its way to Berlin, where it will be deposited
for a brief period at the royal palace, but finally
will be transferred, according to the original inten-
tion of the late King, to the Museum of Fine Arts in
the capital.

6ttitsiastitai.

PREFERMENTS AND APPOINTMENTS.
The Rev. Samuel John Jerram, M A., to the Vicarage of Chob-
ham, Surrey.
The Rev. Win. Richardson, MA., too Canonry Residentiary in
the Cathedral Church of St. David's.
The Rev. John L. Palmour, M.A., to the Vicarage of Jeffreys-
ton, near Narberth.
The Rev. 'lntense Richardson, M.A., to be a Priest Vicar, and
the Rev. J. P. Wilson, M.A., Sub-Dean, of St. Da \ iti'v Cathedral.
The Rev. John Wilbraham Hill, to be Chaplain to the
High Sheriff of Flintshire.
The Rev. Julius Leedes, MA., to the Rural Deanery of Sutton.
The Rev. Wm. Vet-don, M.A., to the Incumbency of St. John's
Church, Pendiebury.
Tue Rev. Henry Martin Lower, MA., to be Archdeacon of
Montreal, Lower Canada.
The Rev. N. G. Pilkington. M.A., to be Sunday evening Lee-
turer of St. Andrew's Church, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
The Rev. J. Gilbert Harries, MA., to be Chaplain to the High
Sheriff of Brecknockshire.
The Rev. Charles Eckersall, M.A., to the Incumbency of Lower
Heeding, near Horsham, Sussex.
The Rev. W. Alford, M.A., to the Rectory of Folke, Dorset-
shire.
The Rev. Alfred Tatham, M.A., to the Incumbency of Halam,
Nottinghamshire.
The Rev. C. Taylor, M.A., to the Vicarage of
The Rev. John Rustat Crowfoot, 8.D., to the Incumbency of
Southwold, near Wangtord, Suffolk.
The Rev. J. Sparling, MA., to the Rectory of Eccieswu, near
Chorley, Lancashire.
The Rev. Henry Griffin Williams, M.A., to the Rectory of
Preston, near Sudbury, Suffolk.
The Rev. R. Henderson, M.A., to the Rectory of Brompton-
Ralph, near Wiveliscombe, Somerset.
The Rev. Astley Cooper, BA., to the Curacy of Monckton-
Combe, near Bath.
The Rev. Stephen Edwardes, MA., to the Vicarage of Wool-
vercott, Oxfordshire.
The Rev. G. A. Poole, M.A., to the Curacy of Holy Trinity
Church, Huddersfield.
The Rev. John Bartholomew Vale, M.A., to the Curacy of The-
berton, near Saxmundham.
The Rev Dr. Philip Wynter, to the Rectory of South Warn-
borough, near Odiliam, Hampshire.
The Rev. Henry Wright, M.A., to the Rectory of Hambledon,
near Godalming.
The Rev. Samuel Watson Steadman, M.A., to the Rectory of
Fyfield, near Andover.
The Rev. William I.eggatt Sharpe. 8.A., to the Incumbency of
St. Pa's Church, Whippinhatn, near Newpolsle of Wht.
The Rev. George Vareuneg Reed, M.A., to the Rectory of 'Hayes,
near Bromley, Kent.
The Rev. Arthur H. Leech, M.A., to the Vicarage of Emly.
The Rev. James Morrie Poole, MA., to be a Surrogate of the
diocese of Caehel.
The Rev. J. Boyd, MA., to be Minister of the Church and Pa-
-1 rish of Iron Gray.

VACANCIES.
The Incumbency of Muchalls, nearStonehaven, in the diocese
of Breohin.
The Vicarage of Kirtling, near Newmerket.
The Liing or iiperton, near Trowbride, Wiltshire ; worth
260/. pery annum, in the gift of Walter Lgong, Esq., M.P., of
Rood Ashton.
The Living of Whaddon. near Trowbridge, Wiltshire : worth
1901. year, in the gift of Walter Long, Esq.,ot Rood
Ashton.