The Express.
London, England, 1864-12-05 00:00:00

`Sept. Zr, 1884.
lb. 5.5e7,543

fr

MUSIC.

RGYAL ENGLISH OPERA, OOMIZGARDEN.

Mr. iiotton's new opera, Rose, or Lure's Ramon,
wee presided oe ittarday evening by art operetta in one
eat. v..lled 7/a Bride of Sony, the librotto by 11,..iy
Far,4o .mo new to os), and the music by Mr. dolled...lt.
Tim....Kosim.,:aut is a tries ; and, were it not for the illus.
Irmo name of the composer, m,d the circumstance timt the
piece has been ....Knoche& pretentiously paraded by our now
English Opera Compsoy as one of their novelties of the
.mono, we should not have considered it as calli.qc for any
apeciAl notice.

It was us evideut error iu uainsgersest to perform this
piece !.,efore a work of such dimesaisse as :dr. Hattoa's
sew opera, This was obvious even from looking
at the lulls, and was shown by the result. It
was post nine o'clock when the operetta terminated, and
the cuttsin rose for the opera. The introductory chorus
begun without the overture. Loud cries for the overture
leer from all parts of the house. They ware disregarded for
a time, but waxed so imperative, and were accomp►nied by
1111th Warkl of displeasure, that it was found necessary to
drop the curtain and play the overture no improperly passed
over. The subsequent performance of the opera was hurried
Dour in a most reprehensible manner. The first verses only
at the awe were sung, and everything was left out that
could by any means be dispensed with. We are sorry for
all this, as we wish well to the theatre. But if the parties
ooscerned hope for SUOMI, they must bestow more thought
sad care upon their management.

MR. °LAURIER'S TWISTY-THIRD BAL-
LOON ASCENT FOR SCIRNTIFIO PURPOSES.

In the course of a letter describing his late
went, Mr. Glaiaber observes :

" For en altitude of 20 digs. all round there was mitt, the
remainder of the sky was for the most part clear. On ex.
canning the sun with a spectroscope on the earth the colours
of the spectrum were moderately bright, the line B, at the
red end, sod G, at the violet end, were the extreme limits,
and there were not many besides the principal lines between ;
the wind was nearly west neer the earth. On reaching 1,100
feet we entered • S.W. current, and thought werbonld
roes the river Thames north of Erith, but on paring above
2,000 feet we entered a W.X. W. current, and passed at 3h.
sore little distance south of Erith. We were over Dartford
at 3b. 16m., and here we saw the smoke from G revered pass.
trig S.W. and S.S.W. till it reached 1,000 feet, and then to
run back upon itself. At this time,at the height of 5,000 feet,
we were moving W.N. W., or towards Cobham Park. At 3h.
24m. we were south of Greenhithe, and nearly over Direst
Wood. On examining the country it bad an appearance we
had never seen before. At the height of a mile up to this
time all hills have been dwarfed to level plains and all
valleys have been raised, so that the earth hu appeared
uniformly plain. On the contrary, now, every variation of
near, every hollow, every rise, were clearly shown ; the
course of the river Darent was traced for miles with every
elevation of land near is, but we could not see anything
inuring on the earth. The sun wee shining, the sky was
perfectly clear and of a deep blue. On examining the sun's
spectrum here, it was indeed different from below, the
colours were all far brighter, the lines extending from A
at the red end to far beyond H at the violet end, which line
was made up of fine lines. The spectrum was very hoe.
The sun was warm, bat yet did not exercise any influence on
she thermometer, upon the blackened bulb of which it shone
brightly. At 31i. 46m. there was a sudden chill to rose ; the
wind was still W.N.W., and Mr. CoxweU (who watched the
direction and motion of smoke, the angle we made with
known roads on pasting them), with Vent judgment kept
within its influence, en as to drive us inland, for he re-
marked if we sank to the lower current to the sea we must
go. At 3.b. 55m. we heard a clock strike four ; we were then
• little south of Nursled. and Mr. Coxwell, pointing to
Rochester, said " Ws shall par Woldhani, the piece where
1 was hero." At 40. we were arab of Gravesend. at
4h. 17m. we crowed the Medway, then over Woldham,
changed direction to nearly SW., sod were en the
wooed at 4h. 25m. at Deine farm, near Rochester,
sad rewired assiranos from Mr. Matson, whose farm
joined that on which we fell, for which we beg to thank
him. The inhabitants at Gravesend and Rochester were
greatly puzzled at our moving in a direction directly oppo-
its to that of the wind, where they were, and some thought
we had a power of guiding the kallom,
"Duriag this mart we hunU the river Thames all the
way down. Mr. Corers!" felt that he dared not ascend
higher than one mile, on account of theirs, of gar we should
have experienced io so doing, till we could pass Gravesend ;
and when we did so it was too dark. At 41t. fam., at my
last observation, it was very difficult to read the instru-
ments., and it was then no use to amend higher or to re-
main longer from the earth.

" The balloon was aeon from the Royal Observatory,
Greenwich, at 2h. 40m. when 1,000 feet high. It was
watched by Mr. Nash till 3b. Bm. ; and up to this time be
noticed that the balloon mo►ed one half Toned between
2h. 45m. and 3h., and then back again in the contrary di-
rection ; and at 3h. Bm. he could read the word " Mars " on
the balloon distinctly with a telescope. Simultaneous me-
teorological observations were made at the Royal Observa-
tory, Oreenwicb, by command of the Aatronomer•Royal
under the superintendence of Mr. Noah, and also at my re-
sidence by Messrs. Gair and Rowe."

BURsTING OF A RESERVOIR IN CUMBERLAND.--
Can Wednesday last a catastrophe occurred at the seaport of
Harrington, Cumberland, similar in some respects to that
which spread such devastation around Sheffield in the early
part of this year, though upon a much smaller scale, and
fortunately unattended with any loss of life. About
sieves o'clock on that day a reservoir, three acres in extent,
situated at a short distance from Harrington, ourst, and
deluged the main street with a wide stream described as
some four or five feet in depth, which rushed down the
street with a loud roar, the main body of water bully
emptying itself into the harbour. The reservoir was one
recently constructed to supply the new ironworks of
Medina Bain, Blair, end Patterson. It was coostructed in
a valley, the adjacent hills forming two sides, and the
low end bei shut in by an embankment about 300 feet in
length and 20 feet high. This bank was five feet thick at
the top, and it gradually spread out towards the hue,
sloping on either side. The sides were formed of battered
earth and clay. a uctioa of clay puddle being placed in the
middle. It is about ten months since the 000atruction of this
reservoir commenced, sad it was almost completed when
the catastrophe occurred on Wednesday. The recent heavy
reins had filled it, and the bye-fall which carries the over-
flow into a beck and so into the harbour proved inadequate
to carry off the surplus water, which flowed over the side
of the embankment, and, it is conjectured, washed away
the earth on the outer side, and so gradually diminished i.e
thickness of the embankment at one plea until it was Una-
bide of resisting the pressure from within, and finally the
water born through, making a chasm some 10 feet wide.
One of the members of the farm (Mr. Patterson) was stand-
ing on the embankment when the disaster occurred, and
just saved himself by a well-timed leap. A man who hadben employed at the dam, se soon u he saw the danger
that was impending, ran down to the town to give the
alarm. At this time the pupils of the National School were
breakiog up for dinner and coming into the streets. They
were at once hurried into cottages, when they would beout of
harm's way. In • few minutes after the catastrophe oc-
curred. The torrent came rolling along in high waves of
four or five feet in height down the main street, inundat-
ing houses along its line of route, and sweeping off all
movables that came in its way. It is stated that the
stream occupied several minutes in passing. Fortunately no
one was injured, all the damage duo being confined to pro.
by the
l'ourollY; andoma ;ittleri:li:iywwerheo hadriedeougfoL refugesoe
daisttatree
bddre had a narrow escape from being drowned. A large
quantity of furniture was destroyed in the houses inundated,
the water running into the cellars and forcing its way up
through the ceiling ; the parapet of a bridge was washed
down ; two brewiop were spoiled is a brewery ; deep holes
were made in the main street, and the foundations of a
railway bridge were injured.
CANTERBURY WORKING MEN'S CLUB AND INSTI-
ITTE —On Thursday there was • large meeting, comprising
• considerable number of working men, at the Music Hall,
to celebrate the opening of the new premises for the use of
this society, which we recently described as in counts of
adaptation for club purpous. It appeera that the ea penes
el' purchasing and adapting the building, amounting to
600/., his been met by • loan on the part of two gentlemen,
at 5 per ant. ; the cod of furnishing, &c., by donations,
amounting to 2001., in addition to honorary subscriptions,
amounting to 'W. pee annum, and ordinary members' sub-
briPtinini. yielding V.I. per annum—le that, in a pecuniary
point of view, the newly-formed society may be considered
to have a more than commonly good prospect. The Mayor
(who is president of the club) took the chair, and coogratii-
LW the members on the auspicious °cession. Addresses
were also delivered by Sir Brooke Bridges, Bart, M.P., and
the Rev. Henry Sally, the secretary to the Central Union. It
should be added that letters of sympathy, and explaining
absence, were received from Lord Athlumney, M.P., Mr.
Butler-Johnstone, M.P., and Sir Edward Dining, Bart., M."
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