The Press.
London, England, 1854-04-22 00:00:00

tortip t#> Sittraturt,

INDIARUBBER SLEEPERS have been laid down 011
part of the New Jersey Central Railroad, and the re-
sult is that the carriages pass along with a springy
elastic motion, without noise or jolting.
A PATRIOTIC HYMN, from the pen of M. John Ga
briel Seidl, a poet of credit, and the inspector of the
imperial cabinet of gems, coins, and antiquities in
Vienna, has just been approved by the Emperor, and
is in future to be sung at all the Austrian national
festivities. The text of this poem is said to combine
a noble simplicity with an exceeding softness and
pathos which cannot fail to touch all hearts.
THE QUANTITY OF ICE cut and gathered in the
eleven storehouses in the vicinity of Boston is stated
to be two hundred and seventy thousand tons. The
receipts of the several railroads for freight of this
ice will amount to about one hundred thousand dol-
lars ; labour for cutting, &c., two hundred thousand
dollars. Large sums are also paid for sawdust and
other materials for packing, wharfage, &c., on the
ice shipped. To ship the surplus from Boston to
foreign ports would require about two hundred ships
of one thousand tons each, the freight of which could
not amount to less than four hundred thousand
dollars.
THE AUSTRIAN IMPERIAL ASTRONOMER states the
comet of this year to be a new and entirely strange
visitor—one quite distinct from that of Brorsen, ob-
served at Scuftenberg, and from that of 1556. On
the 19th of April it will enter Orion.
WHILE England is agitating the subject of ocean
penny postage, the United States are adopting it.
It has been officially announced that an arrangement
for the transportation of the mails between America
and Australia has been made, which embraces the
entire ocean postal reform. It fixes the rate of
letters between these distant countries at two cents,
or one penny. Hence the whole postage for a letter
carried 3,000 miles on the continent, and half round
the earth to Australia, is only five cents.
THE CZAR has just completed arrangements by
which he may learn the London news of the morning
almost, perhaps quite, as soon as the London
merchants see their newspapers. The electric tele-
graph has long been in operation between St.
I'etersburg and Warsaw, and for some time numbers
of men have been employed in completing the
line, which is to extend from Warsaw to the Prussian
frontier. But, in order not to lose time while
the works of the latter are going on, the Czar has
caused the portion already constructed to be con
nected with the Prussian telegraph near Myslo-
witz, and by this means St. Petersburg is placed in
direct communication with the capitals of Western
Europe. There is no longer any reason why the
embarkation of a regiment at Southampton, or the
departure of a ship from Portsmouth, should not be
known in the Russian capital before either can get
out of the Channel. There is, however, no reciprocity
of advantage. The Russian line is not open to
private despatches.
THE PICTURE OF VICTORIA Comm., the cele-
brated Marchionness of Pescara, recognised by the
Academy of St. Luke at Rome as the work of
Michael Angelo Buonarotti, has been exhibited, by
special desire of the Emperor Napoleon, in the Gal-
lery at the Louvre. This noble and valuable painting
will continue on view there every week till further
notice.

AN IMPORTANT COLLECTION OF PAINTINGS, the
property of Madame de Cbaragnac, among which
are four cartoons of Girilie Romano, which may vie
with the most sublime conceptions in the art of
painting, will shortly be exhibited in the Ancienne
Galerie Lebrun, Rue du Sender, Parc, previous to
their public sale, which will take place in the course
of the month of May.
THE SUMMER SEASON AT THE SAN CARLO OPERA
is to open with II Furioso. La be Roissi is the
prima donna. This lady sang some years ago in
London, since which she has appeared with success
at most of the large continental theatres ; lastly, at
Rome, in the Trovatori. Her voice is wonderfully
educated, and she executes florid passages with as
much ease and precision as Persiani. The other
artists are scarcely equal to the fame which San
Carlo is supposed to bestow on all who sing there.
Two AMERICAN ARTISTS are now singing in Naples.
Mrs. Escott is an American lady, who for more than
a year has " drawn" at the Isiuovo. She came to

SATURDAY,

Italy knowing nothing of the Italian language, and
only possessing such a musical education as can be
picked up in the United States ; and yet, within a
few months, became the favourite at the Nuovo.
The other American artiste is Mr. Squires, who has
come out at the San Ferdinando as first tenor. He
has received great applause in the Trovatori, and in
a new opera, by a new master, Signor Ruta, entitled
Leonilda. The quality of his voice is very pleasing.

THE FESTIVAL OF THE THREE CHOIRS will this
year be held at Worcester, on the sth, 6th, 7th, and
dth of September. Some of the engagements have
already been made, and the following noblemen and
gentlemen have accepted the office of stewards:—
Lord Willoughby de Broke, Viscount Elmley, M.P.,
Sir E. H. Lechmere, Bart., Sir W. Smith, Bart., the
Mayor of Worcester (Mr. C. Bedford), Mr. Laslett,
M.P., Mr. R. Lowe, M.P., Rev. C. Allen, Mr. R. P.
Campbell (Wychbold), Mr. J. Y. Bedford (Abbey,
Pershore), Mr. W. Dent (Sudeley Castle), Rev. C.
F4Farley, Mr. W. C. Heming, Mr. J. Holland, Mr.
J. S. Pakington (Westwood), Mr. R. Peel, Mr. E. J.
Rudge (Evesham), Rev. C. J. Sale, Rev. R. Sanders,
Mr. W. F. Taylor (Monby-hall), Mr. T. Webb (Bir-
minghom), Colonel Wilmot (Malvern), and Mr. J.
Woodard (Comberton). Upwards of 7001. has al.
ready been raised as a guarantee fund.
A MEETING of the Royal Geographical Society will
be held on Monday evening next, at half-past eight,
when the following communications will be read:-
1. " Observations on the Territory of Burica, in the
Province of Chiriqui," by J. H. Smith, Esq., F.R.G.S.,
of Panama. 2. " Official Report on the Isthmus of
Darien," by Commander J. C. Provost, R.N., of
H.M.S. Virago. Communicated through Sir Roderick
I. Murchison.

TEE ST. JAMES'S THEATRE will be opened on Mon-
day, the Ist May, for the performance of French plays,
under the direction of M. Lafont. Messrs. Hoflinan,
Bardou, Ferville, and Regnier, Mlle. Luther, and Mlle.
Fix, of the Theatre Francais, are already engaged
to appear during the season.
The pleasant gardens of CREMORNE opened for the
season on Monday last, when the unusual conjunc-
tion of the Easter holidays and almost summer
weather induced a very numerous concourse of

visitors to attend. Since last year the grounds have
undergone many renovations and improvements.
There was a balloon ascent on the opening day,
which will no doubt be repeated frequently dunng
the season. But for every day there are entertain-
ments provided in infinite variety, and in profusion
more than sufficient to occupy the hours between
three o'clock and midnight without intermission.
Nowhere, perhaps, is so much to be got for a shilling
as at Cremorne.

APRIL 22, 1854.