The Press.
London, England, 1853-10-22 00:00:00

THE PRESS

ship of llr. Alfred Wigan. A vast crowd was col
lectetl. partly front the curiosity arising from a
" first night." as well as from wide-spread sympathy
with the new popular to the doors
being opened half an hour later titan was expected
to change not sutticirntly made known), SOIMI d .
COW& ql was V N11(.6(414.'41 Nr observed several
fashionable habitai.,l waiting outside with mon, pa
lience and good ltchmionr than was shown I.y less
distinguished persons. t M the doors %wiry; at last
opened, only a few minutes elapsed when eery de-
sirable seat was occupied; and at half past sewn the

performatives began.
The first fact of the night worthy of record wit.;
the genuine diameter of the endoisiastie reception
given to Mr. Wigan. Snell a demonstration iambi
never have beets "got up," and Was a well deserved
tribute to a brilliant actor, whose theatrical eminence
is enhanced by his personal respectability.
The tirst piece, The Camp at the olympie, was by
Mr. Manche. We hate read better productions from
the pen of its sparkling author; but, as the little
piece was merely intended as a prelude, it would be
scarcely fair to criticises it.
Plot and (((( , in three acts, is the chief piece
on which \lr. Wigan has relied at the outset of his
career as manager. It is a ineldrna, from the
pens of Mr. Tom Taylor tun( another gentleman.
The great hit in this drama was the decisive success,
in the serious part of Poo/mill:, Robson.
Upon the greatness of his merits in AUE. I I ertillte, whim
compared with John Reeve, lincksteme, and Harley,
there was some difference of opinion; but his
Desmaret: is a piece of original acting, clearly eon.
ceived seal vividly executed, in a style that at once,
per saltum, plates this most temarkable artist its the
front rank of his probbssiote Intensity, showing
itself in a prodigal variety of gestures, and a ‘ersatile
cretinism' over the resources of emphasis and atti-
tude, is the leading characteristic of this actor. II is
peculiar organisation makes him physieally passion
ate, but his keen intellectual faculties infuse 11 glit
into Isis vehemence. A dwarf in stature, with a
voice like a Iwntly whistle mimicking a trombone,—
darting hither anti thither itel osS the stage With a
strange,nervous vivacity.--his seri )))) s acting is saved
ftenst the grotesque by the truthful character of Isis
passionate energy and Lis smslainedpower of self-
excitement. In DO other meter, tragic or etbillie, with
the single exeeption the elder Kean, hate we ever
seen so much histrionic intensity. Set end of his
touches in Destnaretz strike home to the amlienee
with thrilling power. Mere talent—more study—
mere emuming---could never supply the versatility
with which he astonished the audience last Monday
night. Ile showed the serpentlike crawl of the ttset
of police in one Seelle; anti in the next, when he
appeared as the lover, he displayed the passion of an
aspiring heart, seating beyond grovelling habits.
His thirst for vengeance was depicted also wills re.
markable skill, in delineating the evil anti the
sinister ; anti the rapidity of his alternations marked
that spontaneity which can come only from "genius"
—a word often abused, but rightly applied to mark
the originality of mind shining frwes thee new theatri-
cal " star."
Mr. Wigan played the part of Henri de rdineeille
with manly pathos, and realised the impulsiveness of
the creole temptrametit with its sudden transitions in
his best style. We should like to see Mr. Wigan in
the part of FouchZ. Ile would name into it more
subtlety and fillealSe 011411 Mr. Emery, whose chief
merit is in parts reuniting broad and hold sift OS.
We think this hint werth hating acted on, as Mr.
Emery has many qualitivations for the part of Henri.
This exchange of parts would improve the action of
the whole. piece. Mrs. Stirling boiled and acted
charmingly as Madame des lOW liallget. Failure is a
word never connected with this admirable actress,
what, since the, re tirement of Mrs. Nisbeta, iniques•
tunably stands at the head of our female comedians.
tin the whole, the opening of the Olympic Theatre
this week was a triumph for the manager, mud
wt
leok forward with great interest to his coming
season. We observe that our contemporaries
omitted to notice one interesting scene last Monday.
When the audience, at the close of the second act of
Plot and Passion, enthusiastically called fear \lr.
Robson, that gentleman declined to cis me feta aril,
net wishing, probably, tat take the hesnours fr en his
brother performer:. Mr. Wi;:nit literally dragged
him its frait of the enrtaile when the unenager left
him, setter hating first, with eager cordiality, shaken
the band of his Ltilliiut r, emit. Nlr. Robson was
nearly overpowered with uniotisse, but amongst the
demonstratiens in his favour the greeting that he
received Iran his manager wits net the least interest-
ing fact in the revert et his triumph.

Itt-Rim; the recent in-peetion of the Anlisittlt.
Dessau contingent, expel Maids were made with the
Minie tirelock, which the !Fehr %rifting sari did not
answer expectations. It w,e, liecially remarked
that " the point% of the balls repeatedly tlew
oth
and left the cylinder bticking in the middle of the
barrel."

lortign (;Art, Yitttaturt, u.

595

slit. FLEXIIOItt: AND Sher.. /tuition. have performed
see oral last times lately at the Vaudeville Theatre at
.%ttrisrs AND Ali el'Elltri OF FINE ARTA enema to
the Museum of Pictures at Itrussels to admire the largo
fresco exhibited by Katilbw+, the chief of the Dres.
gt'llool- The subject is the dispersion of the
races at the 'rower of Babel. 'this gigantic coneep
titiii, designed with black pencil, is to remain exhi-
bited for a fortnight.
1)1: AN A, 1)11Ae Ernest of Swabia, was per
foninstl at Heflin on the Itith inst., the birthday of
the King.
Tin: etiii.E4 Tins OF liths 01 ART Which 1 longed
to the late Itatitieeribut Councillor Kestner is shortly
to arrive from Rome in Hawed rid Ilataliarg. A
nephew of the deceased obtained, after six mouths
endeavours at Home, the Papal aittlioriint• for the
transfer of the Vistleetioit, comprising forty Waits eon.
tatining very important materials for the history of
arts and arelittsiltsgy, oil pictures, engravings, ancient
and modern. marble and bronze atitnuttem,
I reek suit Ittiman lamps and tither thiniestic imple •
moils, jewels, canoes, Egyptian antiquities. AT.
Tin. Hoy. el. A r M.iuwu °tidiest on the Ist
inst. with 1 Lombardi, performed by Senora Itaiitteg
gio, and Behoves AltilVeZZi. I Multi, and Ecchevarria.
Pitot I.:smolt It wilt, at Berlin, is happily rectwerist
from a tialigt•Tiolls sieklicss.
Outzstavv*s Ni:w Philippe and l'erez, ob•
tainett a emcees estinte at Munich on the Ist inst.
AT reins the Ilritirl't has Issis started for forming
a joint stock company. with a capital of two millions
of francs. which would take the management of all
theatres, With its 14.1111'81 Meld at Paris.
WA4.NEIt 111111410 it sort efinnicn
The papers advise her not to torment a %nice *beady
LITTLE SlTri:sh is elpeeleti I.l'oll the new opera
for which Thallierg is writing the music. His first
opera, Fforintia, was an echatistfitioro,
K tl'll is 10 forthwith in the castle. at
Menienburg some hove frescoes tilt subjects taken
from the history of the Plus tan brands of the Ten.

tonic rave.
Titt:N erissNit. lIN HA% is henceforth pro.
Whited to he' sting or played in public ceremonials,
mixed wills other melodies or %striations ; lint, says
the police decree, its whole and sublime simplicity is
to •
TIM I lI.SI.ARIAN PIPET VIOIRIOSIMITY With
the 11.1111S111111)11 lilt° the Metlyar dialect of all Sheik
.peace's dramas. King I.ette is ready. Bootee and
Joliet and 'Grimed 111. will bee so soote
THE FIRENIII OrmosT tend the musical
coniposer I netlow, is of the French Academy
of IFine Arts, died some s'etys ago. tiosslow wine an
Englishman by birth. His tepee's, l,e Colpnrtetor,en
joyetl an uncontested success : his other works for the
stage-4%1/(nd, de lit l'eyess. and 1.141 Etats de Mont—
were less lucky. The candidates for the seat
Iris death leaves %avoid. are Clapiesson, teotionul,
Beezin, and Adrian Itoielilien, all inessieiatis of spies.
iional.le reputations. 'l'lle only competitor of Euro.
twain renown is Ileetor Berlioz,
Teat: Fist:se II .‘cAItENV oil SclEs4 E. lias lost lisle of
its hest menelsers, the lesitaiiist Auguste 't.
Tim ItkaAil us I'visTo.is Coss' AN111.4. WAI
(lied dining a ,journey set Naples.
I i5•14.1114-Al,ll.ilNlEll at Ber-
lin, has C 4 11.1111111'11 the picture equesonouseleil by the King
of Prussia, representitsg the vinery of the
Hannan
trihes °ter the flutes. The skulls of the King set the
Goths, Thethlorick, soul the entlertosistatiots of his
SOI Tlitorktiloisl, are said to he very effectively de

pictcol.
Tin: I Its.moortstwo Agetiztormorbr, Chevalier
1.a100t., ha., died at
NI Ili:. It ‘o Et. is to iwthant at St. Petersburg at
the llolchoi Theatre. Thu representation% will take
place throe 1• st in the week, the other days being
1144'n"1 for the Italian company. The lholchoi is
0110 of the largest thcuttem of Europe. The pricer
are very high ; the lemt expensive place costs If. I'.
VtscousT ItAfoul. A:soi.ts Aso M. Ctivet.Es
have returned to Pariv from their excursion hi ler-
-1111111 hull lintlVß, where they wen. witnesses Of a
volcanic eruption of more than liNt feet height. The
two young savants briny; a collection of sketches and
specimens from this unknown country.
Tim LAIVtioN 111041:11S,Vtottlf 120,111111t.r. have re•
ported that a mistake loud been made with regard to
the gift of 11r. Laascio, that gentleman odtpulating
that 10,1N)11/. Slin o, I. ti to Ilia gift.
The co.minittee which fi rmerly nutalwred more
than fifty memlocroo has loi en concentrated into a
sot king body of fourteen, and #lll appeal is now being
mode to the !toys! Society and other learned bodies
for assi4tance to carry (4111 the project.
WomkitlEN are now emplooy et' in the court of the
Lou% re in placing a number of statues in niches
which have been long ante,: prepared fur their recep-
tion.

696

Drama several nights lately the electric light has
been brought into use at the Pont Notre Dame, in '
order to enable the workmen to continue their labour 4
until eleven o'clook or midnight These lights are
pissed at each side of the works, and, aided by re-
flectors, fully illuminate every part.
Dn. Witamma tensest), who left London last
spring for the purpose of collecting facts bearing
upon the ethnology of the ancient inhabitants of the
Tyrol and the Orison*, has just returned to tide
country, and is expected to lay before the Ethno-
logical Society of London the results of his literary
reeeareites in this interesting part of Europe. His
journey thither was undertaken under the direction
of the Prussian Uovernment.
Toe receipts of the theatres, balls, concert-rooms,
and other public places of annetement in Paris,
during the month of September, amounted to
or,s3our., being more by 224,67ict titan those of the
month of August. This increase is principally to
be ascribed to the reopening of the Opera soul of the
Odeon.
Sour. SENNATION has been produced in the scion
title curio* of Paris by the announcement of the
artificial formation of diamond powder. M. Despretz
has made two communications to the Academie dee
Seances upon carbon. In these he states that
piloting at one (the inferior) pole of a voltaic battery
*cylinder of pure charenal (its purity being secured
by preparing it from crystallised white sugareently),
and at the superior pole a bundle of tine platinum
wires so arranged that the charcoal was in the red
portion of the electric arc, and the platinum in the
violet, he found the carbon volatilised and collected
on the platinum wires in a changed *tato. In these
experiments the current has been continued during a
month in activity, and the powder collected on the
wires has been found to ho autticiently bard to
polish rabies, with great rapidity, and when burnt it
left no mettles,. A windier result has hewn obtained
by deeomposing a mixture of chloride of carbon and
alcohol by weak galvanic currents. The black
powder deposited was found to possess equal hardness
with that which was sublimed, and rubies were
readily polished by it.
Tim AorifolltriEs or TUN NATIONAL (lALLEILY have
issued a notice stating that, in consequence of the
extensive alteruti tttt s and repairs which are now pro-
the gallery would not lie opened to the
mobile on Monday next., the t2ith instant, as hereto•
fore ; but that the exhibition would positively be re-
opened on Monday, the ith of November next. It
is expected that thew will be several valuable midi
tims made to the gallery before its reopening. The
Vernon tiallery in Marlborough-house will, however,
be reopened to the public on Monday next.
A. M. APPEVICL, of Wissenberg, who died in tali,
left by his will properly produeing more than 711,01W1E
a year to the city of Ktresioirg, for the encourage-
ment and improvement of dramatic and musical
art. The Otivernment, however, have ordered that
one-fourth of the teetators properly should go to his
family, whom he had entirely neglected, and this,
with other reductions, left shiest iiff,noof. a year fur
the object in question. It is in INN') that the muni-
cipality of Strasburg will have definitively to deeide
in what proviso miumer the revenue is to he Vlll-
- ell The testator dimmed minute monitions to
be taken to prevent his donation ever tailing below
mount a year. lie rospoested that, in order that it
should not be forgotten, his portrait, aunt those of
his father and neither, ghoul.' be placed, with a suit-
able insrriplion, in the saloon of the theatre, and
that nine years after his death, and subsequently
every fifty years, a printed account of the donation.
and of 1110 ellhdil moils on which he made it, should
be distributed amongst the principal inhabitants of
Strasburg.