The Express.
London, England, 1846-11-03 00:00:00

Cbe 38nma•

ADELPM.— Another version of " Giselle was
produced at this theatre last night with the title of " The
Phantom Dancers." Mr. Charles Selby is the author of it ;
and whether it is that he kindly desires to save the time of
critics, or that the stories of his dramas have not been ren-
dered with sufficient perspicuity, or that he would instruct
his censors in the true style of narrative ; he has himself set
out the plot in the playbill. A more entertaining imitation
of the mock heroic style of newspaper criticism we have
never read, and assuredly it will find a place in the next
edition of "The Art of Sinking in Poetry," if the works of'.
Martinus Seriblcrus, like those of Beckman, should find'
editors • *Ming to adapt them to the present state
of science. We abstain then from any rivalry with
the author; but may be permitted to remark,
that his story is one of glamour, more genuine
than belongs to the legend of Heine. The IVilss of the
drama are doomed because of their insatiable love of
dancing, and Giselk falls dead from the exhaustion of a
dance into which she is whirled by the phantoms, who at
that moment only, and as the scene changes to their abode,
become visible. The piece, however, is far more funny
than serious; the personages speak in that familiar verse
which makes .. ptedewa,, rhyme. with " hour ;" and they
treat the more prominent topics ,•f the day with a drollery
so easy, impudent, and taking, us to indemnify the audi-
ence for the want of Loder's exquiute music and the im-
passioned pantomime with which the story was first in-
troduced
to our notice. With these excellences, proper to
the author, must be enumerated the elegant dancing of
Madame Celeste, the joyousness, and unexceptionable
leggings of Miss Woolgar, the unctuous whimsicality of
Bedford, and the extravagant, vet searching humour of
Wright. The applause was enthusiastic throughout; and
the question of repetition " every eve:ling until further
notice," was carried by acclamation.
ASTLEY'S.—We wire drawn to this. theatre last
evening by the announcement of the first eppoksance of Herr
Steinbrecht, Stallmeister (translated in the bills " Master of
the Horse") to the King of Prussia, and his beaut;ful horse,
Settel Vennat. This gentleman's exhibition does nix: consist
of the usual equestrian feats. He does not figure ix' gay-
coloured sill; and spangles, but is attired in the Enx-iish
jockey fashion, and lcoks like a well-dressed country
man. His part was merely to display the fine training of his
steed, which is certainly ono of the most beautiful animals
that can be imagined. He put it through a variety of the
most graceful paces, showing, at the same time, his own
admirable seat on horseback. It is not much an ad capeon-
dum exhibition for a theatriem audience, and excited less
uprosri9u.s applause than many other things which were
really nvt, so well worth seeing.

elestcal.
ILMLLECIIID OweCif Ins 'eomeerat'd on Tuesday by the Lwd
was laic on the 27th
Bishop of Bang Or. The first stone of r building
day ad JOY, 1043, newly as Pawdbta on the spot where the old church
stood.
Ceram EaTrwuria.—Thetoed Bishop of Exeter has appointed
Tuesday, Norember Itith, far the eionseeration of the new church of
St Mary Magdalene, Daalas'Apie. The Lord Bishop of Carlisle will
cOnseCrati: 2 new pariah r:nurch at Kinlerton, on Friday next, thefith
inst.
reirrsawrirre.—Ber. IL F... Heaton, MA., to the Lectureship of
Mld Church, Ylinte..aire.—Rcv. J. H M.A., Vicar of Wow-
bouo rn, to be Dural item of the Deanery of ey, din. Lichfield.

NAVAL.
roaTsy.ol77ll, NOT. 2.—THE CYCLOPS STEAM-PRIOATE.
—We anaounced yesterday the sailing of this eamer h
despatens for Lisbon. It appears,-however,st that withe
making the passage of the Solent, else grounded during the
fog, and was detained in consequence for several hours, but
was ultimately got off at high water, about ten o'clock, a
steamer haying been sent to her assistance from Portsmouth.
She did not sustain any damage, and has proceeded on her
voyage.—The Psttinger, which also got on shore about the
same time as the Cyclops, has been got off without any
damage.—Neplinse, 120, advance ship, is, as we stated on
the 28th, to be got ready immediately as a guard ship in the
room of the St. Vincent, whose crew will be turned over to
her while the St. Vincent is docked and refitted for active
service.—The Scourge, steam bomb vessel, and all available
steamers, on their arrival at Spithcad, are to be sent to
Lisbon.
WOOLWICH, NOT. 2.—ESPEItIMENTAL TRIAL ICITK
HER MAJESTY'S STEAMER SP 11r':.—The first eaptri
mental trial of the SpAynx 5. v., built from the plans of Sir
Wm. Symonds, surveyor of the navy, was made to-day.
She is a vessel of rather more than twelve hundred tons,
fitted with engines of 500-horse Power, from the factory of
Messrs. John Penn and Co., of Greenwich. There were
two peculiarities in the Sphyns
.which made her the object
of special attention. The first is, that she has a pair of
oscillatiog engines, of 2horsewer each, being the largest
of that description eve manufactured; and the second, that
she had on board, in addition to stores for 12 months, and
provisions for three months, all her armament, and about
353 tons of coals, or sufficient to carry her on under steam
alone for about 12 days. lice draught of water was thus
very great, being 14 feet 1 inch forward, and 1.5 feet
1 inch aft; yet, notwithstanding this, she attained
a rate of speed equal to that of any other vessel under the
most favourable cavumstances. At twenty minutes to ten
the Sphynx, which was in charge of Mr. Stuart, the govern-
ment pilot, dropped from her moorings, but the difficulty of
getting a large vessel free from the number of craft delayed
the time of starting till nearly ten o'clock. By this
she got fairly under weigh, and proceeded down the river
pas: Gravesend as far as Chapman's head beacon in Sea
Reach. The distance from Gravesend to the spot where she
turned round is about nine miles, which she accomplished
thirty-two minutes on a slack tide. During the trip several
trials were made with the common log, and also with
fdassey's t patent, which gave an average speed of nearly
thirteen miles an hour. When Mr. John Penn, the inventor,
first erected oscillating engines, it was universally asserted that
they would never answer for vessels of great power, but such
is the perfection to which these engines have now been
brought, that although those used to-day in the ti.ohyrsr are
the most powerful ever erected, and consist of prodigious
masses of metal, the vibration of the ssel itself was scarcely
perceptible. Throughout the wholeve of the day there Wee
not the slightest warmth in any of the bearings; not •
single stoppage occurred to adjust any portion of the ma-
chinery ; there was, what is a rare occurrence in such cases,
&bunch:nee of steam during the whole trip, and the diagram
given by the indicator was perfect, showing a perfect
adaptation of parts, which rarely if ever occurs in an engine
on its first trial. The cylinders of the Sphynx are of 821
inches diameter, with a stroke of 6 feet, and are fitted with
double side valves, similar to those so successfully used in the
Garland, Violet, fie. Her engines, though of such vast size,
ere as well finished as those of any river boat, and an-
swered most admirably. The immense advantage of
these vibratory engines consists in the amount of saving they
effect both in the weight of the machinery (the engines
of the Sphynx being considerably less than the weight
sent in by the contractors) and in the spent which they
occupy. During the present trip the piston rods, which have
a stroke of six feet, made but, 14i revolutions per second, but
the floats, owing to her being so deeply laden, were immersed
to the depth of nine feet, and it is calculated that by reefing
them 17 or 18 revolutions with a speed of 121 or 13 knots
will be attained, which will be • rate greater than that at-
tained by any steamer of this class in the navy. Taken as a
whole, the tiphynr reflects great credit both on her designer
and her engineer. The Sphynx has a complement of 160
men, and mounts, forward, two 32-pounders of 42 cwt. on
slides and platforms, and one 56-pounder of 85 cwt. on tra-
vening platform. She has a similar armament aft, and has
two 21-pounder and one 12-pounder carronades, and one 6-
pounder brass gun fur boats. She leaves to-morrow (Tues-
day) for Portsmouth, and it is suppcsed to Le destined for
the Mediterranean, calling in at the Tagus on her passsge.
—The Grappler (s. v.), Lieut. Commander Hawker, left this
morning, and proceeded down the river to try her engines.—
The Belleisle troop-ship, Capt. Kingee'me, is ordered to be
refitted at the Gore, and when ready will, it is reported, con-
vey the 37th regt. from Chatham to Ceylon.—The Dirkels.
head steam-frigate is having a poop erected and being other-
wise fitted as a troop-ship at Sheerness.—The ,Erdus store-
ship and the Eurgalus convict-ship, are nearly ready for am
at Sheerness ; the Euryoftss is to take 300 convicts to
Gibraltar and remain there as a convict dep6t.
Arrottcrmr.sys, Nov. 2.--Licutenants : C. Bonham, tothe Hibernia;
W. G. Douttlas, to the Geyser. Master : P. T. Kent, to the Geyser.
Acting Surgeon: W. white, to the Geyser. Assistant -Surgeons:
N. C. llotherly, to the Alarm; E. W. Pritchard and J. T. Row to the
Victory. Acting Midshipman : B. W. Hallowe., to the Sidon.
Master's Assistants : T. liorrett and T. J. Richards, to the Thetis.
Nara! Quirt :F. W. Nande, to the Scourge. Gunners : J. Lams%
to the Rcecibudon ; T. Webber, to the Rattlesnake ; F. Rotary, to the
Statute; B. W. Strickland, to the Penelope; W. l'engelly, to the
Geyser. Acting Estabiwaln : T. Create, to the Geyser. Carpenter :
T. N. Ctrey, to the Geyser. Acting Second k:nginetr E. Wigton, to
the Scourge.
Poore" toss-, Ocr. 31.—1 T. Robinson, T. Powell, and James Pike, to
be Gunners of the First Class.