The Express.
London, England, 1853-11-17 00:00:00

WEDNESDAY EVENING CONCERTS.

MUSIC.

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The concert of last night, though very good, was,
on the whole, sot equal to that of last week. That con-
cert had one ketere which gave it decidedly the advaatape
—Nlosart's orchestral chef eraurre, the symphony in
miaor—while last night's concert bad not any great work of 1
this class. With a strong orchestra, which has been ren-
dered efficient by the exertions of its able coadnetor, Mr.
Benedict, the managers of them converts ought, at every
one of them, to give a symphony of one of the gnat
masters—Haydn, Mouse, Beethoven, Bpohr, or Mendel.-
tuba. Unless they do this, they do not make a sufficient
use of their resources.

In other respects the merits of the two concerts were
pretty evenly balanced. A selection from Mozart's" Ido-
meneo" was an excellent idea, and calculated to give rise
to much expectation; but it was not turned to proper ac-
count, and produced disappointment. This glorious opera,
a muterpism of grandeur, beauty, and &mastic effect,
has unaccountably been laid on the shelf by the mana-
gers of Italian Opera-houses ; and, therefore, if its
music is to be heard at all it must be through the medium
of the concert-room—an imperfect medium indeed, but
better than none. But three or four of the please were
quite insufficient to give any idea of the work, e•peeialiy as
its gorgeous and highly-wrought choruses, which form its
grand feature, were entirely omitted. The pieces per-
formed were the overture, the aria "So it padre perdei,"
sung by Miss Birch ; the tenor song " Vedrommi intorno,"
sung by Mr. Benson ; the Termite " Price di porter," sung
by Miss Birch, Mies Moment, and Mr. Benson ; the
grand March in D ; and the quartet, " Andro lumbago e
solo," by the above three singers, end Herr Kumpel, a new
comer. All them pieces are gems, certainly; but they were
not displayed in all their lustre. With the exceptioa of
Miss Birch's air, they were tamely sung ; the performers,
excellent in their way, not being at home in this description
of music. The fine quartet, in particular, so full of dra-
matic character and expression, was sung in the style of an
English glee.
The finest performance of the evening was Beethoven's
pianoforte concerto in E fiat, played by Herr Patter, -with a
power and brilliancy of tone and execution, graceful can-
tabile and varied expression, worthy of this accomplished
artist's high reputation. He concluded amid vehement
applause, which was prolooged after he left the orchestra,
till he re-appeared to repeat his acknowledgments. Tha
first part of the concert concluded with Weber's overture
to " The Ruler of the Spirits," played with great fire
and energy.
The second part, as before, was an agreeable 'melange of
popular music, chiefly vocal, beginning with Aube?'
brilliant but very theatrical overture to Msasniello. The
singers were Miss Birch. Mite Dolby, Signor and Madame
F. Lablache, Miss. Fanny T , Mr. Benson, Mr.
Champion, Mir Lucille', end Miss Moment. The Hall
was well filled.

DRAMA.

• --
LYCEUM.
Nice Rrm is the title of a new comic drama by
Mr. Tom Taylor, produced here lut night, and character.
ised by the bills as " original." The firm whose doings
and misdoiegs form the staple of the piece are Messrs.
Measlier and Moon, solicitors sad atternies-at•law—the
former a volatile young gentleman, who is always too
fast in his proceedings ; the other a pragmatical old would-
be precision, with a brain very like a sieve, who is con-
stantly mislaying deeds sod letters and forgetting his
clients' names and business. Of course, between these two
worthies a sad muddle is mule of the affairs entrusted to
their hands. We are introduced to their office while search
is being made for a lost deed of insurance on the 'ife of one
Richard Ripton, the three thousand pounds due on which
are to be at once paid over to the brother of the said
Richard Ripton, supposed to be deceased. These two
brothers, however, are a pair of swindlers, who have con-
certed together to seise the proceeds of the policy by feign-
ing the death of the one on whose life the insurance
is *made. The junior lawyer, with his characteristic pre-
cipitation, draws a cheque for the amount, although the
deed on which alone the money will be forthcoming from
the insurance °Moe is not to be found. The two swindlers
now throw off the mask, and the supposed defunct reveals
himself, divested of the wig, moustaches, &c., in which he
had been disguised, and they threaten the exposure of the
legal practitioners, who, it appears, had neglected to advise
them of a legacy left to one of the brothers. In the cad,
however, all is set right by the finding of the policy et
issannes, and the discovery of a later will, benefiting the
lawyer's managing clerk and a client in the person of ea.
Miss Applejohn. There ere two small underplots in the
shape of a love affair between the lawyer's clerk and the
daughter of the senior partner, and the mercenary pursuit
of Miss Applejohn by an adventurer. The incidents of
this piece are much too far-fetched and improbable for any-
thing but farce ; indeed, by its title of "comic drains," it
claims to belong to a class to which the indulgence
' sad latitude granted in farce cannot be accorded. Such a
pair of legal practitioners as constitute the "nice firm"
Magid not tarry on business for a week. The one is made
to appear s drivelling idiot; the other s hair-brained rash
youth, who sots first and thinks afterwards, amoag other
things executing a mortgage without reading the necessary
dseumente. Now all this might be tolerated in a faros, but
then it would require a mueh greater amount of fun to
justify such extravagance. The piece appears to have been
vat together in great haste; and although received with
opium, it will require much condensation, and must play
melt mem closely than it did last night, to have any
Amos of continuous eneems. It was wall acted through-
out. Mr. Charles Mathews and Mr. Frank Matthews re.
sesseatei the " nice firm," Mr. Roxby and Mr. Bland the
ratamagamediers, and Mrs. F. Matthews the sentimental
*owe. •Naell part, with which that lady did the utmost.

GERMAN EMIGRANTS AND THEIR BMX/MM.—The
Lords Commiesionen of her Majesty's Treasury, having had
under their consideration the request of the Manchester,
Sheffield, and Linsolnshire Railway Company, to be per-
Mined to convey the baggage of emigrants arriving from
Germany at the port of Hall, without examination, to
Liverpool for reshipment, have sap:weed themselves pre-
pared to grant the privilege requested, provided the rail-
way company arrange to have the baggage in question re-
moved from the ship, as at present, diriet into loek-up vans
in Hull, which eftld be removed Mom the Humber, and
plated on the railway, and then carried to Liverpool under
existing regulations.
REFORMATION 01, YOUNG CIIMINALS.—A con-
ference on the subject of " the legislative amendments im-
peratively called for in the national treatment of morally
destitute and criminal children," has been convened at
Birmingham by Lords Calthorpe, Lytteltoa, Denbigh,Leigh,
and Harrowby; Mr. Gladstone, Sir John Pskingtou,
Mr. Adderliry, Mr. H. 11. Hill, Mr. Hunts, Mr. H. Hanes,
Sir R. Peel, the Lord Mayor, the Mayor of Birmingham,
and& long list of other influential names. The conference
is to takeidaos at Dee's Hotel, on the Ist of December.
THE EXPORT TRADE TO TURKEY AND RUSSIA.—
According to • return issued in the course of the late swims
of parliament, the declared value of the British extorts to
Turkey was in 18612,681,2301., and to Russia 1,2890 041.
THE CIVIL SERVICE.—By a recently issued return
it appears that in the course of last year the increase in the
number of persons in public departments was 1,462, and the
diminution 30.
THE SUPPOSED SUICIDE IN HYDE-PARK.—Yester-
day Mr. Bedford held an inquest on the body of a rippler
tably-dressed man who had been found on Saturday
morning suspended by a silk handkerchief in a hollow
tree, nee the Humane Society's receiving-house. A piece
of paper was found upon the deceased, on which was writ
ten " W. G. Cotterell, W. Warner, Pudbrook, near Bat-
ley." There was also, in pencil, " I die. • victim, and not
• self-murderer." No hat was found on or near the de-
ceased. A letter had been received from the police at Bot-
, my, stating that a person named W. O. Cotterell was known
there, and he had been a clerk to Mr W. Warner three
years since ; that the people of Botley were not surprised
at hearing of his awful end ; and, further, that since he
left 13dley be had lived in Portsmouth, Southampton, and
London; but that no one know where to find the deceased's
relatives. The jury returned a verdict of " Found dead
in Hyde-park, but how he came by his death there was no
evidence to show."
NATIONAL FREEHOLD LAND SOCIETY.—Last even-
ing, a public meeting was held at the Star Assembly-room,
Oxford, for the purpose of enabling • deputation of the
National Freehold Laud Society, to explain the nature,
objects, and progress of that society. Mr. Alderman Grubb
presided, and was supported by Councillors Green, and E
T. Spices, and Mr. Joseph Castle. Mr. Clark, one of the
directors of the society, and Mr. Whittingham, its sccre-
tary, detailed at censiderable length the claims which it had
on the working men, the extent to which it bad increased
the franchise, and the progress which it was making. It
was stated that it had 26,000 shareholders, holding 65,000
shares, and that its income was 1001 per dsy, or 365,000/. a
year. It was also stated that the Oxford agent, Mr. Joseph
Castle, had enrolled 100 shares, and paid in nearly 1.0001.,
and that the society had purchased 113 estates, or about
150,0001. worth of land. After • vote of thauke to the
deputation and chairman, the meeting, which was thinly
attended, broke up.
MILITARY MUSlC.—Since hie return from Vienna
his ltoyal Highness the Prince of Prussia has been occupied
with the reorganisation of the military music in the Prus-
sian army. The Austrian system is to be adopted. In
Austria each military band consists of 80 musicians, and
is distinguished by its number of brass instruments. The
reorganisation has commenced with the lit regiment of the
panda.