The Express.
London, England, 1847-09-29 00:00:00

WILT I[IRE.

-----
SUPPOSED INCENDIARISM.—On Monday night
Robert Smith, %carrier, from Gillingham, was passing tho
farm of Mr. W. Futcher, of Fount, when he discovered a
blaze at the end of a large barley rick, which in slew minutes
increased to an alarming degree. Assistance was on the
quick)strreuwas nothingai possible,
e but
nulluitn thete smoulderingshortspac eof
ashesoze hour
ruins from a large baro, which had contained at least 50
loads of wheat. In addition, barley ricks. stacks of fine bay
and sainfoin, sheds, stables, hovels, piggeries, and every other
building around, were destroyed. The horses, pigs, poultry,
&e., were saved. Mr. F., it is said, is fully insured to the
amount of the lose. Before Smith, the earner, perceived the
fire, he observed a man cross in front of the horse, apparently
in great tremor and hurry running es from the farm-yard.
evidently, by his having a smock-frock on, an agricultural or
other labourer, and from the description given by Smith the
county police apprehended a man on suspicion.
CORNWALL.
COMMISSION BY THE LORD LIEUTENANT.—F. G.
Gregor, Gent., to be second lieutenant in Duke of Coen
wall's Rangers.
HEROISM REWARDED BY THE KING OF NORWAY.
—During the dreadful storm in November last year a Nor-
wegian vessel, named the Elizabeth of Bergen, was totally
wrecked off Ganwelloe, near Penzance, the captain, M.
Nielu Wuff Elerston, and his crew, being rescued by several
men rushing into the sea, and securing a communication
with the unfortunate vessel from the shore by means of a
rope. A few days since the persons who so nobly distin-
guished themselves, among whom were Mr. Henry Cuttanoe
of Ounwalloe, and Mr. Solomon Rowe of Portbleaven, met
Mr. Pearce, the royal Swedish and Norwegian consul, by
appointment, at the national school-room at fielstone, who,
in the name of the King of Norway, presented them with
two handsome silver cups and a puree of sovereigns, with a
vote of thanks for their important services. The cups bore
an inscription. "From Oscar, King of Sweden, for their
brave and noble exertions on the 20th of November, ISIS.'

MODERN TUTOR FOR THE PIANOFORTE, BY THOMAS
DAILISIL—This publication belongs. to a class whose name is
" legion." The books of instruction, exercises, studies, &e,,
for the moat fashionable of all instruments are innumerable,
and yet new ones are every day. making their appearance.
We consequently look with suspicion at every new produc-
tion of this kind, expecting to find it a mere crambe recocta,
a repetition of threadbare matter, with nothing new about
it but the paper and print, and the name of the compiler.
In nine cases out of ten this turns out to be the case, but
not always. We occasionally meet with a book of instruc-
tions for the pianoforte having a distinct and special object
not anticipated by any of its precursors ; and such is the
'• Modern Tutor" of Mr. Baker. Its speciality lies in its
being modern. The pianoforte has been greatly enlarged in
its powers, and changed in its character, by the host of great
performers—the Thalbergs, Liazt., Dohlen, Chopins, &c. of
the present day. Executive difficulties hate certainly been
carried to an extravagant length, and the music of the
pianoforte, instead of being a "concord of sweet sounds,"
calculared to delight the ear and move the feelings, hu too
often degenerated into a display of manual dexterity and a
confused clatter of unmeaning noise. But, while this abuse
has taken place, it has been accompanied with an immense
increase in the powers and capacities of the instrument, as
the vehicle of melody, harmony, and expression. There
is hardly any kind of musical effect which cannot be imi-
tated on the pianoforte, from the thunder of the full orches-
tra and the combinations of the choral fugue to the sweet
strain of a vocal air. This enlargement of the powers of the
instrument is owing in part to the improvements in its me-
chanism devised by the ingenuity of our Broadwoods, Col-
j lards, and Kirkman; but it is owing in a still greater de-
get* :-
eeo.
legs

ari not

peewits o.
the performer
heighten the
The ems'

a, Son 1111X1113.1111; MR n is ow tug 1.1 0 rum. e.....-• --
1 to the new methods of manipulation and fingering sue-
ively discovered by the great modern pianists. A know-
s of these is essential to a miuitery of the pianoforte; they
not only absolutely necessary fur the exec Ins era
lie, but they give additional facility
lions of the older masters. The oi e
performer to conquer the d.
Men the grace and smoothn a, • .
special object of Mr. Baker' ' ky
on to the general objects of all works), is to e
exemplify the particular met which, M the
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gate, coostitute the modern style of pianoforte playing. The
only previous work (in as far sows know) professing to have
this object, is the " Method* des Methodes" of Fait'. and
Moacheles, which is anseleinie of instruction gathered
from the practice of the Mestere of the instrument.
But this is • voluminous sari eigassive as wall ea • foreign
publication, and by nemeninnes such a work se that
al Mr. Baker, when "Mak= Murano Take " supplies
a rid iladiamalma malisal belreatima. The execution of
the work k painaranlor as wag as taae=ed The Pecu-
liarities of zaedias Itagering asy 11kGr17 and Illus-
trated by weildmousaiortaris ken the eampeitions of the
best masters claw day ; and Ur whole boob is a concise
and satisfactory tryst= el lastrnallen, adapted to the present
state of the instrument. We nines add, however, that no
book of instruction' is calculated to "opened' the lemons of
• master; and Mr. Baker himself, in his preface, very pro-
perly, corrects a prevailing mistake on this subject. "It is,"
he says, "an erroneous idea, conceived by many, that in-
different instruction may be employed to develop the elemen-
tary principles of instruction to young pupils, and that •
good muter is only requisite when the student is more
advanced. Under this impression many a child gifted with
brilliant talents has disappointed the expectation of its
friend', and bad habits have been engendered, which subse-
quent tuition has seldom been able to correct."