The Express.
London, England, 1848-02-21 00:00:00

range from 24,0001. to 27,0001. for the 32 acree.—Tweaty-one
witnemes, principally land surveyors and builders, were then
examined as to the value of the property, which rangdzsi
had been stated by Bir F. Thesiger.—Mr. Talbot ad
the jury on the part of the company. lie called Mr. d
Karon,
surveyor,of Stockton, who valued the land at 8,2211. 3i. 9d.
at
Mr. 8. Veeesy, land-valuer, Halton Reigate, value it
9,6601. 12s. 6d.—Mr. Pa tinson, Sheffield, Mr. Smith,
the
cuter, and Mr. W. Fowler, Sheffield, severally valued the
property at about the name sum.—Mr. Fowler, engineer of
the Manchester and Sheffield Railway Cnmpany, was the,
mined as to a plan which he bad made be had formed a
calculation on Mr. Brackenbridge's estimate, and was oe
opinion that if that sum was paid for the land, there would I
be a loin of 6.0001. incurred. On Mr. Page's estimate then
would be 14,0001. loes.—This was the last witness, after
which Sir F. Thesiger r..plied.—The Sheriff then summed
up the evidence, and the jury, after deliberating for an hour
and a quarter, returned with a verdict awarding a compen-
sation sat 17,0001. to be paid by the railway company to the
corporation.
EXTENSIVE ROBBERY. —Mrs. Noel, of Fulbecir,
recently discovered that she bad loot jewellery, boxes, and
clothing, valued at 3001. Suspicion fell upon Betsey
Hanby. who hsd lived with her in the capacity of house-
maid, and who left the service about a fortnight since. The
police found the girl, and her boxes were searched, when
a large portion of the missing property was discovered, a
diamond brooch, said to be worth 1201., being one of the
articles. She war immediately taken into custody and con-
veyed to Sleeked, for examination before the magistrates
there. The girl states that the articles were given to her by
the footman, who has also left the service of Mrs Noel ; and
niece the prisoner has been at home, she has had a letter
from the footman, appointing a period to meet him at Nut-
tingham for the purpose ot being married. The footman
wits apprehended a few days ago, but war liberated. The
late Mr. Noel, who was very eccentric, was it appears a very
large purchaser of jewellery; the jewel-bill in u hich the
brooch above mentioned forms one of the items amounts
to 4,0001.
NORFOLK.
A HINT FOR OTHER CITIES.—The officers of the
Board of Health at Norwich are active in compelling the
removal of many nuisances, which have been for some time a
disgrace to that city. On Thursday, the Town Clerk pie-
ferred informations before Hie magistrates against a nunrler
of parties, for not removing nuisances, after receiving notices
to do so. Mr. Staff said these informations were under an
act of parliament, commonly called the Nuisance Act, which
was pan to enable magistrates to suppress nuisances sup-
posed to be prejudicial to the health of the neighbourhoods in
which th, y existed. Wien he received from medical men
certificates of nuisances, he sent the offending parties notice, I
and if they did not attend to these notices, then they
were summoned. The first was a case against R. Mennen
of St. Augustine s, on whose land there ape
to be a cempoel and an accumulation of filth. The
net directed proceediegs to be taken against the owner or
occupier of the premises, and any person receiving rent war
to be deemed the owner for the purposes of the get. In this
ore Mr. Hannent was the occupier of the piece of land.—
He would first prove the medical certificate, and then call
witnesses. Mr. Chater, surgeon, of King-street, proved the
certificate, which he had signed, respecting a pace near
the city walls, occupied by Mr. Hannent. On making an
inspection of the locality, he noticed a cesspool containing
a great quantity of filthy water, which appeared to be a re-
ceptacle for some drains that had been diverted out of their
former course. The stench was very bad, and he considered
the nuisance to be extremely prejudicial to the health of the I
inhabitants. Mr. Sursham, an officer of the Board of Health,
maid he saw the nuisance on the previous evening at six
.'dock.—Mr. Hannent admitted the nuisance, and explained
bow it arose. He considered that it might be removed if the
place was put in repair. If that was done, he would engage
to keep the reservoir constantly clean, se that there should
be nothing there but clean water. After some conversation
he was told be must remove the nuisance, and be promised
to do so by causing the water to flow into the middle of his
land.—J. Howard, a carpenter, of St. Saviour's, was called,
but did not appear. The mayor's officer proved the service
of the summons, and proof was given of an unhealthy
nuisance on his property, in the Ship yard. Mr. Sunlit=
said he had beard the tenants complain of the nuisance.—J.
Millett, an owner, was called, but did net appear. Proof
was given of an unhealthy nuisance on his property in the
Royal Oak.yard, St. Margaret's.--Elizabeth Watts, of
Unien-place, did not appear to answer an information re-
specting ;:ieuisamanyceorinsalitt
,1 S. trtipez w
would be Inpiat,ei:tirneettilbt.
-.Ls for the nuisances to be removed,
estssrniadrizrtia

A NOBLE DEFAUL;ER7fie Western Times says:
—There are some very painful rumours extant respecting the
affairs of a noble earl, whose lineage nod title should place
him in the foremost ranks of the aristocracy of Devon. Toe
noble lord is unable to meet his engagements, and many of
our tradesmen are great sufferers by the event. It is re-
ported that owing to the state of affairs in Ireland, there are
many mitigating circumstances to be urged in behalf of the
nooleman in question ; but the sum total of the debts is
enormous note. ithstanding, and Sir T. Acland is stated to be
among the sufferers.
CORNWALL
CIICRCH-RATES.—A general vestry meeting was
held on the kith instant, at Falmouth, to "t ake into con-
sideration the means of providing, by rate, a salary for an
organist for the parish church." A correspondent says
After considerable recrimination between the parishioners,
of whom about 200 attended, and the rector, the Rev. W. J.
Coope, who presided (in which the reverend gentleman was
charged with ' Romanism ' and ' Puseyiarn,' and was told
that if he restored ' the mode of conducting the church
services to the simplicity of 20 years ago, the chief inha-
bitants of his pariah would pay by voluntary contribution
IL each per annum for the support of an organist) the rec
tor's agent proposed ' that a rate be made of one halfpenny in
the pound to pay an organist a half year's salary, at 401. per
annum. 'An amendment was proposed that 'no rate be
made, and that no organist be appointed,' which was car-
ried by an almost unanimous show of hands. The reCor's
agent demanded a poll, the result of which was one hun-
dred and tweaty-two majority against the rate. There were
only 40 payers who recorded their names for it."

IFRUSIE.
HER MAJESTY'S THEATEE.—From the opening of
the Italian Opera it is usual to date the commencement of
" the Sea.on." Last Saturday night was, in this sense, the
v*pcqua of the year 1848 ; and, notwitlistimding the public
gloom and complaints of bad times, we have rarely seen the
season begin more brilliantly. Every part of the theatre
was crowded, and the boxes pri sented that array of elegance
and beauty which on such occasions distinguishes the metro-
polls of Britain. From the performances of the evening our
gratification was all the higher that our expectations had not
been greatly excited. Mr. Lumley's prospectus, conceived
in unusually brief and genetal language, made no large pro-
mites, nor enumerated much variety of attraction. The re-
appearance of Jenny Lind was the only feature of the
season, in the opera department, prominently brought for-
ward ; the other announcements, besides those of Lablaebe
and Gordon, consisting of names new to this country—
names, too, with the single exception of Signora Tado,
unknown in England even by reputation. When we saw,
therefore, Verdes " Bedard" announced with a cast com-
posed almost wholly of those strangers, we looked,
we confess, for one of those makeshift exhibitions
to which the public have been too much accus-
tomed during the " ante.Eaater" part of the season, by a set
of performers destined to disappear on the arrival of the
magnates of the company ; for it rarely happens that a great
I Italian star appears on our horizon without being preceded
by a light reflected from France or Germany ; while, on the
other hand, we have often seen a merely Italian fame, how-
ever great, produce nothing but disappointment. With such
prepossessions, it was with surprise, as well as pleasure, that
we witnessed a performance which would have dons honour
to any theatre in Europe, at the very height of its action.
Ernani," certainly, is not a work of the highest order ; but
it produces on the stage a much greater effect than any other
of Verdi's operas, not so much in consequence of any sups.
riority in its music, as of the excellence of the drama, which
(as is well known) is a lyrical version of the celebrated
tragedy of Victor Hugo. The catastrophe—the self.immola.
lion of the hero—who tears himself from the arms of hie
bride in the first blissful moments of their union, on
the summons of his relentless foe, to redeem the pledge
of his forfeited life, and stabs himself before her
eyes, a victim to Castilian honour, is deeply tragic, and never
fails, when the piece is well performed, to act powerfully on
the feelings of the audience. The characters, too, ars well
marked and contrasted ; the passionate tenderness of Moira,
the chivalrous self-devotion of Ernani, the implacable re-
venge of Ruy Owner, and the amorous ardour of the liber-
tine King furnished the French poet with materials for
effective dramatic combinations which have not been lost by
the Italian dramatist. The music is melodious ; and the
melodies, though very limited in their range of phraseology,
and though their expression depends chiefly on the per-
former, have thatroundness and flow which have always dis-
tinguished the Italian school, and which it has aot wholly
lest even in its present decay. They are more vocal, too,
than those of tome of Verdi's later production', in which,
in imitation of the French style, he has strained the twists
and overloaded them with accompaniments. In " Emend"
the instrumentation, though never displaying the skill a
Mozart, of Rollllilll, or even of Donizetti in his best works, le
often delicate and agreeahle ; and some of the concerted pieta
are written with a felicity which seems latterly to have
forsaken the composer. It is an opera, in short, which, pee-
formed as on Saturday, excites both pleasure and interest.
In speaking of the performance the first notice is doe to the
representative of the heroine. Signora Cruvelli, a lady who,
though she appeared unheralded by any flourish of trumpets,
instantly made good her claim to a place among the brightest
stars of the Italian stags. Her beauty, grace, and elegance,
noble features, and simple dignity of manner pro-
duced an impression strengthened by the beauty
of tone and elocution with which she delivered
her first recitative, and raised to admiration by
her execution of the air " Ernani, involami," which she
terminated amid thunders of applause. Her voice exhibited
every quality of • fine organ, perfect evenness in every part
of a very extensive compass, unvarying sweetness, a Cull-
11014 and depth in the lowest part of the scale which soprano
voices rarely possess, end above all that ringing sound which
of all vocal qualities is the most charming to the 11
ear and most touching to the heart. The impression made
by her at the outset went on increasing to the
end of the open; and in the last scene especially, where
Elvira, after passionately but vainly imploring the ruthless
old man to spare her husband's life, sinks dying upon his
body, she displayed tragic powers of the highest order. The
part of &mei was sustained by Signor Cuzzani, a per-
former, if not of the first class, yet of considerable merit.
His tenor voice is smooth and sweet, bat deficient in reson-
ance and power. In level passages he sings with much
parity and grace, sad is happy in soft and tender eapreasion ;
but, in rising to passion, his mace dose not second his efforts;