The Express.
London, England, 1847-03-29 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

Till BEIM AND ANCIENT NUMIDIAN LANGUAGES.
—An miles IsHimmel vocabulary has just been printed
and drinkable Mewl the learned societies of England and
the Casebook shat the auspices of the Foreigu•offlte.
This vesalwiney eweellats of the Tonariek, °hedonics, and
Arable =in three parallel columns, with also an
, and some Berber equivalents. It is the
=ls nothelary of the Tonarick and Ghademes lan-
ken boo aplrea to the world. They ere, we ere
L sell, Switart ableaS, sisenbreashas with • pekoe
nimble et m
eshes, direr*, from •
at alodt,
proinhtrim Nundolies,- Or tempo at the leathir
Ass kbp who wen Ilto Also and molikain ad the Cella-
&lna repebile. Lod Palassetas eashned a bona
on the Nino et Lome) by the *Wag streskilog
of this twedlnbely. There en new MN when 10,11111-
sent am similiipmly neapso ils weetsweby soil patron-
ape for do WNW elossa, wlehest Ititailkoft With the
egsanktos Ihe Issenol sedeliss. The present
is see 'hum. The wasbeirey Ins lame* bet par from
the Groot Dann
_by Wir. Sirhardarra, whe sob • tour of
Mae raft basesa. We may andes, likewise, that
Mr. likkollen bog* with hun two Arabic
written it INIUSSreOIeeI whkb hes been presented to 1
the Royal Aussie 11.414, del dm ether to the Brinell
Mom St s. is vet Item are the only two 1
WWI. writtenlabiebildgdo M Europe, If we

except an English letter, said to have been 'mitten at or
near Timbuctoo by the unfortunate Major Lsing, a short
time before his death.

fine arts.
SOCIETY OF BRITISH ARTISTS.—The private view
of the first exhibition of the Society of British Artists sines
the royal charter of incorporation, took place on Saturday.
The exhibition consists of 717 works by 306 different exhihi-
tore—the 32 members of the society who exhibit contributicg
in all 286 works, or nearly nine a piece, though one has
sent as many as sixteen, and several twelve and even
thirteen. There is little to lie said in praise of the exhibi•
lien. Better it might easily have been, for we might have
hod less of it. Worse it has never been, and with ling a few
bright exceptions, worse it could not well be. Mediocrity,
however, may claim indulgence, and with kindly critics
seventeen may save seven hundred. Lanticapes, as hereto-
fore, form the staple of the exhibition, and some of these
arc of considerable truth and beauty. Mr. Pyne has nine in
all—but two alone are particularly successful—No. 30, " The
Neckar at Heidelberg," is, in many respects, by. far the
Blast work in the exhibition; alike original in treat-
ment and execution; the middle distance is extremely
happy. In the other work by Mr. Pelle, to which we
refer, No. 454, "On the Logo Maggiore—northern
Italy," he has endeavoured to work in a spirit and style
between Calleott and Clarkson Stanfield ; here, however,
he is less successful. After Mr. Fyne, we may mention Mr.
J. W. Allen, on account of No. 156, " the Val, of Clwyd,
seen from the hills dividing }lineable° from Daibighshire."
This is a large landscape, and Mr. Allen has stripped for the
effort, and succeeded accordingly. Dyer bed derived a new
icicle from it for his " Orongar-hill." Mr. Boddington may
be named immediately after Mr. Allen, on account of No. 39,
" A Summer's Evening in North Water," and N0:492, " A
Welsh Mill." lie is apt to be cold, and to err in Mr. Lee'.
worst manner ,• but he looks on nature for himself, and
copies many of her beauties with taste and discrimination.
Mr. Lindland's " Herne Bay" (No. 233), is a picture of much
delicacy and beauty, altogether unlike his dark Venetian
canals, and really. more effective. Mr. Josh " Waiting for
the H--y-bost" is another picture deserting a goad word
, Mr. Jer% ambition has not exceeded his skill: little is
' attempted, but that little bas been attained.
In a difirresit line of art, and standing out from the sass
of mediocrity with which they are surrounded, we may
mention " Quietude " (No. 34), by Mr. J. F. Herring, a
circular picture, made up of two horse's heads, four birds, a
bser.:l turned upside down, a rusty iron staple, and a few
Bowers. Mr. Herring has caught Mr. Lsnds.er's " knack,"
and, as far as he goes, bids fair to stand well with the
" many" who can see a certain distance, and can see no fur-
ther. No. 6, " A Shepherd Boy," by J. J. Hill, is simple
and pretty ; and N 0.276 by the same artist," Rustic Figure"
(a boy looking at his dog), atilt better. No. 276, by J.
Holmes, " Hadibras in the Stocks," is—for Suffolk-street—
a successful imitation of Mr. Frith and Mr. Egg. No. Si,
" The Wanderers," by C. Baxter, has a touch of poetry about
it, but the child is better than the mother. Mr. Baxter has
an eye for colouring : his "Young Bacchante" (No. 238),
and his " Circassian" (No. 246), excel all that he kas hitherto
done ; toy, hold out promise of what he may hereafter do.
But let us not expect too much. More was looked for from
the president of the society (Mr. Hurlatone) than he has yet
realised ; his " Girl of Sorrento at a Well"—a half length,
so called—is only pretty. Yet many of the members of the
Royal Academy paint a good deal worse, and the president
of their body not much better—at times barely as well.
If Bile and subject constitute a claim to particular atten-
tion, Mr. Salter, the painter of the " Waterloo Banquet,"
should certainly have stood much earlier in our notice. His
largest effort, " Lord Hardinge's Bivouac on the Field of
Fereseshah," is sadly deficient in all that can lend import.
mice to a subject of this nature. Lord Ilardinge is painted
like a man sitting for his portrait, and perfectly indifferent
W all the bustle that is about him. This the artist has mistaken
forcoolnear. Still less suocesstal is he in his large picture of
the " Entombment of Christ." This, and " The Widow of
Hain " by Mr. Latilla, are the two most ambitious pictures
in the whole exhibition. It is really painful to s?cak of such
attempts; and quite impossible to comprehend for what
good purpose they were painted. They jangle devotion out
of tune.

,11.ie Morning of the Battle of Hastings " (No. 192), by
Mr. A. J. Woolmer, is a poor feeble composition from
English History; and No. 424," Lady Jane Grey," by Mr.
H. Hawkins, not one degree better—but alike destitute of
character and drawing, and in colour cold almost beyond
example.
The society is about to establ;sh "A School of Art." Their
preliminary labours have already commenced. " Casts have
been procured, and a committee is taking the necessary
steps in providing for the study of anatomy, the antique, the
living model, painting, and sculpture, and for courses of
lectures."

Scorrisa PLlzE.—Sir—.ln your notice of the
prize of 1001. awarded to Mr. Salons by the Association for
the Promotion of the Fine Arts in Scotland, you omitted to
mention that an extra prise of 601. was given to Mr. John
Millais, a youth of 17, in consequence of the excellence of
his illustrations, be having lost the first price by one vote
only.—A CONSTANT READER.
Marisa Mussow—Dr. Buckland, Dean of West-
minster, bas been elected a trustee of the British Museum,
in the room of the late Duke of Northuraherl 614. We lo,k
upon this appointment as one likely to advauce the general
interests of the museum.

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.—Verdi's "Ernani"
was performed on Saturday evening, with an entire novelty
of cant. The hero of the piece was personated by Frasichim,
Elmira by Madame Castellan, Don Carlo, (th; king) by
Superchi, end Buy Gomez by Douche'. Of the operas of
this composer which have been produced in this country,
" Enlist ' is certainly the weakest; and yet this ought not
to have been the ewe, for the libretto, founded on Victor
Hugo's celebrated tragedy,. is much superior to the gene-
rality of operas. The maia incident is eminently Lupe.
Ernani, discovered in the chamber of his metres by
her aged lover, Roy Dome:, pledges himself that, '
when they shall have jointly avenged the injery
done to both by the king, he shall surrender la
own life to the vengeance of Comer, whenever he
shall be summoned to do so. The conspiracy ; but UM
king par.ltins the criminals, and bestows Elmira on Erman&
The lovers are married, the nuptial festivities are over, end
the happy pair are about to enter the bridal chamber, ;din
the distant sound of a horn (the agreed.on signal of death) is
heard ; the dark figure of the stern old man appears and de.
mends fulfilment of the pledge, and Entani, obeying the
dictate of Castilian honour, stabs himself to the heart in tbe
61131.11 of his bride. Few dramatic situations can be emir
than this, and yet the composer ban made very little of it.
He nu attempted to give an impressive effect to the appear-
ance of the avenger, by conveying his baleful summons in a
phrase of canto ferns° accompanied by trombones, in bait&
lion of the appalling accents of the statue iu " Don GU.
venni ;" but hlosart's striking ides has been rendered
common by frequent imitations. The moment when,
in the midst of Ernenti's joy and tenderness, the fatal horn
strikes his ear, and fills hie heart with sudden horror and
despair, demanded the genius of a Beethoven—in Verdi's
hands it is entirely lost; and the impassioned scene which
follows, in which, after the agonised Elmira has vainly
the old man's knees, and implored his compassion,
littler plunges the dagger in hia breast, sugges's nothing
but a string of cold platitudes, which the actors try to warm
by the vehemence of their gestures and contortions. A por-
tion of this scene was encored ; and we never saw a better
practical illustration of the absurdity of the practice. It is
a some of rapid movement, without pause or interruption
till the catastrophe is consummated; and yet, jest
before the hero stabbed himself a number of pw
ple began to applaud—the actors stopped shat
and looked at each other. Alter a few moments' hesitation,
Elmira threw herself down, and began afresh to clasp the
old gentleman's keens t Mr. Bah hooriehed his beton, and
the whole was done over again ! Med the mew been (whet
it wee not) really inspreedve end easetimg, sash a was
enough to make it ridieekisa. Indict the preetkethiaJ en-
cores an the opera map Is ewe et the suet emphatic indica-
tions et-the depeded Nets of the musical twee, in which
only it is telereteL Waal kink Mrs. Maws have said,
had the amelmien of Le* Maebedi's terrible somnansbu•
he. been MIMI with a erg of awes*; or how would Ma>
wetly Mew demand hrrepetition of "Is this a dagger
that' see Metre an 1" and yet there is hardly a musical tra-
gedy is willait sash absurdities do not pass currant as a
matter el teenee. Bat they lam not always pasted currant
os the abeilmi Mese. Whet weald Cluck have said, had the
sedisgettadied tie ea mem ef the parting some between
his Oeimes wed ? What lie would have said we
km* very we bra hie teas admirable exposition of the
e=oblemenliesespeehlen ; but in the days when
1 son lepwleil et *Mel tragedies of the noblest
kiwi,** astememewilletee d them by such a bar.
Wilma' As is ear opera paGsse, when we see them oo
east= I. vetch and so ramp ea obey an encore, we sim-
ile, kerb not feel, especially is an interesting scene, the',
• in a sompiiment to their singing, it is a bitter
reproach to their sling; that if it shows that they
an tickle the ear, it ism also that they are unable to touch
OM heart. There waesmeiber encore—that of the trio be-
tween Ervioni, Cork*, emlithaire, in the lift Nimbi& was
at very partial that it might met to have hem esneplied with,
twee espetially es this was we writ, mast lei ties things
kaki's's. It is pearls lemil; manielliag entree different
Mb dem& mug Mime in eaten ; est inereover, it was
landaderaugh at sliestui4=ping pees by the conductor,
and se Imatarstriy by the band, that it was
radsead to sere nein sad jargon If an encore is ever tole-
table, it is that of an tar during which the action
in some measure Ands still. The only encore of
this Wad was that el the air in the second act,
" Vilest mem, sol di rose," which was sung by Superchi with
peat sweetnem and beauty. Of Preerhini our opinion
remains malesed. lie trepently exhibited great vocal
parer, end kit style end ansalin maw those of an accom-
plished artist. Bat the Malin ebb kits is not pleasing;
it can give utterance Is ablest and Meaty peesien, bat
moot she the set amente ettendemees and low.
movements ars dellasse ia grass, and kit mien, ** tt
vassal sad kiwi* Is too el died end ow His
PromideVe partaretesse may was ggprebetior 'sough
?cations!
times admiteties, bat never •
kola di that ernid be ark at a Mena pr Am, *),„ "-
NW, an& nog Mssself ; sad yet el' ct, She
1120 0.8.• ofmelody that dwells in r .e did not
„?oker
we net at, and king-like in Dow 6 ur memo,
Lpfstere of the stern and aad -
and Prince Albert, ar
; sad the thesis* wah

, •
MR. KEAENte PA'--
that, at a oteeti-
m"4l.sth.
badly ,