The Express.
London, England, 1867-12-14 00:00:00

HR. CHARLES DICKENS'S FIRST READING IN

AMEPJCA.

Mr. Charles Dickens's first appearance in Ame-
rica as a reader took plane at Boston on the evening of the
2nd. Tremont Temple, one of the largest halls in the
city, was filled in every available part by one of the most
appreciative and brilliant audiences ever assembled in New
England. At an early hour the holders of the prized
tickets of admission flocked into the ball, and before the
appointed hour of 8 o'clock, every seat and the side aisles
were occupied. The excellent police arrangements pm-
vented any confusion or disturbance attendant upon the
grand rush into the hall. The Governor of Massachusetta
was there, while literature and science were represented
by Agaariz, Whittier, Longfellow, Lowell, and Holmes.
The account in the Nelo York Tribune says:—" There
sat Longfellow, looking like the very spirit of Christmas
with. his ruddy cheeks and bright soft eyes looking out
from the vest of snow white hair and snow
white beard. Them was Holmes, looking crisp
and fine, like a tight little grape-skin full of wit
instead of wine. There was Lowell, as if Sidney him-
self had come back with hie poet's heart smiling sadly
through hie poet's eyes. Here, too, was the elder Dana,
now an old man of 80, with long grey hair falling round a
face bright with shrewd intelligence, as able now
as :10 years ago to write "Paul Felton" or "The
Buccaneer." Running the eye over the hall one
saw other men widely known. Charles Eliot Norton,
whose translation of Dante's " Vita Nueva" may well
stand Bide by side with his coaster Longfellow of the
grander song. Them in the gallery is Edwin Whipple.
Yonder is Fields, to whom all owe this great pleasure, for
he suggested, urged, and made this visit of Dickens easy
to him. Bishop Eastburn, over on the other side, see=
thankful that clergymen have yet some pleasures left.
There is Poole, the librarian of the Athenreum, one of our
men who knows most about books, and Samuel Eliot, the
President of the Social Science, and George Green, who
recently crossed blades with Bancroft. Emerson's face I
could not catch. Concord is far away, and snow storms
no joke to travel in. Nor did Whittier come as was pro-
mised—Whittier, who has never in his life been present
at an evening entertainment of any description, concert or
opera, or even, strange to say, a lecture. He promised,
but at the last his heart failed him, and the good grey
head that all men know, did not blast our eyes to-night."
A few minutes after 8 o'clock Mr. Dickens appeared
unaccompanied upon the platform. He was greeted with
clapping of hands, vociferous cheers, and shouts of " Wel-
come," and other entheisiastio manifestations of warm
appreciation. The welcome was a most cordial one, and
it cams from the elder of the city and vicinity. Mr. Dickens
bowed his acknowledgments modestly.
After silence was restored Mr. Dickens proceeded to
read his "Christmas Carol," which occupied about one
hour and a half.

Ose account says :—" The very first words ' Marley was

dead, to begin with ! That wu oertain,'—settled the
question of sitcom. The way in which those words were
uttered, showed also that the reading waif to depend for
all effect upon the worth of what wu read, and upon the
sincerity of the reader. From tint to last there is ft)
trickery in it,—full of action, abounding in gesture, with
a voice for every character in every mood ; with a face ice
every man, woman, and child, reflecting every feeling,
TLe reading of the "Trial" from "Pickwick," convulsed
the audience with laughter throughout.

THE MEMBERS FOR LEWES AND THEIR COX
STITUENTR.

LEWES, FRIDAY NIGHT.

Thin evening the Right Hon. H. Brand and
Lord Pelham addressed their constituents on political
&daisy in the public lecture hall, WeststreeL The meet.
ing, which wasp crowded, was called by the Lewes Liberal
Registration Association, and the proceedings were of se
enthnsiaetic description.
Mr. B. GODLEE occupied the chair, and first called upon
. _ . .

Mr. BRAND, who was received with cheers. The right
hon. gentleman said that amidst the multiplicity of great
events which had occurred since he last met his con.
stituents there were three which stood out in greater pro.
kminence than any others. Two of these were foreign, and
the third related to home affairs. They had during the
past year witnessed the creation of a German nation
with a German parliament, which was an event
not only Important in itself, but of the greatest hope and
promise. It was a meet cheering thing to think that in
Europe there was now a nation of some 60,000,000 souls
enjoying the blessing of representative government, and
therefore he should say God speed to the German nation
and its parliament. (Cheers.) The other event to which
be alluded was one of deep regret, namely, the re-occu.
tion of Rome by French troops. Everyone would agree
with him that the presence of a foreign army in the heart
of Italy, and against the wish of the Italian people, must
place the integrity of Italy in a state of peril, and be a
cause of uneasiness and danger to the peace of Europe.
(Hear, hear.) He believed that so long as that occupation
continued so long would the nations of the Continent be
armed to the teeth. The one great event which had
occurred at home had been, the passing of the Reform
Act by the tories. He was not surprised to
find them dealing with the question, but he was surprised
at their passing a measure of so ultra a character and at
the audacity of their leaders, and especially Mr. Disraeli,
in stating that ever since 1859 the conservatives had been
in favour of household suffrage. If they were so the
secret was remarkably well kept, but for his part be did
not believe that there was any sound morality or common
honesty in the tory leaders having one faith among them-
elves and another for their followers. He showed by re-
ference to the past speeches and votes of the tory chiefs
that not only bad they always opposed measures of pro-
gress but that they in particular objected to the extension
of the suffrage, referring to Mr. Duneeli's address to the
constituency of Bucks in 1865, before the general election,
as confirmatory of his statement in that respect. The
conduct of the tories reminded him of the defenders
of a fortress who, when they could hold out no longer,
instead of capitulating, formed themselves into a storming
party, and themselves stormed the fortress, thereby
obtaining the best of the loot. (Cheers.) He congratu-
lated the working classes on having at last got the fran-
chise, and did it in a spirit of confidence and friendship.
At the same time they must remember that, when put on
the register in 1869, they would in reality be upon their
trial, and therefore it behoved them to exercise the fran-
chise, as he believed they would, wisely and well. (Hear,
hear.) It was impossible to conceive a time of greater
difficulty for new voters than the present, because they
were, in consequence of the conduct of the tories, just now
in a state of political fog. He remembered the times
when the great political cry was, " Measures, not men."
That was • very good cry, but a much better one in
these days, he considered, was, " Measures and men."
(Cheers.) He believed that those who would be put en
the register in consequence of the passing of the Reform
Act would know how to advance liberal principles by sup-
porting Mr. Gladstone, and be should be very much sur-
prised if they did not recognise that fact in 1869. (Cheers.)
Lord PELHAM also addressed the meeting, and elicited
the cheers of the electors by expressing a hope that his
votes bad been found satisfactory. He eulogised the me-
deration of Mr. Gladstone in his conduct of the opposition,
and especially for the assistance he had given the govern.
meat in rendering the Reform Act one which the liberal
party could accept. He admitted that the foreign policy
of the government had on the whole been one of non-in.
tervention, and that the measures introduced for the im-
provement of metropolitan workhouses were both neces.
my and good ; and he expressed an opinion that some
legislation should be introduced to improve the condition
of the poorhouses in the provinces. Nobody regretted
more than Ye did the unfortunate necessity for an expedi-
tion to Abyssinia, but he thought its necessity was ad-
mitted on all hands. He then alluded to ritualism, and
expressed an earnest hope that they would see some legie
lotion on that subject next year, expressing his opinion
that it was far better to see theatres turned
into places of religious worship than that our churches
should be transformed into theatres. (Cheers.) After ex-
pressing his great regret that on the next election Leer
would only have one representative in parliament, and
making some remarks upon the political tergiversation of
the tory party, he concluded by assuring the meeting that
whether in or out of parliament he would always be found
ardently supporting liberal principles. (Cheers.)
The speeches of both hon. members were most cordially
received, and on their conclusion Mr. Monk moved and
Mr. Kemp seconded • resolution expressing the entire
confidence of the constituency in them, and thanking
them for the satisfactory manner in which they had dir
charged their parliamentary duties.
The resolution was spoken to by Mr. Verrall and Mr.
Hodgkin, and carried unanimously.

A cordial vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the
proceedings.

There is to be a Handel Festival at Sydenham
next year.

The opening of Mr. German Reed's operetta
season, announced for this evening, is postponed till Wed.
nesday next.

The Bakerian Lecture of the Royal Society is to
be delivered next Thursday (19th) by Professor Roscoe. d
Owens College, Manchester, the subject being " Re-
searches on Vanadium."

A number of public-spirited engineers in Mao-
cheater have subscribed a large sum of money (one firm,
Messrs. Beyer, Peacock, and Co., gave no leas than 3,00011
for the endowment of a chair of engineering in connexion
with Owens College. The fund is so far advanced towards
completion as to justify the early appointment of • pro.
falser.

We (Westmoreland gazette) have authority to
state that Mr. William Lowther, second son of our lsie rt
presentative, the Hon. Colonel Lowther, will offer himself
u a candidate to represent Westmoreland.

CAPTORS or A GORILLA.—Mr. Walker, of Fer-
nand yae, has written a letter to Dr. Gray, under date of
August 29, 1867, in which he says :—" It may interest
you, as well as the Zoological Society, to know that I hare
a fine, healthy, young male gorilla, which, I hope, may
eventually reach the Zoological Gardens. I hove heard of
a young chimpanzee at some distance, and have to-.!s!
sent to endeavour to procure it as a companion
for my little Njina. I shall do my utmost to seed
the paireafely to England ; but as the winter will becoming
on before I can ship them, I may have to keep them until
next spring, and it will be a hard matter to keep them
alive all that time. The gorilla was captured on the 13th
inst., and brought to me the next day by its captor, one of
the natives trading for me, who whilst taking a walk, un-
armed, except with a spear, maidenly came on a family of
gorillas—father, mother, and young one. The mother,
contrary to what might have been expected,
abandoned her ' baby, and ran off ; the father
showed fight, rushing at the native open-mouthad.
and receiving a stab on the side from a spear, winds
caused him to retreat a little ; when my man, not wising
to receive a second attack, snatched up the young one, and
made for his home as fast as possible, and the next az
brought the little fellow to me, made fast with a forked
stick about his neck, as if he was a meet feroeioua annuli
I soon made him more comfortable by placing a belt Tonsil
him, to which I attached a email cord : and, though sot*
what snappish for a day or two, and very shy, he wool
became quite familiar and tame, and now hid greatert
delight is to be in any arms, where he would atop
getter if I would let him, and had nothing to do butts
nurse him."

THE MENICIPLL FRANCHISE. —We learn troll!
the City Press that by the Municipal Elections Amendn?est
Act of 1867, the total number of electors in the venom
word' has been increased from 6,368 to 13.664. Of coons
this may materially affect the elections on St. Thema, r
day.