The Express.
London, England, 1866-06-18 00:00:00

Plufsic.

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.
Weber's Oberon was performed for the first time
this season on Thursday last, and repeated on Saturday.
It was splendidly put upon the stage, and admirably per-
formed. The character of the heroine was sustained, as
formerly, by M.llle. Titiens ; Sir Exton, by Mongini ;
Oberon, by Bettini ; Fatima, by Madame Trebelli ; and
Sherasmin, by Bentley. All the smaller parts were in
competent hands; the choral and orchestral por-
tions of the music were magnificently given ;
and the beautiful and picturesque scenery did the greatest
honour to the talents of the ingenious artists.

CRYSTAL PALACE.
The Crystal Palace concert on Saturday morning,
though it presented no novel feature, attracted an immense
concourse of visitors. It consisted chiefly of vocal pieces
from the favourite operas of the season. Mille. lima de
Murska sang the famous " GU angui d'inferno," the air of
the Queen of Night in the Flout° Magic°, with incompa-
rable brilliancy. Signor Gardoni sang the fine air, " Sin
dall eta," from Ifrjenia in Trturide ; and Signor Stagno
the song in Don Giovanni," Dulla sua pace." There were
other things of similar character ; and the performances
were agreeably varied by 3loscheles's well-known fantasia,
" Recollections of Ireland," magnificently played by
Madame ArabeUa Goddard. The whole concert. with the
accompaniments of fine weather and beautiful scenery,
was a delightful entertainment, and enjoyed accordingly.

Drama.

SADLER'S WELLS._

On Thursday night Lord Lyttelton's bill to atop
lessees of theatres from stealing the plots, dialogues, and
characters of novelists, was thrown out in the House of
Lords ; and on Saturday night an adaptation of Mr.
Charles Dickens's latest novel, " Our Mutual Friend," was
produced ►t Sadler's Wells, under the title of The Golden
Dustman, without any sign in the playbills that the
author had been consulted. The adaptation is in five acts,
and the adapteris Mr. Farnie, a gentleman well known as a
librettist. All the important characters and incidents of the
novel have been retained, and the adapter, like many more
similar workmen before him, has been tempted by the
literary charm of the writing to drag in scenes which are
amusing as a display of character, but a heavy clog upon
the action of the dramatised story. Many of the incidents
will scarcely bear the somewhat coarse realisation of the
stage ; for example, the scene at " Boffin's Bower," where
Mr. Boffin, after he is attacked by Mr. Wegg with one
will concerning the great Harmon property, goes into the
dustyard and finds another will, nearly becomes ridiculous.
It is in the early part of this scene that Mr. Boffin, after
having a book about misers read to him by Mr. Wegg,
because of his acknowledged ignorance of print, suddenly
shows a wonderful and unexplained capacity for reading
the crabbed handwriting of an old will. The same cha.
racter—the " golden dustman "—also exhibits other in-
cousistencies. As the genial Boffin be is heavy, and unac-
quainted with the meaning of many simple words, but
when he resolves, for a purpose, to act the domestic tyrant,
he is quick and intelligent, with a remarkable flow of
fine language. In this, as in other dramatised versions
of Mr. Dickens's novels, we have noticed a strong disposi-
tion on the part of actors and adapters, but especially in
the former, to people the stage with a set of tottering or
haggard Bedlamites. Our great humeurist, amongst hie
many beautiful and infinitely varied characters, has cre-
ated many eccentric individualities, but he generally
" draws the line" at lunacy and idiotcy. We have seen
Caleb Plummer played in the Harwell harmless-
ward style, and we saw several characters so per-
formed at Sadler's Wells on Saturday night. The
actors and ►ctresses who deserve honourable mention
are Mr. Barrett, Mr. Belmore, Mrs. Poynter, and Miss Ads
Dyas, who performed Mr. Boffin, Wegg, Mrs. Willer, and
Lizzie Hexham. Mr. Belmore's Wegg displays all that
remarkable but somewhat undisciplined force which dis-
tinguished his Softy in the Princess's version of Aurora
kTopi, and is full of rough characteristic humour. The
great fault of the piece is a want of pleasant interest,
the disagreeable characters having it too much their own
way. The house was well attended on Saturday, many
literary men being present, but the noisy, brutal gallery
occupants would have disgraced and been turned out of the
lowest music-hall.

THE FORTHCOMING VOLUNTEER REVIEW.-
Saturday was the last day on which applications were
received at the War-office from the commanding officers of
volunteer corps desirous of taking part in the review in
Hyde-park, next Saturday. The following are the names
and strength of those who have signified their intention of
being present :-Ist Middlesex Engineers, 402; 2nd
Administrative Battalion (Middlesex), 466 ; let Middlesex,
203 ; 11th Middlesex, 432 ; 15th Middlesex, 401 ; 22nd
Middlesex, 733 ; 24th Middlesex, 600 ; 29th Middlesex,
380 ; 36th Middlesex, 193; 37th Middlesex, 220 ; 39th Mid-
dlesex, 280 ; 40th Middlesex, 308 ; 46th Middlesex, 249;
3rd Administrative Battalion (Essex), 637 ; 7th
Surrey, 305 ; Ist Warwick, 801 ; Ist London Artillery, 227 ;
let London Rifles, 609 ; 3rd London Rifles, 319 ; Ist Admi-
nistrative Battalion (Tower Hamlets), 503 ; 2nd and Bth
Tower Hamlets, 382 ; 6th Tower Hamlets, 4M ; 19th Ser.
rev, 310; 23rd Surrey, los ; 2nd Mid. Art., 2M ; 4th Mid-
dlesex, 359 ; 9th Middlesex, 237 ; 18th Middlesex, 120 ;
19th Middlesex, 368 ; 20th Middlesex, 28a ; 23rd Middlesex,
230 ; Ist Administrative Battalion (Warwick), 507 ; 2nd
L0nd0n,225 ; 3rd Middlesex Artillery, 282 ; 2nd Middlesex,
400 ; 21st Middlesex, 450 ; 38th Middlesex, 116 ; the Hon.
Artillery Company, not known ; Ist Administrative Batta-
lion (Berke), 5'2'2 ; 4th Tower Hamlets, 313; 2nd Adminis-
trative Battalion, 500 ; Ist Tower Hamlets Engineers, 131 ;
let Administrative Battalion (Surrey), 107; lat London
Engineers, 114 ; Ist Notts (Nottingham), 600. It
will be seen from the above official return that 46
volunteer corps have sent in their names, and that the col-
lective strength, as far as can be ascertained, is about
15,000. It will be remembered that H.R.H. the Duke of
Cambridge, when presiding at the annual meeting of the
National Rifle Association, gave as his reason against hay-
ing a review in Hyde-park that there would probably be
some 10,000 men present, and, therefore, that any move-
ments would be out of the question. As it now appears
that there will be 15,000, it is, of course, impossible that
there can be much else than a march past. The presence
of their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales
will, however, render the gathering a very interesting one,
and the metropolitan force will have the opportunity of
showing how far they have availed themselves of their ad-
vantage over most of the provincial corps for battalion
drill.--Sweday Gazette.
THE INCORPORATED LAW SOCIETT.-At the ex-
amination of candidates for admission on the roll of at-
torneys and solicitors of the superior courts, the examiners
recommended the following gentlemen, under the ago of
213, as being entitled to honorary distinction :—John
Richard Collins, who served his clerkship to Mr. Thomas
William Gray, of Exeter, and Messrs. Coode, Kingdon,
and Cotton, of London ; Frederick Nalder, who served his
clerkship to Mr. Frank Isaac Naliter, of Shepton Mallet ;
Francis Henry Phillips, who served hie clerkship to Mr.
Jacob Phillips, of Chippenbam, Mr. William Simp-
son, of New Mahon, and Messrs. Williamson,
Hill, and Co., of London ; Frederick Ring Frost,
who served his clerkship to Mr. John Metcalfe Pollard,
of Ipswich, and Messrs. Shirreff and Son, of London.
The council of the Incorporated Law Society accordingly
awarded them prizes of books. The examiners have also
certified that the following candidates, under the age of
26, whose names are placed in alphabetical order, passed
examinations which entitle them to commendation, and
they were awarded certificatesof merit:—Edward Montague
' Browne, who served his clerkship to Ms. Newenham
I Charles Wright, of London, and Mr. John Becks, of
Northampton. ; Thomas Mountain. who served his clerk-
ship to Messrs. Grange and Wintriogham, of Great
1 Grimsby, and Messrs. Carritt and son of London ; Albert
Edward Scott, who served his clerkship to Messrs. Scott
land Co.. of Lincoln's-inn-fields, London ; Julius Henry
1 Smith, who served his clerkship to Mr. Francis Sanders, of
Dudley.
FATAL MINE ACCIDENT AT CAMRORNE.-A most
melancholy accident occurred at Cendorrow Mine, Cam-
borne, on Thursday, by which one man was buried alive
I and three others seriously injured. It appears that two
brothers, named Treloar, were working in the back of the
230-fathom level, on a good course of tin, when several
1 tons of stuff fell away and knocked down the stage on
which they were working, nearly filling the level, in which
two other miners, naned John and William Roberts,
brothers, were also working, burying the men in
the debris. Three of the men, William Roberta
and the two Treloars, were shortly after extricated,
but they were found to be badly injured. The body
of John Roberta is not yet found, and it is expected, from
the great quantity of stuff fallen away, that it will take
two or three days at least before the body can possibly be
recovered. In connexion with this moat melancholy affair
there was an extraordinary escape of another miner named
Treloar, a son of one of the injured men. He was at work
en the stage with the others, and in the first moment of
danger, from sheer impulse, threw out his hands, which
fortunately for him struck a piece of timber in the side of
the leveL To this he held fast until relieved from his
most perilous position, and thus saved his life. Captain
John Moyle, who was underground at the time, also nar-
rowly escaped. Messrs. Vincent and Harris, surgeons,
were promptly in attendance, but the injuries to the men
are of a fatal character, and little hope is entertained of
their recovery. They are all married men with families.—
Waters Morning News.