The Express.
London, England, 1861-12-14 00:00:00

MUSIC.

SACRED HARMONIC SOCIETY.

The first Christmas performance of The Messiah
took place is Easter-ball last evening. As usual the hall
was crowded to alms ; within a few minutes after the doom
were *posed aot a seat was to be had in any pert of the
building; many people had only standing room, and some,
it seemed, were unable to obtain ',son at all. Neverthe-
lees there was not the slightest bustle or confusion. The
audience were most earnestly attentive ; sod though several of
the principal airs and choruses were followed by enplanes, yet
there was something very impressive in the profound
edemas with which the nut lime straits of Handel were
listened to by so great a multitude, who were evidentlynader
the influence of deeper feelings than those derived frail •
mere musical entertainment. On the whole, we have
seldom heard this divine work nitwit grandly parkland.

MIL CARPENTER'S BENEFIT AT THE PRINCIPIN'S.-••••
Ths committee formed for devising roeam for aiding Mr.
Willia9 Carpenter in his severe affliction manatees a dra-
matic entertainment for his benefit, to take plan at the
Princeee's Theatre next Thursday. The company will per-
form the Cricket an She thank and the Blue .Isetet ; Mrs.
Stirling will deliver an address which Mr. Jobe o:entail
has writes and preseated ; Mr. sod Mrs. Howard Paul will
give a portico of their eatertainmeet ; and Mr. Backstops,
Mr. Comptes, and Mrs. Griffiths will play Bur and Car.
The variety of the entertainments aod the merits of the
object will dadaist attract a full attendance.
A public meeting was held at Itrietol, or. Thurs-
day. evening, for the purpose of hearing a lecture from
Mr. John Caswell, on the American question, at the emelt.
sioo of which the following meinavil, proposed by Mr. Com.
misaioner Hill, wee adopted :—`• To the Right Honourable
Lord Viscount Palmerston, First Lord of the Treasury, the
memorial of the undersigned respectfully show/di—That
your oistiorialista regard with alarm and sorrow the awful
caLsmitiee which would result from a wor between this
country and the United States of America, and desire that
every means consistent with the honour of England may be
used to prevent the interruptioe of friendly relations between
the two countries. Your memorialists would, therefore,
respectfullurge on her Majesty's govertinsent the solemn
duty of exhausting all the resources of diplomacy, and if
needful of having recourse to the arhitration of a neutral
power, before appenliog to the sworn"
THE SMITHFIELD CLUB CATTLE SW/W.—FOURTH
AND Cwatso Dar.—Yesterday was the fourth and last day
of the Smithfield Club Cattle Show for 1861, which finally
closed at 10 o'clock last night, thus terminating, no doubt
tiumcially es well as in all other nepects, the onostauccess.
ful exhibition of the kind that has ever been held at the
• •
Bakeratreet Samar. Although the numbers who rented
the show during yesterday were by no means equal to those ,
of any of the throe pp...aiding days, still there was a fair
average attendance as compared with the last day of pre-
cedisg years. Towards the close of the show last evening
the mama* many of whom had previously borne a similar
week's entertainment at Ilinuingham, had the sp-
pavanes of being exceedingly jaded awl those doomed
to make their appearance at Mondry's cattle mar-
ket, by reran of not having been already sold, will re-
quire the quiet which will so doubt be accorded them
between whiles to recover that freshness of ap-
peases*, which will be of importance in effecting their
male. Meet of the cattle will be removed in the course of
this day to their respective destinatious.
The deficiency in the pain crops of England and
Frame this year is estimated it 144,000.000 bushele—vis.,
80 Milian in France and 84 millions in England. This de-
lta/sty has been and will be chiefly supplied from America.
Upwards of 100,000,000 bushels of breadstutfs will resch
New York in the present year, and this supply will be kept
wife* the winter. The value of the exports of domestic
redoes from New York up to the latter end of November
ameented to 118 sillies of dollars.