The Express.
London, England, 1857-10-06 00:00:00

PRINCESS'S THEATRE.

The above theatre, which re-opene on Monday
week, ham been thoroughly renovated. The panela. of
the dram circle are adorned with a settee of peuttmge
from the works of dhakepeare, u performed at the estm
blishment. These comprise "the Vision of Queen
Katherine" " the Trial of Barmier," "the first appear-
ance of the Ghost to Hamlet," "Richard 11. abdicating

11t.c7oWT,"-":7tite. eafirTiri i'iera "Fula„_
contemplating the body of Hotegssi," " Hubert and Arthur,"
"Titania in her Bower," and "the Interview between
Prospero end Ariel in the memo° of the Sleeping Mi-
randa." Between the panels are a series of the Bbabsperien
Kings—John, Richard 11., Henry IV., Henry V. Henry
VI.. Edward IV Richard 111., Henry VII., and Henry
~
VII I.—all at full length sod historically costumed.
The ceiling is painted with an allegorioal subject, and
there is a new drop curtain of Mews. Grieve and
Telbin representing a drapery of crimson tapestry, which,
partially withdrawn, reveals a statue of baepaaze, The re-
novation of the house has been effected by Mr. Charles
Roebuck, decorator to the King of Hanover.

CHILDREN IN KENSINGTON OARDENS.—Mr. G. 8.
Jenks, of South-wharf, Paddington-basin, writes to a cotem-
pommy .—" Two of my children, boy., aged respectively
Berea and five years, were sent to the gardens OM morning.
They had not been lung there before a very respectable lady
(as they describe) accosted them, and, by dint of promiaing
them toys, persuaded them to let her take off their boots, that
rho might get them new ones of the same tire. She than
placed them on a seat, and, carefully covering their feet witk
• pinafore, that they might not be observed by paseers-by
that they were without boots, quickly decamped. From the
manner m which she committed the theft sad her being so
well dressed, there cannot be • doubt that she was en old hand
at this business ; but still it does seem too bad that in such a
place of resort, and in the middle of the day, children cannot
be trusted for a few hours."

A GALA OPEJA AT WEntad.—This evening
(Oct. 1) there was, as nand on three °amnions, a gala opera,
for wh all the great world of Weimar and the neighbour
ing towns and principalities have been straggling fur some
days past to pet tickets. It was the same some over again
that I lately described to you at Etutesirdt, only on a smaller
scale, end with a less extent of courtly pretension, and wee
only in a very small degree to be called splendid. The
house, small so it is, was too large to be occupied by the
court only, and even the first tier of boxes contained a num-
ber of persons not attached to the court, and not even in
full dress. The Empress of Ruda sat in the centre,
with the Downer Queen of Holland and the Dowager Grand
Ducks of Weimar, her husband's aunts on either hand, one
of whom was flanked on the right by the Emperor of
Austria and the Grand Duke of Weimar; and the other on
the left by the Emperor of Russia, the Grand Duchess of
Weimer, and Prince Alexander of Hesse. There was no-
thing of that beauty of toilet and splendour of ornament
that was visible at Stuttgardt ; but, on the other hand, there
weer • total absence of that restraint on the part of the Ras.
elan Imperial couple which was evident at tattprdt in the
presence of Louis Napoleon. We had the renowned
Lint to aoudad, and the much talked of opera by Richard
Wagner, Twenhaneer, to listen te. The 4reat folks
bore this for two acts, probably on account of their cariosity
to hear this dawn of a new school of music and to see the
very splendid manner in which it hoe been put on the
stage. The story of the contest of the ringers on the Wart-
burg being one of historiod and local interest to this Grand
Duchy, the opera has nowhere been ,resod so well as here.
Neverthelron, no amount of care and splendour in the getting
up can save such a production as a dramatic composition,
oonatructed on the prim iple of anti-climax, like an in-
verted pyramid, with the apex of interest vested in the
beginning, and languishing rapidly into insipidity asi,:it=
reds. As a musical work, paves-tag stray claims to i
,ion by sporadic wines of beauty, but on the whole • wild
screaming jumble of inharmonious instriunentation, snatches
of melody that never amount to a tune, and a constena re.
earring succession of forced modulations, interruptrr
denees, diminished sevenths, and fearfully implement,* pm-
sages for the whole orchestra io unison, all about nothing—
it may be true that thin is the music of the future, but the
more remote we calculate that future the more correct will
be our judgment; and it may also be true, as Wagner's ad-
mirers my, that this music will be heard with delMht when
that of Mozart and Beethoven is forgotten, but it certainly
will not be before.—Convepondent of Mem at Weimar.
THE COOT OF DRESS.—Ladies who tined to drew
handsomely on thirty pounds a year, now find that sum tn.
sufficient for their gowns abate; and middle-clue young
ladies, who have hitherto been satisfied with twenty pronde
a yaw, are now driven te their wits end to keep up with the
mode stall; and they have remove to cheap showy kilo
that will not lan, or light gauzy materiels requiring a style
of petticoat which makes the drew • costly one alter all.
Maid-servants, who have before deposited something is
savings banks every quarter, now ft el morally compelled
to buy twice aa many yards as formerly for their gown.
" It is but ninepenee a reed," the mistress ears, when the
gown in a print ; but the gowns are nut all prints and if
all require eight or ten breadth, in the skirt, the difference
at the end of the year to a girl whore wages are ten or twelve
pounds, is not small. Even the cheap print gowns requires*
much making, and are eo troublerome to wash and tam, that
the custom is a tyrannous one to floods on whom it weighs
least. As for the moat numerous order of its vial,"
that of middle-class ladiee—thin vier. 1857, will be • morti-
fying or dieardrons one in the -family history of too nail
households. The art of dress has become so dirproportoll-
ate to other items of expenditure as to create serious difilcultl
in the homes of men of business, who have hitherto been
able to provide their wives and daughters with whatever
was needful to • moderate complacency. The rich silks of
the day, under their variona names, of which every lady now
thinks one at boat absolutely necessary, cannot be bad for a
wife and daughters, with the miudigious trimluingl which
are equally indispensable, under a less sum than would
maintain a country clergyman, or half-pay officer ands
Gamily. The paraphernalia of ribbons, laces, fringe.,
Bowen, is more expensive than the entire gown of tea yore
ago.-.- Wee, ',integer Beriew, new number.
CRYSTAL ?CLACK. -- ONE SHILLING DAT.vst
Nosiest, Oc-totieu 5 -Adloadoes on payment, 4,34
ditto by wagon tickets, 272; total, 4,598.