The Express.
London, England, 1857-11-24 00:00:00

EGYPTIAN HALL.

The re-appearance of Mr. Albert Smith at this
time of year is now looked upon as a matter of course. The
brighter iris is not mace regular In its spring-tide champ
wet upon the burnished dove, than the autumnal renova-
tion of stalls and carpeting*, and the redeooration of the
rooms at the Egyptian Hall. Ur. Smith has chosen a good
period of year for his annual return ;he arrives whoa
people ham bad enough of foreign tours and owner
homes, end sea-side wijeurnings, and on their return Is
town went some amusement to prevent them from utteely
soocarobing to the misery engendered by the damp muggy
weather amusement not to be found at the nimiew of
society, which have not commenced, or at the theatres,
where the managers ars dragging on with old plays seed
ridtaries krcee until atria: me with its pantomimes Weil
bring them full exchequers. Mr. Smith's entertainment, thee,
matt agreeably filla this void; it is universal in its applise-
klity to the tastes of his wares (for the mast strait-laced '
dowager from Clepbans end the noisiest washes is the
Household Brigade each lad ports of It which they oan
appreciate) ; its satin is mid and general, never descending
t•to permeably or ?inhume ; itemise:. tame shows it to be •
literary prodoctke, soil net • mere collection of songs and
mimicries strums together by the slenderest thread of narra-
tive, al, too ohm the ems ; and finally, the deariptions are
delivered by the eye-wither of the linen described, and le •
mom where every comfort ha been studied, and where the
mere appearance of the company in the stall, is each as
not to be matched at any other place in London but the opera
or the French Playa

The Ascent of Mont Blanc having beooma as mammon ea
the pamage of Holborn- hill, the verbal description of it was
last year omitted, the dioremic representation forming a pic-
torial entr'esete between the two parte of the lecture. The same
plan has been pursued this gray the first part of the enter-
tainment taking the traveller up the Rhine, through the
Berneac Oberland, by Zurich, the Right, the Lake of Lucerne,
the lungfrau, the Great St. Bernard and Geneva, on to
Chamouni. The second Fart le, however, the great
attraction, ea it la entirely devoted to Naples and
the adjacent points of interest, which were visited by
Mr. smith in September, when he wee lucky enough
to witness the eruption of Vesurig, which for three montha
W bets giving forth grumbling warnings, and burst forth
two days after his arrival. The Italian views are among Mr.
Beverley's linen productions. He has caught that blue un-
clouded sky, that deep clear water, and even that hot dry
atmosphere which are all coo characteristic. There are two
mopeds of Naga; one, a general view from the height of
Panilippo, and the other the Santa Luria, ogef the principal
Uwirowedues, thronged with Ids and piety ; there an the
reined "house of the tragic poet" at Pompeii, the rules of
Psalm, celebrated se • haunt far brigands, the blue grotto
at Capri (e little theatrical gehapt), a scene representing •
party of travellers secendiag Vesuvius, and, finally, the erup-
tion itself. Mr. Beverley is now so well known to the public
that comment on his productions le enpeollosus ; it will suf-
fice to say that while at the Etriptian Hall he hae not the
scope for any grit theatrical effect., his palms are always
more ;closely painted, and Waked in • more polished and
artistic manner. . .

The lecture Wolf is, if anything, more entertaining than

ever. TM Ant portion Is rattled through at reckless speed.
We Wye Leedoq emu the Chinned, sr* whirled to Cologne

and up the Rhine, me the model of a diligence, and have the
receipt of its confection explained to am ; drink • glue if
champagne at Epernay, meet Brown at Bak, meet ell the
queer people at the hotel on the Righl Rolm ; recognise Mr.
Parker and are introduoed to anew epodes of girldom, " the
Prancer " (a capital skettb) ; have our belief in Tell
shattered, see the Jungfran and the St. Bernard Convent, and,
smiting at Genres, listen to a mint admirable medley song
desaiptive of " Brown on his travels," without one break or
stop.
The wood part Is more wince., end somewhat instructive,
though the lesson is conveyed in a pleasant manner. The
general features of Italian life and scenery are grephirally
and quaintly described; the story of the distraction of
Peempell le briefly touched upon, and a very interesting
seamat is given of its prevent state. The amount of the
mast d Vesurins fe also told with much humour. In this
seemed part Mr. Smith intrednose • most cleverly-written
and semi-classic song, abounding in quotations from
the Eton Latin grammar, strung together in most musical
verse, end winds up with the general gossip on everything, as
contained la Gehl/mixes Ifewriger. Besides the characters
we have already named, we renew our acquaintance with
Baby Simmons and her sister Florence, who has married •
curate, the Rev. &Minnie Blandy, and are delighted to find
that that clearest of narrators, the Austrian Lloyds' Engi-
neer, Is picked up at Sorrento; that be is styli en ill-used
lover, and that he details his was in • more wearying and

more unintelligible form than ever.
Mr. Smith met with on enthusiastic reeeption, wu oon-
dandy cheered throughout the program of the lecture, and
was loudly recalled at the end of each part; he is apparently
in excellent health and spirits, sad, judging from the Met
ermemlo• of last night's performance, there is no reason why
the plums of travelling life should not be lectured on by
hies, and relished by the public. for years to come.
There Is a novelty, we observe, In the second part of the
printed programme, which Ss in verse.

LIABILITY OF CLKROT TO COUNTY RATES.—
Owing re some wsoertninty es to the legal liability of the
established clergy to pay prison and yolks easessmenis, sod
such like public burdens. the county of Perth lest year held
a case baron conned, which was given very decidedly la
favour of their liability. This his Woos been confirmed by
the result of a memorial on the subject on the put ef the
' clergy themselves to the Demo of Faculty, who hes also diva en
opinion to therm., ffect. We helloes It we only in thee, er
Your osuntiee In Scotltted that sastnpeisa was ever {Wised,
sad the question will now be rot:linters& as set at net Ex-
emption front poor'irratse on the part of theleaddlabed clergy
stands upon d iterent Founds, and hr been decided in they
favour bye finding in the Roused Loeds ea sppril.—Mior
ivriA /mill Zip**.