The Express.
London, England, 1868-08-03 00:00:00

CRYSTAL PALACE.

The summer musical season at this establish-
ment was appropriately closed on Saturday by a supple•
mental concert devoted to the benefit of Mr. Manna, the
conductor of the Crystal Palace orchestra, which has risen
to such high efficiency and renown during the several
years that it has been under his guidance and training.
The progriuume of Saturday was similar to those of the
recent series of opera concerts, the termination of which
we recorded last week ; consisting chiefly of favourite ex-
tracts from well-known operas.

DRAMA.

Laura

A mangled or "adapted" 'version of Mr. Dis-
raeli's tragedy of Aland was produced at Astley's
Theatre on Saturday night, with .a company ill-fitted to
do the author jostles. The Iday, first published in 1839,
is wordy and windy, but it would be about as fair to
criticise it on the basis of Saturday's performance, as to
aiticise one of Mr. Tffaraeli's brilliant speeches after it
had been detained by a country town crier. Aloraw ii
not Brilliant, mg shows very little of that talent which
-DM 118itie Mr. Disfaeß famous, bat it contains far
*Sore indications of dramatic instinct than the &uteri
thawed the audience to see on flatiirda> tha
author's Stage directions hive in may aide been Aire-
girded,. to the detriment of the play and perhaps, for
electioneering purlieus, it would have been better, if Mr.
Disraeli had superintended the reheanals. A popular
drama Is quite as good apolitical peseport se an unpopular
reform bill; and nothing but the author's mature inge-
nuity 'could make Alamos popular. The story, and the
characters, dealing with the Moors in Spain in the thir-
teenth century, and founded on a well-known ballad, have
little Antereet. The drama in hire scores of plays
that have been published during the last fifty or
sixty years in volumes of poems dedicated to cele-
brities, admired by a few not very discriminat.
ing devourers of " poetry," looked at occasionally
by managers in search of a cheap and "legitimate" piece,
but never acted. Alarm, we believe, was never acted'
until Saturday night, and then it could scarcely be said
to have been acted. Mr. Charles Verner, a courageous
and versatile actor, who has formed his tragedy style on
that of Mr. Phelps, was not altogether unsucoesdul as
Count Alara3e, but he was very feebly supported. Miss'
Agnes Cameron, the "leading lady," described generally
in the bills 8A from the United States, has few apparent
qualifications for the grand drama, and most of the per-
formers., with the exception of Mr. Brandon Ellis, ap-
peared afraid to open their mouths. Alamos, as a literary
production, has long since gone through the fire of criti-
cism, and may now be allowed to deep in peace, but those
who are curious to read it will find it in a cheap edition of
the author's works lately published by Mr. Warne.

MINISTERIAL lirovincw•ro.—The Right non.
R. Damen, M.P., mid Mrs. Disraeli leave town on Wed-
nesday for Henden Manor, Bucks ; the Lord Presi-
dent of the Council left his residence in St. Samos's-
square ea Friday, for Cowes ; the Earl of Malmeebury
will town to-day for the north ; the Duke of Buck-
inghera• left Chandoe-house on Saturday for Wotton,
Baths. ; Sir John Pakington will leave thwn to-morrow
for Westwood-perk, his meat in Worcestershire; Hr.
Gathers. Hardy- left town on Priday for his seat near
illtaplehursi ; the Bari and Countess of Mayo left on
Saturday for their seat, Palinenton-house, el:unity Kil-
dare ; f Stafford NOrthee* Bart., leaves Osborne to-
day, for Exeter. The Lord ManeWm, Lord Stanley, the
Bight. Hon. the Pint Lord of the Admiralty, and Lord
Jao. Banners remain at persist in town.
Low NAPrea AND TDB 51D emir OP LONDON
Vounrrimma—On Saturday evening the and City of Lon-
don Rifle Volunteers, of which Lord N of Magdala
has accepted the Unwary adoneley, was by the
gallant general in the Regmrs-park, in the presenoe of
some seven or eight thousand people. There were 448
men on parade, forming eight strong compamee •' buttes
the hour fixed for the Marion (the corps being comp
chiefly of working men been an hour later, there is no
doubt the muster would ve been much stronger.
-3,tchee were receivedon Saturday at theColo-
nial-othoe from the Governors of Ceylon, Hong-Kong,
Yalta, and Gibraltar. Despatches were sent to the Governors
of the West India Islands, the Australian Colonies, the
North American Provisoes, the Bahamas, British Columbia,
Bermuda, and British Honduras.

A Board of Admiralty, comprising Admirals
Milne Dames, Hay, Robinson, Controller of the Navy,
Lord Lennox, secretary, with the director of archibictunng
and downtowns works, arrived at Woolwich at half-past
ten o'clock on Saturday morning to carry out the annual
official inspection of the dockyard and steam factory, and
the several departments of the naval and marine
service.