The Express.
London, England, 1868-04-07 00:00:00

71111 VOLVINEER 1/713W.

'Ns American authors and publishers who are :
agitating for an International Copyright Law have
made another and very distinct step towards their
object : a distinct proposal for • law which I
should respond to the reciprocal copyright laws
of this and other countries has been put be-
fore the Rouse of Representatives. The Library
Committee having been instructed to inquire into I
the subject, " and to report by Bill or otherwise,"
have reported altogether in favour of the imme-
diate enactment of an International Copyright ,
Law, and will introduce the Bill before the close
of the present session of Congress.
The Report puts the whole subject before Con-1
gram and the people with great clearness and
forme. It does justice to British law, and reminds
the Americana that as the Copyright Laws of :
other nations are reciprocal, and they
alone have refused such reciprocity, any
inconvenience which may arise to American
interests from the utter lawlessness of their
relations with foreign literature is entirely their:,
own fault. Its , great arguntant is the 'ate we
ham addressed more than once to the American
people—the injury done to their own literature by
the absence of any protection for it in foreign
countries, and its exposure to unlimited competi-
tion with stolen property at home.—Doily Noce.

MUSIC.

Practically it comes to this, says the rime, the
Tvountears are invited to ge all the way to Portsmouth for
the mere purpose of " membing past" a general officer on •
strip of pound which will not conveniently &commode**
a third et their numbers. They m!ght do infinitely better '
let Wimbledon or Richmed and save all their trouble.
Portsmouth without its lines is about as eligible for such a
spectacle se Dover without ita heights or Brighten
without its downs. The chief recommendation of
the pleas is lost The volunteers cannot, with
1 anything like convenience to themeless or the •
1 FAUN do the " marching past" on Bentham Common,
'even if it were worth while to go to Sonthem-munion to
ido it. Better far give up this part of the business and
metre as much se can be obtained of the field-day. .
Marching can be practised anywhere, and is net of au-
prom importance, after all, to the efficiency of • soldier.
! If nothing in wanted beyond an open mom at grounn, •
there are • hundred places nearer and better than the strip '
of Ibeselt at Bentham. But we have &Ivey* looked to
Easter Monday for something more they ibis. What in the f
world is to be thetiglit et our " military organisation" if
the more scheme of an Pastes lilmodny review beanie
i down in the middle from melt misokleoletion as this , AU
the conditions of the ems were known perfectly before-
-1 band—the single alleged novelty befog tleit the numbers
were expected to be :30,000 instead of 21.000. Bet it they
had nalyletea n,coo, could the original programme hare
been carried out' Could even this smaller forts bete
been " matched part " on Bentham Common, token on to
Hilvea lines, put through the mance:arr.,v of a fleld.cle,),
and sent home "pin within the vtipnlated time' The
.T.m..s doubts if the excuse will sustain the mistake ; hit
instead of arguing the question it will be far better to set.
! the whole thing right by fresh arraegements, as may yet .
' , be done.

NATIONAL CHORAL SOCIETY.
The annual Panion-week performance of the
Messiah by this society took place lam eight. The solo
elision were Miss Banks, Madame Osborne Williams,
Mr. G. Puree, and Mr. Bentley. Of Mr. Bentley's ad- lab ItAELIN 1. APT SI 1t5.;,%
makable singing in the bass solos of this oratorio we have Criticising Mr. Disraeli's last speech, the Doily Neu'
=a/ times had eeteekt, to 'Peek, end as eseehtlY v Yu' observes tat nothing could be more felicitous them its,
prepared portions. His rejoinder. to Mr. Lowe, who,
tetchy, in reference to the performance of the same
watt by the Sewed Harmonic Seeietl• Again hat Lai spoken the day before, and to lord Oranborne,
night this gentleman produced a strong impreieion ir. who had spoken on Monday, were keen end paw;
the airs "The people that walked in darkness,- nant. The chorus of reciprocal ical.gnity to which
" Why do the nations;' and "The trumpet shall the members for Stamford and for V.dno furnish
sound" (Ma ktter with Mr. Ward's tramper the strophe and antl.strophe ; the emergence of the
accompaniment). Miss Banks also gained considerable totter, not from his cave, but from a more cynical habit*.
applause by her expressive singing in the various soprano Tim], when the bark is heard from the other side of the
solos ; sad the same may be said of Mr. Potreo, who, house ; and his power of spontaneous skersion and iodise
1110TOOVIDT, woe an encore by his forcible delivery of the criminate bate ware delineated in few la, atom.. which
deelamaterTang' "Then shah break them." The choruses sim met likely to be forgotten. If a ~: stmte political
were generally gives with that brightness of tone and off- minist were necessarily a wise ea,aaam., :and a mastery
eisslY _which ors marking characteristics of this feature of of phrases were genius for government, England would be
"6 Pirugminc.3 over which Mr. Martin preside.. The blessed in Mr. Disraeli. It was excellent fooling, though
well-known " Hallelujah," and " For unto us," produced the humour of the thing was sometimes lost by the
the usual impression' the latter being encored.
want of order and arrangement, which prevented
' Mr. Disraeli from doing justice to his own care-
' fully prepared materials. But hie levity disproved
the case be attempted to set up. Barlempo was out-bar-
tongued when Mr. Disraeli informed the house and the
country of the existence of a conspiracy of almost sour-
natural power, to which the high church ri. uslists, and
the Irish followers of the Pope are parties, cwt of which
I Mr. Gladstone is the agent, to sei_e upon the supreme
I authority of the realm, to rob the Queen's eabjecte of WOW
of their most precious privileges, and to sheet injuriouefy
, the tenure of the crown. Mr. Disraeli believes ell thin
jut as much as he believes that England was competed
by the Dutch in IG3S. He is the political vicar of Bray.
Protestants and Roman eatholies mutt see that they are
being played with by • politician who would have no
scruple in mcriacing either to the other, pad both to I.,';e-
-self, as preesstent ascendance or Papal topremacy seenied
alike more effectually to eons his tura.

MR. HENRY LESLIE'S CONCERTS.

Last night an extra concert was given, the selection am-
aiding entirely of seared made. The first part included
two short " Hymns of Preiee," by Mendelssohn, and the
ems °empower's moue important "Hear my prayer,' and
his siglit-part psalm, "Judge me, 0 God ;" Meyer beer's
" Pater Nester ; " Palestrina's motet, " Exaltabo to ;"
Kozart's "Ave Tavern," and Schubert's psalm for
female voices, " The Lord is my shepherd ; " besides
vocal solos by Madame Patey-Wlytock and Mr.
Sims Reaves, the latter of whom sang Handel's
"beeper and deeper dill " with that mingled grandeur
and pathos is which he is unrivalled. Although
the pieces above specified were all sacred (as indeed was
the entire selection) they presented a strong contrast and
variety of styles, from the strict severity of Palestrines
motet (belonging to the close of the sixteenth *eatery) to
the melodious beauty of Mozart and the tender grace of
fielnibert. The singing of the choir in each tantalum was
admirable for precision, refinement, and light and shade,
Meadelasohn's eight-part pram being again =cored, as it
! has been on each occasion of its recent admirable per
Iforename by this choir. The soprano solo in Mende's-
aelan's " Hear my prayer" was song by MdUe. Carols.
The second part of the programme comprised, among
other pieces, the " Sanctus" from Cionned's Mess for male
voices, a motel, " 0 Salutaris," by Anber, with other
choral pieese that have preciously been heard at Mr.
Leslie's concerts; and " In native worth," by Mr. Sims
Reeves, and " Let the bright seraphim " by Malls. Carole,
with Mr. Ward's trumpet accompaniment. An edditiona
series of these excellent concerts is anent:aced to con.-
mence on the 29th inst.

DRA MA.

HAYMARKET.