The Sun.
London, England, 1855-09-18 00:00:00

RAILWAY T.4?AFFIC IiETUR.NS.

LONDON, BRIGHTON, AND SOUTH COAST. RAILWAY.—
Traffic return for the week ending Sept. 15,
1855. £17,545 9 3
Correspo:ading week last year 15,822 1 6
Total'of the half-year to this date, 1855 195,428 410
Total of the half-year to this date, 1854 188,233 12 11
LONDON AND SOUTH-BASTRRN RAILWAY.---Traffic re-
turn for the week ending Sept. 15, 1855 £25,346 511
Corresponding week last year 20,2F.4 15 7

Inereaso in 1855

TIM MAIM—SOUTHAMPTON, Sept. 17.--The Royal
Mail Company's steam-ship La Plata, Captain Weller,
sailed. this afternoon with the West India and Pacific
mails, 129 passengers—among whom are Governor
Hamilton for Antigua, Ensign Skues, Rev. Mr. Pratt,
Dr. 'W. D'Orsay, Assistant-Surgeons Beatby, T. Kelly,
and. Le Febure-200/. in specie, 5,000/. jewellery, and a
fu:il general cargo. The Tamar, with the homeward
'portion of this mail, is hourly expected. The Atrato
will convey the West India, Mexican, and Pacific mails
of the 2d proximo. The Peninsular and Oriental Com-
pany's steam-ship Iberia, Captain Christian, left this
afternoon with the mails for Vigo, Oporto, Lisbon,
Cadiz, and Gibraltar ; 59 passengers, among whom are
the Hon. A. L. Corry, Rev. J. Gibson, Surgeon Wil-
liamson, &c. ; 48,2151. in specie—viz., Lisbon, 1,0001. ;
Oporto, 5,0001. ; Cadiz, 42,215/. ; and an average iiirgo
The Ava, Captain Field, the next ship home with the
India and Mediterranean mails. Her arrival is, however,
uncertain, great delay having been occasioned in repair-
ing the damage done to the screw on the outward voy-
age. The Nubia, Captain Brooks, with the heavy por-
tion of the India and Mediterranean mails, will sail for
Gibraltar, Malta, and Alexandria on the 20th inst. The
Madrid, Captain Cook, with the homeward portion of
the Peninsular mails, is expected about the 24th. The
Tagus, Captain Weeks, leaves with the next outward
Peninsular mails on the 27th inst. The United States
mail steam-sbip Hermann, Captain Higgins, is expected
to arrive off Cowes, en route from New York to Bremen,
with the English, French, and German mails, about
Friday next. The North Star, Captain Wamack, be-
longing to the Vanderbilt line osteam-ships, will call off
New York, with passengers and cargo.
Cowes on Saturday next, on her voyage from Havre to

ROYAL CREMORNE GARDENS.—The first of a series of
fetes, to be continued during the week, commemorative
of the glorious capture of Sebastopol, took place last
night at these gardens. With laudable liberality,. Mr.
of the Committee of the Royal Patriotic Fund, for the
cSri
ema pt
isoonn
ohf aas
fduenvdo, t etdo tbhee
diwholest
ri b u ot
ef
dt,h eu
nadd
emr stshioe ns
as
nt oc
oh
ne
benefit of the widows and orphans of those who have
i is
duringt to be regretted w
hole o
f tthatthe
day was of a very gloomy and threatening character,
the fallen
state i n
weather,
?rich ,It
prevented as full an attendance as,
pur-
pose to which the funds were to be applied, might have
considering the
been anticipated ; fortunately it cleared up during the
evening, and those in attendance were able fully to enjoy
themselves. No drawback in the entertainments was per-
ceptible. The siege of Sebastopol wasagain displayed in all
its awful grandeur. Again the Allied forces advanced to
the attack. Again the booming of the cannon, and the
rattling fusilade betokened the progress of the forlorn
hope. And again the Malakhoff yielded to the irresis-
tible onslaught of the assailants. Those who were so
fortunate as to avail themselves of the opportunity had
every reason to be satisfied with the brilliant spectacle
presented ; the more so that every spectator felt that he
was contributing his mite towards carrying out Mr.
Simpson's liberal and patriotic desire to alleviate the
sorrows of the widows and orphans of those who bad
fallen during the terrible conflict of which they were
witnessing so vivid a representation. We understand
the liberal determination of Mr. Simpson is to be carried
out with the same spirit every night till the close of the
week, and we feel confident that he will receive that
continued support which he is so truly deserving of, and
which alone can enable him to secure for so good a cause
that success it deserves,

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

(Prom the Times of this day. )

It is stated from Berlin, with an appearance of
probability, if not of authority, that the Emperor
of Russia, in communicating the intelligence of
the fall of Sebastopol to his uncle, the King of
Prussia, in a telegraphic message, added emphati-
cally that " Russia would never make peace upon:
such a defeat." This declaration, if ,it be authen-
tic,ls more consistent with the tone hitherto as-
sumed by the Russian Government than the ridi-
culous attempt of the principal Russian organ at
Brussels to represent the evacuation of Sebastopol
as a consummate stroke of military genius, highly
favourable to the interests of the Russian army
and creditable to the. strategical
.jUdgment of
Prince_Gortschakolf. The evacuation of Sebasto-

pol and the manner in which it was accomplished,
without considerable loss,. were undoubtedly cre-
ditable to Prince Gortschakoff if he had no alter-
native left but the abandonment of the place or
the total, loss of his army. He chose, as it is the
duty of every general to do, the least of two evils,
and though he might have prolonged the resis-
tance of the garrison, every hour's delay would
have rendered his position more perilous. We
rejoice for the sake of humanity, and for the suc-
cess of our arms, that the Russians did not exe-
cute their frightful threat of not leaving one
stone of Sebastopol upon another, and that from
the moment the French flag floated on the Malak-
hoff Tower the contest for t'ne possession of the
town was at an end. But -we utterly deny the
extravagant conclusion of th a partisans of Russia,
that such a retreat can be held to strengthen the
position of the enemy in any other part of the
Crimea, or that any amoun t of sophistry can cause
the evacuation to be regarded as anything but a
signal defeat of Prince Go rtschakoff's army. The
moral blow of the loss of that fortress, which the
army had undertaken to defend, must be felt even
by Russian troops ; in lasing Sebastopol they aban-
don the works of defentte they had raised on so
huge a scale, the resources still supplied by the
town and arsenal, and all the advantages of that
position. It is highly improbable, and we might
say impossible, that any other position in the Cri-
mea can afford equal advantages to an army. On
the contrary, the peculiar danger of the Russians
in the Crimea arises from the fact that, instead of
falling back on fresh re sources and lines of defence,
the further they are compelled to retire the worse
their position must become. Admitting the lines
still occupied by the) Russian army from the
northern forts along the Mackenzie ridge to be
strong, how long can they remain there ? How
long can they retain those heights, with the know-
ledge that winter is approaching, that the autumnal
rains will soon destroy their communications, that
their supplies are falling off, and that a few weeks
more may place them between an impassable tract
of steppes and a victorious enemy? The evacuation
of Sebastopol, great and memorable as that event
is in itself, is the least of the embarrassments and
calamities of the Russian army, for it leaves that
large body of men exposed to every kind of peril
and privation, in a peninsula affording them nei-
ther the means of subsistence nor the possibility of
escape.

Under these circumstances it is not surprising
that a rumour should have got abroad that Prince
Gortschakoff has offered to evacuate the northern
forts and the whole of the Crimea, provided he be
allowed to retire with arms and baggage. We
have not, ascertained whether there be any truth
in this report, and we are inclined to doubt the
accuracy of it. If Prince Gortschakoff made
such a proposition, ho would at once disclose
to his antagonists the hopeless nature of his
position ; and they, on the other hand, would
be the more bound to take advantage of the
embarrassment of the enemy. Our own military
history affords one conspicuous example as a
warning to successful commanders not to throw
away the results of their operations in the field by
an imprudent concession to a defeated opponent.
The Convention of Cintra, which set Junot's army
free after the defeat it had sustained at Vimiera,
called forth a stronger blast of popular indignation
than the disasters of Walcheren ; and if there be
anything more trying than to fail in the prosecu-
tion of a war, it is the disgrace.and folly of throwing
away the opportunities which success has placed
within our reach. To allow the Russian army to
withdraw from the Crimea with the honours of
war at this crisis would literally be to repeat the
Covention of Cintra, for we may be certain that no
such proposition will ever be made unless the
enemy is satisfied that he can command no other
means of retreat. We do not for a moment sup-
pose that either Marshal Pelissier or the Com-
mander of the British forces, or the allied Cabi-
nets, which may be consulted in a few hours
by the telegraph, would lend themselves to
such an arrangement ; and, indeed, it is not
in the dogged character of the Russian army
to seek such an indulgence. On one occasion
only, when Peter the Great was surrounded by
the Turkish army on the Pruth, has a Russian.
Czar purchased the safety of his army by submis-
sion, and even then Catharine succeeded in obtain-
ing, by negotiation, terms which the position of
the two parties by no means justified. Our position
at the present moment is widely different. The
Russian army in the Crimea has not been beaten in
a decisive engagement, nor is it at present sur-
rounded by the superior forces of the Allies. Its
line of retreat is still open, though it may not
long remain so. But the circumstance which is
most unfavourable to its existence, and which, in-
deed, constitutes a peril of the highest order, is
that this army has no proper base of operations,
and that, if compelled to retreat, it must cross a
vast extent of barren country, uninhabited, without
water, and barely affording a scanty sustenance to
the Tartar herdsmen of the Crimea. When Marshal
Soult was executing his retreat after the battle of
Orthez, in 1814, he chose the road to Toulouse,
because, if ho had attempted to cover Bordeaux,
he ran the risk of being driven by the Duke
of Wellington into the department of the Landes,
where his army would have been unable to
exist. What the Landes are to one district
of the south of France the Crimean steppes
are to the whole northern part of that peninsula,
and an army driven to retreat upon the Russian
territory has no possibility of escaping from the
necessity of crossing this desert. To fight a battle
with a considerable river or the sea in the rear of a
position is justly considered to be one of the most
dangerous contingencies of war, and is by all means
to be avoided. But to run the risk of being de-
feated in action with no line of retreat but one
which crosses near 100 miles of dry and unculti-
vated desert is a danger to which European armies
have seldom been exposed in modern warfare,
though there are examples of the destruction of the
Roman legions by similar calamities in the Parthian
wars. The probability is that but a very small
portion of an army defeated under such circum-
stances could escape, and if the Russian army under
Prince Gortschakoff meets with that fate the re-
treat of Moscow will be avenged.

From the moment that the Russians cease to
hold Sebastopol and a commanding position in the
Crimea they are exposed to two adverse contin-
gencies - they may be cut off altogether by a flank
march Of th© enemy from some point on the coast,
or, if driven back by a direct attack in front of
their position, they may be compelled to retire on
a country which offers no resources for the main-
tenance of an army. If the former of these opera-
tions be attempted by the Allied generals, Simphe-
ropol is evidently the strategical point on which
the fate of the campaign would turn. Simpheropol
is about equidistant from Alouchta, on the south
coast of the Crimea, mid from the mouth of the

Alma, the distance in either case being within 30
miles. Alouchta has the advantage of being acces-
sible to the Allied forces by land and by sea, and
the passage of the hills into the valley of the
Salghir is not likely to offer any serious obstacles to
the light infantry of our armies. These speculations
may be idle, for they can in no degree affect
the result, and the plan of operations of the Allied
Commanders is doubtless already formed and in
operation ; but in a crisis of so much importance
every practicable movement invites consideration,
and it is satisfactory to think that there are seve-
ral modes of accomplishing the same object. Yet
the Emperor of Russia hardens his heart against
the stern lessons of war, and, pursuing the fatal
policy which led him to reject the too liberal terms
offered him at Vienna, he threatens to resist until
be will have to pay a larger penalty from dimi-
nished resources. Yet who but his own subjects
are now the dupes of these pretensions ? \Vo have
seen the utmost Russia can do in defence of Sebas-
topol when her whole military and naval establish-
ments were in the highest state of perfection, and
now that these establishments are annihilated we
have no reason to entertain any apprehension of
her future efforts.

THE DIME or DEVONSHIRE AT LIZEORE.—His Grace
arrived at Lismore on Wednesday afternoon, and met
an enthusiastic reception from all classes of the inhabi-
tants. A correspondent of the Preenzan says—" Large
cavalcades of the resident gentry, &c., with numerous
pedestrians and others occupying laud, either under his
grace or adjacent to his extensive states, heartily joined
in the warmest demonstrations of welcome. There were
several triumphal arches erected, and flags flying. The
town was illuminated, bonfires were blazing, and by a
judicious arrangement made by the inhabitants (who
liberally subscribed for the purpose) a brilliant display of
fireworks. The novelty and beauty of the designs were
particularly remarkable, more especially the last one, a
very handsome temple, displaying r Cead Mille Failtbo
—Devonshire,' surrounded by coloured stars, rockets,
&c., in the; reatest profusion."

ZIDLE. RACHEL'S DEBUT IN AMERICA

FIRST NIGHT OF " HORACE" IN. NEW YORE,

(From the New York, Daily Herald, Sept. 4.)

The most interesting dramatic performance that ever
took place in the United States, came off last night at
the Metropolitan Theatre.
The spacious theatre was crowded at the rising of the
curtain. The audience included all classes and ail na-
tionalities in the community. There never has been, of
late years, such a turn out of old theatre-goers. The
parquette seemed almost like the old Park pit over'
again. Not even Jenny Lind attractefi such a con-
course of habitues of the play-house. The delegates from
Young New York were of course in the majority, but
we rarely see so many old men in a theatre as were
gathered in the Metropolitan theatre la,t night. The
house was what is called a " black" one—that is, two-
thirds of the audience were men. Why the ladies staid
away we cannot say, but at any rate, the " lords of crea-
tion " predominated. Perhaps the female part of the
community were kept away by the wicked stories told
about Rachel ; but they will come yet.
The feeling of curiosity seemed to especially inspire
the majority of the American audience. They seemed
to think that they had merely come to see a very great
show, and they desired to have the affair finished at
once. They changed their minds, however, before it
was concluded, and wished there was more of it. Fa-
shionable society was not strongly represented. The
audience was very much diversified and mixed up. The
literary and art world sent its best people—and the
occasion seemed to be a reunion of persons who knew
everybody of any consequence, and were, consequently,
very well known themselves.
The house was very full. The gross receipts could not
have been less than $5,000. The parquette, dross
circle and private boxes were uncomfortably fall. • The
"standing emmittee" was full, and a large number of
extra seats were placed in the orchestra, aisles and lob-
bies. Full dress did not seem to have been much thought
of, although a few people owning large quantities of
jewel'ery (probably in the trade) did dash out a little.
Our foreign population—French, Italians, and Germans
—were strongly represented.
The performances commenced with a two act comedy,
" Les Droits de l'Homme," played by Wiles Sasah ;
Lia and Felix (sisters of Rachel), MU. Bellevault, Beau-
vallet, and Dieudome. It is a neat comedy, although a
great many people who didn't understand French went
to sleep while it was being acted, and only waked IID at
the end, when M. Bellevault fired a pistol out of
window. 'We have not time to criticise this piece, and
will only say that M'lle Rachel's youngest sister, Dinah
Felix, is a very pretty girl, and that M. Beauvallet is a
clever comedian.
After the comedy there was an interval of 20 minutes,
and at half-past nine o'clock the tragedy commenced.
Every one was awake then. "Horace" is the proper
name of the play in which Mlle Rachel first carved her
name on the temple of fame in such deep letters that a
great many years will be required to wear out the im-
pression. It is an old-fashioned tragedy, in five acts,
only four of which are played, as Camille, the heroine,
is killed in the fourth act, and it is wisely judged that
the audience have no great interest in any one else. To
speak plainly, "Horace" without Rachel, would be a
great bore. But she is so wonderfully great as an artist,
that we could endure even something more antique than
this play for her sake.

The audience evidently thought the first part of the
play rather heavy. Everybody had a book containing
the French words, with a literal English translation.
When they turned over a page, it sounded like the rust-
ling of the " leaves of Vallambrosa." They suffered
under this difficulty—when endeavouring to follow the
words they lost Mile. Rachel's by-play, which is the
most exquisite of her effects.
'f; The late hour at which we write forbids us from enter-
ing into a detailed analysis of Mlle. Rachel's Camille.
We may, however, present a few points for a general
deduction.

She cane on in the second scene from the upper en-
trance, and half a second before her "cue" was given.
She almost glided into our notice, and seemed to be a
little astonished at the impetous applause that greeted
her appearance. Her readings were excellent, and her
voice exquisitely modulated. She did not seem to en-
deavour to produce great effects, and yet they were pro-
duced. In the first three arts the other persons in the
play are of more consequence than herself; but she rises
superior to the exigencies of the scene, and by her mag-
nificent by-play, fixes your attention upon her almost
without your knowledge or consent. We cannot quote
particular speeches or cite distinct scenes, because
everything was so good that we would not know where
to begin. We may instance, however, the scene wherein
Sabine endeavours to dissuade Horatius and Curatius
from the combat. The gleam of hope which passes over
Rachel's face as she thinks that she sees they are moved
from their purpose may be only a trick of a practised ac- '
tress, but it seemed to us a flash of real genius. The
expression which she gave the line
" Courage ! they are softened,"
spoke a whole volume of itself. The fourth act was,
however, her crowning triumph. Here she is informed
of the death of her lover by the messenger sent to her
father to congratulate him upon the victory gained by
his surviving son. When the story is commenced she
seems indifferent. As it progresses she gradually rouses
herself, and when the catastrophe is announced, the depth
of her despair finds vent in one word—Alas !—and she
falls into a deep swoon, so well done that one accus-
tomed to the stage is, for the moment, carried away by
its seeming reality. Following this her scene with her
brother, her denunciation of her brother and of Rome,
were so powerfully delineated that she seemed to break
down the great barrier between herself and the audi-
ence—that is her foreign tongue, and to carry them with
her, as it were, into the hollow of her hand. She acts
down to her fingers' ends. Her thin and fragile figure
seems to shrink and quiver from the effect of the pas-
sions which seem to excite her, but which, in fact, only
have that effect on the audience. She elaborates detail.
Every effect is highly finished. She is triumphant over
her audience. Without the slightest real emotion, she
so enchants them with the cunning of the scene that
they are carried away from the theatre—they stand in
Rome—they hear the clash of resounding arms and the
shouts that welcome the victorious Horatius to the Eter-
nal City—they go away sadly with the death shriek of
poor Camille still ringing in their ears, and with the
blood of ber lover before their eyes. Even those who
were altogether ignorant of the French language were
in raptures with the fourth act. Rachel's pantomime is
more eloquent than the words of an ordinary actress.
Her figure resembled, though it is somewhat thinner
than that of Miss Julia Dean. She is an actress that
once seen; can never be forgotten. The writer of this
has seen a great many theatrical performances and a
great deal of what is called good acting. The Camille
of M'lle Rachel is the only piece of great acting that he
has ever seen.

The audience seemed astonished by it, but at the fall
of the curtain their applause, which had been shower-
ing, broke forth in a perfect storm, and there was a
unantmous call for Rachel. The curtain rose, and she
was discovered in the centre of the stage, very pale, very
tremulous, and very much exhausted. She acknow-
ledged the applause three times, and seemed so much
exhausted that M. Felix came from the wing and carried
her off. Some uncharitable people said that this was
affectation. We, on the contrary, think it remarkable
that a person with such light physical timber should
have succeeded in producing such extraordinary effects
without being still more exhausted than she seemed
to be.

There were several peculiarities about the performance
and the artists which we shall describe hereafter. In
the meantime we may say that no description can give
an adequate idea of Rachel's acting. It is a luxury
which, to use a trite expression, must be seen to be ap-
preciated.
RACHEL'S SECOND NIGHT—PHEDRE.

Rachel last night sustained upon her own shoul-
ders the most wearisome performance that was ever wit-
nessed by an American audience, Think of over two
hours of mere recitation, without an intermission, with-
out a change of scene, and without any of the stage ac-
cessories to which we are accustomed. It was purely an
intellectual banquet, and as such it was enjoyed in the
most complete silence, only broken by the rustling of the
leaves of the play-books, or when the applause could no
longer be restrained, and broke out in a burst remark-
able for its spontaniety and heartiness, Her two great
points were made when she declares her love for Hippo-
lyte, and is rejected by him. It is impossible to describe
the expression which she gave to the lines—

Here is my heart ; 'tis there thy hand ought to strike.
Impatient already to expiate her offence,
To meet thy arm I feel that it advances
Strike ; or if thou believest me unworthy thy blows,
If thy hate envies me a punishment to sweet, •
Or if of a blood too vile thy hand would be steeped,
In default of thy arm, lend me thy sword;
Give !

.Her exit here was followed by such a storm of ap-
plause that she came forward to acknowledge it. Her
scene with arnone, where she casts off the unworthy
confidant, was still more magnificent. Her rage, scorn,
and contempt were infernally splendid, and the flames of
Acheron seemed to dart from her blazing eyes. Her
death scene was painful from its intensity. She was
summoned before the curtain at the end of the play.
As we said before, we do not think Phedre is equal to
Camile, excepting in the points above cited, which are
quite as effective, though more melodramatic, than the
best points of Camille. It seems to us that Mlle Rachel
represents rage, crime, hate, and jealousy much better
than she depicts pathos, penitence, sorrow, love, and
despair. Thus she was more effective in the last scenes
of Camille and Phedre than the first. But the result of

- _
all analysis of her acting will always be the same—
namely, that she is a very great actress, and that, from
the neophyte to him who is blase of plays and
players,
her triumphs are universal.

THE ALEXANDER ESTATES.—The extensive London-
derry estates of Mr. Lesley Alexander, are doomed to
the hammer, and are to be set up for sale in the Encum-
bered Estates Court on Friday, the 15th of November
next. The property is divided into 30 lots, containing
in the whole upwards of 8,000 acres, and producing a
gross profit rent of 4,7521. a-year.
false, the
THE BALMORAL BONFIRE.—When it was reported in
September last that Sebastopol had fallen a large quan-
tity of timber was collected on the summmitcloafllycon.
Craig-
gowan, the mountain which rises immediately to the
south of Balmoral Castle, with the intention of kindlinge
fia r
ni bonfireed .
Theas soonrepo
rats
havingthe
tnewsturned
ned out might be
to b e
o
fire was, of course, not kindled ; but the fuel having
re-
mained in expectation that it would still be used for that
purpose, it was kindled on Tuesday night,
the country for miles around. Thus, within
and illumined
a few days
pile remained,
oneof it
appearance
hbadeinthigi:
perhaps, dead
lights which the Queen 'witnessed thwdehrmyenoasotnnd Saturday dad like
suggestive
week, her Majesty stood beside it on the mountain.