The Sun.
London, England, 1855-05-29 00:00:00

SURREY THEATRE.

Miss Romer commenced her campaign last night in
the pro:luct'on of a new opera, entitled Mephistopheles;
or, Faust and Marguerite, the music being composed by
Herr Meyer Lutz, and the libretto by Mr. Henri Dray-
t mi. It is unnecessary to describe the pl )t of the opera,
as it is precisely the came as the dramatic spectae.es of the
si.rne name that have been produced at nearly every
theatre in London. Miss Romer has done much to im-
prove the tastes of the habitues of the Surrey Theatre, and
we regret to hear that this will be her last season. The
house was crowded from floor to ceiling, and after the
first few bars of the overture, the hilarious audience be-
came a quiet and orderly one, and the discrimination
evinced during the progress of the opera would have
done no discredit to a more pretentious and polished
assembly. Tire music of Faust was very nicely sung by
Mr. G. Perren, who made his first appearance here
last night, as also did Mr. Bowler, who sustained the
part of Valentine. The Mephistopheles of Mr,
Henri Drayton was an artistic performance, and
richly merited the applause it received. Mrs.
Henri Drayton, as Marguerite, sang and acted the
part of the heroine very beautifully, and the minor parts
were well sustained. The opera, as a composition, is
very good ; it is expressive and meaning, without being
elaborate and scientific. It is also characterised by
much sweetness and grace, and abounds with pleasing
and elegant melodies. The gems of the opera are decid-
edly the quintet at the close of the first act—a ballad
sung by Mrs. H. Drayton, "Far from thy kindred, oh !
who will cheer thee ;" a song by Mephistopheles, " E'en
as I gaze upon those eyes ;" and the duet by Faust and
Marguerite, " Alas ! she mine can never be." In the
last act we have also a very pretty ballet, in which
Madame Auriol and Mr. Flexmore dance with their
accustomed ability and success. The opera has been
very carefully put upon the stage, and the last tableau—
the ascension of ,Marguerite—brought the curtain down
amidst tremendoui applause. The whole of the artistes,
as well as the composer of the opera, were honoured
with a " call." Planche's fairy extravaganza, The
Sleeping Beauty, in which Miss Featherstone appeared,
concluded the evening's entertainments.

BIJRFORD'S PANORAMA OF SEBASTOPOL
This exhibition, which was opened in the latter par
of la,t week, is, in many respects, prohably the finest
and most successful of any of its kind which Mr. Bur
ford has previously presented to the notice and pltronage
of the public. Viewed simply as an artistic achieve-
ment, and apart from the deep and lively interest which
attaches to "the seat of war," the panorama of Sebas-
tlpol may be said to be a scenic triumph, whilst it
affcrls a more comprehensive and vivid, as well as accu.
rate, idea of the locality than any series of disconnected
views could possib!y convey.' This, too, it accomplishes
in a most natural and easy manner, for the
avaiop
spectator—
imagining himself standing upon some central elt
upon the spot itself—at each turn Of his body
e
a well-defined and uninterrupted view of the City rcommands
af
nds
Se-
bastopol, its fortifications and harbours, the positions of
the allies, their batteries, intrenchments, and siege ope-
rations, and the whole of the surrounding country, re-
ceding into the distance as far as the eye can reach.
The. prominent characteristic of the
PktiOnlraa—aiiii it is

a panorama in the proper sense of the term—is th
illusion of great breadth of landscape oad scope of vision
which it produces, and this, combined. with what we
have just alluded to, creates an impression of actuality
that renders the effect of the whole upon the mind at
once gratifying and complete. Without entering at all
into detail or description, for in suzh a case these are out
of the question, we may observe that the view is taken
from the centre of the vast plateau, or open ground,
occupied by the Allied armies, on the south side of the
city. Immediately in front of us, as we enter, the city
itself commands first attention. It is supposed to be
about a mile and a half distant, and it has the appear-
anca of being a handsome, regular, well-built place, corn.
posed of white stone ; and the towers and spires of the
churches, and other conspicuous edifices, rising above
masses of buildings, look bright and fresh in the ann.
shine. The whole of the military harbour is distinctly
seen, as well as the two important forts of Nicholas and.
Paul, which defend ite entrance from the grand harbour.

The other fortifications on this side, most of which have
been erected and armed since the investment, are clearly
observable ; as also are the Redan batteries, the Roden
Fort, and the celebrated Malakhoff Tower. Beyond Se-
bastopol is seen the full extent of the noble harbour,

with the strong forts that defend its entrance from the
Black Sea, as well as the numerous batteries that line it
on both sides. On the east are shown the batteries, en-
trenchments, zig-zags, and other approaches of the Bri-
tish, on the extreme right of which are the renowned
lukerman heights and valley of the Tchernaya. To-
wards the west are the French works, and along in
southern direction are the Allied camps, enclosed in the
rear by redoubts and defences, occupying the heights
from Tchernaya to the heights of Balaklava. In the dis-
tance are the fine range of hills, with their snowcapped
summits, which close in the view on the east. The whole
of this extensive landscape teems with life and motion,
and presents a very stirrinz and picturesque picture o
camp life, and the hazardous operations in the intrench-
meats and batteries. Two of the most prominent groups
represent Lord Raglan and General Canrobert, each
surrounded by a brilliant staff, oecupie I in their daily
inspection of the progress of the siege. Tne real from
Balaklava to the camp is also indicated, and along it
supplies and ammunition are being oort,eyed by the
Land Transport Corps. All the incidents of the bom-
bardment, of which we have heard so much, are por-
trayed in so fearfully real and lifelike a manner, as to
cause one involuntarily to shudder at the sight before. us.
and to feel grateful fur the security from clanger with
which we can behold what is preszmted to the eye. The
landscape portion of the painting is from the hand of Mr.
Burford, the proprietor, the figures having beeu put is
by Mr. H. C. Selons. 133 th artists deserve the highest
acknowledgment of the talent they have displayed. We
may add, in conclus on, that the pinurasna will amply
repay an hour's attentive inspection.

THE ENGLISH GLEE AND MADRIGAL

UNION.

The delightful morning concerts given by the above
musical society re-commenced yesterday morning, at
Willis's Rooms, St. James's, and attracted, as they have
never yet failed to do, a crowded and fashionable audi-
ence. The programme was very judiciously selected,
and embraced four madrigals, seven gleeP, and a four-
part song by Mendelssohn. Stafford Smith's lovely
madrigal, "Flora now calleth forth each flower," was
finely given, as also was Webbe's glee for six voioes,
" Hence all ye vain delights." A madrigal (J.
L. Hatton) "The Hunt is up," brought the first
part to a conclusion. This is a very spirited com-
position, and was most deservedly called for a
second time. An amusing account is given of the ditty
itself from " Sir Thomas hlore's Household Book"—a
diary kept by More's daughter, wherein the 4th of Sep-
tember, 1523, is thus quaintly chronicled :—`• Supped
with my Lord Sands. Wound up the evening with
musick, Lord Sands sung us a new ballad, ' The King'
Hunt is up, &,....' which father affected hugelie. There was
some burden of key tantarra, where my lord did stamp
and snap his fingers. Ho is a merrie heart." Mr.
Hatton, in his new setting of this old " new ballad,"
has given it all the dash and jollity which we can imagine
the original air to have possessed, from the im-
pression it made on the grave Sir Thomas More.
It was rapturously applauded. In the second part we.
had some fine compositions, viz., "Sweet Honey-
sucking Bees," by Wilbye ; and Bishop's " Under the
Greenwood Tree." The greatest treat of all remained
till nearly the close of the concert ; it was a glee by
Greville, entitled, " Now the Bright Morning Star."
The melody of this composition is is exquisitely beau-
tiful ;in fact, it is perfectly enchanting. The principal
solo parts were sustained by Mrs. Lockey, Mrs. Ender.
sohn, Mr. Lockey, Mr. Hobbs, and Mr. H. Phillips.
Mr. J. L. Hatton presided at the piano-forte.