The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-18 00:00:00

THE S-0141, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING? DECEMBER 18, 1855

THE NIGHTINGALE FUND.—It is intended
to issue a Second Subscription List on Monday, the 21th of
December. Subscriptlons will be received at any of the bankers
of London, the provinces, Ireland, and Scotland; and the Honorary
Secretaries will be obliged by being furnished with the names of
subscribers previous to the 22d December.
SIDNEY HERBERT, 3 Ron. Secs.
I
S. C. HALL,
Office of the Nightingale Fund, 5, Parliament-street,
December 17.

CHRISTMAS NUMBER of the ILLUSTRATED
'rum . Grand Double Number, with 30 large Engravings,
illustrative of Christmas under all its varied phases, and 24 Columns
of Christmas Tal,s, Poems. Essays, Sketches, Charades, Rebuses,
and Puzzles.' k The public are cautioned against imitations of the
splmdid double number of the Illustrated Times, filled with worn-
out engravings from a well-known illustrated publication.

MADAME JENNY GOLDSCHMIDT-LIND.
EXETER-HALL, THURSDAY EVENING, December 27.
Mr. MITCHELL respectfully announces that Haydn's Oratorio of
THE CREATION will be repeated on Thursday, Dec. 27, in which
Madame Goldtchmidt will sing the principal oprano part.
The Chorus and Orchestra will consist of more than GOO performers.
Conductor, M. Benedict. Doors open at Seven, to commence at
Eight o'clock.
Prices of admission.—Seats in the Area, Seven Shillings ; West
Gallery and Body of the Hall, Ten Shillings and Sixpence ; Reserved
and Numbered Seats, I 1. Is.
Correct Books of the Oratorio will be given with the Tickets.
Tickets and full particulars may be obtained at Mr. Mitchell's
Royal Library, 33, Old Bond-street.
Due no Ice will be given of the first Miscellaneous Concert.

34-R. W. S. WOODIN'S OLIO of ODDITIES,
A. illustrated by 50 instantaneous Metamorphoses of Voice,
Cliaracter, and Costume, and a moving Panorama of the beautiful
Lakes of Westmoreland and Cumberland, every evening, at 8. A
representation of the celebrated tragedienne, Mlle. Rachel, as Camille
in Lea Horaces, with other new features, have been added to the
above entertainment. During the Christmas Holidays Mr. W. S.
Woodin will give two morning performances only—Saturday, Dec.
‘9, and Saturday, Jan. s.—Polygraphic-hall, King William-street,
Charing-cross.

TREA.TRE ROYAL. RAYMARKF,T.
Under the Management of Mr. Backstono.

THIS EVENING,

For the BENEFIr of Mrs. MACNAMAR
WM he performed A NOVEL EXPEDIENT.
After which the Fourth Act of IIENRY VIII.
F. °Rowed by A MORNING CALL.
After which, a BALLET, by the Spanish Dancers.
To conclude with A lIALFPEN.NY.

ttOrAt. PRINCESS'S rasAvira, wcrottu-sTEEST.
Under the Management of Mr. Cniatua ICUs.
THIS EVENING

Will be performed Dcw'r JUDGE BY APPE tRANCES.
After which, the comely of EVERY ONE HAS RH FAULT.
Characters by Mrs C. Kean, Me;srs F. .latthews, Harry, C oper,
Lacy, Ryder, and Fisher; and Mrs D dy, Misses Heath, Murray,
and K. Terry.
To conclude with THE atULETEEIe OF TOLEDO. Principal
haractcrs by Messrs. W. Lacy, Harley, Everett, Raymond, and
Cooke; Miss C. Leclercq, Mrs. W. Daly, and Miss INlurray.

THEATRE ROYAL ADELPIIT.
Proprietor, Mr. B. Web3tcr.—Directrese, Jtadame Ce!eate
THIS EVENING,

Will be performed JANE r P ZIDE Char/v..lcm by Messrs. B
Arebster. P. Belord, SeUw. Bland, iforeland, Garden, C. J. Smith,
tnd ; Magiame Cel,ste. Miss Mary KO,IOY.
To condole Trills BETSY BAKER.

ROYAL OLY \CNC THEATRE.
Tllig F.THNING.
Will be per:brmod S FILL WATERS DEEP.
Followed by Li RETARD.
To couclacl3 with CATCHING A MERMAID.

ROYAL LYCEUM TnEA TR
Lessee, Mr. J. TI. Anderson, Is, Norfolk-street, Strand.
LAST FEW DAYS.
Increased kttractions, an 1 stiecass in evo.l ratio '

officers of thee regiments placed under their re-
spective corn nu ends. And the same argument
may be urged in every case, where a single in-
dividual or be dy of men have received any privi-
lege, however trivial, which is not bestowed on
every one of equal pretensions. It practically
asserts the doctrine of " finality," and would ren-
der a change in any existing regulation impossible,
where any party might set up the pretence of
having his chances or expectations in any degree
damaged by -.the alteration. Anything in the
shape of " reform " would, therefore, be effectu-
ally prohibit eci by the novel doctrine, that nothing
oan be given to one that must not be extended to
all others who fancy that they have similar
claims.

But there is something so exceedingly singular
in the Guards complaining of " favouritism," and
requesting tea be placed on " a footing of equality
with the remainder of her MAJESTY'S service,"
that the unexpected demand requires attentive and
respectful conssideration. It is not, however, com-
plete equality that is required. They do not ask that
the Guards shall be placed on the " roster" for
duty in India er the colonies, exposed to every
variety of he at aid cold, and all the vicissitudes
of the most insalubrious and unhealthy climates !
They do not demand that they shall receive their
promotion by single stages—that every youth
shall enter the service as an Ensign, or that every
Captain ualas;t remain some time a Major before
he can milk as a Lieutenant-Colonel, or receive
the benefit of the brevet promotions from that
rank—so 703 any stages on the smooth and easy
road to the coveted rank of General, the univer-
sally-desired 6' 007.31 AND,” " tho object of mili-
tary ambition." No ; they catch at one point, on
which a plausible, and only a plausible, argu-
ment can be raised, and on that they expa-
tiate at considerable length. But they for-
get to staee that the only ground on which
they can rest a complaint is purely imagi-
nary ; or, At least, that it is merely theoretical.
The "Acting-Majors" are already Colonels in. the
Army, and. have not had to wait for the operation
of the WaTrant so loudly complained of, and
several of the Captains and Lieutenant-Colonels of
all but the Scots Fusilier Guards (which has been
somewhat eliminated in consequence of hard
and, we rejvice to add, very meritorious service
in the Crimea) have already attained the rank of
Colonel. The question is therefore founded on a
mere quibble —a piece of special pleading unworthy
of the Royal, Noble, and other names attached to
a document which could not for a momeut bear
the test of discussion before an impartial Court.
It is unfortunate for the Guards that the matter
has been agitated. It is still more so that the
Prince Consort, by becoming a party thereto,
should be ph ced in an invidious light before the
Icountry.

We fear That there can be no longer any doubt
on the subject of Austrian interference for the
purpose of patching up a precarious and temporary
peace. It appears that Count ESTERH.AZY left
Vienna on Sunday evening for St. Petersburg
with propositions which it had 'previously been
ascertained would be accepted by the French and
English Governments. It is also asserted that
his instructions are to return immediately in the
event of their not Wing accepted by the Czart.
There is nothing, however, to show what would
bo the result of his withdrawal, or whether Austria
would, even at the eleventh hour, and under
any possible circumstances, be prepared to take
an active part is the prosecution of the War in
which the Westeln Powers were involved in can-
sequence of her inglorious and paltry conduct
ab initio. The fact that Austria has thought
proper to disband a considerable portion of her
troops at such a crisis would seem to indicate
that she is fully aware she has nothing to fear
, from Russia, and does not intend to press any
lapplication with undue violence.
We still, however, adhere to the opinion ex-
pressed by Lord CLARENDON in April, that there
s too much reason to fear that " Austria would
propose nothing that Russia would be unwilling
to accept ; while, on the other hand, it seemed
probable that Russia would agree to nothing that
would interfere with the determination that the
Emperor ALEXANDER expressed of carrying out the
policy of PETER and CATHERINE." Matters are
not yet ripe for an honourable and durable peace
—a peace that may be referred to with honourable
pride by our children and children's children, and
which will give ample compensation for the
very serious sacrifices of men and money
which have aheady been offered at the shrine
of the griping cupidity and insatiable ambition of
a single despot. The appearance of negotiation,
the power of misinterpreting, or rather of misre-
presenting, the Austrian interference as emanating
from the Allies, and its coming, too, at the very
time when the fall of Kars has been announced to
the world, will render the matter peculiarly bene-
ficial to the CZAR—a point on which Austria is,
doubtless, fully informed. -
We do not then, and cannot, participate in
the sanguine anticipations that have been in-
dulged in. We feel that Austria is at best " a
broken reed," in which no trust or confidence can
be reposed, and that the cause in which we have
so zealously and energetically engaged can only
be damaged by her interference ; while there can
be no possibility of its producing such a peace as
would be acceptable to the country. Under these
circumstances we can only lament the short-
sightedness that has led to our again falling into
the trap, the culpable easiness that has laid us
open to the chance of being a second time deceived.

Mr. BRIGHT rampant, or Mr. BRIGHT. despoz-
dent, in either case will beMr. BRIGHT magisterial
and vindictive. No one knows what ought and
ought not to be done, and what ought and ought
not to have been done—no one is so well quali-
fied to direct, counsel, and reprove as he. He is
always right, and everybody that disagrees with
him is of necessity wrong. He reads biography,
and ho reads history, and he helped to repeal the
Corn Laws, and he is, consequently, far ahead of
his neighbours on all questions of national policy ;
yet, for all this, the people are so besotted in re-
lation to the War that he cannot get them to fol-
low him. He has tried persuasion ;he has made
their ears tingle with the rhetoric of pounds, shil-
lings, and pence, and the shrill notes of his reed of
peace ; he has essayed rebuke, he has tortured
statistics, he has abused newspaper editors, ho
Las_ laudwediththeepoClizaAtino,o he o
vhiansdiboartae hernded foehi fromowns
b
country
he has done all this, and done it vigo-
rously, yet he is further from his end than
reoobery:nd
at first.
The newspaper editors—the scurvy fol-
lows who live by writing and not by devil's dust
—are too many for him—the people will follow
them and not him. Mr. BRIGHT iS in despair,
but still Mr. BRIGHT.

Really his speech to the Marsden Mechanics'
Institute on Friday last has done us good. It is
next to impossible not to gather from it that in
his opinion the heart of the country is set towards
war—that it throbs with expectation of the issue
of another campaign—that, in a word, it is equal
to the occasion, to its own need, and the necessi-
ties of Europe. That were enough to disarm us

of all ill-feeling to Mr. BRIGHT, did we entertain
any. The English people are sound at heart ; we
have it in effect from the lips of a friend of Russia

—at all events of one who bas done his best,
wittingly or unwittingly, to aid her in the present
struggle. Under such circumstances we can well
afford a little patience to notice a few of the falla-
cies with which the Honourable Gentleman regaled
his hearers.

Because the people of England fell into a
foolish panic on two occasions— one with re-
gard to the supposed designs of the POPE, and
the other of LOUIS NAPOLEON Mr. BRIGHT
gravely argues they must be in error with respect
to the designs of Russia now. One would have
thought the argument had sufficiently served its
turn and been blown to atoms by this time: On
his own showing the panic on both those occasions
arose from the peoples' ignorance of the real facts.
Can that be said with respect to the designs of
Russia ? Had there been any ground for doubt
as to what these designs were before the capture
of Sebastopol must have removed it. For what!
other object than aggression, and that on the
grandest scale, were the immense amount of
Bstßorwesrur informfoundin Suesb?astovirpoe can conceive of none.l designed? Can Mr.
But, whatever be her designs, there are,
we are told, 3,000 miles of country and
50 or 60 millions of people between Russia
and this country ; and we suppose Mr. BRIGHT
would have it inferred we at least were
safe from injury, and need not have interfered.
That is a question of opinion so far as this island
is concerned, but an audacious fallacy with regard
to our colonial empire and our status in Europe.
Russia in possession of Constantinople would
have been more dangerous to us than with an
invading fleet. The latter we could blow into
the air, but Constantinople once hers the sove-
reignty of the Mediterranean would before long
be hers also, and then we should have a hard tug
to maintain our hold of India, our commercial
superiority, and our rank and influence as a na-

tion. Russia in possession of Constantinople
would assume such an aspect as to deter either
France or England from meddling with her in the
Baltic ; and Sweden and Denmark hers also, she
would be formidable indeed. But wo aro re-
quested to look at the United States, and witness
there the fruits of a non-interference policy.
America has at this moment, we are told, " not
more than one, if any, line-of-battle ship, afloat—
only two or three frigates, and some 10,000 or
12,000 soldiers for offebce and defence. Yet
nobody ever thought of insulting the United States.
There were no people to whom greater attention
was paid anywhere in Europe than was paid to
Americans." We don't at all dispute it, we know it
to be the fact, but to ascribe it to a pacific temper

is absurd. Americans are respected because the
United States makes itself feared, and if it re-
frain from engaging in the affairs of Europe it is
because it is not a European Power and can afford
to steer clear of the broils of Europe. If France
or England were in the like pcsition they
could afford to do the same, but being European
Powers it is of vital interest to them to have the
balance of power maintained, and to permit no
European Power to aggrandise itself at the ex-
pense of another. It is not to deter us
from the prosecution of a just war to point
out the prosperity of America, but rather the
contrary. She is reaping the fruit of a sound
policy for her, and we shall shortly do the same
from an equally sound one for us. It may be,
and doubtless is to be regretted, that we should
have to expend money in war ; but that is our
misfortune, not our fault—is is the pds we have
to pay to maintain our position and save Europe
from being overrun with barbarism. But Mr.
BRIGHT can see nothing of all this. America
don't go to war with European nations, nor keep
a great fleet or army (tier militia he ap-
pears to have forgotten), and America is pros-
perous. Why should we not follow her
example ? To talk of staying the tide of bar-
barism, is to him the most arrant nonsense, for
he finds in St. Petersburg a library containing
10,000 more volumes than are to be found
in the British Museum ! We can't wonder, after
this, that he thinks us all gone clean mad, for it
seems pretty certain that in his opinion we are
withstanding
tiatyhisntgantdhiengprtohe aggression of barbarism. Sogress of civilisation rather than
demoralising is over-indulgence in a mere L. S. D.
view of national affairs.

THE THEATRES.

HAYMARKET.

The performances here, this evening, are, thanks to
the generosity of Buckatone, for the benefit of Mrs.
Macnamara. In addition to the talented corps drama-
avec of the theatre, the following celebrated artists have
iu the most generous manner volunteered their services :
—Mr. James Anderson, Mr. Paul Bedford, Mr. Buck-
stone, and Mr. Leigh Murray ; Miss Cushman, Miss
Itosina Wright, Mrs. Leigh Murray, Miss Mary Keeley,
Miss Elsworthy, Senora Perea Nena, and Senora
Manuel Perez. The fact of these spontaneous offers
speaks sufficiently of itself for the philanthropy and libe-
rality of the managers and actors. The programme is
unusually extensive, and will at once, we aro perfectly
bbe
r6ward and return. praiseworthy efforts of the profes-
sion, secure a liberal patronage on the part of the public,
swi
ohne: in
will
seconding
receivea tenfold

JENNY GOLDSCHMIDT-LIND.

the " Elijah " of Felix Mendelssohn.

The second appearance of Madame Otto Gold-
schruidt (née Jenny Lind) since the close of the
long interval of her six years' absence from Eng-
land, introduced that glorious song-tress once more
to a London audience, last evening, as the princi-
pal soprano in the wonderful oratorio of Llijah,
the masterpiece of Felix Mendelssohn. It'was in
Elijah, we believe, that Jenny Lind first revealed
her extraordinary powers as an oratorio-singer to
the musical public of the United Kingdom. It
was in Elijah that she originally displayed in this
country those matchless capacities for the render-
ing of sacred melody which, years ago, in the
earlier epoch of her triumphs, won for her such
profound and universal admiration. Her per-
formance last evening, in the same incomparable
production, was, in all essential respects, worthy
of herself, of her theme, and of its creator--of
Jenny Lind, of Elijah, and of Mendelssohn. She
demonstrated throughout the now indisputable
fact that her genius, her voice, her artistic skill,
and her poetical sensibility, are all of them,
even at this later period of her career,
still in their full meridian. While, indeed,
under the lapse of years, the organ itself has in
no appreciable degree become in any way deterio-
rated, the marvellous dexterity with which it is
everywhere employed as a vehicle of expression is
obviously enhanced under the united influence of
assiduous study, of unremitting practice, and of a
considerably extended experience.
Nothing, of course, need be here said as to the
now familiar music of the great oratorio of Bar-
tholdy. The Elijah has become by this time not
only widely popular, but very generally appre-
ciated. It is accepted as the grandest effusion of
the genius of its immortal author, as the Messiah
is regarded as that of Handel, and the Creation
as that of Haydn, and the Mount of Olives as that
of Beethoven. It is something indeed when one
can listen to a soprano like the voice of Liu],
"discoursing most eloquent music" in an oratorio

like the Elijah of IVlendelssohn. That privilege was
enjoyed to the full last evening by the enormous
audience collected together under the roof of Exeter-
hall—an audience which evidenced remarkable

judgment throughout, by the discriminative ap-
plause awarded to the performers, manifesting its
no less noticeable enthusiasm by the ardent greet-
ing awarded, both on her entrance and her de-
parture, to the incomparable Swedish Nightingale.
The double quartet of the angelic voices " For he
shall give his angels charge" was the earliest
piece in which the tones of Madame Goldichmidt
became audible—followed immediately afterwards
by the recitative " Help me, thou man of God !"
and the duet between the widow and Elijah—
" Thou shalt love the Lord thy God F'--a pro-
duction very wonderful-indeed as interpreted by
Jenny Lind's soprano, whether in the anguish of
her cry as the widowed mother—
" I go mourning all the day long ;
I lie down and weep at night,"
Or in the rapture of her final exultation—

" The Lord hath hesrd thy prayer,
The soul of my son reviveth !"
It may perhaps have appeared to some among the
more exactingly fastidious that the great artiste
was scarcely as satisfactory in her enunciation of
the harmonious syllables articulated by the Youth
sent down to the sea-shore by the Prophet of God
to await the coming of the rain looked for and
prayed for by the people—as expressed, firstly,
through the hard and monotonous declamation—
" The heavens are as brass above me I
The earth is as iron under me!"
or as indicated, lastly, by the faint and tremulous
response--

" Behold a little cloud ariseth !"

expanding and deepening into the ultimate an-
nouncement—
" The storm rusheth louder and louder !"
No ono, however, could by possibility recognise
the smallest deficiency in Madame Goldschtnidt's
matchless rendering of the wonderful soprano song
with which the second part of the Oratorio com-
mences, " Hear, ye Israel !" Shortly afterwards,
in the trio " Lift thine eyes to the mountains,"
the heroine of the night won for herself and
her two associates, the second soprano (Miss
Messent) and the contralto (Miss Dolby), the
tribute of an encore, a tribute now becoming
happily very unusual in oratorios. Miss Dolby in
her turn winning for herself another encore in the
air " 0 rest in the Lord "—a similar triumph
marking the delight of the audience at the close
of the wondrous quartet and chorus—" Holy,
holy, holy is God the Lord "—wherein the broad,
sustained, and massive style of singing for which
Jenny Lind has so long bean remarkable, shone forth
in a manner altogether unrivalled and even unap-
proachable. It is deserving of notice, moreover,
in regard to the Elijah of Mendelssohn, as performed
last evening in Exeter-ball, that Mr. Hamilton
Braham sung very creditably the music of the
Prophet, Mr. Lockey, as Obadiah, being the prin-
cipal tenor of the oratorio, as he will be remem-
bered by many to have been as long ago as the
year 1846, when the Elijah was performed at the
Birmingham Festival, under the personal superin-
tendence of the great composer himself—since
then, alas ! departed. Subordinate parts were
yesterday allotted to Miss E. Williams, and to
Messrs. Lawler, Walker, and Smythson—Mr.
Benedict being the skilled and gifted conductor of
the entire entertainment. Under the guidance of
the baton of the last mentioned but little was left
to be desired from either chorus or orchestra.
The Hall, as we have already intimated, was
densely crowded, in some parts even to inconve-
nience ; and the audience showed themselves
throughout to be at once uninterruptedly atten-
tive and discriminatively enthusiastic.