The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-13 00:00:00

THE ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA.

Although "The Huguenots"—postponed the
other day by reason of Herr Sehmid's sudden
ness—was at length performed last evening for the
first time this season, it was so performed last even-
ing under two or three rather serious disadvantages.
Signor Mario, it is true, was in splendid voice for
him, and, with his superb acting, excited the
audience more than once to an enthusiastic evidence
of their admiration. But, not thus was it with the
prima donna, Madlle. Pauline Lucca, whose severe
cold had to be apologised for through a little hand-
bill widely circulated through the densely-crowded
house. Even without this little deprecatory handbill,
however, the indulgence of the audience would have
been claimed by the too evident fact of the fair
artiste's indisposition. Herr Schmid, again, was
not sufficiently recovered from his illness of last
week to make his appearance yesterday as Marcel
—this, of course, to the serious disappointment of all
those who had been looking forward with delight to
hearing his noble voice in his impersonation of theold
Puritan soldier with his si piff pail" song of defiance
to the Catholics. As his substitute, Signor Attri
undertoek the part of Marcel, but made no more
sensation as Marcel than he did the first night of the
season in " Norma" as Oroveso. There was, of course,
Didiee's page Urbano last night with that lovely
trilling" No, no, no, no''—and there was Faure's St.
Bris—and there were the magnificent choruses,
especially the Benediction of the Daggers and the
" Ra-rataplan "—and there was, as ever, that
glorious orchestra that Mr. Costa's baton seems to
play like one instrument—there were all those ad-
vantages it is true last night to keep Signor Mario,
so to speak, in countenance upon one of his excep-
tionally good nights. But—with these advantages
—there were also those ratter serious disadvantages
already particularized. The audience had too much
reason to regret the severe cold of Madlle. Lucca,
and the absence of Herr Schmid, and the substitu-
tion for the latter of Signor Attri, as the Marcel,
to render the otherwise brilliant performance
of the "Huguenots" yesterday completely enjoy-
able. The mise- en- scene, the costumes, the scenery,
and the general decorations of this, one of the
grandest of all the grand opera in the repertoire of
the Royal Italian—were one and all of a piece with
the high reputation of the establishment. The per
formance, therefore, in spite of what has already
been remarked upon, went off brilliantly through-
out. To-morrow evening is set apart for the first
❑ight this season of the came great and lamented
composer's " Roberto it Diavolo"—his first pass-
port to immortality. On Monday, Madlle. Patti
will make her first appearance this season in Bel-
lini's exquisite " Sonnambula." And on Thursday
next, Mario will make his first appearance as
Goethe's Student-Hero, in Gounod's masterpiece of
" Faust e Margherita."

SIGNIFICANT !—Mr. Whiteside, Q.C., during his
brilliant speech on Wednesday, remarked :—" I do
not know how matters stood in 1815; I only know
what was said by M. Thiers of the results achieved
by Castlereagh, and if he were now oar Foreign
Minister England would not be the laughing stock
of Europe. (Loud and prolonged cheering, which
began on the left hand of the Speaker and rolled
round the lower end of the house to the benches
below the gangway at the Ministerial
report of the Parliamentary Proceedings.
THE " ATHEN,EITM'S
TRIBUTE TO FRANK
SMEDLEY.—In the old electioneering days? when
contests for Westminster were carried on for a fortnight,
with a formidable riot every day but Sunday, when the
sweet voices of the non-electors were hushed for a brief
breathing-time, Mr Smedley, the High Bailiff of West-
minster, was a name and a power, the former of which was
well known, and the latter unhesitatingly acknowledged
within the bailiwick. Mr Smedley left surviving him a
son, Francis Edward, who won a respectable name and
position in literature, end who has
just departed, also, to
the better land. "Frank Smedley," as he was popularly
known, and affectionately called by friends, was not con-
formed, by nature or inclination, to take his father's office,
bat he found that the world, to him, was full of compensa-
tions, and he was sensible enough to take and enjoy them.
He was a pleasant and graceful writer, beginning his
modest career of pleasantness and grace some half dozen
years ago, with " Lewis Arundel ; or, the Railroad o f Life."
Mr Frank Smedley had written previously, but this work,
remarkably well received by its public of young readers,
gave him a name. He continued to labour with spirit, in
spite of permanent ill-health, each year bringing its new
tale, work which ho varied by editing now defunct maga-
zines, and by working in collaboration with Mr Edmund
Yates. And now, after these dozen years of work and
suffering, Frank Smedley, at the age of thirty-live, or a
little more, has disappeared from
the literary brotherhood,
where there is not a man who knew him who did not love
him, or who will over remorulaer Frank but with a tender,
brotherlike regard.
THE CONFERENCE.—The Constitutionnel pub-
lishes the following in conspicuous type :—" The suspen-
sion of hostilities by land and by sea during a month, with
raising of the blockade, has a real importance,
been most favourably received by public opinion. It
will, perhaps, be remembered that, when the question of a
of
fact,
hostilities.
ave Theed t
oc o ien u
in-
ifa-
not of increasing
con-
dition—was the suspensioninconditioa--the essential dtCieoorannfoenorfsetnrtcaheteewatwshmaartootwtheeoduffilodr:tthe first time, we endeavoured to
evitable inconvenience of keeping up,
the ambition:and illusions of all parties ; consequently ren-
dering a settlement more difficult. Moreover, it was not in
keeping with the dignity of the Conference to deliberate
upon bases which events might modify in an instant, and
was contradictory to ask from wisdom a solution which the
force of arms might cancel at any moment. Finally, free-
dom of judgment and of decision was not entirely at the
command of the Conference, which, urged by the moat
noble sentiments of humanity to put a stop to the effusion
of blood and to the calamities of war, might be led to pre-
cipitate matters, and force a solution which would
have been incomplete, and which a more ftee and
matured deliberation would have improved. Thus we
deeply regret to see the Conference meet without
the preliminary condition of a suspension of hostilities,
Bat we were aware, and that it was which reassured us,
that France and England were uniting their efforts to
obtain at the very commencement of the Conference that
which had not been obtained befere its opening. We are
happy to learn that the efforts of the two Governments have
been crowned with success, and that the convention con-
cluded upon the basis of uti possidetis is in the most abso-
lute sense. No movement of troops nor any concentration
of material on any point whatever will take place, The
suspension of hostilities leaves the belligerents in their
actual positions, Let us hope that this delay of one month
will be turned to good account, Let us hope that a calm
and free discussion will restore the respect for the rights of
all, and that the counsels of wisdom will now be heard, as
• they will no longer be drowned by the roar of canucu."

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

LREUTER'S TELEGRAMS.]

AMERICA.
(Per the Nova Scotian, via Greencastle.)
NEW YORK, Ai' IL 30 (Afternoon).
There is no political or military news of any

importance.
COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE,

Money easy. Gold, 79k premium. Stocks dull.
New York Centrals, 134 ; Illinois, 1264; Erie,
113/. Business generally is extremely dull.

ARRIVAL OF THE CROWN PRINCESS OF
PRUSSIA AT HAMBURG,
HAMBURG, MAY 13.
The Crown Princess of Prussia arrived here by
special train this morning, and alighted at the
Hotel de l'Europe.
It is expected that her royal highness will await
the arrival of the Crown Prlnce from the seat of
war this afternoon.

FRANCE.

SPEECH OF M. ROUHER ON DENMARK

AND POLAND.

PARIS, MAY 13.

In yesterday's sitting of the Corps Legislatif,
M. Rouher, replying to M. Favre, spoke at great
length on the Danish question. The Minister said
he saw with grief the invasion of the Duchies.
He could not discuss certain questions, because
the conference had met. He confined himself,
therefore, to refuting the observations of M. Favre
upon the conduct of France until the meeting of
conference, and pointed out that the treaty of 1852
did not oblige France to make war to ilefend the
resolution of the Conference and the integrity o f
the Danish monarchy. M. Rouher also observed
that to uphold the treaty England would have easy
victories at sea, but France would be obliged to
march upon the Rhine, and traverse Germany to
reach Denmark.

" If (said the Minister) France could embark her
treasure in such an enterprise it is not to Denmark
that we should have gone, we should rather have
moved armies for other misfortunes and other

sorrows.

"But the policy of the Government is not a policy
of sentiment. When such questions present them-
selves, a government devoted to the country does not
engage in war before having everywhere exhausted
all the combinations which might secure and main«
tain peace.

"We have respected the treaty of 1852. We
have accepted every means for re-establishing

peace."
The Minister concluded his remarks on the Danish
question by expressing the hope that the Confer-
ence would give peace.

With regard to Poland 41. Rouher stated that the
question was an European one, and continued as
follows :

We have suffered deeply by the events in
Poland and Gallicia, but we did not wish to trouble
the peace of Europe. We understood that collective
steps on the part of the Powers being no longer
capable of realisation France should no longer make
vain protests at St. Petersburg, but should leave
to God and to time the care of judging on which
side lay the great iniquity and on which side legi-
timate grievances."
On the subject of Congress the Minister said the
Powers who had refused the Congress had in-
flicted upon themselves the greatest injury. "France
was not less glorious and powerful after the refusal
of the Congress.'

BOURSE, May 12,—Stales for realisation have
rendered the market heavy, but without producing
any material effict on prices, Threes, for the Ac-
count, standing now at 66f. 70c. Mobilier show a
slight improvement, being last quoted at 1,170 f.
Railway Market heavy, with a trifling decline on
some of the lines. The market receded towards the
close, and left off as follows :-
41 per Cents. 93 --

Lo. end month....

3 per Cents
Do. end month 66 60

Credit M0bi1ier....1157 50
Do. end m0nth....1152 50

Bank Shares 3360
Credit Fonder 1255
Roman

ILA IL

Italian Loan 6B 70
Do. end month 6B 70
New ditto ......
Do. end month —
Russian
Austrian
Spanish Threes —
dome Debt
Deferred
►ATS.

Cash. Account.
Orleans , . ... 878 75 .. 877 50
Northern ....
Lyons and Mediterranean 880 .. 885
New ditto 877 50 .. -
Suatb.em
Western - .. .....
Eastern .... 461 25 .. 463 75
Sardinian 365 .. 365
Austrian
Lombard
North of Spain
Saragossa 570 .. 570 _
Ditto to Barcelona

.. 650 -

LITERATURE.

7he Jest Book. Selected and arranged by Mark
Lemon. One Vol. Pp. 361. Macmillan.

A wiser and a wittier Joe Miller has had com-
mitted to his charge the pleasant task of making
this very delightful compilation. Qaips and cranks
are here in abundance. Nods and becks come out
upon us plentifully in the shape of apt italics and
emphasising notes of exclamation. The pith and
marrow of a joke is alone for the most part given
by the collector and collator of these witticisms
and whimsicalities. We don't 'light, hardly any-
where, upon one of those dreary circumlocutory pre-
ambles to a joke that so effectually take the flavour
off it, beforehand. As—" One morning when Sydney
Smith was walking down the right-hand aide of St.
James's-street, between seven and eight o'clock p.m.,
immediately after the rising of the Commons on a
count-out, happening to meet H. on the threshold
of the Thatched House Tavern at the moment a
shower of rain was beginning to fall, upon H. re-
marking "—until one gets just sick to death of the
joke (even though it is one of Sydney Smith's) long
before the joke itself comes to our knowledge.
No—here, i❑ " The Jest Book'' consisting of the
choicest anecdotes and sayings, selected and ar-
ranged by the very man who ought to have been
selected to arrange them, to " wit," Mark Lemon,
the Editor of Punch—we have none of this intoler-
able jabbering garnish of empty small talk by
way of preliminary to a pun, a sarcasm, a
humorous inuendo, or any other sort or kind of
sudden facetiousness. Mr. Lemon, one might say,
has apparently taken Punch's nose and chin for his
nutcrackers—and has, with the aid of those same
comical nippers,cracked all his appetizing little nuts
of fun, nuts of all sorts, filberts, walnuts, barcelona
nuts, pistuchio nuts, cherry stones, peach stones,
apricot stones, nectarine stones, and so forth, and has
ranged them all before us on his ample board, each
with its flavouring (more or less as the case
may be) of Attic salt —BO that we can
devour them at once, without any more ado, and
with a relish. Of course there are several old
friends who thus come to light here in this motley
concourse of witticisms and whimsicalities. But
most of them are such merry old friends that
we are right glad to meet with them again among
our new acquaintance. Once or twice, in his way
of telling an old joke, we detect Mr. Lemon,
to our great amazement, spoiling it l As, in
the one (23) where Sheridan threatens to
cut his eon off with a shilling—the true
reading is to the effect that Tom plumps out
at once, " You don't happen to have it about
with you now, sir, do you?" Our younger Joe
Miller, however, having a very dim remembrance of
this, and of Tom Sheridan's other reply to his father
when the latter was urging him to take a wife—

" Whose, sir ?'' Mark Lemon, 'we say, here
mixes the two good jokes together into
one very indifferent one. So also is it with
his report of Rogers's venturesome question
about Junius, addressed by the old Banker
Poet to Sir Philip Francis—That (50) ought to
have been give rather thus: 11.—" There's
one question I should very much like to ask you,
Sir Philip." Sir P. F. (severely)—" You'd better
not, sir!" In (103) surely by a misprint Grinling
Gibbons is mentioned—facetiously perhaps—as
Grinly ! Where possibly oan the jest lie again in
(368) when Lord Ellenborough is related as
having stopped his carriage on his way home
from Hone's Trial, at Charing Cross, saying
"It occurs to me that they sell the best
herrings in London at that shop, Buy six." Can
anybody see the joke there ? For the life of us we
can't. On the very same page, too, there is a morsel
of fatuous stupidity in the shape of a little doggrel
epigram in four lines, upon " Charles Kean, the
actor"—that, when perpetuated thus in a book,
almost reads like a mean malignity. Another very
old joke with a new variation is the story told
about Quin and the John Dories here (493)

transformed for once into mullets. Several
of the droll things thus collected together are
capitally good, some of them being rather
new to us. The Quaker (to a man violently
abusing him) " Have a care friend, thou may'st
run thy face against my fist." The gentleman
(with two wretched candles, at an inn), "Here,
waiter, let me have a couple of decent candles to
see how these others burn." The other gentleman,
at the other inn (to the boy who had been a long
while getting him another cut of beef), "Are you the
same boy I gave the order tot " Yes, sir." " Dear
me, how you've grown !" Lord Norbury (to the
man who had been boasting of shooting thirty-three
hares before breakfast)—" Thirty-three hairs !
Lot:aids, sir, then you must have been firing at a
wig !" Doctor Johnson's well.remembered growl
(in reference to a long piece of music just played
before him, arid which had been spoken of as diffi-
cult)—" Difficulty ? Would to God, sir, it had been
impossible !" Sir William Cheere, the possessor of
a very long nose—playing backgammon with an
irritated player who was losing, and who (incom-
moded perhaps by the long nose of Sir Wil-
liam) had exclaimed, " Blow your nose"—" Blow
it yourself," being thereupon Sir William's im-
perturbable rejoinder "it's as near you as me."
The Highlander to his friend, who had been
complaining of having passed an indifferent
night at a wayside inn where they were stopping,
thereupon asking his friend about his slight—

" Troth, man, nae very weal, either ; but I was
muckle better aff than the bugs, for de'il ane of
them closed an e'e the hale night !" Sydney Smith's
famous inquiry at the dinner table (from a person
who had immediately before dinner been announcing
himself to be a materialist—" Very good soup this,
sir," says Smith. " Oui, Monsieur, c'est excel-
lente," is the reply. "Pray, sir," says Sydney,
"Do you believe in the cook.?" Jerrold, to the
very thin, dull man—" Sir, you are like a pin, but
without the head or the point." The pretty
quakeress to the young fellow who had threatened
to kiss her—" Friend, thee must not do it." " Oh,
by Jove, but I must," says the youth." "Well,
friend, as thou haat sworn, thee may do it, but thee
must not make a practice of it." Enough, however,
surely has been said here of and from Mark Lemon's
" Jest Book" to tickle the appetite for more of these
good things among those who not only love a
laugh, but who can appreciate a good thing when
they hear it or read it. If we could weed out a mere
sprinkling of what appear to us very indifferent
j ests,one, by way of example, we have already given,
—and if we could then add in their places others
that we wot of and yet fail to find in this ample
repertory of tan—we should pronounce this new
Jest Book" as among all kinds and descriptions of
jest•bcoks, from Joe Miller downwards, or upwards
ought we to say ? the ne plus ultra of facetiousness.
As it is—it is a triumphant defiance of that result
of blue devilment, ennui—delightfully misspelt in
Charles Reade's Christie Johnstone, "Yawn-we !"
It is one of the merriest table books that has for
a long while past made its appearance.

Popular Edition of the Noctes Ambrosiana. By
Professor Wilson. Vol. IV. Blackwood ana

Sons.

With this fourth volume the popular edition of
the immortal Noctes Ambrosiance is completed. As
a frontispiece to it—we have Sir John Watson
Gordon'slife-like portraiture of Thomas De Quincey,
most eloquent of Opium-eaters. Noctes, from the
thirty-third to the thirty-ninth inclusively, are
hero given in their entirety—the thirty-ninth,
which appeared in the February number of
Maya 1835, closing the renowned serial in which
among others (each in turn, facile princeps), North
Tickler and the Shepherd had been the interlocu-
tors. Perhaps the lion's share of talk over the board
of Ambrose fell to the lot of the Ettrick Shepherd—
the latter thus in other words, we suppose we may
say, going the whole Hogg. But here, happily for
the perfected completeness of the four-volumed edi-
tion now squared up by the Messrs. Blackwood, we
find at the end of volume four not merely an ampl€
glossary from the Scoticisms, with a copious index
to the immense variety of topics touched upon in
these discursive conversations and sohloquys, but be
sides that a reprint in its entirety from Blackwood's
Magaztne for October 1817 of the renowned " Chat-
dee Manuscript." It will hardly surprise anyore,
therefore, we presume, if we herewith add, that

HER MAJESTY,

WINDSOR CASTLE, May 12.

The Queen, accompanied by her Royal Highness
Princess Louise, arrived at Windsor Castle last
evening soon after seven o'clock, attended by Lady
Angusta Stanley, the Hon. Mrs. Bruce, Lord Alfred
Paget, and Captain Sir W. Hoge.
Her Royal Highness Princess Ltiningen and the
Princess Alberta arrived yesterday afternoon on a
visit to her Majesty.
Her Majesty the Queen, accompanied by her
Royal Highness Princess Louise, walked and drove
in the grounds this morning.
The Judge-Advocate-General had an audience of
the Queen.

Her Royal Highness Princess Helena accoma
panied the Prince and Princess of Wales at the
State concert cn Wednesday evening, and wore a
dress of rich pink silk handsomely trimmed with
lace and ruches of crape; head-dress, acacias and
roses; diamond ornaments.

Her Majesty went on Wednesday to Baron Maro-
chetti's studio to see the colossal statue of the Prince
Consort, in progress for Glasgow, as well as other
works of the Baron.
Sir Edwin Landseer had at the same time the honor
of submitting his model of the colossal lion on which
be is engaged for Trafalgar-square.
The Prince of Wales rode on horseback yesterday,
attended by Major Teesdale.

The Princess of Wales took a carriage drive, at-
tended by the Hon. Mrs, W. Grey.

Princess Helena and Princess Louise visited the
Princess of Wales in the forenoon.

Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess
of Wales honoured Earl Granville with their pre-
sence at the evening party given at the South Ken-
sington Museum.
Their Royal Highnesses were attended by the
Hon. Mrs. W. Grey and Major Teesdale.

ROYAL VISIT TO DUNROBIN CASTLE. The
Wick papers state authoritatively that the Prince and
Princess of Wales are expected to visit the Duke and
Duchess of Sutherland at Dunrobin Castle in September.
In anticipation of a review before their royal highnesses,
the Sutherland volunteers are very busy at drill.

The Earl of Radnor is, according to the latest
accounts from Coleshill, much better. The venerable peer
is, however, in a weak state.
The Earl and Countess of Cork had a dinner
party yesterday evening at their residence in Grafton-street.
There were among the guests Viscountess Dungarvan,
Lord Hubert de B. Canning, Sir William Alexander, Mr
Knightley, M.P., Mr Alfred Seymour, M.P., Hon. John
and Mrs Ashley, Hon. Mts Lyttelton, Mr and Hon. Mrs
Higgins, Mr. Baillie Cochrane, M.P., and. Miss Cochrane,
The Dowager Countess Spencer has taken 12,
Grosvenor-street, for the season, and is expected in London
at the end of this month with Lady Sarah Spencer.