The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-11 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY ITvENTINII DECEMBER 11, 1855.

advancing by easy stages—taking a single step at
a time—and waiting to see what the effect thereof
might be on a determined adversary. Had we
at any time shown ourselves to be really in
earnest the effects might and would have been
very different. But we have invariably been
"waiting " for Austria, or Prussia, or some other
laggard in the political race, and seeking rather to
bring them up to the mark than to make the
mast of our own opportunities. The Russians
have not thus been restricted; they make the most
of " Germanism," while we suffer ourselves to
be fettered by elements which have never yet
been rendered beneficial to Great Britain, or
to English interests. We have taken Sebastopol,
and frightened Kaffa, have captured Kinbottrn, and
cautioned Nicolaieff—affrighted the inhabitants of
Kherson, and taught Simpheropol to be on its guard.
But these are only matters to be discussed at a
future time, in which the exposure of our hand, the
practical "throwing down of our cards," must be
very advantageous to our opponents. In every
respect we have been " too late," and have paid
most usurious and ruinous interest for the delay.
Nothing effectual can now be done. One of the
most powerful Armies ever employed on any side
will be inactive during the winter, as it has been
for the last three months. It has practically re-
tired into winter quarters, and although we hope
and believe that it may not suffer privations simi-
lar to those which last year cast so heavy a blot
on English administration, we can scarcely anti-
cipate that the "'dull season" will be turned to as
much advantage by ourselves as by the adver-
sary. The snow roads will, for them, be particu-
larly useful, in fact they are now being made so,
as the slim sledges at Perekop, six miles long,
with provisions, amunition, and stores, bear
witness. All their existing resources will be
rendered available, so that they can stake their
all upon a final cast, or, what is perhaps more
formidable, appear to have that remaining
chance, so as to use it as an argument to obtain
terms to which they are by no means entitled.
These are matters that must be seriously looked
to by the Government, and in proportion to the
vigilance exhibited during this very important
crisis will be the confidence henceforward bestowed
on the PALMERSTON Administration.

The secrecy and rapidity wish which commu-
nications may be effected by the agency of the
electric telegraph will probably have suggested to
the reader the possibility of an exchange of dread-
ful disasters between the authorities of far dis-
tant localities before the inhabitants generally, of
any of them are aware of their occurrence. The
secrecy of our diplomatic system, and the facilities
at the command of Foreign Secretaries are pro-
ductive now and then of a similar result, but
attended by far different consequences. Thus, it
may happen, in fact it has recently been the case,
that the Governments of England and the
United States were on the verge of a declaration
of War between the two countries before
the people of either know anything of
the matter. Under such circumstances, it is a
cause of congratulation that there is an amount
of good sense and prudence available in the two
countries sufficient to control their respective
Governments before it is too late.

Turning to the American side of the Atlantic
in connection with the recent diplomatic fracas, we
are happy to perceive that the merchants of New
York have exhibited themselves in a very favour-
able light. Raving learned that the real object
©f the augmentation of the British West India
squadron was "to protect British commerce
against Russian privateers," said to be fitting out
at American ports, they have taken decided
steps in the matter. Naturally jealous of the
honour and good faith of their fellow-
citizens, they have instituted an inquiry into the
circumstances connected with the equipment of
the barque Maury. That the result of that
1 inquiry should be favourable to the owners need
occasion little surprise, however decided may be
the conviction here of their criminality. The
a inor patrie has degenerated nowhere to a more
morbid excess than in the United States, and
what may appear to us to be a strong presumption
against the owners was likely enough to b 3 esti
mated by the Committee as susceptible of a Bath'
factory explanation. Thus the resolution, " That
the character of the owners had been needlessly
assailed, owing to the want of proper inquiry on
the part of the British diplomatic agents," may be
accounted for, without arriving at the conclusion
that it is warranted by the facts.
The good feeling manifested in the institution
of the inquiry renders it a matter of obligation
on our part to remark that the character of the
owners does not at least appear to have been
wantonly assailed. Surely there was a strong
prima facie case deducible from the affidavits which
led to the seizure of the vessel, so strong as almost
to convert suspicion into certainty. Two of the
New York police deposed that the Maury was
" built, rigged, and equipped for warlike pur-
po3es, and had not the construction of a vessel for
the merchant service," specifying its cargo as con•
sisting of " war cannon, cannon balls, and small
arms," and its equipment and construction as em-
bracing six cannon on the upper deck, and ten
between decks, all mounted with portholes for the
guns. To this evidence of warlike purpose was
added the deposition of a respectable witness,
Mr. CUARLES EDWARDS, a counsellor-at-law,
' also residing at New York, to the effect
that, to the best of his belief, the vessel
had been thus constructed and equipped by the
Russian Government, in order to be used against
the vessels and subjects of Great Britain. It is
quite possible that our consul may have acted
with less prudence than was desirable,
and thus have fairly exposed himself to the charge
of not having made adequate inquiry ; still the cir-
cumstances were so suspicious, and the filibuster-
inganimus had shown itself sufficiently rampant
eo
ifTloartiet
wya
se years to
otuog
he xutoetntuoajytues t
1 largely
f hi
thing is clearly made out, and that is the nem-
sity for selecting men of ability, character, and
discretion to fill the consular office, seeing what
dire results may follow a consular blunder, more
especially in the United States of America. The
differences between the two countries; arising out
of the affair are, however, we aro happy
lusion.
in the way of a speedy and satisfactory to believe,
cono
All that we shall add to these remarks, therefore, is
the expression of our deep satisfaction with the fol-
lowing resolution of the New York Chamber of
Commerce, which is worthy its well-recognised cha-
racter, viz., "That the merchants will uphold the
Government in the full maintenance of neutrality
of the laws of the country, and they acknowledge
and adopt, and have always regarded the acts of
the United States for preserving its neutrality as
binding
in, honour and conscience, as well as in law,
and that they
denounce those who violate them as
disturbers of the peace of the world, to be held in
universal abhorrence !"

PONTOON MORTAR Bart —The experiment at Shoe-
buryusss having proved that the pontoons used in the
clnstruction of the mortar raft are not stiff enough to
resist the heavy concussion to which they must be ex-
p:lsed, a correspondent in a contemporary suggests that
the tubes should be filled with cork shavings, enclosed
in tanned netting, similar to what are used by our
fishermen, only with smaller meshes. Abundance of
cork might be procured frotn the corkcutters, which at
present is thrown away or burnt as refuse. In this way
the tubes would be much stiffer, and in case of injury,
either from shot or touching the ground, their buoyancy
and efficiency would be pre-e.ved.

JENNY LIND.

" The Creation'. at Exeter Hall.

Yesterday -evening brought glorious Jenny
Lind back, once more, to the Londoners. It was
a night, consequently, of immense expectation—
Exeter Hall being the scene of the entertainment,
and Haydn's immortal oratorio of " The Creation"
the chef d'ceuvres, selected for performance. As
an inevitable result from which extraordinary ac-
cumulation of attractions, a considerable multi-
tude, assembled together, prepared, as it proved,
to greet the great songstress with all their wonted
enthusiasm, and curious, no doubt, to discover
whether that enthusiasm might still be as fully
as ever justified. Several years have now elapsed
since the Swedish Nightingale sang last in our me-
tropolis. Since then she has made the tour of the
United States, amidst the ringing plaudits of
Uncle Sam and the ringing dollars of Cousin
Jonathan. Occasionally, too, in the interval, the
northern cantatrice has been heard of, here and
there, as performing miracles, scarcely less wonder-
ful than " creating a soul under the ribs of death,"
by exciting something like genuine ardour among
the most habitually phlegmatic audiences of the
European Continent. Mademoiselle Jenny Lind
returns to us again—after the lapse of half-a-
dozen years—transformed into Madame Otto
Goldschmidt. She is still, however, to us, in-
vested though she has been, in the interim, with
the double dignity of wife and mother, the same
charming Jenny Lind as ever—the Jenny Lind of
the old days when she first learned to " witch the
world" with her manifold graces of voice, of look,
manner, the very Sylph of the Lyric Drama, of
the most exquisite interpreter of the love-
liest melodies of Rossini, Bellini, Mozart,
Weber, Spobr, Cherubini, Mendelssolin, the arch-
heroine of "Lucia," of "Norma," of "La Sonnam-
bula," of "La Figlia Del Reggimento."
The assemblage last evening was of course im-
mense, the hail being crowded by eight o'clock
punctually. Shortly after which time Madame
Jenny.Goldschmidt-Lind (as the Swedish Night-
ingale must now be designated) was led on to the
platform by M. Benedict, the gifted conductor of
the entertainment. Her reception was, as it
should have been, something extraordinary both
in its warmth and in its prolongation, several dis-
tinct rounds of applause following the eagerly-
looked-for moment of her appearance. It was
observable that the great popular favourite was
somewhat thinner, somewhat more serious, some-
what less animated. It may be regarded, how-
ever, as rather more noteworthy than any such
modifications in her tournure, in her bearing, or
in the general expression of her well-remembered
countenance, that her matchless voice was, in all
essential respects, as delicious as ever, as fresh, as
mellow, as flexible, altogether as incomparable.
The first note of the angelic air of Gabriel—

"The marvellous work beholds amaz'd
The glorious hierarchy of Heaven"—

proved beyond all further question that Jenny
Lind's voice had, in the interval of these last few
years, been in no perceptible way deteriorated.
The old charm was again audible, was again re-
cognised, was again welcomed by popular accla-
mations. Still more apparent, however, became
the spells wielded by that wonderful organ when,
after the sonorous recitative "And God said, Let
the earth bring forth grass," the tones of the
archangel break forth in the celestial carol—
" With •erdure clad the fields appear
Delightful to the ravished sense"—

when passages of incomparable melody trilled as
bewitchingly as of yore from the lips of the great
songstress, leading her as surprisingly as ever
through all the mazes of that, brilliant and dazzling
display of vocal agility—up, through the memor-
able chromatic scale from G to her favourite
B flat, the famous note 'upon which she always
loved to dwell with a power so full, so exquisite,
so sustained ! Wonderful though Jenny
Lind's soprano was in Parts I. and 11. of "The
Creation" as the Voice of Gabriel, it was yet more
so, if possible, in Part 111. as that of Eve. If
she was astonishing (as she was) in her delivery
after the thrilling recitative " And God said, Let
the waters bring forth abundantly the moving
creature that bath life and fowl that may fly above
the earth in the open firmament"—of the memor-
able air—

"On mighty peas the eke() wings her lofty way
Through air sublime—"
if, moreover, she was most dulcet in that after
verse of the same mellifluous strain—

" .1119 welcome bids to morn the merry lark,
And cooing calls the tender dove his mate—"
she was absolute perfection in—

" Ye purling fountains tune His praise,
And wave your tope ye pines— '
as also in the marvellously beautiful Duet with
Adana—

. . . .
" Graceful consort, at thy side
Softly fly the golden hours

Again and again the olose of each solo was
greeted with an outburst of applause amounting
to the ardour of an encore, but in no instance was
the incomparable artiste persuaded into a repeti-
tion. Everybody appeared to be enraptured.
Not one individual out of the many hundreds pre-
sent last evening evinced even a momentary dis-
appointment. The Swedish Nightingale was re-
warded from first to last by plaudit; that
amounted to a veritable ovation. Her popularity
is to-day what it was seven long years ago—
her matchless voice being still, as it was then, in
its full perfection, fresh, beautiful, unimpaired.
Happily for those who were not fortunate enough
to be present last night during the performance of
Haydn's " Creation," by an orchestra presided
over by the skilled baton of M. Benedict, and by
a chorus five or six hundred strong, collected
together from the various musieal societies of the
metropolis, with Mr. Lawler for the bass solos
and Mr. Lockey for the tenor solos, and our glo-
rious Jenny Lind, now Madame Otto Goldschmidt,
as the Eve and Gabriel of the Oratorio—happily,
we say, for those who were not present last even-
ing in Exeter Hall while Jenny Lind was the
soprano of " The Creation," arrangements have
already been made for the re-appearance of the
Swedish Nightingale on Monday next in the glo•
rious "Elijah" of Felix Mendelssohn. This—
thanks to Mr. Mitchell's able mananagement !
A management which constitutes him, as
of old, one of the foremost among the benefac-
tors of the London multitude. Rumour
talks of Madame Goldschmidt Lind hav-
ing entered into yet further engagements.
There are whispers, for example, about her in-
tended progress through the provinces of the
United Kingdom—and airy hints even of her pos-
sible return to the long-deserted boards of her
Majesty's Theatre, under the revived direction,
may be, of Lumley—the once puissant and long
and deservedly successful. These, however, are
at the best but rumours—rumours still requiring
confirmation in every particular. However, thanks
to the skilful and enterprising management of Mr.
Mitchell—Jenny Lind (for as such simply we still
love to call her, without regard to the matronly
all
odignityd s
cohfra d
ta)d
ha ma
se, a
cotru a
ltlhye b
egeunt t
secured
Concerts in Exeter-hall. r e sdu ransa ;um ee
grand and sufficient attraction of the Monday
for the Londoners the delightful Yest e rfdoar ye t
age vteen
oi nf gthwe as
es
alluring entertainments, Yesterday se'nnight
will afford the public the yet further felicity of
their continuation. Let us hope that (speaking
figuratively) still for some time longer--on these
favoured Mondaye evenings, over-the-way, "naught
but the torrent" [of popular applause] may be
" heard in the Ha
" thean dStra"naught but The
Sall
in
Nightingale's Song"

TIIE LATE LORD MELVILLE'S STATUE.---We understand
that a difficulty has arisen with reference to the site on
which it was proposed to erect the statue of the late Vis-
count Melville, now in process of execution by Mr. Steel].
The sanction of the Board of Works had, we believe,
been given to the appropriation for a site of a portion of
the vacant area to the west of St. Giles', and in front of
the County Buildings, and preparations were actually be-
gun for the erection of the statue, by making the neces-
sary excavations to receive the pedestal. Th• sanction
of the Beard Las, however, been withdrawn, and the
preparations have consequently been suspended in the
meantime. There is every probability of the county
gentlemen seeking to ascertain in a legal way the right
of the Board cf Works over the area in question.—
Courant.

TIDE BAL AVASQUE.AT DBUItY-LANE

THEATRE.

To-morrow evening Drury-lane Theatre will present a
brilliant scene. For some time past Mr. Smith has
been making arrangements to give a grand Bat Masque
at a reasonable price of admission, and to-morrow even-
ing is fixed for the purpose. To render the bal attrac-
tive no expense Las been spared, and the whole of the
arrangements are on a scale of magnificence never
before attempted. The stage and pit will be converted
into a superb salon de danse 400 feet in length, embel-
lished and decorated with illuminated bowers, and
thousands of variegated lamps ; and a number of masters
of the ceremonies have been appointed, in order that
the votaries of Terpsichore may not be interfered with.
The greatest care has been taken to prevent the incon-
venience arising from overcrowding the salon ; and, from
all accounts, a delightful evening's amusement may be
anticipated.

LATEST is.'4 114 "17 0

EMANCIPATION OF THE RCS
SERFS.

The Czas of Cracow, of the let, says : "It
is reported here that the contemplated reforms in
the kingdom of Poland have not taken place, in
consequence of the Prince of Prussia having ex-
acted, as a condition of the neutrality of Prussia,
the maintenance of the status quo in Poland.

"It is the positive intention of the Russian Go-
vernment to effect the immediate emancipation of
the serfs of the whole empire. The Emperor
personally is favourable to the measure, and the
land-owning aristocracy, who have been sounded,
offer no opposition.
" These nobles appear to fear that risings of the

peasants, such as have taken place in the south,
might be more dangerous in other provinces."

MARSEILLES, DEC. 10.
The Bashi-Bazouks in English pay have com-
mitted excesses at Adrianople.
Others have revolted on board the Tancred,
but were arrested by the brig-of-war L'Olivier at
Smyrna. They resisted, and caused some deaths;
many were wounded.

PORTSMOUTH, DEC. 10.

The Duke of Wellington, 131, Captain of the
Fleet the Hon. F. T. Pelham, bearing the flag
of Rear-Admiral the lion. Richard Saunders
Dunda9, C. 8., Commander-in-Chief of the Baltic
fleet, arrived at Spithead this evening, between 8
and 9 o'clock, four days from Kiel.