The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-24 00:00:00

Moyerbeer—A Character.

Among all those who have won an universal re-
putation in dramatic music, Meyerbeer was the most
timid, the most insecure as to his own purposes,
with elk his gigantic notions of effect. His operas
were not so much written as stuck together, bit by
bit, while the rehearsals of them were going on. If
a machinist under a paper cap crossed the stage,
and made some irreverent remark on the length of
this scone—or that other procession—the composer
shrank up, faltered, held council on the matter—
and afte r having been inexorable in his first pre-
tensions, conceded, with a humility which became
ignoble, in regard to the man under the paper cap.
He did not know what his effects were to be, or
where they were to be made, but went on trying,
contriving, and like the bird that builds a nest,
bringing, here a straw—there a bit of wood—anon,
a fragment of wood or stone—and, in the end, build-
ing not so much a nest as a habitation for musical
drama. No stone was left unturned by him to procure
--one might better say to force—a success. It may
be questioned whether so skilful an artist ever
existed, who employed with so elaborate a patience
every machinery of compliment and cajolery as he
did. He prepared for the first representations of
his operas by paying money right and left, with an
anxiety humiliating to think of, and on a scale of
expense impossible to any other who had not an
ample private fortune. No ante-chamber was too
mean for hint to be willing to wait in it, pro-
vided the master of the house had the slightest
shred of influence on press or public. He shared
Sir Robert Walpole's opinion that every man has his
price, and would return to attempt and to tempt every
imaginable assistance with a pertinacity nothing
short of whimsical, but which was rather distressing
to be exposed to. The Boulevard des Italiens, a sort
of French Rialto for musical rumour, streamed with
tales of his expedients, months before his operas
were painfully born. One year, said rumour, Meyer-
beer had been buying up all the stage organs, to
prevent his new organ effect being forestalled. There
Was a later tale how he had connived to the crip-
pling of the organ at the Grand Opera, when the
same was to help a great scene in Nieodemeyri's
" Stradella." Another year, would come simmering
stories of pilot banquets after the fashion of Lucullus
(and well did Meyerbeer understood the art of
dining, till ill health, and with it hypochondria,
claimed him). He had no objection to bespeaking
opera books at munificent prices, from the men of
feuilleton, home or foreign, though it did not follow
that the books were to be set. I can speak to his
face of puzzled inquietude, when one of the
fraternity ventured to decline a commission for such
a piece of work—in its very purpose, and by its
very essence, unproducible. Though he harrassed
everyone during his rehearsals to the point of exas-
peration, by at first refusing the smallest concession,
when the hour of performance drew nigh he was
seized with a cowering terror, which would yield
or admit any change. Music lasting one hour and
a quarter was cut oat of " Le Proplaete" within a
very few weeks of its production :—and its great
situation—the one of facination, in the fourth or
Cathedral act, would have possibly shared the same
fate, had not Madame Viardot, the original Fides,
backed by Ary Scheffer (how all this comes back
like a thing of yesterday !), pleaded to be allowed to
show what could be represented by such an actress
in such a situation.—Dickens's " All the Year
Round."

DIONEY MARKET

AND

COMMEILCIAL INTELLIGENCE,

CITY, TWELVE O'CLOCK.

The commercial community are now anxiously
hoping for another reduction on Thursday next in
the Bank of England minimum, and, as a matter
of course, there is very little business transacted in
the interim. The public are holding over their bills
in anticipation of the event, and the rates now
current are from 7 per cent. upwards. Capital is
abundant, gold has continued to flow into the Bank
of England, and as competition among the bill
brokers during the past fortnight has been excited,

the authorities cannot have had many applicants
for discount. Under all the circumstances, there-

fore, there seems great probability that the expected
alteration will be realised.

A further sum of £llO,OOO in bar gold Was taken
into the Bank yesterday,
The 27th inst. has been appointed by the com-
mittee of the Stock Exchange for a special settle-
ment in the English scrip of the Mexican Loan,

company, which eventuality has been borne testi-
mony to by a distinguished official of the country.

Two O'CLOCK.

At Paris this morning, • according to Renter's
telegram, the Three per Cent. Relates were 661. 75c.
Firm.

A few dealings in the English stocks this morn-
ing have occasioned an improvement of a in the
Funds compared with yesterday. The continued
favourable prospect of monetary affairs has also im-
parted a firmer tone, and Consols are 911 a for
money, and 901, t, less the dividend, for the account.
The New Threes and Reduced Annuities are 89i ;
Exchequer Bills, 13s dis. ; India 5 per Cents., 1051 ;
Debentures, 98i ; En faced do., 104; and the Bonds,
24s die.

There has been a general improvement in the
Foreign Market, and business is moderately active,
Turkish 6 per Conte., 1862, are 701 711 ; do., Con-
solide3, 48 4 ; Mexican, 44 4.5 k; do. New Loan,
to k prem.; Greek, 231 ; Spanish Passive, 34k ;
Portuguese, 481 g ; Russian Scrip, 3i- 6 prem. ;
Swedish do., 1 to 2 prem ; and the Confederate
Loan, 65 67.
Business in the Railway Share Market has con•
tinned very quiet, and there is little change of
importance to report as regards values.

Bank and Miscellaneous Shares also remain ea•
ceedingly inactive, but generally support previous

wices.

BRITISH FUNDS—CLOSING PRICES.
GOVERNMENT FUNDS.
3 per Cont. Consols
Ditto Account, May 8
per Cent. Reduced
New 3 per Cent
Now 2z per Cent. Jan. 1891... .
Ditto 5 per Cent., Jan. 1873
A anuities, 30 yrs, expire 6th J an., 1880
Ditto for 30 yrs, expire sth April, 1885.
Ditto (Red Sea Telegraph), Aug. 1908.
March. June.
Exchequer Bills, £l,OOO, 21 & 3 per Cent. 13 dis
Ditto £5OO ..
Ditto £lOO and £200
Bank England Stk, 5} per Ct.
Ditto Account..
INDIAN GOVERNMENT SECURITIES.
India Stock, 10i per Cent., April 1874 217
Ditto 5 per Cont. July, Ib7o
Ditto Account....
Ditto 4 per Cent., Oct, 1888 .
Do Certificates

Ditto Enlaced Paper, 4 per Cent... . 93,/
Ditto 5 per Cent., Jan. 1872 .. 104
Ditto 51 per Cent., May, 1879 —
Ditto Debentures, 4 per Ct., April 1861
Ditto ditto Aug.) 1866 98/
_ .

Ditt Bonds ELMO y 24 Ilia
Ditto under £l,OOO
FOREIGN FUNDS—CLOSING PRICES,
Austrian Bonds, 5 per Cent

Ditto

1859 -

Brazilian 5 per Cent
Ditto 41 per Cent., 1852-58-60
Ditto 1863 .. 87/ 7
Buenos Ayros 6 per Cent

..,
Ditto Account —
Milian 6 per Cent
Ditto 41 pei Cent —
Colombian 6 per Cent
Cuba, 6 per Cent. -
Danish 3 per Cent., 1825
Ditto 5 per Cent. 1864
Ditto Scrip £5O paid • • i pm
Equador New Consolidated, 1 per Cent..
Egyptian 7 per Cent.. —
Ditto, Second Issue
Greek 5 per Cent., 1824-5, ex-Coupons 23a
Ditto Account 231 i
Ditto Coupons
Ditto Account lOl
Guatemala 5 per Cent.
Ditto, 1839 and 1859
Etalian 6 per Cent.(l•laremmana Railway)
51,:xican 3 per Cent
Ditto Account
biloorish Imperial 5 per Cent
New Granada
Ditto 2 per Cent. —
Ditto Deferred —
Ditto Land Warrants (Hectares) —
Peruvian 41 per Cent ..
Ditto Account ..., ..
Ditto 3 per Cent. (Uribarren)
Ditto 41 per Cent., 1862
Ditto Account
Portuguese 3 per Cent., 1853
Ditto Account
Ditto 3 per Cent., 1866, '7, '9, '6O, 62,'3
Ditto Account 4Bl
Russian 5 per Cent., 1822, I St —
Ditto 41 per Cent., 1850 —
Ditto 3 per Cent 1859
Ditto 5 per Cent, 1862 —
Ditto 1864 Scrip, £lO paid
Ditto Anglo-Dutch ..
Sardinian 5 per Cent —
Ditto Account —
Spanish 3 per Cent
Ditto Account

Ditto New Deferred
Ditto Account
Ditto Passive
Ditto Account
Spanish Cert. of Coup not funded

Ditto Account -
Swedieh, 4 per Cent —
Ditto Scrip, £2O paid — pm
turkish 6 per Cent. 1854 —
Ditto Account
Ditto 6 per Cent. 1858 .
Ditto Account
Ditto, £lOO Bonds
J)itto 6 per Cent. 1862 .
Ditto Account .. 70‘
Ditto £lOO Bonds 7ll 701
Ditto 1863
Ditto Guaranteed, 4 per Cent. lOOl
Venezuela 3 per Cent.
Ditto Account —
Ditto 6 per Cent., 1862
Ditto Account s6a I
Ditto 6 per Cent, 1864
Ditto 1,1 per Cent
Dividends on the above payable in Lend ,i 1
Austrian, 5 per Cent.. Ex. 10 Florins. --
Belgian 41 per Cent., Ex. 25f —,-
Dutch 2} per Cent., Ex. 12 Guil 64
Ditto 4 per Cent. Certificates
Italian, 5 per Cent., 1861, Ex, 25 francs —
THREE O'CLOCK.
Console Money
Ditto Account