The Sun.
London, England, 1852-07-28 00:00:00

Taig: SUN
LONDON

LITE} ATURE. 1797rAiml; RE.
donna o f
CHRISTABELLE; or, Avel Footsteps. By Madame CiltifaA------rt!n"Zisiv:Y:e;
jl:slkinnToesw,i-sti:l
made her debut
ib'rs. Robert Cartwright. 3 Vols. Shoberl. - the French Opera al
_ It, the preface of this work t..." 5,,,,e,et, tunable, end pleasirg.
Sonnambula. Her vocallsni
that it is written in the same spirit, authoress remarks here last might in the
se , .1,1, of rustic vivacity and
:Ind with the same ' throughout was very
n k_,cnne per toe screen,"
views, r.s her former novel of "Lainia.."
the effects of a want .41:!ilbitiohuass The duet with Elvino
endeavoured to show As she there •The opening cavatine,
training on a gifted mind, t tale
in the
tried to exemplify the benefits of aPr"en xloedciuotuesd.
'uca- ' evinced the same marks of adroit musicianship ; while
religious en happiness,wissc hsrn i lit hgel ym executed.
tion on a mind of equal intell•the ornate characteristics of the closing rondo, the
hap, be doubted whether thelcce. It may, pet'"f
I nopular " Ah non giunge," reminded the hearer of
Christabelle are the bestcalculated life and character o
i:-rsiani. Madame Chador) acted the part with
h. to impress this
moral on the reader, thou aicete and feeling. There was a simple and unex-
trials that befall the g certainly the numerous i7l .
sites emphasis in her portrayal of the mental
unfortunate heroine are sufficient 1 asset ,
to overwhelm tl
on of toe second act which was very touching.
ie best regul't'd ' 4 heelsrnmi e .
mencement of the work '4-- ‘‘
tShe WE :g called twice before the curtain at the
1 descriptive of tra. in
the East, being ' termination Of the oi.cra, and liberally saluted with
written in a very entertaining
style, and conve • bouquets.
yin(' the information of travels in the
more agreeable . .......50w.............
The authoress and interesting form of narrative.
is evidently well acquainted with the
ancient
N awl modern cities which she describes. The
_, following is taken from a voyage up thisile :
~
Au style of art strikes the mind with such deep im-
pressiona ofof the an-
cient. ~..‘ surprise and admiration as that
,
-NYPtians. In the remains of early Indian anti-
quity there is much to surprise, especially in the rock
and cave temples, but little to admire;: beauty has no
Place beside barbarism. In the finished works of the
Greeks again, these is everything to admire; but their
very perfection implies so advanced a state of science,
as well as of art, that it rather lessens, or more properly
"ere,mes the sensation of wonder at anything which
P gifted a people could undertake. Tne arts of Egypt,
nowever, seem to hold a middle place; retaining as they
do much of the grandeur of the earliest works of
civilized man, they excel at the same time in the finish
with which those works have been executed; and they
combine in a way that no other country can exhibit
the sublimity of conception belonging to all the vast
labDurs of the great Asiatic monarchies with a sense of
beauty in form and of dignity in expression which belong
to lawn the period which preceded and to that which fol-
lowed them."

ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA.

The Anna Bolena of Grisi is one of the Diva's
greatest and most remarkable personatious, and a few
years ago it was in as popular vogue as the Norma
or the Semiramide. She played it last night with rill
her original force ; and so long as she is here to em-
body it, so long will the opera keep possession of the
stage. Grisi and Anna Bolena are inseparably united ;
and to know that the great lyric artist is in undi-
minished voice and energy is to know that her per.
sonation is one of those able and striking portraitures
which it seems we are never destined to see rivalled.
This fine singer sang last night with all her wonted
power, and the brilliancy of her vocalisation in the
more florid exigencies of the opening scenes was only
equalled by the pathetic intensity of the latter. The
Percy of Mario is also a piece of art well known to
fame, and needs no further words save that of de-
light at finding the voice of the gifted tenor so
thoroughly restored as it now appears to be. Marini's
Enrico was bold, tyrannic, well dressed, well sung,
and well acted. Mdlle. Seguin's Smeton, especially
the " Deh non voler costriegere," to the animated
" Chia pensierosa a tacita," to the harp accompani-
ment, was nicely vocalised, and her little bits in the
subsequent scenes carefully rendered. Mdlle. Bellini,
as Jane Seymour, had the suffrages of the audience,
and deserved them ; especially in the rather difficult
scene with Anna, and in the duetto " Va infilice,"
was she truly effective ; and also in her scene with
the King, wherein she deprecates his anger against
the doomed Queen, and his love to herself. The
stage effects, choruses, and orchestra were incom-
parable.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Parma honoured the
performance with his presence last evening. The Queen's
box was occupied by Viscount and Viscountess Crawley,
the Hon. Flora Macdonald. the Hon. Mrs. Egerton,
Captain Streatfield, and the Hon. G. S. Smy the. Among
the fashionable company attending the theatre we re-
marked the Marquis of Aylesbury, the Marquis of
Northampton, the Earl and Countess of Verulaw, the
Earl of Hopetown, the Countess of Glengall and the
Ladies Margaret and Matilda Butler, the Earl of Dur-
ham, the Earl and Countess of Kinnoull and the Ladies
Francis and EdziLetk Hay, the Earl and Countess
Craven, the Countess Paulet and Miss Dormer, Viscount
Bolingbroke, Viscount and Lady Blanche Dupplin,
Viscount Chelsea, Lord Arthur Hay, Viscountess Dun-
gannon and the Hon. Miss Boyle, Lord Bateman, Lady
Bateman, and the Hon. Misses Hanbury, Lord and Lady
Churchill, Lady Pakenhaxn and Miss Pakenham, Lurd
Cranstoun, Lady Cosmo Russell, Lady Frederick Ben-
tinck and party, Lady Caroline Masse and the Misses
Masse, Lord and Lady Ernest Bruce, Lady John So-
merset and Miss Coniston, Lady Burghersh, Baroness
de Gruldsmid and party, Baroness de Sternberg, Lady
Abercrombie and party, Sir Compton and Lady Dom-
vile, Lord Walpole, Sir E. Page Turner, Hon. Charles
Hanbury.
oMn..PG" lion. Ashley Ponsonby, Hon. George
George Barrington, Hon. Ritert Lamle
Hon. Gerard Ponsonby, Sir Henry Meux, M.P , and
Lady Meux, Sir Harry Dagnell, Sir Frederick Trench
Sir Robert Peel, M.P., Sir Henry Webb, &c. ,
ASTLEY'

ROBERT BLAKE, ADMIRAL AND GENE-
RAL AT SEA. By Hepworth Dixon. Chapman

and Hull.

The naval history of this country during the
aeventeenth century, at which period England, for the
first time, became mistress of the seas, under the rule
of Cromwell, has been passed over to a great extent by
historians, and the volume before us is highly accept-
able as an authenticated book of reference concerning
the wars of the Commonwealth. The character of
Blake seems to have been religious in the extreme,
but,_ unlike many Puritans, he was conscientious, and
followed his strict rules from a sense of duty, and not
of .elf aggrandisement. He had, too, an ill•pro-
visi?oed and altogether inefficient fleet to contend
against the most intrepid and skilful admiral that
11ulland ever produced. Not, as in the present time,
bred up to the profession, but, like Cromwell, a
country gentleman, at the age of forty he first became
statesman, and shortly afterwards was appointed
reiorEns
admiral of the fleet, when he effected the first naval
which ever took place in England. Since
„..th! time of the Crusades, when Richard Cour-de-
4-dlon read the southern powers a lesson of the con-
tempt in which the northern states held their supposed
Impregnable strongholds, an English ship of war had
not entered the Mediterranean waters. Blake's fleet
jn the short space of six months humbled the power
13,, Italy, and the whole of the African pirates, even to
the Ottoman ports. He was the first sea general
Who ever conceived the idea of the possibility of a
'il) reducing a land battery. The taotics of this
txtraordinary man and those of Nelson were the
same, viz , to undertake and execute what others had
deemed impracticable, and to insist on the indispu-
table authority of the British on the seas. Cromwell
paced unbounded confidence in him, always leaving
tq his discretion the choice of following his sug-
gestions rather than his orders. After his death
0" of the moat unpopular and disgraceful acts of
Charles the Second was to desecrate the tomb, and
lasult the remains of the most virtuous and self-
devoted admiral that ever trod an English deck.
although, evidently prepossessed in favour of his
"bject, Mr. Dixon has given a very fair account of
the life and adventures of Blake, with reference to
divers letters and reports written at the time.

S RO YAL AMPHI-
THEATRE.
On Monday a " new historical spectacle," called
Peter the Great; or, the Storming of Marienbourgh,
was produced at this house. The drama strikingly
illustrates the successive steps by which Catherine, its
true hero, from the position of an humble peasant and
slave, ascended end dignified the imperial throne.
The first act opens with the storming of Marien-
bourgh, besieged by Peter, and where Catherine is
residing under the care of the pastor, having been
preserved from the horrors of the battle field by
Peter, under the name of Romanoff. In a prelimi-
nary contest the Russians are beaten off, leaving
Peter behind wounded. The lovers recognise each
other, and Catherine assists him to escape. Her com-
plicity is discovered, and the Governor of Marien-
bourgh dooms her to be beheaded as an accomplice
of spies. The sentence is about to be executed,
when the Russians take possession of the town, and
Catherine is lifted from the block to be acknowledged
as the bride and future Empress of all the Russias.
In the second, act the scene is removed to Moscow,
where preparations for the marriage and coronation
of Catherine are proceeding. The Emperor, however,
is surrounded by conspirators, the chief of whom are
the Princess Eudocia, the divorced wife of Peter, and
Ivan, the Governor of Marienbourgh. The object
of the conspiracy is to kill the Czar and Catherine
and to place Alexis, supposed to he Peter's son by
Eudocia, upon the throne, subject to the rule of his
ambitious mother. The conspirators assemble
masked for the final settlement of their designs, when
Peter receives information of the whole, breaks in
upon their deliberations, is surrounded by them and
on the point of being assassinated, when Catherine,
by a coup de theatre, saves him, and discomforts the
traitors. In the third act the coronation takes place,
after another attempt of Eudocia to destroy Catherine
has been foiled in the palace, and her son drinks the
poison she had intended for the Empress. The con.
spirators, however, re-assemble, and in black masks
mingle with the throng who crowd the church of
St. Michael to witness the ceremony of the corona.
tion. As the newly-crowned Empress descends from
the altar Eudocia attempts to stab her, but an appa-
rition of her son stops the blow and her own exist-
once at the same moment. Ivan and the other
conspirators are also foiled, and the piece
ends with a grand tableaux. From this brief
sketch of the story, it will be seen that it fur-
nishes abundant opportunities for display and spec-
tacle, of which the manager has freely availed him-
self. The whole of the resources of Astley's have
been called into play with a peculiarly felicitous re-
sult. The scenery is capitally painted, and the spec-
tacles were full of the rich, varied, and picturesque
effects which Astley's alone can produce by the use
of its trained steeds, equestrians, and carriages. Mr.
Ryder, of the Princess's Theatre, performed the part
of Peter with dignity, energy, and effect. Miss Fen-
ceevneenngterf eupl
ton looked and acted Catharine with due meekness
andr gentleness, while the more fiery, haughty, and
res spiritent
aot v
ein the Tartar
Mrs.
pri
Moretonnces s froounken dan
Theex-
principal perforine7sewreerewreelica
other characters
sl
lue pci and rt e ported. e
mT ha
ye sta hf
er el
ye
Great a lon and successful
career. The admirable and efficient:hmeaenlater ind
predict for Peter the
irsinr extraordinary
which
the piece was put on the stage, and
of stage-manager, the
smoothness which on Monday character
night's performance, reflect the very highest credit firston
Mprord having been committed to his entire di-
uLcetciuleurcq in his capacity
di-
rection.

- ---
POLYTECHNIC
.INSTITUTIOIV:
A lecture of a very interesting character has been in
the course of delivery during the last week upon the ma-
nufacture of needles. Happily the day is gone by when
the loss of the only needle in the house, or perhaps vil-
lage, is likely to alarm or even trouble us—if a needle
is wanted, it is at once to be had, and hence we never
trouble ourselves to ascertain how it is made, or where
it comes from. Few arc there who will not be surprised
ut the amount of labour required in its production, no
less than sixty-seven separate operations being necessary
to its perfection. The pointing, from its hazardous and
deadly character, excites considerable' interest, as also
the 'Leans which have been employed to ameliorate the
condition of this unfortunate class of our fellow-creatures.
The machinery used at the Polytechnic to illustrate this
instructive subject is the invention of Mr. Morrell, of
Studley, who (curious enough) has introduced all the
improvements in the making of needles within the last
forty years. His lest for clearing ont the eyes seems to
have rendered this muttum in parvo perfect.
T.

HE SWAIN AND HAWKEY AFFAIR.—In come-
ey of the evidence given during the recent courts-mar.
Whl d upon C tin awke and Swain, of the
with divisionpta Hof Royal Marines,Lieutenant Captain Hawkey de-
cided upon proceeding against Lieutenant Swain in a civil
action for damages, and it was originally intended that the
case should have come on at Maidstone on Saturday, the
24tb instant, on the opening of the summer assizes for the
county of Kent, the notices of action having been served,
~11.(1 a number of witnesses eubpcenaed to attend the trial.
lieutenant Swain, on receiving notice of the action being
e,..°Tlmenced against him, immediately adopted measures for
his defence, and retained three of the most eminent counsel
(41 the Heine Circuit, and subpoenaed a large number of
witnesses ; but after incurring great expense he received no-
tics on Thursday evening last that the plaintiff had thought
lit to countermand the notice of trial, and the cause, if it is
intended ever to try it, cannot be brought forward until the
asst spring assizes.
SPuLIATION AT THE CHANCELLOR 01! THE Ex-
caNuEa's. Yesterday notice was issued, offering 51. re-
ward for the discovery of parties who had broken into the
vinery of the Right Hun. Benjamin Disraeli, M.P., at
liug,hendon Home, Backe, and besides stealing and carrying
off a large quantity of ripe grapes nod cucumbers, had thrown
open the pit frames and done considerable damage.
ROYAL COLLEGE OF SU RGEoNa.—The following
gentlemen, having undergone the necessary examinations
for the diploma, were admitted members of the, college at a
meeting of the Court of
\lv!..maaltinerin,e\r‘s,ionach the 26th
Alfred inst.:—
Messrs.lied-
Reginald Bayley
ger, South-street, West-square, Southwark; Thomas Quiller
Couch, Polperro, Cornwall; Henry Osborne,
Prittenton Br
Thomas Brookes, Whitchurch,' Salop; Alfred Edmundampton
briel, Collumpton, Devon ; Henry Wm.
New York ; Richard Husking, Marazion, Cornwall ; dames
Wm. Duffy, Chili, South America; and Henry Sacheverel
Edward Schroeder, Australia.
VENTILATION OF RAILWAY CARRIAGES.—A plan
Which appears to be well adapted tor introduction during the
present weather is proposed, of applying to the roofs of rail-
way carriages horizontal tubes with belt mouths, arranged to
catch the air while the train is in motion, and direct it into
the interior, the current of air being divided into streams by
Passing through wire gauze screens, and outward currents of
air being produced by deflecting windows, composed of ver-
tical panes of glass, and mounted so as to be capable of being
tamed in either direction and accommodated LO the motion
of the train.

ILIRROW Scnoor.—The following gentlemen were
on Saturday elected scholars on the Spencer, Neeld, and
Sayer foundations respectively :—Spencer Scholar—Mr. J.
W. Hozier. Neeld Scholar—Mr. A. M. Curteis. Saver
Scholar (to Caius Collega,Cambridge).—Mr. C. 11. Morro.

OBSTRUCTIONS AT THE MARBLE ARCEL—POLICE
Nortcic.—The following notice has been issued by the Com-
missioners of Police :—" Regulations to prevent obstructions
in the streets and thoroughfares and Cumberland-gate (the
Marble Arch), llvde Park : —Metropolitan stage-carriages
are to keep to the left, or proper side, according to the direc-
tion in which they are going, and muststsaeLdcoawrntia6the can be
.
eirc,m.
\
Pany on that side. o metropolitan
allowed to cross the street or road to take. up or set down
ease augers. No carriage can be allowed to stop in front of
or near to Cumberland-gate, or across the entrance to a
atreet or at any place where an obstruction of the thorough-
fare
may be caused. All drivers of carriages are to go slowly
or stop when required by the police, to allow persons on
horseback or walking to cross the street.— RR. HAM) MAINE,
.?murnissioner of Police of the Metropolis.— Whit ehall, July,
•,85.2." This notice, which has just been issued by
the
the
Police authorities, has been found to be necessary forot
the
'lfiitY and convenience of the public, in conseqt,ienc
omnibuses and public vehicles generally
making (, tiiubee
Archrland-
gate a stopping place since the erection of the Marble
on that spot, but more especially on account of the cheap
(mMibuses started on the road making this point the end of
their journey westward, and thereby causing a great deal of
confusion and inconvenience. They will, in tuture, go a
short distance up the Edgeware-road, and the observance of
these regulations will remedy the inconvenience which has
tor some time past been experienced in this respect.
THE HOMICIDE AT BAN WELL.—TiIe inquest on
the body of John Gadding was brought to a conclusion on
Monday, at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, by the coroner,
Mr. J. B. Grindon. From the evideceit
appeared that the
deceased, who died of tetanus, hoandthbeen stabbed with . a
pitchfork in the groin an i ar
the course, not of an election riot, astietisrifitb sotfatjend quarrel between him and George ,yhluatst,ofilai
snaking, about one of the women asse•mlllingg' while hay-
The jury re-
turned a verdict of " Manslaughtelsrt!Pg.
at
BanNavgetinst George
liernmings, who is already in custody
Law OFFloEn9.—lu the new Nisi It'oriun Act there
rm their
i 3 a provision requiring the law officers
duties in person. It is declared that where it 'hiet,arhrlerel:sbdueur
ti that
t'''' appear to the said Commissioners of the
any of the officers mentioned omits to perform
`''l3°f&A in person the said Commissioners, unless it slfa.ale4 of.
:wn to their satisfaction that such omission arises' from
_a_,Tvrary and unavoidable causes, and they *ball in writingrn
iPi,roti..ineoFf:irsuch omission for a period not exceeding at any
(ma
US
soef
dtitiith3, shall, as the case may be, require the
dile to be received by such ot4cer for his
for and
aprayido deer? e title of such omission, to be accounted
any
such omission. ?s aforesaid, or 'shall cease to allow or pay
wiac due to such officer during the time of
A FJeMLLS 13
noon, an aged female, --
TO DEATu.—Yesterday fore-
No. 2, Rose-street. Sub: araecl Lary Anderson, residing at
ignibtel ror2rozpotsheedn
:attended to by a wom, and who Lai been invalided and
voured to procure some te a-
" Poticerr creaturebedclothes
efvf:Erit°3:7o/:ears past, vies found dead
~rre ival of her r,r,6l,stant.
anador other iefreshment before the
ti cl. Engineer Fleahaing and b'
had
havinge
n dea-
-5 attended, and thus fortu the lighted Match in
results, The decoandiva47onately
6i-her Crown-street aremen
~..._ Prevented more serious
""ul 9f age, .

BATTY'S GRAND NATIONAL HIP-

YODIt OME.

Amongst the various places of public amusement
none has held such enduring popularity since it burst
upon the world at the ever memorable epoch of the
inauguration of the Gnat Exhibition as Batty's
Hippodrome. Such a magnificent arena for the dis-
play of equestrian feats was a grand novelty, even in
conntruction, but when we add the enormous and
t o createl ticn,
baffimg descri
unceasing amountof attractive amusement, in variety
t whitand h
sustain,the s pwireitnedeed proprietornot vv ue hasde
wonder
Continued
we are humblest,h
at the immense
highe6t to the Paage from all classes, from the
which the Hippodrome has
It is, without appy
received, and,
one of the most interes to add, continues to re-
ceive.question,z at this precise season,
in in_ places of resort, situated
we
eocmation
most conveniently
respectability,
suburb of easy ac-
cess and great l opposite Ken-
sington Gardens. Its
run'"id onfogwlorthioauts eveninay reasiosnabinlyostreckfoan-
,nsuing, w e make no
hdegorsusebitn that folks who
the "harvest"
vi
nu opouonrnta.ab
alee
and the
admire the
love that " noble animal the
giving enumerairedrome.
startling, the graceful, the daring, the wonderful
exploits performed by both its rider
animal itself, will flock in throngs to thealld. the
proud
horsnegman
Our limits will not permit
vari,us character of the performances. A
rare
to the
com-
pany of male and female equestrians appeargiinvrivearious
well-devised rac9s, scenes, p.geants, gm
op-
portunity for some exquisite displays of
ship, and feats of grace and agility. The gy,„astic:,
evolutions, especially the flying calisthenics of the
brothers Elliot, and their truly wonderful exploits on
the Persian column, constitute a sight per se. The
rope dancing, globe walking, &c., &c., &serve notice.
But the Royal Stag Hunt, a splendid stag, " and no
mistake," being the otject of pursuit, forms the pre-
sent feature of attraction, and the excitement of the
chase—a real one—is indeed intense. Ballooning
also
thefot'ms a feature, two ascents having taken place
from arena during the past week. Altogether
we heartily congratulate Mr. Batty on his well-
deserved success, and predict for the HippodroirP
the season its full share of public patronage.
during

DEATH or Tug CONSERVATIVE MEMBER FOR
OLDUAM.—latelligence of the somewhat sudden demise of
.John pantuft, a Member of the late, and also of the
new, arhareent for the borough of Oldham, reached that
town yesterday
to spend some clays at his co4try-housp, Frodsham, Cheshire,
afternoon. The Lion. Gentleman had gone
after only two days' gineflib
where hp was seized with English cholera, and died at
140 L. yeeterclab