The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-07 00:00:00

SUN, LONDON, TIIIIRSDAY EVENING, APRIL 7, 1864.

THE NEW ORATORIO,

Dr. Arnold's new oratorio of " Ahab" was last
night performed for the first time at Exeter-hall
with very fair success. The composition of an
oratorio is a work of no light labour, demanding
musical ability and scientific knowledge of the very
highest order. Accustomed as the public now are
to the masterpieces of Handel, Hadyu, Men-
delssohn, and Beethoven, a new work of this.kind
has to undergo a searching ordeal on its first repre-
sentation. It is, therefore, a tribute to Dr. Arnold's
powers that the earliest appearance of "Ahab"
should have been an unqualified success. We
cannot, of course, rank it with the old chef d'euvres,
but taking it as a modern composition, it is
certainly displays talents of a very high order, corn
bined with industrious application. The principal
performers were Madame Lenamens-Sherrington,
Miss Palmer, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Cummings, and
Mr. Renwick. The latter gentleman is a baritone,
and the introduction of this kind of voice is somewhat
of a novelty. The soprano part has the advantage
over the contralto in the beauty of its airs. One
of thsm, " Arise, arise, eat, be merry," song with
great animation and effect by Madame Lemmens-
Sherrington, completely charmed the audience, who
enthusiastically redernanded it. The same compliment
was paid to Mr. Renwick's solo in the second part,
" For :ill the Gods." The duet, "Toe scuts of the
righteous," sung by two ladies, was also encored,
though it scarcely deserved it. A little of the fault
was, however, iu the voices of the singers. A very
noisy chorus of the Prophets was repeated, but it is
impossible to help remarkin; how much louder the
modern compositions are than the old. The chorus
singers might with advantage moderate their
voices. Altogether the work reflects great credit
on its compose:, and its unquestionable success
must have afforded well-mei ited gratification.

_
Jeux d'Esprit on Garibaldi,

(From the Realm.)
Salve valrle, Garibaldi I Wele:me to Britannia's ehore I
You are dear, oh ! ancient hero to all hearts of oaken core.

Though true blue be, more than ruby, pleasing to the
taurine eye,
Bull wont run down tints of san-down—morro Ws promise -
blushing sky.
Brave as lions, void of science, cool in fight, in council hot,
Unsuspicious, injudicious, great you are though wise you're
not.
Dwell with Sutherland :—no other Duke could such full
trust inspire,
Whose endeavour has been ever to secure the Thames from
fire.

THE PROPOSED STATUE OF SIR ROWLAND HILL
AT BIRMINGHAM.—The following communication has been
received by the treasurer : —" Cannes, Var, Ist April, 1564.
—Lord Brougham presents his compliments to Mr. James
Lloyd, and authorises him to put down his name for ten
guineas (LlO 10s.) to the subscription on account of Sir
Rowland Hill, of which he highly approves, regarding Sir
Rowland as a great benefactor, especially to the working
classes."

" MoI," at the Theatre Francais, is the title of a
three-act p:ay, and, as the name signifies, is the
delineation of extreme egotism, as shown by an old bache-
lor, who has a young and pretty housekeeper, over whom
he tyrannises, and whom he keeps in a present state of
slavery, and also hopes to bind to him for life, as a needy
dependant to be the kind comforter of his old age. The
charming housekeeper is, however, rescued from
the clutches of the old man by a nephew who
arrives from abroad, falls in love with the model
young woman, and, even in spite' and at the risk
of offending his uncle, insists upon marrying her. The
process of bringing the uncle to an unselfish view of the
case, through the hard things said of him by his friends,
their threat of desertion, and at last a self-prompting ray of
generosity left somewhere in his breast, forms the points for
the actor to show his development of character, and have
been very ably seized upon. It is a piece well suited to the
Francais, which loves the careful and truthful portraiture
of slime idiosyncrasy, and the result has been a success
which rings in all quarters of Paris.
DISCHARGED CONVICTS. The managers of
Scoten prisons, in their report on 1863, give an
abstract of the returns made by the chief officers of the
general prison at Perth, relating to 561 juvenile male pri-
soners liberated in the last six years. Thu first half yearly
report after their liberation showed that the conduct of 271
was good ; of others it was tolerable or not known ; of 54
bad, and 91 had already returned to crime. The next re-
port, half a year later, showed only 187 of good conduct,
and 45 bad, but 187 returned to crime. The third report,
half a year later still, showed 170 of good conduct, 56 bad,
and 207 returned to crime. Tho numbers at the three
periods whose conduct was tolerable were 42, 56, and 50,
FATAL ACCIDENT._ fin inouest was held yester-
day at Gosport on the body of Major Richard
W ollaston Clerke, of the 23th (Cameronians) Regiment,
commanding a detachment of the regiment stationed tem-
porarily in Fort Gomer. It appeared that after mess on
Sunday evening he lit a cigar and went out alone for a stroll
upon the ramparts. He did not return. On the following
morning his body was found in the moat which surrounds
the work, and in which the water has a depth of three feet.
From appearances which could be plainly traced on the
ramparts of the work and in the moat it would seem that
he stumbled over a part of the stonework on the ramparts,
and fell over into the moat. His footprints could be traced
round the work in his endeavours to extricate himself to
upth withespot
awhhaeuredhtherecbhoiedfy, witashfaovuinudg evidently been cut in. Ono hand was bound
falling over the parapet. The features were quite calm,
and this fact, coupled with the delicate health of the de-
ceased and the shallow depth of water, leads to the belief
that he must have been: drowned while fainting from ex-
haustion. An inquest was formally held, and a verdict
was returned in accordance with the facts of the case. The
funeral, attended with military honours, will take place to-
morrow.

SERIOUS RAILWAY ACCIDENT.—An accident of
a very serious character happened on the Methley branch
of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway on Tuesday, The
engine of an ordinary passenger train got off the line and
crossed the rails a few yards further up, and then, breaking
from the carriages, fell over an embankment. The stoker
had both his legs broken, and the driver and guard were
both injured, as were also one or two of the passengers,
A MAN BURIED ALIVE.--On Monday afternoon
a man named Thomas Wilds, who worked for Mr.
Fairbank, a contractor for the Peckham branch of the
having been fearfully injured by an
Lsto.nTdhonom, Chatham, and
Hospital,an d Dover Railway, was admitted into
immense quantity of earth falling on him, it appears from
what can be gathered from him that he was at his usual
occupation when the earth gave way, and before he could
get out of the way the whole of it fell on him, completely
burying him. A number of men were quickly on the spot,
and he was as soon as possible extricated and conveyed to
the above hospital, where he was attended by the house
surgeon, who ascertained he had fearfully injured his
back, hip, and thigh. He lies in a dangerous condition.
FATAL BOAT ACCIDENT AT TORQUAY.-00 Sun-
day a large nun: her of the crew of H.M.S. Prince
Consort, now lying off Torquay, in Torbay, were permitted
on shore on leave. With the exception of some stragglers
they returned on board about 7 o'clock in an orderly man-
ner. Soon atterwar,fs those who had been left behind car=e
down to the pier—it is said a dozen in all. They hired a
waterman's beat, and two men, named Norsworthy and
Hayman, pulled them off., With such a number the boat
was overloaded, and when only about a dozen feet from the
pier head capsized. Eight of the men were rescued ; how
many are drowned is uncertain for the present, but the
bodies of two men—Hayman, the waterman, and Winters,
an able seamen—have been recovered.— Woleril awning
A'nee,