The Sun.
London, England, 1852-04-14 00:00:00

THE SUN

I HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE
It is many years since Rossini's Italiana in Algeri
had been heard in this house, so that its revival
last evening is nearly the same as the pro-,
duction of a novelty. It was produced at the Covent''
garden establishm-nt in its opening season of 1847;
when the cast included ct
Salvi, Marini,-"Mi
Rovere. The opera of L'itullana was one of Rossini's
early compositions, and contains some of his very
sweetest and most gracefully piquant strains. Per-
haps, indeed, none of the master's works, with the
exception of the 13arbiere, are more thoroughly cha-
racteristic, more full of that easy flowing melody,
more lightly and delicately instrumented than the
opera under question. Charming, however, as the
partition is, the work has never maintained a perma-
nent
footing upon our stage. Now and then it has
been played, admired, and, as a whole, forgotten. One
reason for this state of things is, perhapa, the difficulty
of always, or often, finding a contralto possessed of
vocal and histrionic powers sufficient to enable her to
carry off the entire weight of the female interest.
The great and fatal objection, however, to the opera
is the utter silliness and no meaning of the fable. Still,
however, the lightness of the scoring, yet its full effec-
tiveness—the flow of sportive fancy and the freaks ()thigh
anirnalspirits, so wonderfully interpreted by the compo-
sition—are in themselves sufficient to render the work
musically, if not dramatically, immortal. The reader
will perhaps recollect that the story of L'ltal ana
consists in the setting forth of the style in which a
clever Italian damsel, taken prisoner by the Alge-
nines, manages to get on the weak side of the Bey,
who has quarrelled with his principal wife, and who
is bamboozled by the fair captive and her friends into
undergoing a number of absurd rites of reception into
some jocular Italian order or character, and finally
set to eating Maccaroni, which he applies himself to
with such total absorption that he does not perceive
the escape of his bewitcber and all her Italian friends,
who jump on board a vessel, at which the Bey can
take only the futile vengeance of throwing his wig.
All this puerile absurdity is conveyed in a series of
charmingly light and vivid musical compositions.
Madlle. Angri made her re-appearance last night, and
was warmly received. She sung admirably, giving
the sportive scenes with a subdued but very agreeable
feeling of raillery, and introducing florid bravura
passages with the greatest effect and off-hand bril-
liancy of execution. The possession of so excellent
a contralto is a most valuable acquisition to this house.
Signor Belletti was warmly greeted upon his appear-
ance as Mustapha. He made up and looked the Orien-
tal magnifico to perfection, and was always full of in-
telligence and quiet character in his expressive little
bits of by-play. His extreme facility of vocal execu-
tion qualifies him perfectly for the florid music of the
part, and his excellent style and severe justice of into-
nation made his performance a real treat. There is
no more zealous and conscientious singer than Belletti.
He is never imperfect, and, if he seldom raises what is
termed " enthusiasm," he as seldom fails to satisfy
the public. Such artists are rare; and the warmth
of reception and frequency of applause bestowed last
night upon his impersonation of the character of
Mustapha, many parts of which we have never
heard sung so effectively, showed that the audi-
ence fully appreciated his value. Signor Calzolari
was the Lindore, and was heard to great advantage,
being peculiarly adapted to this style of music. He
was warmly applauded in the air " Languir per una
bells," and in the buffo duet " Se inclinassi a prender
moglie." Signor Ferranti bustled energetically
through the broad comic part of Taddeo. The small
part of Haly was efficiently filled by Signor Mercu-
riali ; and Mademoiselle Feller, who played Elvira
(Mustapha's wife), deserves especial mention for the
competent manner in which she executed a promi-
nent soprano part in the finale to Act 1. The or-
chestra, under Mr. Balfe, was excellent. The over-
ture and the trio " Pappatacr were encored ; and the
accompaniments throughout were deserving of praise.
The opera was well received from first to last, and
would have been still more heartily enjoyed but for
the interpolation of a ballet divertissement between the
first and second act, which suspended the interest for
a lengthened period. Mademoiselle Angri, Signor
Belletti, and Signor Calzolari were recalled at the
end, and more than once in the course of the perform-
ance. The rentrie of Mademoiselle Sofie Cruvelli,
in her great part of Norma, with Lablache as
Oroveso, and Gardoni as Pollio, is announced for
Saturday.
The Queen's box was occupied by the Marchioness of
Downshire, Lady Mary Hood, Miss Poole, Major Cot-
ton, Colonel Hood, Colonel and Mrs. Scott and party.
Amongt the fashionable company also present in the
theatre on this occasion we remarked the following:—
His Excellency the Russian Minister, Baroness Brun-
now, and Mdlle. de Brunnow, the Countess of Flahault
and Mdlie. de Flahault, the Countess of Harrington
and Lady Jane Seymour Stanhope, Admiral and Mrs.
Hatton and the Misses Hatton, the Right Hon. the Fo-
reign Secretary and the Countess of Malmesbury, the
Countess of Bradford, his Grace the Duke of Leeds, Lord
Adolphus Fitzclarence Lord Sandys, Lord Saltoun,
Sir Thomas Barrett Leonard, Bart., Lady Paulet So-
merset, Lady Leonard and party, Lieutenant-General
Sir Alexander Woodford, Bart., Lady Woodford, and
Miss Woodford, Sir John Bayley, Bsrt., Lady Bayley,
and party, Sir Henry Webb, Bart., Sir Ralph Howard,
Bart., M.P., Lady Howard, and Miss Howard, Captain
Smith, Mr. J. Golswortby, Miss Caroline Bellew, Mr.
George Iludson, M.l'., Mrs. Hudson, and Miss Hudson„ -
General the Hon. H. Cavendish, Mr. Trelawny, M.P•ea-
and Mrs. Trelawny, Mr. F. Coates, Mr. Storer, Mr. W,
Detafield, Mr. Richards, M,P., Mr. Stephens, Mr. Mar-
tyn, Lady Flower, Colonel Lockyer Freestun, M P., and
Mrs. Lockyer Freestun, the Hon. Misses Somerset,
Mr. Montague Gore, M P., Mr. Barton, Mr. Brandt, Mr.
Thomas, Mr. laglefield, Mr. Curtis, Miss Gould, Sac.

.HUNGERFORD HALL, STRAND.
This establishment, which commenced under the
special direction of French managers, has had its
success in some degree impeded by their not knowing
how to cater properly for the palate of a British pub-
lic, and although the locale is perhaps one of the best
situations in London for a bazaar (upwards of twelve
millions of persons annually passing to and fro through
the market), yet the display of goods on the various
counters was of a description too trifling for the solid
taste of English people, however well calculated it
might have been for the Paris Boulevards. The
Diorama of Chevalier Bunton, advertised in our co-
lumns of this day, is, nevertheless, a splendid ex-
ception to this criticism on our part. We understand
that a complete alteration is about to take place.
Foreign influence will no longer exist—Hungerford
Hall is about to become a purely English concern,
under the sole direction of a sound English adminis-
tration, calculated in every way to inspire public
confidence, and deserve, we doubt not, the support it
will eventually receive. Possession of the theatre is
already contested for by various candidates for public
patronage. It is admirably adapted for representa-
tions and performances, inasmuch as, from its pecu-
liar construction, every person, without exception,
can see and hear distinctly. That pleasing and popu-
lar singer Henry Smith commenced his entertain-
ments there on Monday evening, and will continue
them throughout the week, this evening excepted.
Mr. and Mrs. George A. Cooper, whose admirable
and scientific lectures on the " Rise and Progress of
Popular Music in England" have already been pro-
nounced by several of our contemporaries as extremely
interesting and instructive, will shortly give at
Hungerford Hall Theatre a new musical entertain-
ment, entitled " The Excursion Train," of which
much is most favourably augured. As Englishmen,
we most cordially wish the greatest success to the new
administration.

RETIRING PENSIONS TO COUNTY COURT JUDGES.—
The following new provision appears in the amended County
Courts Further Extension Bill, which has just been printed.
The Bill has passed the Lords, and the provision was added
in Committee by the Commons—" That it shall be lawful lA.
the Lord Chancellor, by any order or orders to be made by
thim from time to time, on a petition presented to him for
,se ution of
that purpose, to order that there shall be paid quarterly out
osucthe Consolidated Fund of Great Britain and Ireland to
term
withe__ he o,
of.
n 1 e the
permanentjudges of
ithenfiCnonui
tnyt
,y
disabling CourtsCourts as
himshall
from
the due
THE., ...,Go7:‘ Suchhis
presentingexceedingCountt_judge shall be entitled to as a judge of a
'CITY--In the'dT or GERRARD'S-HALL BASING•LA.NE,'
,
Gerrard's-h 11 days of Stowe it
a was
used a pole in the war formerly the habitation of a giant, who
whose skull being founsd4o feet long and 15 inches round, and
thigh bone was six feet lo
would hold five pecks, and that his
ten pounds Troy. Respecna; and one of his teeth weighed
the parish may-pole, Stowe sg„ this staff, which was probably
lane is one great house ee 0118 i-i" On the south side of this.
vaults, and with arched gate of .me, builded upon arched
The same is
Normandy. atone hrou h
now a „mmon g t from Cane, in
travellers, • commonly and corruptly Cal?este(.rY, for receit of
of a giant said to have dwelled there. irt.ierrard'sshall.
hall of this house sometime shod a large fiu'e bigh-roofed
thereof, And by some Sa.re Pole, which
reached to the roof
Gerrard in
id
1..0
be
'used by Gerrard in the wanes, n one of
the staves
same length,
stood also a ladder of the
0,,
the
.11,,,,(:s they said
)
served to ascend to the top
.t,staffs." In Great Fire
ancient ' ostery," except the
of 1666 destroyed all the
of the wall at thecrypt,
part
and about eight or nine feetnext the
front was built soon after the
stable-yard. The Basing-lane feature, except the effigy
fire, and presented no remarkable
e
which until the last few days
was
of Gerrard, the giant, This figure may be
stationed in a niche above the entrance. ,
the work of the same artist Who carved (sore 0 and Magog, in
Guildhall.—The Builder.
STATE BALL.—The new Lord C-hem--
beriaiti (the
to
Marquis of Exeter) has received her Majesty's comtnand
isaw.
issue invitations for the first grand state ball at Bucking
Palace, on Wednesday, the sth of the ensuing month.. The
first fete dansante of the season will be given on the usual
scale of magnificence.

The commercial accounts from India are more en-
couraging than for some time past. There has been consi-
derable transactions at Bombay, although further arrivals
had checked any advances in prices, and at Calcutta the de-
mand was active with a prospect of continued improvement.
The Chinese markets were steady, without alteration.
NEANDER'S LIBRARY.—The library of the late
eminent Dr. Augustus Neander, celebrated throughout Ger-
many for its completeness in theological works, has just been
purchased on behalf of the senate of the University -:Of Ro-
chester, in the state of New York.

.1 (.4,

+ .-' ZU