The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-04 00:00:00

THE SULTAN AT A THEATRE,

The Sultan attended a representation at the Italian
Theatre, Coustantinople, a few evenings ago, an act
quite out of usual custom. The Levant _Herald
gives the following account of the visit :—" The
usual hour for the performance is 8 o'clock ; but the
Sultan keeps early hours—he wanted to return in
fair time to the palace; and he, moreover, had
brought his little son and nephew, and did not de-
sire to expose the children too late to the chill and
frosty air of a winter's night. This was the
second time that Abdul-Aziz—that any Turkish
Sultan, we believe—had been to a Frank
theatre. The coup d'ccil was very striking,
and presented an attractive and glittering
scene. It did occur to us, perhaps, that even in
the boxes the male element was rather too conspi-
cuous to suit artistic effect ; of course, below teed
above, amongst the celestials, they were as densely
packed es human patience and the theory of matter
would permit; but there was quite enough of youth
and beauty, of bright eyes and comely faces, of
sparkling jewellery, and rich toilets, to combine
with the accessories of light and music to produce r.
brilliant tout ensemble. The Sultan was, of course,
the observed of all observers ; opera glasses were
incessantly levelled from all quarters of the
house at the .central box where, alone, with
a rather grave air, though dashed now and
then with curiosity, and a sort of pleased
surprise, wearing his plain fez, and the lower
part of his form wrapped in the fold of his
cloak, sat the Ruler of Turkey. If ever a man was
libelled by his photograph it is Sultan Abdul-Aziz.
He has none of that morose and semi-scowling ap-
pearance which he is made to wear in his own
capital at all places of public entertainment, and
almost at every street corner. He has a fine manly
face, intelligent, with clear and open eyes, keen and
rather scrutinising, but his countenance is shaded
nearly always with an air of pensiveness amount- ,
ing almost to sadness, which is so often
present in Turkish physiognomies. His black
and rather closely cat beard looks all the darks r
in contrast with his rapidly-whitening hair,
although he is only 34 years old. Now and
then his face lit up with animation
at some fine
passage of Verdi in the ' Trovatore,' and once or
twice a smile played about his features at the
humorous absurdities of the opera buffo of Cris-
pino' which followed it. The young princes, who
were in the next box, and seemed delighted at the
scene, looked very attractive in their coquettish little
uniforms. Bewilderingly imposing, too, looked the
Arab body guard in their picturesque costume s.
The Sultan waited until the conclusion, and then,
amidst Vivas,' and through illumined streets, dashed
away back to Dulma-Baghtche. The artistes exerted
themselves admirably, and on leaving the Sultan
presented the director and his associates with 650
liras."

THE VV itALING FLEET.—Next year this port
will gave a fleet of eight whale-fishing vessels, all of
which will be propelled by steam. The Victor, which, as we
have already noticed, was purchased at Peterhead by the
Tay Whale Fishing Company, to take the place of the ill-
fated Juwna, and the Emma, which belongs to the Messrs.
Gilroy, are now in the graving dock. These vessels, which
were previously sailing ships, are being completely over-
hauled, both internally and externally ; and, besides, being
fitted up with screws, they will be otherwise considerably
improved. The engines of both vessels are to be supplied by
the Messrs. Gourley, and will be of 40 and 50 horse power
respectively. These steamers, with the one now building
by Messrs. Alexander Stephen and Son, for the Messrs.
Gilroy—which is to be fitted up with an engine of 70 horse
power and an auxiliary screw, constructed on the most im•
proved principle—will form a great acquisition to our
already existing fleet of steam whaling ships. The other
five steamers are also to be overhauled before they leave.
There will thus be for the next season's fishing a fleet of '
eight screw steamers—tlp best Dundee has ever had—all
of which will be sufficiently equipped for their hazardous
voyage. Nearly 500 seamen will be required to man the
fleet. It is expected that all the vessels will leave about the
end of February or the beginning of March. Some of them
will go to the seal fishing, while the others will proceed to
Davis' Straits direct.—Dundee Courter.
THE TIN TRADE.—It is understood that prelimi-
naries have been arranged for a meeting of agents of the
principal Cornish tin mines for the purpose of considering
the best course to pursue in order to obtain a better price for
tin. The existence of differences between certain smelters
is assigned as the chief reason for the recent depreciation in
the value of this metal. The present standard is as follows :
—Refined, 1055.t0 107 s ; common, 103 e to 104 s. A further
reduction is considered probable.