The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-05 00:00:00

ROYAL ENGLISH OPERA,

Last night a new operetta, entitled " Fanchettee
the music by Mr. W. C. Levy, was produced with
complete success.

Tne action is supposed to take place in Douay
(La Vendee) during the reactionary political dis-
turbances of 1794. The Marquis de Beaupre, a
Royalist leader (Mr. W. Harrison), is forced to
take refuge in the house of the Republican mayor
of Douay (Mr. H. Corri), whose niece, Fanchette
(Miss Louisa Pyne), a young lady of very decided
Royalist principles, is the marquis's foster-sister.
Beaupre is betrothed to Hortense de Layal (Miss
Tairlwall), but Fanchette, to rescue him from im-
minent danger, passes the nobleman off as her own
lover, Pierre (M. Rouse). This occasions all sorts
of myatifications and ludicrous contretemps, and
matters are pushed so far by the impatient major
that Beaupze and Fanchette are compelled to go
through the preliminary ceremonies of marriage,
and the real Pierre is about to be consigned to pri-
son as the supposed marquis, when the dea-h of
Robespierre is announced, and Douay, besieged by
Royalist troops, declares for the monarchy. Bea.c.-
pi e, thus master of the situation, proclaims a
general pardon, and • the happy lovers return to
their allegiance. The music, as the production of a
young composer, contains much that promises well
tor his future. There is a vivacity of style, and
an occasional feeling for dramatic effect, that may,
with continued culture, develop into some-
thing more important than the present effort.
Among the most remarkable pieces in the operetta
are a highly spirited trio for soprano, tenor, and
bass, "My uncle here !" a fresh and graceful
chorus, " May many years of wedded bliss ;" two
melodious duets, for tenor and soprano, '• Home of
our youto," and " The good old time ;" the songs,
" How sad all nature " (soprano) and " The true
love-knot " (tenor), the last-named being most
likely, we believe, to achieve extensive popularity.

Miss Louisa Pyne was in the best possible voice,
and sang her very best throughout. Mr. W. Har-
rison's part is every way suited to his voice, and
Mr. H. Corri threw all requisite humour into the
character of the mayor. The other characters were
ably sustained by Mies Thirlwall, Mr. Rouse, and
Mr. Aynsley Cook. The band, conducted by Mr.
Alfred Mellon, who was loudly apple. uded on enter-
ing the orchestra, fully maintained its well won
reputation, and the one chorus which " Fanchettes
contains was sung irreproachably.
At the fall of the curtain Mr. W. C. Levy was
led on by Mr. W. Harrison to receive die con-
gratulations of his admirers.

Mr. Thackeray's daughters hikve left London,
and are now staying with attached friends at the Lile of
Wight, close to Farneyford, the residence of the Peet
Laureate.

LISZT AND THALBERG.—Mendelssohn's opinio 11
of the two great pianists of his day is thus expressed.
in a letter to his mother, dated Leipzig, 1840 :—Liszt was
here fcr a fortnight, and caused quite a paroxysm of excite-
ment among us, both in a good and evil sense. I consider
him to be in reality an amiable warm-hearted man, and an
admirable artist. That he plays with more execution than
all the others, does not admit of a doubt; yet Thalberol
with his composure, %nd within his more restricted sl here,,
is more perfect, taken as a virtuoso ; and this is the standard

which must also be applied to Liszt, for his compositions
are inferior to his playing, and, in fact are only calculated
for virtuosos, A fantasia by Thalberg (especially that on the
" Donna del Lego") is an accumulation of the most exquisite
ann delicate effects, and a continued succession of diffi-
culties and embellishments that excite our astonishment
all is so well devised and so finishen, carried out with such
security and skill, and pervaded by the most refined taste.
On the other hand, Liszt possesses a degree of velocity and
complete independence of finger and a thoroughly musical
feeling which can scarcely be equalled. In a word, I have
heard no performer whose musical percepti.ais, like those
of Liszt, extended to the very tips of his lingers, emanating
directly from them. With this power, and his enormous
technicality and practice, he must have far surpassed all
others, if a man's own ideas were not after all the chief
point, and these, hitherto at least, seemed denied to him
so that in this phase of art, most of the great virtuosos
equal, and indeed excel him. But that he, along with
Thalberg, alone represents the highest class of pianists of
the present day, is, I think, undeniable.

A SUBMARINE SHIP.—A correspondent of the
Times writes to that journal:—" I have had my
attention called to an article which appeared in the limes
about three weeks ago in reference to the Russian Govern-
ment, who you state are now building a submarine ship,
which is made to float between the water and to rise and
sink when required. it is to be worked by a compressed-
air engine, and is fitted with apparatus for fixing torpedos
on the bottoms of ships it purposes to sink. No doubt many
of your readers will recollecthaving seen plans of such a ships
which I exhibited at the Society of Arts, 1848, and also off
the compressed-air engine, a small model of which I
made, from which model I demonstrated that I could
obtain as great a pressure by air as by steam. I wrote
to the Aomiralty, and submitted my plans to there,
which were returned about three months afterwards by Sir
Baldwin Walker, who stated that the Lords of the Adrni-
raity were not then in a position to undertake them. I have
nut since then adopted any fur,her steps to get the matter
taken up, but no doubt the Russian Government, who aro
more in the habit of encouraging invention than our own,
have taken copies of my plans and are now working them
out with the greatest secrecy. I may add one advantage
which my submarine ship has over that which the Russian
' Government is builkling. It is provided with a round'
house (or cupola) on deck, Iron wh:ch, when the vessel is
raised to the level of the wazei, oi:,,crv„Llun, can be /nada
of surrounding objects and country."