The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-09 00:00:00

Mrs. Macfarren's Entertainment.

Yesterday afternoon Mrs. John Macfarren re-
peated her delightful " Morning at the Pianoforte,"
written expressly for her by her distinguished
relative, G. A. Macfarren. The lecture, if such it
can be called, was interesting and animated, giving
many anecdotes of the most eminent composers and
players, with comments ou their varying styles.
The most agreeable part of the entertainment, how-
ever, was, undoubtedly, the musical illustrations,
in which Mrs. Macfarren displayed a rare degree of
execution and expression happily combiz ed.
Handers famous old Blacksmith seemed to
gain new harmony from her expres-
sive rendering, while the " Songs without
words," which make so great a demand on the taste
and feeling of the player, were almost equally ad-
mirable. Selections from Beethoven and Weber
were varied by an old English air, skilfully arranged
by Macfarren, and an elaborate fantasia by Thal-
berg on the " Elisir d'Amore." Miss Eliza Hughes,
who is a young singer of much promise, gave great
satisfaction in the vocal part or the entertainment.
We congratulate Mrs. Macfarren on the success of
her entertainment, which all lovers of good music
must desire to see repeated.

THE APPROACHING MARRIAGE OF THE PRINCE
oir WALES.—Her Majesty's yacht Victoria and Albeit is
about to be redecorated, internally and externally, by the
Portsmouth Dockyard authorities, preparatory to the con-
veyance from the continent to England of her Royal High-
ness the Princess Alexandra of D,nmark, the future partner
of his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.
" Mrs. Katharine Thomson, who died at Dover of
gastric fever on the 19th ult., was the widow of the
late eminent physician, Dr. A, Todd Thompson, and
daughter of Mr. Thos. Beyerley, of Etruria, in Staffordshire.
I She was known to the public as the author of many
works of biography and fiction, the first of which, a
I Life of Wolsey,' was written for the Society for the
Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. Her first novel, called
' Constance,' was published anonymously, and met with
success—an animated picture of country life some forty
years ago; it also paints the character of Dr. Parr, with
whom the authoress was well acquainted. The next two
novels published with her name were less popular, and
Mrs. Thompson turned to biography. The Life of
Raleigh,' The Memoirs of the Court of Henry the
Eighth,' were followad by Memoirs of Sarah, Duchess
of Mariborough."rhe research and reading requisite
for these works gave her material for a series of his-
torical novels,—' Anne Boleyn,' Raglan Castle,' The
White Mask,' The Chevalier.' In addition to these works
she published Lives of the Jacobites,' and two novels,
' Tracy, or the Apparition,' and Widows and Widowers.'
The death of Dr. Thomson, in 1849, put a stop for a time
to her literary pursuits. On Mrs. Thomson's return to
England, after some years residence abroad, she published
a novel, ' Court Secret,' founded on the well-known story
of Kasper Hauser, Faults on both Sides,' and Memoirs
of Villiers, Duke of Buckingham.' Her later works were
Society,' and
written conjointly with her son, and published under the
nonas do plume of Grace and Philip Wharton, The Queens
of
Wits and Beaux.' The ' Literature of
Society,' only just given to the world, was Mrs. Thomson's
last production. Her fellow worker, J. C. Thomson, was
accidentally drowned at Tenby whilst bathing."—dthe-
»awn, Jan. 3, 1863.

PUBLIC EXECUTIONS.—At the Worcestershire
Court of Quarter Sessions held
this
week, the chair-
man, the Earl of Dudley, made some observations in refer-
ence to the execution of William Ockold,
A Worcester, for
murder, reported in The Sun of Saturday at
last.
t
effort, he said, had been made in Worcester to save Ockold,grea
not from any doubt that he was guilty, or that the
because
of death should have followed his crime, but bu
there was a strong feeling that as the convict wasse
70 years old, if he had been shut up for the remainder
of his days justice would have been fully vindicated. It
seemed to him that if a guarantee were given to the public
generally that sentences passed upon parsons would be duly
carried out every one would feel pleasure at the discontinu-
ance of such painful scenes as the one that had been wit
nessed last Friday . Mr. Curtler, deputy-chairman, coin-
cided with his lordship. He moved that the matter be re-
ferrednient to a committee, to consider whether a morn conve-
tblywil‘elrrs.toPoadkitnhgattohne,
. and less dangerous mode could not be found for carry-
ing out public executions at the gaol. This was seconded
who, however, wished it to be distinctly
question which he considoetretoduch all upon.
now the law was to be carried into
w effect in such cases—'a
atthe question of
moref for the discus-
sion of Parliament and the nation thuaen that Court. The
motion. of Mr, Curtler was then carried.°