The Sun.
London, England, 1837-11-16 00:00:00

SACRED HARMONIC SOCIETY.

The powerful band and chorus of this Society met in
the large room, Exeter Hall, Tuesday evening, for a public
performance of Handel's " Dettingen To Deum," and Mo-
zart's " Twelfth Service." The announcement of this
performance drew crowds to the door almost immediately
on the opening, and from that time until the commence
went, the meeting could scarcely be termed with propriety
a harmonious one. The first tap, however, of the conduc-
tor's baton, the first majestic roll of the organ, hushed the
tumultuous waves, and commanded a stillness and anxious
attention that would do credit to the taste of those higher
circles which, until of late years, have been considered as
alone possessing mind to understand or feeling to enjoy the
effects of grand music. The solo parts were allotted to Miss
Birch, Miss Lockey, Mr. T. Young, Mr. Horncastle, and
Mr. H. Phillips. Mr. T. Young, who has just retired
from the choir of St. George's Chapel, Windsor, has a
sweet and full voice, without, however, any great power,
and sings with great delicacy and taste, which renders him
particularly serviceable in the beautiful quartetts which
occur in the oratorio and service selected for this per-
formance. After H. Phillips's chaste execution of " Thou
art the King of Glory," the enthusiasm of the audience
could no longer be restrained by the rules of the society,
and an encore was with difficulty avoided. The trumpet
obligato was played by Harper, who aided not a little the
effect of the music throughout by his admirable execution
of the trying parts which are given to the trumpet. H.
Phillips's other solo, " Vouchsafe, 0 Lord !" was given, if
possible, with greater vigour and truth. The sublime cho-
rus which concludes the oratorio was saluted with so per-
severing a call for repetition, that it could not be resisted.
The depth, richness, and variety of Mozart's 12th Service
seemed to be fully appreciated and enjoyed. The quartctt
and chorus, " Quoniam to solos sanctus," the chorus
" Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus," the " Agnus Dei," and the
concluding chorus, " Dona nobis pacem," the solo part of
which Mr. T. Young sang with much feeling and taste,
drew forth an especial share cf applause. Between these
two parts was introduced a selection, consisting of a portion
of Handers " Funeral Anthem," as a tribute of respect to
the late Mr. S. Wesley. The air, " Pious orgies," from
" Judas Maccabmus," which Miss Lockey sang with tole-
rable success, although her veice is too weak for so large a
space ; the recit. and air, " 0 ! worse than death ;" and
" Angels ever bright," from Handel's " Theodora," which
Miss Birch sang with so much truth and feeling, and so
perfect execution, that nothing but compassion could have
prevented an encore. Mr. Horncastle sang the solo,
" Gentle airs," from Handel's " Athalia," with considera-
ble judgment. The violoncello obligato of Lindley was
given in his most finished style, and caused a long struggle
for a repetition, the band and chorus warmly joining in the
applause, until they perceived the strong objection which
the veteran himself exhibited. Miss Birch sang Guglielmi's
air " Gratias agimus," accompanied by Mr. Lazarus on
the clarionet, and Phillips the air of Pergolesi, " 0, Lord,
have mercy upon me." The selection concluded with the
" Old Hundredth Psalm," arranged for a full orchestra,
by G. Perry, the leader. At the first notes of this ma-
jestic anthem the audience rose with one accord. It was
given with perfect precision, and the effect was tremen-
dous. At the conclusion there was a slight commence-
ment of applause, which aas silenced in an instant, for the
general impression of solemnity, arising partly from the
familiarity of the old tune, partly from its own grandeur,
seemed to revolt against any expression of tumultuous
feeling. The performance was not conclulal until after
1 o'clock.

GRAND MATRIMONIAL HOAX.—On Thursday
last, while every avenue of the great city of London was
sounding with the gal note of 'civic preparation, the little
town of Harrow-on-the-Hill, was the scene of an incident
the interest of which was second only to the joyful sensation
aroused on that day by the proud procession of our youth-
ful Sovereign through the streets of her capital. Certain
facetious wags of Harrow School having noticed in the
newspapers an advertisement for a wife, resolved to answer
it, which led to a series of letters between the parties to their
mutual satisfaction. It was at length settled that the ad-
vertiser should proceed to Harrow on the day above.men-
tioned, by the 10 o'clock train, and, after meeting his in-
tended in the church-yard, should accompany her to town
to witness the grand procession of the Queen. As may be
supposed the scholars were on the acme of expectation, and
at the appointed time a showily dressed female might be
seen wending,her way up the church-yard, amidst the shouts
and cheering of the spectators, who remained on the look-
out for the arrival of the gay speculator in matrimony.
After a little time he was observed advancing by a bye-path
towards the rendezvous, whither he was watched and seen
to salute the fair object of his wishes, who, after the neces-
sary explanations, took his arm and descended the hill,
amidst the tittering of the observers, freely conversing with
him, and occasionally looking him in the face with a confid-
ing simplicity which it was beautiful to beheld. In this
manner they proceeded (the adventurous votary of Hymen
evidently captivated by the fascinating manners and sylph-
like form of his companion—ever and anon passionately gaz-
ing on her beauteous countenance, until they slopped at the
King's Head .Inn, whither they were followed, at a suitable
distance, by the whole school, and such of the town's-peord2
as were in the secret. Their arrival at this place was the
signal for a general outbreak of mingled hisses, laughter, and
shouting, and the astounded night on turning to his fair
companion to seek an explanation, was most ineffably horri-
fied by seeing her tuck up her petticoats under her arms
and mizzle through the crowd, which immediately closed up
and effectually covered her retreat. Soon afterwards one
of the school-boys, named Jervais, and vastly resembling the
false fair one, was notieed.as being particularly active in the
tumult. A. scene here ensued which beggars all descrip-
tion ; but at length the unfortunate devil was partially res-
cued from his painful situation by the arrival of the mathe-
matical master of the school, who, however, was quickly
hemmed in by the crowd of boys, and experienced some
difficulty in forcing his way through, which he, however, at
last effected, and called in the assistance of another master,
who, by his laudable exertions, and good-natured mode of
arranging matters,. at length succeeded in securing the
escape of the poor dupe, who was afterwards seen, with a
most rueful expression of phiz, waiting at the railroad sta-
tion for the next train of carriages.—lllorning Paper.
Some little confusion was created in Chelmsford
church on Sunday morning—an individual among the con-
gregation suddenly elevating his voice (when he should
have been silent) above that of the officiating minister, and
bawling out the benediction with which the morning prayers
conclude. The young man, who is very respectably con-
nected, but who is subject to occasional aberration of mind,
was speedily remnved, and the service proceeded. We un,
derstand he has since been placed under the care of Mr.
Temkin, of Witham.—Essex Herald.

We take the following extraordinary account of an
earthquake from a letter, published it the Charge, dated
Agram, in Croatia, Oct. 15 :—" Opt the first day of this
month low moaning sounds began to be heard, as if front
under the earth, which terrified the catae in the fields,
brought the wild animals of the forests almost into the
town ; „while birds of prey perching on the houses suffered
themselves to be taken without resistance. This contintsed
till three in the afternoon of the Gth, when an explosion
similar to a salvo of artillery took place, and the earth be-
gan to quake. These detonations were repeated every half
hour till the evening, during the night they were less fre-
quent and less violent ; on the morning of the 7th there
were two successive explosions, after which the shocks
cessed entirely. The inhabitants fled to the fields : all
the furniture of the houses was thrown downe And several
buildings were destroyed. No human life was kst by these
accidents, but three women and two children died, it is
said, of fatigue and alarm in the fields. The wind blew
from the north, and the air was cold : the thermometer
standing at 7 degrees of Reaumur, or -171 of Fahrenheit.
EFFECTS OF PASsION.—A few days ago. a
miner, at Auberchicourt, proceeded to inflict manual- casti-
gation on• his wife for having neglected to prepare his soup
a t the usual dinner hour, and, whilst engaged in this con-
jugal operation, was in such a paroxysm of rage, that he
was seized with apoplexy, and fell on the ground a corpse.
The following curious incident occurred in Lisbon
on Friday week :—Of all the members of the Camillo Club.
none is more patriotic than Mr. S., a Portuguese merchant
of this city. Of the 'advocates of the adoption of the new
tariff, as a means of excluding British commerce from the
n a kets of Portugal, he was the warmest, and amongst
tie declaimers against England and, every thing English be
was the very loudest. It happened, however, that on the
day above mentioned one of the examining officers at the
Custom-house having perceived something suspicious about
a piece of broad cloth opened it, and found that it con-
tained a piece of English silk--an article, the duties on
which amount to a prohibition. He then proceeded to open
all the others, and in each and every one there was a piece
of silk cunningly folded up together with the cloth. At.
this discovery the whole Custom-house was in an uproar of
indignation against England generally, and especially against
the Englishman who, it was taken for granted, must bo
the consignee, which only subsided when on inquiry it was
found that the goods in question were not only consigned,
but actually belonged to their own countryman, the patriotic
Mr. S. !!
Yesterday, a Court of Directors was held at the
East India House, at which it was determined to discharge,
on the 30th of June next, the East India Company's home
bond debt, which now bears interest at the rate of four per •
cent. per annum ; interest thereon will accordingly cease
from that day. The holders of bonds of 1001. each, or up-
wards, to an extent not exceeding one half (1,760,0001.) of
the whole bond debt, may, however, exchange their bonds
for new bonds, bearing interest at the rate of three per
cent. per annum, from the 30th of June next, up to which
period the present interest of four per cent. per annum
will be paid. The interest upon such new bonds is not to
be reduced, nor the principal to be discharged or demanded
except after a notice of 12 months.
A CHARACTER.—Died, at his house in Queens-
berry-street, on Monday, the 6th current, Mr. James Ro.
bison, late billet-master. The deceased was altogether a
character in Dumfries, and; 'during a space of nearly 80
years, was never permanently absent from the chiming of
the mid-steeple bells. For a long series of years Mr. Ro-
bison—or as he was better known as Jamie Robisonkept
bachelor's hall in company with a brother recently deceased,
and both were distinguished by strong eccentricity of cha-
racter, though in every sense of the word, men of honesty
and probity. Jamie was a perfect chronicle of Dumfries in
the olden time—could detail every remarkable incident
during a period of half a century—such as the burning of
the mills, the hanging of desperate criminals, and the oc-
currence of riotous " siller guns ;" and knew not only the pe-
digree of every family.in town, but could detail the progress
of their sons in distant lands, and the distinction or fortune
which had attended them. If we are not mistaken, he was in
Kirkcudbright at the time St. Mary's Isle was visited by Paul
Jones, in •the Ranger, and the plate of the Earl of Sel-
kirk carried off by his crew ; at all events we have often
heard him speak of the consternation of the citizens upon
that occasion, and their hasty preparations of defence, had
that daring and extraordinary man visited the burgh in
hi: wrath. Upon the last occasion of the " Riding of the
marches" by the incorporated trades some years ago, Mr. •
Robison's services were in requisition to point out the
boundery line of the olden burgh roods, and in doing so he
distinctly recollected the localities where cogs of ale and
ginger-bread had been distributed some sixty years before,
when a boy, and when the same drama was enacted by the
convener and deacons of a departed age. Altogether
Jamie Robison knew everybody and everybody knew him,
and Dumfreisians far away will learn that the living land-
marks of the good old burgh are being fast numbered with
the things that were.—Deg fries courier.
Joseph Guarnerius, the violin maker, the nephew
of Andrew Guarnerius, and pupil of the renowned Stradu-
arius, died early ; his end being precipitated by the series
of ea:emetics which befel him. His great reputation did
not begin to blossom till he was in his grave. Thrown into
prison when very young, and for causes that-have not tran-
spired, he languished there for many years. So sharp was
his misery, that it was with the utmost difficulty he could
procure a few wretched implements to enable him to pro-
ceed in the manufacture of his violins. Those which were
made during the long term of his captivity are distinguished
under the name of " Maiden violins ;" the following being
the anecdote which gave rise to that designation :—The
gaoler's daughter had fallen in love with Joseph Guarne-
rius, and she secretly supplied the unhappy artist with ma-
terials requisite for his labour. She would go round to the
violin-makers of the city, and request, as for charity, the re-
fuse of their varnish. With this amalgam of various de-
scriptions of varnish, were covered those instruments which
are now known as the " Maiden violins ;" and they are
easily recognised by the peculiar granulations in the layers
of the varnishing. The mistress of the captive then went
and sold, for the meanest sums, and to mitigate the misery
of a celebrated artist, those very instruments which now
fetch their weight in gold.--Musical World.
Sstinday morning about nine o'clock, the town of
Middlesboroug-on-Tees was thrown into a state of alarm
by a report that an hour before one of the steam-boats cm-
ployed in towing had blown up. It appears that a boat,
named the Freedom, the property of Messrs. Strong, was
towing down the river three small vessels, and when they
reached the eighth buoy a sudden squall came on front the
north-east, that prevented the progress of the steamer,
the engine of which stopped on her centre. The steam
was immediately blo vn off with all possible rapidity, but.
not so fast as it was generated in the boiler, which in a short
time burst under the feet of Captain White, who was at
the helm, and, blowing out the stern, hurled the unfortu-
nate man into the river. The shattered vessel immediately
sunk. The eng.ne-man could fortunately swim, and was
shortly after picked up uninjured. The other person on
board, named Strong, one of the sons of the proprietor of
the boat was at the time of the accident on the engine-hens-LI
cover, on which he floated till another boat, the Harvest
Haw, came up, and ,:With considerable difficulty rescued
him from his perilous sittiatiol. His cap had been knocked
off by something flying through the air at the time of the
explosion, and he bad received a bruise on time cheek-bone,
but was not otherwise injured. 'lite body of the captain
has not. yet been found.—Darbant Chr:nticle.
Mr. Robert Wilson, of the Compass Inn, Sp3ld-
wick, has in his possession a cow, whose milk or rather
cream, has during the summer months produced good but-
ter without any churning, or going through any other pro-
cess than simply putting the cream together,—Cambridge
Chronicle.
Mats. WILKINSON, TIIE ACTRESS.—Our readers
may recollect that upwards of' a year ago a paragraph ap-
peared in this paper, which was given on what, at the time,
appeared to be good authority, that Mrs. Wilkinson, and
her husband, and children had perished in their voyage to
Van Diemen's Land. There appeared a few days, lifter a
letter from a respected relative of Mr. Wilkieson s, which
contradicted the certainty of the account ; but at that time
it stii, remained doubtful. We are now enabled to set the
matter at rest, having seen a letter • from Mch hr. Wilkinson,
dated from Hoba:t Town, May 16, in whie states
his family to be in goy
mentions that o the
health. and his prospects in
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Mr. Wilkinson ices subsequeatly attacked with brain fever.
But the tenour of the letter, deducting these detractions,
rn:my be considered rather gratifying to his frien&..--3lortt-
lay Ildvcrtiser
We perform a very gratifying duty in again (meet-
public attention to the progress which is tem making
towards the execution of the railway between this own nod
Glasgow. The name of Mr. Joseph Locke. as engineer,
gives the hest assurance of the speedy and masterly cisme.
tion of the work, which, we understand, will ha ecnanenced
with .vigour at various parts of the line as soon as the weether
will permit. We may thus hope to see part of it ,open
within a short time, and- the whole line completed in little
more than two years. This we hold to be. a subject of
sincere =gratulation to the west of Scotland generally,
and to the dwellers on the Clyde in particular. Our rail.
road is the first link in the connecting chain of rapid corn.
mud:cation throughout Scotland from west to cast, and we
cannot conceive any work better calculated to insure great
and certain advantages to all concerned.—Greenock
• LNY.V4 SP WO
Ad-
vertise.
The Abbe Nialot, expressing a douht to" .tuenftot„..----
how many in asses would save the soul, the Cardinal
—" Pile ! you're a blockhead .—as many as it we'
snowballs to heat an oven."

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