The Sun.
London, England, 1839-06-07 00:00:00

THEATRES.

~.

HER MAJESTY'S.
*74
Romani's opera of Lucrezia Borgia was last nigh
produced at this house, for the purpose, chiefly, 0
giving Signor Mario a favourable opportunity to ma,k9
his appearance, who may be said to have had the
whole opera to himself. He was encored in the "Di pis-
catore," and-he was also highly successful in the touching
air " Raggio d'Amor," in the second act. His voice is a
very pure tenor, having all its notes clear and strong. His
style, also, is of the most laudable kind, from its freedom
from all tendencies to coarseness than we generally find the
case with young artists. In his figure Signor Mario is
delicately made, and he acts with much spirit ; he may be
well be considered an improvement on these boards. The
chorus singers did themselves not a little credit in the
manner in which they executed their duty in this opera.
The scenery was all new, and, for the most part, rich.
After the performance of the opera, a new ballet, called
La Gitana (or Gipsy) was brought out here. It is one
of Taglioni's St. Petersburg works, and, as far as good
scenery and plenty of dancing can have any concern in the
question, it is undoubtedly a good ballet. Three different
kinds of dancing are introduced into the first act, and the
second concludes with a version of the celebrated Caohuca,
in which she may be fairly stated to outshine all her con-
temporaries. The house was remarkably well filled.

HA YMARKE T.
The play of the Stranger was represented here last
night. Miss Maywood, from America—of whose recent
debut in Bianca, in the tragedy of Fazio, we had the grati-
fication of speaking in very favourable terms— sustaining
the part of Mrs. Haller. This young lady's personation
of this character will unquestionably add to her profes-
sional reputation. Miss Maywood's practical acquaintance
with the stage, it is said, is but of very short duration,
the present, we believe, not exceeding her fifteenth per-
formance. Cooper played the Stranger very effectrely.
Strickland, in Solomon, though always painstaking ands
clever, was hardly, we thought, self-important enough ; and
Buckstone, in Peter, though amusing, would' do we or
rather, perhaps, better, if he bore in mind LiEnlet's Rake
to " you: clowns." Ho g played Francis vc y well, and
Walter Lacy, in Baron Steinfort, was thk finest dressed
man in the piece. In the farces of IViehtias Rant and
Uncle John, Farren, who has returned to this theatre after
a two seasons' absence, played those characters in his best
manner. Strickland's Dr. Birch and Friend Thomas,
Buckstone's Shrimp, Webster's Hawk, and Mrs. Glover's
Mrs. Hawk, were amongst the most amusing matters of the
night, and afforded very general satisfaction and pleasure,
as testified by the frequent laughter and applause of a well-
filled house.

METROPOLITAN POLITICAL
SUMMARY. I

The Courier of last evening, alluding to the prospects
of Toryism as being revived by the blundering of their
adversaries, says—" The lot of the Tories is, notwith-
standing all these adverse points a singularly lucky one.
Their adversaries, Whig and Radical, are evermore, by
accident or by design, taking some course or making some
slip, that seems peculiarly calculated to render them timely
support, or to revive their drooping hopes of success. The
Ministerial deficiencies which we yesterday recognised
and lamented, seem—for example—especially devised and
created for Tory advantage. Who and what, within the
wide range of the British empire, can by possibility be
benefited by such prejudices and timidities, but Tories and
Toryism ! Turn from Whigs to Radicals, and what else do
we see ? What meet us there, but proofs the most positive
that there is no good luck stirring but what lights' on
Tory shoulders 1"
The Globe, recurring to the subject of Lord John Rus.
sell's speech in the Commons on Tuesday night, observes—
" There is no mystification,' and there is no finality'
secret influence. There is the simple fact, that Lord John
Russell, though friendly to progressive improvements, will
not abandon the basis of the first Reform Bill to effect a
second one. There is the other simple fact, that if Lord
John Russell would make this abandonment, the moderate
section of his supporters would, to a man, leave him alone
in his glory. The Ministerial Leader's statement of his
own meaning was a perfectly clear one, and was not, we
believe, so displeasing to that section of independent Mem-
bers whose views may be considered to have been repre-
sented by Mr. Warburton, as the silence after Sir R. Peel's
injurious commentary."
The Standard contains the following absurd paragraph
in a leading article on the subject of the Ministry :—" We
believe that the Parliament will be dissolved before Mid-
summer day, and an attempt made to obtain a Radical
House. Let no man be incredulous because of the extra-
vagant absurdity of the surmised project. The efficient
Prime Minister at present is the Marchioness of Normanby ;
and with her means of information, she may be well enough
excused for believing that the people will support her Go-
vernment; or, if she listens to her husband's representa-
tions, she is still more likely to miscalculate. It is impos-
sible for any one to reflect upon Lord Normanby's acts and
demeanour in Jamaica and in Ireland, and to read his
wretched novels, without coming to the conclusion that
he is, as the Rev. Sydney Smith would say, a regular
fool.' "

The Morning Chronicle of this day, recurring to the
subject of Lord John Russell's speech in the Commons, in
reply to Sir Hesketh Fleetwood's motion for an extension
of the franchise, says:—" If the cause of Reform do not
advance, it will not be the fault of Lord John Russell.
His worst enemies, if he have any, will never accuse of in-
sincerity a man whose honesty is proverbial; and we know,
therefore, that we could place the firmest reliance on his
really entertaining those opinions in favour of progressive
Reform to which he gave expression on Tuesday night.
Whoever in the hour of trial may be found backward, it
will not be the Noble Lord. It was evident to us on
Tuesday night that the cause of the Queen and the people
was in imminent danger from a hesitation in some quar-
ter to adopt the only mezns by which the Govern-
ment could possibly only
together. Not a moment
was to be lost. A Government depending on popu-
lar support deceives itself if it seeks to deceive the
people. It derives its strength from the confidence which
the people repose in its honesty. It gives us pleasure to
be able to assure our readers on information which may It
relied on, and the correctness of which they will have an
opportunity of testing in a few days, that we may congra-
tulate the country on some progress. The Bahot is to be
made an open question, and as notice of motion on this
subject will, we have reason to believe, be given almost
immediately, the votes will at once afford evidence of this
determination. We trust that we may soon be enabled to 4
give assurance of other advances indicative of a better
understanding between Ministers and Reformers than has
for some time prevailed. May the good principle in the
Cabinet, which has so far prevailed, continue to be suc-
cessful 1"

The Times alludes to Tuesday night's debate in the
House of Commons, in the following ridiculously exag-
gerated style :—" We repeat that the proceedings of that
one night have exposed to all England the internal discords
of the Cabinet, still named after Lord Melbourne. It was
tx)t the distracted manner of Lord John Russell alone, but
look at the subsequent conduct of the other Ministers, of
whom not one took the slightest part in the debate, or
furnished the most trifling support to their unhappy leader,
assailed as he was by Radicals of all shapes and dimen-
sions—charged as he was by Mr. Warburton, with imibi-
guity and mystification—lauded as he was in a manner stilt
more tormenting by Sir Robert Peel, and still more mis-
chievous to the reptile policy of the Government for the
frankness, candour and uncompromising boldness with
which he had pledged himself and colleagues to resist the
meditated violations of the Reform Bill. Nothing could
induce the spell-bound Whig Ministers to reinforce or
rescue their bewildered chief."

The Morning Herald observes, in the course of a lead-
ing article suggested by Tuesday night's proceedings in
the House of Commons:—" Lord Normanby is intriguing
to place himself at the head of the Parliamentary Radi-
cals, who, on Tuesday, cast off their allegiance to the
existing Cabinet. Whether Lord Melbourne will be able
to maintain himself in his present position against his
Colonial Minister, is doubtful. Equally doubtful are all
the Ministerial movements. Lord John and his colleagues
in the lower house may be stopped at any moment, in
their attempts to shuffle through the business of the Ses-
sion—and compelled to resign. The Normanby party in
in the Cabinet may prevail, and may adopt the desperate
chances of a dissolution, and of a manifesto in favour of
" Reform."

Tho Morning Post, commenting on a leading article
that appeared in the Chronicle of yesterday, and which
our Contemporary calls the " N.rmanby Manifesto," makes
the following remarks :—" How very agrecable it mast be
to the Noble Lord to be told that he possesses the peculiar
privilege of being not one man, but two—that his individual
and his Ministerial being have nothing to do with each
other—that, being a Minister and an individual, he must
be allowed to have two separate memories, and understand.
ings, and consciences, two distinct sets of principles, in-
tentions, objects, sympathies, affections—that what he
approves as an individual canrrot be expected to iadicate
in the slightest degree what he intends to do as a
Minister, or what he promises as a Minister, what
he is likely to attempt as an individual. The meta-
physical morality of the Normanby manifesto, although
Lord John has been something of a dabbler in the same
line of speculation himself, is, we fear, of too transcen-
dental a character to produce all the effect that is intendell
upon the mind of the Noble Leader of the House of
Commons."

The Morning Advertiser remarks in an article on the
East India Society :—" If we look at the three staple
articles of our commerce as relates to our wants—for they
have become wants—in a physical and manufacturing
point of view, ttit, sugar, and cotton—consider the mode
and precarious tenure of supply, and me'n look at the in-
viting field which India presents for the production of these
several articles, it would in itself afford abundant induce-
ments to make a grand effort for the development of the
vast resources of that mighty empire. For tea we are at
present dependent on the caprice of the Chinese, and the
observance or avoidance of their ridiculou', irksome, and
exclusive laws. For sugar we are dependent on the West
India planters, and the Chance of their oppression keeping
terms with the aspiring throes of freedom in the bosom of
the emancipated population. For cotton we are dependent on
the preservation of amicable relations with America; and
on the infortuitous issue of any of these chances, the Bri.
i
tish nation would be subjected to ncalculable loss and in-
convenience. India presents the means of providing against
all these contingencies. Tea is already cultivated there ;
an article requiring the most delicate adaptation of soil,
climate, and culture. Cotton and sugar have long been
produced in a rude state; and the whole of these valuable
commodities have in India all the requisites of productive
soil, climate, labour, and ingenuity, and require merely ca-
pital,enerny, and co-operation to afford an abundantsup-
ply to the world. If these
i inducements fail, it would be
fruitless to adduce others, f men prove blind to their own
interests, it would be folly to appeal in behalf of humanity.
On these grounds alone the British India Society deserves
support, and the benefit which it will effect for man-
kind will serve to cheer on the efforts undertaken for in-
dividual gain."