The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-06 00:00:00

ROYAL ENGLISH OPERA.

RUY BLAS.

Mr. Howard Glover's very pleasing and successful
opera of last season was reproduced at this house
last evening, and, despite the unfavourable weather,
attracted a very full attendance. Miss Pyne, Mr.
Harrison, and Mr. Santley resumed, of course, their
original characters, whilst the cast was weakened
by the substitution of Mr. Lyall for Mr. St. Albyn,
in Don Caesar, and greatly improved by Madame
Baxter's replacement of Miss M'Lean, in the
Page. On the various merits of this work we can
have now no occasion to enlarge. Its graceful
melody, dramatic spirit, and at times, brilliant
instrumentation are sufficiently acknowledged to
relieve us from the task of doing more than to record
its admirable dikecution on this occasion, and the
very marked satisfaction with which it was received.
Miss Pyne renewed all her great impressions in the
young Queen. Mingling all that dignity and grace-
fulness which so peculiarly distinguish her, its pre-
sentment was not less marked by her equally unrival-
led feeling. Her delivery of the scena of the 2d act,
of the exquisite ballad of the 3d, " Could life's
dark scene," and her share in the superb trio of the
last—the most dramatic feature of the opera, and the
only one that rises to the poetic height of the sub
ject—were all evidences of the substantial grounds
on which she has won her high position. Mr.
Harrison also resumed the hero with all the force
of its first presentment. He has appeared in no
character in which his dramatic feeling has been more
evident. Were he to perform "Ruy Blas" without a
note of music the public could not but consider it a
very superior performance. His treatment of the vocal
portion was not less meritorious—his delivery of
the pleasing ballad " Beside her lattice every night"
winning a well deserved encore. Mr. Santley was
in excellent voice, and sang superbly, as he does
always ; and :Mme. Baxter's delivery of the Page's
song in the opening act confirmed every anticipa-
tion of her destined success at her debut. The band,
chorus, and Mr. Mellon had all their usual excel-
lence.

The Countess of Craven and the Ladies Craven
have left Gormanbury, where they have been on a visit to
the Earl and Countess of Verulam. for The Grove, x ear
Watford, on a visit to the Earl and Countess of Clarendon.
The Earl and Countess of Verulam have been
receiving a succession of visitors at Gormanbury during the
past week.
Lady Harriet Vernon was safely delivered of a
daughter on Sunday last.
Lady Monson has arrived at the Queen's Hotel,
-Upper Norwood.
Sir John and Lady Thorold and family have
arrived at the Palace Hotel, Buckingham-gate, from Syston
Park, Grantham, on their way to their residence in the
Champs Elysees, at Paris.
Sir Robert and Lady Buxton are staying at the
Pavilion Hotel, Folkestone.
The marriage of Mr. Nugent with Miss Eveline
Gascoyne is unavoidably postponed to the end of the pre-
sent month.
Mr. and Mrs. Sewart Hodgson have arrived at
Farrance's Hotel from Sparrows Herne, Herts.
Mrs. Durant and family have arrived at Edward's
Hotel from Florence Villa, Shanklin, Isle of Wight.
THEATRE ROYAL, HAYMARKET.—The Prince of
Wales honoured this theatre with a visit last night, His
royal highness was attended by Count Gleicken, General
Knollys, and Capt. Grey. The performances were "Lord
Dundreary," " Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia," and " Mrs.
White."

THE PRINCE OF WALES.—His Royal Highness
the Prince of Wales is expected to visit his recently-
acquired estate at Sandringham, Norfolk, to-day. It is
understood that the Prince of Wales will travel from town
by a special train on the Great Eastern Railway to the
Wolterton station on the Lynn and Hunstanton branch,
which is within easy distance of the mansion. In that case
his stay at the Lynn station will be very brief, and it is
intended that the visit shall be of a strictly private charac-
ter. A portion of the Prince's stud and carriages were to
precede him, his Royal Highness proposing to devote some
attention to field sports. The mansion at Sandringham
has received several additions, &c., but it is expected that
its interior fittings will yet be greatly enriched.
A great fire took place on Saturday morning, at
Louth, in Lincolnshire, by which property to the
estimated amount of about £16,000 was consumed. The
fire broke out in the premises of an extensive firm of linen-
drapers, and both premises and stock were entirely burnt in
spite of all the efforts which were made for their preserva-
tion. The property was only partially insured.
THE GALES.—Admiral Fitzroy has despatched
three telegrams since Saturday evening to the dif-
ferent outports, with notice to hoist the warning signals.
Heavy gales from the S. S. W. prevailed yesterday at Scar.
borough, Jersey, Lorient, Plymouth, Portsmouth, and He-
ligoland.

DISTRESS IN NOTTINGHAM.—SO much distress
at present exists in the town of Nottingham, that
the Mayor has issued a circular soliciting subscriptions
to " raise a fund of about £l,OOO for affording relief by
the distribution of soup, and in some instances bread, and
which are to be given after careful personal inquiries."
SHAMEFUL FACTS.—A private letter from a sol-
dier in Burnside's army to his mother in this city,
written from Falmouth a day or two previous to the disas-
trous battle of Fredericksburg, states that on the day when
the letter was written there were brought into the dead-
house 12 dead bodies of our soldiers who had been frozen to
death while on guard duty. He says several of the men were
on guard duty without pantaloons, having had for two or
three weeks only overcoats and drawers. The mercury on two
nights sunk to 13 deg. and 14 deg., and ice six inches thick
floated in the river. Their shoes were in many instances
almost worthless, being Massachusetts contract shoes, with
soles glued on; and the men were, moreover, half starved.
The writer had just received some money from home, and
he says he devoted 25c. of it to the purchase of a quart of
meal, which he stirred up with water and boiled ; and he
adds that it was the best dinner he had had for two or three
months. There is a terrible responsibility resting on the
heads of guilty contractors, quartermasters, and shoddy
patriots generally, who have directly done so much to cause
these evils. While white soldiers are absolutely freezing
to death in Virginia, our Government is having 50,000 suits
of clothes made in New York for negros. And many thou-
sands of dollars' worth of life-necessaries aro sent abroad
to help the suffering poor of Great Britain, while our own
poor soldiers dio of nakedness and starvation at home.—
Mr/Joni Times.

PORTSMOUTH, Jan. 5, 6 p.m.—The anticipations
raised hero yesterday by the state of the barometer,
and the general appearance of the weather, Nv,ro realised
last night by a fresh gale from S.W. round to S.S.E. Since
daylight the wind has moderated. During the forenoon
the wind got in to S.S.W. It is now at W. The eone and
drum signal from Admiral Fitzroy is hoisted, indicating a
gale from the northward. Towards this quarter the wind
is now working round, and Portsdown, which lies north of
the harbour, is hid by dense black banks of clouds. Al-
though there is almost an utter absence of wind at present,
it is evidently but a lull between the gales, which, from
appearances, may be expected with renewed force, The
barometer on the Victoria Pier now stands at half-a-tenth
below 29.0.

GREAT CONFLAGRATION AT BROMPTON.—Be-
tween 4 and 5 o'clock this morning a fire broke out in the
Royal Restaurant, 4, Queen's-buildings, Brompton. The
fire engines were soon in attendance, but before their ar-
rival every room in the spacious building presented an
f.' the International unt7c-ir.n sheet of fire, and the reflection was so great that
persons at a short disial:lC thought
Exhi-
bition building had taken fire. The firemell enrted them-
selves to the utmost to save the houses on each side, but
they ply partially succeeded, as they sustained considerable
damage. The front of the house in which the fire began
gave way, and Ihe flames rose higher than before, and the
restaurant was entirely destroyed. The whole of the
sufferers were insured.

The exterior of the Royal mausoleum is rapidly
progressing, but the interior will remain in the same state
as when her Majesty left Windsor until the return of the
Queez3,— Court Journal.