The Sun.
London, England, 1839-05-18 00:00:00

SURREY.

Davidge has been recently engaged in an experiment
which at first sight appears a most hazardous, but which
has turned out a most successful one, and which will go
far to silence those wbo still affect to deny that the Eng-
lish are a musical people. Ile has engaged Miss Rumer,
Templeton, Balfe, and the double chorus from Drury-
lane, for the purpose of producing a series of operas for the
amusement of the frequenters of the Surrey Theatre. We
last night had the pleasure of witnessing the ninth repre-
sentation of Bellini's Sonnandda, with all the original
music. The house was crowded before the rising of the
curtain, and of a more attentive audience it has never been
our lot to form part. The fact of this opera having had a run
at the Surrey is proofof the immense progress of musical taste
among the people of late years. There is in Sonnambula nei-
ther magnificent scenery nor grand processsions, nor is the
music written ad captandum. There are no tours de force; the
instrumentation throughout is made subservient to the
voice, and the harmony is the silken thread running
through the pearl-chain of melody. And yet this opera
was listened to by a crowded audience last night with in-
tense interest and deep attention ; an audience who testi-
fied
their delight by their enthusiastic applause, and their
taste by bestowing that applause with judgment. We look
upon this as a symptom of a very favourable change which
is rapidly taking place in the people—they are becoming
a musical people—and no musical people can be a sottish
one. The performances of Miss Romer, Templeton, and
Balfe arc so well known that it would be needles to criti-
cize them, but we must awar I our meed of approbation to
the band, who ably seconded the efforts of the talented
artistes. The manner in which the opera was produced
reflects the highest credit on G. Stansbury, who has had
the conduct of the whole, and who presided in the orches-
tra. We would strongly advise those of our readers who
are fond of a musical treat, at a reasonable rate, to lose no
time in visiting the Surrey. Davidge, like a skilful ge-
neral, seems determined to follow up his success. On
Monday he produces Balfe's Maid of Artois, and on Sa
turday, for the first time on the English stage, Donizetti's
L' Elisir d' Amore. We sincerely wish him every success.
In the afterpiece of No, which followed the opera, Mr.
Henry Bedford sang the pretty ballad of " I'll not throw
away the cower" with considerable taste and feeling, and
rewarded by an unanimous encore.

The vacant Deanery of Chester has beat con-
ferred on Mr. Anson.

DREADFUL ACCIDENTS IN THE OLD BAILEY.
—Yesterday about noon a distressing accident occurred
opposite the Pitts Head, in the Old Bailey. Jane Laing,
the mother of several children, and now in an advanced
state of pregnancy, was in attendance with her sister, who
had business to transact at the Central Criminal Court.
When crossing the carriage way towards the Court, she
was knocked down, and run over by a cart, belonging to
Mr. Bland, of Union street; Borough. Her shrieks were
terrific, as the wheel passed over the lower part
of her body, and she was conveyed to the Hospital,
under the superintendence of N'Vebb, 83, City
police, whose conduct was praiseworthy on the melancholy
occasion. The driver of the horse, Charles Hamer, was
then taken before Mr. Alderman Lainson, but there is
abundant evidence to prove that no blame attaches to him,
as he used every effort to stop the animal, and it is thought
that the accident would not have happened but for the
clamour of a set of idlers who always congregate during
session time. At a late hour in the evening the report at
the hospital was, that the poor woman was expected to ex-
pire in a few hours. Her place of residence was No. 9,
New-court, New Gravel-lane, Shadwell. Between seven
and eight o'clock in the evening, another woman was
run over near the same spot, by a cart belonging
to Peter Swinger, of the New Cut, Lambeth, and it was
stated that both her legs were broken ; at all events, she
was severely injured. A session seldom passes but serious
accidents happen, which might be avoided if the Corpora-
tion would adopt the system so often and fruitlessly recom-
mended—viz., not to allow a thoroughfare for carriages,
carts, &c., during the holding of the sessions, excepting
those which necessity requires. . It would require only two
additional policemen to effect this desirable object.