The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-07 00:00:00

film SUN ' LONDON, WEDNESD EVENING, MAY 7, 1862

opportunity of seeing done upon a larger scale, in
the instancte of the Autobiography of the late daunt-
less THOMAS CoCHRANE, 10th Earl of Dundonald,
it may be seen very readily indeed, through Cap.
tainLsoN's own pithy narrative of the recap-
ture of the ship Emilie St. Pierre, with what
perfect good taste, and with what manly and
unaffected eloquence, a hero may relate the particu-
lars of his own exploits, without one momentary
idea of boastfulness on his part recurring the while
to the mind of his hearer or his reader. In this way
C./EsAR led the way long since in his "Com-
mentaries," and XENOPHON in his incomparable
record of the " Retreat of the Ten Thousand."
The like has been done within this very
nineteenth century of ours by a Conqueror,
to say the least of him, upon a level with the Great
Captains of Antiquity. " Soldiers," said NAPOLEON,
when bidding adieu to his Old Guard at Fontein-
bleau, before his departure for Elba, " Soldiers, I
go to write the history of the deeds we have done
together." And delayed though the fulfilment of I
that promise was by the episode of the Hundred
Days, it was, nevertheless, fulfilled at last in the
voluminous narrative dictated at St. Helena to Las
CASES and GOURGAIM. Now, to breathe thus the
supreme names of CNSAR and NAPOLEON, of
NELSON and DUNDONALD, when referring to the
recent achievement of the brave merchant captain
who recaptured the Emilie St. Pierre, almost, one
might say, singlehanded, will not appear in any
respect whatever an extravagance to those who
ere acquainted with the actual facts of the case.
And—by this time—who is not P It is an incident
that the " bravest of the brave" might have been
proud to have passed through thus triumphantly.
Does any one—yet ignorant of the facts of the case
—remain disdainfully incredulous ? Let him turn
to Captain WILSON'S own simple and plain-spoken
statement of those facts, and, as certainly as we
are now writing these words, the observer's lip
will curl no longer with disdain. He will there
learn how it was that Captain WILSON, the skipper
of the Emilie St. Pierre, then a prisoner of war
upon his own vessel, and aided only in carrying out
his daring adventure by his two fellow-prisoners,
one his cook, the other his steward, contrived, upon
the 21st of March, while out at sea, to recapture
his ship from the prize crew of the United States
navy, a crew consisting at the time of two officers
and thirteen seamen. The consummate coolness
with which this astonishing recapture was effected
beggars all description—except Captain WILSON'S
own. The manner in which, one after another,
this daring skipper seized, and gagged, and hand-
cuffed—first of all the master's mate, and
immediately afterwards an engineer, 'who
was passenger on board the vessel. The adroit
manner in which, after quietly making this good
bold commencement of the work down below, Cap-
tain WILSON went on deck, a few seconds later, as
if he had but just turned out—the way in which he
thereupon walked the deck for ten minutes side by
side with Lieutenant STONE, while he pleasantly
chatted with that doomed commanding officer about
the weather, &c.—the delightfully careless fashion
in which he decoyed him down into the cabin to
examine the chart, and there brought him up in the
door-way with a brandished belaying-pin—to be
quietly seized, gagged, and ironed immediately
afterwards. All is admirably done, and admirably
told, too, by the doer of it. The rest of the narra-
tive shall be given in Captain WiLsoN's own words.
" Three men were walking the deck ; one was at
the helm and one on the look-out. I called the
three men aft, and, pointing to the hatchway of the
storeroom near the helm, said that a coil of rope was
wanted up. I shoved off the hatch, and pointing to
a corner where it was, they all three jumped down.
I immediately closed the batch, and warned the
man at the helm of his danger if he moved or spoke.
The look-out was then called aft, and when asked
whether he would help to work the ship to a British
port he said No.' I therefore put him with the
others, guarding the hatchway. I then called the
watch, and as sailors do not come on deck all to-
gether we got two aft and secured before any sus-
picion was aroused; the third man of the watch
below drew his knife at the steward, upon which
he fired, and the shot went through his shoulder;
the others were soon secured, and in the space
of a morning's watch I was again in charge of
my ship." No wonder the brave sailor who has
eccomplished a feat of prowess so consummate in
its audacity, should be cheered to the echo, as he
has been very recently by the assembled merchants
of Liverpool. No wonder that, by this single
deed of valour, he has won for himself a brilliant
and lasting reputation.

" WHALLEY ! WHALLEY !" shouted some rude
members last night ; and very rude it was. Lord
STANLEY wanted to speak—Ceylon was the subject;
yet the son of the ex-Premier, and a lord who is
much more than his father's son—the best that can
be said of most lords—is greeted when he rises with
cries of " WIIALLEY 1 WHALLEY !" What, it may
well be asked, is the charm which Mr. WHALLEY
exercises over the House ? We all know, by what
we read, why it calls for the great Tory leader, or
the Radical JOHN BRIGHT—we all understand why
an assembly, weary with routine work, must be
glad to refresh itself with the eloquence of genius,
whether the eloquence be on one's own side or on
an opponent's. But why does it shout out
" WHALLEY ! 'WHALLEY !" when a man of Lord
STANLEY'S mark rises to speak ?
We are sorry to be obliged to confess that after
all, as Mrs. BEECHER STOWE has it in " Uncle
Tom's Cabin," "a senator is but a man ;" and our
elected senators being but men, even in the midst
of their grave deliberations, they enjoy a joke and
a bit of solemn fun. We would not answer for it,
if Mr. SPEAKER were not in the way, whether
Punch and Judy m:ght not almost prove a season-
able relief sometimes. The House must pardon
us, but it was Mr. WHALLEY'S speech which res
minded us of the popular amusement; the
" whacks" on the poor Roman Catholics sounded
so much like those which we see or hear
dealt on the heads of the wooden combatants in the
streets—" lying,perjuring, thieving, and homicide,"
and again, " theft, homicide, murder, and sedition"
chronic spirit of disloyalty" came quite feebly
afterwards—Can our literal Punch beat all that with
his literal thumps on the head of Judy ? Members,
however, must beware how they invoke such en-
tertainments as Mr. WHALLEY'S. They soon began
to have enough ; but " Divide ! divide ! divide !" was
of no use when once the performance had begun.
It only furnished the performer with an oppor-
tunity to suck an orange and refresh his parched
mouth with the juice, and his eyes with the favou-
rite colour, and on he went with the theological
burletta, when his audience had had enough of it,
and more than enough.
But, after all, 111 votes have some importance,
whatever may be that of Mr. WHALLEY. There is
a party, at least, which is ready to put a WHALLEY
what
themselves.t he they
like to have said, but are
af os rhwa
ma redd,
tt
oo ss aa yy
There is evidently an
abundant leaven of selfish sectarianism yat in the
House which is not ashamed of itself, but rather
deems its sectarianism "doing GOD service." We
except from this censure those members who vote
against all religious grants from the National Ex-

chequer. To vote against the State intermeddling
with any religion,—with Protestantism, Presby-
terianism, or Catholicism, equally—is perfectly con-
sistent and honourable. No Roman Catholic can
regard such a vote as a persecuting vote ; the man
who gives it has an equal regard for the rights of
every creed; and believing that endowing all
equally is impracticable, he would throw all equally
upon the support of those who adopt each creed.
For ourselves we accord entirely with the vote of
the majority, and probably :'or the reason which
influenced the greater part of them. While Pres-
byterians are largely endowed, while the Episcopal
Church in Ireland is endowed, in the style immor-
talised by Tolf MOORE'S hunour, it would be,
surely, the last meanness to grudge to Roman
Catholics the paltry endowment of Maynooth. The
harm or the good it can do is perfectly insignifi-
cant; but the harm which it corld but do, to single
oat one sect, to strip it of its small Government
endowments, and to leave the others rejoicing in
' theirs, is not easy to be measured. Like the exac-
tion of Church-rates from Disseiters—it is not the
amount, but the injustice, whit] stings.

THE GOVERNMENT AND BRIBERY
AT ELECTIONS.

The following letter is beim extensively circu-
lated among the Liberal menvers of the House of
Commons :

" Dear Sir,—The Committeeof the Ballot Society
feel it to be their imperative duty to call the most
serious attention of the friendE of the Ballot in Par-
liament to the frightful increase in the use of all
kinds of corrupt and undue inluence which charac-
terises our Parliamentary electons, and which if not
soon checked will complete thedemoralisation of our
constituencies, and destroy every remaining vestige
of public principle and electoal independence.

" The Committee would remind the Parliamen-
tary advocates of Freedom of Election, that those
pernicious influences and resuls are not now con-
fined to small places, but are =pant everywhere,
and are admitted to be triumplant by all parties ;
hence we find that in North Y'rkshire and Oxford-
shire the landed proprietors 're alleged to to the
operators and landlord powertbe instrument em-
ployed. In Longford and at Bokenhead the Roman
Catholic priests are said to be the aggressors, and
religious authority the weapfn that is wielded.
In Nottingham it is the mob flat is the tyrant and
mob law that defies all oppositon ; and in Preston,
Grimsby, Wakefield, and othe places both parties
charge each other with belt)g perpetrators of the
most barefaced corruption.
"Under these circumstanes, and seeing that the
only remedy which the Government proposes to
apply to this monstrous evi is the re-enactment of
the Corrupt Practices Prewtion Act, which the
Times at its first enactmeit designated a pom-
pous profession meant to be noperative,' and which
everybody admits to have leen utterly useless, the
Committee would respectful y aik whether the time
has not come when a stand should be made for at
least a trial of Vote by Ballot a measure that is
resorted to by every other enlghtened community
and by our own, in almost eery case except that
of Parliamentary elections.

" The Ballot has been discused in the House of
Commons until both argumeit and sophistry are
exhausted, and only jokes aid bantering remain,
and yet its adoption is prevened by a motley ma-
jority, led on by a professedy Liberal Premier;
if this is to continue, that whop is called the Li-
beral party' will soon be a hopeless minority--
their honest and hardworking adherents will cease
to take interest in their caue, and their less reli
able supporters will succumbto the better tactics
and superior wealth of the a-called Conservative
party. This state of things may be of little con-
sequence to Lord Palmerston and his Anti-Ballot
Whig supporters, but the Committee cannot sup-
pose that it would be welcomi to the great body
of the Liberal members of the House of Commons.
" The preservation of public independence and of
a free public opinion are, in tie estimation of the
committee, of far greater importance than the pre•
servation of any administration, however satisfac-
tory its foreign policy may be ; indeed what can be
a greater anomaly or a greater injustice to this
country than to have a Goverment which upholds
liberty in foreign states, while it refuses freedom of
election at home.

it ha wen Will the utmost' confidence fu tee
propriety of this appeal, that the committee call
upon the friends of the ballot in Parliament to de-
mand of a Government of whose party they form
so large majority, that it should adopt the ballot as
a Government measure, either as the permanent
method of taking votes, or at least for a trial, during
such a period as would be sufficient to test its
adoption to the purpose proposed.

" The committee would be glad to know whether
you approve of the course suggested, because in that
case they will invite you to aconference with other
approving members, to decide upon the best plan of
action.—An early reply will much oblige,
"I am, dear sir, yoursfaithfuliy,
" Z. F. BONTEMS,
" Hon. Sec. to he Ballot Society."

DESPATCH OF MAILS.—Th Inman steamer City
of Baltimore will be despatched from Liverpool for New
fork to-day, with mails for thi United States, &c. On
Saturday the Cunard steamer Icotia will be despatched
from Liverpool for New 71 ork, uth mails for the United
States and North America. As the Great Eastern will
be crossing the Atlantic at t.e same time as these
steamers, much interest is attacbd to their passages, and
bets on the respective boats hay been extensively offered
and taken.

EXCAVATIONS IN ROME.—A letter from Rome
states that the excavations on bunt Palatine continue to
attract much attention. The imiense quantity of rubbish
which covered the pavement ofthe building erroneously
styled the Temple of Apollo, ha: been removed and access
obtained to the vaulted rooms b'ow, two of which are now
quite cleared. The first, immdiately below the Casino
Farnese, appears to have been stipped of all its ornaments
at a comparatively recent date, nd then filled with earth.
Adjoining this is another room which had not been de.
spoiled. The walls are Albano tone, and the corners tra-
vertine. The researches of th depredators seem to have
ended before coming there, for n removing the soil many
works of art were found. Amog them may be noticed a
torso column, ornamented with:canthus leaves, and hav-
ing, instead of a capital, two Dine apples connected by
leaves ; a thyrsis, in the shape t. a candelabrum, also sur-
mounted by a pine apple and iliage, and numerous frag-
ments of a red marble cornice. The old pavement of rich
marbles has been carefully. prserved, and all the objects
found are retained on the spot ad arranged for inspection,
instead of being removed. A great number of persons
visit this new museum, and arevell repaid for their trouble
as all the articles belong to a god period of art.
HARBOURS OF REFUGL—The annual return
showing the progress of works tncl harbouri of refuge has
been issued. At Dover, where £500,000 has been laid out,
and a vote of £50,000 is to by taken this year, to be fol-
lowed by £lOO,OOO more in faure years, the length of the
pier founded is now 1,573 fet, and 1,390 feet have been
completed to the quay level. rhe South-Eastern Railway
is now carried on to the pier. At Alderney, 1,220 yards of
sea wall and 1,226 of harbour wall of the western break-
water are complete except thecoring, and the promenade
wall is ready for the coping foto, length of 1,217 yards from
the shore ; the base of the brakwater extends 1,636 yards
from the shore. From 500 to 700 men are kept employed
at this work, for which there ha been voted £937,090, the
total estimate being £1,300,00. Of the breakwater at
Portland which is to shelter ;,130 acres of the bay, the
centre of the north head is 8,52 feet from the shore, and
the depth of watei 91 fathoms it low water of spring tides,
During the heavy gales of Febuary and March many ves-
sels took refuge within this iarbour, some from GOO to
1,200 tons burden, and from lb to 120 vessels remained in
harbour for some days. The rotes already passed for the
works at Portland amount to 073,000 ; the total estimate
exceeds £1,000,000. Upwardk of 5,000,000 tons of rough
stone have been deposited since the commencement of the
work,

M. MEYERBEER AT THE INTERNATIONAL Erin-
EITION.—The distinguished ,omposer, although an im-
portant unit in the opening cer.mony, excited less curiosity
than would have been the caseasd the aggregate of visitors
contained people of less note, M Meyerbeer, at the com-
mencement of the proceedings was trying in vain to find a
seat, when one of our musical cirectors, Mr.F. Jonghmans,
of the Oxford Music Hall, wh( for the day combined with
that office the improvised duty of a " steward," espied the
composer, and, as a real labotr of love, placed him in a
good position, whence to view'he ceremony. A lengthened
chat ensued, in the course of mhich Meyerbeer spoke of the
splendid performance of his music at rehearsal. As a grace-
ful, though unexpected returnfor the little attentions he
had received, and as a souvenir of his visit, M. Meyerbeer
enclosed to his new acquaintance the opening bars of his
march, appending his signature to the dedication,

ZIER .31.AJZSTI,S TII,EAT_RE.

LUCREZIA BORGIA.

The old frequenters of this house can at length
return to it with pleasure. It has got a manage-
ment once more that can feel a theatre is a place of
art, and not simply an elegant market
which trades on special popularities. In
lieu of the Stock Exchange System of
placing some strong names in a bill as a guaran-
tee for operations whish are never carried out, we
have at last that—which regards an opera as a well
considered scheme, composed of various particulars,
each of which has its significance, and which knows
that this is the only method by which it is possible to
evolve either the purpose of a writer or the
true power of an artist. The performance of
" Lucrezia Borgia" at this theatre, last evening,
was the very best that had been witnessed under
its roof for many years. We had not merely
Madame Titiens and Signor Giuglini in their
strength, and the other characters sustained at
a point of adequate merit, but band and
chorus so improved that they completed •
the sum of requisition, and rightly combined with
other features to produce a sense of unity. The
scenery was also very appropriate and striking,
and the movement of the opera was very carefully
arranged. Of the Lucrezia of MaCille. Titien's
we can have no occasion now to dwell at
length. On the whole it must be regarded
as her very best performance. It unites
in a greater degree the passionate force
and vocal accomplishment which equally distin-
guish her, and which always enabled her in this
character to o.ispute the ground with Grisi. Not
that we admit their complete equality. Two charac-
teristics enter into the conception of the terrible
Duchess. She is a Princess, and she is a mother.
As the first she appeals to our imagination—as
the second to our sympathies. It was the
union of the two appeals which rendered Grisi's
view so perfect. It was the grand historic dignity
which she threw as a massive robe over a bosom
whose violent beatings she rendered so conspicuous.
Mme. Titiens, with less art, but with equal dramatic
fervour, appeals almost entirely to our sympathies in
her great effort. It is as the mother she addresses us
so absorbed by her affection that her personal
wrongs and thirst for vengeance are almost oblite-
rated by its yearnings. With Madame Grisi the
maternal feeling was merely expanded to redeem,
not to elevate, the Duchess. It was the one hal-
lowing influence which preserved her entire soul
from ruin, in faithful accordance with the profound
and original thought of Victor Hugo. With
Mademoiselle Titiens the maternal passion
so entirely dominates her nature—it almost leads
one to doubt the existence of what it coheres
with and atones for. This view, if less imaginative,
is undoubtedly more affecting. It may be less faith-
ful to history, but it is more conducive to illusion.
This distinction supplied the key to her singing and
acting throughout the night. It was the mother's
heart, which, stamping the opening, impressed the
entire course of the piece, and was not more affect-
ing when she gazed on the treasured features of her
sleeping son, and poured out her transport at his
beauty in her exquisite delivery of the " Com'e
bello," than in her terror when threatened with
discovery, by the sudden appearance of her enemies,
she saw it would fill with horror and disgust the
soul of the only one she loved. It is in
the second act, however, and in the great
scene of the drama—when Lucrezia demands the
death of an enemy, who proves to be her son,
and demands it from a husband who believes that
son to be her lover—that Madame Titien's view of
the Duchess makes itself felt with so much force.
Here the conflict of the emotions arising entirely
from the maternal passion—the terror at her son,s
danger—struggling with the shame of his avowal
—and only deadened by her hatred of the man
who both slanders, and would bereave her—is
painted in its varying aspects, with a mingled
breadth and delicacy, that is not more remarkable
for its vigour than its pathos. Equally impressive
is its climax, in which she urges on her son the
antidote, and still more so the close of the piece, when
he refuses to escape the doom of his companions, and
she finds that her terrible vengeance has involved as
fearful a retribution. Nothing certainly can be
finer than her acting and singing throughout
these scenes. Her delivery of the two arias, the
" Ah, to bada," in which ske turns on her ruth-
less husband with such a superb burst of fury,
and the " Infelice," in which she so passion-
.L.2, s..A.L LA. ....rAtes Let COU LO 50.1". Liao wn ti
dote, were of a piece with the general
inspiration of the effort. Of the Gennaro of Signor
Giuglini we have even less occasio❑ to speak. It is
the character, of all others, with which he is most
identified, and in which, with the sole exception of
Mario, he admits of no comparison. His pure and
exquisite chest-voice, and the dreamy volup-
tuous tenderness which designates his style,
were never heard to more advantage
than in the exertions of last evening. His "Di
Pescatore" was just as faultless and delightful as it
was ever, and so also was his share in the highly
dramatic trio of the 2d act, the " Guai se to Sfugge,',
which was deservedly encored. His acting also in
this scene and the last one was energetic to a de-
gree. Another feature of the evening was the
great success of a debutante. Signora Tre-
brelle—made her first appearance in the
young soldier, Maffeo Orsini, and produced
an immediate and most favourable impression. To
a mezzo soprano voice, of excellent tone and clear-
ness, she adds spirit and ease as an actress, and the
not trifling advantages of a handsome face and per-
son. She has also the advantage of youth, being, we
should suppose, about five and twenty. Her singing
throughout was admirable, whether in the opening
recitation of her adventure with Gennaro, or in her
delivery of the Brindisi, which united in the
highest degree spirit, fluency, and elegance. This
young lady must be regarded as a decided acqui-
sition. Signor Gassier was the Duke, which he
sustained very effectively, giving his one aria,
the " Qualunque SiaL'Evento," with more than ordi-
nary fort The house was well attended, and the
enthusiasm of the audience very great, the principal
singers being demanded at the close of every act.

ROYAL ITALIAN OP_ERA.

UN BALLO IN MASCHERA.

This last and not least favourite of the much
underrated Verdi was produced at this theatre
last evening, In order to provide for
three vents—the first appearance of Signor
Mario for the season, as Ricardo; the first
appearance of Signor Della Sedie at this
theatre in Renato ; and the first appearance of
Mddle. Csillag, in the character of Amelia. This
combination attached to the evening an inte-
rest not ordinarily excited. Signor Mario,
who was most warmly welcomed, proved
to be in full possession of his powers, and
sang and acted throughout the opera with the
utmost charm of voice and manner. Signor Delle
Sedie, who was also welcomed, ably sustained the
reputation he gained at the Lyceum as
Renato ; whilst the Amelia of Mademoiselle
Csillag placed the character before the au-
dience in so entirely a new light, owing to its
singular depth of emotion that it almost rose into
a new creation. Into the great merits of this per-
formance we hope to enter on another occasion.
the house was very full, and the applause through-
out was enthusiastic.

THE CROPS IN KENT,—The weather during the
last fortnight has been very favourable for the growing
crops, and great progress has been made in field work. The
sowing of corn is now finished, and with the fine rain wa
had on Thursday evening last the late sown may not be
much behind the early in yield, the wireworm having been
very busy in some of the early pieces. The appearance of
the young wheats is generally good, though some few dis-
tricts have suffered muoh from the late wet, and the plant
on the legs on some light soil is bare through the worm.
The Lent corn is upon the whole looking favourable and
grows very fast. A larger breadth of potatoes has been
planted than usual, and although they were not got in the
ground as soon as usual, the seasons have been very good.
Cherries have suffered much from the late frosts, especially
the bigarreaus and reds, the crop of whiell in the neighbour-
hood of Maidstone will be small, The rest of the fruit at
present promises well, yet it is full early to say much about
the apple crop, Swedes and wurzel have held out well.
Keep ia plentiful, and the season is certainly a very ferward
one.-4outh Eastern Gazette,

LATEST NEWS.

PARIS, MAY 7, MORNING.

The Moniteur of this morning publishes a decree
aathorising the railway companies to fix whatever
tariffs they may think proper for the transport of
merchandise in transit, in order to combat foreign

competition.
The Moniteur also announces that the King of
Holland arrived here last night.
The Emperor sent Prince Murat to Compiegne
to compliment the King.

BRUSSELS, MAY 7.

The 111oniteur Beige of this morning says:—

" The condition of the King remained the same
throughout yesterday. At night, however, more
favourable symptoms supervened."

MADRID, MAY 6.
In the Chamber of Deputies to-day the payment
of the debt due to France was voted by 121 to 12.
Two cardinals and 20 bishops have left for Rome.

BERLIN, MAY 6 (Evening).
The elections for the Chamber of Deputies took
place here to-day.
All the members for Berlin in the former Cham-
ber have been re-elected, except Herr Kuhne, in
whose stead Herr von Hennig Plonchott, belonging
to the party of progress, has been chosen.

A s far as can be judged from the telegrams re-
ceived up to the present time from the various
provinces, most of the former representatives have
been re-elected; among others, Dr. Waldeck, Herr
von Sybel, Chamberlain von der Hagen, and Herr
von Carlowitz.

BRUSSELS, MAY 6.

It is asserted that a telegram was sent yesterday
to the Duke of Brabant at Seville respecting the
illness of the King.

Letters from Seville announce that the climate
of Andalusia has sensibly improved the health of
the Prince Royal of Belgium.
......_
ITALY.

A communication from Rome, of the Ist, has the
following
"An encounter took place three days back be-
tween the Italian and Bourbon troops, near Talva-
terra, on the territory of Ceprano. A French
officer, at the head of a detachment of soldiers and
of four Roman gendarmes, proceeded as far as the
frontier, but was received with musket-shots. None
of his men were, however, struck, and he took 15
BoUrbon prisoners. Some minutes lcbter a conflict
almost took place between the French and the
Italian troops, but they recognised ea3h other by
the cries of ' France for ever V Victor Emmanuel
for ever !' raised on the two sides. Some reaction-
aries have been taken to Rome, and shut up in the
castle of St. Angelo. General de Goyon seems to
have resolved to no longer consign his prisoners to
the Pontifical Government, but to keep them him-
self in the above-named castle. The French exer-
cise a rigorous surveillance at Veroli ; provisions
can now no longer be carried beyond the frontier."