The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-16 00:00:00

Gallery of Illustration, Regent-street.

Mr. German Reed has commenced his third
Opera di Camera" season with great eclat. He
as produced two new operas—the one " Widows
Bewitched," by Miss Virginia Gabriel ; and the
other, partly in Chinese ( ), entitled " Ching-
Chow-Hi," by Offenbach, adapted by Mr. William
Brogh and the talented manager. The little plot
of the " Widows Bewitched" is told in a few words.
Two charming young widows, who have turned half
the heads of the courtiers at Versailles, suddenly
quit the court, and take up their residence at a villa
near Fontainbleau, with the intention of passing the
rest of their lives in quietness and seclusion. Two
of their lovers—De Fremont and D'Albret—find
out the retreat of their sweethearts, and determine,
by stratagem, to secure their hands, and convey them
back to Paris as their brides. D'Albret accordingly
disguises himself as an Abbe and Fremont as a
Professor, and in this manner they obtain easy
access to the retreat of the ladies. The Professor's
first lesson in Italian to his pupil, Marie Marquise
de Montaubry, is a conjugation of the verb, to love.
She next takes a singing lesson, and finally one in
dancing ; the result is, the widow is subdued, and
Fremont gains his prize. The Abbe has attacked
his widow in a more quiet way, by talking of eccle-
siastical services, more particularly that of marriage.
He succeeds to his heart's desire, and then he dis-
covers himself to D'Albret, the adorer of the charm-
ing Countess de Berg. The vocalists engaged in
this petite opera Were Miss E. Pitt (Countess de Berg),
Miss A. Thompson (Marquise de Montaubry), Mr.
Whiffin (Fremont), and Mr. Shaw (D'Albret), each of
whom have some very telling music allotted to them.
The opera, taken as a composition, is not of a re-
markable or novel description ; there are some
pretty airs in it, but, truth to say, we have previ-
ously heard strains very much the same. The best
and most original pieces in the opera are a song by
Miss Pitt, " There was a maiden," and the quartet
" Who will come into the merry-go-round ?" The
opera was a complete success, and it deserved
the applause it evoked. Then followed " Ching-
chow-Hi." This opera, we beliere, is only intended
to create a laugh, and, therefore, we suppose, any
nonsense is pardonable. As a specimen of the
Chinese part of the libretto we extract the fo

lowing; it is a portion of a quartet sung by Ching-
chow-Hi, the brother of the Moon (Mr. Shaw) ;
his mandarin, Tee-to-tum (Mr. Whiffin) ; Pet-
ping-Sing (Miss Thompson) ; and Ba-ba-Whang
(Mr. Wilkinson) :

:13a-ba-Whang—Booriboo goo ! Whang ko-too !
Goori Bang choo ! gong tong kitch-kee koo!
Hang-ee-Bam boo ! Hi cum loa!
Slashee clashey skew cum Bang she-loo!
The conspirators listen attentively to these words, and ap-
pear deeply moved by their meaning.
Chin) (rising)—Ah ! sago ! Tapioca macaroni sa fago,
Archipelago-ah Tic-dol-roo Lumbago !
There is, however, some better things than this in
the piece, and that which pleased best was the comic
trio, on the discovery that all the characters
are not Chinese, beginning ‘, I'm English too."
The audience laughed heartily at the trifle, so we
suppose the object for which it was produced is at-
tained. The dresses and scenery are really splendid,
and forcibly remind one of those beautiful little
displays in stage illusion made by the late Madame
Vestris during her reign at the old Olympic Theatre.
The operas will, doubtless, prove highly attractive,
and bring the third season to as satisfactory a ter-
mination as the two former ones. The gallery, it is
almost needless to say, was crowded in every part.

Ixhibition of Art and Manufactures for
North-Bastem London—This Day.

This exhibition was opened at the Agriculturell Hall,
Islington, to-day by the Lord Chancellor, assisted by the
Lord Mayor and the Marquis of Salisbury, the lord-lieu-
tenant of the county of Middlesex. The articles have
been for the most part furnished by the local tradesmen,
manufacturer; and gentry, but assistance has not been
refused from remoter quarters for the purpose of complet-
ing the specimens of any particular baranch of art, or in-
creasing the mere general attractiveness of the scene. The
exhibition is divided into three main departments—viz.,
arts and manufactures, fine arts, and a loan collection.
In the centre of the groat hall, in a court of their own, are
the contributions from the Kensington Museum, further
enriched by one or two articles sent in by her Majesty. They
consist of specimens of Indian goldsmith's art, silks, and
carved oak cabinets and muniment chests, which are, it is
true, all good of their kind ; but, looking at the praise-
worthy object of the present exhibition, it may be ques-
tioned whether the South Kensington authorities might
not have been a little more liberal in their contributions.
Round them, at different stands, are the scientific and
horological instruments. There are some very good paint-
ings, and in one of the galleries a small collection of statues
arranged here and there. A largo space in another gallery
is appropriated to au admirable photographic collection.
Over the body of the hall are scattered a number of small
courts, containing works in the precious metals and jewel-
lery, philosophical instruments, articles of architectural
decoration, fabrics in cloth, and ornamental hair work.
The trustees and committee met the Lord Chancellor
and the Lord Mayor at the entrance in Liverpool-road,
and conducted them to the platform, at 3 p.m., the band
playing the March from "The Prophet."
On arrival at the platform the choir sang the Old
Hundredth Psalm.

The chairman of the general committee then invited the
Lord ChancellJr and the Lord Mayor to inspect the exhi-
bition, during which operatic selections were played by
the band.

On their return tho Right Hon. Lord Mayor requestod
the Lord Chancellor to declare the exhibition open, which
was dono.

The National Anthem was sung by the assembly.

The Loss of the Margaret Kerr.

OFFICIAL REPORT.

Report of the case in the formal investigation at
the instance of John Nelson Beaumont, Collector
of Customs and Receiver of Wrecks at the Port of
Greenock, against James Macdonald, presently in
Greenock, as Master of the Margaret Kerr, of
Greenock, for the loss of said ship on the Crocus,
i.e., Croker Reef, off the coast of Florida, on the
21st of February, 1865, which investigation took
place in Greenock, within the Court-hall, Bank-
street, on the Bth and 9th days of August, 1865,
in presence of Andrew Tasker and John Neill, two
of her Majesty's justices of the peace for Renfrew-
shire ; and of Henry Harris and Robert Baker, As-
sessors of the Board of Trade. The said J.
Macdonald appeared, along with William Lewis,
solicitor in Greenock, as his agent, and the investi-
gation on behalf of the Board of Trade was con-
ducted by Hargrave Hamel. The said James
Macdonald having been called on to produce his
certificate, stated that he could not do so, and
that said certificate was on board the vessel Ad-
vance, of Port Glasgow, in which he had engaged to
go as mate when the proceedings connected with
the investigation were intimated to him, and which
vessel is at present at sea. The witnesses examined
were—Robert Cuthbert, lately mate, and Joseph
Brunsden, able seaman, both of the Margaret Kerr.
The mate, in his examination, stated that • he was
mate of the vessel on the voyage on which she was
lost ; that the vessel sailed from Matanzas on Mon-
day, the 20th February last, at noon, laden with a
cargo of sugar, for Greenock, well found, and draw-
ing 17 feet 10 inches of water aft and 17 feet forward,
the wind being from the S.W., squally and unsettled;
that after leaving the harbouD the course was N.E.
by N. until 8 o'clock, when the wind shifted to
E.N.E., and the course of the vessel to N. E.,
the speed of the vessel being about three knots per
hour ; that at 8 o'clock p.m. there was a violent
head sea, the ship straining and labouring, and on
sounding the pumps 14 inches of water were found
in the hold ; that the water gained rapidly about 9
o'clock, and, although the pumps were kept con-
stantly going by hand and steam, there were three
feet of water in the well about four hours before
the vessel struck ; that the wind and sea increased,
and about midnight they took in all small sails and
double-reefed the topsails ; that at four a.m. of the
21st February the course was shifted to N. by E.
E. till six o'clock a.m., the vessel making a point
and a half lee way ; that from six o'clock a.m. to
eight a'clock a.m. the course was N.N.E., and
from eight o'clock till noon it was N. by E. E.,
and this course was kept till the vessel struck, the
wind and weather being the same as formerly ; that
at noon of the 21st an observation was made by the
master, and the ship's latitude was found to be 23
27 N. ; that at four o'clock another topsail was
bent, and about six o'clock land was seen on the
lee bow about 9 miles distant ; that about seven
o'clock he suggested to the captain to put the ship
about, but the captain said he would clear the reef
if the wind would hold ; that the captain and he
consulted the chart about eight o'clock, and he said
to the captain that he thought the vessel should be
put about, but the captain told him to mind his
own business, and that the vessel's course was quite
correct ; that he went below after the expiry of
his watch at eight o'clock, and the vessel struck
about nine o'clock on the Crocus, i. e., Croker
Reef; that at daylight he saw the remains of a
beacon about 150 yards from the ship, Plantation
Quay being about seven miles distant ; that the
ship could not be got off the reef, and was finally
abandoned on the 7th of March. This witness
stated that the captain was partially intoxicated
from the time he left Matanzas, but that he was
quite competent for his duties, and that he (the
witness) was of opinion that the captain would have
carried on the course he did although he had had
no liquor. On his re-examination, however, after
the witness Joseph Brunsden had been examined,
he stated, after great hesitation, that while he was
on the wreck he had mentioned to some one that he
threw two bottles of rum overboard to keep the
captain sober. Joseph Brunsden concurred with
the mate as to the time the vessel was lost. He
stated that he sighted land about four o'clock of the
21st, and reported it to the mz.te, who told him to
keep the ropes clear for going about, but the vesse

was not put about. He further stated, that at the
time the vessel was lost the captain was incapable of
giving orders, having been intoxicated, and that he had

been intoxicated from the time he left Matanzap,

----,
and he mentioned circumstances showing the state

the captain was in. Among others, he mentioned

that he and 16 of the crew left the wreck on the

evening after the vessel went ashore, and that when
he came back to the wreck, 36 hours afterwards, and

asked a glass of rum from the mate, the mate told

him that he had thrown the rum overboard to keep
the captain sober, and the mate admitted this, as
_ _

before stated. Under these circumstances, the son
_ _

tence of the justices, concurred in by the assessors,

was, that the said James Macdonald had been guilty
of drunkenness while in command of the said ship
when she was lost, and that the loss of the said ship
was caused by his aggravated default, and they
therefore suspended his certificate for three years
from 9th August, 1855. A. TASKER, J.P.

JOHN NEILI, J.P.
We concur in the above report,

HY. HARRIS,/
Nautical Assessors.
R. B. BAKER,

STATE OF TRAM

MANCHESTER, Aug. 15.—Bad weather, together
with large imports of cotton into Liverpool have
had a depressing influence on the market, and a
feeling of gloom has prevailed all day. In shipping
yarns lower prices must have been taken to effect
sales. Sellers, however, have been unwilling to
meet this feeling, and the consequence has been a
very limited amount of business. In home-trade
yarns also the market has been quiet, and prices
decidedly in the buyer's favour. The market closes
very tamely. In cloths we have had a very dull
market for this week past, and prices have tended
downwards. To-day the market has been, if pos-
sible, quieter, and prices have been to some extent
more in the buyer's favour. Some small failures in
the district, including one of a manufacturer at
Blackburn, have tended to increase the depression.
For Indian cloth some very low offers have been
made, but have not been accepted. Printing cloths
are in less demand than they have been. The im-
ports of cotton into Liverpool up to last night had
been 71,000 bales this week, while the sales had
only reached 26,000.

LEEDS, 15th.—The woollen cloth trade in this
town and the surrounding districts keeps active, and
to-day's markets in the cloth-halls, considering that
the weather was wet, and in consequence, the at-
tendance of both buyers and sellers less than it other-
wise would have been, have been cheerful in tone
and satisfactory as to the amount of business done
There is a steady demand for seasonable goods, and
both the export and the home trades are in a
prosperous state. There is every probability that
the amount of woollen goods exported this month
will greatly exceed those exported in the correspond-
ing month of last year. Prices are very firm for all
seasonable goods, and the tendency is rather upward.
Wools keep steady and firm. The flax and yarn
trades are rather improving, and prices are stiff.
NOTTINGHAM, 15th.—The attendance at the Ex-
change to-day was tolerable. There was a fair
amount of business doing in lace yarns, and prices
were very steady. Brown nets underwent no
material alteration. In hosiery yarns there was not
much doing, and prices were without change.

ROCHDALE, 14th.—The flannel trade keeps
steady, but it is scarcely so active as it was a month
ago. The export trade is rather slack at present,
but the home demand is good, especially for fancy
fabrics, and for such there is a good demand in the
market to-day., The manufacturers of the same kind
of goods are all busy, and many of them have
orders on hand which will keep them well employed
for some time to come. There is a little improve-
ment in the demand for the best makes of low
Yorkshire woollens ; but, upon the whole, that
p
trade is quiet. Wools keep firm in rice, but the
demand is not brisk,