The Sun.
London, England, 1853-01-21 00:00:00

ELECTIOIf INTELLIGENCE,

OXFORD UNIVERSITY.
FIFTEENTH AND LAST DAT.

This protracted election was brought to a close yester-
day afternoon, when Mr. Gladstone, who had gained
five on the day's poll, was returned by a majority; of 124.
At three o'clock the Vice-Chancellor announced that the
Right Hon. Wm. Ewart Gladstone was the representa-
tive for the University of Oxford. The instrument of
election was then signed by the returning officer (the
Vice-Chancellor) with the university seal affixed to it,
and was handed to the Under-Sheriff of the county of
Oxford, who was in waiting to receive it. The usual
forms having been gone through, the Vice-Chancellor
dissolved the Convocation. The last vote recorded was
that of Richard Lynch Cotton, D.D., Provost of Wor-
cester College, and Vice-Chancellor, who voted for Mr.
Perceval; the last but One was the poll clerk, the Rev..
Wm. Chambers, Fellow of Worcester College, for Mr.
Gladstone. The result of the last week's poll has re-
duced Mr. Gladstone's majority one; on reference to the
poll of this day week, it will be seen that Mr. Glad-
stone was in a majority of 125.

STATE OF THE DOLT .-PINAL CLOSE.
G7adstane
Percival

1022
898

Majority for Mr. Gladstone

CAR LOW.
CLOSE. OF THE POLL.

Alexander
Sadleir

Majority for Alexander

THE HARMONIC UNION.

At their second meeting, last evening, this young so-
ciety not only managed to fill Exeter Hall, but to pre•
sent to the auditors a chorus much improved in steadi-

ness, in the production of choral effects of. lirght and
shade, and in accuracy of intonation. The orchestra,
too, had benefitted by practice with each other ; and,
indeed, the performances, in all respects, were more mu-
sician-like and more finished in delicacy and carefulness
of detail, than on the occasion of the opening concert.
One or two slight alterations took place in tile pro-
gramme. The audience, on entering, found hand-
bills distributed on the seats, informing them that
the " Dead March in Saul" would be played in
tribute to the memory of Mr. T. Harper, the
well-known trumpet player, who had expired very sud-
denly that morning. The intelligence created a universal
feeling of regret, and the magnificent strains of Handel
were listened to with profound attention. Mme. Fio-
rentini, too, who had been announced to sing the seena
of Agnes, from the Freischutz, was naively stated by
Mr. Benedict to be labouring so severely under hoarse-
ness and toothache that she could not venture on the
scena, but would try to get through the duo allotted to
her Jessonda, and would afterwards sing a Spanish
popular air, both of which were done amid general ap-
probation, Mm. Fiorentini singing with great sweetness,
despite her evident indisposition.
The programme opened with the Ruins of Athens, the
varied and vigorous excellence of the opening portion
of which, when Beethoven had to deal with a wildly
poetic subject, contrasts significantly with the compa-
rative flatness of the close, when the music in the
original Version clothed merely a series of common-
place court compliments to an Emperor of Germany.
After an excellent performance of the overture, the
first noble chorus—perhaps the finest in the composition
—was admirably given by the chorus. Mr. and Mrs.
Weiss sung the flowing duet of the " Greek Slaves" with
satisfactory smoothness, and the quaint and rugged, yet
very taking chorus of the Dervishes, sung with perfect
steadiness and great vigour, produced even more than its
usual effect, and was loudly re-demanded. Mr. Weiss
gave the elaborately sweetened cadences of the air,
" Deign great Apollo," with due appreciation of their
character, and the concluding chorus went off with
abounding energy.
The second part was miscellaneous. We have already
specified a portion of it, and our space at present for-
bids us to do more than state that a very cleverly
instrumented overture, called the " Templar," the
composition of Mr. Henry Leslie, showed great skill in
orchestral treatment, and a pleasant melodic fancy,
sparkling and graceful. The style is strongly Mendels-
sohnish. A pianist from New York, Mr. Wm. Meson,
who appeared for the first time in London, selected
somewhat boldly for his debut, the single concerto of
Weber. His performance was smoothly correct, but
tame and uniform. His touch is light, rapid, and dis-
tinct, but it wants delicacy of expression, and there is
also a lack of colour and verve about his playing. Mr.
Mason is, no doubt, an able and accomplished pianist ;
but more than that is demanded of those who would now-a-

days take the place to which he aspires in his art. Tho
next debutant was a German gentleman (Herr Nabick),
who performed a concerto with full accompaniments, by
David, on—of all possible instruments—the trombone,
and certainly succeeded in educing from it some mar-
vellous effects. The sounds of the trumpet, the horn,
and the ophecleide were successively given, and the
piano passages were produced with remarkable sweet-
ness and purity of tone. Herr Nabick can run through
tolerably rapid passages upon his Instrument, and educe

from it, by the sole motion of the lips, a long and per-
fect shake. He was greatly applauded, and after Mme.
Fiorentine had sung her Spanish song, returned and
played a short selection from Lucia.
The Walpurgis Night, which closed the arrangements,
introduced at Exeter Hall, anew contralto, Miss Huddart,
the piece of Mrs. Warner. Miss Huddart has been upon
the stage as an actress, but we think she has actod
wisely in giving it up for the cultivation of a voice of the
true contralto quality, and capable of giving very low
notes with a broad, steady, equablefuluess, which proves
not only the natural powers of the organ, but a severe
and well-conducted course of training and practice, Miss
Huddart had only one recitative to give last night, and
she seemed very nervous and frightened • but her fine
voice, with its deep, sonorous quality, could not be mis.
taken. We have only the space to say that the Walpur.
gis choruses were given with a correctness which spoke
well for the determination of the society to make their
way ; and that even the dreaded of choristers, " Come
with torches brightly flashing." went prosperously
through.
Mr. Benedict was of course the conductor.

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH, JAN. 20.

The Swift, 6, sloop, Commander Oldham, arrived
Spithead about 2 o'clock to-day from Valparaiso, with as
freight of about $BOO,OOO on merchants' account, which.
Messrs. E. and G. Emanuel, freight agents and bullion
merchants of this port, have the conveyance of to the
Bank of England. She put in at Plymouth, and an-
chored last evening, and her captain communicated with.
the shore. She sailed from Valparaiso on the 3d of
October, at which date the Portland, 50, Captain Chads,
flag of Rear-Admiral Moresby, the Virago steam-sloop,
Commander Stewart, and the Cockatrice schooner were
there, the latter about to sail for Pitcairn's Island and
the coast of Mexico. The Daedalus, 20, Captain Welles.,
ley, had sailed for St. Blas ; the Thetis, 36, Captd.ft
Kuper, C. 8., had sailed for San Francisco, California ;
the Amphitrite, 25, Captain Frederick, was on her way
down from the Arctic Regions. The Swift left the
Falkland Islands on the 3d of November. While there
the Trincomalee, 25, Captain Houston, in going ont of
Port William, ran into an American merchantman and
carried away some of her own rigging, hammock berthing,
&c., and had to put back to refit. She was on her way
to Valparaiso. Mr. Hutchings, master, and Mr. Faulk.
ner, second-master of the Portland, Mr. Chaplin, mate,
and ten invalids have come home in the Swift ' • also one
distressed British subject from Panama. The son of
the Governor of the Falkland Islands had gone down to
a district in which some guano had been discovered, to
protect it and to levy tribute upon gatherers. Off Cape
Horn the Swift spoke the Consul, 110 days from Cardiff,
bound for Caldera, Chili. The Swift is the vessel that
conveyed from ngland the Irish political convict B—.
Smith O'Brien, Meagher, and two others, whom she
landed at Van Diemen's Land ; thence she sailed for
Sydney, New Zealand, Valparaiso, and home. She has.
not lost a man by sickness or accident during the whole
commission (four years and a-half), and has sailed over'
upwards of 90,000 miles since leaving England. She
was towed into harbour this afternoon and commenced
discharging her freight, after which she will proceed UP
Plymouth to be paid off.
The Prometheus, 5, steam-sloop, Commander Foote,
was inspected at Spithead this morning by Rear-Ada iral
Fanshawe, C. 8., the Acting Commander-in-Chief, and
her crew were tried in gunnery by Commander Sir W.
Wiseman, of the Excellent ; after which she came into
harbour to coal, preparatory to leaving for Woolwich to
be paid off.

The Vulture, steam-frigate,
LcaYMptaiOnUlasHs,ei:AinN.
co 2
1;m
quence of telegraphic orders from the Foreign-office,
sailed on Saturday afternoon for Torbby, to compel pay-•
meet of pilotage from the master of the American men*
chant-ship Angelique, who had defied the civil authori'
ties. The American left prior to the arrival of the Vulo
tare, which returned on Sunday. It is reported tbaiii
she will go to Lisbon.
The Vengeance, 84, Captain Lord Edward Russells;
was towed into harbour yesterday by the Avon and CD
fiance steamers, and placed alongside the Vigo hulk.
where her crew have commenced dismantling her.
The Avon arrived yesterday morning from ..?""*4
mouth with seamen for vessels fitting here.
The caulkers have completed their work on the St.
Jean d'Acre, 101, screw steam-ship ; the shipwngb.`7l
have commenced laying the ways, and she will probs.
Jean d'Acre will be docked in the new works at Key
be launched the first spring-tides in March. ThehaStat...

WOOLWICH, JAN. 20.
The Royal Albert, 120, has had her inner sternpout
put up to-day for her screw propeller, and about 2011
men and boys are at work upon her, exclusive of con•
vices employed in raising the heavy timbers. The
painters are also at work on the outside giving the first
ground of paint to her sides. The hatchways of her
various decks have been greatly enlarged, to admit of
her boilers and machinery being put in and taken out
when requisite ; and the workmen are busily in re3aying
the thick planks of the decks where open space is. not
wanted._

The Rhadamanthus steam-transport, Master-Co m%
mander Belam, having taken on board a large quant4
of stores at this dockyard for the eastern ports, wiLk
leave Woolwich to-morrow for Portsmouth.
The Megmra steam-frigate, Commander John O. John+
son, will be taken out of docknn)londay