The Sun.
London, England, 1853-02-11 00:00:00

MONTENEGRO.

A letter from Dalmatia in the Post Ampt Gazette
of Frankfort, states that in the proclamation which
Omer Pasha has addressed to the Montenegrins, he
promises them liberty of conscience, and the free
election of their magistrates. They are to be under
the authority of the Pasha of Scutari, and are to pay
no taxes or custom house dues, but the magistrates
are to be paid by the aid of special taxes. The in-
telligence respecting the military operations is very
meagre. Omer Pasha has sent 25 Piperanian chiefs
to Scutari as hostages. The Montenegrins are said
to have attacked the camp of Dervish-Pasha during
the night, to deliver the voivode of Grahovo ; many.
Turks, it is said, fell on the occasion, but the ob-
ject in view was not attained. The Turkish fleet
is anchored off Butrinto.

The Osservatore Dalmato, in recapitulating the
last intelligence from Montenegro, observes that
during the 20 days the campaign has lasted, the
Turks have not gained one foot of ground except-
ing taking Grahovo, which is not included in the
principality.

OUR MUSICAL CORNER.

(From .Eliza Cook's Journal.)

We have great respect for social gatherings and sea-
sonable festivities. We approve the animated dance
and desultory gossipping of an occasional " evening
party," provided the pretensions of the affair are kept
within becoming limits as regards position and means,
and the Brownes of Bedford-place do not ape the enter-
tainments given by the Cecils in Belgrave-place. We
have due appreciation of the cordial and humanis-'
ing sympathies which now and then induce a
little tomfoolery, and perhaps a considerable de-
gree of domestic disarrangement. We believe the
stirring up of household systems to be very whole-
some, when the heavy brigade of chairs in general
service are stowed away in some remote region, and the
light infantry of rout-seats take their place. We think
it good, on a sanitary principle, that massive sideboards,
solid tables, and Turkey carpets, are transported nobody
knows where, in order that the dining-room may be
astonished by the polka and schottische ; and even if
"papa's office" should be sacrilegiously appropriated to
" wallflowers" and whist, he must endure it like a
Christian, and think it quite right. We repeat that we
have great, faith in the propriety of "upsetting every-
thing in the house" now and then ; but in the middle
classes there are two grand mistakes often made in the
matter, and we shall venture to allude to them, on the
score of personal outraged feelings during the last month.
The sources of the mistakes• we complain of lie in the
" refreshments" and " music," both being rather impor-
tant items if a party is intended.to " go off " well. We
decidedly object to those showy, meretricious suppers,
where the viands are generally either inferior or scanty.
Sugar-temples, bonbons, bedizened cakes, half-withered
flowers, and such trumpery, are worse than ridiculous,
if the tongues be hard, the fowls tough, the ham dry,
the oyster-paties in beggarly quantity, the jelly rather
poorly, and the blanc-mange very bad indeed. Shining
decanters and troops of glasses become contemptible if
the sherry be hot and acid, the port black and thick,
and the champagne nobody knows ,what, excepting that
it reminds one of an effervescing fever draught with a
bit of sugar in it. We are no epicures, and can enjoy
bread and butter or a plain cut from a plain joint with
ready gusto. We are easily satisfied if no attempt is
made to cheat us, but we cannot tolerate the trickery of
covering a table with bottled cholera and dished emetics
for the sake of a grand display.
We reinember being at a large party given by some
young married friends, who were hospitable to a fault,
but not very rich, and they informed us afterwards in
confidence, that they had had serious discussions as to
whether the supper should be plain or ornamental.
Luckily the first was decided on, and the fare consisted
of the following edibles : A noble round of boiled beef,
a leviathan turkey, a York ham, a pheasant pie, sausage-
rolls, scalloped oysters, and tilton cheese, flanked by
pale ale, "Barclay's best," sherry and negus ; with fruit,
cheesecakes, and greengage-tarts ad libitum. Each and
all were of the finest quality that could be procured ; and
the quantity consumed and the hearty satisfaction of the
guests proved that a substantial supper was no " is-
take." Now the cost of this entertainment was insigi...-
ficant to what it would have been if our friends had in-
dulged in the injudicious extravagance of ornamental ele-
gance, unwholetfesotimmhrte company
question, cnoconfectionery, rech,e,.che composi-
tions, ices, and champagne. "But what has all this to
do with the Musical Corner r some genie or ungentlo
reader will exclaim. Well, nothing, we admit ; it only
happened to be in immediate conjunction with what has
atonddo
we
justwithi mentionedt,Pithe IlltllhseiC
matterprepa for redfotrhthe benefit
edenaneficet of
dancers
t
nh musicofns
oe;
n whofor
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the
hcr
oeta
fun takeho ryb r
fortyot oa d h:
step
phi nen towsp..
to
often
with
t iNht
ahonwn.
are
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the
we
nta s
etnrov
volun-
tary to har-
mony
performance of some benevolent individual on a
enn solitarygrun piano.s
in
andThisbad
taste. alwaysln the place,as be initgisina-
first
strikes
us
laborious tax on the visitors, which
is perfectly unjus-
tifiable ; and, in the second, it excludes all certainty
of "time and tune."
Many who may be ll t
exce en
theoretical musicians have no
more notion of playing
accent dance music with proper than a sailor of
riding on horseback ; and many who are
no musi-
cians at all are invariably found to be among those who
are most ready to " play again.' We were among
seventy fellow-creatures the other night where this
Plan was adopted, and we amused ourselves with watch-
ing the progress of the " band." As we entered, Mrs.
Peacock commenced a polka with as much precision as
she would the " Dead March in Saul." She had evi-
dently never lost the early impressions left by "Itos-
sea,u's Dream" and " God Save the Emperor ;" then Miss
Strike-a-light, after unimaginable difficulty in getting off
her gloves (she will wear " sevens," though her size is
" seven and a half"), essayed a Cellarius on anything but
a " sliding scale," and the consequence was that the un-
happy dancers had to turn the graceful figure into some-
' thing which induced ignorant lookers-on to fancy that
they were playing at a strange sort Of " Hop Scotch."
After some cold punch had wandered about the book-
muslin maze, Master Slowman was introduced to
the piano by his admiring mamma, who informed the
company that Adolphus would be delighted to do his
best. Adolphus muttered some unintelligible words
over the keys, struck the chord of C natural very ner-
vously, and, after five minutes' debate between himself,
his mamma, and a bad memory, declared he could re-
member nothing but one of Czerny's exercises, which
net being quite the thing for the "Deux tempo," he was

allowed to resume his seat in the immediate vicinity of
a plate of cake. A rush of tl tree ladies to the piano imme-
diately took place, and after :strong expressions of bene-
volent readiness to oblige tl to whole world, Mrs. Green-
field; sen., won the stool of honour. The " Valse h deux
temps" was requested at her kind hands. She started,
" Parliamentary train" time, with the venerable " Copen-
hagen," and before the ladies: and gentlemen standing up
could recover from their confused state, between a shuffle
and a giggle, she changed it into the still more venerable
Lieber Augustine." The " Deux temps" was quietly
extinguished, and, after a fe w melancholy gyrations, the
couples appeared terribly fa tigued, and sunk into their
seats, while dear Mrs. Greenfield was warmly thanked
for her great kindness and. charming playing. Mrs.
Merryweather here mercifully came forward and exe-
cuted some nigger airs to the " First Set," with such
taste, touch, and expression, that a vociferous encore
attended the last figure, with a general request that she
would soon oblige them again. Poor Mrs. Merry-
weather ! how she was worked afterwards, our hearts
and fingers ached for her. Miss Julia Roselips and
Miss Emily Swandown were next entreated to play a
set. The girls were schoolf Olows, and-had studied the
piano-forte under a German .master for an unknown pe-
I They had not brought. any music with them they
said, but they thought the.y• remembered " The Irish"
and " The English," and, would try either. They
started at a brisk pace, and the result was dis-
cordantly incomprehensible. A coffin-maker's, anchor-
smith's, and a watchman'Fx rattle mixed up together
could not have compounded. such vile noise, and this
went on until "La Poule," when Emily exclaimed, in a
sort of spasmodic terror, "Good gracious, Julia ! you're
playing the bass of the and I'm playing the
treble of the English ! " ral d sure enough this was the
fact. Poor Mrs. Merrywealher had to labour the rest
of the evening in sheer merry to the dancers. We 'have
here detailed only a few of the positive contingencies re-
lated to dancing-music when it is conducted on the
" volantary-contribution " principle. Many a party is
utterly ruined by it, and we, think that at least a " pro-
fessional " player should be engaged for the piano, or we
would suggest the still better engagement of a violin and
harp. We can assure our finiends that it is no joke to
listen to the "all-sorts" character of " harmony" afforded
by the promiscuous depend ence on competent or incom-
petent performers ; and if -we are to " work " for our
supper, we beg them to honestly tell the truth, and not
cajole one into the same servitude by politely asking us
to " play" for it. We can only hope that these remarks
will be accepted as they are offered, in the perceptive
spirit of " social reform ;" :a nd as " prOgression " is the
great watchword of the day,; why should not " evening
parties " come within its operation ?