The Sun.
London, England, 1854-08-08 00:00:00

THE SURREY THEATRE.

M. Meyerbeer's grand opera Le Proplate was pre-
sented for the first time in this country in an English
dress at the above theatre last evening, and it may be
said to have met with as flattering a reception from a
Surrey audience as has been accorded to it, in the ori-
ginal, both in Paris and at Covent-garden. The credit
of arranging the opera for our Rage is due to Mr. Har-
court Russell, who has shown no small amount of judg-
ment and ingenuity in his difficult task. The principal
parts were thus allotted :—John of Leyden, the Pro-
phet Bing, Mr. Augustus Braham ; Count Oberthal,
Mr. Henry Corri ; Zacharia, Mr. Borrani ; Fides, Miss
L,otner ; Bertha, Miss Rebecca Isaacs. The female
artistes carried off the paltu both in their acting and
singing, being loudly applauded throughout their per-
formance, and obliged to repeat some scenes over more
than once. Miss Romer threw into her part much
feeling and energy, her fine voice having lost
little, if any, of its former power and sweetness.
She was admirably supported by Miss Rebecca
Isaacs, who made a very fair Bertha. We prefer,
however, seeing this lady in characters where le-s
vocal effort is required, and her most agreeable,
soft, and well-undulated voice is not strained by the
execution of music, for which it is unsuited. The sing-
ing of both artistes nevertheless, in the elaborate and
long duet in the third act, where Fides and Bertha meet
before the coronation scene, and the latter hears, for the
first time, of the supposed death of John, was of a very
high order, and deserves no inconsiderable praise. Mr.
Braham did some very good things in the course of the
evening ; but he exerted himself very little, and was
more distinguished for the splendour of his dress and
his attitudes than his singing. Messrs. Corti and Bor-
rani, and the other artistes aquitted themselves in a man-
ner to leave little room for cavil, and taking into account
that this was the first night of the opera, the chorus
was very respectable ; in some instances it proved ex-
tremely effective. The "spectacle " part of the opera
even surpassed what we have witnessed here on former
occasions, famed as the Surrey is for the getting up of
scenic displays. Two hundred auxiliaries have been en-
gaged to do duty in the piece, and great expense has been
incurred in providing new scenery, dresses, banners, and
other et ceteras. The skating scene was cleverly done
and looked well; and the coronation scene was little
less gorgeous than that at Covent Garden, The opera,
as a whole, we have little doubt will turn out a succes:-ful
speculation. The theatre was crowded in every part,
and hundreds were standing at the entrances and in the
avenues and lobbies during the whole of the perform-
ance. At the fall of the curtain a great display of
favouritism took place.

CORRESPONDENCE FOR MEXICO, via THE
UNITED STATES.

General Post-office, August, 1854.
Information having been received from the Postmas-
ter-General of the United States that letters, &c., may
be forwarded to Mexico, by means of the United States'
Mail Packets, which leave New Orleans for Vera Cruz
on the Ist and 14th of every month, letters and news-
papers addressed to Mexico will in future be sent in the
mails made up in this country for the United States, if
specially directed "yid the United States."
The postage upon letters sent to Mexico by this route
will be—

When not exceeding an oz. in weight
When exceeding an oz and not exceeding loz 2s. 10d.
and so on, according to the scale for charging inland
letters.

Newspapers will be liable to a charge of 2d. each.
The postage of both letters and newspapers must be
paid in advance.
All correspondence for Mexico, not specially addressed
to be sent via the United States, will continue to be
despatched by the West India packet of the second of
each month.