The Sun.
London, England, 1849-01-16 00:00:00

many striking features which elicited en
be cited, the conclusion of the' " play scene;
conscience of the king is caught; the retuTn-
the arras upcu the slaying of the eaves-dio.
nius, in which Hamlet exclaims—
" Is it the King?"
and the death-scene, which terminates the tragedy. Mrs.
Charles Kean was a charming Ophelia, and fully realised
Dr. Johnson's summing up of the character. She was
" the beautiful, the harmless, and the pious." The
singing of the snatches of melodies was gentle as the
sighs of music—not a thought was missed, and the tears
of the audience were the rich guerdon won by the truth-
ful and graceful artiste. Mrs. Warner's Gertrude is un-
rivalled—it is perfectly regal. The majestic form and
dignified demeanour perfects the dramatic illusion, and
her acting in the famous interview with Hamlet is full
of dramatic genius. Keeley was quaint and thoroughly
Shakesperian. Mr. Tilbury was less grotesque than
usual as Polonius—indeed, on the parting with Laertos
in the first act, he threw a touch of nature into his acting
that we Were unprepared for. Mr. Wigan's Osric is the
stereotyped Osric of :he stage. The scenery is pictu-
resque, and the eosnimes rich and appropriate. At the
termination of the play, Mr. rind Mrs. Charles Kean
were summoned before the curtain; a similar honour
was deservedly conferred upon Mrs. Warner.

ST. jai. ?lES'S T.l-I.lisl. TR.E.
OPENING OF THE OPERA COMIQUE.
Mr. Mitchell commenced his season of French
performances here last evening. Having successively
introduced to us all the celebrities of the Theatre
Francais, the Gymnase, the Vaudeville, the
Varietes, and the Porte St. Martin. Mr.
Mitchell has now engaged the notabilities of the
Opera Comique ; and during the ensuing season we
are promised a series of the chefs d'ceuvres of Auber,
Boieldieu, Gretry, Adam, Peer, Caraffa, &c., &c.,
produced in a style of perfection which equals (to
say the least), if it does not surpass, the Opera
Comique even in its best days. The orchestra is com-
posed of the elite of our orchestral musicians—
Tolbecque, Bourotte, Deloffre, Pilet, Remusat,
Lazarus, Baumann, and Harper, are numbered among
its members, and Mr. Charles Hanssens, the con-
ductor of the Brussels Opera, whose marvellous
powers as a conductor were the delight and admira-
tion of all who witnessed the performances of the
Brussels troupe at Drury lane, in 1846, presides over
the orchestral arrangements. The manner in which
the music was given last night by the orchestra was
perfect. It went like one large instrument. The manner
of Mr. Charles Hanssens in the orchestra is admirable ;
there is no grimacing, no attitudinising, but all is
quiet, unassuming, and, therefore, most efficient. The
pieces performed last evening were Paer's operetta,
Le Maitre de Chapelle, and Auber's opera comique
(and the perfection of opera comique it is), Le
Domino Noir. The operas were well chosen as
specimens of the various styles of music which
have at different times ruled the French school. In
the music of Paer, whose style is a combination of
that of Cimarosa and Gluck, there are few cadences,
the movements are generally speaking sostenuto, and
the stringed instruments predominate. Softness
rather than brilliancy is the prevailing characteristic.
The music of Auber, on the contrary, is full of
sparkling brilliancy ; his great effects are almost
always produced by cadences, and the wind instru-
ments greatly predominate. The contrast between
these different styles was admirably brought out last
evening, and the performance was delightful, not
only on account of its own absolute excellence,
but as affording an admirable opportunity for
comparing the music of the past age with that of the
present. The Maitre de Chapelle is well known in
this country from its having been performed at Drury-
lane in 1846 by the Brussels company. The prin-
cipal characters were sustained by Mademoiselle
Guichard, a young lady who is already favourably
known in this country, and whose performance last
night was full of grace and espieglerie, and more
than sustained her already high reputation, and by
M. Beauce, from the Opera Comique. M. Beauce
was the Maitre de Chapelle, his voice is a fine and
flexible bass ; he is an accomplished musician, and
admirable buffo actor; his rehearsal of his opera
and his music lesson were admirably given.
Both M. I3eauce and Mademoiselle Guichard
were called for at the conclusion of the operetta.
The National Anthem was sung by the company,
the solo parts being given by Miss Rebecca Isaacs.
The Domino Noir followed, and never have we seen
this delightful opera more delightfully performed.
The overture was brilliantly given—it was perfect.
The cast was excellent, M. Couderc, the best " acting
singer," and the best tenor of which the Paris Opera
Comique can boast, appeared in his original part of
Horace, and sung and acted with a gentlemanly ease
which left nothing to be desired. His voice is a fine
tenor of great sweetness and compass, and he is in
every sense of the word a most accomplished artiste.
The part of Angela, the Domino Noir, was sustained
by Mdlle. Charton, who made a favourable impression
on the English musical public some years ago, when
she appeared as a member of the Brussels company,
who was afterwards engaged at the Opera Comique
at Paris, and who last night achieved a veritable tri-
umph. Her voice is a rich mellow gushing soprano,
which has greatly improved in quality, in power, and
in compass since she left us. She sings with the
most exquisite taste, and the most correct intonation,
and never have we seen a more delightful or a more
fascinating representative of Angele than Mdlla
Charton's. She threw an air of sentiment into the
part which was very effective. She created quite a
furore in the celebrated cavatina " Amour o toe
dont le nom," and its repetition was rap-
turously demanded. Mdlle. Charton is in short,
what Madame Cinti Damoreau was thirty years since,
the most charming soprano singer of the French stage.
M. Breguet, who sustained the part of Gil Perez, is
an admirable comic actor, full of unctious quaintness
—a sort of French Keeley. The other characters
were excellently sustained. The principal artistes
were called for at the conclusion. We congratulate
Mr. Mitchell on the success of this first attempt at
naturalising among us one of the most delightful
amusements of the French capital. The success of
the experiment of last night was complete ; what was
better still, it was fairly earned and well deserved,
and therefore it is but the first-fruits of many future
successes. The House was crowded in every part.
Amongst the company we noticed the Prince and
Princess of Parma and suite, the Conde de Monte-
molin and his Royal Highness the Infante Don Fer-
nando of Spain, his Excellency the Russian Minister,
the Baroness Brunow, and Mdlle. Olga de Lechner ;
his Excellency the Turkish Minister and suite, his
Excellency the Sardinian Minister, the Countess
Dowager of Norbury, the Earl and Countess of
Norbury, and Lady Emily Toler; the Earl of Mun-
ster, the Earl Granville, Viscount Somerton, Lord
and Lady Aylmer, Lord Ossulston, Viscount Clifdeo,
Sir John and Lady Burgoyne and Misses Burgoyne,
Sir Henry Webb, Mrs. Freemantle, Mrs. Charles
Freemantle, Miss Gyles, Mrs. Dennistoun, the Che-
valier Pinot do Perioto, ' M. Eugene de Gurlache,
Suastopol, the Misses Beauclerc, Lady Quentin, Sir
Wm. Fraser, Hon. F. Leveson Gower, Mr. William
Delafield, Hon. Stuart Wortley, Mr. Hardwicke, Mrs.
Ruddell Todd, Sir William Ball, &c.

ASTLEY'S THEATRE.
The attraction of this popular establishment re-
ceived an addition last night, by the first appearance
of Miss Woolford for the season. The graceful,
agile, and fearless performances of this lady on the
tight rope, are too well known and appreciated by
the frequenters of Astley's to need either comment
or description. Her admirable dancing of a horn-
pipe and a polka last night elicited hearty and uni-
versal applause. The Scenes in the. Circle, which
succeeded, are well calculated to sustain the high
reputation of Mr. Batty's management. Nothing
can be prettier in effect, or more pleasing to the
imagination, than the opening. eestrian pa.
their way to com-
pete of the olden time, which
.introduces a gay
itch of bacon. The
with a
cavalcade of knights and dames in the costume of
1686, and contrasts them
ro_, procession of the
upriemiodw ofin.
ploewteerfocrlatshseesceolfebthraetsea.dmpe old
minuet gavotte, aan
_t
_country dance Sir
Roger bit.
Roger de Coverley,.retiec reflected equal credit upon the
human and the equine performers, and brought forth
the strongth of m
--r. Batty's establishment.
Batty'
• .milk-white Arabian palfrey Mr.
rey Lily need not
fear competition with the docile
mals exhibited by M. Adolpher and intelligent ani-
lane. Mr. J. Bridges closed ranconi, at Drury-
tainment with a series of this part of the enter.
was highly applauded. truly wonderful leaps, and
The performances with
the successful pantomime
of Robin Hood.
T. A

_ -E -UTUOR OF " EMILIA WYRDIIAM.".-4VO
observe with pleasure that this popular writer is about
to publish a new novel entitled " Mordaunt Hall; or,
A September Night."
MANCHESTER COMMERCIAL ASSOCIATION. —The
annual meeting of the Manchester Commercial Associa-
tion was held yesterday in the York Hotel-buildings.
Mr. J. A. Turner, the president of the association, oc-
cupied the chair, and opened the proceedings by taking
u brief review of the labours of the association during the
past year, observing that an increased supply of a good
description of cotton was one of the principal features of
the past year ; and he had no doubt that, if the East
India Company made better roads, there would be a re-
volution in the cotton trade of that vast territory. He
congratulated the mercantile men of Manchester upon
the manner in which they had passed through the last
year, when many eminent houses elsewhere were unable
to stand the pressure of the times. The secretary then
read the report, which was adopted. Mr. W. Gibb
complained that the principles of free trade had not made
that progress on the Continent which they were led to
expect would have been the case. He thought Mr.
Cobden should leave Liverpool to carry out financial re-
form, and take care of his own child, free trade, and not
to mind other people's children. Mr. Schuster said that
I'r& e trade associations were being formed in Germany,
and one of the ablest advocates of free trade in France
had been made Minister of the Interior. The officers of
the association for the ensuing year were then appointed,
and, after a vote of thanks to the retiring directors and
to the president, the proceedings terminated.

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