The Sun.
London, England, 1849-05-03 00:00:00

ST. JAMES'S THEATRE.

Herold's opera Le Pre aux Clercs was produced here
last evening with Madlle. Charton as Isabella, M. Octave
as Mergy, and M. Coudere as Comminge. The music
of this opera has long been familiar to the musical
public, and the plot is well known to our playgoer, from
an English version which was produced by the English
Opera company at the Adelphi, shortly after the de-
struction of the old English Opera House. M. Octave,
as Mergy, gave force and character to the portrait of
the proud, irascible Bcarnese gentleman, to whom even
the naming of his love seems almost a profanation. His
singing of the air, " 0 ma tendre amie!" was finished
and full of feeling, and in the concerted music, through-
out the opera, his sweet voice and correct style told
well. Couderc, as usual in all his impersonations, gave
strong colour and character to the part of Comminge,
making it a finished histrionic performance. The
charming Charton was the Isabelle, acting with her
usual graceful naivete, and singing with true feel-
ing and finished execution. In her grand air,
at the commencement of the second act, "0 jours d'inno-
cence," in the romance in the first act, "Souvenirs du
jeune age" (an air as popular in France as "Home,
sweet home" was in England), and in the trio in the
third act with Mergy and Marguerite (a hich was en-
cored) Mdlle. Charton displayed all those winning graces
of voice and style which have rendered her so great ss
favourite in Brussels, in Paris, and now here. The mi-
nor parts were all well sustained by M. Sayer, M.
Baguet, Mdlle. Guichard, and Mdlle. Martial. M.
Soyer, especially, infused much grotesque humour into
his character of Cantarelli. Nothing could be better
than the orchestral accompaniments, and in the chorus
there is a manifest improvement, both in the body of
sound and in the precision of the execution. The finale
to the second act was given in a style worthy establish-
ments of much high r pretensions. The theatre was
fully and fashionably attended, and the performance
was honoured with the presence of her Majesty and
Prince Albert.

OPERA COMIQUE, ST. JAMES'S THEATRE.—Her
Majesty and Prince Albert honoured thfise perform-
ances with their presence last evening. The royal suite
comprised the Marchioness of Douro, the Hon. Miss
Paget, the Earl of Morley, General Wemyss, and Colonel
Gordon. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, at-
tended by Lady Augusta Bruce, Lord James Murray,
and Sir George Cooper, also honoured the theatre with
their presence. There were also present his Royal High.
ness the Duke of Brunswick, the Russian Ambassador
the Turkish Ambassador and suite, the French Ambas-
sador and suite, the Marquis of Douro, the Marquis and
Marchioness of Downshire, the Countess of Essex and
Miss Johnson, La Comtesse de Landsfeldt, Earl and

Countess Granville, Viscount Clifden, Viscount and Vis-

countess Canning, Viscountess Newport and the Hon.
Mrs. Anson, Lord and Lady Ashburton, Lady Frederic
and Miss Beanelerc, Lord Cranstouu, Lord and Lady
Charles Wellesley, Lord Cranbourne, Lord Chief
Justice Cleric and Miss Clerk, Lady Quentin, Lady and
Miss Macdonald, the Hon. Frederic Byng, Mr. and Mrs.
Matheson' and party, Mrs, Standish Standish, Mr. and
Mrs. Oliver Mas3ty, Mr. and Mrs. John Stanley, Sir
Henry Webb, Mr. Edward Ellice, &c.
We are requested to state Mr. Pigott was acciden-
tally absent from the division in favour of Mr. Ewart's
Bill for the Abolition of Capital Punishment.

Loss OF THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT STEAM.,
PACKET RITAMSES.—We learn from Malta, by the Over-
land Mail, that the Odin steam-frigate, the Hon. Cap-
tain Pelham, had arrived there on the 26th of April,
from Trapani, conveying the officers and some of the
crew (43 in number) of the Ithamses, and CO passengers
taken out of the same vessel, which had been totally
wrecked at .Trapani. It appears that the Rhanises left
Malta on the morning cf the 23d for Trapani (where
the Palermo mail is landed) and Marseilles. She reached
Trapani on the 24th, and was leaving again when the
Odin made her appearance from Palermo, with a num-
b of Sicilian fugitives (among whom were most of the
members of the late Provisional Government of Sicily
established at Palermo), and, in order to receive some
on board, desirous as they were of getting to republican
France, the Rhamses stopped her engines. By some
bungling, however, the Preach steamer got upon the
rocks outside, after receiving on board this additional
freight, and it coming on to blow hard on the following
day, became a total wreck, when Captain Pelham, very
considerately, volunteered to convey the officers and
crew, and the sixty passengers she had on board, to
Malta, where they arrived in time to go by the French
and English steamers leaving for Marseilles on the 26th.
Major-General Bunleury, the gallant Commander-
in- Chief at Jamaica Nee been suffering severely from in-
disposition; but we are glad to find by our last advices
that he was rapidly recovering.
The Rev. Montagu Bsyly, of Christ Church,
Oxford, has been appointed domestic chaplain to the
Earl of Jersey.
BRUSSELS, MAY I.—Mrs. Cuvier, wife of the cele-
brated savant of that name, has just died in her 87th
year, at the Jardin des Plantes.
ARRIVALS or SPECIR.—The following arrivals of
specie have just taken place. The ship Southampton
from Calcutta has brought 1 case of specie, consigned
to order; the Camperdown, from Calcutta and the
Cape of Good Hope respectively, has brought
1 box of specie, individually addressed, 2 boxes
consigned to a firm of eminence in the metropolis,
aid also 13 boxes of specie, consigned to order;
the Competitor, from Port Adelaide, Australia,
a large quantity of copper ore, 15 blocks of copper,
and 2 cases of specie, consig-ned to the Au itrah
anßank;.
the Kilblain, from Canton and the Cape, 1 box of specie
St. Helena,
t4heboWxecslloefe:slepcieye,,
from Calmata, Madras, and
consigned to three eminent
firms in the !EC tropolii, and 1 package consigm:d to
order; the Australia, from Hobart Town, 2 casks of
specie, consigned to separate parties; the Eleanor, from
the Mauritius, 1 box of bullion, addressed; the Mary
Ann, from Algoa Bay, Cape of Good Hope, 1 package
of specie, addressed, and 1 package, consigned to a firm
in the metropolis; and the Robert Henderson, from the
same place, 3 casks of copper, addressed, and twoboxes
of specie, consigned to two separate parties.
BRIDGES.—The bridges are variously constructed,
some consist o' a single arch, others of three or more
arches, and some are merely a series of stone piers,
with large stone slabs laid across them, as described
by us in our acectint of the famous bridge at Foo-
chow-foe. 561.1.0 bridges are built of red granite, end
others of a greyish marble, cut into blocks five
feet or more in length, which are laid alternately
eitd• ways and cross. w ays. The arches are very
high, are semi-circular, 'circular and polygons in shape,
and the bridges have steps at either end. Some are very
hands ,me etructures, particularly one a few miles to the
west of Pekin, which 1, composed of white marble, beau-
tifully cut and ingeniously devised. The balustrades are
composed of seventy small pillars, on either side inter-
mixed with marble L.blaiures, carved with bilds and
foliage and IL wers China and the Chinese.
TRIMIPHAL ARCltas.—Triumplial arches are very
numerous throughout the Celestial Empire, and adorn
almost every ; acme are but indifferently con-
structed, and built of weed, but ithers are well worthy
of observation. These arches stand from twenty to five-
and-twenty feet in height, some are ornamented with
human figures, and others with birds, beasts, and gro-
tesque animals, standing out in bold relief upon the
masonry, while imaginary animals ornament the roof.—
china and the Chine.se.
it is undertsood that the bullion which went out
to the United States by the packet which left Liverpool
on Saturday last amounts to about 83,0001.