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

COURT CIRCULAR.

The Queen and Prince Albert left town yesterday
morning for her Majesty's marine residence, Osborne,
Isle of Wight. Her Majesty and his Royal Highness
were accompanied in their carriage by their Royal
Highnesses the Prince of W? ales, Prince Alfred, and the
Princess Royal. Their Royal Highnesses Princess
Alice, the Princess Helena, and the Princess Louisa,
and the Ladies and Gentlemen in Waiting, Lady Port-
man, Lady in Waiting, Hon. Flora Macdonald, Maid of
Honour, the Master of the Household, Colonel the Hon.
Charles Grey, Equerry in Waiting, and Colonel Bou-
verie, Equerry in Waiting to Prince Albert, followed in
four carriages and four.
Her Majesty and the Prince were conducted to their
carriage by the Dowager Lady Lyttelton, Hon. Miss
Cavendish, the Lord Steward, the Lord hamberlain,
the Master of the Horse, Lord Camoys, Viscount Clifden,
Mr. R. Ormsby Gore, and Captrin Francis Seymour.
Tho august party left Buckingham Palace at ten
minutes before eleven o'clock, and proceeded to the Nine
Elms Station of the London and South-Western Railway.
A special train conveyed her Majesty and the Prince to
Gosport.

The Rev. T. Ainger, Mr. Henry Chester, and Mr. W,
Ford, had an interview with Lord John Russell yes-
terday.

LONDON SACRED HARMONIC
SOCIETY, EXETER-HALL.
The members of the London Sacred Harmonic Society
performed Handel's sacred oratorio of Israel in Egypt
last evening, at Exeter- hall, under the able direction of
Mr. Surruan, than whom a more conscientious inter-
preter of the works of Handel does not exist. It is de-
lightful to see this gentleman conduct one of the master-
pieces of Handel. There is an utter abnegation of self on
those occasions, his whole soul is in the work: an enthu-
siastic worshipper of the mighty master, he becomes
identified, as it were, with the object of his
worship; but his worship of Handel, albeit
it is the worship of admiration—of enthusiasm,
of love—is also the worship of intellect; his is no un-
reasoning faith, and it is just because he understands
Handel better, perhaps, than does any living professor,
that he is his best and most conscientious interpreter.
Had Handel never composed the Messiah, his Israellin
Egypt would have been considered the grandest and
most perfect oratorio in the world; as it is, we think that
there are parts of the -Israel in Egypt superior to
anything in the Messiah and we would mention
as an instance the hailstone chorus. This is
to our thinking, and we speak after a not
inattentive study of the works of the mighty master, the
most perfect of all the compositions of Handel.
Whether as regards sublimity of conception, massive-
ness of execution, perfection of orchestral and choral
development, fidelity of description, or characteristic and
dramatic expression, the hailstone chorus surpasses
every other piece of music that was ever composed, aye!
even the far-famed Hallelujah chorus itself, and for this
simple reason, that the subject of the Hallelujah
chorus did not afford to Handel the variety, which is one
of the great charms of the hailstone chorus. This
oratorio is rich in descriptive music ; the chorus
"He rebuked the Red Sea," which occurs towards
the conclusion of the first part, is another mag-
nificent example of the perfection of the descriptive
music of Handel. Neither the Desert of Felicien David,
nor the musical poems (for such they are) of Hector
Berlioz, nor even the gorgeous symphonies of Beethoven,
which are to music what Turner's paintings are to the
sister art, approach these two sublime choruses, consi-
dered as pieces of descriptive music merely. They were
magnificently rendered last night by the band and chorus,
which consisted of nearly five hundred performers,
but which went as one mighty instrument, so
admirably had they been drilled by Mr. Surman. It
was not alone mere accuracy of notation and intonation
that was attained, it was evident that the performers
had nct been taught to sing merely by rote, but that
they understood and felt that which they interpreted;
each variation of light and shade was marked and given,
and oftsn as we have before heard: this oratorio; fre-
quently as we have been delighted to hear it as ren-
dered by the Sacred Harmonic Society, in this very
hall, never did we hear these two choruses so
perfectly, so sublimely given as they were last even-
ing. The chorus, " The depths have covered them,"
which occurs in the second part, is another in-
stance of the immense power of Handel in
descriptive music. The effect of the semi-chorus of
female voices singing almost without an accompaniment,
which occurs in this portion of the oratorio, is very fine,
and it was last night very finely rendered ; indeed
nothing could be superior to the manner in which the
choruses (and they form the principal portion of the
oratorio) were rendered throughout by the members of
the London Sacred Harmonic Society. The solo per-
formers were Miss Birch, Mrs. A. Newton, Miss Miran,
Mr. Turner, Mr. H. Phillips, and Mr. Lawler. The
duet, " The Lord is my strength," was exquisitely ren-
dered by Mrs. A. Newton and Miss Birch, and the
latter lady afterwards gave the beautiful air,
" Thou didst blow," with true Handelian expression.
Miss Miran was encored, and most deservedly encored,
in " Thou shalt bring them in." Never did we hear her
fine rich contralto tones to greater perfection than in
the concluding passages of this fine air. She also sang
the duet, " Thou in mercy," delightfully, and was well
seconded in it by Mr. Turner. There was one other
encore during the course of the evening, and that
also was fairly won; it was the duet, "The
Lord is a man of war',' which was magnifi-
cently given by Mr. H. Phillips and Mr. Lawler.
We never heard Mr. Lawler to greater perfection than
last evening ; he was in excellent voice and had evi-
dently carefully studied his music. His manner of
giving the recitative and air, " Wave from wave,"
would be alone sufficient to secure him a position among
the very first bass singers of the day. The hall was
crowded in every part, by a most attentive and delighted
audience—such an audience as a musician is pleased to
see before him, because he feels that they understand
his science, and can, therefore, properly appreciate his
exertions.

OPERA COMIQUE, ST. JAMES'S THEATEE•—The
performance at this theatre last evening was attended by
the Hereditary Princess of Parma and suite, the Conde
de Montemolin and suite, the Duke of Leeds, the
Duchess of Inverness, the Marquis of Ailesbury, the
Countess of Jersey, the Countess of Kinnoul, Lord and
Lady Ernest Bruce, Viscount Clifden, Lord Cran-
borne, Lord William Lennox, ; Sir, George and
Miss Talbot, Sir Henry Webb, Sir Frederick Trench,
Lady Joddrell, Mrs. Mountjoy Martin, and Miss Jen-
kins, Mr. and Mrs. John Sanford, Mrs Paul, Miss
Beauclerc, Mr. and Mrs. Addington, Major Udney, Mr.
Hardwicke, &c.

THE TRIAL or Rusn.—On Tuesday evening,
Messrs. Mitchell and Clarke, and Mr. Cann, solicitors,
of Wymondham, and Messrs. Treharne and White, soli-
citors, of London, had a lengthened consultation with
Mr. Prendergast, the point under consideration being
the mode in which the prisoner Rush should be put upon
his trial for the murders at Stanfield Hall. It was sub-
mitted to Mr. Prendergast which of two courses should
be taken; whether only ono indictment, in which should
be comprised two charges of murder and two of at-
tempted murder, should be taken before the grand jury;
or whether separate indictments upon each of those
charges should be preferred. Mr. Prendergast advised
the adoption of this latter course; and, consequently,
there will be four indictments against the accused, viz.,
one for the murder of Mr. Isaac Jermy, ono for the
murder of Mr. Lilac Jermy Jermy, another for an at •
tempt on the life of Mrs. Jenny, and another for the
ILlie offence on the life of Eliza Chestney. The assize
commission for the Norfolk Spring Circuit will be opefled
this (Saturday) morning, at Aylesbury.
MALT• TAX REPEAL. Meetings for this object
have been held at Chesterfield and Leicester.

An individual intends opening an hotel at San
Francisco. We don't know what the sign will be, but
we suggest the " Golden Fleece."—Puppet Show.
NEWLYN IN PYDAR.--MILDNESS OF THE SEASON.

—A strawberry perfectly ripe, and a blackberry nearly
so, were gathered a few days since on the grounds of
Tresillian and Degembris in this parish.—Cornwall
Gazette.