The Sun.
London, England, 1831-01-26 00:00:00

opinion which they oppose. When the Divan had to
decide on a petition of the Christians, it answered '
are dogs,' and it fancied that it had ensurtd the triumph
of Mahometanism."

On the 20th, at eleven o'clock at night, a company
of amateurs appeared under the windows of the
Honourable Al. de Ryckere, and gave to the Ex-
Deputy a brilliant serenade, which concluded with cries
of "De Ryckere for ever ! The independent citizen, the
friend of Flanders for ever !" _

-„. .
M. Constantine Rodenbach, who was at the Hotel de
nenne, Might have heard the acclamations bestowed on
!ate colleague: He now knows holy a Member of the
Congress should act to become popular.
Letters from St. Petersburgh, received at Berlin, and
which appear to be authentic, announce that the Emperor
will go in petson to Lithuania; that he will leave the ca-
pital on the 13th, at the head of his guards, and arrive
on the 17th at \Vilna, where an army of 140,000 men
till be assembled. _ . .

We have this moment received the following details,
which we believe to be correct :—Yesterday morning,
January 20, General Daine announced to the army the
resolution take❑ by the Provisional Government foc the
suspension of hostilities. In his Order of the Day, addressed
to the Commanders of corps, the General announces that
Antwerp will be abandoned by the Dutch, that the
Scheldt will be free, hut that the Belgians are to raise
the blockade of Maestricht, and that the cantonments of
each corps will b shortly assigned.
" Though this order," he says in conclusion, " is very
afflicting to the army, I beg you strictly to conform to it,
And be the first to set the example of a painful obedience."

ANTWERP, JAN. 21, FIVE P.M.-At this moment a
magnificent Dutch steam-boat (a yacht), bearing a flag
with the Royal Arms, has just arrived before the city,
and has been saluted by reiterated buzzes from the gun-
boats in the road.

At noon no new arrival from Flushing.
13m:sit:Ls, JAN. 22.—The following news, which we
have reason to believe official, has been communicated to

" THE SCHELDT IS FREE."

General Nypels having taken for his army the measures
which circumstances render necessary, arrived here yes-
terday morning with part of his staff. Tile army retains
the Attitude which has kept in check the Prince of Saxe-
Weimar.

According to other private accounts 18 merchantmen
entered the port of Antwerp this morning.
FROM THE MAINE, JAN. 15.—We hear that France,
faithful to its system of the freedom of navigation, has
declared in the conferences of the navigation of the Rhine,
that it understands toe Emperor relative to the navigation
of the Ithine to the sea, to mean into the sea, i. c. quite
free into the open sea.
VIENNA, JAN. 14.—Four per Cent. Metalliques,Sli ;
Bank Shares, 1053.

In, the course of the argument on Mr.
ARNoLD's petition, the LORD CHANCELLOR
appears somewhat to have embarrassed the
Counsel for the Winter Theatres by asking
the date of the last rational comedy or tragedy
" produced at those Theatres, fit for the amuse-
" ment of men and women." After casting
about him for some time, Mr. HARRISON made
mention of some common-place productions
which had had a fair run of late years, but no
contradiction was offered to the LORD CHAN-
CELLOR's suggestion, that since the School for
Scandal and the Rivals, no play of the slightest
merit had been exhibited.
The condition in which the Winter Theatres
now find themselves, is that in which all public
concerns and institutions, which do not endea-
vour to lead, rather than to follow, the public
taste, will always find themselves iu the long run.
So long as the genius of a SHERIDAN is in
existence to give life to the expression of
genuine wit, sentiment, and taste, it rivets to
itself the attention of the intelligent of all classes,
who are ever desirous of seeing and hearing what
is excellent, when it is offered to them in a
palatable form. But after the pure essence of
comedy has been diluted into insipid and nau-
seous draughts, a multitude of low jokes and
buffoonery, a profuse display of gewgaw tinsel,
and the occasional aid of horses and monkeys,
and other four-footed animals, become neces-
sary in order to dazzle and tickle the vulgar. It
is not at all surprising that the residents of the
metropolis frequent the theatres but little, since
the truth is that the theatres are not able to fur-
nish them with any amusement of a kind that will
bear repetition. If the theatres are considered
worth going to, people would not mind dining
early in order to go to them ; but as it is, the
attraction of society, or of home, is greater than
that of the play ; and therefore the play-houses
rely mainly, as it is said, upon the influx of
casual visitors of London.

In the state of things we refer to, it would be
unfair to attach blame to the proprietors of the
theatres, for there has always been, and still is,
every disposition on their part to purchase the
first talent, both in composition and acting. But
the misfortune is that the true tragedy and
comedy are no longer to be purchased—they
are clean out of the market. They are as
extinct as genuine golden pippins. It is, or
should be, therefore, matter of consideration with
the directors of the public drama, whether they
would not do well to aim at excellence of another
sort, and whether they might not endeavour to
improve the operas, melo-dramas, and pieces of
that description, so as to make them really good
a their kind. Compare the music, scenery,
(lancing, dresses, and other indispensables of an
opera, in an English theatre, to the same in a
French or German theatre, and the inferiority
must be acknowledged to be disgraceful to us in
the eyes of those who set any value upon the
beau-ideal of an opera. Musical pieces are those
which are now the most likely to attract the
public favour, and it is therefore the more to be
wished that it were possible to make them much
more perfect exhibitions than they are at present.
Mr. ARNOLD has, undoubtedly, much merit in
this respect, but we cannot compliment him by
saying he is near perfection. Perhaps, should
his licence be extended, he may aim at making
the English opera complete in all its parts, and
not rely upon the abilities of one or two superior
violinists, or on the voice of one singer, to attract
popularity. He may also be reminded that,
though TAGLIONIS are not to be found every
day, a ballet of pretty girls, and good dancers,
could not be a very difficult acquisition to a
London theatre, though we are not aware that
such a ballet is to be seen in any of them.
The theatres having an extensive influence
upon public taste, as Newspapers have upon
public opinion, it is very desirable that their in-
' fluence should be such as to lead the people to
love and admire what is really good and beauti-
ful. The attachment to theatrical exhibitions,
says Madame DE STAEL, is universal, and in
those who consider it a weakness, it is often the
very best quality. The drama, as it ought to
be, would be the the best of schoolmasters. It
would soften and purify the bad passions of men,