The Sun.
London, England, 1841-04-19 00:00:00

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.

.;..:
,~, t~"~T~"' :~

The season at this house, in its full operatic amplitude, may
be said to have commenced on Saturday night. Ihe operas
Norma and Lucia di Lammermoor were both performed,
with the interlude of a divertissement, which might, in every
respect, be considered a very simple dessert to two such courses.
The house was crowded. In Norma Lablache and Grisi made
their appearance, and were welcomed with a warm salute from
all parts of the house. They looked in excellent health, and
were both in finest voice. Grisi never played or sang in the
Norma better—we should almost venture to affirm, so well.
From the impassioned and most expressive aria, " Ah, bello
a me ritorne," after " Casta Diva," down to the conclude
ing bar of the final trio, she sustained the extreme and
varying emotions of the part with power and pathos quite
unrelaxed, with, perhaps. some slight exception at the open-
ing of the second act, where Norma is agonized with the
conception of destroying her children. In the preceding
scene with Pollio and Adalgisa, her personation of the
young priestess, when maddened by the abrupt revelation
of " the worst of woes that wait on " love was admirably real
in its lofty energy of expression, with, however, itmust be said,
those few violent angular movements of the arm at the passages of
highest passion which seem but too like the undignified indica-
tions of extravagant petulance. It is greatly to be regretted
that a blemish of this kind, so easily to be corrected, should
continue to injure the effect of a piece of acting, in all other
respects so sympathetic with a high ideal. 'the last and most
touchiug scenes of the opera, that with Pollio, and the suc-
ceeding intercession of Norma with the chief druid, her father,
for her children, 'were given by Madame Grisi in the most
delicate spirit of tragedy. Signor Mario's Pollio responded
well to suck a Norma. He went through the part with
great animation, a graceful energetic action, and a nice
sense of the quiet expression of by-play. His singing
was also very successful; his tone sweet and sound; his
style finished and masterly. His duet with Madame
Grisi, " Si, fino all' ore estreme," was amongst the most
choice portions of the whole performance. The part of
Adalgisa was supported by a new vocalist in this company, Ma-
demoiselle Granchi, an artiste of merit and prepossessing man.
ner. Lablache was all his great self, in look, manner, and
voice. In the arrangements for this opera it is singular that so
gross an absurdity as that of marshalling a band in Roman cos-
tume, with trumpets, French horns, &c., in scenes of druidism
in Gaul, should be continued with unvarying constancy.
The divertissement on Saturday night was but a series of
evolutions of the corps de ballet, with a pus de trois, in which
Mademoiselle Stephan displayed that superior skill and taste
in her art which have already placed her above the class of
mere danseuses. The house manifested some symptoms of
im-
patience at this entertainment. It was quickly followed by
Lucia di Lammermoor, in which Tambunni anti Rubini made
their appearance, and were warmly received. Both were in ex-
V( bent condition for the performance of their parts, and the opera
was executed with as much spirit as on any former occasion.

' ANCIENT CONCERTS.— A private rehearsal
took place on Saturday morning, under the direction of Mr.
Bishop, of the choruses and concerted pieces selected by the
Duke e f Wellington for performance en Wednesday evening.
The princpal singers engaged are Madame Pauline Garcia
Viardot Madame Caradori Allan, Miss Birch, Miss Bruce
Wyatt, Miss Drvenport, Miss M. B. Hawes, Messrs. Hobbs,
Hawkins, F. Lablache, and Phillips.
ALNIACK'S.—It is definitively arranged by the
ladies patronesses that the first ball this season shall take place
on Thursday next, and not on Wednesday, as is customary.
The alteration arises from that day being fixed for her Ma-
jesty's Drawing Room, and it is fully anticipated there will
be a brilliant attendance. The Countess of Jersey, Viscountess
Palmerston, Countess of Lichfield, Lady Willoughby d'Eresby,
and Marchioness of Abercorn, the ladies patronesses town,
purpose being in attendance ; so that the first series is likely to
commence with more than ordinary eclat. We understand. it
is not yet determined who is to have the "book" of
teas of Euston, who resignei at the commence'
son.—Morning Post.

COWES, ISLE OF WIGHT.
(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
Some insane admirer of the Medina bubbles has in a country
paper dared, after a fortnight's consideration, to assert that the
statement made in The Sun, " that the Bill will be opposed by
Mr. Ward, the College of Winchester, Mr. Way, and many
other infitietitial gentlemen," is false. Had he left off here
some poor deluded dupe§ might have been induced to believe
him, but he goes on, and gets wOrle, until, as might be ex-
pected, he beats himself; he laments that those parties shot ld
oppose his darling Bill, but considers they are the mere dupes
of others (likely persons truly); that they certainly ought to
allow their property to be taken from them rather than oppose
this fine project. He says "We trust they will listen to rea-
son," and t• that their opposition will be fruitless there can be
no doubt." So this false statement is indeed a fact, but one of
those facts which the public generally ought not to be made
acquainted with ; but The Sun has exposed it ; it is now not
only known that the Bill is opposed, but by whom, and why.

=
DR. KENNEDY.
(From the Shrewsbury Chronicle, April 16. )
Dr. Kennedy, the present head master of Shrewsbury
School is dissatisfied with the " slight outline" given in our
last Chronicle, of his very long explanation of what he con-
ceives are the causes of the decline of that school, since
the promotion of his illustrious predecessor, Dr. Butler,
to the see of Lichfield ; indeed, Dr. Kennedy asserts that
the school began to decline two years before he was appointed
the master.

We shall nut attempt to satisfy Dr. Kennedy that our out-
line of his written speech (or reply) was correct; but we
think we can satisfy the public, or any temperate person, on
that point. His charges against us are as follows :
I —That " the Shrewsbury Chronicle professed to give " a
report of his reply.
11. —That he never said " lucrative offers had been made
to him " prior to his acceptance of Shrewsbury School.
111. —That he " never u-ed the word Commerc►al.
IV.—That he "said nothing of bending to the times be-
cause the times would not bend to him."

The above are all the objections he enumerees.
We will now quote Dr. Kennedy's exact words, in his letter,
contradicting our "outline" of the proceedings; and, in con-
trast, we will quote the "outline" we gave of his meaning:—
I. I.
The Chronicle. Dr. Kennedy's Letter.

We cannot do more than A paragraph professing to
give a slight outline of some be a report of the reply made
parts, &c. by me.
TT

Dr. K. alluded to the tempt- " I never said lucrative
inn and lucrative offers he re- offers had been made to me
seised from other places from other parts."
[than Shrewsbury] which Yet in Dr. Kennedy's
offers he resisted from his af- written speech, sent by him to
fection to his fond and illus. the newspapers, he says—
trious teacher, and his love " I res;gned prospects which
for Shrewsbury schools. were hell out to mo of a
highly flattering kind. —An in-
come larger, more certain, and
more free from anxiety, with
a ttlatAioti m're agreeable than
I knew awaited me at shrews-
bury.,,
III.—" I did not use the word Commercial."
Our words are, " It was his intention to establish Philosophical
and Mathematical Classes, in order to fit the pupils for any
walk in life, whether literary or commercial."
The Doctor's expressions (alluding to his alterations in the
Schools, or " bending to the times,") are these :—" An-
other very important advantage has been gained in the ap-
pointment of a special Master for Mathematics and Arith-
metic." Is not " Arithmetic" "commercial ?"
IV.—" I said nothing of bending to the times because the
times would not bend to me." _ _ _

Our-report of this part, we admit, is inferential. But is not
the " appointment of a French Teacher "—of " a new Spe-
cial Master for Mathematics and At ithmetic "—" the new
regulation for exempting from the higher kinds of verse
compositions those boys not destined for College :" are not
these expressions sufficient to justify our informants, in the
inference they drew from the quoted words, that there was
a symptom of " bending to the times "—a symptom of
yielding to the desire for a Commercial Education for the
sons of the Burgesses of Shrewsbury?
If there were any inaccuracies, we have shown there are
none in our account of Dr. Kennedy's speech—the fault is
his own. He read his speech to the meeting, and he sent
copies to other papers, and refrained from sending a copy to
us ; contrary to the practice of his illustrious predecessor. We
therefore gained our information from the best sources open to
us—from several intelligent persons who listened to Dr. Ken-
nedy's address. From the length of that address, few were
enabled to carry away more than an outline of its purport—
none could attempt to repeat the precise words made use of.
We have consulted each of the persons from whom we
gained our information, and we have their authority
to SAY that every word appearing in the paragraph complained
of was used by them in detailing the proceedings to us. Each
of these gentlemen is a well-wisher, and anxious as we are for
the prosperity of Shrewsbury schools ; and this disposes at
once of any intention on our part to do those schools an injury
by misrepresenting the statements of Dr. Kennedy.
We fear that the present gratulation to Dr. Kennedy is too
much attributable to political party-spirit—perhaps not in him,
but certainly in others. His illustrious predecessor, during
thirty-eight years of patient mental labour, cultivated many
scholars in Shrewsbury, and innumerable others who are now
scattered over the globe. Did the Tory Corporation, or the
inhabitants of Shrewsbury, ever address Dr. Butler during
thirty-eight years? Never,

MONEY MARKET and CITY NEWS.