The Sun.
London, England, 1841-09-07 00:00:00

COVENT-GARDEN THEATRE.

This theatre opened last night for the winter season
at a time of year somewhat earlier than it has hitherto
been the custom fur the great theatres to commence ope-
rations. We think, however, Madame Vestris has shown
her usual excellent judgment in commencing the cam-
paign thus early. In consequence of the scenes which
are now in the course of performance on the political
stage, London is unusually full, while the number of
theatres now open is unusually small, even for this time
of the year ; and as it must necessarily be some time be •
fore Drury-lane can open for dramatic performance,
not only will Madame have the field to herself; for a
much longer time than she would have had had
she deferred the opening of the theatre to the usual pe-
riod, but the public will have acquired the habit of going
to Covent-garden—a matter of more importance to the
well, being of a theatre than the uninitiated can imagine.
Madame takes the field this year in great force, with one
of the strongest companies for comedy we ever recollect
to have seen collected within the walls of a theatre. It
is true that Keeley, Anderson, and Mrs. Brougham are
no longer members of the corps dramatique of Covent-
garden ; but among the reinforcements which the com-
pany have received during the recess are Oxberry,Walter
Lacy, Mrs.W.West, Mrs. Glover, and Miss Murray, so that
the comedy force of the company has been strengthened
by the changes which have taken place. In the operatic
department the only change of consequence is the en-
gagement of Mr. Clement White in the room of Mr.
Binge as second tenor. The piece chosen for the open-
ing was A Midsummer Night's Dream, produced in the
same splendid style as last season. The only change
of importance in the cast was the substitution
of. Oxberry for Keeley, as Flute, the bellows-
mender. Oxberry's quaint manner and shrill voice
told excellently in this part, and elicited roars of laugh-
ter. At the fall of the curtain Madame Vestris was
loudly called for, and was led in by Bartley. On her
appearance, the pit (a bumper) rose to greet her, and she
retired amidst the waving of hats and handkerchiefs,
accompanied by the most enthusiastic expressions of con-
gratulation and applause. Between the play and the
after-piece the national anthem was sung by the whole
company, the solo parts being sustained by Miss Rain-
forth, Madame Vestris, and Mr. W. Harrison. The
evening's amusement concluded with The Critic, in
which the pungency of Farren, as Sir Fretful, and the
bustle and whim of Charles Mathews, as Puff; kept the
audience in a continual roar. The house was exceed-
ingly well filled, and everything seems to promise a
prosperous season.

CHEAP PROVISIONS v. TORY
FALLACIES.
(From the Manchester Guardian.)
The following is a copy of a " Family bill," actually
given out by a respectable individual for provisions, used
in his family, in the city of Cincinnati, United States of
America, and brought over to England by a Wesleyan
missionary, now in the Staffordshire potteries
IN AMERICA. S. d.
3 stones of flour, at Is. lid 3 4,1,-
2 ounces tea, W., 41b. coffee, lid 0 4
lilbs. sugar, at sd.
4lbs. beef; at 4d.
-.,31b5. of mutton, at 2d.
of bacon, at 2d.
21bs. of butter, at 3d.

This same missionary also states that wages are higher,
and employment more constant than in England. The
same eatables in highly-favoured England, where every
. .

,hing is blessed (?)with a tax to protect the landed hi-
,erest and keep up rents, would be as follows :
IN ENGLAND.
4 stones of flour, at 2i. 8d
2 ounces of tea, Bd., -Vb. of coffee, 6d. ... 1 2
lbs. sugar, at 8d 1 0
4 lbs. beef, at 7d. 2 4
3 lbs. mutton, at 63-d.
2 lbs. bacon, at Bd.
2 lbs. of butter, at ls. Id.

s. d.
. 8 0

17 7i

The day before yesterday a young couturiere, in
the Rue Saint Honore, endeavoured to suffocate herself
with charcoal, but she was discovered in time for medi-
cal assistance to be of avail. In the morning a man,
with whom this female had intimate relations, called, and
received from the hands of the porter a letter which she
had written to him, and which he read as he went up
stairs. It announced her intention to destroy herself.
On arriving at the door of the girl's room this person saw
a letter on the outside, addressed to the porter. He
picked it up, without concerning himself as to the poor
girl further than by giving it to the porter as he
left the house, saying " Here is a letter for you ; as
for me, I am off." The porter having read the letter,
and ascertained what had taken place, rushed to the
room, and, having forced open the door, called in
medical aid, which a few moments later might have been
useless.

A letter from Rome gives the following account
of the Pope's reception of the Abyssinian mission:—
" On August 17, the Holy Father, seated on his throne,
with •the Cardinal Mezzofante on his right, and the
Secretary of the Propaganda on his left, received the
Abyssinian Envoys. Having prostrated themselves at
his feet, his Holiness raised them up, and desired them
to be seated. He then entered into converse with them.
Cardinal Mezzofante, the Apostolic Prefect, De Jacobi,
and the Priest, Galabarda, serving in turn as interpreters.
The other members of the Embassy, among whom are
several Ethiopian learned doctors, priests, and monks,
were then introduced, with the whole of their suite, and
a letter from the Sovereign of Abyssinia was laid at the
feet of the Pope, who, with his own hand, broke the
three seals, and Dr. Desta, formerly secretary to the
Emperor Sabagaris, read the letter aloud. It was imme-
diately translated into Italian by Cardinal Mezzofante
and M. de Jacobi. The Envoys then expressed their
regret that in their poverty they were unable to offer
the Sovereign Pontiff tributes in gold, but intreated him
to accept in token of their homage, the purest incense
and the most precious perfumes their country produced,
adding, that instead of presenting him with myrrh, the
emblem of that mourning, which they prayed that God
would long keep far distant from his Holiness, they
begged permission to tender to his acceptance some of
the finest and rarest birds of Ethiopia. The reception
given by his Holiness to the deputation was most affable,
and he promised to grant them another audience, when
he would deliver his answer to their Sovereign's letter."
MR. COBDEN.—Since our last, the newspapers
have been busy with Mr. Cobden. He has already the
honour of being one of the "best abused men in Eng-
land." As a set off against the bitterness with which he
has been assailed by the Tories, however, he has met
with the most liberal praise from the ablest Reform jour-
nals in the kingdom. Among the numerous testimonies
to his merit, we venture to say that the following, from
the Stockport Chronicle, will be more grateful to his

heart than the proudest eulogiums of the London pa-
pers. It is like the endeared voice of fireside friendship
softly echoing the trump of public fame :—" That his
own constituents are, in the highest degree, satisfied with
the prompt manifestation of his determination to make
their wants and wishes heard, by the monopolists in Par-
liament, was evinced by the delighted groups which, for
two or three days, might have been seen, in every street,
congratulating each other on the humble part which they
had taken, in the return of so valuable a representative,
and gratefully acknowledging how amply they were al-
ready repaid for their exertions to secure his election ;
and even many of the more sensible of our political oppo
nents have candidly acknowledged the honesty and ability
of Mr. Cobden, and the great improvement which has
taken place in the representation of this borough.—Bol-
ton Free Press.

LAMMAS WHEAT.—An Englishman, named
Weathercroft, who emigrated on account of his opinions,
settled at Caen, and had some seed wheat brought over
from his own country. Among the crop, in the follow-
ing year, were two ears of laminas wheat, and these two
ears were the Adam and Eve of an innumerable posterity
now spread over almost all France, and which threatens
to exterminate the ordinary kind of wheat. It was in
1797 that these two ears were gathered. If France has
lost millions through the war with England, perhaps
these two grains of corn, sent accidentally from that
country, have made ample amends for the mischief.—
Excursions in Normandy.

SUPPOSED CHILD MURDER.—About eight
o'clock last Saturday morning' while some boys were
playing on the causeway in front of Hermitage-street,
near the entrance to the London Docks, they. discovered
i
the mutilated remains of an nf. ttnt buried in the mud.
The lower extremities and the right arm of the child had
been cut off.
if
The skull is ;fractured, and the features
mutilated, as
for the purpose of preventing the corpse
from being recognised. The infant does not appear to
have been more than two months old.
EARTHQUAKE IN INDIA.—In consequence of
a severe shock of an earthquake,f a large hill or mountain
,iwts_
coundation, and thrown into the
was shaken from
ncpkassehnigherscompletely choked that river,
bed of the Att
were enabled to cross over
so entirely that
natural course of the
dryshod. This check to
stream occasioned the woaftenraitaoenspread and inundate the
tot which was totally im-
, neighbouring Talooka
lace called Ghelan
was so considerable
mersed, the inhabitants flying
thrown up.
the mountain
for safety. On the 9th of June thearePtl
With such force Cltioildh
an influx of water in the Attock,
this torrent
swept
etach bank
which was laid across its bed was thro
left their houseaPs,haeanwgdatipysrboina-
and its na-
tural channel restored.
d in this come down, that the country for five toss
was submerced, and several people were
its impetuous course ; many
poferKtyh,
raanbdadb,eNtvoiotkh tihtsemfosretlrveesss,t,ovatshelehveillllse.
all-
destroying sweep, not a vestige of them remaining.
About thirty of the inhabitants of this Qusba lost their
lives on this occasion, the remainder having saved them-
se.ves by flight. The houses of a community of fisher-
men located in the neighbourhood were also destroyed.
Ttera was such a swell of water that it overtopped the
fort. There is no describing the extent of the ravages
committed by a torrent. The Ilaqua, of Lachine was
entirely washed away, with the extensive crops which
were standing at the time. The farmers have sustained
much loss.—Bombay Gazette.
A STRANGE EXECUTION.—In the year
1386, a sow ate part of the child of a day-labourer of
Falaise, named Janet. This accident reached the ears
of the Judge, .who condemned the animal to suffer pub-
licly the penalty of retaliation, as prescribed by law. The
face and one arm of the child had been devoured ; the
sow was mutilated in the same manner, and then hanged
by the executioner in the public place, amidst a con-
course of people. The Judge presided at the execution
on horseback, with a feather in his hat. The father
was forced to attend, 'by way of punishment, for not
taking proper care of his child. The culprit, when
brought to the gallows, was dressed like a man, wore a
waistcoat, breeches, and gloves, and a human mask before
her snout.—Excursions in Normandy.

L ITERATURE.

ALISON'S HISTORY OF EUROPE. Vol. IX.
• Blackwood, Edinburgh, 1841.
" A great book is a great evil," says the old
adage, and in nine out of ten cases the re-
mark holds good. The present, however, is an
exception; for, though in his " History of
Europe," Mr. Alison has undoubtedly written a
" great book," yet when we take into considera-
tion the period of which he treats, and the awful
events he narrates; that he discusses a period,
not only of change, but of almost universal con-
vulsion ; when the hurricane of war swept far
and wide over Europe ; when political institu-
tions that had lasted for centuries, were thrown
down, as though they were the mere flimsy
structures of yesterday; when the huge, wide-
spreading flibric of monarchy was shaken to its
centre ; and the thoughts, opinions, and feelings'
of civilized man underwent a change so start-
ling and violent that the records of ancient his-
tory have nothing to compare with it;—when we
take these things into consideration, we feel
every, disposition to except Mr. Alison from the
number of those. who, in producing " a great
book," , have inflicted " a great evil" on the
reading community. Still, though we do not
quarrel with his matter, his manner •is liable to
objection. his language abounds in Scotticisms ;
is frequently diffuse and tergid ; disfigured with
tinsel metaphors; and sometimes slovenly to ex-
cess. •It is but justice, however, to add, that it
pdssesses many redeeming qualities; and that in
some of his descriptions Mr. Alison evinces elo-
quence of a high order; and generally through-
out his work maintains a tone of moderation
highly creditable to him. It is evident indeed
that he is a Tory, but he is not a purblind or in-
corrigible one. He can afford to give fair play
to even the most determined opponents of his
political creed speaks justly and generously of
Mirabeau ; and finds much to praise in the bold,
uncomprising energy of Danton.
The present volume commences with an ac-
count of the resurrection of Germany in 1813—
the year after the disastrous Russian expedition—
and terminates with the proceedings of Welling-
ton in Spain at the commencement of 1814.
There is not much in Mr. Alison's detals of this
memorable period that calls for particular notice
—for who has not got them by heart ?—but one
chapter in the volume deserves special consi-
deration—that, we mean, wherein our author
attempts an analysis of the character of Napo-
leom His analysis is an elaborate one ; displays
wonderful attention to • details; adduces the evi-.
dence for and against the Emperor with temper
and impartiality ; and is deficient only in the
summing up. In many of the opinions we cor-
dially concur. It is perfectly true that Bona-
parte " united to a degree, which perhaps was
never before equalled, the ardent and impassioned
temperament of southern, with the cool judge-
ment and intellectual force of northern Europe."
His passionate ardor was only equalled by his
cool sagacity; but it is remarkable that he
evinced most judgement in his youth, and most
headstrong impetuosity in his matured years.
We do not, however, agree with Mr. Alison, that
his judgement was characterized by profundity.
This is too exaggerated a term to use. Most of
his serious reverses proceeded from his deficiency
in this respect—as when he tampered with the
affairs of Spain, invaded Russia, and refused the
terms of peace offered him by allied Europe at
Chatillon. His restoration of nobility in France,
too, was a decided error of judgment, for it
'placed a gulph between him and the revolution,
of which he was the self-elected champion, and
estranged from him the hearts of such men as
Carnot, Constant, and Lafayette, the want of
whose influential support he felt deeply when his
empire was tumbling in ruins about him. Mr.
Alison adds that he " was brave without being
chivalrous." His conduct to the Queen of Prus-
sia was certainly not marked by much chivalry
of feeling; but nothing could surpass the grace
.and delicacy of his behaviour towards the old
Austrian General Wurmser, whom he compelled
to capitulate at Mantua. ut of respect to this
veteran's feelings, he purposely absented himself
when he laid down his arms, least the old man's

humiliation might have heen aggravated at
finding himself vanquished by so young a soldier.
" Napoleon never forgave Moreau fbr the vic-
tory of Hohenlinden," says our historian. On
the contrary, he was enraptured with his success,
says Bourrienne, and paid him the most marked
and flattering attentions. Mr. Alison remarks
on the restless and insatiable character of the
Emperor's ambition are forcibly urged, but he
possessed one peculiarity in a still more marked
degree—namely, egotism., He was without ex-
ception the intensest egotist of whom history
makes mention. He could never travel out of
himself, and took not the slightest interest in
men or things, except as they had reference to
his own personal fortunes. He loved France,
but he loved her only as identified with his own
glory. He would fain have rendered her happy
and prosperous, but only because the rendering
her so would have redounded to his own credit.
In the whole wide range of creation he consi-
dered no individual worthy of a serious thought
but himself. He was jealous of any one who
called off public attention—though it were only
for a passing moment—from his own claims to
unrivalled homage. Even the comparatively in-
ferior celebrity of Madame de Stael was worm-
wood to him ; and he did his best to extinguish
it by banishing her from the saloons of Paris.
Thouv,ll he was capable of generous actions, yet
the highest generosity was a stranger to his na-
ture. He rarely forgave, and laughed at disin-
terestedness, as the fond dream of enthusiasts.
This utter want of a kindly and ennobling faith
in humanity was one of the chief causes of his
fall, for it alienated his subjects at a time when
he stood most in need of their hearty support.
In range of capacity he was unrivalled. He com-
bined the imagination of the poet with the cool,
calculating qualities of the mathematician—the
sagacity of the statesman with the ready fore-
sight of the soldier. We may add that his
sun shone brightest at its rising and its setting,
his most wonderful campaigns being his first in
Italy and his last in France, both of which are
without a parallel in history. All things consi-
dered, he may justly be called the most extraor-
dinary man of an age fertile in great men ; but
vast as were his resources, and tremendous the
power which he wielded, he lived to see all pass
away like a dream ; his empire vanished like an
exhalation ; his vassal kings. from being his
slaves, became his masters and the arbiters of his
destiny; and all that remained to the once
mighty Emperor of France at the close of his
meteoric career, was a mean, half-famished dwel-
ling on a barren rock in the Atlantic ! As every
anecdote is interesting that relates to Napoleon,
we quote the followint, details of some of his per-
sonal habits, which Mr. Alison has gleaned from
a great variety of sources :
His restlessness of disposition was such that he could
not sit still, even when carried at the gallop on horse-
back. The officers who rode before had come by long habit
to know so well what he wanted, that he had rarely to
direct their course, but his own horse followed mechani-
cally the direction they took. He was passionately fond
of riding across the country, through fields or woods,
and over heaths; and in a difficult path where riding was
hazardous, and the whole party was obliged to dismount
and lead their horse, the Emperor was always in spirits.
If he came to any place where a disaster had been in-
curred, or which was associated with painful recollec-
tions, he pushed on at the gallop, and fell into a perfect
fury if anything then checked his progress. On one
occasion, in the autumn of 1813, he had occasion to pass
a place where seventy caissons, of great importance to
the army, had been blown up the day before by the Cos-
sacks. On seeing the ground covered with the fragments,
he immediately set off at a gallop, to get over it as fast
as possible ; and a little dog having followed his horse
barking, he was seized with such a fit of fury, that he
drew one of his pistols, fired at the animal, and, having
missed, dashed' the pistol itself at it, still
.hastening on
with breathless speed, while Rustan, who was no stranger
to such scenes, quietly fell behind and picked up the
weapon thus thrown away by his infuriated master.
The unceasing restlessness and indefatigable activity
of his disposition were strongly evinced in the irregular
hours during which different things were done, and the
rigorous manner in which, nevertheless, instant obedience
was enforced to his commands. Often the 'n;t. arch of
head-quarters was delayed for some hourS,or half a day
beyond the time fixed, while the Emperor was dictating
or reading despatches ; and at the last word he would
call out—" The carriage—to horse !" These words acted
like an electric shock to his attendants, who straightway
mounted, the carriage was instantly at the door, and the
whole set off at the gallop. Caulamcourt generally rode
on the right of the carriage, General Guyot on the left ;
and the officers on service, pages, attendants, and grooms,
with the led horses, rattled on as hard as they could
bltwohehpe
et,mrroaeafvttgeeharnesi
against each
roadrhaacewhavd
drive, followed by a squadron of the guards on horse-
back. The whole pushed on at a quick trot, or the gal-
seoa
hytnhesemor
rrre:na%aevt
tnohe ireg withl
imminent
nhi
defileniwithouteehn tthey
eahlaoalprrtesdi
den g ; and
keepingl
eongr
dns
udr oe wasdt
rhevti
r
a
hanci ehmscaciksiussni
tersls bayonetswdctdistant
n t theirsodenvbaj
neectedw,a sa ltv‘ carbines,oyb es
ob-
servation, he immediately mounted one of the led horses,
f
examined, a page brought up the telescope, a very fine
one being always at hand ; the maps were frequently
called for, and spread out on the ground, and the Em-
peror, lying down upon them, was soon completely
f,
roundwte hni ett hreE.fimhxiepindfer,aor halted to make an
absorbed in his plans as if he ad been in his cabinet at
St. Cloud.
When the Emperor passed through a division of the
guards, all the bands of the regiments came to the front,
the troops fell back, and formed line on either side, and
great pomp was observed ; the cortege passing through
slowly, and saluting the officers. But no such ceremony
asmyo;bserved in traversing the ordinary corps of the
and the passage through them was often forced
was