The Sun.
London, England, 1848-06-07 00:00:00

jot less profound indignation by the undue and extra-
vagant patronage awarded in this country to
foreigners. That a rational and proportion tte amount
of homage should be paid to genius—quite irrespec-
tive of creed or race—is but in accordance with our
character as a people, and harmonises ;with those
beautiful principles which as applied to the science
of political economy have resulted in the perfect
emancipation of commerce. Very far, indeed, would
it be from our intention to condemn that spirit
of enthusiasm which actuated the contemporaries
of HOGARTII, when HANDEL was their idol and
their pensioner. Our tendencies in criticism are alto-
gether too catholic to allow of any isolated circum-
stance of this description agitating us with other
feelings than those of unmitigated pleasure. We
can only remember with a sense of satisfaction that
HoLBEIN was appreciated by the population of Eng-
land in the days of HENRY VIII., that VOLTAIRE
was feted in London during the reign of the Second
GEORGE, and that the illustrious and lamented
AIENDELSSOIIN was welcomed with an unconditional

_
rapture in the still more liberal age of VICTORIA.
As far as this homage for real genius is concerned it
is beyond all cavil, even in our estimation, leaving,
as we do, all kinds and forms of hero-worship to Ale.
TuostAs CARLTLE and gentlemen of that ilk, no
matter whether the painter be Flemish, the poet
French, or the musician German, fo long as he
evinces merit and originality. As a system, we regard
this as wholly beyond animadversion. It is a system
which gives the loftier species of immortality their true
scope, it regards the creations of the human mind as the
universal property of man, and does by no means re-

cognise that law which would enable a single nation
to hold the fame of its children by fee simple, or in
perpetuity.
Still this system (eminently noble in itself) may

ke everything else that is good, be carried to excess
and from being admirable in sentiment become most
pernicious in operation. It has done so with our.
selves. Not last year or a century ago but yester
day—on this very day—at this very moment the
evil consequences of our national extravagance in
regard to the indiscriminate patronage of foreigners
is deplorably conspicuous. Out of the different thea-
trical establishments of the metropolis no less than
five of the principal class are already, or will be very
speedily monopolised, by Parisian or Italian artistes!
Besides her MaJesTv's Theatre, Pall-mall, there
is a second Italian Opera in Covent-garden, there is
the St. James's Theatre devoted to the French drama,
there is the Olympic Theatre, according to all ac-
counts, preparing for the reception of the company
of the Opera Comique, and on Friday night Drury-
lane will present the extraordinary and deplorable
spectacle of a great national building, erected for
the glory of the dramatic creations of Great Britain,
becoming the arena for the display of the licentious
scenes of one of the most immoral of the many
immoral romancists of France. On Friday will be
performed, by the entire company of the Theatre
Historique, the first portion (in five acts) of the
dramatised version of Monte Christ°, the whole
entertainment to be produced under the immediate
inspection of its celebrated author, Citizen ALEX
ANDRE Dumas. And this will actually take place
in the noble theatre of Drury-lane—with the
effigy of SHAESPERE standing conspicuously and in
mockery over the porch, and with the statues of the
two most illustrious actors who have ever trod the
boards of England looming upon the patrons of the
ex-Marquis DB PA.ILLETERIR from either side of the
vestibule I Far, very far indeed, from us be the in•
tention to contemn altogether the admission of fo-
reigners among the operatic and dramatic artistes of
London. Since the days of ADDISON, the West End
has been graced by an Italian Opera ; and until AD-
DISON with his exqui'ite taste is forgotten, we
trust that an Italian Opera may be numbered among
the chief entertainments and attractions of our capital.
Were we to desire by any means to exclude a JENNY
LIND or a LABLACIIE, a COLETTI or a GARDONI from
the precincts of the Haymarket, we should be worthy
of execration as barbarians. 'Were we, again, to at-
tempt to banish for ever from the purlieus of St.
James's-square the forms of RACHEL or of BOUPPE, of
Ac HARD or of FREDERIC LEmAITRE, we should in truth
be invoking upon our heads the anathemas of all
sincere worshippers of genius. Still we must protest
against the exaggeration of a system which leads to
the introduction of a German operatic company, as
well as of the equestrian corps of FRANCONI, while it
gluts the appetite of those who cannot appreciate the
wholf'some and genuine dramas of our own play-
wrights, but who have a marvellous faculty for ad-
miring the gross and pernicious balderdash, the itr-
pertinent solecisms, and the audacious double entendres
of a DUMAS, a SUE, or a FREDERIC SOULIE. Lot
her Blijosty's Theatre still continue to entrance the
public with the noble outpourings of the imagination
of a BELLINI, or a ROSSINI, a VERDI,
or a DONIZETTI, let the St. James's Theatre still
continue to be dedicated to the sparkling dialogues of
a Scams and a MELESVILLE, but, in the name of all
that is just and decent, let such structures as Drury•
lane and Covent-garden be preserved from desecra-
tion as the haunts of Parisian melo-drama, Parisian
licentiousness, or Parisian fustian, from the babble of
foreign clowns, or the agilities of continental acro
bats ! While English literature can boast a line of
dramatists whose works may be said to vie with the
plays of CALDERON, the tragedies of SCHILLER, the
comedies of MOLIERE, and the splendid but austere
triologies of SOPHOCLES—and that too without
paling before the poetic glory of Spain, and France,
and Greece, and Germany combined—it is monstrous
to reflect that the great establishments which were
originally dedicated to the representation of our Shaks-
perian dramas—(or, as they are called in the profes-
sional slang of the day, the legitimate dramas)—are
now devoted to the display of the farces of the Palais
Royal and the buffoons of the Champs Elysees.
Against this system, then, we protest with all the
emphasis inspired by our veneration for MASSINGER,
and BEAUMONT, and FLETCHER, and WTCIIERLET,
and BEN JONSON, and ()TWAY, and FAR-
QUHAR, and greatest and lordliest of all
SHAKSPERE! Against it we protest also from the
fulness of our appreciation of the memories of GAR-
RICE, and HENDERSON, and KEMBLE, and SIDDONS,
and Youaa, and DOWTON, and ELLISTON, and Mua-
DEN, and—EDMUND KEAN 1 We protest, moreover,
against the monopoly of our theatres by foreign com-
panies, while the British stage can still boast such
artists as WILLIAM CHARLES MACREADY, CHARLES
KEAN, WILLIAM FARREN, BENJAMIN WEBSTER,
HENRY COMPTON, Mrs. NISBETT, Mrs. GLOVER,
CHARLES MATHEWS, Madame VESTRIS, ROBERT
KEELEY, J. P. HARLEY, and—HELEN FAUCIT ! We
protest, moreover, against this odious, and unnational,
and irrational system from the cordiality of our ad-
miration for the living dramatic poets of England;
men such as BULWER-LYTTON, as THOMAS NOON TA.L-
YOURD, RS JAMES WRITE, as LOVELL, as irV.ESTLAND
:MARSTON, SS HliaßY TAYLOR, and as JAMES
SHERIDAN KNOWLES
,nt

RUMOURED ASSASSINATION OF
THE KING OF NAPLES.

We have just seen a private letter from Turin,
which states that while they were singing Te Deuce
in the cathedral of that city, for the recent victories
of the Piedmontese over the Austrians, the Minister
for Foreign Affairs announced that he bad received a
dispatch from Naples announcing that the King had
been assassinated.

SPAIN.

Madrid journals of the Ist have arrived.

It is said that the Belgian Minister has been re-
called for having permitted his hjuse to be searched
by the Spanish police.
The Herald() is exceedingly wroth with Sir H.
BuLwzu for baying caused the English arms to be
removed from the front of the English Embassy.

It is said that BERTBAN DE Lis will retire from
the Financeartment,.and be succeeded by Mori
'The
i 3
o is Dep
a was
closed.

MR. WORRELL'S BENEFIT.—That useful actor and
worthy man, Worrell, takes his. benefit at ihe Adelphi
this evening. The envrtanunents consist of the
Harvegt Horne, the Derby Day, and the Double Bedded
Room. The house will be a bumper, and Mr. Wurrell
well merits it.
EXTENSION OF THE FRANCIIISE.—Mr. Wyld's no
tice of motion for Thursday, the 22d instant, relating to
the extension of the franchise, is to the effect that he
will move for leave to bring in a Bill to extend the right
of eteetion of Members to serve in Parliament in Eng-
lund, Wales, and Scotland, to male persons paying in-
come and property-tax.