The Sun.
London, England, 1846-05-02 00:00:00

'CI cAikos, s OA( Baucxeli,
rat otonaits,
aveav xairav onion, ;
Which is admirably rendered by Shelley—
" Bacchus, oh beloved! where,
Shaking wide thy yellow hair,
Wand'rest thou alone, afar?"
Now Bacchus, as we all know, was the early conqueror of
India, a kind of foreshadowing; of the East India Company ;
and do we suppose that in the very land of dyes, where blue
and black divinities are in fashion, and where the people
think it marvellous proper to stain their hands and feet with
henna, he would have allowed his hair to retain its pristine
yellowness, had he not been convinced that no other hue
was so becoming to his complexion ? Therefore, oh ! in-
habitants of the boxes, cease to dread the effect of the
bouton d'or curtains. Let Guido's picture over the stage
remind you of Aurora, and Lucile Grahn's pas de Bacchante
(if she) dances it) remind you of Bacchus—to say nothing
of authorities in the shape of amber-coloured boudoirs, dm.
Supposing the case, that to certain dull habiliments, the
curtains are unfavourable--is it necessary that the sombre
attire should remain in fashion for an entire season? Berlin
guardsmen had portraits of Fanny Elssler painted on their
pipes ; French ladies of the revolutionary period wore
chapeaux a /a guillotine; a certain sort of fans, used in the
days of Masurier, the famous Jocko, recorded his triumphs
by exhibiting the various colours of the ape. What has not
set a fashion ? And now it would surely be worth while
for dressmakers to set their heads together, and escogitate,
colours that may stand in relief against the gold curtains.
There is an old proverb about Mahomet going to the moun-
tain when the mountain would not come to Mahomet.
Turn we to the physical world. Whence did experimen
talists derive tlreir first knowledge of the electric fluid n?
Why, they found that amber, when warm, had a power of
attracting light substances. This was the first revelation ;
and from the Greek word iiXestrpov, is the word " electri-
city " derived. Here is a whole department of science
founded on the attractive powers of amber. And shall the
amber curtains that so vividly represent the hue of the
mineral, prove repulsive to the hearts of the habitues—which
being hearts free from care, are light substances par excel-
lence. After a while, to be sure, the bits of feather, &c.,
being fully electrified, were found to start back from the
amber. gut these curtains are new, friends, these curtains
are new, and the period of satietycannot yet have approached,
At present, therefore, they must attract, or a physical ab-
surdity will be symbolised.
Moreover, what colour could be substituted? An ancient
metaphysician proved that anything that is not something,
must be something else, and hence the curtains if they be
not gold colour, must be of some colour which is net like
gold. Hang up your boxes with red, and make the whole
interior of the Opera-house look like Judge Jeffrey's court
during the " Red Assize," and nothing will be more heavy.
Blue will be cold and cheerless. Green will be as unpleasant
to the eyes, as its superabundance is the pictures of an
unskilful landscape painter. Run over the list of colours,
and you will find you must return to the theory of the
paintings in the gilt frames, and allow the bouton d'or to
maintain its place.
Therefore, to go back to the point whence we started--
heed no rumours about chromatic transformations, but resist
them as an obstinate player on the horn proverbially resists
the conductor of an orchestra. The bouton d'or is firmly fixed,
and neither Atlas, who carried the world on his shoulders, nor
the monkey Harman, who carried a rock on the tip of his
tail, can remove it from its place.

THE ADMIRALTY.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SlR,—Whenever the interests of the navy are concerned,
it has always called forth from your pen a love of justice, and
the warmest concern for the welfare of that service ; these
circumstances induce me to make a few remarks on the late
appointment of Commodore Sir F. Collier to the command of
the Experimental Squadron, in the hope that your talented
and independent paper may remark upon it.
The Admiralty have certainly manifested wisdom and die.
cernment in the appointment of that officer, but at the same
time they have proclaimed to the world, that out of two
hundred admirals they cannot find one capable of taking
charge of a squadron ; how these admirals will endure the
insult and partiality displayed is another question. Be this
as it may, it proves beyond uoubt that the system of patron-
age which predominates at the Admiralty is bad and dis-
gusting. Need you proof ? Turn to Haltour's new Navy
List. Look at the columns of the periods of promotion, of
the different grades, and also the services of the different
officers; couple this with the millions spent in altering, and
building ships. If anything will come home to the, under-
standings of the public, surely this wilL There is only oie
consolation for this, insulted public, and the majority of officers
composing the navy—that public bodies, however corrupt,
quail under the influence of the press and public opinion.—
I have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient servant,
A LOVER OF JUSTICE.

Cheltenham, May 1, 1846.

LOSS OF THE FALCO.
PLUNDERING OF THE MAIL BAGS, agc-
Letters have been received containing the announcement
of the total loss of the brig Falco, on the coast of New
Zealand, and an attack made on the unfortunate crew and
plundering the cargo by the natives. The Falco, it appears,
sailed from Boston in the early part of last year, on a trading
voyage to the islands of the Pacific, having on board the. new
American Consul for New Zealand. She touchedfo following
obn
woaih
nrergd
way at Swan River, King George's Sound, and Adelaide,
prosperoanucsadm,sveho:oange, to New
gawai where, in the
and then proceeded, after a
Zealand. She arrived at Port Nicholson in the maovt2itohlenotf
rof:huteceeetyecc:tiliegd
fJotriliAe,uackniclatsjaditad hieanbcie. with
ca p
Cape,
the o
n tGovernment
hce loc27ksthh she rode
hfsrintoenetdha:ilelrestrsssureheothrewibo;
wind-
lass course of
TahefevwesshelourresachafetdertwhaerdCs7it
anchors down, until about two
istao:
anm .b anchorbroke
o Duringke
in a t
thetaw
carried by the furious waves
Woan • was
brought
through the breakers, overnight
stands on masts were cut away in crossing the reef. Fora time th
it. Immediately she was • cessive
struck on a shelf of rocks and reef
a mils
in
extet
aid
situation of those belonging 8 e
tr eine—every sea making to her was perilous in the ex.
the wreck washing themg af;?mplete breach over the decks
the wreck was left high ando , as the tide receded, however,
ashore. 11 , Fin.g the dry, enabling the crew to walk
and were about vesselnot much injured, they returned,
large number of natives, preparing to get her again afloat, when a
living on the island, rushed
in concert with the Europeans
rushed on hoard and committed the
most disgraceful outrages. Having hemmed in the captain
and officers on the quarter-deck, and threatened them with
violence if they offered any resistance, they broke open the
hatches, and, getting into the hold, commenced plundering
everything that was valuable. They opened the mail-bage
and boxes, and scattering their contents in the hold, ob-
tained all the Government dispatches, which they tore up and
otherwise destroyed. One European was seen opening what
seemed to be a private letter, and robbing it of its contents,
which appeared to be money and bank notes, and several
others imitated his example. They afterwards began to
strip the vessel, tearing off the copper, cutting thesheathing,
stancheons, bulwarks, and destroying the hull in every part
with pole-axes. It was quite evident to all the respectable
Europeans in the neighbourhood, that the whole work of
destruction and piracy was a preconcerted plot between the
whites and the natives, and that unquestionably the chief
blame was to be attributed to the former, who seemed to vie
with each other in their outrages. The American consul
_
f
contrived, at the onset, to escape, with a large amount
specie and papers of great value, which he had charge of, and
distance along
obtain security in a gentleman's house, some
-
the beach. Some few days afterwards an attack was threat-
ened- to posslsa themselves of the treasure, but
by the natives
their nefarious plans were frustrated by
a bum ber of armed
gent, lemen who, with about two hundred, guarded the place
the consul
and
until the arrival of vessel to take
night and day,
and the officers and crew of theFalco to their destination.
The wreck was subsequently burnt.

Mn. AND MRS. GERRARD AGAIN.—At the Monet
Bellew petty sessions, on Friday, Mr. and Mrs. Gerrard had upwards
of thirty tenants on another gentleman's estate summoned for
"malicious trespass." It appears from the witness that the cattle
of these tenants strayed into a bottomfield (marsh) belonging to the
above celebrated parties, and for this they claimed the penalties, not
under the ordinary trespass law, but the pains and penalties imposed
for " malicious trespass." The defendant proved that Mr. Gerrard
had no meting, and that he requested him to join them in making
one. A highly respectable gentleman swore "that he itrptilejant ;'
drove his gig and horse over the stream and boundary,
and
tate (the
was quite insufficient to keep out any beast." T"
magistrate
no small
Hon. M. French, R. 11.), dismissed the complaints with
degree of indignation.—Roscommon Journal.
"sentenced to a short
Two persons from Lille he
French children into I
leigitn' and
dettich establishments having been
boxes of the foundling-hospitals, Nord.
suppressed in the departniainit a
LONDON.— Last season a pair of
Period of Imprisonment by the trti.hbeeurni:all:aolviti:Bgrtuhs:meisi,,,
for
re
turningbringing is
NIGHTINGALXS
they but ttheir
Gardens, where
re-appeared In their old quarters dose by the
Wednesday last they r
they are occasionally fed by the person
entrance, where
New.street
algl Warble forth their delicious melody wily ma WA,
these delightful sengsteNrsElttok upntesh et Ira aboden
dhaiten
hatched
StaueirrreyyoungZoolegi.
(e:::
to attendanC4

THE OPERA, WITH ESPECIAL
REFEREN OLD CURTAINS.
(From the New Mon
Trust not to the words of vain rumour—close your ears to
the voice of empty prediction—as Ulysses rendered his auri-
cular organs impervious to the song of the Syrenv Yee
will, perchance, hear that the curtains that decorate the
opera boxes are going to be dyed ; but expect nothing of the
kind. Even as gold—actual gold—the gold whereof,' say
our spelling-books, "guineas and half-guineas are mader=ii-
asserts its superiority over all other metals, so shall the
seeming gold of the curtains proudly triumph over every, re-
bellious hue that would interfere with its dominion. Bid,
deeply blushing at its own presumption, shall slink from
the field; green., though it surveys the gold with jealous
eyes, shall avoid the contest; white shall remain pallid inthe
back ground; blue, looking at itself—that is, looking blue—
shall not attempt to dispute the supremacy ; black of course
would never think of raising a question about the matter ;
and as for all the hybrid shades that arise from the intermar-
riage of the rebellious colours, they shall retire with their re-
spective parents.
For, indeed, why should the gold curtains be displaced'?
To gold. as we have hinted, belongs the supremacy of
natural right. If you want an impartial judge, catch an
alchemist (poor Kellerman is dead) and ask him. Pinder
sang: _

'4lptcrrov VBwp, 13 Se Apuo-Os cialimevov
ate tharibere, vvicri i.ceAcivopos a oXa
Whereby he aignified that (soda) water was .(
Ji
nn e ce ent
thing in the height of the opera season—particularly the
day had been preceded by a champagne supper—in d thit
an opera box, with gold curtains, was as conspicuous among
otiitir indications of a large income, as the opera chandelier
when it is lighted up at night. The house, newly decorated,
is the most splendid theatre in the world, and, therefore, itis
consistently adorn, d with the most lordly colour in the world
—a colour, which, at the same time, delicately symbolises
the ready cash, that has bern expended in the improvement.
But, say some, will not the gold curtains counteract the
effect which the ladies ought to prtduce, by the joint efforts
of their loveliness and their dressmakers? We are not sure
that we ought to condescend to answer this objection, seeing
that we set forth in our very last number that the gold
curtains were to be considered as so many frames, inclosing
a number of beautiful pictures. Nevertheless, we will not
content 'ourselves with a reference to the April New
Mthl.Y, but will bring forward a new strong authority, no
other than the goddess Aurora herself. Homer tells W....
'/Igitc----KposairerAos itavar• srei crav
irr alai',
that. Eos (Aurora), clad in saffron-coloured peplus, was dif-
said fused on all the earth, and do our readers suppose that the
Aurora,. attewhalose,bidding all flowers resume their hue,
ri-eft; 'ryas such: Wrrclietide.! ealtil
wear
a variega
gr-
out the most unbecoming ofutdh of colours that sh picked
look especially faded in the ey Did she wish to
seonfiTaloalt?Tithonus, whom she
had begged Zeus to immortalisee ;if she had, Tithonus,
in his cricket-form would not now be tothhetr praises on the winter's hearth. As to any objection
colour may not be precisely the same touton d'aer we die-
miss when tho
it as hair-splitthig and frivolous. Again
troop of satyrs were all rilade slaves to Polyphemus, and
mourned after their lawful; sovereign, Bacchus, the very
first peculiarity in that beloved deity that occurred to their
minds was his "yellow hair." Thus, according to Euri-
pides, did they sing :