The Sun.
London, England, 1846-08-20 00:00:00

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.

• On Tuesday night was the last subscription night of the sea-
son. Theopera was IPuritani, the ballet Le Jugement de Paris,
andtetween the opera and ballet the " National Anthem "
wa3 sung, and, of course, all present rose from their seats. The
house, at this moment, presented the most brilliant coup
The effect of the bouton d'or draperies was very fine;
the idea of " the framed pictures," which had suggested the
adoption of the colour, was here completely realised. There will
be one more extra representation on Thursday—the farewell
" long Thursday" of the season, of which last night may be
considered the legitimate termination. At this, the close of
the season of 1846, we cannot take leave of Mr. Lumley
without congratulating him on the success—the great and
deserved success—which has attended his enterprising and
spirited management. A success achieved too, in spite of a
continued succession of ill-natured attacks upon the manage-
ment and all connected with it. These attacks, however,
were so palpably groundless, that we think they did rather
good than harm, inasmuch as they not unfrequently drew at-
tention to the virtues of omission in the management, which
but for these would have passed unnoticed; for instance,
a great outcry was made for an opera to be com-
posed expressly for her Majesty's Theatre, when it was
found that Verdi was too ill to finish Lear in time. Now,
with the music of Don Carlos still ringing in their ears, we
think that the majority of the subscribers will consider that
Mr. Lumley exercised a very sound and judicious discretion
in acting as he has done. The season opened with great
brilliancy. So completely were the audience on the
opening night surprised and delighted by the novel
and gorgeous, yet tasteful, character of the decorations, that
they actually when the house was fully lighted up gave
three rounds of enthusiastic applause. The opera chosen for
the opening was Verdi's Nino, and the manner in which this
opera was produced and conducted, at once established
Balfe's fame as a conductor,. and secured to him his position.
This is an opera which, perhaps, snore than any other, de-
pends for its success on its chorusses, its orchestral effects,
and the general ensemble of the music, and therefore upon the
abilities of the conductor, and yet deprived of that which all
his predecessors for the last fifty years had enjoyed—the as-
sistance of Dragonetti, whose marvellous powers of
". pulling up " an orchestra have passed into a
proverb, and to whose exertions are due no inconsiderable
portion of the credit which former conductors have enjoyed;
deprived of the invaluable assistance of II Drago, Balfe con-
ducted this opera in a manner which left nothing to be de-
sired, in a manner so admirable, that Nino and I Lombardi,
an opera by the same composer and of the same character,
have been repeated more frequently during this season than
any others, and have always drawn crowded houses. After
Easter came Grisi, Mario, and Lablache, the glorious trio.
They made their debut in I Puritani, and here again we had
an opportunity of observing how Balfe conducted an opera of a
totally different character ; , and with a perfect recollection of
the night when this opera was originally produced, and of
the manner in which it has been conducted during each suc-
cessive season, we have no hesitation in saying that Balfe need
not shrink from a comparison with any of his pre-
decessors: The production of I Lombardi was the great
operatic "fact" of the season ; the cast was amazingly
strong, and the raise en scene magnificent. We have already
given a list of the operas performed during the season, which
it is, therefore, unnecessary to repeat. With regard to the
performers, the present season has introduced two to our
notice of great promise—Madame Sanchioli, whose powerful
voice and energetic action will, when somewhat
refined, entitle her to aspire to the rank of prima donna, anti
Mademoiselle Corbari, whose sweetness of voice and artless-
ness of manner have created a general feeling in her favour
Castellan, notwithstanding some one had thought proper to
kill her in Russia in December, returned to us in March, im-
proved in voice, in science, and in acting. Fornasari has been
with us since the cominencement of the season ; and Grisi, Mario
(whose marvellous improvement both as an actor and a
singer we have repeatedly had occasion to notice) and
Lablache have ban with us since Easter. In the
choerographic department we had on the opening night
the new ballet of La Catrina, with Lucile Grahn
as the heroine. Her pas strategique in this ballet
created quite a furore, and La Catarina was repeated almost
every night until the arrival of Cerito and St. Leon, when the
gorgeous spectacle of Lalla Rookh was produced; the pas de
neuf in this ballet was perfectly original, and exceedingly
beautiful, and on the. " long Thursdays" it generally
formed a portion of the evening's entertainments.
Eoline, Alma, Ondine, and various stock ballets, were re-
peated during the early part of the season, and at length in
the month of July came La Gitana, and Taglioni. She re-
peated the Gitana for a few nights, and then was produced
the great hit of the season, the Pas des Dresses, which has been
repeated every evening since its first production, and which has
created quite as great a furore as the Pas de quatre. The
Deesses Taglioni, Cerito, and Grahn, are confessedly the
three greatest danseuses in the world, and they were sup-
ported by Louise Taglioni, Demellisse, and Cassan, either
of whom, on any other stage, would rank as premiire
danseuses. Hitherto each season of Mr. Lumley's manage-
ment has been an improvement on the preceding one. How
it will be possible for him to surpass the glories of the season
of 1846, we are utterly at a loss to imagine.

BRIGHTON and DOVER RAILWAY
COMPANIES.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.
SIR, —I feel it to be an act of duty to call your atten-
tion to an instance of criminal negligence on the part of
the Brighton and Dover Railway Companies, which,
but for the mercy of God, might have been fraught witi-
a frightful sacrifice of life. Owing to repairs now going
on' one of the lines of rails from the Annerley to the
Sydenham station is impassable; and the consequence
is, that for that distance the down and up-trains have
to traverse the same single line. At twenty minutes
past eleven on Monday morning, I was waiting at the
Annerley station, when a down-train was seen approach-
ing at the usual speed, and just as the locomotive
had passed me, I heard loud exclamations from t'lw
numerous workmen, who at the same time were
waving their hands ; and then, on looking through the
arch of the Annerley bridge, I saw a policeman violently
waving his red flag, and an up-train rapidly approaching.
At this instant the two trains, rapidly approximating,
could not have been at the most more than 200. yards
asunder ; the distance could easily be measured, but 1
feel certain it was, if any thing, less than stated. Both
engine-drivers turned off their steam and applied their
breaks, and in this way fortunately the collision, whicl
to all the by-standers appeared inevitable, was prevented.
The trains were long ones, especially the up-train.
and full of passengers. Now, Sir, in a case like
which, if it bad occurred in the dark, I hesitate no!
to affirm must have ended in a fearful collision—
for there is a bend in the line at this spot preventing, it.
conjunction with the bridge, the approach of a train being
seen at a distance—in a case,l say, like this, there musi
have been gross and criminal negligence in some quarter
or other ; and although no injury was done to life or
Ikub, it is the duty of the Government Inspector to insti
tute a rigid inquiry into the matter, to ascertain who is
the party to blame, and then, be he high or low, a secre-
tary or a policeman, to inflict a punishment, if indeed he
has any means of giving efficacy to his investigation, com-
mensurate with the wrong committed. Several questions
immediately suggest themselves in such a proceeding.
How came it to happen that in a distance of eight
miles between two stations, New Cross and Croydon,
provided with the electric telegraph, two trains travel-
liag in opposite directions were so timed, as by any
possibility to allow of their meeting on the single lint
of rails ? This is the fundamental question, and
whoever is responsible for controlling the transit is
responsible for this gross and dangerous negligence.
What is the gain of such splendid and beneficial
discoveries as that of Professor Wheatstone, who.
by placing in our hands a messenger which in ve-
locity outstrips light itself, has given us a power
to regulate the comparatively creeping locomo
tive, if these railway officials are to be allowed to dis-
use it? Then the question would arise, was any charge
given to the engine-drivers to observe special caution in
approaching the single line? If not, the parties vthe
start the trains at both termini were guilty of neglect of
duty. All the rest is a subordinate matter, for it re-
lates to engine-drivers and policemen—men of no educa-
tion, and who will, whilst the present preposterous
system continues, again and again be guilty of that
gross indifference to safety which marks the conduct oi
all ignorant persons engaged in perilous undertakings,
To expect forethought, judicious alertness, and prompt
mental action on sudden emergency from such a class
indicates a total want of knowledge of the human mind.
In reply to all this, the authorities may attempt to
make light of the matter; but it was thought no trifling
occurrence by those wo were present. One of
the workmen said, "It had made him shake all over."
I enclose my card, and if any inquiry be insti-
tuted, which I repeat for the sake of prevention anti
future safety is urgently demanded, I shall he happy on
being called upon to that effect, to give evidence to the
inspector. I state this, because it is certain that there is
a species of intimidation exercised by the official gentle-
men of these railways, which, as in the case of the Poor
law Commissioners, repels useful and confidential com-
munications from their subordinate officers on ordinary
occasions, and which, on any unusual inquiry, tends
stifle the truth.—Your obedient servant,
Aug. 18. VIATOR.

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTEL
LIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH, AUGUST 18.—The Athol troop-ship
Master-Commanding E. J. P. Beam, is perfectly read:
for immediate service.

The Mercury tender returned from North Yarmouth
this morning,
The Columbine, 12, Commander Booth, having had
her defects made good, will go out to Spithead to-morrow.
Lieutenant Lyon (1846) goes in her as junior lieutenant,
and notwithstanding the fact that there are more thud
2,500 lieutenants on the list, still this ship cannot get her
complement (three).
The North Star, 26, Captain Sir J. E. Home, is hourly
expected, having left Simon's Bay on the 30th of Ma:,
and was at St. Helena on the 24th of June.

APPOINTMENTS.
Commander—C..l. Postle, to the Coast Guard.
Mates—Robert Sheldon, to the St. Vincent ; W. G.
Douglas, to the Victoria and Albert.
Midshipman—W. E. Choriton, to the Scourge.
Master's Assistants—Thomas H. Julian, and Richar.
Muinford, too the Acteon, for disposal.
Mat..—C. 0. B. Hall, from the Excellent, to the Co.
lumbine.
Master's Assistants—Richard Friend, from the Gla,
iliator, to the Columbine; W. G. Aldrick, from the Co
lumbine, to the Gladiator.

—C,,maander—H. G. Morris, to study at the Royal
Maval College.

PROMOTIONS.
Mr. Francis Cole, Acting Paymaster and Purser 01
the Osprey, to be Paymaster at.d Purser ; Mr. Andrew
Murray, Assistant-Surgeon of the Spider, to be Surgeon.

PLYMOUTH, Auc. 17.—lier Majesty's steam-sloop
Ardent, which came in with marines from Milford on
Friday, sailed this morning for Malta.
The Trinity yacht, which arrived on the 14th inst.
remains at her :moorings in Catwater._

Her Majesty's steamer Comet sailed last evening with
dispatches for the squadron of evolution under Admiral
Sir H. Parker.

WOOLWICH, AUG. 17.—ROYAL ARTILLERY.—Caps.
Cater's Company, 2d battalion, relieved Captain 13.‘nn's
Company on Al onday morning from field battery duty
at Woolwich, and the latter company proceeded
on Wednesday morning for Euston-square, and thence
by railway en route to Dublin, to relieve Captain
Taylor's Company at Athlone. Captain Harrison's