The Sun.
London, England, 1848-05-22 00:00:00

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.

Madame Erminia Tadolini, the prima donna of all
Italy, and who in Germany has, for some seasons at
Vienna and at Berlin, appeared on alternate nights
with Jenny Lind, and thus maintained, as it were a
friendly contest with the " Swedish Nightingale,"
appeared at her Majesty's Theatre for the first
time before an English audience on Saturday,
and in the character of Linda da Chamouni achieved
a triumphant success such as has been rarely achieved
within the walls of a theatre. Henceforth there will
be no off nights at her Majesty's Theatre—we shall
have Jenny Lind nights and Tadolini nights, but no
off nights, and those who wish to secure places should
for the rest of the season do so some days before, for
Tadolini will more than fill the theatre every evening,
and henceforth to get in without as crush will be impos-
sible. Madame Tadolini possesses every requsite to
success. Her voice, clear, bell-likepowerful, is
a soprano sfoggato of great flexibi and
lity, and i
pletely under command. Her features are beasuctoimfui
and most expressive. Her mouth is particularly
beautiful, and is never distorted in singing. Her figure
is perfect, and her histrionic powers are of
the highest order. She had not given three bars of
the opening recitative before all fears as to her suc-
cess had vanished. Every one felt that the prima
donna assoluta was before them. Then followed the
exquisite cavatina " Oh Luce di quest Anima," the gem
of the opera, which was given with such exquisite
feeling and truth, and embellished with such
a lavish, yet delicate fioriture that her
station was at once secured. Then followed the duet
with Carlo, beautifully given ; and then the last scene
of the first act—the parting from home—acted with
genuine and heartfelt pathos. She was called for
twice at the conclusion of the first act, and bouquets
innumerable were showered on her. In the second
act, her rejection of the proposals of the Mar-
quis was dignified and majestic in the extreme,
and her acting here showed that it is not
alone in the tender characters of the domestic drama
that Erminia Tadolini excels. In such parts as Anna
Bolena and Lucrezia Borgia she will be found a dan-
gerous rival to some of those who now claim those
parts as their own. The mad scene (after she has
been cursed by her father) which concludes
this act, was exquisitely given, its truth
to nature was heartrending, and drew tears
from the audience. The finale to the opera was,
however, as far as vocalization is concerned, the great
triumph of the evening. The execution of Tadolini
in this most difficult composition was marvellous, and
she was of course called upon to repeat it, and barely
escaped a second encore. She was again called for
before the curtain, at the concision of the second
act, and again at the conclusion of the opera.
Her triumph was complete. She is certainly far and
away the best Linda that it has ever been our lot to
hear. Her predecessors, Persiani and Castellan, gave
mere sketches of the part. The former relied almost
solely on her vocalization, the latter on her interest-
ing personal appearance and almost infantine sim-
plicity ; but Tadolini gives us a finished picture;
with all the vocal flexibility of Persiani, with
an equal knowledge of music, Tadolini possesses a
more powerful and more clear organ, and always
sings in tune, and with all the personal beauty of
Castellan, she is also an actress. Mr. Sims Reeves
was the Carlo, the first Englishman who has ap-
peared on these hoards since the palmy days
of Braharn. The success of Mr. Sims Reeves
was as complete as that of Madame Tadolini,
He was terribly nervous at first, but in his duet with
Tadolini in the first act he plucked up his courage,
and acquitted himself so well that at the conclusion
of the act he shared with Tadolini in the honours of
a call. This reassured him, and in the beautiful
romance of the second act he did full justice to his
powers. Never hare we heard this exquisite composition
so pathetically, so judiciously, so tastefullygiven. He
held his audience in breathless and silent delight to
the conclusion, and then there was such a burst of
applause, and such a shout of encore, as is seldom
heard in this house. His success is complete, and
henceforth he takes his rank among the leading tenors
of Europe. Mdlle. Schwartz sung and acted charm-
ingly as Pierrot, and Colletti and Lablache as An-
tonio and the Prefetto were superb. They were all
called for at the conclusion. The house was crowded.
The Queen and his Royal Highness Prince Albert,
accompanied by their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of
Kent and the Prince of Prussia, honoured the per-
formances with their presence. The attendants upon
her Majesty and Prince Albert were the Countess
of Charlemont, the Earl Morton, Lieutenant-Colonel
the Honourable G. Grey and Colonel the Hon. C. B.
Phipps. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent
was attended by Lady Augusta Bruce. In attendance
upon the Prince of Prussia was Captain Bogen. Her
Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge, accom-
panied by her Royal Highness the Duchess of Saxe
Weimar, Prince Edward, and the Princesses Anne
and Amelia, also honoured the theatre with her
presence. The Royal suite comprised the Hon.
Miss Wheatley, Captain Taylor, and Mr. Hertz. There
were also present his Grace the Duke of Wellington,
the Duke of Devonshire, the Duke and Duchess
of Cleveland, the Duchess of Sutherland, the
Duchess of Leeds and Miss Lane Fox, the Duchess
Dowager of Cleveland, the Marquis of Huntley, the
Marquis and Marchioness of Sligo, and the Ladies
Browne, the Marquis and Marchioness of Ailesbury,
the Marchioness or Douro, the Marquis of Donegal,
his Excellency the Russian Minister, his Excellency
the Swedish Minister, his Excellency the Hanoverian
Minister, his Excellency the Sardinian Minister,
Baroness Brunnow and Mademoiselle Olga de Lechner,
the Baroness Rehausen, Baron Nicolay, Count de Barke,
Count Arthur de Courcy, the Earl Granville, the Earl of
Mountcharles, the Earl of Munster, the Earl and Countess
of Wilton, the Earl and Countess of Harrington, the
Earl of Falmouth, the Countess of Jersey and Lady
Clementina Villiers, the Earl of Liverpool, the Earl of
Lonsdale, the Countess Dowager of Essex and Miss
Johnstone, the Countess of Lichfield, the Countess
of Blessington and the Misses Power, the Countess of
Cadogan, the Earl of Exmouth, the Count D'Orsay,
the Dowager Baroness de Rothschild, the Viscount
Clifden, Viscount Enfield, Lady Howard, Lady
Woodford, Lord A. Fitzclarence Lord Southamp-
ton, Lord Gerald Fitsteerald, 'Lord Elphinstone,
Lord W. Beresford, Lord Willoughby de Eresby,
Lord Walpole, Lord Ernest Bruce, Lord Saltoun,
Lord Gardner, Lord Alfred Paget, Lord F. Gordon,
Lady A. Paulett, Lady Fremantle, Lady Bathurst,
Lady Foulis, Lady Meux, the Hon. Mr. Leslie,
General the Hon. H. Cavendish, Hon. Willoughby
de Eresby, Hon. C. Cavendish, Hon. J. Fane, General
Men, Sir Ralph Howard, Sir J. Astley,
Thomas Hare, Sir H. Webb, Sir Keith Ball, Bart.,Sr
.
Sir H. Willoughby, Sir Henry Meux, Lieut.-General
Sir Alexander Woodford, Sir G. Wombwell, M. C. Kou-
driaffsky, Colonel Wildman, Colonel Barnard, rd ,m•
Hubert de Burgh, Mrs. and Miss Ewing, Mrs. Hobson,r
Mr. C. W. Packe and Mrs. Packe
irßeading,s. Grote,lNl Mrs.
Dennistoun, Mr. A. Morgan, r. and
Mrs. Dodd, Mr. Grote,
, M.
M.P.,
and Mrs. Tudor, Mr. Weston, Mr. and Miss Salford.
andr BroadleY, M.P., Mr.

THE PLANETS.—Mars is now to be seen in the
south-western part of the heavens every clear evening.
The beautiful planet Jupiter, to the south of Mars, and
higher in the skies, will attract every person's attention.
His belts and satellites afford ample amusement to those
who are in the possession of good telescopes.
DEATH OF MR. WILLIAM ETTY, LATE CLERK OF
THE MANCHESTER RACE-COURSE.—We learn that this
gentleman, well known to the sporting circles of this
and the neighbouring counties, and who for many
years
fulfilled the duties of clerk of the Manchester race-
course, on the far-famed Kersal Moor, died on Thursday
morning last at Liverpool.
The Town-council of Carlisle have adopted a peti-
tion, praying that the Bill givingpoi n
t the
commissioners Speaker- f
House of Commons power to appoint to
visit places in which bribery has been
pro-
ceed with as little delay as possible, and that the city of
Carlisle may be included • proved, may m
the list of places to be visited.
—Yorkshiranc-in.

TO THE SECRETARY OF THI3
BRADFORD REFORM ASSOCIATION.

Sir,—On Wednesday, the 17th, the most im-
portant subject was the Bill for Sitesj of places of
worship in Scotland. Finding myself voting in a
total absence of my usual company, I am desirous to
have a few words upon the question. The Scotch
Church, as probably everybody knows, has of late
dissented frcm itself, and the dissenters apparently
have become the strongest party, and consequently
the orthodox. But as this operation has not been
conducted without great heat, one result has been,
that the party lately in ascendancy are exceedingly
indisposed to do anything to gratify or further the
wishes of their rivals. And as the old party happens
to. include the great landowners, the victorious dis-
pdents in many places find it difficult, and in some
impracticable, to obtain land by purchase to build
their new churches on. The cases in which they
have not been able to find land for purchase, are by
one account stated at thirteen and by another at
thirty; but taking either, it is avowedly a small pro-
portion of the whole.

-
In these circumstances the victorious party deter-
mines on a course, which neither the Roman nor
Anglican Church, in their plenitude of power, appears
ever to have dreamed of. They come to the Go-
vernment and demand a power to force the owners
to sell; and the precedent on which they choose to
found their claim, is that of railways. They repre-
sent, it would seem, that they are a railway ecclesi-
astical; and that as railways eject a man,:be he nolens
volens, from his land and give him a price, so shall the
new Church Establishment, or any Church Estab-
lishment, or as the reading of some is, anything
calling itself an association for religious purposes,
whether established or not. In this simile of rail-
ways there may be, many inaccuracies; and among
others this, that whereas railways come to Parliament
for a hearing on each particular scheme and a judg-
ment on its necessity, the ecclesiastical railway
demands a;kind of general Act, whereby a certain
number of demanders shall in any instance have the
power of entry on the lands of all recusants.
The point upon which I have scruples, is how the
interests of religious liberty, particularly in England,
would be likely to be affected by the success of such
a project. Ido not doubt its pleasantness for those
who gain by it; but will it be pleasant for anybody
else ? The temptation held out by the northern
claimants, is that everybody shall have the promise of
being allowed to do the like. But even supposing
such a consummation to be sufficient reason, is there
any likelihood that everybody will practically be
allowed to do the like ? Already has question
been made in Parliament, whether. Catholics are to be
endowed with this power of entry upon Protestant
lands, and whether a Unitarian can consistently
be allowed the chance of doing the same. To which
will gradually be added a similar inquiry, touching
the heterodox on the doctrine of Baptismal Regene-
ration, the Quaker, the Presbyterian where not by
law established, the Methodist, and everybody who
may end by coming within ',the description of Non-
conformist. It is all pleasant enough for those who
are to do ; but it is not so pleasant for those who are
not to do. It is at all events therefore necessary to
keep an eye upon the question, whether this is not a
plan for setting up a new and additional power over
men's worldly goods, in the hands of Church estab-
lishments. All advantage runs to the strongest; as
the beasts found who coveted the honour of helping the
lion to run down his game. I cannot believe that
the prisoner for church-rates will be the better for
this new rod of power given to the strong. And I
am grieved to see men of all religious denominations
rushing into this springe, without taking time to ask
one another or anybody else, what the end of it
is to be.
By one of those accidents which occasionally
whaeprpeewn,aittihneg
fqorueosalieo
was
Tonktnowwhwilheo was going hbayt
tthere
wasto rise.p r
0
indispositionctwrhatnDie b e r
st
.spoke
another vineTd
long succession on thein mo itonbthat the Bill
da an
secondbe committed. But there would seem
under-
standing, that when a Bill- has been vootee
reading, there is not to be a division against committal.
In the meanwhile, there is time for; the concerned
to look about them. Every man has a right to jump
into a well with his eyes open, but no man should do
it with them shut ; which is all I ask. I was placed
between the necessity of voting against my belief of
what was for the ultimate interest of religious liberty,
and doing as I did ; and if I have done wrong, I
must be gently dealt with.
On Thursday the Public Health Bill 'went into
Committee, after an opposition which led to the
amusing result of a division of 219 against 1. A
subsequent motion for postponement of a leading
clause, was negatived by 145 against 45. At the same
time I apprehend the understanding was, that there
is to be one paid Commissioner ; which the wording of
the present clause was left to suit. The Borough
Elections Bill was on the same day read a second
time by a majority of 198 against 85, and com-
mitted.

On Friday, the House was occupied all night in
Committee on the Public Health Bill, and fifty-six
clauses were gone through. The main debate was
on the principle of plurality of votes for property
commonly known as the Sturges Bourne principle.
There may be admitted to be some difference between
the introduction of this principle in a ease like the
present, and in the case of political suffrage, where it
would be an unmitigated abomination. But there is
yet a great deal to say against it. In the first place,
there still attaches much of the argument founded on
the influence the rich must always inevitably possess
over the poor, which is in fact the main argument for
the universality of the political suffrage. In the next,
great weight is due to the declarations copiously
advanced, that in practice the plurality of votes has
been always found the inconvenient and ill-working
system, and the single vote the contrary. Thirdly,
there is the prospest of considerable perplexity arising
out of one mode of voting being fixed in one set of
places, and another in another. And lastly, there is
the argument named to me by a Member immediately
after the question had been,decided,—which is, that it
is the rich and not the poor, who do not want to be
washed ; that the poor have very considerable inclina-
tions to vote their own five shillings for washing, if they
can thereby bring out the rich man's sovereign ; and
that consequently the plural vote is an invention for
impeding the objects of the Bill, and not for promoting
them. Possibly this might be thought of, on a future
opportunity ; though it would require that the country
should take up the question, to make head against a
present majority of 113 to 37.
I am, Sir, your very obedient servant,
T. PERRONET THOMPSON.
Blackheath, London, May 22,.1848.

STEAM-BOAT RACE TO AMERICA.—Without any
intention on the part of the managers of the vessels there
is to be a race from Liverpool to America, on which
large sums of money are pending. The steamers are
the United States and the Niagara. The United States
sails to-day for New York, and the Niagara on Satur-
day for Boston. The difference in sailing may be
counted about a day further for the United States than
the Niagara; but as the Niagara's passengers for New
York will have to be forwarded by rail, the actual dif-
ference in the distance is extremely trifling. It will be
seen that the United States has three clear days'
start, and the question to be decided is, whether the
Niagara will overhaul ber sufficiently in sailing to set
down her passengers at New York as soon as the United
States. Could it have been arranged that both ships
should start on the same day for the same point, it
would have been more satisfactory ; but as the
weather is generally pretty uniform in this month, and
as the distances are accurately known, a fair approxima-
tion to the relative qualities of the boats may be obtained.
Both are fine vessels, and they are pretty equally
matched. The United States is New York built, and her
engines (or, as her engineers term them, inginea) were
constructed in the States. She is also commanded by
one of the most able American captains. She is of 2,000
tons burthen, and her engines are estimated at 1,000
horse power. The Niagara was built by, Mr. Steel, of
Greenock, and her engines were supplied by Mr. Napier,
of Glasgow. She is about 1,800 tons burden, and 700
horse power. The Niagara is the last constructed
steamer of the British and North American Royal Mail
osftetahmat_sehxicpenent Company's
Britis hlinsee,amanat iscuapndzi thAelecxo.mßmyarined.

—Liverpool Courier.
obfutth
jet. bal4meimtpoarMtiarl.
ACCIDENT.—The Times the
Tus SIIRIVENEFAM.
clog upon this lamentable occur.
other day, in corn
will take the trouble to read the proceedings
individual ta tahmteter7sbt auttieosn some
clerk;
the various inquests, he must be satisfied that Mr.
Coforbett Hudson can in no way be held responsible for
negligence that led to the accident. The express
rce:rcil
t indirectly
Hudson,
the
train was due at Shrivenham at 3. At 17 minutes after
3, Mr. Corbett Hudson crossed the line, and saw that
the express had not gone through. The Times seems to
think that he ought at this period to have ascertained
what his underlings were about; but why should he?
The line was clear, and, of course, it did not enter into
his imagination that the underlings would be " shifting"
horse-boxes and trucks on to the main line, when the
"all right" signal stood staring them in the face. Ho
never thought that they could be guilty of so flagrant a
violation of the fundamental principle upon which all
their instructions were based. Ile therefore naturally
felt that all was secure, and retired to the booking-office
to perform the duty of issuing tickets for a down train.
While he was thus engaged, the porters did that which
was strictly prohibited, and which led to the accident.
[low, then, can Mr. Corbett Hudson be to blame?—
Railway Gazette.

TITIIE RENT AND CHARGE IN IRELAND.—There
is a Bill in the House of Commons (issued on Saturday)
to alter and amend so much of the Act of 1 and 2 Vic. as
relates to the mode of making tithe rent charge in Ire-
land liable to poor-rate poundage, and also to empower
the Ecclesiastical Commissioners in Ireland to allow
poundage, deducted from ecclesiastial persons on ac-
count of poor-rate, among the deductions from the
valuation of ecclesiastical property, for the purpose of
a certain tax hereby imposed upon such property in
Ireland.

- ,
,3gttition
SUN OFFICE, Sew o Clock

FRANCE.

The Moniteur contains a decree signed by the
five members of the Executive Government, an•
noancing that the Administration of Public Wothip,
wlich had been separated from the 'Ministry of Public
Instruction, is again united with it.
The same official journal announces that the
Commander-in-Chief of the National Guards of the
department of the Seine, has received addresses of
congratulation to the National Guard of Paris, and
the suburbs, from the following towns, on the occasion
of the events of the 15th inst., viz., B6thune, Reims,
Elbeuf, St. Valery. sur- Somme, Abbeville, Vtlledieu
(Manche), Tropy (Loire), Bouchain, Clermont, Fer-
rand, St. Die, Pont-Au Pontoise, Avize
(Marne), Montfort-l'Amaury, Calais, Bonnieres,
Conde (Nord), Rouen, Vierzon, Launoy (Ardennes),
St. Maio, Evreux,, l'Aigle (0:ne), St. Julien du
Sault (Yonne), Vervins (Aisne), and Château-
Chinon.

The Presse states that the 11th, 12th, 21st, :34th, I
45th, and 61st Regiments of the Line are at present
quartered in Paris. To these may be added tL sth
Light Infantry and tha 55th and 59th Regirt,ents of
the Line, which raise the amount of intatary to
30,000 men.
The Moniteur states that the commission appointed
to re-organize the Parisian Republican Gr.ard entered
on Its functions on Saturday. It proposes to meet
under the presidency of the Mayor of Paris from
day to day until it has accomplished the object of its

mission.
The Echo du Nord announces that a seque-stration
has been laid on the Northern Railroad.

Tha Three per Cents. closed on the Paris Bourse
on Saturday at 50f.; the Five per Cents., 69f. 50,:!;
Orleans Railroad Shares, 570 E; Rouen, 420 f.; Ilavra
220 f.; Great Northern, 3651.; Avignon, 235 f.; Vierzon,.
2801.; Bordeaux, 4001.; Troyes and Montereau, 120 e;
Dieppe, 1551.; Basle, 88f. 75e.; Paris and Strasburg,
355 f.; Tours and Nantes, 335 f.; Paris and Lyons, 3071:.
50c.; Spanish Three per Cents., 21k.