The Sun.
London, England, 1848-09-12 00:00:00

NORWICH MUSICAL FESTIVAL.

NORWICH, SEPT. 11.—The general rehearsal of
Elijah, and some other of the music intended to be given
at the approaching festival, took place to-day in St.
Andrew's Hall. The prir.cipal vocal parts in Mendles-
sohn's great work were undertaken by Madame Castel-
lan, Madame Viardot, the Misses Williams, Mr. Sims
Reeves, and Mr. 11. Phillips. The chorus and orchestra
—tbe former numbering two hundred and seventy, the
latter one hundred and fifteen performers—executed
their functions with admirable power and procition ;
equally to the satisfaction of M. Benedict, the conductor
of the musical arrangements, and of the visitors who at-
tended on the occasion. Everything augurs well for a
most brilliant meeting. The first miscellaneous concert
takes place to-morrow evening.
The church bells have been ringing merry peals
throughout the day in honour of the visit of his Royal
Highness the Duke of Cambrielge, who arrived at the
Trowse Station at four o'clock, by special train.
His Royal Highness was met at the station by the
Lord Bishop and many of the clergy of the diocese, the
Mayor and Corporation of the town (the latter attended
with all the old civic paraphernalia), who escorted the
Royal Duke in procession to the Town Hall, where an
address was read to him by the town clerk.
The band of the 16th Lancers, which was stationed
in the market-place, played the National Anthem on the
arrival of the procession.
The Royal Duke afterwards went to the Bishop's
Palace, where he will stay on a visit during the week..
There will be a concert at the Palace this evening.
Notwithstanding a steady fall of rain, the streets
throughout the line of procession, as well as the church
steeples and windows, were crowded with people, anxi(,us
to catch a glimpse of royalty. His Royal flightless, who
seemed in very good health and spirits, was loudly
cheered as he passed by.

MADEMOISELLE LlND.—This distinguished voca-
list and performer is at present in Manchester. She
made her first appearance in the present year at the
Theatre Royal on Saturday evening, in the opera of
Lucia di Lammermoor. There was a crowded house.
She will make her second and only appearance on the
present occasion this evening, in the opera of Sonnam-
bula.
Mr. WILSON.—This highly-popular expounder of
Scottish ministrelsy sails next week for the United
States, on a professional tour, prior to which he will
take leave of his admirers in two entertainments, to be
given at the Whittington Club, to-morrow and Satur-
day next. These entertainments comprise a selection of
Mr. Wilson's most popular songs; and we have no
doubt that on both occasions crowded audiences will
bear ample and substantial testimony to his well•deservd
popularity.
MARYLEBONB THEATRE.—A young lady of the
name of Langdon made her debut last night at this
theatre in the character of Kate O'Brien, in Haynes
Bayley's lively farce of Perfection. Possessing a pleasing
person, and a voice of singular delicacy and sweetness,
the impression she made was favourable. Her friends
supported her with great vehemence, and encored her
in her second song.

THE GREAT BRITAIN STEAM SHIP.—LIVERPOOL,
SEPT. 12.—This day, at one o'clock, the well-known I
leviathan steam-ship, Great Britain, 3,442 tons, regis-
tered old measurement, with her machinery, sails, an- '
chors, cables, &c., as she now lies in the Cobourg Dock,
was offered for sale by public auction by Messrs. Tonga,
Curry and Co., Derby-buildings, Fenwick-street. The
Great Britain was built at Bristol in 1844, by the Great
Western Steam-ship Company, for the New York trade,
her dimensions being as tollows:—Length of keel and
fore rake, 286 feet; ditto over all, 319 feet 3 inches;
beam, 50 feet 4 inches; depth, 32 feet. She was pro-
pelled by engines of nearly 1,000 horses' power, and fitted
with Woodcrott's patent screw propeller; and has
accommodation for 250 cabin passengers, with stow
age age room for 800 tuns cargo (measurement), d
1,200 tons coal. 11er great strength enabled her to
withstand the shocks of the heaviest seas, while strandedlrelend,
in Dundrum-bay, on the northern coast of
throughout a whole winter, without in th_oneselitgohttebset
degree altering her lines. The damage
engines and ship's bottom has been carefully estimated,
and e: d
after surveys by competent engineers h builders,
and for a moderate sum the whole ship and machinery
might, it is stated, be restored to the
With a smaller pair of engines, capable
her coal stowage
b oprepelling her
original condition.
at a slightly reduced speed, s
would be reduced one-half,
she::e.baullged. At five minutes
accommodate over
1,000 emigrants for a distantouvso)saie rooms of Messrs.
past one o'clock, the
werefriP
Tonga and Curry epgosemell. There were at least 300
gentlemen present. y crowded with merchants i‘
from all parts of the kTheie first price mentioned on the
part of the auctioner was 20,000/., and as there was no
bidder above that sum,
the Great
. Britain was not sold,
but was taken in at 40,0001. for the owners.
cH u
,MISSIONARY SOCIETY.—Last night the
quarterly meeting of the Clerkenwell auxiliary branch
of this widely extended society was held in the infant
school-room, St. James's-walk. The Rev. W. E. Faulk-
ner, Rector of St. James's, Clerkenwell, in the chair.
The Rev. Thomas Mortimer uric fly addressed the as-
semblage. The meeting was next addressed by the Rev.
C. P. Farrar, who had been sent out by the society as a
missionary to the Bombay presidency; the speaker gave
a most interc,ting account of his adventures whilst pur-
suieg his labours, and said that last year the number of
pupils attending his school was about 300 ; besides
which, several valuable conversions had been effected.