The Sun.
London, England, 1834-05-20 00:00:00

TO Ti:I;,,RDITOR OF THE. SUIQ

SIR,—AS yon-'hare publicly requested me to state the
sums subscribed and expended by dissenters for defravin;•
the expense of the election of Lord John Russell for
Devonshire, I have no hesitation in stating, that in Mny
1831, the period to which I referred, the subscriptions
amounted to 909/. ss. 6d. Of this sum 5001. were, upon
my motion, most. cheerfully contributed from the funds of
the deputies of the three denominations appointed to pro-
tect the civil rights of the dissenters in and within ten
miles of London, whilst 100 guineas were as readily given
from those of the Protestant Society for the Protection of
Religious Liberty. The remainder of the money was
raised by private subscription, in sums varying in amount
from 20?. to 10s. ; but the withdrawing of all opposition,
soon after the commencement of this subscription had been
extensively advertised, rendered its prosecution unneces-
sary, and only about three-eighths of the amount subscribed
were ever needed, andwere taken in equal proportions from the
contributions of the public bodies and of private individuals.
The sum actually paid over to the committee at Exeter
was 266/. 16s. 6d. (the whole expenses of the election),
which, with 92/. expended in advertisements and other in-
cidental charges, made the total amount contributed
3581. 16s. 6d.
There was, however, if my memory does not deceive
me, another subscription set on foot by the dissenters at
the London Coffee-house ; but with the particulars of its
amount and application lam not at all acquainted. That
of which I have given you the details was under the
management of the secretary to the deputies, and the do-
cuments connected with it are preserved amongst their
proceedings. In conclusion I have only to add, that what-
ever was done by the dissenters on that occasion is only to
be taken as a specimen of what they would have done had
a contest called for further exertions.

I am, Sir, your obedient humble servant,
JAMES BALDWIN BROWN.
38, Bedford-place, Russell-square, May 19, 1834.

THE THEATRES.

KING'S.

The German company repeated Mozart's Zanber Flote
last night. Almost the only fault of the performance, if
fault it can be called, was that it was in general too good
for the comparatively unrefined musical taste of this coun-
try. There was scarcely one of the performers who did
not go through the undertaking with considerable im-
provement-Upon the first exhibition in London. None of
the ladies possess the commanding powers of Madame
Shroeder Devrient, but they are entitled to hold a high
rank in their profession. Madame Walker is a fine singer,
but her speaking-voice is indistinct and feeble, more for
want of pains than strength. Demoiselles Weinhold,
Munch, and Schirner, sang with great judgment as the
attendants of the Queen of Night ; and a trio by them in
the first act well merited repetition. Of the men, Herr
Schmetzer (who' had the part of Tanzino), as the first
tenor, deserves the first notice. His organ is more power-
ful, but not so sweet and clear as that of Haitsinger : it
has a degree of huskiness in some of the notes that much
mars the music. Herr Uetz we have seen before this sea-
son in Papageno, and his comic as well as his musical ta-
lents enabled him to make the most of it. He bore his
part in the duet with Madame Walker, which in English
is known by the name of " The Manly Heart," to the sa-
tisfaction of the whole house. Of the rest, Herr Delcher
is the only one it is necessary to particularize : he has a
full deep bass voice, but now and then, in the effort to show
its full power and profundity, he failed to be quite in tune,
so that we almost wished that, like the man in Mathew's
entertainment, he had lost his G.