The Sun.
London, England, 1851-05-22 00:00:00

DIORAMA OF I%'I.NEVEH.

A grand moving diorama of Nineveh, painted by Mr.
Frederick Charles Cooper, the artist sent cut by the
British Museum to assist Dr. Layerd, is now being ex-
hibited at the Gothic Hall, 3, Lower Grosvenor-street.
The views are very accurate, exceedingly well painted,
and very interesting, and the explanatory lecture, de-
livered by Mr. Cooper, sufficiently explains them to
those who have not read the work of Dr. Layard. The
views commence with the city of Mosul, continuing with
both the banks of the Tigris as far as the Mound of
Nirnroucl, the first scene of Dr. Layard's labours. There
is then a moonlight viow of the great Lion Gateway of
the north-west palace, the excavations at Konyunjick, the
remains of the great halls of the Assyrian Kings, and
the French discoveries at Khorsabad. This interesting
diorama will no doubt be visited by all who take an in-
terest in the subject which it illustrates, and it is quite
as worthy the support of the public as any which have
hitherto appeared.

ROYAL POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTION.
Having already noticed favourably two of the lectures
" On Fire in its various relations," delivered by Mr.
J. H. Pepper, chemical lecturer to the above institu-
tion, we therefore cannot permit the third and last of
the course to pass without recording its particular in-
teresting features. The Learned Professor commenced
by calling the attention of his audience to the ordinary
appearance of light giving flame, and showed in a satis-
factory manner that when it afforded illuminating power
not merely gaseous matter was brought up to a high
temperature, but that solid substances, as charcoal; is a
gas flame. Lime is the oxy-hydrogen light now abso-
lutely required. The maintenance of the heat and the
supply of oxygen were next considered, and it was de-
monstrated that flame could be as it were frozen out and
extinguished by the simple withdrawal of the heat by
conducting metal. The obstruction of flame came next
under consideration, the external figure being conical
and shaped like a myrtle-leaf, because the air rushed
past the outside and dragged up. Some beautiful expe-
riments with ascending and descending flames illustrated
this part of the subject. Finally, the internal portion of
flame was shown to be hollow. A flame was made up
of three divisions, two external in a state of intense
combustion, and a third inside being a centre core or
hollow full of unburnt gas. This fact was demonstrated
by some very curious experiments—a case of red fire
with quick matches was held in the centre without igni-
tion. Fire appeared to extinguish fire, because the
centre of the flame was full of unburnt hydro-carbon,
which did not support combustion. This, with many
other equally striking experiments and lucid explana-
tions, was received with great applause.

MUSIC HALL-HENRY RUSSELL'S MUSICAL
AND PICTORIAL ENTERTAINMENT.

This well• known and highly-popular lyric author and
vocalist, presented to our public, for the first time on
last evening, his admirable musical and pictorial treat.
The first part consisted of a representation of the scenes
and incidents of an emigrant's progress from our shores
to an American seaport, and thence up the giant western
rivers, through forest and prairie, to the yet half-re-
claimed settlements in the far west. Nothing could be
more beautifully depicted than the various scenes on land
and sea represented in this portion of Mr. Russell's
panorama, whilst his admirable and racy descriptions,
and the music of his apposite and finely-rendered melo-
dies gave additional interest to each scene thus doubly
illustrated. The second part of the entertainment con-
sisted of a series of panoramic scenes illustrative of negro
life in primitive freedom, and afterwards in slavery. The
first scene opens with a view of an African village, with
its festivities—then follows a battle. of the tribes—then
the capture and embarkation of the prisoners on board
the slaver schooner, the chase by a British cruiser, and
the rescue of one set of slaves. The scene changes to
the Havannah, and we see the slave market and the sue-
ce eding pictures ponrtray the ♦arious descriptions of
slave labour in the southern states.

The entire of this panorama in all its phases is de-
scribed by Mr. Russell in a style of elegant and familiar
dissertation, interspersed with numerous original anec-
dotes, and rendered still more delightful by a series of
songs and ballads, pathetic and descriptive, the whole
forming an entertainment which has been rarely equalled,
and certainly never excelled (of its kind) i❑ Dublin.
The audience of last evening was a crowded one indeed.
The spacious Music Hall, in boxes, pit, and galleries
was crowded to excess, and the repeated and enthusiastic
plaudits that greeted every effort of the gifted ♦ocalist,
evinced the deep delight experienced by all present at
this novel and unique entertainment.—Dublin Freeman's
Journal, May 20.