The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-08 00:00:00

LYCEUM THEATRE,

CABINET COUNCIL. -- Summonses were issued on
Saturday for a meeting of the members of the Cabinet
to-morrow at Viscount Palmerston's official residence in
Downing-street. It is appointed far three o'clock.
His Imperial Highness Prince Lucien Bonaparte has
arrived in town from the continent.
The Marquis and Marchioness of Stafford arrived in
town, on Saturday, from Tarbet House, N.B.
The Earl and Countess of Jersey have left town, ac-
companied by Lady Clementine Villiers, for Middleton
Park, Bicester, where the noble Earl and Countess will
remain until February.
The Earl of Ellesmere was considered rather better

yesterlay.
The Earl of Clarendon left town, on Saturday, to join
the Countess and family at the Grove, near \VattorJ,

Herts.
The Earl of Harrowby left town, on Friday, for
Paris. The noble earl will make only a brief sojourn in
the French capital.
Viscountess Hood and family have arrived at Tor-
quay, where they intend to pass the winter.
The Right Hon. Thos. Milner Gibson, M.P., has re-
turned to town from the Continent.
The Lancaster Bank, at Philadelphia, has closed its
doors in consequence of a run.
A. correspondent suggests that a column, cast from
the guns taken at Sebastopol, be erected as a Crimean
trophy, in a central position in the metropolis.
Accounts have been received from Newfoundland,
dated November 14, announcing the loss of the brig
Emma, of Liverpool.
DEATH OF A ROMAN CATHOLIC BIsHoP.—A. mitre
has been placed at the disposal of the Holy See by the
death of the Right Rev. Bishop Murphy, of Cloyne, who
expired on Thursday at Fermoy.
THE RAILWAY ACCIDENT AT DENTON.—A. verdict of
accidental death has been returned by the jury empan-
netted to inquire into the death of Esther Farrington,
who was killed by a collision two days previously.
An action was brought in the Court of Queen's Bench
en Saturday last, by executors of a person named Gos-
ling, against the New National Assurance Company, for
the amount of a policy effected in that company. A
verdict was given In favour of the defendants.
THE DOUBLE MURDER NEAR ROTHERHAM.—An in-
quest was held on Saturday upon the bodies of Mr.
White, the postmaster of Bolton-upon-Deem°, and his
wife—an account of whose brutal murder appeared in
The Sun of Saturday. The inquiry was adjourned.
REPRESENTATION OF GREENWICH.—TWO meetings of
the electors of Greenwich are to be held in the course of
the current week, for the purpose of fixing upon a suit-
able candidate to supply the place of Mr. Peter Rolt.
Mr. Sergeant Parry and Mr. Thwaites, the chairman of
the Metropolitan Board of Works, are to address a meet-
ing of the electors this (Monday) evening, and it is
thought probable that one of these gentlemen may be
invited to come forward as a candidate.
ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL.—The minor canonry in St.
Paul's Cathedral, which became vacant by the death of
the Rev. E. G. Beckwith, M.A., has been conferred by
the Dean and Chapter upon the Rev. B. Morgan Cowie,
M.A., of St. John's College, Cambridge. The rev. gen.
tletnan was the senior wrangler of his year (1839), and
afterwards became Principal of the Civil Engineers' Col-
lege at Putney. He holds at the present time the Gresh-
ham Professorship of Mathematics in the city of Lon-
don, and was from 1853 to 1855 Hulsean Lecturer at
Cambridge.
SATURDAY CONCERTS AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE.—
The fourth of the series of concerts now giving at the
Crystal Palace took place on Saturday, when, despite
the unfavourable character of the weather, there was
a considerable attendance of visitors. In addition to
the Orpheus Glee 'Union, Mr. Manus varied his pro-
gramme by two songs charmingly sung by Miss Clara
Mackenzie, of the Royal Academy of Music. In one
of these, the famous song of Malcolm Grahame in "La
Donna del Lego," the young lady was highly ap-
plauded ; and in the second, Linley's pleasing ballad of
"The Swiss Girl," she received a hearty encore. Miss
Mackenzie's voice is a fine contralto, and she manages
it with great taste and skill. The other portions of the
programme were also satisfactory.
REEFING TOPSAILS FROM THE DECS.—Mr. Cunning-
ham R.N., the inventor of reefing topsails from the
deck, has commenced a good work in establishing a
nautical school for the instruction of lads in knotting,
splicing, reefing, furling, boxing the compass, itc. ; in
fact, a course of instruction similar to that pursued by
lads of the Illustrious. The first meeting was held on
Wednesday last, on board Mr. Cunningham's yacht
Alfred. The object Mr. Cunningham has in view is the
preparation of boys for her Majesty's navy or the mer-
chant service. Several persons were present, and the
examination was of a highly satisfactory character.

On Saturday afternoon we attended at the
Private View of " The Flemish School of Arts"—
opened this day to public inspection in the Gal-
lery, 121, Pall-Mall—the present year being the
first annual exhibition of this particular School in
London and Westminster. At the Gallery, 121,
Pall-Mall, 121 Pictures are now displayed and
catalogued ! Although a rather considerablt
number of these paintings are to our thinking
curiously indifferent as works of art—many others
are of a merit really remarkable. The " indiffe-
rent" portion of the collection, let us acknowledge
at once are, fairly, a puzzle to us. For we pre-
sume the Paintings now hanging on the walls of
the Gallery may be regarded in some sort as
" picked" Paintings. Hence, assuredly it may
be predicated reasonably enough—either that the
" Flemish School of the Fine Arts" as at pre-
sent constituted is anything but a model School
after all—or that the taste and judgment
of those entrusted with the responsibility of
selecting the " exemplars" of that School cen-
t
Istituting the present Collection, are any-
' thing but infallible. However, we content
ourselves with this general reference to the
least meritorious part of the Exhibition now
opened to public view in the Pall-Mall Gallery—
making this reference, nevertheless, be it said,
almost, let us observe, in simple justice to our
own national School of the Fine Arts ! That exist-
ing English School so long, and so pertinaciously,
and so pretentiously "schooled" by the existing
Flemish School as of little worth, as mistaken,
and puerile, and blundering. Really—with the
Picked paintings now at 121, Pall-Mall, before us
—we don't think England, in regard to her Fine
Arts, need fear the result of any Flemish com-
parison—whether it be in regard to the land-
scape, seascape, historical, sacred, portrait, or
even genre departments. Even, we say, in
regard to the genre class of pictures, in
which, if in any, the Flemish School may
rationally claim for itself a position of pre-emi-
nence. For if in landscape and seascape the Eng-
glish School could boast very recently of the
greatest name of which (as that of a grand Reflec-
tor of Nature upon Canvass !) the world has any
record—the glorious and immortal name of J. W.
M. Turner—can we not exult even now in the
possession of Herbert and Eastlake, in regard to
the Scriptural ? Of Maclise, and Dyce, and
Poole, and Elmore, in regard to the Historic ?
Of Stanfield, and Pyne, and latterly, too, in this
' particularly national department, Lee, also in
sea views ? Of Witherington and Redgrave in
landscape painting ? Of Lee and Cooper—
jointly the Cuype of these latter times
in Great Britain —in pastoral scenery ? Of
Landseer and Herring—the worthy con temporaries
of Rosa Bonheur—in animal portraiture ? Of
Frost and Pickersgill in classical and mythological
representations ? Of Everett Millais and Holman
Hunt, and divers others of the "Now Genera-
tion " in the Field of the Fine Arts, as the re-
vivors of what is called, for want of a better
name, Pre-Ra.phaelism ? And so on—and so on—
step by step—department by department—through
all the various branches and sections of the great
and varied Art of Painting. Until we venture
boldly to challenge comparison even with the
Flemish school in the genre class of pictures—
justifying the Challenge by the simple mention Of
such men of genius and master-hands as William
Mulready and Thomas Webster. Enough—with
this " provoked" flinging down of the gauntlet
at the feet of all the perverse Depre-
aiators of the living Great Artists of England,
let us assuage for a moment our long dormant
indignation. And, having eased our heart just
the least bit, in the world by so doing, let us turn
for a few moments to a consideration of one or
two things appearing to us not unworthy of notice
in regard to this First Exhibition of the Flemish
School of the Fine Arts in London.
It is an exhibition obviously drawn into the
light of day in England by the cordial and genial
reception accorded during the two or three seasons
last past to the French Collection. It is displayed
iu the same Gallery, and appears to be con-
ducted under very similar if not absolutely
identical arrangements. Mr. F. Pilgeram is
the Secretary Mons. Vouillon, the Manag-
ing Director Herr Van Der Broeck, the
Agent in Brussels. Conspicuous among the ex-
hibitors is Pierre Van Schendel, a pupil of the
academy of Antrerp, whose night scenes are
something wonderful. He has no less than five
remarkable works of art hanging on the walls of
the Gallery. "The Poultry Market" (104) is a
charming little cabinet picture, two larger pictures
of the same class being " The Charity" (105), and
"The Fruit Market" (103)—the last mentioned
quite marvellous in its blended lights and sha-
dows, produced harmoniously, yet conflictingly,
by lamplight and moonlight ! Florent Willems,
in a sketch of an " Algerian Woman"
(118), gives a rather artificial limning of
form, features, and costume, all coloured into
a glow of Egyptian voluptuousness. Ilde-
phonso Stocquart, in his " Drove of Cattle at
the Watering Place" (90), gives, us very boldly, a
huge cattle-piece, almost as daring in size as
Mademoiselle Bonheur's " Horse Fair"—but suc-
cessful, it seems to us, only in one of the sheep to
the left, a creature as like the reality as like could
well be. Alfred Stevens arrests attention by his
large melodramatic picture of a "Poor Woman
Arrested as a Vagabond" (89)—the snow scat-
tered about the causeway and piled on the top of
the dingy wall in the background, " bringing out"
the dark figures of the Gendarmes, of the Pauvre
Femme, of her little son the dirty young gamin
at her side, and of the lady-passer-by, who is
hurrying after the group with her extended purse
—rather vividly. Henri le Bon has a lovely,
reedy, rushy " View near Ambleteuse" (67), with
watter-lilies littered luxuriantly over, we had
almost said the foreground, meaning, instead of
that, the forewater ! " After the Storm" (66),
by the same hand, being a foaming, washing,
weltering sea, one might almost fancy it, not of
salt water, but of froth and snow. Adolphe
Lamme, in " Reading the Will" (65)—anything
but like Wilkie—presents to view a clever picture
enough, but one replete with affectations. Adolph
Knyff's " Shady Brook and Cattle Drinking"
1 (61) has a most pre-Raphaeliteforeground. Edward
Hammes " Andrea Vesale " (47), peremptorily
commanding the passer-by to tarry before it, as a
vigorous specimen, if not a very agreeable one, of
the genre historique. Dominique Holfeld's
" Visit of His Majesty the Emperor Napoleon
and Her Majesty the Queen Victoria to the Ex-
hibition in Paris" (52), will be recognised by
many at a glance, as the original of the well-
known engraving displayed of late in the windowa
of the printsellers. Paul Hagelstein's "Guinea
Pig" (46), is the oddest picture imagin-
able, in one respect, seeing that it is a
sort of a Murillo beggar-boy, without the merest
ghost of a guinea pig
anywhere at all visible—it,
the guinea pig, lying perdu, we suppose, inside
the little vagrant's cage—a child, we take
it, just after the heart of Mr. Hurlstone.
" Don't you believe it" (23), by Adolph
Dillens, is the glimpse of a Pastoral Court-
ship on a stile in amongst the meadows—
so prettily and naturally painted, that we could
almost fancy a child-spectator longing to clamber
over the stile into the field beyond, to pick a
handful of the daisies growing in among the grass
with such a silvery luxuriance. Another court-
ship in the room, is "The Proposal" (8), by
Ferdinand De Braekeleer, so surprisingly true to
life, that we could imagine the hero of the piece one
of the silly Serving Men of Shakspere stopped from
the stage into the painting. The first picture
of all, out of the 121 in the Collection, is the one
we shall end with—" The Last Study of Geri-
cault " (1) by Belloin—a scene which would be
very affecting, we dare say, but for the ludicrous
mischance of the artist's pencil (as he draws)
resting, as ill-luck would have it, upon the very
tip of the young girl's nose ! As a whole the
Flemish Exhibition is interesting, and will fully
repay the visitor for the toil of its examination,

On Saturday a new five-act play, entitled The Cagot,
was produced here with immense success. For some
timo notices have been affixed on the doors of the

,heatre announcing the play, and also at the same time
- •

informing the public tbat a Cagot is one of a shun-
ned and insulted race, and with this simple observation

we proceed to detail the plot of the piece. The Count de
Foix having in early life basely deceived Astarte, a
Cagot woman, the latter, though years have passed by,
lives only to he avenged. The child that she had
by the Count she believes to have perished, but it
has been kidnapped by the Count and acknowledged as
the presumptive heir to the title. In the meanwhile
the Count has married the Lady Viola, who in due time

gives birth to a scn. Astarte, while lurking in the
neighbourhood of the castle, in order to carry out her
schemes of mischief, takes the opportunity of stealing the
infant, whom she brings up under the name of Raoul in
her wretched hut, where be gets his living as a woodman,

and is exposed to all the contempt and infamy of the
Cagot class. Accident enables him to save the life of the
Lady Eugenie, who is betrothed to the younger Count
de Foix, and his gallantry so touches her as to sow in
her heart the seeds of love, which receive fatal nourish-
' meet by subsequent clandestine interviews in the depths
of the forest. Astarte sees in this the beginning of her

vengeance. The Lady Eugenie, however, has another
suitor in Sir Aymer de Beriot, the bad man of the piece,
who hires an assassin to get the younger de Foix out of the
way. The murder is attempted, but not consummated; but
the discovery of certain bloody vestments near the Cagot's
hut leads to the accusation that Raoul is the criminal—
which he frantically avows, seeing that Eugenie is in-
clined to give credence to the charge, to her intense
anguish and amazement. The unfortunate Cagot is
accordingly sentenced to death, and the blow is supposed
to fall at the moment that Astarte announces to the
horrified Count that it is his eldest born who is the
headsman's victim. But there is yet another act, in
which it turns out not only that the younger De Foix
lives, but that he who suffered on the scaffold was the
assassin in the employ of Sir Aymer—results brought
about by the contrivances of a friendly priest, who has
been closely watching the progress of events, and has
been enabled to baffle the intrigues of the villain through
whom the perplexities of the piece have mainly arisen.
Mr. Dillon, as the manly and virtuous Cagot, has an
arduous, but a thankful part, and well does he sustain
the large weight of heroism intrusted to his charge. The
character is one of those happy personages in the ap-
plause of whom admiration for the talent of the actor
can be combined with enthusiasm for the virtue of
the person portrayed, and at the end of every act was
Mr. Dillon summoned before the curtain. The vin-
dictive matron, Astrate, was played with great power
by Mrs. Weston—indeed with so much power that we
could scarcely recognise a lady whose earlier imp erson.
ations have appeared to us somewhat frigid and feeble.
Mrs. A. Mellon (late Miss Woolgar) acted the high-
born Eugenie with much passionate force. Mr.
Stuart was careful and purposeful in the wicked Sir
Aymer ; and the good old priest was represented in a
bland, sensible manner by Mr. Barrett.
On the descent of the curtain the first call was for the
author, and was followed by the appearance of a modest
looking gentleman, who bowed his acknowledgments as
he crossed the stage. The actors were then called in
succession, and Mr. Barrett, in his capacity of stage-
manager, announced the piece for repetition tomorrow
(to-night is set apart for Miss Fitzpatrick's benefit) amid
universal applause. He was then called upon to name
the author, who was as yet only known by sight to his
admirers. The name of Falkner was accordingly given,
with the addition that its o tuner had written several
poems, and was a distinguished provincial actor.