The Sun.
London, England, 1866-03-21 00:00:00

THE SON, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, MARCH 21, 1866.

LAW INTELLIGENCE—This Day.

COURT OF PROBATE AND DIVORCE.
(Before Sir J. P. Wylde, without juries.)
MARGETSON V. MARGETSON.

Dr. Swabey and Mr. A. Lewis were for the petitioner,
and the respondent was not represented by counsel.
This was a suit by Mrs. Charlotte Jane Margetson for a
judicial separation from her husband, on the ground of
adultery, and the respondent appeared to defend the alle-
gation.

Tho respondent had been a widower, and the marriage
was solemnised at St. George's, Hanover-square, in Feb.,
1841. There were two children, issue of the marriage, one
a daughter, who was married, and a son, 16 years old, and
tie respondent, who was a medical practitioner, in business
at St. George's, Hanover-square. The adultery extended
over several years, and amongst the last of the respon-
dent's paramours, was a female named Broughton, who
occupied apartnients at 17, Hyde-park Gate, and with
whom he spent the greater part of his time. He neglected
his business so completely that at length he became a
bankrupt, and his affairs were now in the hands of the
Bankruptcy Court.

In support of the preceding narrative witnesses were
called, who deposed to having seen various acts of fami-
liarity between Mrs. Broughton and the respondent, leading
up to the conclusion that there was an improper intimacy
between them for a long time.
His lordship said ho was quite satisfied, and decreed.the
judicial separation with costs against the respondent.
On the application of Dr. S waby, immediate taxation of
the costs was ;ordered.

THE OXFORD.

The many brilliant successes achieved at the Ox-
ford were last night increased by the production of
a selection from Adolphe Adams' comic opera "If
I were King." The opera being altogether a novelty
to the London public, we append a brief outline of
the plot :—" Zephoris, a young fisherman, having
bravely saved the life of a lady in danger of drown-
ing, the admiration of the one and the gratitude of
the other beget a mutual attachment. Although
ignorant of their positions in society, Zephoris not
having seen since then the object of his devotion,
neglects his occupation, wanders sadly in the groves
contiguous to the Royal Palace, and accidental y
discovering her to be Nemea, the Princess of Goa,
he expresses in a ballad his wish that 'he were a
King,' that she might share his throne. He is over-
heard by Nemea and the King ; and the latter de-
siring to amuse the Princess, his cousin, by seeming
to grant the wish of Zephoris, orders him to be
conveyed, while sleeping, to his Palace. Meanwhile,
Prince Kadoor, who is a cunning and selfish suitor
of the Princess, having made himself acquainted
with the preserver of Nemea, and compelled his
silence by a false statement, declares that it was he
who rescued her from death, and demands her
hand, in consequence of her previous promise
to give it only to her saviour ; but neither the
declaration nor the claim is pleasant to the
King or to the Princess, who feel alike that,
yielding to Kadoor is compulsory. When Ze-
phoris awakes in the Palace he is amazed at the
magnificence he beholds, and astonished at the
obeisance paid to him by the King, his officers of
state, and by all the Court menials ; at first he be-
lieves that he is dreaming, but he is afterwards, by
the general attention to his orders, convinced that
he is a legitimate sovereign, and peremptorily com-
mands honour to be paid to Nemea, as his future
Queen. The King, now believing the jest has been
carried too far, gives to Zephoris a goblet of drugged
wine, which taking effect, he is carried back sleep-
ing to his former humble abode. Arousing from a
deep slumber, the fisherman imagining that he is
still King of Goa, issues commands, at which his
associates laugh, and think that he is mad ; which,
on recognising his real condition, and feeling the
disappointment of his hopes, he is nearly becoming.
The despair of Zephoris soon vanishes ; for Prince
Kadoor, jealous and incensed at the non-fulfilment
of Nemea's contract with him, heads a troop o
rebels, who attempt to destroy the King, aid to
subdue the kingdom, which affords an opportunity
to the fisherman to display his bravery., who, being
victorious,-expelling the foe, and saving the crown,
is by the grateful monarch rewarded by the hand of
his beloved Nemea."

The'principal soloists were Miss Russell, Miss Fitz-
henry, Mr. Dalton, and Mr. Evans. After a very
characteristic symphony, the selections commence
with a glorious chorus, " Glory to Brahma," which
was given with a completeness and precision worthy
the highest commendation. Then follows a noc-
turne for the King, " Beneath the branches he who
here reposes," which was rendered with great care
and effect; and the next brilliant piece is the princi-
pal ballad for the tenor, "If I were King" : it was
sung with so much taste as to elicit a rapturous en-
core. Miss Fitzhenry then commences her portion
of the selection with a recitative and ballad, " The
Indian Mocking Bird," which is a perfect musical
gem ; and, therefore, it is almost needless to say, it
evoked the most enthusiastic applause from the en-
tire audience. Up to this point it seemed as if the
honours of the evening were about to be carried off
by this lady, but, afterwards, in:a very pretty chorus
for the female voices alone, Miss Russell fairly
electrified the excited audience with one of
the most skilful efforts she has yet accomplished.
The composition, " Smiling on heaven's azure
blue," is set in waltz time ; and, often as we have
had occasion to compliment this young lady on her
excellence and good taste, we have never had
greater reason for doing so than on the present
occasion. From the first note to the last of this
exceedingly difficult piece she never faltered, but
gave the whole of the intricate and brilliant com-
position in such a manner as to create a perfect
furore. Of course, it was reciernanded, and, had
the lady been willing, the audience would only
have been too pleased to have heard it for a
third time. The selection closes with a fine truth-
ful chorus for principals 'and chorus. The-whole
of the music of the selection is exceedingly pleas-
ing; it is marked by all those peculiarities which
distinguish the compositions of Adolphe Adam,
and altogether it will doubtless prove highly at-
tractive. The applause at its conclusion was
unanimous and enthusiastic, and really it appeared
as if the audience, not content with the frequent
encores they had demanded during the perform-
ance, really wished to have it repeated again from
beginning to end. However, the appearance of
the principal vocalists and M. Jonghmans, the
conductor, to bow their thanks, satisfied the audi-
ence ; and then the other attractive performers of
the evening—the Hungarian dancers, the gymnasts,
'the brothers Stonetti, &c., &c.—were allowed to
exhibit their skilful and elegant accomplishments.
The hall was crowded in every part—not a
seat was to be had by those who were not early
in attendance. We cannot close this notice without
congratulating Mr. Morton on the great success
which has attended his efforts in catering for the
public in both the Oxford and Canterbury Halls.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

lIOUSE OF COMMONS—Tms EVENING.
Mr. DODSON (deputy-Speaker) took the chair at twelve
o'clock.

PRIVATE BUSINESS.

Mr. COWPER moved that the Thames Embankment
(North) Approaches, the Thames Embankment (Chelsea),
and the Park-lane Improvement Bills be referred to a
select committee, consisting of eleven members, six to be
nominated by the house and five by the committee of selec-
tion.

A discussion ensued, in which Viscount Cranbourne, Mr.
Roebuck, Mr. Locke, and Mr. Henley took part, the matter
in debate being the source from which the funds for the
improvements were to be drawn, and the rights of the Duke
of Northumberland with respect to that part of his pro-
perty affected by the bill.
An amendment was eventually moved that the bills be
referred to a select committee that day six months, but
it was negatived without a division, and the bills were
referred to the committee, as proposed by the First Com-
missioner of Works.