The Sun.
London, England, 1866-07-18 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, JULY 18, 1866.

—This Day.

The

The last new venture of the spirited partners,
Messrs. Spiers and Pond, is the opening of " The
Hall by the Sea," at Margate, and had they been
the possessors of the marvellous wand of Prospero
they could not have performed a greater change
than they have effected in one short month at this
very favourite summer resort of the Londoners.
In little more than eight and twenty days the dingy
unused building, originally intended for a railway
station, and in close proximity to that now in use
by the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway
Company, has undergone a metamorphosis, which
will surprise and delight every visitor. The spirit
of desolation has been set to the right about ;
the genii of pleasure and enjoyment has
taken possession of the place, and certainly
a more beautiful amusement hall it has never been
our good fortune to visit. The exterior of the hall
is of itself an attraction, with its cool and refresh-
ing fountain and parterre of blooming flowers, but
the interior is a perfect temple of enchantment. The
walls are covered with fluted white drapery, exqui-
sitely ornamented with white lace over a pink bor-
dering. Along either side of the hall are numerous
arched panels, every alternate one of which is filled
with a great mirror, while the other has a marble-
like medallion of some one of the great composers.
Between stand statues most tastefully chosen, and
banks of moss and flowers fill up the bottoms of the
panels. The orchestra stands at the lower end of
the large hall, and immediately behind it is a supper
room, decorated in the same manner as the hall.
The roof is painted a delicate blue, picked out with
gold stars. The whole effect is singularly chase and
beautiful.

A very important matter at the present season of
the year is ventilation, and how the cool atmosphere
was obtained on Saturday last on the occasion of
the inaugural concert was the wonder of every
visitor present. To effect all this in a building for
such a length of time looked upon as useless is a
perfect marvel, but Messrs. Spiers and Pond, pre-
vious to commencing operations, secured the ser-
vices of a number of talented gentlemen, to each of
whom a carte blanche was given, the only direction
being that they were to do their best. The design
and execution of internal construction and decora-
tions of the hall were confided to Mr. Hurwitz, of
Southampton-street, Strand, the statuary medal-
lions were supplied from the celebrated atelier of
Brucciani, of Great Russell-street, and the thousands
of artificial flowers were perfumed by Mr. Rimmel,
and wonderfully well has each performed his task.
The direction of music has been entrusted to M.

J.T.A. •
Jullien, and the general management of the whole
has been confided to Mr. Hingstone, one of the most
successful and experienced public caterers in Eng-
land. The inaugural concert on Saturday was a
success, the extent of which may be imagined when
we mention that, although the charge of admission
to the stalls was five shillings, offers of double that
sum for the privilege of being present had to be
refused, as every seat was occupied immediately
after the opening of the doors. The artistes were

Mdme. Parepa, Misa Rose Hersee, Miss K. Ryan,
Miss K. Gordon, Mdlle. Lebhart, Mr. George
Perrin, Mr. Weiss, and Mr. Farquharson, each of
whom elicited unbounded applause by their respec-
tive performances. That the speculation will turn

out an extraordinary success seems certain, and the
residents of Margate cannot be too grateful to
Messrs. Spiers and Pond for the splendid place of
entertainment they have created.

Weston's Music Hall.

The new
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atn. proprietorsd,lateii.fes
aa7::earsdyt;gurr
atifying
Sweasey and esa"pMinugsitchelifarullitMoefssthrse.
place of amusement.
,e both gentlemen entered on their the fact, because great improvements they have effected in this popular
task to record
dif-
ficult undertaking at a time when energy and spirit
been remove ,
arrangements have been made ; the company, both vocal
were most rdequainredd.
in Allthe
irobjsetcetaiodnabnleow maatutders
betterhave
and instrumental, has been reorganied ; the attendants
have been well and sensibly instructed, the creature com-
forts supplied are now of the best possible description, and
the whole of the arrangements are carried out under the
personal superintendence of the proprietors. When so
great a desire to cater for the comfort of the public is
i
aro appreciated. The vocalists comprise amongst them
toex enmereli tfiedhe siat t ss aacst ry ye bmaavnen ealreadyr i n w shai dh, a
suchple a'
si
exertionngtys
Miss Harriet Covenoy, Miss Tremaine, Miss Brougham,
Miss Ellen Reid, Miss Villiers, Mr. Arthur Lloyd, Mr. H.
Macarthy, and Mr. George Hodson ; whilst there are also
the clever gymnasts Moratorio and Lo Brong,
a very clever one-legged Pierrot, a petite Taglioni, and a
splendid orchestra unequalled in any theatre in London,
excepting of course the two Italian opera houses. The great
feature of the evening's entertainment at the present time
is the performance of Locke's magnificent music to Mac-
beth, under the direction of Mr. P. Corrie, and a more satis-
factory performance cannot be imagined. It is something
beyond anything hitherto attempted at this place of enter-
tainment, and the care with which it is executed both by vo-
calists and instrumentalists is deserving of the highestpraise.
The different choruses are giyen with the greatest steadiness
and precision ; whilst the solos aro all admirably sung.
We would, however, in the kindest spirit, recommend Miss
Tremaine to adhere strictly to the score of Locke, and to
dispense with the ill-placed cadence in the last bar of her
solo ; it spoils the whole of her performance, which other-
wise would be of the highest excellence. The manner in
which the splendid overture to "Oberon" was rendered by
the band is another matter calling forth high praise,
because it is a great step in the right direction ; and we
trust the time may arrive when the taste of the frequenters
of Weston's will bo so advanced that they may become
attentive listeners and great appreciators of the works of
Beethoven, Mozart, and the other classic masters. The comic
element is in very strong force; Mr. George Hodson elicits
the greatest merriment by his performance ; and this, also,
is a matter of congratulation, because it is entirely devoid
of vulgarity. Mr. Arthur Lloyd also must be com-
plimented ; but here our praise must stop, be-
cause, clever in some things as Mr. Harry Macarthy is, we
cannot countenance such bad taste (to use a very mild term)
as he exhibited, on tho evening of our visit, in addressing
gthreeaatuddeiaelncneowbe_ca_auciysaes7
me one choose to take exception to
his banjo solo ! Comic singers aro petted and pampered a
.-, but theyand must
vulgarbe
observationst ol d they willfrom
ronotm
the stage with impunity,
be allowed to address
coarsebecause every person cannot ap-
preciate their
variety of attractions we should have felt pleased to have
self-supposed ability. There aro a great
brought under the attention of our readers, but we must
defer them to another opportunity, and bring our present
notice to a close by wishing Messrs. Sweasey and Holland
every success in their endeavours to amuse and elevate the
taste of the musical public.

Liverpool Cotton llfarket—This Day.
The market opens With a very good demand,
ties probably 10,000 bales or more,

If it be true, as appears all but certain, that
the
Seas has perished with all on
most awful shipwrecks has oc-
nonarechofofthe
I;hoeardl\--Io
oc-
curred ever recorded. This vessel left Liverpool
for New York on the 19th of last March, under the
command of Captain Kirkaldy, with 679 cabin and
steerage passengers, and has never since been heard
of. As time elapsed after she became due,
the premium of insurance rose till it reached
seventy-five guineas per cent. ; but it has
long since been impossible to effect any insurance
at all. A life-boat believed to be tier's bas been
washed up on the coast of Kerry, and the bodies of
several emigrants, though the state in which they
were rendered identity impossible. The vessel was
an American ship, 1,980 tons, owned by a New
York firm. It was supposed that she foundered
among the ice-bergs. The tragic fate of the London
filled every mind with horror, because the picture
of the catastrophe—painted in all its appalling
colours—was presented by the survivors, and seized
on by the imagination. The mind grasped the
whole tableau. The gro.up in the cabin on their
knees, awaiting their deliverence from the pro-
tracted agony ; the women clinging to their hus-
bands, the children silent under a weight of dread,
whose import they did not fully understand ; the
young men, with pistol in hand, doubtful which
death to'choose ; the captain, in silent despair, pac-
ing the quarter-deck of the sinking ship ; a few
sailors taking their leap for life in the almost hope-
less task of riding out a heavy gale in a cockle-shell
—we had it all, in all its horror. But here, nearly
three times the number perish, and give no sign.
All ,has closed in utter darkness, and the Monarch
of the Seas passes into that category with the Pre-
sident and other doomed ships, whose end is
known to Him alone, whom even the winds and the
pm obey.