The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-29 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, JANUARY 29, 1859.

EXETER HALL.

The Sacred Harmonic Society gave Mendelssohn's
torio of "St. Paul' at this Halllast night. The merits of this
oratorio are already familiar to the musical public, thanks to
the exertions of this society and its competitors. It is not
likely to become as popular as the "Elijah" of the same
composer, not being its equal in dramatic effect; but there
is no doubt that its merits, as a composition, are very great,
and will always be fully estimated by those who appreciate
a high order of classical music. Mrs. Sunderland, Miss
Dolby, Mr. Sims Reeves, and Signor Belletti, were the
principal performers. Miss Sunderland has a fine voice,
and sang carefully. Miss Dolby's abilities, as an oratorio
singer, are well known. She displayed them to full
advantage last evening, especially in the beauti-
ful air for the contralto, " But the Lord is mindful of
his own ; " a worthy companion to the "Oh I rest
in the Lord," of " Elijah." Mr. Sims Reeves sang the
tenor part with his accustomed success. The long and
difficult recitative, "Men, brethren, and fathers," demands
a singer of unusual ability. In the air of "Be thou faith-
, ful unto death," he elicited a burst of applause from the
audience—the only occasion on which the strict rules of
the society were infringed. Signor Belletti's correct and
careful singing was displayed to full advantage in the bass
part. He especially distinguished himself in the recitative
and aria, " Oh wherefore do ye these things" and " Know
ye not?" The choruses were given with precision and
effect. The orchestra, under Mr. Costa, left nothing to be
desired. The hall was crowded in every part. " Elijah"
will be given by the same society on Thursday next, which
will be the fiftieth anniversary of the composer's birth.

MR. S. C. HALL AT WILLIS'S ROOMS.

The ranks of those literary men who have made a per-
sonal and face-to-face acquaintance with the pubic last
night received an addition in the person of Mr. S. C. Hall,
who, at Willis's Rooms, delivered a lecture on " The Au-
thors of the Age." It would be unfair to judge Mr. Hall
by the standard of Carlyle, Thackeray, and Dickens, his
predecessors as literary lecturers ; he possesses none of their
advantages. He is best known to the public as the editor
of various annuals and periodical publications ; arid his
single original work was performed in conjunction with his
wife, a lady whose varied talents, and the freshness and ac-
curacy of whose descriptions of Irish life, naturally induced
the reading world to regard her as the better-half not only
of the conjugal State, but of the joint publication. But that
an intimate acquaintance with the literary world of 35 years
standing has given Mr. Hall a certainprestige was evidenced
by the appearance of Willis's Rooms last evening, thronged
as they were with an audience numbering very many lite•
rary and artistic celebrities, who received their veteran
collaborateur with great warmth. The lecture itself is a
semi-gossiping, semi-critical account of various departed
authors and authoresses, of more or less renown, with
whom Mr. Hall had the advantage of personal acquaint-
ance& Amongst the " great lights" treated of last night
were Scott, Rogers, Crabbe, the two Montgoraerys,
Moore, Lamb, Lockhart, Barton, Sydney Smith, Words-
worth, &c. The character of Moore was forcibly drawn:
he was one with whom Mr. Hall seems really to have
been on intimate terms, whose writings he eulogised,
and whose private character he defended with an
honest zeal and warmth which did him the highest credit.
Many passages of the lecture were received with great ap-
plause, and if the desire to look upon a celebrity be an at-
traction, surely the next 'best thing to looking upon the
great originals themselves will be to gaze at and listen to
one who has been the friend of all the great men and women
of the epoch.