The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-28 00:00:00

LESLIE'S CONCERT CHOIR.

Last evening this popular musical artiste gave his third
concert of the season to an overflowing audience at St.
Martin's Hall. The, first part of the concert consisted of
madrigals and other- compositions—that of " Take heed, ye
shepherd swains, beware," being encored with much ani-
mation. A motett for soprano, contralto, and chorus, with
accompaniment for harp and organ, by Mr. Leslie, being
its performance for the first time, was much admired and
applauded for the sweetness and solemnity of its choral
strains, Miss Annie " Cox being soprano ; Miss Leffler,
contralto ; Mr. Ward, organ ; and Mr. Perry, harp.
Much approbation, however, could scarcely be bestowed
on a part song for male voices, by F. Mori, the
first time also of its performance, beginning, "The bud
i 3 on tl•e bough," but which the choir will doubtless give
more competently after a'few further rehearsals. The in-
terest evinced by the audience thereafter rallied under the
spirit-stirring strains of an Anacreontic, the music by C. E.
Stephens, and words by Mr. Ball, which was given with
great vocal nerve and vigour by the male voices of the choir,
the composition being the one that gained the prize in 1858.
This terminated the first part of the concert. The succeed-
ing part consisted of sacred cantatas and part songs, musi-
cally descriptive of Christmas, the Passion, and Easter;
" The Kyrie Eleison" of the latter forming a fine and effective
chant of triumph. This wa s another novelty in the programme,
the music being by Otte, Goldschmidt, and the melody of the
Passion part of the chorale (a seeular song), dating from
1600, and subsequently introduced into the Lutheran
Church, in which it is ktiown under the title of " 0. Haupt.
volt Blut and Wunden." The grand coneertante duet for
two pianofortes, on themes from Meyerbeer's opera
" L'Etoile du Nord," by Miss Cazaly and Miss Hemming,
was excellently executed, and produced considerable ap-
plause. A sacred cantata introduced to the audience the
-very able tenor solo of Mr. Regaldi, and some further
choral and cathedric compositions brought a concert of two
harmonious hours to a close shortly after ten o'clock.

It was announced with regret that Mr. Meaten's prize
composition for the whole choir could not be performed
until the next concert, as the parts were not obtained in
time to allow of its being properly rehearsed.

A LIVING CONTEMPORARY OF B URNS.

At the demonstration in honour. of Scotland's Bard, hold
in. Edinburgh, a venerable person mul contemporary of the
poet was introduced to the numerous assemblage. The
Chairman, in proposing "The Peasantry of Scotland,"
stated that there was present on this occasion one man who
had seen the 'day which this day celebrated, who was alive
when Burns was born, who had met him and spoken with
him face to face—namely, Mr. Walter Glover, at one time
carrier betweqk Dumfries and Edinburgh, and had for some
time enjoyed the personal acqugintance of the poet. He
was born on the
-18th July, 1758, and was thus six months
older than the poet. Mr.' Walter Glover, who had been
led from the body of the hall to the platform, then stood up,
and amid signs of the deepest interest recited, with voice
still halo and distinct; several stanzas of " Tam o' Shanter."
He also related several interviews he had had with Burns,
" the guager," in 1795, when employed in his vocation as
a carrier to drive a number of puncheons of rum from Dum-
fries to Leith; and how =cone occasion, being storm-staid
at Dumfries in the severe winter of that year, he was
treated to share of half-a-mutchkin in hip landlady's by
Mr. Burns. He described. Burns as a " weel-made man,
With dark hair and chesnut eyes," and said "he was not
talkative ; but of coorso he had nae business to converse
with me ; he just signed my permits, and my business was
dune wi' him." At the close of Mr. Glover's interesting
narrative, three hearty cheers were given in honour of
him.

TILE BELFAST BURNS' PRIZE POEM.

The prize offered by the Northern Whig for the
Burns' Centenary elicited one hundred and ten
pieces. Professor Craik was the adjudicator, who
gave his decision in favour of the following poem.
The successful author proved to be Mr. Thomas
Henry of Mill-street, Belfast.

ROBERT BURNS.

Amid all changes, evermore unfolded, .
By mental throe, by accident of time,
Nanking ilmil+enerate the bards who moulded
Their thoughts of beauty into shape sublime.
Oh, bards ! who shine along life's desert places,
Whose song to hearts athirstlike dew returns,
Affection hails ye with profound embraces,
And bows before the memory, of Burns.

For nature loved him—in his soul implanted
A manifold delight of rocks and streams
And flowers and dear companions—and he chanted
In many tones his rainbow-coloured dreams.
She bared the human. bosom to his vision,
Till its mysterious scrolls were all unfurled,
And rolled his thoughts in. melodies elysian
That sound for ever o'er and o'er the world.

He sings of love and beauty ; and the glory
Of his own land grows brighter in his song :
He gives new life to heroes of old storyt
He battles fok.the right, he smites the wrong.
See Mammon-worshippers grow small before him,
They shrink from his path to Freedom's van,
From whence he sings, with Hope's fair banner o'er him,
Of universal brotherhood for man.

The song is never silent ; earth grows older ;
Men live and die ; states fall or spring to life ;
The columns topple, and the turrets moulder,
Waging with time unprofitable strife.
And though the power of error yet aboundeth,
Truth wins new field's unmarked by flame or gore,
While still, amid all change, that song resoundeth
From heart to heart, on every sea and shore.
Oh, Poet I in the light of that fair morning,
• While the Three Isles make merry o'er thy birth,
They must remember when thy wreath adorning,
Woe made thee wear a crown of thorns on earth.
Joy melts to pity o'er that recollection,
• And pity cries, " Root out your father's shame ;
Plant the prolific seed of generous action
In the bright sunshine of the Poet's fame."
Then, come away i beyond unrisen ages,
• Lo I Time's lethean waves still rolling on,
Break o'er the prostrate forms of kings and sages,
Once big with promise as'a summer dawn.
Drowned, overshadowed, hushed their ghostly voices,
Their literal names confined to crumbling urns,
While the wide mirth, from pole to pole, rejoices
In the great peasant-poet, Robert Burns.

AUTHORS OF THE AGE.—The lectures by Mr.
S. C.,Hall, F.S.A., to which a short time since we drew the
attention of the public, will this evening be commenced at
Willis's Rooms. From the hiteresting nature of the sub•
ject, and the well-known name of the lecturer, a very large
attendance may be anticipated.

Under the prospect that if thaelief in peace can
be temporarily restored by anything that may be said on
the approaching opening of the French Chambers scarcely
a couple of months will elapse before Russia, Sardinia,
Austria, and perhaps France herself will put forth appeals
to the capitalists of London and Paris.
USE OF ROCKETS ON THE RIVER MERSEY.—The
danger of using rockets at night as signals for steam tugs
was brought forcibly before the attention of the Mersey
Dock. Board yesterday, in a communication from the police
authiaities. It was stated that the other night a rocket
which was sent up for this purpose fell upon the deck of a
Dutch barque, and had it not been promptly extinguished
would have set fire to the vessel, and caused most serious
damage. The matter was referred to one of the sub-com-
mittees for investigation.
SALE OF A ROYAL MAIL STEAM-SHlP.—Yester-
day, at Lloyd's Captains'-room, Royal Exchange, Messrs.
Bayley and Ridley offered to public competition the new
iron. screw steam-ship Tasmanian, 2,440 tons builder's
measurement, built at Port-Glasgow in 1858, and constructed
as a passenger steam-ship for the service of the European
and Australian Royal Mail Steam-packet company, fitted
with three trunk cylinder engines by Inglis and Co. After
being offered for some time without a bid being obtained,
the vessel was withdrawn. Prow public
, _

-.4-
btIPPOSED WRECK.—We give thefollowino. with
the observation that too much importance must not be
given to communications of this kind, as practical joking
too often originates the attempt to mislead and pain parties
interested :—A bottle has been picked up near Maryport
containing a paper as follows :—" Off the Scillies, blowing
a whole gale, the masts gone by the board ; six feet water
in the hold, making fast, in spite of all hands at the pumps.
The master and tkvo of the crew washed overboard. God
help us. American ship Jane, of Boston, Dec. 24, 1868.
If this should happen, by God's assistance, to roach land,
telegraph to Lloyd's immediately. Cargo thrown over-
board. No hope for the ship.—JAMES HARRIS, Mate."

LIFEBOAT SERVICES..--RHYL, Wednesday.—lt
has been blowing a violent gale during the night and morn-
ing from W. to W.N.W. At 12.15 p.m. signals of distress
were hoisted, and Richardson's tubular lifeboat, which be-
longs to the Royal National'Lifeboat Institution, stationed
at Rhyl, was promptly got out with horses, and launched
in Abergele Bay, through a heavy surf, in a most seaman-
like manner, and proceeded under canvass and oars in an
admirable style in the direction of No. 139 per chart, the
wind W., towards a large American ship, with her ensign
downwards, and a jack flying at her foremast head. Several
very large ships were in the offing, beating about for pilots,
and for water to cross the bar into Liverpool. The lifeboat
was seen through the telescopes at the Semaphore among
the ships, eight or nine miles off; she is now supposed to
have run into the Point of Ayr or Prestatyn, as she could
not possibly fetch'Rliyl with a strong flood tide and heavy
sea. 8 p.m.—The coxswain has just returned. The boat
had reached Prestatyn safely, and was there moored for the
night. The boat behaved most admirably, and chased the
ship, which got into Liierpool, name not known. The
signals of distress were shown off the Little Orme's Head
in the morning, and Were continued till midday, when they
were observed to be such. The promptitude with which
the lifeboat put off elicited the admiration of all present.
The men will be paid their usual reward by the National
Lifeboat Institution for their laudable services.
BILLS FOR RAILWAYS AND PUBLIC IMPROVE-
MENTs. —Yesterday the examiners isbloets: Housesrs. Smith
andFrere) declared the standing orders o
Par-
liamentf
to have been complied with in respect to the follow-
ing bills—(Before Mr. Smith)—Thames Watermen and
Lightermen—Great Western and Irentford Railway—
Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway—Stokes
Bay Railway and Fier—Newcastle-under-Lyme Burgesses
Land Malltreath and Corsddangan Marsh— Wimbledon
and Dorking and Epsom and Leatherhead Railways—North
London, Padding-ton, Richmond, Hampton Court, and
Kingston Railway—(Before Mr. Frere)—Border
Connties Railway—Somerset Central Railway—
Maidstone Waterworks—Midland Great Western
Railway of Ireland (Liffey Branch)—Midland
Great Western Railway of Ireland (Cavan to Clones, &c.)
—Mersey Docks, Liverpool, and Liverpool Property Rating
—Hereford and Brecon Railwayeaterham Railway—
Mdiland Great Western Railway of Ireland (Deviation of
Sligo gxtensiOD, J 4

THE HEREFORDSHIRE CONSE.RVA-
TIVES.

HEREFORD, THURSDAY.

Yesterday a grand banquet was given in the
Shire•hall in this city to the two county members,
Mr. King King and Lord William Graham. About
300 persons were present, including the hon. guests,
Mr. R. Foley Onslow, chairman ; Lord Rodney.
Sir H. Hoskyns, Mr. J. Freeman, Chairman of the
Quarter Sessions, Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Hast-
ings, C. 8., and many of the leading Conservative
gentry and farmers of the county. Lady Emily
Foley, Lady Rodney, and other ladies were present
in the orchestra.

After the customary loyal and constitutional
oasts had been drunk,

The CHAIRMAN proposed " the health of Mr.
King King and Lord William Graham." (Great
applause.)
Mr. KING KING said he felt that so large an as-
semblage as that he saw before him augured well
for the future prospects of the Conservative party
in Herefordshire. While they all were, as he pre-
sumed, prepared to consider any plans that might
be proposed for the amendment of the elec-
toral system and for the amelioration of the
general government of the country, he felt certain
that in Herefordshire the Conservative party
still looked with great respect and regard to the
old-established landmarks of our glorious constitu-
tion. (Cheers.) He should ask them to leave him
to deal with the Reform Bill according to the best
of his judgment after it had been laid on the table
of the House of Commons, and he had had an op-
portunity of examining its clauses and hearing the
arguments for and against it. He must confess
that the impending Reform movement seemed some-
what curious, for no longer ago than 1854 a very
remarkable scene occurred in the House of Com-
mons. He alluded to a certain afternoon, when
the noble lord the member for the city of London
came down to the house, as it was thought, to pro-
poE e a Reform Bill ; but it turned out that he only
came down to withdraw the bill, and,with tears in
his eyes, to express his chagrin and disappoint-
ment that nobody cared much about reform—that
his bill was likely to meet with a very small modi-
cum of support, (Cheers.) To come to a more
recent date. At the commencement of the very last
Mar the noble viscount then at the head of her
ajesty's Government, being pressed by some
zealous Radical to give him some information as to
the state and prospects of the Reform Bill, con-
fessed, to the utter astonishment of the whole house,
that he had not even a rough draught of the bill
prepared. (Cheers.) So that Lord Palmerston
must have discovered, as Lord John Russell had
found out before, that there was no decided, real
feeling in the country for Reform. (Hear, hear.)
He could quite conceive it possible that a bill called
a Reform Bill, having for its object the amendment
of certain existing defects, might be a very good
bill, and a very proper one to support, but what
he protested against and disliked wlls, not what
the hon. member for Birmingham called class legis-
lation, but what he (Mr. King) called " class legis-
lation." (Cheers.) He objected to any one class,
be it whatsoever class it might, having advantages
and privileges handed over to them in excess of
the advantages and privileges of all other classes
in the community. (Cheers.) To any measure of
reform, any alteration in the electoral system, which
treated all classes fairly, and as he called
honestly—not as the hon. member for Birmingham
called honestly, for his was a kind of honesty which
he (Mr. King) could not comprehend—he should be
prepared to give his support.
Lord M. W. GRAHAM said he understood they
had drunk the health of that Feat Conservative
party which had always maintained its attachment
to the institutions of Church ands State, and which
he trusted would have the advantage of carrying
out an enlightened policy under the administration
of Lord Derby. (Cheers.) They must remember
that the constitution was not made in a day, nor
struck out in a week ; it had been gradually moulded
and welded together by the wisdom and experience
of ages—a bit had been stuck in here, a bit had
been taken out there, as each successive generation
saw the necessity of the case; therefore it was not
impossible or improbable that it might be reserved
for the present generation to do something in the
way of improvement and repair. (Cheers.) At
the same time, he did not believe the people of this
country wanted any great or violent change. Mr.
Bright had at last spoken out, and published his
Reform Bill ; and although he was far from saying
that there were not parts of the scheme which
might advantageously be carried out, still the
general bearing and character of the measure was
to transfer political power from one class to another.
(Cheers.) It would take political power away from
the agricultural and country interest and confer it
upon large towns. In that very district, in the
counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and
Shropshire, Mr. Bright proposed to take away 11
members, and did not give one single additional
member to any one of those counties. Was this
fair ; was it just ? He did not believe Sir Henry
Cotterel (the Liberal member for the county), or
Sir George Cornewall Lewis, or Mr. Clive would
support such a measure. It had been thrown in their
teeth, by certain parties who were disappointed be-
cause the Conservatives had themselves taken up the
advocacy of rational progress, that it was impossible
to know what Conservatism meant; that they were
all turned Reformers, and that they ought to give
up the name of Conservatives. His answer to that
allegation was that as long as there was anything
to reform- there would always be something to con-
serve. (Cheers.) Therefore they must not give up
the name of Conservatives. They did not wish to
sweep away all the existing institutions ; they did
not wish to injure the Throne, or the Church, or
the House of Lords. But if, with safety to the
Throne, with safety to the Church, and with safety
to the other institutions of the country, they could
confer the political franchise on a large number of
their fellow-countrymen, then, perhaps, they might
do something towards strengthening the social
fabric ; they might give permanence to our institu-
tions, and might emblazon more vividly on the
annals of time the glory and greatness of the
British power. To such an end he hoped the forth-
coming deliberations in Parliament would lead.
(Applause.)
The CHAIRMAN proposed " The House of Lords."
Lord RODNEY briefly responded.
Rear-Admiral Sir T. HASTINGS, in acknowledg-
ing the toast of his health, adverted to his 33 years'
service in the navy, and his ten years' service in the
Ordnance Department. He exposed the change
which had taken place in the avowed sentiments of
Mr. Bright, who started by proposing equal elec-
toral districts and equal numerical representation,
but who had since very much modified his views.
Other toasts of a local nature succeeded.

BAIL WA 17 INTELLIGENCE,

LONDON AND SOUTH-WESTERN.

The directors of this company have resolved to
recommend to the proprietors at the general meet-
ing on the 10th of February, next that the dividend
for the half-year ending 31st of December, 1858,,
be at
,the rate of 54 per cent. per annum- en the
capital of the company. This, added to the dividend
paid.for the half-year ending June last, 'takes the
dividend for the year 1858 amount to 5 per cent.

I

EAST SUFFOLK RAILWAY.
This line, the most important which has been
carried out in the Eastern Counties since 1850, is
expected to be open for traffic in March ; and the
extensions to Yarmouth and Lowestoft will, it is
stated, be ready for traffic by the same date. The
East Suffolk line proper extends from Halesworth to
Woodbridge, where it meets an extension of the
Eastern Union Railway between that place and
Ipswich, and the branches to Yarmouth and
Lowestoft will place those towns 30 miles nearer
London by railway than by the present Eastern
Counties system. The line will be worked by Sir
Morton Peto, under a lease for 21 years, at six per
cent. on the subscribed capital.

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