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

7 CHOIR. 1 THE HERE.

LESLIE'S CONCERT

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
is on the bough," but which the choir will dont Vess 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 was anothernovelt y in the programme,
the music being by Otto Goldschmidt, and the melody of the
Passion part of the chorale (a secular song), dating from
1600, and subsequently introduced into the Lutheran
Church, in which it is known under the title of " 0. Haupt.
voll Blut mid Wunden." The grand concertante 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
♦ery 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.

'ORD

'LURE

'ES.

CONSERV4-

1

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
toasts had been drunk,
.The CHAIRMAN proposed "the health of Mr:
King King and Lord William Graham." (Grew'

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;
sumcd, prepared to consider any plans that might
be proposed for the amendment of the eke'
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 Dia
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 °,13-
portunity of examining its clauses and hearing ttl!
arguments for and against it. He must confess
that the impending Reform movement seemed some-
what curious, for no longer ago than 1854 a veil
remarkable scene occurred in the House of C°lll,-,
mons. He alluded to a certain afternoon, wile'
the noble lord the member for the city of Londea
came down to the house, as it was thought, to Pre"
pow a Reform Bill ; but it turned out that he on J
came down to withdraw the bill, and, with tears lto
his eyes, to express his chagrin and disappeill t
went that nobody cared much about reform—t'
his bill was likely to meet with a very small maw
cum of support, (Cheers.) To come to a 111,1
recent date. At the commencement of the very 14s,
year the noble viscount then at the head of lee
'd
Majesty's Government, being pressed by s°11,1;
zealous Radical to give him some information as
the state and prospects of the Reform Bill, Oa'
fesscd, to the utter astonishment of the whole hous,ei
that he had not even a rough draught of the blio
prepared. (Cheers.) So that Lord Palmerstea
must have discovered, as Lord John Russell 1131
found out before, that there was no decided, tea)
feeling in the country for Reform. (Hear, bear.
He could quite conceive it possible that a bill eal'e t
a Reform Bill, having for its object the amendnlead
of certain existing defects, might be a very grdt
bill, and a very proper one to support ; but wia_l"t
he protested against and disliked was, not wn?
the hon. member for Birmingham called class lee'
lation, but what he (Mr. King) called " class leg's.
lotion." (Cheers.) He objected to any one class's
be it whatsoever class it might, having advantagef
and privileges handed over to them in excess a_d
the advantages and privileges of all other clasi
in the community. (Cheers.) To any measure.%
reform, any alteration in the electoral system, wiled
treated all classes fairly, and as he On,
honestly—not as the hon. member for BirmingNill
called honestly, for his was a kind of honesty Wllle,o
he (Mr. King) could not comprehend—he should v
prepared to give his support.
Lord M. W. GRAHAM said he understood thei,
had drunk the health of that great Conservat'cit
party which had always maintained its attachrae.ll,
to the institutions of Church and State, and wills
he trusted would have the advantage of earryi.lls.°
out an enlightened policy under the administrate
et
of Lord Derby. (Cheers.) They must remerobdr
that the constitution was not made in a day' Di-a
struck out in a week ; it had been gradually moulne,
and welded together by the wisdom and experienca
of ages—a bit had been stuck in here, a bit Po
been taken out there, as each successive generate
saw the necessity of the case ; therefore it was ova
impossible or improbable that it might be reservilec
for the present generation to do something in tAt
way of improvement and repair. (Cheers.) is
the same time, he did not believe the people of
country wanted any great or violent change. kis
Bright had at last spoken out, and published
Reform Bill ; and although he was far from slq .lefi
that there were not parts of the scheme vflae
might advantageously be carried out, still t;.4
general bearing and character of the measure Nc
to transfer political power from one class to anotlieo
(Cheers.) It would take political power away frait
the agricultural and country interest and confery
upon large towns. In that very district, in trill
counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire Pit
Shropshire, Mr. Bright proposed to take away
members, and did not give one single additieno
member to any one of those counties. Was t'rif
fair ; was it just ? He did not believe Sir lleaost
Cotterel (the Liberal member for the county)'
Sir George Cornewall Lewis, or Mr. Clive Woait
support such a measure. It had been thrown in th..er
teeth, by certain parties who were disappointed fthe
cause the Conservatives had themselves taken ull.bio
advocacy of rational progress, that it was impossl
to know what Conservatism meant ; that they Nve.i3O
all turned Reformers, and that they ought to gist
up the name of Conservatives. His answer to
allegation was that as long as there was anytlll,
to reform there would always be something to eon
serve. (Cheers.) Therefore they must not give Pthe name of Conservatives. They did not Wis'l,iicl
sweep away all the existing institutions ; they "of
not wish to injure the Throne, or the Church, ,e
the House of Lords. But if, with safety to t't,.
Throne, with safety to the Church, and with safefil
to the other institutions of the country, they CO'lo{
confer the political fraxchise on a large number lit
their fellow-countrymen, then, perhaps, they reig;,l
do something towards strengthening the s°c.;,i`
fabric ; they might give permanence to our inst.' Ile
tions, and might emblazon more vividly en De
annals of time the glory and greatness of ith,
British power. To such an end he hoped the for a,
coming deliberations in Parliament would lea
(Applause.)
The CHAIRMAN proposed "The House of Lori.-
Lord RoDsEY brifly resoned.
Rear-Admiral Sire T. HASpTIN dGS, in acknowledF,;
ing the toast of his health, adverted to his 33 yea,l:e
service in the navy, and his ten years' service ill
Ordnance. Department. He exposed the ell3,lll'f
which had taken place in the avowed sentiment
Mr. Bright, who started by proposing equal e.lO,
toral districts and equal numerical representatl°
but who had since very much modified his vial'
Other toasts of a local nature succeeded.