The Sun.
London, England, 1868-04-08 00:00:00

HER MAJESIrS OPERA.

Last evening a very brilliant audience assembled
on the occasion of the performance of Verdi's opera
"Il Trovatore." The great novelty of the evening
Ras the first appearance of Mdme. Trebelli-Bettini
as Azucena, and Signor Fraschini as Manrico, but
great disappointment was occasioned by the an-
nouncement that Madame Titiens, who was cast for
Leonora, not having sufficiently recovered from her
severe attack of cold, tha music of the part had
been undertaken by Madame Sinico. This unlooked-
for arrangement seemed to damp to an unusal extent
the not over usually demonstrative audience, but
notwithstanding this adverse circumstance Madame
Trebelli accomplished a perfect and genuine triumph.
She threw the utmost intensity into the part,
and her vocalisation throughout was faultless.
The duo with Manrico, " Un Memento," was re-
demanded, and she received the honour of a recall
after " Del rallentati." Fraschini sang with the
greatest taste and effect, eliciting very loud applause
in "Di quella pira ;" and Madame Sinico was
positively charming in " Tacea la notte," and for
her splendid reading of " D'amor sull' ali rosce "
she received a perfect ovation. The " Miserere,"
with the delicious introductions for Leonora
and Manrico, received .an enthusiastic and
well-deserved encore. Mr. Santley, as Count
de Lune, gave the celebrated "11 balen" with all
that taste and power which was to be expected from
such an accomplished musician. The choruses were
all given with fine effect, and altogether the entire
representation was in the highest degree satis-
factory.
For to-morrow " Linda" is announced, with Mdlle.
Kellogg and Trebelli.

UNCER7AIN DISTRIBU2ION OF

HONOURS.

We have seen how extremely unequal and un-
certain is the commemoration, or absence of com-
memoration, of our famous men. It is this which
renders the interment or notice within our wails
a dubious honour, and makes the Abbey, after
all, but an imperfect monument of greatness.
But it is this also which gives to it that per-
fectly natural character of which any artificial
collection is entirely destitute. In the Valhalla
of Bavaria every niche is carefully portioned
out ; and if a single bust is wanting from the
catalogue of German worthies its absence becomes
the sebject of a literary conversation, and the va-
cant space is at last filled. Not so iu the abbey;
there, as in English institutions generally, no fixed
rule has been followed. Graves have been opened
or closed, monuments erected or not erected, from
the most various feelings of the time. It is the
general wave only that has borne in the chief cele-
brities. Viewed in this way the absences of which
we speak have a touching significance of their
own. They are eloquent of the force of domestic
and local affection over the desire for metropo-
litan or cosmopolitan distinction—eloquent of the
force of the political and ecclesiastical preju-
dice at the moment—eloquent also of the
strange caprices of the English public. Why
are men so famous as Burke and Peel amongst
statesmen, as Pope and Gray, Wordsworth and
Southey amongst poets, not in the Statesmen's or
the Poet's Corner? Because the patriarchal feel-
ing in each of these men, so different each from the
other, yet alike in this, drew them from the neigh-
bourhood of the great, with whom they con-
sorted in the tumult of life, to the graves of
father and mother, or beloved child, far away to
the country churchyards
,whera they seve-
rally repose— in each, perhaps, not unmingled
with the longing desire for a simple resting-
place expressed in Pope's epitaph on him-
selfh atw icllisTwickenham. Why is it that Montague
Earl of Sandwich, Monk Duke of Albemarle, re-
storers of the monarchy, Archbishop Usher, the
glory of the Irish Church, Clarendon the historian
of the Great Rebellion, rest here with no contempo-
ary monument, three of them with none at all? That
blank void tells again in the bare stones the often
repeated story of the ingratitudeof Charles 11. to-
wards ate
tdhose to whom ho owed so much and gave so
little. why is it that poets like Coleridge, Scott and
Burns, astronomers like Herschel, discoverers like
Harvey m e and Bell, have no memorial? Because, for
the moment, the fashion of public interment had
me
drifted away from the abbey, or lost heed of de-
parting greatness in other absorbing interests or
ceased to regard proportion in the distribution of
sepulchral honours. It is well that this should be so.
Westminster Abbey is, as Dr. Johnson well said, the
natural resting place of those great men who have no
bond elsewhere. Its metropolitan position has, in
this respect, powerfully contributed to its fame. But
even London is, or ought to be, insignificant com-
pared with England; even Westminster Abbey must
at times yield to the more venerable, more enduring
claims of home and of race. Those quiet graves
far away are the Poets' Corners of a yet vaster
temple ; or may we take it yet another way, and
say that Stratford-on-Avon and Dryburg, Stoke
Pogis, and Grasmere are chapels-of-ease united by
invisible cloisters with Westminster Abbey itself ?
Dean Stanley's Memorials of Westminster Abbey.

PORTSMOUTH, ruesday. His Imperial Royal
Apostolic Majesty the Emperor of Austria has been most
graciously pleased to confer the decoration of the order of
Franz Joseph on the Chevalier Van den Bergh, Imperial
Royal Austrian Vice-Consul at Portsmouth, Southamp-
ton, &c., as a mark of his Majesty's approbation of his
services.

REPRESENTATION OF LAUNCF.STON.—There is no
reason to doubt that this Cornish seat, vacant by the re-
signation of Mr. Campbell, will be filled by Mr. Lopes, of
the Western District, who has arrived in the borough and
issued his address. There is no probability of any oppo-
sition, the Liberals deeming it useless to engage in a fight
until the general election, when the constituency will be
considerably enlarged. The nomination is fixed for
Thursday.

EARTHQUAKE AT JERSEY.—The inhabitants of the
island of Jersey were alarmed on Saturday morning, be-
tween the hours of 1 and 2 o'clock, by two distinct shocks
of earthquake, which followed each other in ralAd succes-
sion. The sound and the effect of the shock were like what
would Le produced by a heavy vehicle or other heavy ob-
ject being dragged over rough paving stones. Many of
the residents in the town of St. Helier were awakened by
the noise and the peculiar sensation produced. Several
got out of bed and looked into the street, expecting that
the noise was produced by a passing vehicle. Articles of
furniture were made to vibrate most distinctly in numbers
of dwellings. The course of the vibration appeared to be
from east to west.

THE TEA TRADE, April 6.—The deliveries in
London made up for the week are 3,425,3921 b., being an
increase of 517,3641 b., as compared with the previous
week.

PREFERENCE SHARES.
Great Western, Orig. 43 per cent.. 783
Great Western, 5 per cent., rd.. 83
Hid Consolidated, 6 per cent. stook,
Ditto, Bristol and Birin., 6 per cent., 130
North Eastern, Cons., 4 per cent.,
Ditto, 43 per cent. rd., 94.1
. PREFERENCE SHAKES AND STOCKS.
Great Eastern 43 per cent.,

Ditto, 5 per Cent., 1862, 49
London, Chatham, &c., Metrop. Ext. 8, 6 per cent., 36
London, Br4liton, 44 per cent., 1853.
Ditto, 5 per cent., 1835, 88
Midland A.and B £5 per cent., 1041
LIVES LEASED AT FIXED RENTA.I. 8.1
London and Blackwall, 88
FOREIGN RAIL WAYE4.
Bahia and San'Francisoo,liAn., per_cent., 151
Great Luxembourg, 9k

FOREIGN MINED;
Anglo Brazilian Gold, I
St. John del Hey, lira, 201

DOCKS
London and St. Katharine, 47i

BANES.

Agra. Ilm., A,
Ditto, B, 8 *
Anglo- kustrian, 101 1
.Australasia, 55 1
Caartered ter. of India, London, and China, 29
City, 12
Consolidated, lira., 41
English and Rio de Janeiro, Um., 71
English, Scotch, and Australian C nattered. 161
Imperial Ottoman, 11
Land .51ortgage Bank of India. lira.. 1
London Bank of Alexia() and S. America, Um., 10
London and County, 51} 2
London Joint Stock, 32 11
London and Westminster. 681.71
Metropolitan Bank, lira., 71
National Provincial of England, 132
Ditto, 23 and 3d issue, 39
Oriental Bank Corporation. 43
Provincial of Ireland, 891 1
MISCELLANEOUS;
Anglo American Telegraph, 22/
Atlantic Telegraph, ...
Ditto, Ei pur cent 101}
Bombay Gas, Elm., 41 }
B. and I. Ma4netio Telegraph, Um., 125
Ceylon Company, 7
CLunmercial Union, Insurance, 5
Credit Ponder of England, Mm., 2* 3
Ebbw Vale, 121
Egyptian 9 per Cent., Viceroy Loan, g'll4. by Egypt. Gov., 891
Electric and International Telegraph, 165
Gen. Credit and Discount, I lux,. 54
International Financial society, tim., 3}
London General Omnibus Compan lim, 1 15-16
National Discount company, 11
New Quebrada,
Ottoman Gas lira., lf
Peninsula and Oriental Steam, 57}
Ithymney Iron, 171 17
Rio de Janeiro City Improvements, 181
itoyal Mai Steam, 59 61 1
Submarine Telegraph, 72 1
Telegraph Construct. and Maintenance, 11,1
Thames and Mersey Marine, Insurance, liui., 41
Upper Assam Tea, lira, 41
Viceroy of Egypt, 7 per oeizt. (Mortgage) Loan, 731

CRIMINAL COURT.—This Day.

OLD COURT.
(Before Mr. Justice Keating.)
THE MURDER AT FOREST-HILL.

Richard Bishop was indicted for the wilful Mur-
der of Alfred Cartwright at Forest-hill.
It will be recollected, from the report of the case
which has already appeared in 2he Sun, that the
prisoner was .with others drinking at. the Swiss
Cottage public-house on Thursday last, the deceased
and his father being then present. After a short
time had elapsed the prisoner said he was quite
ready to fight any one for a shilling, and then
he struck the deceased twice with his fist.
Cartwright said he should give the prisoner into
custody, because if he did not know better he must
be taught. He then left the place with the inten-
tion of looking for a policeman ; but not finding
one he returned to the public-house, by which time
a constable had arrived there. He gave the pri-
soner into custody, and on their way to the police-
station, after they had gone about 300 yards, the
prisoner said to Cartwright, " Are you going
to lock me up for the trumpery affair ?"
Cartwright told him that be intended , to so,
and they continued on the road to the
station. Having gone some distance further, Cart-
wright went up to the constable who had the pri-
soner in custody, with the intention of speaking to
him, when the prisoner repeated the question he
had already put to him, and receiving the same
answer, he fumbled about with his right hand until
he got a large clasp knife from his pocket, with
which he made a thrust at Cartwright and stabbed
him in the abdomen, and before the wounded man
could be conveyed to the hospital he expired: Evi-
dence was produced on the part of the prosecution
to prove that the prisoner was not drunk as was
alleged.
The jury returned a verdict of guilty.
The Clerk of the Arraigns asked the prisoner, in
the usual form, whether he had anything to say
why sentence of death should not be passed.
The Prisoner replied—Yes, I have. I had been
drinking hard that day a great quantity of rum.
Eight witnesses could be found to speak to that,
but the case had not been inquired into as it ought
to have been.

Proclamation of silence having been made, •
Mr. Justice Keating said the jury had ,corac, to
the conclusion that he was guilty of the indictment
preferred against him, and he did not see how any
body of men, under the obligation of an oath, could
have done otherwise. It was the most wilful, pre-
meditated, and deliberate murder he had ever
known, and he hoped the prisoner would make the
best use of the time that was left him on earth. The
law was more merciful to him than he had been to
the unfortunate man, the father of a family, -whom
he hurried out of the world without one
minute's preparation, as it gave him time
to prepare to meet the sentence he would have
to undergo ; and he also implored the prisoner to
use that time in the consideration of the position he
would occupy hereafter. The sentence of the law
was that he be hanged by the neck until he be dead,
and that his body be afterwards buried within the
precincts of the prison.

The Sheriff of Kent was ordered to see the sen-
tence of the law carried into effect.

The prisoner left the dock quite unmoved. ,;

CHARGE OF MANSLAUGHTER.

Henry Lee, a carman, was indicted for feloniously
killing and slaying Robert Forster on the 12th of
March last.

The death of the unfortunate man was occasioned
through a public-house row in Bermondsey.

The jury found a verdict of not guilty, but the
learned judge cautioned the prisoner to avoid pub-
lic-houses for the future.

NEW COURT.
(Before Mr. Justice Piggott.)
CHARGE OF WILFUL MURDER BY BURNING.,

Mary Manning, an Irishwoman, with a baby in
her arms, was indicted for the wilful murder of
Honorie Sweeting.

The prisoner resided at Providence-place, Ful-
barn, in the same house as the mother of the unfor-
tunate child_ On the 27th of February Mrs.
Sweeting had occasion to leave her room to chop
some wood, leaving the child, which was about ten
months old, sitting up in its cradle, the prisoner
being in her own room putting her baby to ,sleep.
Mrs. Sweeting then heard her child crying, and on
returning up stairs she found the prisoner sitting
in front of the fire with her own baby in her lap.
Her (Mrs. Sweeting's) baby continued to cry very
violently, but up to this time she had taken no no-
tice of the child beyond trying to quiet it. This
she was unable to do, and then she saw blood about
the child's legs. She took up the infant, and then
found it had been dreadfully burned about the lower
part of the body, although there was no mark of
fire being applied to the clothes of the unfortunate
infant. Mrs. Sweeting accused the prisoner with
having burnt the child, but she denied it very
strong terms. The child was at once taken to the
doctor's, but it expired the following day.
Mr. M. Williams, for the defence, said there was
no evidence to prove that the prisoner had placed
the child near the fire, and as it might have fallen
close by it and thus received the injury, he hoped
they would adopt the most merciful view of the
case and find the prisoner guilty of manslaughter.
It should be remembered that the prisoner alleged
she and the mother of the child had been drinking
during the day, on which the child received by some
means not clearly known the injury which caused
its death.

The jury after a short deliberation returned a
verdict of guilty of manslaughter.
Sentence deferred.

THIRD COURT.
(Before the Common Sergeant.)
OBTAINING MONEY BY FALSE PRETENCES.

Edward Vaughan Arbuckle was indicted for un-
lawfully obtaining by false pretences a sum of
money from Marmaduke Marsden.
The jury found him guilty, and the learned Judge
sentenced him to five years' penal servitude.

FOURTH COURT.
(Before the Recorder.)
STEALING TEA.

William Neville, carman, was indicted for steal-
ing a quantity of tea, the property of the London,
Chatham, and Dover Railway Company ; and a
man named Solomons was also indicted for re-
ceiving the same.

The learned Judge sentenced the prisoners to 18
month's imprisonment with hard labour.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.-THIS DAY.

THAMES.

AN UNMANLY SEAMAN.—Thomas Byrne, a sailor,
who has recently been paid off, and with the usual
improvidence of seamen has spent all his money and
lost all his clothes, except those he stood upright in,
was brought before Mr. Benson charged with as-
saulting several persons.

Last night the prisoner was intoxicated and stag-
gering about Ratcliff-highway, running at and
pushing down every girl he met with. He met
with a girl named Alice Simmons and knocked her
down with his fist. Her screams brought a police-
constable, named Edward Bucknell, 169 H, to the
spot, and he took the prisoner into custody. The
policeman was then struck.
The prisoner, in extenuation of his conduct, said
that he had lost his money and his clothes, and he
was very tipsy last night.
Mr. Benson—That is no excuse for your running
a muck and assaulting every girl you met with.
You also assaulted the police. You are sentenced
to 10 days' imprisonment and hard labour.

WORKHOUSE BIRDS.—Anna Tinsley, Eliza Byrne,
and Jane Mahoney, three able-bodied girls, were
brought before Mr. Benson, charged with refrac-
tory conduct in the City of Loudon Unien House,
Bow-road.

Mr. John Saunders, master of the Union, said
that the prisoners had been in the workhouse or the
workhouse schools all their lives. They were very
disorderly and violent girls, and they were swear-
ing, roaring, and phoutiug and disturbing thi4 other

inthates yesterday. - They set all authority at de-
fiance. Tinsley and Mahoney had been in prison
before.

The prisoners all denied that they had offended
in the manner stated, and made a long and cla-
morous defence. They declared they were ill-used,
beaten, imprisoned, and half-starved. Their state-
ments proved to be a tissue of falsehoods. The
City of London Union is the best managed in the
kingdom, and the dietary and treatment very
liberal.

Mr. Benson did not think that any advice or im-
prisonment would do them good. tie sentenced
Tinsley and Mahoney to 21 days' imprisonment
and hard labour, and Byrne to seven days' impri-
sonment and hard labour.