The Sun.
London, England, 1850-11-21 00:00:00

SADLERS' WELLS THEATRE.

The chef d'auvre of John Webster, the Duchess of
was revived here last, evening. It has been
adapted to the exigereies of the modern stage by Mr.
IL 11. Horne, who has exhibited a reverential regard fur
he reageilieent work of one of our finest old dramatists
in the alterations which he Las found it necessary to
make in order to adaFt a tragedy, originally pro-
duced in 1612, to the tastes of an audience of
1850; indeed, he has been almost too reve-
reotiel, and we could have wished that ho had '
altogether emitted the fifth net (in itself an anti-climax)
or gr. atiy altered the dencuenteet, so es to leave avoided
the almost burlesque termination of the play, its which
all the principal characters kft surviving (tee Duchess,
it will be recollected, is murdered in the fourth act) kill
one another. The plot of this work is simple to the
last,degree, but the author has filled it with horror, men-
tal and physical, to its extreme complement. The Duchess
of Amalfi. iu Italy (corrupted to "Maid "), secretly mar-
ries her own steward; and her brothers, a prince and a
cat dinal, by means of a hired miscreant, deliberately
murder her, as a punishment for the stain on the
family honour. Prior to her ee%th, however, they
visit her with a series of moral tortures. She is
made to see a wax figaire, which she takes for
the corpse of her husband ; all the inmates of a
madhouse are turned loose about her to terrify her with
their horrible antics, a funeral dirge is sung over her
while she is still living, and at last her windpipe is closed
by the fatal cord. Tne scene in which this banquet of
horrors is presented is the most renowned in the
piece, and here we may cite the comment of Charles
Limb, one of the most admiring of Webster's
critics. Ile says, " Ail the several parts of the
drea, tful apparatus with .-:Bich the Duchess's death
is ushered in are not mote remote from the con-
ceptioiis of ordinary vengeance than the strange cha-
racter of suffering „winch they seem to bring upon
their victim is beyond the imagination of ordinary puets.
As they are not like inflictions of this life, so her
language seems not of this world. She has lived among
horrors till she is become native and endowed unto
that element.' She speaks the dialect of despair, her
tongue has a smatch of Tartarus and the souls in bale.
rr !Int are `Luke's iron crown,' the brazen bull of Pna-
tarts, Procruve's bed, to the waxen images which coma-
ttrfeit death, to the wild masque of madmen, the
tombmaker, the bellman, the living parson's dirgo,
the mortification by degrees? To more a horrur
skilfully, to touch a soul to the quiets, to lay upon tear
as much as it can hear, to wear end weary a life till it is
ready to drop, and hen step in with mortal instruments
to take its hit fOrleit—this only a Webster can do.
Writers of an inferior genius may `upon horrors' head
hollers accumelate,' hut they cannot do this. They
tnistahe quantity ter quality, they terrify babes with
painted devils,' but they know nut how a soul is capable
of hefeg moved; their let rors want dignity,
their atfrightmeets are without decorum." The
play is well
~put upon 'the stage and is very
str.mgly cast ; Miss Wynn personeting the Duchess;
Mr. 11-lps Ye-din:lei', end Mr. G. Bennett, Beanie.
Ie the earlier scenes with the Steward, M W iss ynn acted
the part us a light comedy one, exhibiting quite a
spirit of coquetry, and was, as it struck us, in all
the earlier scenes of the play, indeed, up to the
conclusion of the third act, somewhat deficient in
diguit.e. The scone in a hick she parts with
her childiee, at the conclusion of the third act,
was very finely given, and the whole cf the fourth act
vas acted with terrific earnestness. Mr. Phelps was
very fine in Ferdieand—we have seldom a' ea the ago-
idea of remorse more finely depicted; and Mr. G. Ben--
nett, as Bosola, was pwf,ct. Taken as a whole, 8.,501a
was the best acted character of the play. The applause
was enthusiastic, and at the conclusion all the principal
artistes were celled on, avid there were loud calls for Mr.
Horne. the hou,,t was crowded.

ST. MARTWS HALL.
MONTHLY CONCERTS.

Mr. Ilullah commenced, last evening, a series
of monthly concerts. (to consht of eight) in the
large room of the new building in Long-acre, called
St. Martin's Hall. The audience was numerous, and
decidedly of a less mixed character than is now
usually met with at public concerts. It was re-
markably of the style called " fashionable," a style
which was not only evident in the general aspect of
the company, but sustained with unvari€d consis-
tency throughout the whole of the entertainment.
Whilst no passage of peculiar beauty was de-
nied a due recognition, still there was not
any break in the refined smoothness of a watch-
ful, but almost silent criticism, by even one
burst of loud (not to speak of enthusiastic) apprcba-
rion. The performance was in every part perfect,
the works selected faultless, the auditory (without the
exception of an individual or an instant) satisfied, de-
lighted, but evenly content ,with that satisfaction :and
delight, and utterly thoughtless of any conventional
obligation to express refined pleasure in boisterous
acclamation.

The first part comprised only Beethoven's Mass in
C major, of which, after the manner in which it was
produced last night, it would be a very pardonable
slight, even to Haydn, to pronounce it the finest
mass now extant. Indeed, it is difficult to
think, on a brief consideration, of any sen 7
tence in the whole range of sacred music so
forcibly expressive of faith, awe, and mystery, as the
sublime transition in the " Crede" to the important
words " Genitum, non factum." The magnificent
phrase was magnificently given, and a feeling audi-
ence manifsted its profound sympathy with an in-
tensity which could not be expressed by any rude
applause. The vocalists Miss Birch, Mrs. Noble,
Mr. Lockey, and Mr. Bodda, together with Mr.
ilullah's pupil choristers, and the entire orchestra,
acquitted themselves in a manner altogether worthy
(4' this noble subject, and their cultivated audience.
The second part of the concert was Handers powerful
Lut somewhat monotonous reduction of Milton's
'Allegro and II Penscroso to choral music, in
which was introduced a new vocalist Miss
Kouros a deblitarte who promises to rank
high in the musical world, and do justice
to the reputation of her distinguished father,
the late William Henry Kearns,- an orchestral com-
poser, whose least elaborate works constitute some
of the most attractive portions of those nightly con-
certs which attract the greatest crowds in this most
musical season. Mi,.s Kearne's voice is soprano, of
fine quality, pre-eminently clear, sweet, and pure,
and her execution in a rare degree even and unforced.
In the several recitatives and airs allotted to her she
sustained to perfection the precision, accuracy, and
harmonic truth which characterised the whole per-
formance, and reflected upon the conductor, Mr.
Mullah, the highest possible credit. The success of
Miss Kearns was more like that of an established
favourite and mistress of song than of an unknown
candidate at a musical reception. The other vocal
parts were admirably sustained by Miss Birch, Mr.
Lockey, and Mr. Bodda, who was honoured with the
only encore which interrupted the refined suavity of
the evening.

COURT CIRCULAR.
WINDSOR, Nov. 20.
The Queen walked this morning in the Slopes.
The Royal Family took their usual airings.
His Royal Highness Prince Albert went out shooting
this morning, attended by the Earl of Morley, Lieut.-
Colonel Hon. C. B. Phipps, Colonel Buckley, Lieut.-
Colonel Hon. A. N. Hood, and Lieut.-Colonel lion.
A. Gordon.

His Serene Highness Prince Edward of Saxe-
Weimar is expected to arrive at the Castle to-day, on
a visit to her Majesty and the Prince.
The Royal dinner circle at the Castle this evening
will include her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent,
his Serene Highness Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar,
the Lady in Waiting on the Duchess of Kent,
Baroness de Speth, the Rev. Lord and Lady Wrio-
thesley Russell, and the Commanding Odicer of the
Coldstream Guards (Colonel Codrington).
The Viscountess Canning has arrived at the Castle,
in the place of the Countess of Mount Edgecumbe,
as the Lady in Waiting to her Majesty.

Dr. Paris had an interview with Sir George Grey
yesterday at the Houle-office, to convey an address
for presentation to ber 111ajesty from the Royal Col-
lege of Physicians, on the subject of the late Papal
aggression.
The Cambridge University Commission met yester-
day at the official residence of the First Lord of the
Treasury i❑ Downing-street. Present—'rhe Bishop
of Chester, the Dean of Ely, Sir J. F. W. Herschel,
the Rev. Profe7,sor Sedgwick, and the Rev. W. It
Bateson (Secretary).
Mr. Nathaniel Solomon, of St. Helena, accompanied
by Mr. G3rdner, had an interview with Earl Grey
yesterday at the Colonial-office.
The American Minister had an interview with the
Chancellor of the Exchequer yesterday. Mr. John
Wood, Chairman of the Board of Inland Revenue,
and Mr. Pressly, had also an interview with the
Right lion. Baronet yesterday, at his official residence
is Downing-street.

Mr. J. Kenyon Bkckwell had an interview yes-
terday with Sir George Grey tit tho Home-oti9ei.
D;spatehes ware reeehwi yesterday at the Colonial-
office from the Governors of the West India Colonies

SOLICITORS.—Yesterday the Right
Lion. Lord Langdale, 'l.aster of the Rolls, attended at the
Rolls Court, Chancery-lane, to swear in solicitors. The num-
ber of gentlemen to be sworn exceeded 200. They were in-
troduzed to hie WNWp in partio4 of twenty.