The Sun.
London, England, 1850-05-24 00:00:00

ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA.

Roberto it Diavolo, which, with the full recollection
of the Huguenots, and the Prophete, we still consider
to be the chef crauvre of Meyerbeer, was produced
here for the first time this season, last evening, with
a completeness that has never been surpassed
and has seldom been equalled. We have a per-
fect recollection of this opera when it was
first produced at the Grand Opera in Paris, then in
the zenith of its power and of its fame, and certainly
the manner in which the opera was performed and
put on the stage last evening far surpassed the man-
ner in which it was put on the stage in Paris on the occa-
sion of its original production. ghe following is the cast,
and certainly as a whole the opera has never been,
not even at this theatre, cast nearly so strongly.
Alice, Mme. Grisi (her first appearance in that cha-
racter) ; Isabella, Mme. Castellan ; Dates d'Onore,
Mdlle. Cotti; Elena, Mdlle. Louise Taglioni; Al-
berto, Signor Rommi ; Eraldo, M. Massol; II Piore,
Signor lagliafico ; Majordomo,. Signor Soldi; Cava-
liers, Signor Mei and Signor Polonini; Roberto,
Signor Tamberlik (his first appearance in that
character) ; Bertramo, Herr Formes ; and Rambaldo
Signor Mario (his first appearance in that character).
The character of Alice is one quite out of the usual
line of Madame Grisi's performances ; it is almost
impossible to imagine the imperious Semiratnide, the
impassioned Norma, the energetic Lucrezia, exhi-
biting the innocent
simplicity of the angelic peasant
girl, yet Madame Grid achieved a great success in
the part, and sang the music divinely. Her man-
ner of rendering the Va dit elk" and the " Quandje
uittai 1a Normandie" was excellent, but the grand
soibne was the finale, in which she rescues Robert
from Bertram. ' Here she had an oppoiAmity for the
exhibition of that impassioned energy in the delinea-
tion of which she so much excels, and of this
opportu-
nity she (lid not fail to avail herself. Tad!)
concluding trio of the opera has never been so
eublimely—that is the true word—has never been so
sublimely rendered as it•was last nieht by Madame
Grisi, Signor Tamberlik, and Here Formes. It was
the very -perfection of impasioned lyrical tragedy.
Signor Taniberlik is by far the best Robert whom it
It s ever been our, good fo,rttine tq see, as superior to
his. predecessor Salvi as,it is,well possible to imagine;
tremilloui quality :of 'his oice told most effec-
tively in the, more iathetio scenes, and his manly
end clivalrous acting made him. look the Nerman
hero to the life. Never haVe we beard the
far-famed " L'or est nue cliimere," reudereno ever-
th immense sr irr•
getically, or sungrwiand the
last scene of the opera was, a.s we before said, a
perfect triutoph. The great feature of the perfor-
mance, however, is the Bertram of Formes. We bad
thought it impossible to equal Staudigl in this
part, but Formes is certainly his equal, perhaps in
some things his superior. He throws more feeling
into the part then dhi Staudigl, he not only tempers,
but subdues the malignity of , the fiend with the
aff ction of the father ; and, even when he triumphs in
the app, rent ;yielding of Robert to hit
influence, 'his expression or triumph is rather an out-
burst of boisterous merriment, evidently feigned to
hide the deep despair the expression of which is ever
on his features, than :a sudden outbreak of
triumphant yet joyous malignity. The Isa-
bella of Madame Castellan is beautiful ex-
ceedingly, and is a marked improvement upon her
former -impersonations of this character. The ex-

ATtk, limits of genius might be passed over if the
rid woukt promise not to them. Eliza Cook's
Journal.

VESTA/. ELECTIONS.—RaiSh of Sr. Pancras—Last
evening this contest, after a three days' poll, was brought to
a close. For Messrs. 13rettingliam and Healy, or the pink
list, there were 1,886 votes. For Mr. Douglas, or the blue
list, 1,042 votes; giving a majority of 844 iu favour of the
pink list, who are now vestrymen for the e,:sui,g year.
Pariah of St. James, Westminster--The poll for the elec-
don of vestrymeu for this parish finally closed last evening,
when there appeared 801 votes for the Parochial Reform
Association list, and . 94 fur the Ratepk ers' Association;
leaving a majority of 207 fur the former. The following
gentlemen are, therefore, elected vestrymen tor the next
twelve months :- Lord de Alauley, Hon. V. Smith, M.P.,
Messrs. Atkins, Bidgood, Compirt, Cumming, Grant, Green,
Nelson, Poulson, Rowlau,i, Walker, and Hall.

SIR JOHN Ross's EXPEDITION.—STRANRAER,
MAY 21.—Early this morning Sir J. Russ, with Commander
Phillips, arrived in Loch Ryan in his vessel the Felix, called
after the late Sir Felix Routh, from Ayr, to take leave of his
friends, and dispatch other business, before sailing for the
Arctic regions. His vessel is to be registered out of this
port (his native place), and the papers are expected from
London by this night's post. As the Felix will only register
91 tons, he requires a special licence from the Board of Cus-
bills, under the late regulations, as to the distance which
vessels under 170 tons are allowed to go from the land. The
same regulations limit the number of the crew to seven, in-
cluding the master, whereas Sir J. Ross's vessel carries a
crew of 13 mea, exclusive of officers; he will also require a
special licence for this purpose. These have been applied for,
and are expected to arrive from London this evening. He is
to have any quantity of stores he requires duty tree. The
Felix is a very clumsy-I,,oking vessel ; she sits a good deal
by the head, and his very low ; she will probably not leave
Loch Ryan until the end of the week, if even then. Sir
John is an extraordinary man to undertake such an expe-
dition; he is is his 76th year, is quite deaf, and nearly
bli 'd, but chacun ei son gout. We wish him every success,
and a safe return. Should time permit, the inhabitants of
Stranraer intend to give him a public dinner.— Shipping
Gazette.

THE Co,ES BLACKHOCIL AND PASSAGE RAILWAY.
The experimental trip on this line came off last evening.
A first-class carriage was attached to the engine, which lett
the terminus at twenty-two minutes past three and arrived
in Passage at twenty-one minutes to four, thus accomplish-
ing the distance in the space of seventeen minutes. After a
short delay the train returned to Cork, and, as it was de-
-1 er tAh e
large distance
number w
sirable to ascertain the shortest time in which the distance
could be accomplished, compatible with the safety of the
tsan ten minutes.t d, and
accelerated,
a
performed
a
passengerstimthl!tte slpeemed worea
than
of the leading mercantile men of this city, the directors,
of the Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway, and other
gentlemen were in attendance, who unanimously expressed
themselves highly gratified with the trip, both as re ded
tasteful and
the easy motion of the carriage, the gar
comfortable
manner in which it is upholstered, and though last, not by
any means the least consideration,
the tender mercies of Passage ; •
jarvies.- Corh Examiner of
Wednesday.
CAUTION TO FARMERS HAYING DISEASED SHEEP.
—At the Tavistock Guildhall, last week, Walter Arthur ap-
peared to a summons issued at the instance of Joseph Long,
before John Rundle, ttaq., magistrate. Mr. Chilcott, soli-
citor, said that this was an information laid at the instance
of the c( iimittee appointed for the purpose of devising means
to prevent the spread of scab or'mange in sheep, ag inst the
defendant, who is a farme residing in the parish of Mari-
tavy, for having kept several sheep infected with that dis-
ease, on a common in the parish of Petertavy; and be further
stated that the object of this proceeding was not to punish
the defendant by Tossing for a heavy penalty, but simply to
give publicity to the Act of Parliament (fie Geo. 111 , c. 5)
under which this information was laid, and thereby prevent,
if possible, a repetition of the ofience. Mr. Chilcott asserted
that it was the wish of his clients that the smallest penalty
allowed by th, Act should be imposed. Defe dant then
pleaded guilty to the information. and was convicted in the
mitigated penalty of 20s. (the lowest allowedby the statute)
.
d. It may
and 19s. Bd. for costs. which were immediately paid,
not be amiss to make known to agriculturists and others
keeping sheep that they are liable to a penalty 0f..10/. for
commons sheep infected with scab
turning out or keeping on coin
or mangy.
Truth i 5 worthless •
ss until exempitfied conduct --
Eliza Cook's Journal.
'ALLE'GED DEATII FR03.1 THE IMPROPER USE OP A
I Quitcl Ltim,..„,,E,—Yesterday an inquest, adjourned' from
Friday last, resumed and
was concluded before Mr. raker,
at the, North Pole, Church road,' SL George's-in-the-East,
I relative to the death of TimotnS, Driscoll,• aged. 53, a brick-
layer, who was alleged to have d ied in-cotrequence of having
had a mixture given to Ith?a , which was•not prescribed hy
medical practitioner. Tne pry retutmed ii verdict of Na-
tural death from intivlntnaticm of the bowels,' which 'may
lase been accelerated by thcA incd•lBno he had taken,' and
that the deceased Lad acii:d with ninth indiscretion by,hav-
ing placed himself under tl.ie care of a pencil not. a medical
practitioner."

NATIVE
INDIANS' DWELLINGS. IN, CALIFORNIA.—
There the Indian savages dwell in habitations of a most pe-
cioiar construction. They ate large and roomy; the side-
walls are low, and torined of Mcts, connveted by a thatch,
and plastered with clay, which hardens in the sun, and forms
a sold defence against the westh,,r. The roof is broad, high,
and sloping, formed by a thick, warm, mat heavy thatch, with
cross-beams of rough wood and, rafters laid lengthwise to as-
sist in the support. These meet in the central lini',*li4re a
strong timber runs the whole length of 'the building,, upheld
by rough trintlifs of trees, with forked branches left to aid in
bearing up the ponderous roof. The floor is the earth, beaten
had, with piles ofdried grass to serve as COUChpS. Among
some of the wilder tribes, mere huts built of 'branches,' and
thatched with leaves and ropes of grass, constitute the dwel-
lings of the people. As we approach the borders of the
United States, beyond the snowy mountains, the well-known
Indian wigwam takes the place of the more curious construc-
tion, and with these the public has now been made too
familiar to render it necessary we should sketch
"Wen,

BILL.

A public meeting was held yesterday afternoon, at
the Freemasons' Tavern, to consider the Government
Interments Bill.
It was generally understood that the meeting had
been convened by the undertakers of London who
were opposed to the Bill.
On the motion of Mr. STEVEN 3, seconded by Mr.
C. COCHRANE, it was unanimously agreed that Mr.
Mackinnon, M.P., should take the chair.

Mr. MACKINNON said as he was a Member of
Parliament, and anxious that the Bill should pass—
(Loud cheers)—he did not think it would be prudent
to take the chair, and therefore, though conscious of
the honour they had done him, he would respectfully
decline presiding over the meeting.
Mr. NICHOLAY, of Oxford-street, was then called
to the chair, and, in opening the proceedings, said
that though he was a friend to sanitary measures,
yet he was anxious they should take care that the
Legislature should not, under the colour of public
benefit, thrust additional abuses upon them.—
(Cheers.) It had been said that all who opposed the
Bill were undertakers, but he was not an undertaker,
nor had any interest whatever in the trade, and simply
made his appearance at that meeting on public grounds.
Many clauses of the Bill were of a very arbitrary na-
ture, and it had been hinted, with perhaps equal
justice, that the originators of the Bill were parsons
and jobbers.—(Cheers, and cries of "Oh.) He
trusted that no disturbance would take place at the
meeting, but that an impartial hearing would be
givers to every speaker, whatever opinion he
might take with respect to the Bill.—(Hear, hear.)
Could any measure be considered impartial which
overlooked a most important class of the community ?
—(Oh, oh.) People might entertain a different
opinion, but he looked upon the Bill of the Govern-
ment as nothing but a huge job.—(Cheers.) Ac-
cording to it the Government were to have the right
of buying up all the grave-yards and cemeteries in
London, and to have one universal place of sepulture
for the benefit of all classes in the metropolis.—
(Hear, bear.) This was interfering in a most un-
warrantable way with the rights and privileges of a
mmmunity, and he hoped such a measure would not
•eceive the public sanction. The Chairman concluded
..)y reading letters of apology from Lord Dudley
Coutts Stuart, M.P., T. Duncombe, Esq., M.P., and
several other persons who had promised to attend.
The following is a copy of Mr. Duncombe's letter :
" 5, Palace Chambers, St. James's, May 22.
" Sir.—l regret that it will not be in my power to at•
tend the meeting at the Freemasons' Tavern to-morrow,
having previous engagements at the hour for which that
meeting is fixed. But as I have for some time past en-
tertained very strong objections to the Metropolitan In-
terments Bill, I purpose giving notice, to-morrow or on
Friday, of my intention of moving in Committee the
omission of the greatest portion of the Government Bill,
and of the insertion of new clauses, which will, in my
opinion, render the measure more efficient in its opera-
tion, without being injurious to any party. My amend-
ments will of course be printed previously with the votes,
and I trust will meet with the views of those whom you
represent.—l have, &0..,

" THO 9. S. DIINCOMBE.

" D. 13. Shaw, Esq., &c."
Mr. J. COOK EVANS proposed the first resolution :
" That this meeting is deeply sensible of the necessity
for a general le;:zislative enactment, providing effectual
control over the interment of the dead, and preventinsc
the abuses at present connected with intramural sepul-
ture; but is of opinion that the Metropolitan Interments
Bill now before Parliament is throughout fundamentally
objectionable, and wholly fails to secure the object for
which it has been professedly introduced."
He said he was in no way interested in the Bill, ex-
cept as one of the public, and, being one of the public,
he thought it his duty to oppose the measure of the
GovernmOnt. It was said that enormous charges
were made by undertakers for the burial of the dead.
(Hear.) He was not there to defend them, but no
doubt they liked to get as much as they could out of
a good job.—(Laughter.) But that was not peculiar
to undertakers ; it was equally applicable to paid
members, secretaries, and commissioners of public
boards.—(Laud cheers.) The Bill, as the chairman
had observed, was nothing but a Government job.--
(Cheers.) There was no more respectable class
than the undertakers; and having had the misfor-
tune to employ them, he would, so far from
complaining of them, say that he was much
obliged to them for the services they had ren-
dered. No case had been shown for Go-
• veritment interference in the burial of the dead.
—(Hear.) Government might undertake to bury
them cheap, but they had much better try to keep them
cheaP.--(Claeers.) Why, it did not cost more to take
a person out of the world than to bring him into it.
The fees charged for an accouchement, together
with the visits after the delivery, and
the powders, pills, and draughts which were
supplied to the patient for no earthly purpose,
amounted to a large sum, and what reason was there
why Government should not pass a legislative enact-
ment to regulate accouchements ?—(Laughter.)
Malt was now much cheaper than it had been, vet
the price of beer was not less, and why should Go-
vernment, on the same principle of interference, not
establish a larg3 and gigantic metropolitan brewery?
—(Llud cheers.) The Bill involved a system
of centralization or bureauocracy which, though it
might suit some countries less free than ours, yet
was quite unsuited to the spirit and habits of the
English people.—(Cheers.) No doubt the bishops
and pirsons had taken an important part in framing
the Bill, for on looking over the clauses, he found that
they had taken good care of themselves. The speaker
then referred to various parts of the Bill, and expressed
a hope that the public feeling against the Bill would be
so strongly expressed as to prevent its passing into
law.—((sheers.)
Mr. ROGERS, of St. Anne's parish, briefly seconded
the motion, observing that with the exception of
doing away with intramural interments, he was
wholly opoosed to the principle of the Bill.
• Sir DE LACY EVANS said there could be no doubt that
this was a question of great practical and personal
importance to every individual in the metropolis, but
he would abstain from entering into the details of the
Bill, and confine himself to stating the general view
which he took of the measure. He was certainly op-
posed to the Government becoming a great under-
taking company, because he thought that local
management was preferable to centralization or Go-
vernment management.—(Hear, hear.) The Go-
vernment had no right to interfere with private
enterprise, hut, independently of that, he could not
see the propriety of Government undertaking what
they proposed by this 13,11.—(Hear.) Much abuse
had been heaped upon the undertakers, but the clergy
for years past had opposed extramural interments,
and that was not the only instance in which they
retarded great measures of improvement, fur they
Inid set their fsce against the education of
the people.—(Hear.) The public were determined
that intramural interments should henceforth cease,
but the present Bill was extremely objectionable, and
he should feel it his duty to oppose it in the House of
eammons in anything like its present shape.
Mr. M kCKIN NON M.P., said the question was
one of great difficulty, and he found it so when
he introduced a Bill into Parliament on the sub

ject five years oa, He was the chairman
of a Parliamenta''ry. Committee which was
appointed to consider the subject, and he drew up the
report of that Committee, which was to the effect that
intramuralta
interments
elepuu should cease altogether in large
towns and populous places.—
suence of that (Cheers.) In conse-
report he brought a Bill into the House,
in which he proposed that the object should be car-
ried out by parishes and unions of parishes, in-
stead of by a system of centralization, which he
thought was extremely
That Bill, however, was thrown
approbation
out in consequence
t objectionable.—(Cheers.)
h
of its not meeting with t
clbation of the various
i i
bringing
in the House of COM-
conflicting interests represented
Com-
mons. Sir George Grey,
ie24-eifand upright
gin the present
honest
Bill, he believed was actuated by
principles, and he should be sorry
ss'Tghg through
of it
had
aany opposition
to itsetails should endanger its
the use.—(Hear, bear, and cheers!)
been read a second time and the principle
therefore, adopted by the Legislature, so that the
wes'
details bad only now to be considered in Committee,
He was afraid if much opposition was offered to the
Bill in the House that the Government would, like
Pontius Pilate, wash their hands of the matter alto-
gether, and thus a most important mean?,
for the sanitary improvement of the metropolis
would be delayed to an indefinite period.
He was told by a well- known professional man that
there was a great probability of the cholera visiting
this country again, and the dreadful scourge would
be aggravated if the Bill were lost.—(Cheers.)
Under these circumstances no other course could be
adopted than to sanction the principle of the measure,
and to allow the clauses to be modified in Commit-
tee ; but the resolution which had been pro-
posed in effect stated that the Bill was
altogether 10M1b ohj cec le. He felt it his duty, there-
fore to
, propose an amendment, that the words from
"fundamentally objectionable" to the end of the re-
solution should be omitted,e cluansl, the words " objec-
th se
tionable in some of be inserted in their
place.
Mr. C. CocnnaNn supported the amendment amidst
much disorder and confusion.

After a few observations from Mr. CONDOR, the
editor of the Patriot, who supported the original
motion,
Toe am,ndment and resolution were then put seria-
tim, and the number of hands held up for each were
about equal, but
The CHAIRMAN declared, however, that the amend-
ment was lost, an announcement which was received
ith loud cheers, interspersed with hisses.
Mr. J. BELL proposed the next resolution—
" That this meeting more especially protests against
the centralising principle of administration contained in
the nil], whereby:thn Mini-ters of the Crown assume the
duties of local government, by appointing commiasioners,

•• •

HE GOVERNMENT INTERMENTS