The Sun.
London, England, 1844-05-23 00:00:00

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.

Amidst the applause and laughter which Don Pasquale eli-
cited on Tuesday night from first to last, there was a contributor
to the enjoyments of the performance who was utterly for-
gotten. 11 e allude to the author of the libretto—and still
to him infinite praise is due. Immediately after, Metas-
tasio, in whose works passages sublime as well as beauti-
ful are so abundant—libretto ceased to possess even com-
mon sense ; their anachronisms and absindlities proving
in their authors the most magnificent contempt of
all branches of ordinary education, and affording the
few amateurs familiar with the Italian language the great-
est amusement.. The ignorance of that beautiful .tongue,
and the absence of all vie comics in Italian singers some years
since, rendered the libretto of little importance ; of late, how-
ever, this language has become a common branch of educa-
tion—we are, therefore, greatly indebted to that admirable
critic and playwright, Romani, who has created a complete
revolution in this style of composition, and who writes out
his plots and dialogues as fast, and full as ably, as the com-
posers do the music—as he did in an incredibly short space of
time with regard to Donizetti's Elisire d'Amore. - The author
of Don Pasquale is a worthy rival of his : he is a young
student, and who has here made his debilt in literature. No
doubt that his spirited dialogues have contributed to
inspire the composer, whilst they enable Lablache and Grisi
to display the resources of their comic vein, and keep the
delighted audience in a continual state of risible excitement.
The more pathetic portions of the libretto, introduced for the
sake of contrast, are not less admirably treated, and the
poetry, though unpretending, flows with sweetness and grace.
To those who are not thoroughly conversant with Italian,
the following free translation of the first song of the Opera,
" Bella siccome un angelo," may not be uninteresting:—
" Bella siccome un angelo," Ste.
" Fair is she as angel bright,
On a pilgrimage to earth ;
Round her path a stream of light
Proves her heavenly birth!
Fresh as freshest lily bell,
Opening in its em'rald cell
To the morning dew.
Then such soul-subduing eyes,
Sunny laughter lurking lies,
Wordless language, breathless sighs,
All is in their hue.
Hair that rivals ebon jet—
When the raven's wing is wet
With a rainbow shower,
'Tis less bright. And for her smile,
They who gaze on it awhile,
Feel—but too well—its power."
Last night Don Pasquale placed the audience in the best
disposition possible. Unfortunately in the ballet, after a
display of more than her wonted power and grace, Cerito
was taken suddenly ill ; the curtain fell at once. Coulon
came forward to announce the circumstance to the public—
the peculiarity of his costume, combined with the sudden-
ness of his manner of expressing his desespoir, raised general
laughter. The ballet was then brought at once to a close—
turning the habitual transient chat of the crush-room into a
prolonged conversaziono, but still of a most lively and agreeable
character. We are happy to be able to state that Cerito
rapidly recovered from the swoon produced by her exertions.
It is with the utmost alacrity that we seize this opportu-
nity of reminding the public of the benefit of that unrivalled
artist who has the greatest claims on their patronage.
Lablache, although he neither has now, nor ever has had,
his equal, and although he has passed the meridian of life,
condescends to the smallest parts in his zeal for the manage-
ment, and in his anxious desire to please the public. An
example that finds but few imitators, either from want of
talent, zeal, or good policy. It is needless for us to remind
our readers what interest our highly intellectual favourite
infuses into every opera in which he thus appears, and what
importance he confers, and what fresh triumphs he elicits
from parts secondary performers have rejected as beneath
them. Lablache has made the happy choice for his benefit of
that beautiful opera 17 lliadrimonto Segreto, and we doubt not
the public will be eager to prove to him that they remember it
was in the part of Geronimo he made his debit in our capi-
tal, and to prove that from that day to this his reputation
and popularity have constantly increased.
Tho Opera was well attended last night. Amongst the
company were the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge ; the
Honourable William Ashley and party occupied the Queen
Dowager's box; the Duke and Duchess of Leinster, Duke
and Duchess of Montrose; the Marquises of Ailesbury, Sa-
lisbury, Douro, Abereorn, Huntly ; the Marchionesses of
Ailesbury, Abercorn, Douro, Westmeath ; the Earls of Pem-
broke, Liverpool, Bruce, Shelburne, Wilton, Glengall, Ken-
mare, Belfast, and Maldon ; Countesses of Shelburne, Ken-
mare, Glengall ; Lords Ernest Bruce, Foley, Gardner, Sandys.
M'Donald, Charles Wellesley, Templetoun ; Count Noailles ;
Ladies Taylour, Ernest Bruce, Dacre, Petre, Foulis, Mahon,
E. Balfour, Augusta Somerset, Shaw Stewart, Ingilbv ; Sirs
F. Trench, H. 3leux, Denham Norreyr, 'l'. Hare, II Bold
Hoghton ; Hon. Colonel Upton, Mr. and Mrs. Assheton
Smith, Mr. Wombwell, Colonel Knox, Colonel Wigram, and
Major Baring.

THE DANISH CLAIMS.—Mr. Christie is to move,
on Tuesday the 4th of June, that on the day following the
House will resolve itself into a Committee of the whole House,
to consider of an address to her Majesty on the subject of the
Danish Claims. _ _

THE CHARGE OF MURDER AND ROBBERY AT
SIIADIVELL.—On Tuesday morning, at ten o'clock, ajury was
empannelled before Mr. Baker, the coroner, at the own of
Whitby, Wapping-wall, to investigate the circumstances
attending the, death of Mr. Luke Williams, landlord of the
Chequers public-house, in the same street, who is alleged to
have died from injuries inflicted on him by a man named
Bragger, under circumstances already described in this
journal. The jury having been sworn, proceeded to the
late residence of the deceased for the purpose of viewing the
body. On their return to the inquest-room a statement of
the circumstances, as already described before the police
magistrate, was laid before them, and, at the suggestion of
the coroner, the inquiry was at once adjourned until Thurs-
day next, in order to allow time for a post mortem examina-
tion to be made.
STRANGB SUICIDE IN FRANCE.— On Saturday
afternoon, at about two o'clock, a young man, most elegantly
dressed, entered the church of Saint Gervais, and after hav-
ing knelt for some time before the painting represent-
ing St. Juliette, went into the confessional of the chapel in
which it hangs, and appeared to be praying with fervour.
1 At the end of a short time an explosion was heard, and the
young man, who had blown out his brains with a pistol, fell
backward on the flooring of the church. No papers were
found upon him to indicate who he was, but in one of his
pockets was a letter addressed to a female residing at Cou-
lange-sur-Yonne, and who is styled in it sister. In this
letter he speaks of a secret which he had not possessed cou-
rage enough to reveal to her. His body was conveyed to
the Morgue to be identified. A marriage was being cele-
brated in an adjoining chapel at the time of ti: suicide.
The church was immediately afterwards closed
~.., public
until the usual ceremony of purification shoul• a been
perfumed.
~ . . •,

LITERATURE.

HOEL .1110 R VAN, 3 Vals. Newby, London, 1844.
The author of this work is Mr. Browning, to whom
we are already indebted for a " History of the Hu-
guenots," a production which displayed much pains-
taking research, and was particularly skilful in its di-
gest of facts. In the work before us he gives a spi-
rited representation of the court and camp of Henry
the Fifth, subsequent to the famous battle of Agin-
court. A considerable portion of his narrative is laid
in France, in the earlier part of the fifteenth century,
and has reference to the intrigues and adventures of
an outlaw chieftain, Hoel Morvan—a sort of Robin
Hood in his way—whose head-quarters are
in a spacious cavern in a sequestered quar-
ter of Brittany, near the shores of the
Morbihan. The character of this rude, bold, but
generous-natured chief is kept up throughout in a
very consistent spirit, and forms indeed the redeeming
feature of the story, which otherwise is by no means
remarkable for interest, nor breadth and variety of
portraiture. Like Mr. James, the novelist, our
author pays great attention to his costumes, and,
in this particular instance, introduces apparently
nothing for which he has not sufficient warranty.
He excels, also, in his descriptions of tournaments ;
but, with the single exception of the character of
Hoe' Morvan, he has not the happy art of infusing
the breath of life into his dialogues.

THE LOGIC OF POLITICAL ECONOMY.
Blachwood. London and Edinburgh, 1844.

Notwithstanding the dry, hard, practical nature of
the subject, this treatise on political economy is by
no means uninteresting, for it is penned in a clear
and vigorous style, without the slightest ambiguity
or circumlocution, by one who shows in every page
that he is perfectly conversant with the theme on
which he expatiates. Some of the positions which
the author lays down, are illustrated with consider-
able neatness and vivacity ; but indeed—no matter
what be the subject—Mr. De Quincey cannot write
two pages together without putting forth something
that shall both please and instruct his readers.