The Sun.
London, England, 1850-11-29 00:00:00

METROPOLITAN CLASSIC HARMONIC

SOCIETY.
[ The second " public rehearsal" by the members of
this society took place last evening at the Music-
ball, Store-street, Bedford square, and was attended
by a very numerous and highly respectable audience.
The first pare of the evening's performance consisted
of sacred music, selected chiefly from the works of
Mozart, Handel, and Perry, the principal solo parts
being sung by Mrs. A. Newton, Miss Law, Messrs.
Manley, Gadshy, and Grosvenor, assisted by a very
excellent orchestra. The chorus, however, was not
quite up to "concert pitch," and in some instances the
harmony was interfered with to a considerable extent
by attempted improvements by some of the gentlemen
concerned, and also by their not keeping proper time.
Speaking generally, the rehearsal was very good, and
several of the songs sung were loudly encored. The
second part of the programme consisted of secular
music, from Bishop, Webbe, Lee, Rodwell, Boyce,
Weber, and Stevens. Bishop's beautiful trio and chorus,
" The winds whistle cold," was excellently given by
Messrs. Manley, Gadsby, and Grosvenor; but the less
said about the chorus the better. The trio was loudly
encored. Miss Law gave Alexander Lee's beautiful
ballad, "Meet me in the Willow Glen," very sweetly;
this piece, also, was honoured with an encore. The
great hit of the evening was the laughing song and
chorus from Weber's opera of Der Freysehutz ; it
was given with such heartiness by Mr. Manley that it
only escaped a double encore by the appearance of
Mrs. Newton on the platform to sing the next song;
it was, without doubt, the best executed piece in the
programme: We pay it a high compliment when we
say it was worthy of comparison with that of poor
Duruset, who was the best Kilian on the English
stage. The entertainments of the evening concluded
with Bishop's trio and chorus, " Mynheer Vandunkr
the trio was well given ; the chorus was anything
but effective. Mr. Perry was the conductor of the
entire, and discharged his duties as such with zeal
and ability.

SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES.
Last night was remarkable for the interest and
splendour of the objects exhibited ; and Sir R. H.
Inglis, Bart., who was in the chair, did justice to them
and to their owners, by the way in which he
im-
pressed their value ou the numerous assembly of mem-
bers present. The first was a very ancient solid gold
Torque of the Anglo-Saxon period, not for the neck
or arm, but for the waist, and of proportionate dimen-
sions and weight. It was accompanied by a large
gold ring for the arm, found at the same time not far
from Ely, on which were strung pieces of ring money,
also gold, of various sizes : the last was, perhaps, the
greatest curiosity of the two, and altogether the
mere pecuniary value was very considerable. These
were sent by Mr. Vesey, through Mr. Chap-
man, F.S.A. Mr. W. Chaffers conferred a great
obligation on the society, of which he is a mem-
ber, by exposing upon the table perhaps the finest
assemblage of itoman glass ever displayed by an
individual ; they were brought from IN ismes, where
they were exhumed not long since, and were in the
most perfect state, some of the urns having:not only the
covers, but the calcined bones of the persons buried in
them. The vases were of varied and beautiful shapes and
sizes, as well as the bottles, lachrymatories, &c., all of
which were entire, and showed great perfection of
manufacture. Lord Londesborough transmitted e
remarkable relic--a cast of the leaden cover of an
Anglo-Saxon book, with part of one of Archbishop
Rifric's works engraved upon it in the characters of
the time. We hope that his Lordship will allow this
object, with the legend, to be engraved for the society.
A very learned paper was read from Dr. Guest,
which accompanied an original seal of the Patriarch
of Antioch ; and Mr. P. Chalmers communicated
some sketches of Druidical remains recently disco-
vered by him in Aberdeenshire. The whole proceed-
ings of the evening afforded great satisfaction. We
ought to have mentioned that the business com-
menced with the election of Mr. Ford, author of the
" Handbook of Spain," and with reading the certifi-
cates of several new candidates for admission.

NATIONAL BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION.—The annual
general meeting of the governors and subscribers of this
charity was held yesterday morning, at the Freemasons
Tavern, Great Queen-street; the Right Hon. Lord Robert
Grosvenor, ALP., in the chair. After some preliminary
observations from his Lordship, in approval of the principles
and objects of the charity, the secretary read the report,
from which it appeared that the institution had already been
the means of rescuing from the depths of penury and suffer-
ing no less than 767 aged persons, chiefly females, whilst on
the present occasion there were twenty-five additional candi-
dates, of respectable position, though reduced in circum-
stances, to be elected out of 120 deserving applicants for
admission. The pension list at Christmas last consisted of
233 persons—viz., thirteen males, and 220 females. Of the
former, seven had followed professional pursuits, and six had
been engaged in commercial occupations; of the females,
eighty-four had been governesses or teachers; eighty-nine
were the widows of professional gentlemen, decayed mer-
chants, &c.; and forty-seven had become dependent upon the
institution, either by the unexpected loss of family property
or by the failure of some respectable employment from which
they had derived their means of support. The amount dis-
bursed in pensions during the year ending on the 30th of
September last was 4,909/. 12s. The total sum received by
the 767 annuitants who have been supported by the insti-
tution, during the thirty-eight years of its existence, now
amounts to 124,6631. lls. ld., and the balance at bankers,
on September 30, was 1,814/. 9s. 7d. The report, contain-
ing besides the above information some recommendations
for the improved working of the institution in the matter of
elections, was adopted, on the motion of Mr. Pownall. Mr.
Lowe, Mr. Cook, and other gentlemen, subsequently ad-
dressed the meeting in support of the various resolutions.
Thanks were then voted to the chairman, who replied, and
the election commenced.

The mercantile accounts from Vienna of the 23d
inst. describe an aggravation of the extraordinary panic
which had taken place in the money market. A further
rise of between 3 and 4 per, cent. had occurred in the quota-
tions for specie, gold having gone up to 42, and silver to 36
premium. The fact that the Government had entered the
market as purchasers of specie was the cause of this sudden
increase of alarm, and it was scarcely possible to induce
the holders of goods to name any price whatever for trans-
actions. It is said that during the whole period of the
Hungarian war nothing like the same excitement or anxiety
had been observable.

The London and Brighton and various other Rail-
way companies have arranged that so soon after the Ist of
July, 1851, as the admission to the Great Exhibition of ths
Industry of All Nations shall be reduced to one shilling, they
will convey labouring-class-es who form clubs for the purpose
to London, by special trains, and allowing them six days in
London, will then convey them back again at fares not ex-
ceeding one halfpenny per mile for the whole distance tra
velloa,—.Brlghton Gazette,