The Sun.
London, England, 1850-11-05 00:00:00

OLYMPIC THEATRE

After an absence of three years, Miss Helen Faucit
made her rentree on the London stage, et this
theatre, last evening, in a new tragedy, from the pen
of Mr. Westland Marston, entitled PhLip of France
and Marie de Meranie. The plot is very simple,
too simple, in fact, to bear well the ela-
boration of it into five acts. As a three act
play the tragedy would have been much more ef-
fective, while as a five act play it occasionally drags,
fine acting of Mr. G. V.
notwithstanding the very
Brooke and of Miss Helen ranch in the principal
characters, and the vary beautiful poetry of Mr.
Marston. Bap Augustus of France (Mr. G. V.
Brooke) has been compelled to marry ingerburge,
the daughter of the King of Denmark ; for her Pnilip
has always entertained an unconquerdble aversion;
but he loves Marie de i\leranie (Miss llelen Faucit),
and is ardently loved by her in return; and in
order to make her his wife, he repudiates Ingerburge
on the score of consanguinity. The scene in
which he announces to Marie that he is free
was most effectively acted by Mr. G. V. Brooke and
Miss Helen Faucit, and is exceedingly well con-
constructed by the author ; at first she refuses to profit
by the ruin of another's happiness—a ruin occasioned,
as she imagines, by the caprice of Philip ; but when
she learns that a synod of bishops have decided that
the marriage is void, on the ground of consanguinity,
she consents to become his bride. This scene, admi-
rably wrought up, and beautifully acted; effectually
roused the attention of the audience, and brought
down the drop-scene, at the conclusion of the second
act, with rapturous applause. At the opening of the
third act we find that the Pope has taken up the
cause of Ingerburge, and that the thunders of the
Church are to be launched at the head of Philip, should
he refuse to repudiate Marie and take back Inger-
burge. Philip hurls defiance at the churchmen, and
pours out a flood of bitter and sarcastic satire against
the Pope and his pretensions. Each defiance of the
Papacy, each hit at its usurped power, was taken up
by the audience, and applauded to the echo.
Philip is at length compelled to give way for a time,
and to take back Ingerburge, but he still hopes to re-
tain Marie as his love. The scene between Marie
and Philip, after the decision of the Council, by which
Ingerburge is restored to her "rights as his wife, is the
most effective in the tragedy. Marie, in an agony of
suspense, has been waiting the decision of the council,
on which her fate depends, when the King hastily
enters, and she eagerly exclaims—

Philip—my lord !-Isai, soy,
May I embrace thee—may I call thee mine—
_

. _
Am I thy wi,e ?
PHILIP. Yes; in the sight of heaven.
MARIE. And not of earth? A doom told in a breath--
Brief, but so cold that it bath froz3 the fount

Whence sorrow gushes !
The King tries to persuade her, that though Inger-
burge is now queen, they shall not part. She asks—
Eow is 't _

I can be thine, and Ingcrburee thy wife?
PHILIP (after a pause). She is but so in name ; thou
wilt retain
The empire of my heart.
MARIE. Its ! how the light—
The livid light I could not see befwe
Bursts en my sight, and whereson'er I turn,
The lurid horror glares. No, it is night
It seems a year since morn, so must be night.
Although I ace—l shall not &itch thy hand.
(Takes his hand as if to assure herself)
It is reality I—And yet—forgive mel
A subtle tempter through my o'erwrought brain
Would stab my trust in thee. He shall not love!
Even now I'm calmer.—Pray, repeat the words—

The words you spake but now.
•
PHILIP. I said, my love,
Though Ingerburge might bear the name of Qoecn,
Thou only should'st rule Philip—
MARIE. Pause awhile.
Though Ingerburge might bear the name of Queen
I only should rule Philip—(Signs to hint to proceed.)
PHILIP. Thou should'at be•—(Kesitating and averting
his head).

MARIE. HIS PARAMOUR !—Oh God, although his voice
Was shamed from speech, this is the thing he means !
(She turns from him)
This scene was magnificently seed both by Mr. G.
V. Brooke and by Miss Helen Faucit. Her manner
of uttering the last sentence produced a thrill through
the house. In the last act we find poor Marie dying
of a broken heart. Philip having collected
his forces has set the Pope and his
myrmidons at defiance, and having defeated
their partisans in a pitched battle hastens to
the retreat of Marie to clasp her to his arms as his
wife : he does so for one instant—in the next
he is a widower—her gentle spirit has
tied. The acting of Miss Helen Faucit
throughout the part of Marie, which would
appear to have been written for her, was full of
beauty and/pathos, graceful, yet most intense, and above
all, replete with feminine purity. Mr. G. V. Brooke,
as the King, was most effective. When seated
his throne, hurling defiance at Rome, his
acting was full of majesty and power, while, in the
more tender scenes with Marie, he infused into his
representation a most touching pathos. Both he and
Miss Helen Faucit were called for at the conclusion,
and there were loud calls for the author, who bowed
his acknowledgments from a private box. The
mise en scene of the tragedy is superb. The house
was crammed to suffocation long before the rising of
the curtain, every portion of the theatre from which
it was possible to get a glimpse of the stage was oc-
cupied.

ROMANCE OF THE; HAREM.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE sU.A.V.
Sin,—.ln reference to an article with the above
heading in yours of 28;h September, I beg to state,
as an intimate friend of Dr. Milline-en, who is
physician to
.Sultan Abdul Medjid Khan, and to the
Sultana Valide, and whom I had the pleasure of
knowing in Constantinople from 1847 to 1849, that
his separation from the unfortunate lady,
whose re-
unbridled passions caused the horrible tragedy de-
tailed in your article, was most honourable on his
part.
Dr. Millingen has had other domestic grievances
to suffer; his two eons have been detained for. many
years at Rome, by their grandmother, who is edu-
cating them in some religious establishment there,
and is supported by the Papal Court in her refusal to
surrender them. Dr. M. has i
made applications
every quarter, and sent special agents to plead at the
Court of Rome on his behalf. I believe even the
Ottoman Porte interceded, when Monsignors F errieri,
the Pope's legate, Caine to Constantinople, in 1848,
but to no purpose.
' Dr. M. is a clever physician and a profound echo-
obp rice
a PI
lar. No Frank has ever been more persevering and
energetic in introducing social improvements. into
and had reason
Turkey. I had the pleasure of co-operating with him.
it nh
eone of
English his
systemph philanthropic t ho rf
, to admire his untiring energy and recklessness of ex-
pense in pursuit of his object.
in Greece.
Dr. M. was physician to Lord Byron
I am, Sir, &c., -,,,,
..-4 M.D.
EDWARD CULL 111
-baking;
—dritgba;t of introducing
Commercial-place, City-road.

Society, like a shaded silk, must be viewed in all
situations, or its colours will deceive us.—Eliza Cook's
Journal.
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LONDON ANDREWS' Scam-
who has been appointed
LARSHIPS.— The council, at their session on Saturday,
awarded three Andrew Scholarships, for proficiency in Greek,
Latin, mathematics, and natural philosGphy, as follows:
one of 1001. to Mr. John Power Hicks; two of 501., one to
Mr. W. Lewis, and one to Mr. James Savage. At the
isiasmh ebs3e,ss.,sioinr.tAhe. resignationj.scott,Aoxf
.t,he Professorship of Eng-
Principal of Owen's College, Manchester, was tendered and
accepted.
THE ELECTRIC TELEGEAPIL—The erection of fl,
line of telegraph from Crewe to Birkenhead and Holyhead is
proceeding; and in consequence of the liability of the wires
to be injured by the dropping of water in the tunnels, the
company intend to cover them with proper materials, to pro-
tect them against damp and atmospheric influences, so that
the constant casualties that occurred during last winter in
the transmission of intelligence between London and the
north will be prevented. A number of men are now en-
gaged in the Kilsby tunnel and elsewhere in this operation.
THE LONDON FARMERS' CLUlL—Yesterday even-
ing the members of this club re-assembled at the club rooms,
Bridge-street. Mae:friars, Mr. J. Payne, of Felmeisham, in
the chair. The subject previously appointed for discussion
was, " The importance of some geological knowledge to the
farmer." In opening the proceedings the Chairman expressed
himself in terms of despondency with regard to the transition
state, as he said it had been termed of the farming interest—
a state which bad, he observed, beers prol,,nged beyond his
own expectations and convenience— (Laughter)—and re-
marked that it would afford him great pleasure to learn from
the genthinan who was abeut to introduce the subject, how,
within the next month, a shilling per bushel might be added
to the price of wheat. Sir. B. Webster then introduced the
question. Amongst the speakers were Mr. Morton, author
of a work on foils; Sir. W. Shaw, Mr. W. Bennett, Sir. R.
Baker, Mr. Ramsay, and Mr. W. F. Hobbs. On the motion
of "sir. Shaw, seconded by Mr. Hobbs, a resolution affirming ,
the iniportalice of a knowledge, of geology to the tanner was
adopted unanimously; and a vote of thanks was given to I
Sir. Webster, for the manner in which he had introduced the I
subject. •