The Sun.
London, England, 1850-07-12 00:00:00

DONNA. MARIA. MARTINEZ, THE
BLACK MALIBRAN.
An interesting hicgrephy of this celebrated lady
has just 'nen published, from which we extract the
following account of her musical performances, which
produced such an astonishing effect in Madrid as to
secure for her the patronage of Queen Christine, and
the honour of being frequently commanded to perform
at the Court concerts by the Queen of Spain.
Of the Cuban melodies, we are told that—
" The traveller toiling through the sultry plains of
Louisiana, or journeying in South Carolina and Vir-
ginia, is frequently made aware of his approach to
a gang of working negroes by the jargon cf semi-
musical sounds with which the labourers accompany
the clicking of the hoes—some singing one air,
others whistling another, end not a few chanting
th,t monotonous improvise d recitative which all
negroes are poets enough to love and weave cut of the
ordinary proceedings cf the minute. It would be im-
posAble but that a people taus tur.eully g.f rd should
have produced a cla,,s of melody embodying their lea-
logs, descriptive of their habits, and re a. krtl by a
rude freshness which would form is 13.-st characteristic.
Accordingly a vast numbsr if airs have been lately
attributed to negru colupsition, and it is very past.-ihle
that of these a cunsiderable portion were literally
what they professed to be. An opportunity, however,
is now rffcred to the mu•ieal public of hearing un-
doubted negro melodies sueg by a lady, herself ere
of the race, perfectly familiar with the habits, the
vocal style, and the animating ?p:rit of her compatriets
in Carla, and et.dow ed by nature with a fine app:r ciation
f.;r whatever was most intensely characteristic and
melodiously beautiful in the class of Manes sir -g in
the coffee and sugar plaltations of the gse.:n
of the Angles.' Ti.Q Spanish colouring which
the melodies naturally exhibit is of course one of their
most ieteresting features. The words of these songs are,
as might be expected, often trivial and silly, turning
upon any common-place subject within the observation
of the singer, and frequently altering their character,
along with the music—from grave to gay—from the
most plaintive to the most blithesome strains. In the
specimens which will be given by Donna Maria Marti-
nez these general characteristics will be more or less
apparent. One of the songs is the plaint of a negress,
who complains of her hard work under a tropical sun.
A dialogue with her master, containing a quaint speci-
men of Cuban repartee, winds up the ditty.'
But Donna Maria sings other melodies than those of
the negroes in the West India colonies of Spain. She
is an adept in the performance of those wild and thril-
ling ballads which the peasants of Andalusia sing, and
which, to be heard with the proper effect, must be lis-
tened to accompanied by the guitar, as a Spaniard, or as
Donna Maria alone can play it. We quote an extract
from that part of the pamphlet treating of this branch
of the subject:—
" The beauty and the energy of the ballads of Spain
are very generally known. The spirit-stirring strains
of her chivalresque war songs—the quaintly tender
sweetness of the lay destined to be sung in love lorn
tones beneath the balcony of beauty—the jocund strains
of, playful satire, and the gay and rollicking roundelay,
expressive of the merry and the adventurous life of the
contrabandista or the muleteer—all their varying
modes of the lyre'—have each their representatives
in the fine ballad anthology in question. To
be perfectly appreciated, however, these songs of sunny
swarthy Spain must be heard executed with the fervour
of passion and piquancy of accent, which properly be-
long to them. They must be heard, too, accompanied
by the shower of rippling notes which a performer to
the manner born' can alone educe from the national in-
strument—from that guitar which, in ordinary hands,
gives so little idea of the pasiioeate music which it can
diseover when touched by the glowing fingers of a Spa-
niard chase tiny his native airs."
Succeeding these notices of the ballads, which will on
Saturday night be submitted in all their freshness and
characteristic beauty to the audience of her Majesty's
Theatre, there follow some free but spirited and spark-
ling tea illations of the songs, seeking rather to give the
pith and spirit than any exact and literal version of the
lays. The Cuban lyrics, being imitated from the com-
position of the negroes, have of course little literary
merit to recommend them. Not so the Spanish ballads,
one of which, cal e 1 "La Buenaventura, or the good
fortune," a graceful and sparkling translation, we have
pleasure in quoting:—
" Mark ! 'tis the Gitana'
Wanderer in the land,
Skilled to read the future
Iu ihe lines upon your hand;
Mark her black eyes gleaming,
Like the unsheathed steel—
Wildest of Gitana
In the city of Seville.
" See! she meets two lovers—
Well wish they to know,
What on them the future
limply may bestow;
Smiling, happy faces—
Sunny, nut-brown health—
Toil by day, the dance at eve—
Humble store of wealth.
" Ave, blessed Maria !'
Forthwith they begin;
Conceived,' says the Gitana,
Conceived without Sill.'
Come, cross my hand, my lovers,
And the wanderer in Spain,
By Eastern lore, will prophecy
The fortunes of you twain.'
" I come of the ancient race,
Ma4ic spells who sung,
Ere the pyramids arose,
When the earth was young.
I am of the mystic blood
Which ran in old Chaldee;
In the sky or in your palm
I your fat© can see.'
"Closely the Gitana
Bends above their hands;
Every line of life and love
Well she understands.
All the wondrous future
Thus can she reveal—
Wisest of Gitanas
Ia the city of Saville !
"hush she speaks! All Egypt's
Blessings I foresee,
Raining round your door-post—
Blithesome may you be!
Wealth and happy seasons,
Store of oil and wine—
No canker in the olives,
No blight upon the vine.
" So cross my hand, my lovers,
The venti,ra I have told,
Is worthy brightest silver—
Is worthy reddest gold.
And true it is as hopeful—
But that you'll know ere long,
I say it—l, who read the stars—
And never read them wrong.'
"Gone! the dark Gitana,
Wanderer from the East;
Worshipper of fearsome creel,
Scorner of the Priest.
Gone! the dark Gitana—
Spoke she sooth and lea!?
We'll hope the best, and luck attend
The Lovers of Seville."
We cannot but believe that no narrow bigotry of
colour or of caste will prejudice the first appeurarce as
an artiste, or be allowed to cast a slur over the musical
merits of the " Black Malibran."

THE PORTLAND HARBOLTit OF

REFUGE.

We have been requested to publish the following
letter on this subject:—
" Portland Roads, Jaly 2, 1850.
"Mr. John Harvey, Postmaster, Weymouth.
" Thar Sir,—l have real the remarks on the subject of
a breakwater for Portland Roads, and I avail myself of
this opportunity before proceeding from this port, on my
voyage to Van Diemen's Land, to assure you, that, in
giving toy support to the Harvey testimonial, I consider
that lam only doing that which the whole of our mari-
time marine are called upon to do; it is most certainly
due to you, for promoting a harbour that will associate
the name of Harvey with the most useful and extensive
shelter in the channel. It is highly gratifying to see the
work, now under the auspices of Government, progress-
ing so rapidly; and it must be very satisfactory t) your
mind to know that you have been so instrumental in its
adoption. It will be a crc lit to the nation in every sense
of the word, and I think his Royal Highness Prince Al-
bert in having laid the first stone bears strong testimony
in its favour.
" We shall now have a harbour of refuge to run to
upon all occasions, thank God! and it is much needed,
particularly to our mercantile marine, in making a
voyage. Allow me to thank you for your strict atten-
tion to the mails and everything connected with this
ship in relation to the Post-of co department, it is a
pleasure to meet with efficiency in such matters.
" I remain, dear Sir, yours truly,
"G. N. LIVESAY,
Commander of the Convict Ship Nile.'
In regard to the Shambles, Captain George
Nathaniel Livesay remarks to Mr. Harvey, 4th July,
1850 :—" This natural Breakwater should be com-
pleted by artificial means, as soon as the Portland
Breakwater is finished." Ihe opinion of this expe-
rienced gentleman is valuable, and should be recorded
for the consideration of the nautical world and the
Government.—Poole Herald.

NARROW DCAPES FROM DROWNING.—On Tuesday
last, about 10 o'clock, a girl of the name of Maria Street,
Irei-inroad,ndwßasiaetkelalnvcituegr
a
Canal, when, in endeavouring to reach a flower in the river,
whose
ed
fatherne a r tl resides
firstdes lock ontlui ne
tßheid d
she overbalanced hersei and fell from the curb-stone into the
water, which, at that place, is about 9 reet deep. Some lads
who wlre at hand, gave the alarm, and, happily, prevented
the child from following her nurse. The poor girl had twice
risen to the surface, and again sunk, when Lewis Cox, a
porter on the wharf, to whom much credit is due for h's
pro:nptitude of action, arrived, and with a boat-hook took her
out. She was removed the house of a relative, where she was
attended by Mr. King, surgeon, who, after some time,
succeeded in restoring animation. Another accident,
of a similar nature, occurred on Friday morning, in
the river Cann, lust above the iron brfdgo. Mr. Wat-
son's second child, Emma. four years old, whilst in
charge of an elder brother, slipped into the water
where it is very deep; but fortunately an intrepid lad,
named Raven, apprentice to Mr. Sullings, was near, and im-
mediately jumping in, succeeded in rescuing the child, though
at the imminent risk of his life. The child had sunk once,
and on being brought ashore, was insensible, but speedily
recovered consciousness, and is now quite well.—Essex
Herald.