The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-16 00:00:00

nrArALKS.

Uniformly rreviures are retorted this morning at all istations
the increase in the north during the last twenty-four hours has been
upwards of three -tenths of an inch, but at stations in the southern
Etna western districts, the difference between readings is but slight.
In the west of Ireland a sli;ht decrease is shewn since last evening.
Temperature has risen in the south and west of our isllnds. The
winds yesterday were generally light, and from N.W. to S.W. This
morning calms prev.ll on the Channel coast: on the Irish coast the
wind is light and south-westerly, but variable elsewhere. The weather
is generally dry, and the sky overcast ; but at Greencastle a little rain
is reported. Fog with mist has prevailed in the west.

The Morn g Post denies the rumour that Chevalier
Nigra is to be removed from the Italian Legation in Paris
to that in London. It is probable, however, that he will
shortly cease to represent his Government at the former
capital, for, through a variety of circumstances, his has
become a dacult mission.

Some time ago we copied from the French journals
statements to the effect that there was serious discontent
at Malta. The Libcrte especially represented the Maltese
as downright seditious and treasonable. None of our ow
advices have co-firmed these reports. We now learn that
the elections have just taken place, that only 1,300 out of
about 2,r00 electors took the trouble to vote, and that the
retiring numbers were re elected. The Malta Observer
says :—"• Af cr th's result, we may safely predict that the
heroic pctiti n t ) the House of Commons, asking for all
sorts of nice hin_s, will he dropped for want of support
from the pr.blic Of course, a discontented
minority of c ever citizens will always exist, and all the
good we can wish them is to make less noise, and be
judge .1 by their deeds, not words."

The new United States Minister to this country is a
fortunate man. The exceeding popularity of Mr. Adams
rendered the position of his successor more than usually diffi-
cult. It seemed scarcely possible that the new Miniiter could
stand as high in the estimation of the English people as
the old. Nevertheless, judging from the praises which
were bestowed upon him by the whole of the British press
without distinction of party, Mr. Johnson will begin with
as many admirers as Mr. Adams left off with. Never was
a Minister more heartily received than he will be. He
will not have the demonstrative reception that we gave to
our old enemy Marshal Soult, when he came over here in
18:i8 to represent France at Queen Victoria's coronation,
but the welcome will be none the less real.

To what a pitch of folly fanaticism will carry a people
may be well illustrated just now by the doings of the
Australians in the matter of O'Farrell's attempted murder
of Prince Alfred. It is stated by a correspondent from
Melbourne that a lta ling advocate of the Victoria bar,
who was specially retained for the defence of O'Farrell,
was afterwards black-balled at his club for accepting the
brief. One can hardly believe the truth of this statement.
But still the passing of an Act declaring it criminal to
refuse a loyal toast is much on a par with this.

Victoria is apparently very much advanced in its legisla-
tion concerning drunkenness. The colonists have determined
to treat a drunkard as an insane person, and have provided
in their lunacy laws that an habitual drunkard can volun-
tarily submit himself to confinement and treatment for
twelve months. It is also laid down that "if a parent,
husband, wife, child, or other near relative, or any friend
of any person who shall be labouring under or recovering
from an attack of delirium tremens, or who within a
period of one year immediately before the application
hereinafter mentioned, by and through the excessive use
of intoxicating drinks, shall have either wasted or shall
be wasting his means, and shall have neglected to main-
tain and support his family, or shall have habitually or
repeatedly threatened or used violence towards any mem-
ber of the family," shall apply to the Master in Lunacy,
and Ala— support his application by proofs and by medical
evidence to the satisfaction of the Master, and shall give
such notice of the application to the drunkard as the
Master shall require, the Master may authorise the deten-
tion of such person, and may subject him to curative
treatment for a period not exceeding twelve months. The
great objection to these enactments is that they are liable
to be much abused, as they place the man at the entire
mercy of his friends, if such they can be called. The action
as to lunatics has to be well guarded, even with our
English law, and what would be the result when such
extended powers are given to those whose interest it nay
be to get their relatives incarcerated, remains to be seen.
Mr. Hamilton Hume, the secretary of the Eyre Defence
Fund, announces the formation of a committee for
receiving subscriptions for a testimonial to the ex-
governor. Sir Roderick Murchison is the president, Rid
the Hon. Miler 46_2p,
.41,E, the yissrpteeitiezite

THE HANDEL FESTIVAL.

"The Messiah"—Yesterday.

It is no exaggeration to say at once that our
loftiest anticipations in regard to the Third of these
Grand Triennial Handel Festivals—high though
they undoubtedly were—have been utterly sur-
passed. The Festival of 1868, judging of it merely
from the first of the Three Days' Performance, will
henceforth be regarded as the standard of excellence
in respect to these colossal and majestic exhibitions.
It as completely surpasses the Second Festival as
that Second Festival surpassed the First, or as that
first surpassed all other kindred deinonstrations then
on record. Much of this advancement or pro-
gression is, of course, attributable to the
mere effects of practice, of experiment, of
experience. A great deal, moreover, is traceable
to the steady and instantly appreciable improve-
ments of an acoustic kind achieved upon each suc-
cessive occasion, in the structure of what is techni-
cally termed the auditorium of that gigantic Hall of
Music, the Grand Transept of the Crystal Palace—
the Palace of the People of England —down at
Sydenhafri. It is just possible, of course,
that some additional contrivance may even yet be
hit upon before the Fourth Triennial Festival
in honour of George Frederick Handel i❑ 1871 shall
have arrived. It is possible, we say, but it is barely
probable. For, so far As we can conceive, these
acoustical arrangements which have been growing
up, three years by three years, we had almost said
year by year, in the. Crystal Palace, over and around
that marvellous Orchestra, have already attained a
degree of merit, or we should prefer to say a tho-
roughness of efficiency, such as leaves nothing
whatever (that we ourselves at any rate could sug-
gest) to be desiderated. The screening off of the
arched portion of each of the naves—the screening
off of each from the spring-point of the arch—so
effectually retains the sound within the range of the
auditorium without allowing it to escape, or so to
speak evaporate in the iramensity of that great sur-
rounding edifice of iron and glass, that the most
delicate pianissimo of a tremulous; violin-string,
the faintest articulation of a pathetic soloist, when
the notes warbled forth are allowed almost, one
might say, to die out into silence, can be dis-
tinctly heard, can be heard without an
effort, in any portion of the vast area allotted
to the audience. We speak after a very carefu
examination or rather after an elaborate testing
of the audience-part of the grand transept, whether
from the floor of the building where the seats are
portioned out into blocks, or from the several gal-
leries on either side of the transept, or immediately
fronting the gigantic orchestra. From the upper-
most gallery of all, upon a level with the rail of
which the high rope of Biondi!), the acrobat, was
stretched from end to end a few years ago, when
that most daring of aerial dancers played
such "fantastic tricks before high heaven"
—from that " coign of 'vantage," the uppermost
gallery of all, we " listened delighted" to the chief
part both of the " Grand Full Rehearsal" of Fri-
day last and of the " Messiah" yesterday. Hearing
everything at that giddy altitude with the greatest
ease, and again we say it, listening delighted. Up-
wards of 18,000 attending on the Full R,learsal
Day, that is on Friday last, we are not surprised
to observe that more than 19,000 were assembled
together yesterday in honour of the first of the Three
Grand Days—constituting an integral portion of
the,Festival itself—to witness the performance, then
and there, upon the grandest scale ever attempted,
of Handel's cape d'opera, the MESSIAH. Tue mere
sight of the Orchestra, when filled with the four
thousand performers, vocalists and instrumentalists
—the mere sight of these serried ranks of musicians,
banked up, row above row, on either side of the great
organ, and in unbroken semicircles behw the great
organ down to the cushioned stool and music desk
of the Conductor in the foreground—where there is
set apart a little open platform as the stand-
point of the half-dozen soloists—the mere sight of
this giant Orchestra when filled, to say nothing of
the sounds flowing from it afterwards, has about
it a wonderful impressiveness. It is worth tra-
velling some distance merely to hook at it. But—
to hear it ! It is like the acquisition of a new sense,
or, at any rate, like thn glJrificatioa or beatifica-
tion of one of the subtlest of the Five with
which Human Nature is so wonderfully endowed.
Any one who may have attended yesterday fir the
first time since the conception of these Grand
Triennial Festivals, must have realized thus much
before a note of the music of Hanl:l's " Messiah"
had been given forth by that array of musical in-
struments of all kinds gathered together, there, under
the shadow of the glorious organ. Doctor John
Bull's anthem of " God Save the Queen "
more strictly speaking the National Anthem
of England than even the heroic and patrio-
tic air of " Rule Britannia " was enough
of itself to stir the soul and heart of the most
phlegmatic person there present, as the soul of
a knight or as the heart of a war horse is stirred at
the sound of a trumpet. Upstanding, uncovered,
hushed into attention, the audience of twenty thou-
sand listened to the four thousand voices
and instruments pealing forth that simple but
majestic and spirit-moving benediction upon the
reigning Sovereign. Immediately before this the
group of soloists, engaged for the occasion, had,
upon their appearance together, been welcomed
with signal cordiality by the assembled multi-
tude. Madlle. Titiens as the soprano, Madame
Sainton Dolby as the contralto, Mr. Sims
Reeves as the tenor, and Mr. Santley as
the bass of, the occasion, receiving, as they were
each entitled to do, a grand reception. Yet shar-
ing that cordial reception of theirs with the hardly
less cordial reception given to the two eminent singers
who were associated with them yesterday—namely,
Mr. Cumming and Madame Rudersdorff. When
moreover, at the very last moment, that is, imme-
diately upon the stroke of two o'clock yesterday
afternoon, the Prospero of the day, wand in hand,
made his always welcome appearance—Michael
Costa to wit—as Leigh Hunt has it in his won-
derful little:poem on Paganini--

" Tho thunder of the applauding house came down,
And bowed the breathing sorcerer into smiles."
Then came the National An them,and directly upon its
conclusion, the "Messiah" began with the Overture.

Our great tenor, Mr. Sims Reeves—facile princeps
among all living sacred-music sob-singers--by his
glorious delivery, so familiar to us all, of the reci-
tative " Comfort ye, my People," followed
by the air, " Every Valley," first kindled
the enthusiasm of the audienco yesterday—
an enthusiasm that was often afterwards rekindled
sometimes with a burst of acclamation not only in
answer to his sJlos and those of his associates, espe-

clay in the instance tint.) and again of Midlle.
Titiens and Mr. Santley, but again and again, and
yet again, at the close of many a marvellous Chorus,

The first of these choruses', that is the first in order,
had a thrilling effect—" And the glory of the

Lord." As a matter of course, however, it was
immeasureably surpassed by three or four of the
choruses coming afterwards in their appointed
places. The " Hallelujah " being just simply elec-
trifying! Not that we regard that sublime pro..

duction as the choral chef d'ceuvres of Handel, or
even of this Oratorio, of which it is, no doubt, one of
the most majestic portions ! " For unto us a Child

is Born," being, to our notion, far beyond
the " Hallelujah"—as, indeed, who will gainsay it,

when remembering—" Wonderful! Counsellor!
the Mighty God ! the -Everlasting Father ! the

Prince of Peace !" Even as a " Hallelujah" we
have the temerity to accord precedence and supe-

riority, and honour, and glory, by preference to the
" Hallelujah" of the Mount of Olives by Beethoven

—a song of adoration worthy of being pealed forth

in the heavens themselves to the treble of the
cherubim and the diapason of the thunder; to

the harps of the seraphim and the trumpets

of the arehangels. But, as peerless and unsurp as-

sable in its way as that " Hallelujah Chorus" of
Beethove% is Handel's magnificent and inimitable

masterpiece, "For unto us a Child ii Born." Yes-
terday it was performed just simply to perfection.

- - -
Immediately preceding it, had been given with

adstirable effect, respectively, Madame Sain-
ton Dolby's rendering of " 0 thou that tellest "
and Mr. Santley's ucble articulation of the reci-

tative " For Behold DarkaQss," followed
.by the

sombre and devious, groping, almost stumbling air
of " The People that walked in Darkness." After
the chorus already particularised as the arch-achieve-
ment chorally of the day—there came, in as usual
delicious contrast, the exquisite and sylvan warbling
grace of the " Pastoral Symphony". Then earns
triumphs of song won alternately by Madlle.
Titiens and Madame Sainton-Dolby—crowned by
that noble close to the first part of this
truly glorious oratorio, the grand concordant
sounds of " His Yoke is Easy," articulated, as by a
single voice and a single instrument, by the
orchestra of four thousand. Subsequently the second
and third parts were performed in uninterrupted se-
quence as a single part, that is to say, without the
slightest break or pause whatever. Here, the solo
triumphs were most notably those achieved
by Mr. Santley in " Why do the nations
so furiously rage," by Mr. Sims Reeves
in " Thou shalt break them like a rod of
iron, thou shall dash them in pieces like a potter's
vessel," by Mdlle. Titiens, in " I know that My'
Redeemer," and lastly, again by Mr. Santley, in
"The Trumpet shall Sound" with Mr. Harper's
trumpet obbligato. Besides the sublime "Hallelujah,"
the second portion of the oratorio gave us, among
others, three very wonderful choruses, wonderfully
rendered—" Surely he bath borne "—" And we
like sheep "---and " He trusted iu God," the open-
ing passage of which chorus last mentioned conveys
so vividly to the imagination through the thunder
of the scoffing basses, the pitiless fury of the rabble
of the Jews exulting in the Crucifixion. The two
quartetts in Part Three were splendidly delivered,
and the whole oratorio brought to a majestic conclu-
sion by the highly-elaborated and colossal chorus
of " 'Worthy is the Lamb." Altogether, the first
day of this greatest of the Triennial Handel Festivals
was a triumph of art that will long be looked
back to as to a standard of excellence. It promises
gloriously for the " Selections" set apart for
to-morrow (Wednesday) as the Second Day,
and for the " Israel in Egypt " set down
for Friday, as the Third and Last Day of this
memorable Festival. Yesterday's performance 'of
the " Messiah" transformed the Crystal Palace for
the time being into a very Temple of Adoration.

E,K
• ,9
&Dial (eirtil Tar.

HER MAJESTY.

BALMORAL CASTLE, June 13.
The Queen drove out in the morning, accom-
panied by Princess Louise; and in the afternoon
her Majesty 'again drove out, accompanied by
Princess Louise, Princess Beatrice, and Prince
Leopold.

AD.I.IIRAL ROUS ON THE TURF.

•
TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.

S:r,—Observing in your paper of to-day the
following paragraph, quoted from the Pall-Mall
Gazette :—" The Sporting Life, with more audacity,
mentions that Admiral Rous said on the course
that if he had taken as much laudanum as had been
given to the mare he would have been a dead man,"
permit me to state that it is perfectly untrue. My
belief is that Lady Elizabeth had a rough spin with
Athena in March, when the Days discovered she
had lost her form—a very common occurrence with
fillies which have been severely trained at two years
old; that when the discovery was made they re-
versed a commission to back her for the One Thou-
sand Guineas Stakes at Newmarket, and they de-
clared that Lord Hastings would not bring her out
before the Derby, on which he stood to win a great
stake. I am informed that when Lord Hastings
went to Danebury to see her gallop they made ex-
cuses for her not to appear. If he had seen her
move the bubble would have burst. But the touters
reported, she was going like a bird ;" £lO will
make any horse fly if the trainer wishes it to rise in
the market. She has never been able to gallop the
whole year. I,lrd Hastings has been shamefully
deceived, and with respect to scratching the Earl,
Lord Westmorland came up V) town early on Tues-
day from Epsom to beseech Lord Hastings not to
commit sucli.an act. On his arrival in Grosvenor-
square he met Mr. Hill going to Weatlierby's with
the order in his pocket to scratch the Earl. and Mr.
A. Padwick closeted with Lord Hastings. In justice
to the Marquis of Hastings I state that he stood to
win £35,000 by the Earl, and did not hedge his
stake money. Then you will ask, " Why did be
scratch him ?" What can the poor fly demand from
the spider in whose web he is enveloped ?
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
H. J. Rous.

13, Berke!ey-square, June 15.

An interesting archeological discovery has been
made in a railway cutting at Pont de Pierre, not
far from Chalons-sur-Saone. At three feet below'
the surface of the ground a group of thirteen
skeletons was found in a narrow space, and won-
derfully preserved. They seem to be the bones of
full-grown men who had died in battle. The
skeleton of a woman has been discovered among
the others. Between the jaws of one of the dead
was found an obolus, which the friend of the de-
funct had no doubt slipped in to enable the de-
parted to pay his fare to Charon. A coin, very
much defaced, but still seen to bear the effigy of
the Emperor Gordian, was also picked up among
these remains, which leads to the conclusion that
1,700 years have elapsed since they were there
interred.

A correspondent of the Times writing from Pesth,
under date of June 11th, says :—To-day we have
the fete of " Corpus Christi," the most solemn
festival of the Roman Catholic Church in Austria
and Hungary. In purely Catholic countries the
celebration of the feast of Transubstantiation has
scarcely the same meaning as in those where Ca-
tholics and Protestants live side by side, for there
is a sort of muster of those who are within the
line which separates the two
.confe sions. The
whole Ca}holic population turn out in the morning
to go in procession through the town. After the
number of the four Gospels, four altars are erected
before the doors of four different churches, or in
smaller towns, where there are not so many churches'
more or less open places are chosen in the streets
for the altars, and starting from the main church
the Host is carried through the streets, stopping at
every altar, where a chapter from one of the Gos-
pels is read and the Host elevated. Right and
left of the altars boughs and branches of trees are
arranged against the walls or made up into bowers,
while the road itself over which the procession
passes is strewed with small twigs and flowers•
In Vienna the whole Court takes part every year
in the procession, but this year, the Empress not
having quite-recovered, the Emperor and the male
part of the household alone will figure. Here the
sister towns divide the dignitaries between then•
Buda, the official city, takes most of the Ministero
and public functionaries, while Pesth has the mem-
bers of the high courts of law.

A Madame Gravis, living in the civil hospice
of Calais, has just completed her 100th year. 14'
great number of persons of the town came to COs
her on the occasion, and she replied to all with
great animation and• apropos. The day after
the clergy came to conduct her in proces-
sion to the chapel of the establishment,
to be present at a solemn mass. In the evening 3
dinner was given by public subscription to the out
persons of the hospice, and at the dessert Madame
Gravis, on her health being drunk, rose, glass in
hand, and returuel thanks in excellent language
for the interest shown her.

The Washington County Post states that an
habitant of a certain village " down west" having
bought a lot of sugar which had been adulterated
with sand, inserted in the local paper the following
advertisement :—"Notice.—l bought of a grocer
in this village 71b. of sugar, from which I have
extracted lib. of sand. If the rascal who cheated
me will send to my address 71b. of sugar (the
Scriptural measure of restitution), I will be sat.is;
fled. If not, I will expose him." The next day.o,o
71b. packages of sugar were left at the advertiscra
house, there being nine grocers in the village, all
each NuppoAing himself to hayo been dotected.

stumbling air
kness." After
e arch-achieve-
ae, in as usual
ylvan warbling

Then came
r by Madllo.
—crowned by
part of this
id concordant
:ulated, as by 3
ment, by the
ntly the second
ti t errupted se-
q., without the
Here, the solo
Lose achieved
the nations
Sims Reeves

co a rod of
like a potter's
:now that My
:r. Santley, in
'Jr. Harper's
"11311elujah,”
ave us, among

s, wonderfully
"—" And we
>d," the open-
ioned conveys
i the thunder
of the rabble
In. The two
Ily delivered,
tjestic conclu-
Dlossal chorus
,her, the first
ndel Festivals
ig be looked
. It promises
et apart for
Second Day,

set down
Day of this
rformaace 'of
al Palace for

Idoration.

miar.

June 13.

sing, accom-
the afternoon
,mpanied by
and Prince

TURF.

to-day the
le Pall-Mall
ore audacity,
i the course
as had been
L dead man,"
in true. My
gh spin with
3covered she
urrence with
at two years
rtde they re-
e One Thou-
md they de-
wing her out
) win a great
ord Hastings
iey made ex-
'ad seen her
Lt the touters
;" £lO will
it to rise in
to gallop the
shamefully
ug the Earl,
rly on Tues-
tings not to

Grosvenor-
ierby's with
arl, and Mr.
I. In justice
he stood to
,t hedge hie
IVhy did he
errand from
I ?