The Sun.
London, England, 1845-04-18 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

DE ROHAN ; or, THE COURT CONSPIRATOR.
By Eugene Sue.
The stealthy course of time has effected wondrous
changes, but far more marvellous are those which
follow in the march of intellect. Now, in the nine-
teenth century, we seem to inhabit a different world
from our ancestors—we can look back with the eye of
wisdom, we may look forward with experience for
our guide, but, above all, we can look around us with-
out prejudice or mistrust. The clouds of error no
longer obscure the light of truth—old animosities are
softened—the ill-feelings of the past forgotten—all is
changed, and for the better. This is nowhere more
manifest than in the intercourse with foreign nations
whom our forefathers encountered only in the " tented
field." A foreigner was synonymous with a fee ;
while we, having laid aside the sword, are as
eager in the rivalry of literature and arts as they
were in the din of battle. The hearts of nations
now beat in unison, and the narrow rivulets which
fertilised each separate land, now flow in one broad
stream of intelligence, diffusing the knowledge of
each for the benefit of the whole. This must be ap-
parent to all who turn their attention to the literature
of the day. "Works from the English press circulate
through the world, and we see around us transla-
tions from every land where learning flourishes ; even
Sweden and Denmark are now familiar, while our
intercourse with France is as cordial as our enmity
was formerly. M. Thiers' history was published on
the same day in the two capitals, and the lighter
works of fiction are translated to one language almost
before they are read in the other ; such is the case
with the book before us, one of the latest
productions of the indefatigable Eugene Sue.
His name is well known to the lover
of romance, and his writings are eagerly perused
both in France and England ; they may have a lasting
celebrity in the former country, but in England they
are chiefly read from curiosity, or perhaps from
having acquired the prestige of a name. The dif-
ferent characters of the two nations is marked in their
,•.

literature—the novels of the French are like them-
selves, lively, vivacious, spirituel; they sparkle
brightly on the surface, and attract general attention.
Their chief merit consists in variety of incident ;
plots, and counter-plots, intrigues and adventures
may be found in every page. It is on this account
they excel in comedies and vaudevilles. All our light
dramatic pieces are " taken from the French." But in
the development of individual character, in portray-
ing the hidden working of the passions, they cannot
sompete with us. Our novels have generally some
object in_ view, some point to which the
whole tends,_ but with them the aim is
only to amuse, and to do them justice they
generally succeed—leaving us to " point a moral"—
their object is to " adorn a tale." Though following
in the course of his compatriots, the works of Eugene
Sue possess a gloomy interest, all his own. He has
delighted to portray the scenes of guilt and misery;
his heroes are men celebrated only for their crimes.
By his own confession he believes that evil prepon-
derates over good, and he seems anxious to make
converts to his melancholy creed. Such tales may
suit the excited passions and depraved minds of some,
but surely truth is sad enough without invoking
horror from the realms of fancy. Admiring the
powerful ease with which Monsieur Sue adorns
his pages, we cannot help wishing that he
would consecrate his talents to some nobler
end than the chronicles of crime. It is on
this account we welcome his new work, wear-
ing as it does the sober garb of history. It performs
all it promises : truth is minutely followed, and the
corrupted Court of the " Grand Monarque" appears
before us divested of the empty splendour with which
so many servile flatterers have sought to veil its faults
and follies. The caustic pen of Eugene is well suited
to the task, in portraying the characters of the great
and powerful—not as kings and princes, but as weak
and faulty men—in showing how little of real glory
surrounded the " grand siecle," and how little of
real majesty adorned the acts of Louis—here Sue is in
his element. The hero of the tale is the weak and
unprincipled De Rohan, the accomplished courtier and
cowardly conspirator—
" Not half a villain, and but half a knight."
The chequered career of this unfortunate man,
the detail of the conspiracy of which he was
the nominal chief, the characters of his com-
panions, above all, the description of the King and
courtiers, are depicted with all the vigour we should
expect from the author, while its historical researches
and practical philosophy render it perhaps the most
interesting of his productions. In the wide field
of history he will find sin and sorrow enough—let
him therefore seek the aid of fancy to embellish and
not darken the page of truth.

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.
The opera of Semiramide was performed here last
night, for the first time this season, Mademoiselle Bram-
billa sustaining the part of Alsace, being her first
appearance here for the last two seasons. She was in
good voice, and sustained the character in the most
tasteful and artistically accomplished style. The
celebrated duet, in the second act, " Gioino d'er-
ror e di contento," was encored, as a matter
of course. Grisi was the Semiramide, and never
was Grisi more brilliantly magnificent than she was last
evening. Fornasari in Assur was verylfine. He retained all
that impassioned energy which has ever been his dis-
tinguished characteristic, while, at the same time, he
is more polished. Who does not know, and who
that knows, does not admire, the Oroe of La
blache ? This is one of the many instances
in which Lablache elevates a small character up
to his own level. Corelli displayed great taste as Idreno,
and the opera, on the whole, has never been more ad-
mirably represented. Between the acts of the opera the
danseuses Viennoises, appeared in the Pas Styrien, whioh
was given with all that liveliness and precision for which
the performances of these wonderful children are so
distinguished. After the opera a new divertissement,
entitled Kaya,wasproduced with the most complete and
deserved success. The idea of this divertissement is due
to Mdlle. Grahn, who suggested its composition in order to
afford an opportunity for the display of the wonderful
Fanny pantomimic talent of Fraulein Pragher, one of
the Danseuses Viennoises.
.Perrot composed the diver-
tissement, the scene of which is laid in Norway, and Lucile
Grahn having sung several popular Norwegian tar s to
Pugni, he speedily instrumented and adapted then:.
The scene is laid in Norway at the time of harvest, and
the following are the characters :

Kays
- Madlle. Lutt;.,
'Ae Grahn.
L'Amour
Hermann , Gosselin.
Knud ...... M. Perrot.
The following an outline of the plot, which is as
old as te days of Anacreon, but which, from
tha novel mariner in which it has been treated,
makes the prettiest divertissement that has been
produced for many seasons past. Kaya is a Tillage
coquette, the daughter of Hermann, a rich farmer. Her
hand is sought by Knud, but his suit is rejected,
not from any rooted dislike, but out of a mere
spirit of coquettry. He offers her a ring, which she
accepts, but instead of putting it on her finger, she
passes a ribbon through it, and after playing a number of
coquettish tricks with it, she suspends it round her neck,
The espieglerie of Lucile Grahn in this scene was grace-
ful and fascinating in the extreme—Knud leaves her in
despair. As he is proceeding up the mountains, he
meets a poor child which has lost its way ; the child has
fallen from weariness, he takes it in his arms, and bears
it to the cottage of Kaye, who tends it with the greatest
kindness. This child is the God of Love himself, who
seated at her feet as she is spinning,• interrupts her,
work by all sorts of vaischievous tricks. At levgth she

seizes a birch, and, threatening to chastise him, drive
him away ; and here is introduced Le pas des Cinq
Sens, by Lucile Grahn and Fraulein Fanny Pragher,
whose pantomime, as Cupid, was delightfully arch and
amusing. The child offers strawberries to her to please
her taste. He then gathers a rose. She wishes for it.
He snatches it from her, but wafts it so near her, that,
delighted with the perfume, she is still more
anxious to obtain it. This is the illustration
(f smell. She snatches it, but, in doing
so, runs a thorn into her finger, and thus illustrates
feeling. The hunters' horn is heard in the distance.
She stands fascinated by the sound, and at length her
sight is delighted by the entrance of Knud, whom all the
while she had loved in her heart. There is something
exceedingly quaint in the idea of this pas, and it is most
artistically and beautifully worked out by Lucile Grahn
—it was delightful to see the manner in which she acted
with little Fanny Pragher, always managing her
own pantomime in such a manner as to af-
ford the child the fullest opportunity for the
display of her powers. Kraal determines to work on
her jealousy, and makes love to the other girls. She
then finds she really loves him. The mischievous urchin
is denounced us the cause of all the confusion, when he
appears in his real character as the God of Love. A
pas de six, in which Perrot and Lucile Grahn take the
principal parts, follows, and in this the dancing
of Lucile Grahn is Icily marvellous. She was
rapturously applauded, and in her solo part
if we may be allowed the expression, was de-
servedly encored. The divertissement concludes with
the pas des moissanneurs by the danseuses Viennoises
which surpasses even the marvels of the far-famed pas
des fleurs. It is impossible to convey by words the
slightest idea of the wonders performed by the children
in this pas. It is in fact a perfect illustration of harvest
—they reap, they pile the sheaves, they thresh out the
grain, but their operations are mingled with the
quaintest devices, the most picturesque yet intricate
groupings imaginable. The scene, which repre-
sented a Norwegian landscape, was very beautiful,
and Bayer, if we mistake not, is destined not merely to
be the divertissement of one season only, but to take its
place with La Giselle, and Alma, and Ondine, as a ballet
for all time. After the ballet, Moriani appeared in the
last scene of Lucia. Le Nena gave us one of the National
Dances of Spain ; and the performances concluded with
the last scene of Eoline. With such a bill of fare, it is
needless to say that the house was crowded.