The Sun.
London, England, 1826-06-06 00:00:00

DEATH OF M. VON WEBER.

We announced in our Paper of yesterday the death
of M. Von Weber, the distinguished composer of Der
Freisehiitz, Euryanthc, Oberon, and other musical
works of the first order, which took plaCe yesterday mot ii-
ing at the house of Sir Geo. Smart, in Great Portland-
street, where he has resided since his arrival from the
Continent. The event may he termed sudden, sinceino,
immediate danger was apprehended on Sunday night
by his medical attendants ; but it was foreseen that his
decease could not be far distant, and all hope of his
return to his country had long been abandoned 'on
the part of his friends. His: complaint was a '
monary affection of long standing. His age, we'
understand, was only thirty-nine, mid- thus M. Von
Weber, who undoubtedly was one of the greatest mu-
sicians that has existed since Mozart, liar, 'like him,
been taken from that .profession to which he Was
an ornament • before he could be said, • in point of
age, to. • have attained the full maturity of his
genius. The symptoms of his disorder had not as-
sumed a form in any material degree alarming until
.Friday last; when M. Von Weber was compelled.. to
keep .his roam, but his spirits and his appetite were
good, and he entertained no sense whatever of his
approaching danger. The only change remarked. in
hun Within the last few days was an increasing anxiety
to return to his own country. His friends, of course,
studied to divert him from an idea they foresaw could
never he realized, but all direct opposition only tended
to create in hint great uneasiness, and his mind grew
cheerful in proportion as he conceived the various
obstacles that presented themielves were capable of
being surmounted. A friend and countryman who
paid him constant attention, supped with him, and
left him at 11 o'clock on the night before his death,
apparently cheerful, and in-no immediate danger. 7'lle
was found in a lifeless state at seven o'clock yesterday
morning,, and though medical aid. was promptly resort-
ed to, it was too late, the vital spark being quite ex-
tinct. M. Von Weber gave a concert so recently as
the 26th ult. at the Argyll-rooms, at which he pre-
sided, and gratified the audience by several new emu-
positions of extraordinary merit. One of the most
remarkable among them was a song from Lalla.llookh,
composed expressly for Miss Stephens, and which Was
accompanied by M. Von Weber himself on the piano
forte. The following are the words to which this
composition was adapted :
Frew Chindara's warbling fount I come,
Calf'd by that moon-light garland's. spell ;
From Chindara's fount, my fairy home,
Where in music, morn and night, I dwell. •
Where lutes in the air are heard about,
And voices are singing the whole day long,
And every sigh the heart breathe§ out
Is toned, as it leaves the lips. to song
Hither I come
From my fairy home,
And if there's a magic in Music's strain,
I swear by the breath
Of that moonlight wreath,
Thy lover shall sigh at thy feet again.
For mine is the lay that lightly floats,.
And mine are the murmuring, dying notes,
That fall us soft as snow on the sea,
Anti malt in thr heart as instantly !
And the passionate strain that, deeply going,
Defines the bosom it trembles through,
• As tie uniskwind over the. Waters blowing,
Ituffloa the waves, but sweetens it tool
u, hither 'come
Front my fairy some,
And if there's a magic in Music's strain,
I wear by the breath
Of that moon-light wreath,

Thy lover shun sigh at thy feet again.
Only the melody of this song, we understand, has yet
been committed to paper. The composer, when it
was performed, supplied he accompaniments from re-
collection of what had been his own design ; but the
short interval allowed him previous to the concert, bas
prevented their being preserved in any shspe ; and it
may, perhaps, become a problem among the great mu-
sicians of the present day how that can be best filled
up which M. Von Weber has left unfinished. His
anxiety to do justice to any subject on which he was
engaged may be evident by the fact, that before he
would engage in the composition of the song above
quoted, he insisted,on reading the whole poem, which
he had not seen before. He was impressed by its pe-
rusal with the highest admiration of Mr. Moore, and ex-
pressed a very strong desire to be introduced to him.
The opera of Der Freisehiitz, with all the original
music, was to have been performed yesterday evening,
at Covent-garden Theatre, for the benefit and under
the superintendence of the composer, but his increas-
ing indisposition, which prevented his attendance,
familycats
i d
willthe postponementn()t,
o course,
lose
the
a performance.vunTatie,,
but Hrais-
ther, by the increased sympathy of the public with
heir misfortune, have it more than doubled to them on
the first occasion the inanag,ers of the theatre may ofThr.
M. Von Weber, previous to hisarrival in this coun-
try, resided at Dresden, where he occuied the post
of Maestro di Cappello to the king of Saxony, in
whose Court be was held in the greatest estimation.
Indeed, in all parts of Germany be is spoken of with
enthusiasm, as a musical genius of the first order.
His opera of Der Freisch;it,T., though not superior to
many others of his composition, has attr trted the
universal attention, and its popularity in this country
first led to the idea of an invitation to M. Von
Weber to visit England, and to compose an opera for
the English stage. This enga eeent he fulfilled by
the production of Oberon, whit!rm
he has only survived
a few weeks, and which, as it has been the last, will
probably be ranked hereafter as the finest of his dra-
matic compositions. The state of M. 'Von Weber's
health, which rendered hint peculiarly susceptible of
the variations in the weather of an English spring, has
prevented his being a very frequent visiter in the fash-
ionable circles ; and he possessed, perliapi, too poi er-
flit a consciousness of real merit to descend to those
little arts by which popularity is to he secured within
that range. We understand that several members of
the musical profes,,ion have already intimated a desire
to pay every possible revect to the remains of a man
who may be truly said to have advanced and done
honour to the art ; and when the loss it has now sus-
tained becomes more gvierally known, it cannot be
doubted that the sante disposition will manifest itself
more extensively. M. Von Weber, we hear, has left
a wife and two children, bat who did not UCCOmpatiy
him on his journey to England.

THEOLOGY.

Three Discourses, with notes, on the inapartent. and interesting
subject of Christian Itlietions to tlie Jewish People. Ity the
Rev. RWHA ft» BINtiliAM, jail. 13. A., Curate of Gosport Chapel,
&c.—Ssetatir. 182(3.

The present state of the descendants of the ancient
people of Israel is such as cannot but excite the atten-
tion of the most casual observer, not the least remark-
able feature in their national character is tho pertinacity
with which they have adhered to the religion of their
ancestors, when living, scattered among other nations
and exposed to contumely, and often to persecution,
and almost to extermination, on the ground of their
peculiarities. Notwithstanding all the assaults of per-
secution in ruder times, and all the endeavours of pro-
selytism in more enlightened ages, they have still
retained their faith unaltered ; and neither has any
distinct political community been established among,
them ; nor any body.of converts gone over to Chris-
tianity.
In respect to the latter object much attention has
been of late years excited in the Christian world. No
believer in Scripture can hesitate to relmit, what Mr.
Bingham in these discourses particulaily dwells upon,
viz. that the ancient prophets do in sufficiently explicit
terms predict the ultimate conversion and restoration
of this people. But while the ;eneral prediction is
admitted, it must at the same tune be confessed that
many interpreters have gone to an injudicious extreme
in the minute mid particular interpretations they, have
put upon these passages. Mr. Bingham appears to
us to have in a great degree kept clear from these
faults. He has confined himself to proving, by a
numerous citation of passages, the general position ; and
dwells particularly on the circumstance that their conver-
sion is to bebrought about by the agency ofhuman means
and ordinary causes. Among these he considers the
London Society fir' the conversion of the Jews, to'be
one of the most promising ; and the object of his dis-
courses is to introduce a strong appeal in favour of
the objects of that Society. Upon this particular
point, we do not know that we can quite agree with
him, at least we believe it pretty certain, that this So-
ciety, from the testimony of its own reports, his,
during the whole time since its establishment
(we believe about fifteen years,) made but a
very scanty number of converts. If then experience
is to be relied on, we should be tempted to imagine
that some further causes remain to be brought into
operation before any great or permanent conversion
can be looked fbr. We should be sorry to say any
tiling in disparagement of tin institution set ibrward,
no doubt with the purest Christian motives, or of the
mipport given to its cause by so zealous and able an ed -
vacate as the author of the discourses befine us ; on the
contrary, we are disposed to' view all endeavours of
this kind as conspiring together to be ultimately
useful in the cause of true religion ; though we
are inclined to imagine that their operation will be
but very indirect, and their prospects exceedingly
remote. One of The first objects towards the
amelioration
be foundin thefhe Jewisht
extension f ttee°lllie w
.) system ec
orei conceive will
be found in the extension oftlieir system of education,
which we believe is at present usually of the most
confined description. There are testimonials in the
hook before us from some of their most learned Rabbis
that, they had not even heard of the existence of the
New 'Testament! We would, however, by no means
be understood as wishing to discourage any judicious
attempts to introduce' the knowledge of the (hemel
among this interesting people : and in patio to our
author's views, we will extract one of his most foreiblo
appeals on their behalf.

would entreat you, my Christian friends, to divest your
minds of every old-fashioned prejudice, and leant to look upon
the Jews in a new light—in another aspect. Consider them no
longer its a people to be trainpled on, despised,' scorned, and left
to pedal& ; but regard them with pity and compassion, and allow
them at least/Jame portion in your Christian benevolence: Oli !
cell not Zion an outcast,' hut rather learn to favour her dust--
seek her good—and prey for her peace and pardon. Oh ! art
the gospel Church, married as she is to her flelovisl find Itri.
Friend, entertain some kinder regard!, towards her widonil
ter Jerusalem, and endeavour to Wm; her back to the favour
and good will of her own Lord, under whose shadow the sitteth
with delight, and his fruit is sweat unto her Luta l Neitho
UN be discouraged, because mart of them Jews are hard-hearted,
and blindly obstinate in unhelief. The mere they hate the Ito d
Jesus, the greater their danger; and the greater their danger, the
more needful is it to seek to be instrumental in bringing theta
into safety ! But whether the work is diffieult—whether wee
enjoy all the somas we could wish for—whether there are
many tlituippointments, and we often labour in vain ; are nut
the questions which it becomeS us to canvass. Ati they in a
perishing state? and, Ilow can we help them ? and, 'Who will
go? are the inquiries which best become us. For, to suppose
rase which couldltot but deeply interest your feelings, if tk
lent ship were known to be in a sinking condition within trigs of
our shores, should we waste the preeions moments i,i weiglimg
all the difficulties of getting to her? ' Should we wait for a fit-
vourahle wind, or stay till the storm was over? Nay ! It would.
be sufficient for every soul, not utterly destitute of human feel-
lags, to know that the crew were drowninie---we should bistro,
tvithout loss of time to our boats—every thaw:settle vessel would
he got under way with all possible expedition—and no considera-
tion of didieolty in reaching the wreck, or of personal risk in so
doing, would deter us from Endeavouring to rescue our periehim
fellow-ereaturee from a watery grave !. How much toot!
should Christises be in attempting the rescue of th„,,,,,Ands ut
Jews from the pit of destruction ; and spare neither espence nor
pains, if by any means they might save those precious souk, from
sinking everlastingly into the bottomless deptlet of eternal perdi-
tion ! my brethren, let us hasten to these drowning people.
Let us carry out to them the life.bnoy of the Gospel ; and teal'
therm, instead of
uprut die. .v;:ittittlNyvcatching at rho
ill itikt stratus,theiott,llll‘l,tv'
to;,110111:Itt
tsi, 4.1
vng
tioatus•tduZsluCallitr;isetv,enwittill tilZille'l'itillawrrtlttelittoilietn; a fteltuly tallt'ed
tidy
of mortality, and bring them finally, with joy and glOneakt, 4'441
the peaceful haven of eternal rest !

The Panama Pearl Fishery is likely to share the fide
of other diving• Companies. More gnus have been
caught at home than vsters at Panama.
An inhabited island has lately been discovered in
the PaCifiet by two woods in the merviee of the King of the Ne-
therlanda. The nume of Nederinuaielt tailnd hag befit given to-it.

AN E vll, .8P ttt T.-51r. Wilkinson, of ElorrY-
annirous)
street, Pimlico, ha* very much (to. hie oulri" Mad rue ftn.
Lud his windows broken by some Penum Perwlilt—long and
the bolt two or ihree.evatlinga• 111 r. Wilkinsoiuot 17110
at hoot
in vain watched for the detection of the depretala
rectiveit
to
compelled to avails, the very material atilt itt";: ltet
ii,44 of Ghost,
the l'Oglit.r some immaterial spent—;;(l; roof a lama
unfUrtuellitelY' "d* the
14',":ialoctietrator of all ;his. mitt.
watch has at length detected the
shoot 12 or
yowl,
of
chief in the person of a *lvan
t7.011171t; treuttliont, she had
we it is supposed, horn her
tiowoytr,
entiolved herself to have r