The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-30 00:00:00

HAYMARKET THEATRE.

Romeo and Juliet was prothiced at this theatre last
evening for the purpose of introducing Miss Susan
Cushman (sister of the Miss Cushman, who acted the
part of Romeo), to an English audience. Had we
not, many a time and ofr, been delighted—delighted
is not the word—carried away—by the acting of
Miss Cusshman in Shaksperian characters, we should
havo hailed Miss Susan Cushman as the greatest
actress of the day. True, she is as yet unfamed—
true she has some of the technicalities of the stage
yet to learn—yet, her Juliet, taken as a whole, is
more true to Shakspere than any Juliet within our
remembrance, There is no conventionality about—
she takes the text of her author, and gives us her
own interpretation of it; and genius interpreting
genius can never be far wrong. Her genius is essen-
tially tragic. In the earlier scenes there was, per-
haps, a want of that abandon which tutored
actresses throw into the part, and which is,
after all, conventional ; hut when the girl
becomes the woman, an impassioned, loving,
self• sacrificing woman, Miss Susan Cushman was
very great. The balcony scene was given with an
intensity which we should look for in vain in other
actresses. It was evident that she loved—loved
earnestly ; her whole soul was in love with Romeo ;
and this intensity was kept up throughout. Her
acting in the scene in which the nurse tells her of
the result of her interview with Romeo was very fine.
There was no trickery about it. It was evident that
her love for Romeo absorbed every other passion ;
and instead of showing herself off as a comic actress
(which is too often the case with debiitante Juliets),
she made no effort to disguise her impatience. Love
was the all-absorbing passion of her soul. The scene
in which Friar Laurence gives her poison was magni-
fseently given. She hung upon him, and seemed
greedily to devour his words as though they were the
words of life and death. Horror, at the part
she was called upon to act, was depicted in her
every look, her every action, and when at last her
love absorbing and overcoming every other passion
"screws her courage to the sticking place,"
she was magnificent. The soliloquy before taking
the draught was very fine, and her look and action,
as her imagination conjures up before her the frightful
visions of the charnel-house, was thrilling. There was
a deal stillness throughout the house, which was
crowded, and there was not one of that vast assem-
blage who did not feel with her and for her.
Tak-n as a whole, Miss Susan Cushman's
debut is the most deservedly successful which we
have witnessed for years. There is an impassioned
intensity about her acting which carries the spectator
along with her, and almost paralyses criticism. But
what shall we say of Miss Cushman's Romeo ? Many
a time and oft has Romeo been murdered, hut never,
since the youthful days of Charles Kemble, has
Romeo been acted on the English stage until last
night. It was a bold attempt for a lady, even for
Miss Cushman, to attempt the part of Romeo, but
faint heart never yet won favour, and the bold attempt
succeeded. Would that this gifted lady could in-
fuse some of her spirit into our actors, who eschew
Romeo as an uphill part. It is their own cold blood
that makes it an uphill part. They lack " that quick
spirit ;" that intensity, that passion, that pathos
which is required to bring out all the beauties
of the character. These did Miss Cushman
infuse into the part. Ay ! and there was
no lack of manly bearing and daring courage ; she
was the very Romeo that Shakspere drew. So true
is it that genius is of no sex, that none
would have discovered she was a woman. Her
wooing was overpowering. Her passion, when,
condemned to banishment, she learns the doom
in Friar Laurence's cell, was irresistible —ay,
as irresistible as the terrible earnestness of her
attacks of the fiery Tybalt and the courtly Paris.
The Misses Cushman were called for at the conclu-
sion of the tragedy, and greeted with rapturous and
well-deserved plaudits. The nurse of Mrs. Glover,
and the Friar Laurence of Mr. Stuart, were both
admirable. We cannot say as much for the Mer-
cutio of Mr. Holl ; the Mercutio of Shakspere
was a finished gentleman.

FREE-TRADE.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Sin—l address you with all the freedom- of a brother
in the same cause, " the cause of free-trade." Imme-
diately upon the receipt of your valuable Seven o'clock
Edition of Saturday's Sun, on Sunday last, at nine
o'clock, announcing that the prospect of a free-trade
Government being formed by Lord John Russell was at
an end, the free-traders here of the middle and working
classes, were moving ere Monday's Sun had shown
itself; and the pens of a few were moving also in the same
cause, and they rose as,
" When mankind falls asleep,
A miracle is sent as an alarm
To wake the world, and prove him o'er again.
By recent argument, but not more strong.
Say, which imports more plenitude of power,
Or nature's law to fix, or to repeal ?"
And by middle day un Monday_a requisition was out ;
and in less than twenty-four hours it received the signa-
tures of one hundred and nine freemen, electors, and
other inhabitants, addressed to W. James, Esq., oar
worthy and humane Mayor, " to call a public meeting
of the inhabitants on as early a day as possible, for the
purpose of addressing her Most Gracious Majesty the
Queen, praying her to call to her councils such men only,
who will immediately, totally, and unconditionally re-
mire those imposts upon corn, which a Noble Lord,
once high in her Majesty's confidence, has publicly and
justly stated to be 'the blight of commerce, the bane
of agriculture, the source of bitter divisions among
classes, the cause of penury, fever, mortality, and crime,
among the people,' and thereby secure to her Ma
jesty's suffering but faithful people, a full supply of the
necessaries of life.—Dated, Dec. 22, 1845."—(Here
follow a list of 109 signatures, twelve of whom are
town-councillors.
" In compliance with the above requisition, I hereby
call a meeting of the inhabitants of Hereford and its
vicinity, for the purpose therein specified, to be holden
at the Town-hall, at the hour of twelve of the clock
at noon, on Wednesday, the 31st of December instant.
" Dec. 23, 1845. WILLIAM JAMES, Mayor.'
A memorial left here on Christmas-day, signed by a
goodly number, addressed to the Council of the League,
begging of them, as they value the cause of free-trade,
to send down a Villiers, a Cobden, a Bright, a Paulton,
a Moore, a Fox, or a Gibson, to pourtray the evil effects
of a law we all feel, but lack the power to describe in
sufficient force, but can and will throw the weight of our
neighbourhood's testimony, that even in happy, agri-
cultural Herefordshire, low wages, and scanty food and
clothing is severely felt, as the memorial of nearly five
hundred of the sons and daughters of industry, now in
eourse of signature among the very poor, will fully prove.
It is an address to the Council of the League, to lend
them, in their helpless condition, aid, that an impres-
sion may be made upon the employers in this district,
that if low prices mean low- wages, they can feelingly
prove with their little ones, that high prices now for
bread here does not give them and theirs high wages, as
their little ones' unsatisfied appetites can prove. The
memorial will be presented to the delegates when they
arrive, and will be au evidence, with the facts laid before
the meeting on the 31st instant, that Herefordshire is
suffering, and will continue
,to suffer, until the hands
of industry are untied by repeal, and the removal of, or
equilisation of tea, sugar, and other duties, are made ;
but the corn laws must go first, and then the unholy
alliance of colonial and agricultural protection bonds are
snapped by an appeal to the middle and working classes,
through the hustings ; and, then, let the watchword be
—" Measures, not men," for " party is the madness of
the many, for the gain of the few."
In conclusion, I call upon :you, in the name of the
poor, of whose cause I am the humble but sincere advo-
cate, to send us down one of your able reporters, to
carry back to the metropolis, and there publish to the
world, the state of the working classes in a district
where nature has been most bountiful, but where " the
hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields
which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth ; and the
cries of them which have reaped are entered into the
ears of the Lord of Sabaoth ; ' and thereby add their
(the labourers') testimony to the mass of information col-
lected without commissioners.
By so doing, dear Sir, you will add another leaf to the
laurels already won for the columns of The Sun, which
is the chief London paper read here by all parties, be-
cause of its giving, later news than others, and for its
independent course on public questions.—l am, dear
Sir, 3 our sincere brother in the good cause,
RICHARD NASH,
12, Bridge street, Hereford, Dec.2B, 18_45.
P.S. No attorney has lent us his aid yet, although
we have nearly fifty.
Our papers are, the one a protectionist (the Journal)
and the other (the Titnea),.a low-duty, sliding-off in five
years, but suspending for six months the present duties,
so that we have no organ here in Hereford.

ISLE OF "TIGHT.—A ferocious assault was corn
milted on the evening of Saturday last, by some person
as yet unhnown, on the person of Mr. Williams, the re-
spected host of the Sloop Inn, at Wooten-bridge. Whilst
passing Fern-hill, on hiS way, home, he received a tre-
mendous blow on the forehead, from a bludgeon, which
levelled him to the earth, and deprived him of his senses,
but for how long a period he was unable to ascertain.
When sufficiently recovered, he crawled home in a most
dreadful exhausted state, having lost a considerable
quantity of blood. It is supposed that one of two men
who jumped over the hedge, and administered the blow,
mistook him for a gamekeeper (having. a gun in his
hand), as no other motive can be assigned for the
diabolical act, no attempt at robbery having followed the
at' af.k.—littopshire Independent.
COPPER MINE IN DORCIIESTER.—The copper mine
at Broomfield, about five miles from this town, is pro-
gre,sing most auspiciously. With a steam-engine of
only twelve-horse power, and at the depth of o more
than 14 beet. fro the surface of the ground, a ton of
capital ore v.; raised from a very small shaft, at every six
feet depth of working, and this, without pursuing the
load of ore horizontally. As it is well known by
scientific geologists and practical miners, that every in-
creased foot of working in depth adds to the propor-
tionate excellence of the ore, both as to quantity and
quality, this enterprise promises to be one of extraor-
dinary promise. The load is near five feet in width.
The present engine in work, it is supposed, will carry
the operations down to 40 fathoms below the adit level,
when an engine of augmented p, vver will become neces-
sary. A considerable number of additional miners are
about to he engaged, and the undertaking altogether
presents the most decisive evidence of ulterior prosperity.
.oeriedChronick.

PROFESSOR WILS'9N,
AND HIS FELLOW TOWNSMEN OF PA, ISLET.
(From a Correspondent.)
We rejoice to find that the honours which 611. Tel
be heaped on the Old Cock of the North are not A..,
as has so often been the case with men of genius, t4,'
be of a posthumous kind ;—but while yet alive, ana
hale and hearty, he is about to receive a renewed proof`
of the esteem and admiration in which he is held, as
the foremost man in all the land, in point of genius
and literary ability.
It is shown, that Professor Wilson is a native of
Paisley. Ten years ago the professor was entertained
at a public dinner in Paisley, which was attended by
all the lovers of literature, and admirers of genius, in
the west of Scotland. In the course of the decade
which has elapsed, the professor has trod another of
the seven stages of life's pilgrimage, and his towne-
men are again about to honour him. With great
appropriateness, they some time ago employed another
gifted townsman namely, Mr. James Fillans, one of
the most talented, and rising sculptors of the day, to
execute a bust of the Professor, which is now com-
pleted, and is to be placed in one of the niches of the
cotiee•room, or principal reading-room of the town,
or in the council-room, or town-hall. It is cut out
of the finest marble, and is not only a correct and
striking likeness, but it is a magnificent work of art,
worthy alike of the distinguished man who is the
subject of it, and of the rising celebrity of the artist.
It has called forth the following beautiful lines by
Mr. Andrew Pask, of Glasgow :
SONNET ON PROFESSOR WILSON'S BUST, EXECUTED DT
FILLANS FOR THE WORTHY PEOPLE OF PAISLEY.

How like a lion in quiescent might
The noble- soul'd Old Christopher" appears !
The mental glory of internal light
Smiles beautiful amid his ripening years.
No petty meanness—no flesh-shapen fears
O'ercast the expressive firmZless of his face ;
His brow, a dome of thought, Drajestic rears ;
His eye a thousand fancies seems to ;.--'We ;
His flowing locks curl round a neck of grat:e?
And all the aspect of his form is power—
A manliness that age cannot displace ;
Fresh and unbending as in youth's gay hour !
The heathens had their gods, and, Scotland, thou
May'st trace as proud a form in living Wilson now !
We honour the Professor. He is none of your
namby-parry geniuses. No ! He stands out like one
of Homer's heroes in high relief amongst his fellow
men. His fine lion-looking head—all he says,
writes, and does—all denote power. To such a man
we naturally pay homage.
Two and twenty years ago the writer of this notice
entered as an alumnus of the university of Edinburgh,
and became a pupil in the Moral Philosophy class,
under the Professor. We dare say the Professor
never tcok account of it, and does not remember it,
but till this day we owe him one guinea, as the balance
of the fee we paid on entering, which we supposed
at the time to be three guineas in place of four.
Why this has never been paid we can hardly say,
unless it be that we never felt that the
cash payment negus had anything to do with
the ground on which our acquaintanceship
with the Professor was formed, or the occasional
intercourse we have had with him since. Why do
we choose to mention this circumstance now ?
Simply to let him know his old pupil is not a repu-
diator, and because it is right it should be known the
Professor does not drive hard bargains with poor
students, who may happen to be " scant o' cash."
.We have alighted on the following eloquent descrip-
tion of the Professor, which is extracted from Gil-
fillan's " Literary Portraits," and which pourtrays
him with a powerful hand :
" John Wilson is a host, he is a continent in himplf.
Like 'Leviathan, he lies floatieg many a rood.' Whether
we view him as the generous, copious, acute, and ardent
critic—as the pathetic and most eloquent lecturer—as
the tender poet—as the popular and powerful tale-
writer—as the fervid politician—as the kindly man—we
have before us one of the most remarkable, and, next to
Brougham, the cleverest man of the nineteenth century.
It is probable, indeed, that the very variety and versati-
lity of Wilson's powers have done him an injury in the
estimation of many. They can hardly believe that an
actor, who can play so many parts, is perfect in all.
Because he is, confessedly, one of the most eloquent of
men, it is doubted if he can be profound ; because he is a
poet, he must be a shallow metaphysician—because he
is the editor of Blackwood, he must be an inefficient
Professor. There are • more things in heaven and earth
than are dreamt of in their philosophy.' There is such a
thing on this round earth, though not, perhaps, within
the categories of their limited and false theories, as dif-
fusion along with depth, as the versatile aad vigorous
mind of a man of genius mastering a multitude of topics,
while they are blunderingly acquiring one—as a man
multiplying himself among mankind, the Proteus of
their talents;' and proving that the Voltarian activity of
brain has been severed, in one splendid instance at least,
from the Voltarian sneer, and the Voltarian shallow-
ness. Such an instance as that of our illustrious Profes-
sor, who is ready for every tack—who can, at one time,
scorch a poetaster to a cinder, at another cast illumina-
tion into the ' dark deep holds' of a moral question, by
a glance of his genius; at one time dash off the picture
of a Highland glen, with the force of a Salvator, at
another, lay bare the anatomy of a passion with the pre-
cision and the power of an Angelo—write, now the
sweetest verse, and now the most energetic prose—now
let slip, from his spirit, a single star, like the evening
cloud,' and now unfurl a Noctes npon the wondering
world—now paint Avarice till his audience are dying
with laughter, and now Emulation and Sympathy till
they are choked with tears—write now, The Elder's
Deathbed,' and now the Address to a Wild Deer'—be
equally at home in describing the sufferings of an orphan
girl, and the undressing of a dead Quaker by a congre-
gation of ravens, under the brow of Helvellyn."
When we attended the Burns's festival at Ayr, in
September, 1844, and saw the Professor on the plat-
form, distinguished amongst every one there by his
fine manly form, and old lion-like countenance,
among the crowd of thoughts which fillea our mind
on that occasion, the idea struck us, what a powerful
demagogue he would have made had he chosen to
make himself a leader of the people. His noble pre-
' sence even would have captivated the mob. But his
mind is too refined—too well educated—too high
toned to permit of his descending to the vulgar arts—
the claptrap and cajolery—by which the favour of the
multitude is secured and which designing men resort
to for their own selfish ends.

Yv
As the first who nailed his flag to the mast when
Conservatism was reckoned hopeless, and who has all
along been the able and unflinching champion of that
cause, old Christopher will be respected even by his
political foes, though his own party may forget or
may refuse to acknowledge the man who fought their
battles, and to whom they are in the greatest degree
indebted for their ascendancy now in the Government
of the country.

COLLISION AT SEA AND LOSS OF
THE PARSEE STEAMER.
(From the Overland Bombay Courier of Dec. 1.)
We regret to announce the total loss of the Parsee,
steamer, by a collision with the Sir James Carnac, on
the night of Saturday, the 28th instant, but fortunately
without loss of life. The Carnac was on her way from
Bombay to Tankaria Bunder, and the Parsee was re-
turning the same route, with a cargo of upwards of 500
chests of opium, and a large number of native passengers
on board. The collision took place in about 20 degrees
north latitude, and 10 or 12 miles from the shore. We
are authentically informed that the circumstances were
as follows :
A few minutes before eleven on Saturday evening the
passengers below were aroused by sounds of confusion,
and loud cries of " stop her," " stop her," and in a few
seconds the collision took place. We cannot say anything
regarthng the look out, which will probably form an im-
portant question at a future time; but it appears that
both vessels had lights hung out, and that as soon as
they were seen from each other the Carnac put her helm
a-port, and the Parsee hers a starboard, both therefore
ran in towards the shore, and before the course of either
could be altered or the speed slackened a collision be-
came inevitable. The Carnac ran into the Parsee on the
starboard side just abaft the foremast, cutting her side
completely through. The foremast of the Parsee was
carried away by the bowsprit of the Carnac, and imme-
diately fell on the deck among the passengers, but pro-
videntially without hurting any one. It was at once
perceived that the fate of the Parsee was sealed, and her
passengers and crew immediately took advantage of the
contact of the vessels to rush on board the Carnac for
safety; but even here danger awaited them, for the
two vessels had become so entangled with each other,
that great fears were entertained they could not be se-
parated, and that both would go down together ; more.
over, it was conjectured that the Carnac herself might
have received some serious damage, or that the Parsee'e
in e bailersmighteither
er
o th ih
w havec been
cases theinj injured e d and an explosion tame;
consequences
,0 s
equences might hays,
been frightful. During this interval of suspense, the
confusion and noise were extreme, and it was only by
much firmness and presence of mind that the two captains"
could make their commands be obeyed and restore order
on board. At length, after an expiry of sight or ten
minutes from the time of the collision, the head of
the Carnac was cut free and the engines backed
astern, leaving the devoted Parsee to her fate. She
tilled rapidly, and in about five minutes from the
time the other vessel was free from her, went down
head foremost. As far as could be ascertained at the time
the Carnac had received no serious injury beyond the lose
of her bowsprit and cutwater, and a trifling damage to
her sheathing; but as a matter ot precaution the captain
deemed it advisable to put back, and arrived safely in
Bombay at ten o'clock on Sunday morning. It is worthy
of remark that immediately upon the collision, when
fear was entertained for the bollers of the Parsee, the
eneiiieer, a native, with the most praiseworthy sagacity
and presence of mind, took the precaution of fastening
F thesafety-Valve so us to leave it open before he left the
vessel.
We much regret to add that the cargo of opium on
board the Parsee (valued at seven lacs of rupees) was
not insured ; but we do not know to a certainty upon
whom this heavy loss will fall. The vessel herself was
also uninsured. She was much lighter than the Carlin.
Ilad they been of equal size, or had the prow of the
lie liter vessel run into the sides of the heavier one, pro.
bably both would have been lost.

The Countess of March gave birth to a son and heii
on Saturday, at the family residence in Portland-place. Her
Ladyship and' infant son are going on;favourably.