The Sun.
London, England, 1844-09-25 00:00:00

GLOUCESTER MUSICAL
FESTIVAL.

c 11-OUCESTER, MONDAL—According to announce-
ment, . the first notes of our musical festival will be
struck to-morrow, and the poetry of music will con-
tinue ebe given forth on the mornings and evenings
of the t hree succeeding days. Nothing can illustrate
more stri kingly the pursuit of music under difficul-
k
ties than te he circumstances connected with the
.getting
up of this c
heritable festival. At one time the pro-
; spect was as gloomy as chaos, and long was it ere the
lowering cloueie could be dispelled. Touching appeals
were made to thee .sympathies and public spirit of the.
leading aristocracy, lay and clerical, but the responses.
were of the sane character which persons experience.
who call too oilen at the same door for charity. In,
fact, the attempt to get up the festival on the old
principle entirely failed, and the cause was too ob-
vious to be concealed—persons declined to allow
themselves to be placed in the position of stewards,
because it involved the liability to make good what-
ever deficiency there might be between the receipts
and the expenses, experience having shown that
this risk was not by any means to be despised.
The festival of 1841 was superintended by six
stewards, and a deficiency of from 1,5001. to 1,8001.
having occurred, the money had to be made good
amongst them. On previous occasions deficiencies had
also occurred, although in no case, we believe, to the
same extent ; still it was understood to be a growing
burden, and men refused to submit their shoulders to
the weight. A change of policy had, therefore, to be
adopted, to save the character of a city and county,
never, it is believed, remarkable for a burning zeal in
the contributing their substance to "soft charity," and
also to prevent, if possible, the Clerical Widow and
Orphan Fund from sinking to starvation point, Pre-
liminary to the adoption of the new policy, and, in-
deed, entirely dependent upon it, a subscription was
opened amongst the gentry of the county and city,
and the tradesmen whe were enpposed to have a pecu-
niary interest in keeping up a feetivel eehloll gate 4
stimulus to fashion; the object being to create a gne-
rantee fund, to be applied, in case of need, to the pay-
ment or eey deficiency which might arise. The scheme
proved successful as neeeh wee sel)scrihed as enabled
the projectors to ggaraptp to gentlemen wne weep
willing to become etPWarde, that the lose should not
exceed 100/. each, perhaps ilUi su intight it was also
resolved to increase the number from six to eight, end
furthee, to avoid the employment of foreign talent,
owing to its expense, and to lie; want of 444pt4tion to
the purposes of such a festival. Under the altered
circumstances, gentlemen were found willing to
become e4Peeeedl, and the names of eight ap-
pear in the announcements.. qfP pry-
formers, Mesdames Dorus Gras, Pauline Garcia,
Yierdot, Miss Birch, and Miss M. Marshall have
been displaced by Madame Caradori Allan, Miss
Williams, Miss M. Williams, and Miss hareett. Miss
Maria B. Hawes is the only lady whose name appears
in the present list and in that of 1841. Signori Brizzi
and 'fated-mein; R,R4 Mesp.perinett and Phillips have
given place to Messrs. Uenveie; Zfechire as M. W.
Weiss. Mr. Hobbs and Mr. A. Novell° have been
re-engaged, as also Messrs. Cramer and Loder, the
leaders. Mr. Arnett, the nrisi4nist gf the 2;,01;441,
will again act as conductor. The band and chorus,
which are said to have been selected with care, will
number nearly 300 performers. As to the musical
selections, Ijaptlere ,yailiele?h as arranged 13. y pro-
fessor Taylor, and whieh was received with So much
eclid at is the owt attrantiop, It will be
given on Wednesday, and is expected to occupy rour
howl in the performance. The Creation, Israel in
-RgyA ttw 41',Ipoio,';? and the Lobesang, will occupy
the two last days. 4. great- eee-eqien has been made
in the charges of admission tote reserved or nem-
leered seats : instead of 205., the charge is to be
12s. bd.; in the ether larts, the eharses are much the
same as before, 10s. 6a. and is. ior the evening
concerts the charge remains as before, 10s. 6d. It is
worthy pf remark that the entire fittings up in the
cathedral have keen e4ngtHej;e4 without, any inter-
ruption to the celebration of Divine woreltip, the
workmen laying aside their implements when the
service hkg4n, and reentning their )ahnnr at its close.
Miss Barrett, whose naind'appetres eoespiciottely in
the programme, makes her debut on this occasion as a
professional singer. She is a native of
and is in her nineteenth year. Having given promise
of oomiderahlfuowers as a einger! She Was cent to the
institution at ilanoveryscoare, where she studied for
upwards of two years. Her performances as a pupil
have been highly spoken of, and there are critics who
assert that her voice in the higher range is without an
equal in England,
The circumstance of the Queen Dowager having
taken up her residence in Witley Court encouraged
the hope that she might honour the festival with her
presence, and an application was made to that effect,
but her Majesty declined the invitation, on the ground
of Indifferent health.

The sums voluntarily contributed at the close of
each day's performance go in aid of a fund for the
benefit of the widows and orphans of clergymen who
are connected with the dioceses of Gloucester, Wor-
cester, and Hereford. It was for the purpose, indeed,
of establishing and supporting such a fund that the
festival itself was instituted 120 years ago.

FATAL ACCIDENT DT FIRE..--OD Monday Mr.
Higgs held an inquest at the Plough, Carey-street, on
the body of Margaret Gallagher, aged ten years, who
was burnt to death at 179, Drury-lane, on Friday last,
while playing with fire when left in the room by herself.
The poor child had no one to look after her, her father.
who is a respectable mechanic, being engaged all day at
his work. The Coroner and jury remarked on the ex-
ceedingly dangerous practice of leaving children in a
room where there is a tire, without a guard or some sort
of protection. The jury returned a verdict of " Acci.
dental death."

ACCIDENT OCCASIONED THROUGH DIUNNENNESS.
—Monday noon an accident occurred near Strutton-
ground, Westminster, to an Irish paviour, of the name of
Timothy Bryan, which originated in a drunken squabble
with his wife. It appears that during the early part of
the morning the parties had been drinking very freely at
a neighbouring public-house, when Bryan's wif, accused
her husband of infidelity with a female then present. A
" row" ensued, and at the moment that a horse and cart
was passing, Mrs. Bryan either struck her husband a se-
vere blow on the face, or pushed him down under the
cart ; the horse rather plunged at the moment and
struck the man on the head, and the wheel of the cart
passed over his head and body. He was picked up in a
dreadful state, and carried by three policemen of the B
division to Westminster-Hospital, where he at present
remains in a very precarious state. The wife was taken
into custody to await the issue.
FATAL STEAM-BOAT ACCIDENT.-7011 Sunday
evening, about seven o'clock, a wherry belonging to a
waterman named Robert Henderson, of Kidney-stairs,
Limehouse, and containing nine persons, chiefly en-
gineers, was crossing the river, nearly opposite Mill-wall,
and a short distance from Limehouse-hole pier, when
the Arid, a Woolwich steam-packet, belonging to the
old company, came up the river at full speed, with
another vessel in her wake, and the people in the boat,
being unable to get out of her way, were run down. The
Ariel struck the wherry, and immedintely nine persons
were seen struggling in the water. Assistance was at
once rendered, and eight persons were taken out of the
water alive, some of them in a state of great exhaustion.
One unfortunate man perished, and his body has not yet
been recovered. His name is John Heywood, aged 27,
of No. 5, Tenby-place, Jamaica-place, West India Dock-
road.

CORONER'S INQUEST. —On Monday Mr. William
Baker, Deputy-Coroner, commenced an inquiry at the
Lord Nelson, Nicholl's-row, Bethnal-green, touching
the death of Jane Gregory, aged 27 years, whose death
took place after taking some drink, given her by a young
man named Alfred Edwards, with whom she occasionally
cohabited. The particulars of the case have been already
detailed in this journal on Saturday last, under the head
of " Worship-street," when Edwards was remanded by
Mr. Broughton, the sitting magistrate, for further in.
quiry, and to await the result of the present investiga-
tion. The first part of the evidence adduced was the
same as that produced before the magistrate. Mr. G.
H. Smith, assistant to Mr. Wildbore, the surgeon, of
Shoreditch, who gave his evidence in a most decisive
and clear manner, deposed that since his examination
before the magistrate at Worship-street, he had made a
post mortem examination, and found the general appear-
ance of the body healthy. On examining the stomach
he found it much inflamed, as well externally as inter-
nally. Internally there were patches of inflammation
characteristic of poison having been taken. He had
submitted the fluid contents of the stomach and the re-
mainder of the liquid contained in the bottle out of which
the deceased had drank to Dr. Leeson, one of the the •
mical lecturers of St. Thomas's hospital, but the analysis
had not been completed, and the Coroner adjourned the
inquiry in consequence.
DEATH OF A PRISONER IN NEWGATE.—An in-
quest was held on Monday in the gaol of Newgate, before
Mr. W. Payne, City Coroner, on the body of John
Braidy, alias Robertson, aged twenty, a prisoner await-
ing his trial. The body when viewed by the jury, pre-
sented a shocking spectacle, privation and disease having
wasted it to a mere skeleton. From the evidence it ap-
peared that the deceased was a painter by trade, but ill
health for several months past had prevented him from
gaining his livelihood by it. Deprived of getting his
living honestly, he took to thieving, and a short time
back was committed to Newgate for trial. He was found
guilty, and sentenced to imprisonment in the House of
Correction. On his release he continued his old prac-
tices, and on the 11th instant was again committed to
Newgate, from Queen-square Police-court, on a charge
of stealing four pairs of boots and one pair of shoes.
He did no; complain of ill-health on his admission,
but on the 17th he was found by Mr. Holding, the sur-
geon, to be suffering from inflammation of the lungs at-
tended with fever. Every care and attention was paid
him, but that disease caused his death on Sunday.
Verdict, " Natural death." _ _

BRUSSELS, SEPT. 22.—The Moniteur Beige of this

date publishes the convention between his Majesty
the King of the Belgians and his Royal Ilighness
the Grand Duke of Baden, for the reciprocal extra-
dition of malefactors, of persons accused of various
crimes, viz. :-1. Assassination, poisoning, parricide, in-
fanticide, murder, rape. 2. Arson. 3. orgery ; in-
chiding that of bank-notes and public money securities.
4. Coining. 5. False witness. 6. Robbery, swindling,
peculation.