The Sun.
London, England, 1842-03-02 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester visited her
Majesty the Queen Dowager, on Monday, at Marlborough
House.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester visited his
Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge yesterday, at Cam-
bridge House.

lifs Excellency Count Kielmansegge left town yesterday for
Badminton, on a visit to the Duke of Beaufort.
A deputation, '
including Mr. Masterman M.P., Mr. Cook,
and Mr. Lavie, had an interview with the Earl of Ripon yes-
terday, at the Office of the Board of Trade.
Count St. Aulaire, the French Ambassador, and the Prince
Castelcicala, transacted business yesterday at the Foreign-office.
The Chairman of the Customs, and the Chairman of tha
Excise, had interviews with the Chancellor of the Exchequer
yesterday, at. his official residence in Downing-street.
A deputation of Sugar-Refiners, consisting of Mr. Davis,
Mr. Fairrie, and Mr. Coiling, had an interview with the Right
Hon. W. E. Gladstone, yesterday, at the Office of the Board
Trade.

The Marquis of Hertford expired at four o'clock yesterday
afternoon, at his residence, Dorchester House, Park-lane.

SOUTH W ARK SACRED HARMO-
NIC SOCIETY.

A judicious selection from Handel's oratorios, Samson and
Solomon, was performed yesterday evening by the amateurs of
the Southwark Literary institution, consisting of about eighty
vocal and instrumental performers, before a respeetable audi-
ence, who, to the number of three hundred, testified their gra-
tification by applause.
Notwithstanding the commendable style of singing and exe-
cution on the occasion, a reason of a more remote nature en-
hances exhibitions such as these, arising out of the gratification
which cannot fail to visit the reflective mind at beholding a com-
pany of men and women, composed of the middle and lower
classes, listening with attention and delight to such elevated
compositions as were performed last night. When the compara-
tively uneducated of our land open unbidden the doors of their
hearts and understandings, therein to admit Milton with his
high warblings, and Handel with his harmonies, and their
spirits evince uneophisticated tokens of the pleasure and im-
pressions created by these, it may be safely argued that a
salutary and regenerative process is working to some effect in
ordinary minds, and that if such means do not prove instru-
mental in kindling the superior virtues, they will, nevertheless,
have the effect of humanizing and softening the minds upon
which they are fortunate enough to operate, rendering their
possessors better members of society, and creating in them new
and more amiable capacities for enjoying domestic and social life.
The various recitatives, airs, and chorusses were for the most
part very creditably executed, and the two leading trebles,
Mrs. Fentum and Miss Cubitt, who we believe, are professed
singers, were encored. A more smoothly melodious voice than
the former lady's, is perhaps, seldom to be heard, and in her
invitation song," Men of Gaza," to come forth on the festival,
her voice was winning and volubly sweet. Miss Cubitt's is na-
turally pitched in a higher key, and had much of the clear ring-
ing of a lute. Of the male voices, composing the choir itself,
it may be well to observe that some few should with advantage
be more moderately tempered—straining after effect is always
bad, and it should be kept in mind, that the true mastery of
art lies in the concealment of art, so that, while the power of
the singer is felt and acknowledged, all study and exertion are
totally kept out of view. The performance altogether of these
two difficult oratorios and their accompaniments, however, as
performed by this Society, would reflect credit on much more
practised musicians. Mr. Pringle led, and Mr. F. S. Davis
conducted the movements with ability.