The Sun.
London, England, 1842-12-01 00:00:00

ROYAL ADELAIDE GALLERY.

On Tuesday evening there was an exceedingly
crowded company assembled in the charming Pro-
menades Musicales at this •elegant and favourite
Saloon, in which the highest science is ren-
dered popular—and the most popular amusement is
enriched and refined, by that happy combination of
scientific lore, sound practical judgment, and the
means to boot, on the part of the present. manage-
ment, for the want of which other similar enterprises
have failed to maintain the favour which the public
seemed ever ready to continue. The orchestra, under
the direction of Mr. Julian Adams, is most effective ;
and in the vocal department the efforts of Mrs. Wil-
son, Miss Thornton, Mr. F. Martin, and Mr. R. F.
Smith, were rewarded with repeated and well-
' merited applause. Amongst the most prominent
novelties of the season just commenced is a little
'Thespian prodigy, somewhat of the Fisher, Betty, and
Burke school (but in this respect more wonderful than
any of her predecessor phenomena, that she has made
her debut before the age of five years)—it is needless
to say we mean the Infant Thalia. She with
very great cleverness, represented the Bavarian
Broom-Girl and the Highland Laddy, introducing in
each representation the characteristic dances. She
was encored, and was vehemently applauded through-
out her performance. The popular lectures on science
were also very well attended to, and gave, as usual,
unqualified satisfaction. There were nearly 1,5b0
persons present.

TIIE NEW ROYAL EXCHANGE.--At the last meet-
ing of the Gresham Committee, which was held on Fri-
day, the 25th 'inst., designs were laid before them by
several sculptors, for ornamenting the pediment of
the portico of the national edifice with sculpture.
The sum voted for this purpose by the Committee is
no less than three thousand guineas. After a most
careful examination of the designs, the artists were
respectively admitted to a personal interview with the
Committee, to explain their own intentions and views
in the composition. On a ballot being taken, the de-
sign proposed by Mr. Richard Westmacott, A.R.A.,
was chosen, and he was appointed to carry the work
into effect. Notices have also been given by the City
authorities for pulling down the mass of buildings in
front of the Bank (known as Bank-buildings) in the
course of the spring,. and that space, when cleared, is
to be the site for the statue of the Duke of Welling-
.

ton, immediately in front of the great portico of the
Exchange. The progress made in the building itself
isimost astonishingly great, reflecting the highest credit
upon Mr. Tite, the architect, and the contractor. In
the course of next year the work will be in great for-
wardness, and it will certainly be finished in the sum-
mer of the following year. The sculpture of the pedi-
ment, Mr. Westmacott undertakes to complete by the
Ist of May, 1844. So far as the building goes, it gives
great satisfaction ; and the edifice promises to be wor•
thy of its situation, and the purposes to which it is to
be applied.
THE LATE DUKE or ORLEANS.—The following
description of a smoking divan, formed by the
lamented Duke of Orleans, in his apartments of the
Pavillon Marsan, at the Tuileries, is given by the
Constitutionnel:—" This sanctuary was arranged in
j all the style of Oriental luxury. Here the Prince,
dressed in an Asiatic robe de chambre, pantaloons, and
babouches, held his smoking parties. The saloon con-
tained a rich collection of pipes of all countries—
hookahs from the East Indies ; Egyptian and Arabian
chibouques ; Turkish meerschaums ; and Persian
kalyhous, all enriched with precious stones and rings
of damask' work, and having mouth-pieces of the
rarest amber. But though surrounded. With all this
splendid apparatus, the Prince and his friends con-
tented themselves with cigars. These cigars, how-
ever, were made of the choicest tobacco from Latakia,
Beyrout, and Salonica, or of the celebrated herb of
IShiraz, which the Shah of Persia reserves for his own
use, and which never finds its way into Europe, ex-
cept as presents."