Star.
London, England, 1820-03-17 00:00:00

XING'S

Last night, Madame Matta took her Benefit Con
cert at this Theatre. After BEErnovEN's fine Over-
ture to Prometheus, and HORSILLEY'S Glee, By Celia's
Arbour, incomparably sung, BELLAMY came for-
ward to announce, that 64 though Madame Ma n A
bad a severe cold, she would make her best effort
to sing." This once celebrated woman was then led
to the S:agc; she is now upwards of seventy years
old, yet her appearance exhibited but slight dzcay ;
.rer step was Mtn, and her air erect. She had been
at no time handsome, and of course years have not
added to her attractions, but her neatness and ma-
tronly grace were tho%e of a. Tess mature age. She
sang Gutsuctufs recitative and air, mio term.
Her voice, once so captivating, retains a great por-
tion of its facility, and much of its expros,ive style ;
butts sweetness and volume are gone. She laboured
through the effort with pain, and the applause, which
were lavi,hed on its conclusion were obviously less
those of pleasure than of respect. In the second Act,
she sang Ilaannt.'s air, What tho' I trace, with ra-
ther more power ; but the fine talent has perished,
and Madame MARA milut derive her fame front the
praise of those who heard her thirty years since, and
then heard the most ei;pressive singer that the Conti-
nent ever sent to England. The audience, we regret
to say, were not numerous.—Amongst the great
singers of the last century, Madame MARA held the
highest rank; nature had invested her with very ex-
traordinary powers, and to these endowments she su-
peradded the still more valuable qualities of a most
cot rect taste, and a thorough knowledge of her art.
She shone with equellplendour in the florid style
which, in her day, prevailed at the Opera and in
Concerts, and in the more chaste and grave music of
the Oratorio she was not confined to any one school,
whether in the Italian, German, or English, her supe-
riority was confessed, and she was as much admired
in Paris as in London. 'Madame Want. first arrived
in England in the year 1781, and sang at the cele-
brated Commemoration of HANDEL, where she con-
firmed her reputation. At this period she was in the
prime of life,. both physical and professional, for she
was born at Cassel in I7ZiO. She continued to held
her high situation in this country for many years,
and visited most of the provincial towns, thus sptead-
ing more widely her fame, and enlarging very con-
siderably her fortune. She then went back to the
Continent, but returned to England about eighteen
or twenty years since, and :gain appeared before the,
Public, though not with so much eclat as before.—
She then retired, finally as it was supposed, to Mos-
cow, whence she was driven, at its destruction by
the bold Russian Governor, having, it is said, lost
in that conflagration, property to a large amount ;
and this is the reason ascribed for her re-appearance
last night in this Metropolis, after thelapse of an in-
terval so formidable to a person in her profession, and
at her time of life.

Ca aniFf.,—The Gloucester Journal says, " Amongst
all the Election Contests which have ever come to our
knowledge, we hardly remember so extraordinary a
train of circumstances as have occurred on the present
occasion at Cardiff. On the dissolution, Lord J.Stuart,
who had represented Cardiff and its contributory 80.
roughs in the last Parliament, announced that he
should not again offer himself for the Representation;
and it was immediately made known that Mr. Ludlow,
the Barrister, was to be supported by all the principal
parties. The Burgesses of several of the &roughs,
anxious for the continuance of Lord J. Stuart, as their
Representative, rose almost en masse, and entered into
strong Resolutions, entreating him again to come for-
ward, and offering to bring him in free of expense.
Lcrd James, however, it seems, apprehensive of inter-
fering with the wishes of his brother, the Marquis of
Bute, declined the invitation ; and Mr. Ludlow went
to Cardiff, assured of the support, not only of the
Agent of the Marquis, but also of the other great
leading interests. But though these interests were
pledged to•him in writing, it seems that, for some
reason or other, the agents altered their minds ; and
on Mr. Ludlow's arrival, he found that another Can-
didate (Mr. Wynd. Lewis) was supported by those
very parties, on the assurances of whose pledge he
had offered himself to the Electors. These circum-
stances Mr. Ludlow explained in detail, previously
to the commencement of the Election on Thursday ;
and the narrative produced such a burst of enthu-
siasm in his favour from the greater part of the inde-
pendent burgesses, that he determined to persevere in
opposition to those interests which had been so with-
drawn from him. The polling accordingly com-
menced, and has been continued with great spirit.—
The eyes of the County of 'Glamorgan are anxioesly
turned to this extraordinary contest, as the result
will probably lead to the opening the Representation
of the Boroughs, which have for many years been
deemed a sort of heir-loom to the Castle of Cardiff:"