The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-02-22 00:00:00

PHILHARMONIC HALL

LAST NINE NIGHTS OF
THOMAS'S UNRIVALLED BAND

The PHILHARMONIC-HALL combines, with magnitude
and grandeur, the comfort and warmth of a Drawing-room, so
that the most delicate may sit and pleasantly enjoy these
Concerts, as if by their own Fireside. _

First Night, THURSDAY next, the 24th instant,
MR. LAZARUS'S BENEFIT.
(See particulars in another Advertisement.)

Eiberpoot .-4)tatibarb.

FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.

MONDAY MORNING

LORD BROUGHAM has again madeiiisappearance in the
grand Assembly of the Nation, after sojourning at his
chateau in the south of France during the late holidays.
The noble and learned lord looks healthy, and as sharp as
a weasel. I learn that there was great fun in the French
Institute the other day ; the noble lord, I need hardly state,
is a member of the National Institute of France, and he
had been pursuing his favourite study—on the theory of
light—with experiments, in the romantic solitude of
Cannes. Upwards of half a century ago, when HENRY
BROUGHAM was merging into early manhood, he wrote a
paper on the same subject, which was considered of so
much value by the savans of the Royal Society, as to be
entitled to a place in the Phil. Trans. Constant as a
true lover, the strife of politics, the wrangling of courts of
law, CAROLINE'S trial, election botheration, pride, pomp,
and circumstance of high office—al!, and much more I
could state—have not diverted BROUGHAM'S mind from
the " theory of light." lam not now going to draw a
parallel between his Lordship's genius and discoveries in
this regard, as compared with those of Sir DAVID
BREWSTER, also a member of the National Institute, and
the inventor of the Kaleidoscope ; it is sufficient to my pur-

pose to confine my remarks on the present occasion to Lord
BROUGHAM. Someof hisexperimentsaredroll; pouring,for
example, a ray of light through a small aperture into a
darkened room—"a trap to catch a sunbeam." Wel

then,

his Lordship hurried from Cannes, to have a meeting at
the Institute in Paris, and read his paper, illustrated by
models, instruments, and lots of philosophical knick-
knackery. Those only of the readers of The Standard who
have been present at a meeting of the French Institute,
when there is much of what is called in our Scientific
Societies " pro forma" business, have an idea of the
Babel-clack which occurs. Such a meeting was that when
Lord BROUGHAM presented himself with his " traps." He
patiently, saw it was useless, and—l wont say, in a

waited
huff—'

" bundled" the things up, and intimated that he
would read his paper some other time. Served them right.
His Lordship was received with great cordiality by his
brother Peers in the House of Lords. His appearance,
when he entered, was somewhat outre, as he wore a French
chapeau of curious make, which instantly attracted the
attention of Lord MoNTEAGLE, who, with the hat in his
hand, felt the felt, as if cheapening it, laughed heartily,
as did Lord BROUGHAM himself; then came Lord
CAMPBELL, he must needs examine the French tile, al-
though Lord CAMPBELL probably never had a decent hat
in his life. The scene was amusing enough ; but a little
fun goes a great way in either House of Parliament.

The sorrowful case of those poor, oppressed, and suffer-
ing Protestants, FRANCESCO and RosA MADIAI, came
before the House of Commons on Thursday night, on the
motion of Mr. KINNAIRD, the member for Perth, pray-
ing an address to the Crown. The question could scarcely
have originated in a more appropriate manner. The
Speaker's gallery was crammed with intellectual and be-
nevolent sympathizers for the illustrious MADIAI—poor
and humble though their origin, the name is henceforth
to become in the annals of Italy as famous as those of the
DORIA or DONATTI. Mr. KINNAIRD belongs to a family
of the right sort for such a question—ancient, truly Pro-
testant—Presbyterian, indeed, and long distinguished for
their attachment to the good cause established at the Re-
formation. The debate was dispassionately conducted.
Lord DUDLEY STUART, another Scot, staunch, and true
to virtue and Protestantism, which is the same thing, in
a speech fraught with historical research, and, what is
better, characterised by the true spirit of Christian meek-
ness, seconded the motion. Lord JOHN RUSSELL met
the question with caution—with some animation certainly,
but the noble lord's fits of heat on religious topics are
sometimes fallacious and short-lived. The memorable
Durham Letter and the maimed Ecclesiastical Titles Bill,
to wit. His lordship's letter, however, on the MADIAI to
Sir HENRY BULWER must have its meed of praise, and
will be a text through Protestant Europe. It was only '
printed in the parliamentary papers on Thursday. The
failure of the evening was the address of Mr. Lucas, the
Quaker-Romanist—a failure, not froth want of talent,
knowledge of facts, and of the state of Europe, but
poisoned by most transparent attempts to make the
" worse appear the better reason," at which I had hitherto
considered LUCAS an adept. He took for the basis of his
argument a most unlawyerlike proposition—that Protes-
tants had persecuted Romanists. Mr. LUCAS, need you
be reminded that t o blacks won't make a white. The
MADIAI question is left in the hands of the Government,
and, from what I know of the mild and cultivated man-
ners of the Tuscans, the poor Protestant couple—if they
survive yet a little longer—will be safe. GOD defend the

right !

Of a verity, Wednesday was a great day for the black
coats, Episcopal and Dissenting ; the former sleek as
otter skin, the latter rusty rather. The Convocation of
the Clergy in the morning of the above-named day was
really not worth going to, the correction of Clerks (men in
orders) and a discussion touching the right of Colonial
Bishops to sit in the Upper House of Convocation, form-
ing the chief business, with the exception of a sensible
address to HER MAJESTY, the presentation of which to
the QUEEN, on the throne, in the afternoon, at Bucking-
ham-palace, was, indeed, a sight worth recording and
remembering. There was plenty of " purple and fine
linen," gold sticks and silver sticks in waiting, cham-
berlains and comptrollers, gentlemen-at-arms, mistresses
and grooms of the robes, equerries and ushers, almost
countless, and I know not how many more in attendance
to do duty to the MAJESTY of England,—and the Clergy.
The officers I have indicated, together with the ladies and
gentlemen of the court, formed themselves into a lane in
the reception-room, at the upper end of which sat, in
regal pomp resplendent, VICTORIA., with the PRINCE
ALBERT by her side. At a levee or drawing-room, it is
laughable to see how easily the empiric succeeds in
approaching the hand of royalty. It is usual, at the
entrance or foot of the lane aforesaid, for the individual
entering to make an obeisance, and retire ; your true
empiric does not hesitate a bit to advance,—he may have
an opusculum bound in scarlet under his arm to place at
the foot of the throne,—

"For fools rush in where angels fear to tread."

By angels, of course, I mean pretty women. Yet so it
is, the officers in attendance, if not ordered to the con-
trary, are not very particular; besides they don't wish to
cause any appearance of irregularity. The party intruding
" up the lane" likewise has had his entrd card ; for the
most part he is harmless, rich—and in other regards re-
spectable. This happens half-a-dozen times during the
season. HER MAJESTY, on the present occasion, ap-
peared much affected, when in her answer—beautifully
read—she made reference to the death of the most dis-
tinguished of her subjects. The Court business was soon
over. Then came the Dissenters' dinner, in the evening.
Such affairs are generally very dull,—not unfrequently
acrimonious,—the speakers dealing blows right and left
at Episcopacy. The Dissenting clergy, however, this
year, stole a march on old time—they had profane sing-
ing! RANSFORD, with his manly bass; GENGE, a
pretty tenor, and divers others, professors of the art
which " pleases and hurts not." I would as soon have
expected to hear an organ in a kirk, as these same ballad-
singers at such a dinner. The speeches were not worth

noticing.
A. paragraph about GEORGE HUDSON, the ex-railway
king, may not be amiss at the present moment, seeing the
co-cab people are doing so little in both houses of the
legislature, either to amuse, improve, or instruct the
lieges. GEORGE HUDSON, to make use of a homely
phrase, is rather down in the mouth. From some little
acquaintance with the subject, I can state that the deci-
sion, the other day pronounced in the Rolls Court against
him with regard to u zntromsions, as the Scotch lawyers
say, in connexion with the York and North Midland Rail-
way Company, will cost the. ex-king not far short
of
£lOO,OOO. GEORGE HUDSON is still safe ;he has more
caution and daring blended than any man I ever knew.
Grossly vulgar in bearing, he seems embued with tastes
of the most aristocratic order. D'OasAy, when
alive, and he was to the manner born, never suc-
ceeded better. Who is that " tun of man," with
lips by no means classically compressed, lolling on
one of the best boxes in the Opera-house ? GEORGE
jirosoN. Who, in that exquisite loge at the
French play-house, every cushion breathing repose !
HUDSON again ! Yea, even yet! It is notable on a grand
night, at either or both of the houses mentioned,
to compare GEORGE HUDSON'S manoeuvres with those of
Some of the Dons—your SALISBURYS, LONDONDERRYS,
Jznjs, &o. sake thu Royal Italian Opera on a sa.