The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-05-30 00:00:00

MUSIC AND THE DRAMA.

LIVERPOOL PHILIIA.RMONIC SOCIETY.—The fourth
subscription concert for the season took place on Tuesday
evening. The attendance was large and fashionable,
although scarcely so numerous as that which graced the
preceding subscription concert. The programme included
a variety of classical music, selected with much judgment
from the works of the most celebrated musical composers,
and comprised scenas and arias from the operas of Mozart,
Beethoven, Meyerbeer, and Rossini ; from Spohr and
Proch ; besides a judicious sprinkling of the charming
madrigal. The novelty of the evening was the debut, in
Liverpool. of Madlle. Sedlatzek, a soprano singer, new to
the English public, who made her first appearance in
London during the present season, and who has met with
a very flattering reception by the London cognoscenti, and
has been favourably spoken of by the London press.
Madlle. Sedlatzek is of prepossessing appearance and
deportment, her action being at once graceful and lady-
like ; her voice is of excellent quality, although not equal
in power, range, or perfectness of organization to that
with which Madame Clara Novell°, the last soprano
singer of distinguished eminence we had here, has
been gifted, still it is a charming organ, and she
uses it with the skill of an accamphshed artiste.
Her style is eminently dramatic, and she seemed
in many instances to feel the hampering influences
of constraint by which a concert singer is beset,
and appeared almost desirous of bursting the fetters of
etiquette and launching out with that abandon and fervour
which confer its principal charm upon operatic music, a
feeling in perfect unison with most of the pieces she sang.
In the cavatina from " Robert le Diable," which served as
her introduction, she sang charmingly, and with such a
graceful ease as created a powerful feeling in her favour,
and at once put her and the audience on the best of terms
with each other. Her triumph, however, and it was the
triumph of the evening, was her delightful musical and
dramatic rendering of the famous love-letter scene with
Figaro in the Opera of "11 Barbiere di Seviglia." This
admirable ductt was sustained by her and Signor Belletti
with much histrionic success ; the netir?te with which
Sedlatzek invested the part of Rosina was pleasing
and delicate, while her musical intonation was sweet and
expressive. The more equivocal and seriocomic part of
Figaro was rendered with a buffo hilarity and unscrupulous
readiness by Signor Belleti in such a manner as to increase
his already high claims upon public attention, and 'to
prove highly gratifying to his audience, as was well
testified in the unanimous and hearty encore which greeted
the piece at its termination, and which was again loudly
repeated at the conclusion of its second performance.—
Signor Belletti, who has before appeared in this hall, was
well received, and at his entrance was welcomed with the
greeting (Inc to an old friend. The first piece he sang was
the beautiful recitative and air from Mozart's "Marriage
of Figaro " " Vedth mentre io sospiro," which he sung
with much taste and fine expression, characteristics which
he displayed in all his performances. His voice is one of
great power, very considerable compass, and in his use of
it he exhibits the graces and culture of a highly-trained
musician; the only drawback to his perfect success being
a deficiency of that liquid melody of tone which, when in
perfection, constitutes the charm and fascination of a
tenor voice. The style of vocalisation and the wide range
of dramatic power evinced by Signor Belletti give earnest
of how great an acquisition he would be in opera. One
word in his ear, however. Shakspeare advises, and wisely
advisee. that no liberty shall be allowed to be taken with
the text of a play; would the Signor permit us to apply
the caution to his attentive consideration, substituting, in
his case, the word " programme" for " play ?" The au-
dience gets puzzled, and may perchance get displeased
when they find one piece promised and another performed.
A feature of this concert, which was at once new, interest-
ing, and satisfactory, was the introduction of a trio
Meditation on a Prelude by Bach, arranged for the violin,
piano-forte, and organ—Gounod—and on this occasion
performed, with much delicacy and finish, by Messrs.
Thomas, Toms, and Hirst. The instrumentation was
true and telling, the audience testifying their appreciation
of the piece and the performance by a warm and general
encore. In the course of the evening Mr. Streather per-
formed a fantasia on airs from "Mole in Egitto" as a solo
on the harp, in which he displayed rapid and good execu-
tion. The choral members of the society had not a great
deal to do, but the little set down for them was well gone
through. In the delightful madrigal, " When all alone
my pretty love was playing," they sung with charming
effect, and were rewarded by a unanimous and hearty en-
core. The concert was conducted by Mr. J. Z. Herrmann
with his usual good taste and skill, and his efforts were
well seconded by Messrs. Hirst and Toms, who presided
respectively at the organ and piano-forte.
THE THEATRE ROYAL, as noticed in our last publica-
tion, opened for a brief season on Monday last, and
has continued open during the week; the attraction being;
the admirable performances of Mr. Wright, who has ap-
peared several times, in one or two of his favourite cha-
racters, conspicuous among which has been his repeated
and capital representation of " Paul Pry." As Billy
Lackaday, lie has also convulsed the audiences assembled
in considerable numbers to witness the display of his
peculiar talents. He has likewise afforded great delight
by his racy and spirited performances of Mr. Bobtail,
John Grutnley, and some other minor characters. In
this brief enumeration of his performances, it would be
wrong to omit his excellent delineation of the character of
Mr. Simmons, in the drama of " The Spitalfields
Weaver." In this he was earnest and effective. The
character is that of a blunt, but honest tradesman, who,
secure in the rectitude of his purpose, minis the tricks
and arts by which conventional propriety is made to con-
taminate the workings 'of genuine and unsuspecting
virtue. The piece was well put upon the stage, and Mr.
Wright's performance elicited well-merited approbation.
As a comedian, Mr. Wright is entitled to occupy high
ground; his histrionic humour is natural, rich, and flow-
ing. Completely at home upon the stage and master of
its effects, there is an ease and freedom about his imper-
sonations which render them charming in a high degree,
his comedy never descending to buffoonery, although many
of his characters touch so nearly ou its borders that his
avoiding such degradation shows 'him to be possessed of
taste and judgment, leagued with tact and nice discrimi-
nation. His engagement terminated on Saturday evening.
SocrEra. ARXONICA.—The eighteenth dress-concert of
the Societa Al-monica took place on Saturday evening, at
the Mechanics' Institution, and wag attended by a highly-
respectable audience. The performance commenced with
Haydn's Symphony in D, No. 9, which was given very
effectively, as were all the instrumental portions of the
concert. The solo vocalist was Mrs. George Holden, who
acquitted herself most creditably : she was unanimously
encored in Lee a beautiful song, "Away, away to the
mountain's brow." The trio Zitti Zitti was very effec-
tively rendered by Mrs. George Holden and Messrs. David
Jones
Facl Armstrong. The concert concluded with
Rossinioverture to the Barber of Seville. Mr. Chas. B.
Herrmann conducted.

ROBBERY IN CLEVELAND-SQUARE.—On Friday after-
noon Mr. Richard Evans, druggist, Cleveland-sqii;re, saw
the shadow of some person in his shop during his tempo-
rary absencein a room behind; and going quickly in
found an old woman making off with a glass shade, some
China ornaments, and other fancy articles. Ho gave her
into custody, Ind she was brought up ,it the Police-court,
on Saturday, when she stated her name to be Mary
Murphy.. She could not deny haring possession of the
articles, but said she waited some time without any person
appearing; and was taking the things !Tat door to inquire
the Price of them she was sent to prison for a month.

THE SARAH St ens, Captain Ilsley, sailed on Thurs. Cay
for Quebec and Montreal, with a full cargo, 100 first and
second class and '250 third class passengees, and the mails
for Canada.
ST. SAVIOUR'S CHURCH, FALfiNER-SQUARE.—We are
glad to hear that the collections at the consecration and
on Sunday last, amounted to upwards of £l5O. The
• Church has been licensed by the Bishop of Chester for the
celebration of marriages.
ROYAL HORSE ARTILLERY.—A small detachment, com-
no-led of fifteen horses, eight men, and two non-com-
missioned officers, underthe command of. Captain Mackay,
arrived in Liverpool on Saturday mornrag, from Dublin,
en route for Woolwich. They left Liverpool for London
. on Sunday morning : and on their arrival in the me-
ranhceicihn. the troTtiscthoLeyoGwNoEulud
yaitooNn,ceofpwrochoeesde
appearance
ppWea
me-
tropolis The Times spoke so flatteringly, will give two
of their surprising concerts, at the Philharmonic-hall,.
this week ; the first on Thursday, and the second on
Friday.
CHILD BURNT TO DEATH. —On Sunday morning,
Andrew Quin, Reed five years, residing with his parents
at No. 3, Fair-view' Park-road, Toxteth-park, was left by
his mother for a few minutes, being partially dressed,
when his clothes caught fire, and he was so severely burnt
that he died yesteray morning. An inquest will be
held on the body this day.
A RUSSIAN PRIZE IN LIVERPOOL.--The Russian prize,
which arrived in the Mersey on Monday week last, and
now lies in the Brunswick-dock, is the barque Argo, 496
tons register, Captain Stemnan, belonging to Uleaborg, in
Finland. She was captured on the (;th instant, off the
Old Head of Kinsale, by the revenue cutter Eliza. Twelve
of the seamen of the Argo were dispatched from Liverpool
for London on Thursday night, to be placed on board the
Crocodile, off the Tower. The captain and two mates
remain to give evidence before the Prize Commissioners.
GAMBLING IN THE STREETS ON SUNDAY.—Several
boys and young men were, brought before Mr. Mansfield
yesterday, charged with playing at " pitch and toss" in
the streets, on Sunday, particularly in the neighbourhood
of churches and other places of worship, where they had
been in the habit of congregating on Sundays, and pur-
suing the practice complained of, to the great annoyance
of toe public. They were all fined in small sums.—l This
is a nuisance which calls loudly for abatement ; and we
are glad to see the matter taken up by the authorities.]:
Towia larenov'Earmyrs.—The committee appointed at a
town's meeting, held on the 15th of June last, to consider
the mdat desirable plans for the improvement. of Liverpool,
and the financial meyiares necessary to accomplish the
same, held a.meeting at the Town-hall, on Tuesday, for
the purpose of receiving the report of a sub-committee of
their body, consisting. . W. Earle, J. R Jeffery,
Robertson Gladsto•a•, (' ',. t, Thomas Haigh, King,'
H. C. Beloe, and a:a whom the first branch
of the subject had be.. There were present,
Messrs. William I.:arle. . a) Alderman Bennett,
J. A. Picton, J. It. Jeff Ifrerelst, H. C. Beloe,
Joseph Barth, J. Snail. , ... Morris, and Thomas
Haigh. Resolutions ad ,; 1.2 report, and ordering
that Mr. Sumner's requast, IL a, his lithographed view of
the proposed St. George's-place should be published with
the.report were passed. In 'the course of some conversa-
tion which ensued, Mr. Jeffery said that before they issued
the report to the public at all, the committee must come
to a conclusion upon the entire subject which they were
appointed to consider ; they must not only show what they
desired, but how they proposed to carry it out. The report
which had been adopted was the report of that section of
the General Committee called the Improvement Sub-com-
mittee. It would now be for the Finance Sub-committee
to meet immediately, to see what they would recommend
to carry out the suggestions cantained in this report ; and
when that was done a public meeting would be called.
Mr. J. G. Morris moved, and Mr. Picton seconded, a reso-
lution of thanks to the sub-committee, for the time and
labour they had bestowed in the preparation of the valuable
report which they had brought up. The resolution was
carried unanimously, and the meeting broke up.

STRIKE OF THE BIRKENHEAD FERRI-NE:V.—OD Sun-
day the whole of the crews, with one exception, of the
steamboats owned by Messrs. Willoughby, the leesees of
the Birkenhead and Tranmere ferries, turned out "on
strike" for an advance of wages. Messrs. Willoughby
own seven boats, the Birkenhead, Britannia, Vernon,
Cato, Fanny, Mersey, and William Faucett. Each boat
has a crew of six or seven men, namely, captain, engineer,
fireman, and the remainder common hands. They were
paid on the following scale —engineers, 355. per week;
captains, 305.; men, 215.; and firemen from Ifls. to 18s.
per week. On Saturday night, after the boats had done
plying, the men went in a body to Messrs. Willoughby,
and demanded to be paid at an advanced rate, threatening
to "turn out" next morning if their request was not
granted. The terms they dictated were, engineers, £2
per week ; captains, 355.; mates, 305.; men, 285.; and
firemen. 24a. Not one of the men had previously spoken
to their employers on the subject, and the only previous
intimation the latter had of the movement was a docu-
ment received by post four days befoi-e, but bearing no
signatnre, and merely asking to be paid at the advanced
rates named. Messrs. Willoughby refused to be coerced
into acquiescence, and requested a day or two for time to
consider upon the matter before them, but without effect.
Daring the night, at high water, the men went off in
small boats to the steamers lying moored in the stream
and brought them ashore, so that early on ennday they
were high and dry, and their owners tivi, 1.; , ,-ed from
plying them if they had hands to rrori ~.tv , .• •• h. The
only steamer plying on Sundae ,i e, ,'. ~ ,'• I, Capt.
Henry Harrison, one of NI, ,sr k'' 'blest
hands, and who had sufficient ill' ! , ew to
induce them to remain at their w,: : i i ace of
this the ferry could not be war's', - .1 • , A.l t ,lessrs.
Willoughby were great losers.
DOCK COMMITTEE.—The weekly meeting was held on
Thursday, Mr. Charles Turner in the chair. The Sub-
committee of Works submitted a draft of regulations for
the traffic along the dock line of railway., whieli they re-
commended to be adopted. - The folio ring are the regu/a-
-tions:-Ist. No wagon is to be left standing on the lines
of railway, either loaded or empty, north of Hill-street,
under a penalty not exceeding £5. 2d. No train or wagon
to consist of more than four wagons when loaded with
balk timber, or six wagons when loaded with deals or
other materials, or when empty, under a penalty not ex-
ceeding £5 for each wagon. 3d. No two trains shall be
permitted to travel along the line of railway nearer to-
gether than 500 yards as regards distance, or five minutes
in point of time, under a penalty not exceeding £5. 4th.
No wagon shall be allowed to load or discharge on the
lines of railway, north of Hill-street, except under special
circumstances, or leave being obtained from the chairman
of the Dock Committee, and in such cases not more than
two wagons are to stand or load at the same time, under a
penalty not exceeding £5. The lines of railway, where
crossing the public street from the dock railway to the
charge
ne will
of
Wapping station, to be kept in repair at the expense of
loaded
erda railway
aoncopampsasill'ig over the i
..A
be made admen%
ye,acalti
T
the rate or 2d. per ton, to be paid by the railway com-
pany every month ; the use of the railway to be during
the pleasure of the committee, mid subject to a revision of
rates from time to time.—A long conversation ensued, in
the course of which it transpired that the railway cost
£12,000 or £13,000, and that the return would be about
£lOO a year. A letter was read from Mr. B. Poole, sug-
gesting that the committee should run two lines of rail-
way from their stations at Wapping, and Waterloo-road,
of about 100 yards in length—the one into the Victoria-
dock, and the other into the Queen's —to enable the
company to ship goods with the same facility as in London.
The Chairman said the object in view was, that there
should be permanent berths allotted to the railway
company at the Victoria and Queen's docks, with lines
alongside joining the lines of the railway. At those per-
manent berths they would have barges, so that they might
run any quantity of goods to the dock side, put them into
the barges, and send the barges to any vessel the goods
..
were intended for, in any part of the docks. After a few'
observations the letter was referred to the harbour-
masters' committee. The Chairman said that Mr. Hornby
and Mr. Earle came before the special committee for dock
arrangements last Saturday, to propose a plan of oammu-
nication between the docks and the Southport Railway, by
means of a high-level railway along the walls of the north
docks to the end of the Prince's-dock. Their plan was
that the high-level railway should start from their railway
at Marsh-lane; join the dock estate at the most convenient
point at the north end, and traverse the top of the dock
walls to the end of the Prince's-dock, where they would
have a station. They had a model of their plan atthe
committee-room, and their plan proposed that their rail-
way shimild be fifteen feet wide at the top, one line of
rails in the centre, with places for passengers on both •
sides ' • that the railway should extend on an average
about two or throe feet over the inside of the
dock ,walk, the dock walls being about a foot
and a half in thickness. The remainder they
could take out of the street, with the permission of
the Health Committee; and they wished to know how
far this estate would agree to anythinb of the kind. The
matter was discussed by the committee, mid an answer
was postponed until next Saturday. He (the chairman)
thought he was not wrong in stating the general feeling
of the committee to be, that at present they could scarcely
agree to recommend anything of this kind, inasmuch as
the arrangements at the north end were not decided upon,
and of course running a railway along the walls might
interfere with those arrangements, without at all going
into the question whether it would be desirable on other
points to consent to a matter of this kind. After some
conversation the subject dropped. The finance sub-com-
mittee reported on the proposed Merchant Shipping Bill,
that it appeared to them that the effect of that bill, with
regard to the measurement of ships, would be to give
their actual carrying capacity. It would reduce sailing
ships 7i per cent., whilst it would increase steamers from
10 to 15 per cent, The deck houses of sailing vessels
would probably average 33 tons, and by this average the
decrease of 7i per cent. would be reduced to 3 per cent.
With regard to the deck houses in steamers it was difficult
to estimate the amount of average, but it was probable,
including deck houses, the measurement would be further
increased 5 per cent.—The Chairman said this was an
important matter for the rates of the dock estate, and
no!
course to this extent their revenue would be decreased, ;? .
rtion. 14 nth
less they increased their rates in the same p Po
,i,-r° stood, it would
regard to steamers, if the bill p
passed - it
non
whole he was
be for the advantage of this estate. On the -
inclined to think there would be a decrease in the tonnage
and if that were so
upon which they received their rates,n
late: to raise the rates.
it would be necessary for the col
committeen to take action in
Mr. Smith recommended the
bill, and suggested that a de-
putationfavour of the Government
London to assist the Govern-
ment, should be sent to
i their hands in endeavouring to
and to strengt I.
- licA
long discussion followed, after
adopt such a system.
agreed to, Mr. Rounthwaite and
which the motion was
only dissentients. A copy of
_the
,le being the
Mr' IT°:(--li directed to be forwarded to the Board of
resolution was .
consisting of the chairman, Mr,
and a deputation, .
Trade
fairßanki were appointed to
Government
Shand, and Mr.
E as racticable, the
London to stinpel;-, p
from Mr. _ _
...,
'cation was read from Mr. M Iver, stating
bill. A commun
that the new mail steam-ship Persia would be more than
(%9 feet over all, and intimating that it would be impossible
to get her into any of the graving docks in Liverpool.
The letter stated unless accommodation for this class of
vessels was provided within a short time by the committee,
the company would he driven to provide a graving dock of
their own. The chairman remarked there was no doubt
graving docks were required for large vessels of this class.
Perhaps the letter would be referred to the Dock Improve-
meut Committee, This terminated the general business.