The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-05-09 00:00:00

A GENUINE FRENCH SCENE.

Our republican neighbours are a thoroughly theatrical
people ; and, of course, the opening of the new National
Assembly was a theatrical exhibition throughout. The
following little incident is thoroughly French:—

"M. Demosthenes 011ivier next rose and demanded
that, after the adri.ission of every member, he should
mount the tribune, and there in the presence of the
assembly, take the oath of allegiance to the republic. A
number of members here interrupted the speaker, crying,
The oath is abolished !" By whom ?' asked M.
011ivier. By the Provisional Government.' What,'
continued M. 011ivier, 'do you place the power of the
Provisional Government above that of the National
Assembly ?' (Cries, ' The oath is abolished, and for
ever.')

" M. Cremieux, the Minister of Justice, then rose and
said that the oath of allegiance had been the occasion of so
much scandal during the last sixty years, and had excited
such universal indignation, that the Provisional Govern-
ment had thought proper to abolish it. ' The oath of
every true republican,' added the minister, is in his
heart, and not on his lips.'

" The assembly received that declaration of the minister
with treat applause, and ratified, by its unanimous appro-
bation, the measure adopted by the Provisional Govern-
ment, amidst deafening cries of ' Vice la republigue,' and
Vive le gouvernment provisiore.'

We can imagine the whole scene, as it would be put upon
the stage—the livelyexclamations, "the oath is abolished,"
arising from supernumeraries and scene-shifters pressed
into service for the occasion ; next the indignant, " What !
do you place the power of the provisional government
above that of national assembly ?" from second tragedian ;
then, the grandiloquent bearing of first tragedian as, with
his hand thumping his breast, he proclaims oracularly,
" the oath of every true republican is on his heart"—this
with an emphatic thump—" and not on his lips ;" and
finally, the unanimous approbation by the corps drama-
tique, replied to vociferously from pit and gallery. Nothing
could be more splendidly melo-dramatic.
After all, we quite approve of the abolition of the oath
of allegiance in France. It has really been taken and
broken there so often—been, as M. Cremieux says, " the
occasion of so much scandal during the last 60 years, and
excited such universal indignation," that much future per-
jury may be avoided by its abolition.

ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE.-MISS CUSHMAN'S
ENGAGEMENT.

The feature of the past week's performances at this
Theatre has been the production of Beaumont and Flet-
cher's Comedy of the " Scornful Lady," a play which
has not been represented in England for nearly 100 years,
and which was only revived recently in Lonlon, to intro-
duce Miss Cushman in the character of the heroine. As
might have been expected by any party who has perused
the play in the original, and observed the pruriences
which it contains and which, however suitable to the
taste of the age for which it was written, would be revolt-
ing to playgoers in the present day, considerable pruning
was required : and this was unexceptionably executed by
Mr. Searle. Great credit is due to the spirited manage-
ment of Mr. Copeland for the excellent manner in which
it was put on the stage at the Amphitheatre, and as well
to the Company for the efficient manner in which it was
cast throughout.
The play is one very different from the flimsy abortions
which pass current for comedy in the present day—full of
character, and affording a fine scope for genuine acting.
The character of the Scornful Lady is especially adapted
for the display of Miss Cushman ; and was acted by her
to perfection. The changes of temper from the scornful
to the loving woman—from the mocking and obstinately
provoking to the dejected and almost despairing one--
were most truthfully depicted. Miss Cushman's acting
was, in fact, the great attraction of the play, the subordi-
nate characters, however, being excellently sustained. In
particular we may mention Mr. Rice's impersonation of
the Curate—somewhat too broadly farcical, perhaps,—
and Mr. Harry Chester's rendering of the Younger Love-
less. _ _ _

There is however, something still wanting in truthful-
ness in the pourtraiture of some of the characters. We
cannot, for instance, reconcile to our ideas of the tastes of
even a profligate in a civilized age the debaucheries and
coarseness of Young Loveless's companions. The Cap-
tain especially is over-drawn in his blustering ; and the
remainder are as little in keeping with even a younger
brother's gentility. We cannot conclude our notice of
this play without referring to the excellent acting of
lk Ir . Hann in the last act. His personation of the Elder
Loveless's betrothed was a rich piece of comic acting.

Mr. Andrew Leighton has been appointed secretary to
be Roscoe Club. _

On Saturday evening one of the Eastham boats, from
Liverpool, ran aground when opposite to Rock Ferry, and
as she could not be got off, the passengers were landed
there, and had to walk the remaining distance.
HEALTH OF TowNs' BILL.—Mr. Councillor Walthew,
chairman of the Houseowners' Society, and Mr. Coun-
cillor Thompson, on behalf of the Builders' Society, have
proceeded to London, to oppose the operation of this bill
extending to Liverpool.
FORGING THE POST-OFFICE ORDER.—On Friday,
Parsons, the young man remanded from the previous Fri-
day, charged with having forged the signature to a post-
office order for £2 17s. 9d., was again brought up. The
prisoner was committed for trial.
YOUGHAL AND LIVERPOOL STEAM-PACKET.—We are
happy to learn that this new enterprise is likely to be suc-
cessful, and that the farmers and dealers in parts of the
counties of Waterford and Tipperary are availing them-
selves of tne facilities afforded them, in the shipping of
cattle, butter, grain, &c.,Youghal being a much nearer
port for Shipment than aterford or Cork. A splendid
first-class steam-packet sails from Youghal on• every
Thursday, and from Liverpool on Mondays.— Clonmel
Constitution.

DEATH FROM A FALL.—An inquest was held on Sa-
turday, before Mr. Curry, on view of the body of Mary
Armstead, who was 66 years old. Deceased was in the
habit of going to Mrs. Ruth Edwards's public-house, in
Park-lane. and on Friday afternoon while she was there
she fell down through a trap-door in the floor of the
house, which led to a cellar stair or ladder, and which had
been incautiously left open. She dropped into the cellar,
a depth of about six feet, and was so severely injured in
the head that she died on Saturday morning of, as it ap-
peared from a post mortem examination, concussion of
the brain. Verdict, " Accidental death."
SUPPLY OF WATER.—At the meeting of the Liverpool
Literary and Philosophical Society held on Monday even-
ing, at the Royal Institution,'Colquitt-street, Mr. J. B.
Yates in the chair, Dr. 'lligginson rose to elicit informa-
tion on the subject of water supply. tie asked if any geo-
logist present could satisfactorily meet the statement that
the wells are inexhaustible, and that the supply derivable
from the new sandstone is fully adequate for the wants of
this large town. It might be owing to the prevalence of
wet weather of late, but it was a fact, he believed, that the
wells were as yet unexhausted, although the engines had
pumped day and night for weeks together. The Chairman
said the subject was now under investigation by the autho-
rities, and an actual measurement was being made of the
produce of each well, to ascertain how many gallons are
produced in a given time. The Rev. Mr. Dwyer was
strongly of opinion that the red sandstone strata was not
yet exhausted ; but three or four wells were sunk in it,
and if these wells showed symptoms of exhaustion, others
might be sunk and water obtained. He saw no necessity
for going to an external part for water till it was actually
shown that we had it not beneath our feet he had no doubt
that in the Childwall valley there was an immense supply.
Red sandstone was slightly porous ; water percolated
through, and in the deeper portions of the strata a vast
body of water might be got which had been stored up
there for centuries. A stratum of clay might intervene
and stop the water, but the strata themselves were shat-
tered, so that there were many outlets by which water
I could get into a lower stratum. It struck him also that,
whatever it might. be for domestic purposes, the water
which we got filtered through sandstone was beautiful to
drink. Dr. Iligginson said that a geologist had assured
him that the new red sandstone under Liverpool was 15
miles thick. He asked if the water which we obtained
might not rise from lower levels. The Rev. Mr. Dwyer
said no, else we should have thermal springs ; the water
would be hot. The Chairman hazarded an opinion, that
the water even at Bolton or at Prescot might rise up here
in the form of a siphon. A member asked if much of the
water that fell here might not escape, at a low level, into
the sea. The Rev. Mr. Dwyer replied that that would be
prevented by the hydrostatic pressure of the sea, so that
there might be reservoirs below which had been kept up
from all time. He added, as a burgess, that he thought
the corporation should try what they could do below this
town before incurring the expense of going to another
district. Mr. Fletcher said he had seen the water at
Rivington very muddy, but that in the smaller springs it
was very beautiful,