The Liverpool Standard, and General Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-07-11 00:00:00

MUSIC AND THE DRAMA

AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, the French comedians have,
during the week, being continuing to minister to the
delight of intelligent, though we regret to add rather
more select than numerous, audiences. The performances
have been in excess of the originally stipulated series,
and the three nights on which they took place were de-
voted to benefits for the leading members of the company.
On Wednesday, Mad'lle St. Georges and Mad'lle Roque-
vine made their appeal, which was fairly responded to by
an enthusiastic auditory. The pieces selected on the
occasion were, " Jobin et Alanette ' followed by " Brutus
Lache Cesar," and the amusement with Scribe's
comedy, " Bataille de Dames." All the pieces were ad-
mirably performed, and the peculiar and varied talents
of the ladies found good scope for their development in
the complicated situations arising out of the different
plots. If the poet's wish, " Fit audience let me find,
tho' few," could afford gratification, those ladies had
much reason to be satisfied. Their efforts were cordially,
though not boisterously, recognised, and the plaudits they
met with bore evidence of sincerity as well as of good
taste and judgment. How much the value of those plaudits
and the accuracy of that judgment might have been
enhanced by the addition of vulgar pelf, it is hardly within
our province to inquire ; but we cannot shut our eyes to
the fact, that "the labourer is worthy of his hire," and
that none but an ungenerous individual will consent to

"Be pleased,
Yet starve the author of the pleasure."
On Friday, M. Lafont took his benefit, and on that
occasion, also, the attendance was good, but not overflow-
ing. He had selected from the repertoire, "La Joie fait
Peur," "Le Hochet d'une Coquette," and "Le Gamin de
Paris ;" in the two last named of which M. Lafont ap-
peared to great advantage. The peculiar beauty of the
performances of this company is the admirable keeping by
nll L L•

represemations are characterised,
the spectator forget that he is witnessing the performance
of a play, and feel satisfied that he is introduced as a
spectator of real events ; an illusion greatly aided by the
admirable and unobtrusive bye-play which forms so pleas-
ing a distinction of the French drama. On Friday even-
ing, at the conclusion of the second piece, M. Lafont,
having, with M. Leon and Mad'lle Roqueville, been called
before the curtain, proceeded to address the audience, in
a brief and well delivered French speech, in which, after
adverting to the favourable reception accorded by the
public of Liverpool last year to him and the members of
his corps, and declaring the grateful feelings by which
all of them were penetrated by the remembrance of that
reception, he expressed his regret that, in a pecuniary
sense, the present visit had not realised the expectations
they had felt justified in entertaining. He next said that,
in point of comfort and elegance, no theatre in London or
Paris could boast of superiority to that of Liverpool, and,
with an admirable combination of pleasantry united with
regret, alluded to the forlorn condition and deserted aspect
of the " pretty stalls" which they had so often contem-
plated with regret. He then alluded to the complaint
which had found utterance, in several forms, as to the
rates of admission, and intimated that, as a stranger, he
was at all times ready to yield as far as possible to pre-
vailing opinion, and had determined to try the result of
five performances at the usual prices. The sentiments of
respect and gratitude he had given utterance to, he
assured the audience, were not confined to himself alone,
but were fully participated in by all the ladies and gentle-
men of the company. The address, which was delivered
with much grace, and accompanied by a fine gentleman-
like bearing, was well received and frequently applauded.
AT THBtOYAL AMPHITHEATRE, the veteran Vanden-
hoff and his accomplished daughter have been performing
a round of their favourite characters to applauding audi-
ences, including the representation of several of our most
popular dramas. In the list has been Young's tragedy of
" The Revenge," Miss Vandenhofrs fine play, " Woman's
Heart," Shakspere's " Merchant of Venice," Cumberland's
" Wheel of Fortune," and Bulwer's historical play of
" Richelieu," the father and daughter sustaining the lead-
ing parts in each. The Isoline of Miss Vandenhoff, in
her own play of " Woman's Heart," is tender, chaste, and
beautiful, and her father's performance of Albruzzi was
con amore and effective ; the Angelo of Mr. Lorraine
would have been more natural, if it had been less noisy;
more telling, and more pleasing, if the acting and the de-
clamation had been more subdued. How much it is to be
regretted that the noble sentiments breathed in expressive
language should be wedded to so much that is gross and
foul as is to be met with in Shakspere's " Merchant of
Venice." This play was well sustained on Thursday even-
ing, Vandenhoff playing Shylock with all his pristine
vigour, united to the culture imparted by experience. His
elocution was finishedly expressive, and his action well
suited to the scene. Portia found a sweet and capable
representative in Miss Vandenhoff, whose performance,
particularly in the trial scene, was admirable. Mr. Moore-
house as Basanio, and Mr. Villiers as Gratiano, were both
more than respectable ; and Mr. Honey's Launcelot Gobbo
was clever, as well as creditable, to his histrionic capabili-
ties. Of the Richelieu and Julia of Mr. and Miss Van-
denhoff we have already spoken, and can only add that
their performance on Saturday last fully justified our pre•
vious conviction. This week, Mr. and Miss Fanny Baker
and Mr. T. Lyons make their appearance in a series of
favourite comedies.

making

65,702
48,024
131,417
189,223
81,776

SUBSTITUTE FOR POTATOES.—For the last four years
, considerable attention has been paid at the Museum of
, Natural History, in Paris, to the cultivation of a plant
coming from China, and known under the name of Dios-
corea Japonica. This plant, says the writer of a paper
sent to the Central Agricultural Society, may, by its size,
weight, and hardy character, become exceedingly valuable
in France, as it will serve as a substitute for the potato.
Its tubercles, like those of the Jerusalem artichoke, resist
in the open air the severest winter without sustaining any
injury. Several specimens of these roots, of very large
size, were presented in 1852 to the society, one of which,
of a cylindrical form, was three feet in length ; another
tubercle, presented m 1853, weighed three pounds, the
former having been in the earth twenty months, and the
latter sixteen. The flavour of this vegetable is more deli-
cate than that of the potato.—Galignani.
Mu. FEARGUS O'CONNOR'S SISTER.—After the disposal
of the night charges, at Marylebone, on Tuesday, a gentle-
man, whose name did not transpire, introduced to the
notice of the sitting magistrate, Mr. Broughton, a middle-
aged, respectably attired woman, of forlorn appearance,
whom he stated to be the sister of Mr. Feargus O'Connor.
The lady, under feelings of much emotion, said, that
she was residing at Bayswater, and was at the present
period in extreme distress ; her name was Harriet Bernard
Brown O'Connor. Her brother, upon whom a commission
de lunatico inquirendo had been held, was confined in a
house in Chiswick, and in consequence of his being im-
properly detained there, as he Kas in his proper senses,
and as "quiet as a lamb," she was reduced to the lowest
state of poverty, inasmuch as she was thereby kept out of
property to which she was entitled. She was willing to
release her brother, and have him under her care, and, but
for the trickery and chicanery of certain lawyers in the
matter, her object would, no doubt, ere this, have been
attained, and she would have been in such a position as to
have rendered it unnecessary to come forward, as she had
unfortunately been compelled to do, with a tale of dis-
tress.—Mr. Broughton, to whom numerous letters—one
of them from the Rev. Baptist Noel—were handed by Miss
O'Connor, had some conversation with her in the clerk's
office, and the reporter understood that the worthy magis-
trate afforded to the lady some pecuniary aid, which he
felt satisfied she much needed. She then quitted the
court, thanking the magistrate for the kindness which he
had extended towards her.
COMPANY, MANNERS, AND AMUSEMENTS.—But as to
the rational parties that are in truth so irrational, when
all talk up to an assumed character, instead of showing
themselves what they really are, and so extending each
other's knowledge of the infinite and beautiful capacities
of human nature—whenever I see the grave, sedate faces,
with their good, but anxious expression, I remember how
I was once, long ago, at a party like this ; every one had
brought out his or her wisdom, and aired it for the good
of the company ; one or two had, from a sense of duty,
and without any special living interest in the matter, im-
proved us by telling us of some new scientific discovery,
the details of which were all and each of them wrong, as I
learnt afterwards ; if they had been right, we should not
have been any the wiser ;—and just at the pitch when any
more useful information might have brought on congestion
of the brain, a stranger to the town, a beautiful, audacious,
but most feminine romp, proposed a game, and such a
game, for us wise men of Gotham ! But she (now long
still and quiet after her bright life, so full of pretty
pranks) was a creature whom all who looked on loved ;
and with grave hesitating astonishment we knelt round a
circular table at her word of command. She made one of
the circle, and producing a feather, out of some sofa pillow,
she told us she should blow it up into the air, and which-
ever of us it floated near, must pufraway to keep it from fall-
ing on the table. I suspect we all looked like Keeley in the
Camp at Chobham, and were surprised at our own obedience
to this ridiculous, senseless mandate, given with a graceful
imperiousness, as if it were too royal to be disputed. We
knelt on, puffing away with the utmost intentness, looking
like a set of elderly " Fools !" No! my dear sir. I
was going to say elderly cherubim. But making fools of
ourselves, was better than making owls, as we had been
doing. I will mention another party where a game of
some kind would have been a blessing. It was at a very
respectable tradesman's house. We went at half-past four,
and found a well-warmed handsome sitting-room, with
block upon block of unburnt coal behind the fire ; on the
table there was a tray with wine and cake, oranges and
almonds and raisins, of which we were urged to partake.
In half-an-hour came tea ; none of your flimsy meals, with
wafer bread and butter, and three buscuits and a half.
This was a grave and serious proceeding ; tea, coffee,
bread of all kinds, cold fowl, tongue, ham, potted meats
I don't know what. Tea lasted about an hour, and then
cake and wine tray was restord to its former place. The
stock of subjects of common interest was getting low, and,
in spite of our good-will, long stretches of silence occurred,
producing a stillness which made our host nervously attack
the fire, and stir it up to a yet greater glow of intense
heat; and the hostess invariably rose at such times, and
urged us to " eat another maccaroon." The first I revelled
in, the second I enjoyed, the third I got through, the
fourth I sighed over, the fifth reminded me uncomfortably
of that part of Sterne's Sentimental Journey, where he
feeds a donkey with maccaroons,—and when, at the sight
of the sixth, I rose to come away, a burst of imploring in-
dignant surprise, greeted me : You are surely never go-
ing before supper !" I stopped. I ate that supper. Hot
jugged hare, hot roast turkey, hot boiled ham, hot apple
tart, hot toasted cheese. No wonder lam old before my
time. Now these good people were really striving, and
taking pains, and laying out money, to make the evening
pass agreeably, but the only way they could think of to
amuse their guests, was, giving them plenty to eat. If
they had asked one of their children they could doubtless
have suggested half-a-dozen games, which we could all
have played at when our subjects of common intereKt
failed, and which would have carried us over the eveni*nr
quietly and simply, if not brilliantly. But in mar.y a committee would not be under any serious responsibility
small assemblage of people, where the persons collecte d are if they renewed the grant. Mr. Bigham said he felt bound
to object to the confirmation of the proceedings, so far as
incongruous, where talking cannot go on through so many
hours, without becoming flat or laboured, why rave we these related to the payrne-st of this £5O ; his objection to
it being its illegality, there being no power in the Dock
not oftener recourse to games of some kind.---litousehadd
Wort, Acts to authorise such an appropriation of tho funds and,