New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-01-24
FRANCE.
From Our Own cou,fPcndoEt

From Our Own CoTr,fPobdoLt
PARIS Jan. T. 1851.
spent the night Of last Saturday week an
the first half hour of Sunday morning listening
and looking at the Syrian Massacres, as repre-
seuted ON the stage of the Theatre Imperial d.
Ciyque. Les MasSdcr6s dc Syrie may be regarded
in the next century, supposing that copy OF II
shall then be TO be found, and man be- found
willing to read it, as historical or chronicle
play II is the name given 10 what is called a
drema in five acts and nine tableauS. Just now
it may be regarded by the reader as "A drama
tize5 political pamphlet. lts authors ore Victor
seiour, one of the most successful playwrights OF
the Boulevard thcaters, and an amateur drama
turqe, NJ Mocquard, the Emperor Private See
rotary. But il was not written for readers, and
the letterpress is subordinate to, aud would be
insignificant or worse without, the truly llgnlil-
cent Illuminated illustrations or tabieapr which
it serves 10 introduce aud explain. Taese
are Eastern landscapes, and interiors, aud street
scenes, and battle pieces. There arc broad
monntain wastes Of the Lebanon, and the town
and port of Beyrout luminous in the broad
oriental suBlght-picturcs that Marilhat might
have signed; the harem Of Ben iacOub, with It's
luxury Of cushions and carpets and nrabesques,
and richly attired reclining odnsques, shown in
the warm youptuous glow Of lamps, combnes the
color Of DeacrOix with the drawing Of lngres.
The final tableau, where Abdel-Kader, 10 his
white bornouse, accompanied BY Agerlnes on
horse and foot, drives before him routed band
of Druse and Turkish assassns, while the throng OF
protected MhrOnite and Damascene Christians take
refuge near the fo0t-Gghts, and then. debouching
from the nanOw streets at the back OF the stage,
ccme dashing down the French colonel aud lieuten-
ant-coonc with the gelloiious trl-color and no end
Of red.lecg,d soldiers behind them, their bayonets
pltteHng in the brilliant red of the fifth net apotie
Css lght-lLis final tableau, say, Of horses, and
aaip. and slayers, and ClerlcO Oriental costumes,
blending with cnatonal FTenchag and pantaloOns,
vaa i'm dramatic effect equal end IN color past
measure superior 10 any OF Horace VcrDets canvas
battle pieces. Then there were real muskets dis
chhraing real yiainOus saltpcteT, so that your
respondents beard smelt strong OF powder for hours
afler Ii the sight pleased the artistic visual sense
of the audience, the fumes Ut burned powder
ascended through their nostIlls more exctlDgly to
the brains of this military people and us the cur
tain fell there rose shout from the onenouihed,
enthusiastic house. louder, deeper and more pro-
longed than had ever heard in French theoter.
| should guess that three-iourths OF the male occu
pants OF the pit aud the three upper galleries, might
have been enlisted az volunteer on going out that
n;elt, f. r campaign against the Turks and Druses
The plot sad story Of ibe piece is not worth giving
in detail 1t win be enough for the purpose OF this
letter to note briefly that George de Maureac ia a
fine young man, whose repeatedly great grandfather
was Frenchn.an from Brittany, who went East il
the time of the Crusades and settled in Syria. BY
I'LL t..lr.
sion TO inform the pit aud galleries over the
shoulders Of scoundre1y Druse intehoeutor, that
he. Ia orpe de Naurac, like most Of the Maronits
Christians ia O Frenchman. Georges family has
adopted Druse orphan girl, hight Guluarc. Gul.
mare il in love With George, and verging toward
Christianity. Ben Yaeoub lie Druss chief, madly
epnmored Of Gunare, and proposes TO kill of all the
members Of the Maureac family who arc obstacles
10 the smooth cOgrse Of bic true love- He marages