The Sun. — 1845-02-04 (London, England)

FRENCH PLAYS.—These performances last evening were attended by a full and highly fashionable audiencz amongst whom we noticed the following distinguished personages :--Ilis Grace the Duke of Beaufort, Prince Edward of Saxe Wiemar, the Earl and Countess of Chesterfield, the Count and Countess St. Aulairo,. the Turkish Ambassador and suite, Count Esterhazy, Count King ski, Count Kielmansegge, Lady Bruce, Baron Koller, Lady Lister Kaye, the Hanoverian Minister, Baron Rehausen, llon. Mrs. Fitzgibbon, Lady Tyrrwhitt, Sir Henry `Webb, Sir J. H. Lowther, Hon. :Arr. Pery, Lord Gifford, Hon. Colonel and Mrs. 4.nson, ekir Wm. Massey Stanley, &c.  We have read the review of "Anti-Coningsby, or the New Generation Grown Old," and fully agree with the writer in reprobating the custom of making personal attacks on living public characters. However clever these sallies may be, if the habit be encouraged, it may lead to a taste for scandal and personalties in fictitious writing highly to be deprecated. It would have been better if the writer of this review had confined himself strictly to his subject, instead of wandering into other matters, and digressing upon things not immediately connected with it. But upon the whole it exhibits a careful consideration of the matter in hand, and is written in a dispassionate and careful manner. We subjoin the following extract, as expressing an opinion of the author of " AntiConingsby," in which we heartily concur : " The writer of Anti-Coningsby' has only had two objects in view : first and foremost, to glorify herself (we are satisfied the book is the production of a woman); and, secondly, to heap abuse and ridicule upon everybody against whom she has conceived a dislike. In carrying out the latter object, she displays a boldness and recklessness quite as great as that which prevails throughout Coningsby.' She occasionally, too, shows great cleverness and power in depicting the ludicrous. But there is a superabundance of coarseness and vulgarity ; an utter insensibility to all gentle and groper feeling • and a magnitude and intensity of spitefulness that makes the book, upon the whole, loathsome. No doubt, in composing Coningsby,' Mr. D'lsraeli was actuated by some motive beyond the mere desire of giving vent to his personal spleen ; but the author of Anti-Coningsby' wrote for no other motivo except this, combined, as we have observed, with the desire to puff herself ; and this has been done in a very coarse and clumsy manner, and is far more likely to produce disgust than admiration in the mind of a stranger. A clever shrew, a witty virago, is, in our opinion, the most odious thing. in nature. We heartily wish Sir Peter Laurie would take these Furies under his care, and put t. them down,' together with suicide, Puseyisni, anti wood pavement, against the which nuisances all the powers of his vigorous mind are at present directed. As an appropriate punishment for these viragos, we would suggb to the worthy Alderman that they should be put under the same ban with the real, old, original Furies who ran that tremendous burst after the slayer of Clytemnestra :  --az; Ou pxyvvrat eEcov res, ou3 CO9Fo7roc