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    to condemn ; but this apology cannot be extended to page after page of consecutive prose talk of which the only apparent end is to wear away the time and patience of the listener . Let us hope the scissors -will be unsparingly applied . The story of Satanella runs , or rather limps , as follows . The young , wealthy , and fast Count Rupert . ( Mr . Harrison ) , beloved in secret by Leila ( Miss Rebecca Isaacs ) , but about to marry Stella ( Miss S . 3 ? yne ) i gives a splendid fete in honour of the latter . But incautiously embracing the former before the company , the Count comes to grief . A rupture takes place , which ends far more romantically than in a breach of promise suit , the lady provokes her

    discarded to throw a main with her , and beggars mm . The second act introduces us to a gothic library in the last of the Coun £ s possessions , " the PeviFs Tower , " to his servant , Karl ( Mr . St . Albyn ) , who is an humble admirer of the aspiring Leila , and makes us better acquainted with his travelling Mentor , Ilortensius ( Mr . George Honey ) . Here ,. to relieve his f ortunes and get a new sensation , our hero hits upon the expedient of summoning the Devil to his aid . On this appears the fiend , Arimanes ( Mr . " Weiss ) . In wrathful mood at being thus disturbed upon his throne of flame , he soundly rates the presumptuous mortal and strikes him senseless , leaving the familiar demon Satanella ( Miss Louisa Pyne ) in possession ,

    with these directions : — To question , do not dare : My will is to ensnare All woman in thy heart . With woman ' s presence part ; In form be thou a page , As such with liim engage . JSatanella enters upon her duties by restoring .. Rupert to consciousness , giving him a first-rate supper , and •* ' magic slumber" to follow , and then falling deeply , -desperately , but , alas ! hopelessly , in love with him . Abandoning the page ' s costume , she tries to fascinate in woman ' s guise , but here even her supernatural powers fail her , and she is tormented by the ' rivalry of Stella . This , however , she counteracts

    by-the present of a mystic hat , which , though it enables Rupert to discern the falsehood of the intrigante , is powerless against his revived passion for * Ze // a . Restored to wealth and cured of his attachment toJStella , theCotintnow retires uponhis premieres amours . We find him , in fa ct , on the point of being married to the peasant girl ; but . the united exertions of her rejected admirer , Karl , the desperate Stella , and the lovelorn Satanella , are too much for him . The first enlists with a gang of pirates , and carrries off Leila . The last contrives that Stella also shall be kidnapped , and herself takes the bride ' s place in the wedding march . But immortals , as well as mortals , seern doomed to slips ' twixt cup and lips , for almost at the altar ' s foot our enamoured enchantress is herself spirited away at the call of the master fiend ,

    A nmanes . The next scene in which the action progresses is the slave mart at Tunis , where we find Ldia and Stella for sale . Rupert , who has followed the object of his affections , is there too , and is on the point of seeing her purchased by a wealthy Turk , . when , suddenly enriched by Satandla , he is enabled to redeem her . The gentle fiend , in virtue of an impromptu compact , ffoos vicariously into slaver }' , ami the hapl but But

    piness of the lovers seems again fil secure . , in the f ourth act , poor Sutanella again forbids the bans at the very altar ' s foot . She presents Rupert ' s bill for acceptance and chums hti person in satisfaction ; but touched by the devotion of Leila , who offers-herself instead , foregoes her rights and destroys the document . After this , by tlio aid of n holy rosary and the prayors of the faithful , she is delivered from the tyranny of the fiend , her master , and the curtain descends upon lior apothoosis .

    In attempting a mengre condensation of the story , ¦ wo have left ourselves scant space for allusion to the beauties of the opera , which though they might richly furnish- a short work , appeared on the first representation to bo separated by long intervals of horrid dulness . The first net contains a successful ballad . " Our hearts aro not our own to give , " which rejoices in a graceful accompaniment , and was so feelingly given by Miss Isaacs as to secure a sound ¦ encore . Thnt Karl ' s song , " Oh would > ho but name the day , " will be a draw ing-room favourite , wo have little doubt . It was well sung by Mr . St . Albyn , wubso clear nnd true tones penetrating to tlie back rows of seats , where strains of several other voices were utterly loat , procured him much genuine approbation . The nut concludes , or should have concluded

    with " The power of love , " a flue , flowing , expressive melody accompanied by the harp and supported by a , chorus behind the scenes . This air nnd its recitative wore deliciously sung by Miss Pync , who would have inadq n groat impression in them , bub the enthusiasm of the audience was immediately damped , by tho intrusion of some vapid dialogue between its termination nnd the full of tho act drop . Tho appearance of Arimanoa gives an opening for a few lino lines , which were delivered by Mr . Weiss at half

    the arrival o the lady betrothed to him , Undine discovered his falsehood , and bade him a sad adieu . On his bridal night she sought his chamber , and , finding him there alone , ung herse into his arms and gave him the kiss of death . The sacrifice atoned for her weakness , and she became restored to her high station amongst the Spirits of the Waters . The character of Undine will be sustained by Louise Xeclercq ; Translucia , her sister , by Fanny Wright ; and Mrs . I * eclercq . will pei'sonate the false knight . The scenery has been painted by Mrl Frederick Fenton , and the unrivalled pantomimists of last year — Arthur . Leclercq ., Charles : Leclerc < i , Xoutse Leelercq , and Fanny Wright—will sustain the harlequinade , the comic portion of which is invented by Mr . W . Dorrington . The scenery of this portion ia painted by Messrs . O'Connor and Morris , and the entire pantomime produced under the direction of Mr . Leclercq .

    STRAND THEATRE . The extravaganza of Kenilworth ; or , ye Queene , ye Earle , and ye Ufaydenne , which is very carefully prepared at this theatre , follows pretty closely , we understand , the novel by Sir Walter Scott , as far as the latter goes . But here Messrs . ITalliday and Lawrence deviate from tbeir authorities , or rather go ahead of them ; for they unfold to their audience that poor Amy Robsart never died at all . She , reappears * and is happily united

    to ye Earle" in a superb " hall of dazzling light , " wherein are illustrated three great epochs of English . history—those , namely , of Queens Elizabeth , Anne , and Victoria . The leading characters of the burlesque are Leicester ( Miss Swanborougli ) , the Queen ( Mrs . Selby ) , Amy Robsart : ' ( Miss . Oliver ) , and Sir Walter Raleigh ( Miss Marie Wilton ) . Varney is Mr . Clarke ; Wayland Smith , Mr . ' James Bland ; and Tressilian , Miss Charlotte Saunders , a lady more known at present to provincial than to metropolitan fame .

    A slight , but agreeable comedietta , entitled The Rule of Three , by Mr . Frank Talfourd , was-produced here on Monday night . The " rule of three" appears to be that , while " two are company , three are none ; " and this is the conclusion , to which the piece works up . The leading personages are : Mr . Thistleburr { Mr . Turner ) and his young wife Margaret £ Miss M . Ternan ) are supposed to be agreeing iu their little matrimonial nest like an am . iab . le pair of turtledoves , when a shade drifts athwart their bliss in . the form of an invading host of bachelor friends , who drive the uxorious Benedict nearly to desperation . But his troubles are of no long duration , for as there is little vice about his tormentors , the audience have the pleasure of seeing bis deliverance from them before anything serious occurs .

    PALACE OF TH 1 C PEOPLE , MUSWKLL . JIILL . Eighteen elaborate designs prepared for this project by Mr . Owen Jones , are now on view in the large room at St . James ' s Hall , and will well repay the trouble of a visit . The architect proposes a building 1296 feet long , constructed of iron and glass , haying two towers of moderate dimensions at each end , and four others towards its centre , from which will spring' a handsome mosqueliltti dome of 200 feset intermil diameter . The roof will be ribbed , and the span of the nave girders 120 feet . The first five designs , which may worthily be called elegant water-colour drawings , exhibit the proposed south front , industrial nave , fine-art nave , winter garden ( under

    central dome ) , and north front with terrace . It baa been arranged for the public comfort thnt railway trains shall set down company absolutely under the grand north terrace , leaving them an ascont of bm 2-1 feet by a flight of stairs to the floor of the building . This will be an undoubted advantage . A semi-circular concert-and lecture theatre , designed for 9000 persons , is to project from the centre of one front , and refreshment corridors from tho end of ouch nave . Wo have no space in our present number to do more than attract attention to the design-drawings which have evidently cost their talented author an infinity of labour nnd thought a 3 well as time , and which afford strong presumptive evidence that tho promoters of tho scheme are really in earnest .

    power , and Mr . Harrison ' s song , in the Balfean manner , in praise o champagne , fell as flat as the antithesis of that admirable liquor . Mr . Harrison had it quite under command , he treated it forcibly , and in his best manner , but it yielded him nothing . The opening chorus o peasants , nobles , and tenantry , as well as the short overture , were fresh and richly scored . The chorus of the gamblers also introduced a f ew charming bars ; but on the whole the first act , though mounted with most superb scenery , and new and really splendid costumes , showed little promise of an unqualified success . The striking morceaux fine

    of Act IT . are the bold andante , and , in parts , bravura with which Satanella opens it . The wellwritten ballad , " An angel form , " for which again we may venture to predict some drawing-room popularity , would have been more effective had it not carried Mr . Harrison .. into falsetto . But there was no mistaking the thorough appreciation by all connoisseurs of Miss Pyne ' original and beautiful " Let not the world disdaining , " with its charming prelude by Mr . Lazarus . The finale presented much beautiful instrumentation , in parts reminding us o Mendelssohn , and the excellent male part song , also in the German manner , with which it opens , was

    deservedly encored . In Act III . portions of the duo between Satanella and Arimanes are well written and were effectively sung . The long buffo duo in . the second scene was mainly a waste of time . It contains one elegant couplet of the light and sparkling school , in which Mr . Honey and Mr . St . Albyn gave satisfaction . The chorus and dance step sung in the Tunis bazaar is very pretty , and the quintett , " Oh woe ! despair !" displays originality arid successful thought . Satanella ' s song , " Sultana Zulema , " which Miss Pyne can not he lp singing deliciously , seems a pasticcio of jigs treated Auber-esquely . This was succeeded , however , by a fine melody , also for Satanella , which , of

    though it may never , attain to the dignity a street organ , ought , among amateurs , to become very popular . It is called , " Wouldst thou win me , " and leads to a third song in waltz time , ' Old man , thyself deceiving , " in which the fair lessee gave a splendid specimen of her vocalising powers . Some good music preludes Act IV ., but the opening serenade , "No prize can fate , " was so commonplace that the grave indiscretion of some applauding enthusiasts , who once or twice erred in this manner , met with a just rebuke in the shape of hisses . The finale , in which the composer lias largely introduced the delicious strains of the French-horn , presents much instrumental power and beaut }' . The declathe

    mation of Satanella , "Oh ! tenderness sublime , ' splendid crescendo , '' Weep thou no more , " the ensemble which follows , and Mr . Harrison's " Great Heaven , accord , " in which he was especially successful , were all much admired and warranted a general verdict of approval at the fall of the curtain . We must not forget to mention that the public availed themselves of the new arrangements for their comfort with the greatest satisfaction , and we believe we are but echoing the general sentiment when we express the hope that the courageous abolition' of booking nnd box-keeping fees by this management will eventually profit them and all who will follow their example .

    We learn—but it is too late to cancel our previous remarks—that the shears have been at work with a will . So far , so good . If tho management will sot closer togethor the raro gems of musical poetry in Satuneltu , nnd the orchestral beauties which arc more abundant , they will be nearer that success their industry and outlay would , had they been well advised in time , have secured for them nt the hands of tho very critical audience on Monday . IIAYMAKKUT THEATIIIS , Tho material for Mr . Buckstono ' s forthcoming pantomime , entitled Undine , or Hat'h » juin an J the Spirit of the Waters , is supplied by De hi Motto Fouquo ' , The story runs that Undine , tho fuir spirit , was loft

    by her piirents on tho banlts of n lake , near an enchantod forest , so that sho might grow up among mortals until her eighteenth year , when , if during that time sho could resist the power of Love , slio would bo worthy to succeed to tho throne of her mother under tho waters . Being discovered by nn old fisherman , he brought her home , whore she lived with him and his wife until her eighteenth birthday , when a young knight , who hud braved tho dangers of tho Enchanted Forest , to prove hid vulour und please a lady to whom ho was betrothed , sought » . . _•* - »• * mm writ I Undine be

    Bin . ALBISRT SMITH S ENTKltEAIXMlCNTJ HftVFTlAN 11 AIX . As genial and fresh as ever , Mr . Smith opened his Chinese Campaign on Wednesday night , and favoured a crowded company with his impressions of a scamper to Canton nnd of Colonial and Chinese society . The little hall was very nicely decked with accurately coloured fac-siinilcs of Chinese shop fronts , covered with quaint inscriptions , and other Chinese curiosities of all sorts , " neat , ns imported j" while a real live Chinaman mooned on the storing Britons as they passed tho chock-taker . Wo , unluckily , missed tho lh'st part , wliich oompruliondod glnncoa at Cairo , the Sphynx , and l ' yminlila , with tho

    refuge in tho ilshennan ' s cottage . , on - holding the stranger , foil at once in lovo with him . The water spirit * , on knowing this , were greatly incensod against Undine , but nllayod their anger by the know-lodge that , should tho knight prove untrue to her , it was hor doom to destroy him . In vain Undine sought hoi' companions In their ocean homo . In vain &ho absented herself to conquor her futnl passion . T | io power of lovo gave her a , bouI , niul henceforth she became mortal , and subject to all the infirmities of mortality . Tho young knight , for a brief spueo , returned the pjisaiou of Undine , but , on

    Dosort and Isthmian Kullwny . Those subjects , however , wore illustrated , we uiulorstund , by four scones of merit , painted under Mr . William lluvurloy ' d direction , nnd tho author ' s sketches of hi . i follow-travellers by land und sea wore , according to our authority , most amusing . Wo onn apeak from mitop . ty upon tho socoml part , llio soonos of which arc laid iu China . No . 1 is tho OUy and Harbour of llojiff Kuiitf ; No . 2 , a Wutorshlo Bazaar } No . 15 , tho celebrated Uoguu Forts j No . 4 , tho Into ISuropean Factories ut Canton ; No , 5 , tho Gardens at Howqua ' s oountry-hoiJtio . The . se views aro all pleasingly painted after warranted skotohos by colonial nnd native artists ;

    Untitled Article

    No . 457 , December 24 v 1858 . ] THE L E _ AJD _ E B , 1415

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Dec. 24, 1858, page 1415, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2274/page/15/