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the play does not otherwise supply , of participating in this , the concluding revival of her husband ' s management . " To the seigeof Harfleur , ihthe second act , which -was one of the great features of the play at Islington , the same prominence was given in Oxford-street , and with an excess in illusory splendour proportionate to the difference between the resources of the two establishments . Amidst a hurricane of trumpet-calls ( which are , by the way , too liberally laid on through the play , hi accordance with ancient custom and the directions of the text ) , a most imposing and numerous array of knights arid men-atarms , as correctly costumed and as perfectly grouped as the skill of all the talents concerned could
contrive , enact the ascent of a breach in the embattled walls . Warlike engines , of whose power the cool old chroniclers themselves spoke fearsomely , hurl fiery carcasses into the place . The walls crumble arid the breach enlarges under a fire of artillery , which we are even now not prepared to call imitative . The glittering host of bill men and archers surge upon the defences , which the active French repair with gabions . King Harry , in a superb harness and embroidered surcoat , animates his men in person , among the heaps of dead and dying that strew the slopes of this mediseval Malakhof . At last , as the excitement of the delighted audience is beginning to yield to an undeniably real atmosphere
of gunpowder , the white flag is hung out , and the English enter the town as the act-drop falls . A more vivid sensation we never saw produced by scenic illusion ; and the most vociferous call for the manager—who , doubtless weary , by no means courted the compliment—was , of course , the result . The next marvel of the night : fa a beautiful pair of tableaux , depicting the occupations of the rival hosts on the battle eve ; but here the interference with the text is : open to exception . The next scene is a well - painted moonlight view of the English position . Then follows the famous address of the monarch to his worn arid weary host , which produced its usual electrifying effect
upon the audience , and evoked the anost accurately fictitious enthusiasm from the troops , whose grouping and demonstrations were wonders of stage drilling and artistical arrangement . And now we come to . the greatest wonder of the night—the reception of Henry by the citizens- of ¦ London on his return . The scene represents the embattled gatehouse on the Surrey side of old London Bridge ; and the authority for much of the scenic detail is a 'Latin chronicle now in the British Museum , written by a monkish field-chaplain who was with the army from , its embarkation to its triumphal return . We are here , indebted to Mr . Kean and" his assistants for even- a more perfect
commentary upon the quaint old iUumiriated , and other drawings of such pageants , with which all are familiar , than they gave us in King Richard II . . "A greater assembly , " says the chronicler ,, " nobler spectacle , was not recollected to have been ever before in London ;" ¦ and we may add tha t since the days of Thespis , a more noble spectacle has never been seen upon the stage . The ample scene is alive with a busy , curious mob , the broad colouring of whose holiday gear , is so chosen and disposed as to comfort and support the eye of the spectator against the blaze of gaslight . The walls of the adjacent buildings and the rigging of the vessels bristle with spectators , and each twrret and
bartizan of the edifice on the bridge is peopled with a host of angel-children clothed in white * intoning beautiful strains of welcome , , composed by old trouvSrcs of the fourteenth centurv , Forth from the Bridge-house come the corporation with keys and their insignia . Then , a company of droll little angels ( their white gowns ail about their heels ) , bearing boughs of olive and laurel ; then a troop of dusky Eastern pandours ; then a bevy of winged gleemaidens , beating tambourines . The troops arrive , and are forced by their friends in the crowd to break their ranks . ' Sonic groups are formed by happy meetings , and some by sorrowing relatives of those who will mover come hack , At length Henry himself appears ; and the delight of the people knows no bounds They , rerig . the air with welcome ; surround the Kingj anil those who cannot kiss his hand
content themselves with the housing of tho steed . A splendid ncnl of bells , no puny carillonado , but a full grown " triple bob , " forms a running bass to the Shouts of the commons , and alternate with a beautiful old carol well-known to tho readers of Chappell and Wekorlin . At last , as tho press permits the monarch and his steed to near the archway , a golden shower foils around him , and the limits of theatrical invention boing hero sot for the present , the drop scene falls , the audience take up the sltbuts , and tho dismounted sovereign , after much boisterous invitation , comes simply tforwaf d to receive the frenzied applauso of tho modem Londoners . The wooing of Catherine in Act V . offers , of course , the t ) est of opportunities fpr the olsplaypf Mr . Ch&rlcs Kean ' s powers , and he availed himself of it with great success , delighting his
hearers no less . by' his polished delineation of the lion in love , than he did by his martial bearing on the scene of warlike action . ! We need hardly say , that a crowded and fashionable company , numbering many known for their devotion to the art and their admiration of the artist in his private and public relations , were collected to do him honour . And here ,-as we may not perhaps have occasion to report another of his managerial ovatibns , let us join in what is , no doubt , the universal expression of sympathy with the closing paragraphs of Mr . Kean ' s address on the occasion , which run as follows i ' - ^ -
" As the term of my management is now drawing to a close , I may , perhaps , be permitted , in a few words , to express iiiy thanks for the support and encouragement I have received . While endeavouring , to the best of my ability and judgment , to uphold the interests of the drama in its most exalted form , I may conscientiously assert , that I have been animated by no selfish or commercial spirit . An enthusiast in the art to which my life has been devoted , I have always entertained a deeply-rooted conviction that the plan I have pursued for many seasons , might , in render the
due time , under fostering care , stage productive of much benefit to society at large . Impressed with a belief that the genius of Shakespeare soars above all rivalry , that he is the most marvellous Writer the world has ever known , and that lii £ works contain stores of wisdom , intellectual and 1 moral , I cannot ; but hope that one who has toiled fb ' r so many years , in admiring sincerity , to spread abroad amongst the multitude these invaluable gems , niay * at least , be considered as an honest labourer , adding his mite to the great cause of civilisation and educational progress .. •'''; ¦¦ - ¦
" After nine years of unremitting exertion as actor and director , the constant strain of mind and body warns me to retreat from a combined duty which I find beyond . my strength , and in the exercise of which neither , zeal , nor devotion , nor consequent success , can continue to beguile me into a belief that the end will compensate for the many -attendant troubles and anxieties ; It would have been impossible , on my part , to gratify my enthusiastic wishes in the illustration of Shakespeare , had not my previous career as an actor placed me in a position of comparative independence with regard to speculative disappointment . Wonderful as have been the yearly receipts ^ yet the vast sums expended—sums , I have every reason to believe , not to be paralleled in any theatre of the same capability throughout the world—make it advisable that I should' now
retire from the self-imposed responsibility of manage ^ ment , involving such a perilous outlay ; and the more especially , as a building so restricted in size as the Princess ' s renders any adequate return utterly hopeless . " My earnest aim has been to promote the wellbeing of my profession ; and if , in any degree , I have attained so desirable an object , I trust I may not be deemed presumptuous in cherishing the
belief , that my arduous struggle has won for me the honourable reward of public approval . " We were never of the hyperbolical crew who have lavished their indiscriminate but seemingly not auriferous praise upon Mr . Kean ,. till the very well of plain English has run dry ; but we do believe , that as actor and stage director , on the grounds he puts forward , as well as on others which he does not , Mr ; Kean is well entitled to tho boon he asks with so much grace and modesty .
On Saturday , April 9 th , Miss Edith Heraud will read , in conjunction with Mr . Henry Nicholls , the Mendelssohn verson of " Antigono , " at the Crystal Palace . She will support the part of the heroine . The great succes which attended the performance of Mendelssohn ' s " Ave Maria , " by the Vocal Association , has rendered it again necessary to repeat the work , with the whole of the Finale to the Opera of ' ? Loreley , " 6 n Wednesday evening next , April 6 th , " Two Marches , " composed fox a military
band at Dusseldorf by Mendelssohn , and a new Cantata , The Births-day , " by Mr . Lindsay Sloper ( both for the first time in public ) , will be the additional attractions of the evening ' s performance . The band and choir , under the direction of M . Benedict , will number 400 performers . Mr . F . Penny the very accommodating keeper of the free list at the Lyceum Theatre , takes his benefit on Tuesday next , the 5 th instant , when we trust his numerous friends will respond to his claims on their support .
J ? ooius » Ciibss an » Dkaugjitb . —A simple and useful combination of these games has been submitted to us . A fiat box , four inches equuro , contains a folding board 3 also flat chessmen , the characters stamped In gold on dark purple and white grounds , the-. reverse forming draughts . It goes easily in the pocket } will serve in lieu of bettor apparatus , or aid the working out of problems , while playing , by duplication of sets . Any address can be readied , per book post ; and the whole requires but seven stamps . So that it is not surprising that its success is groat .
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CHIPS . Miss Victoria Balfe has , it is reported , been engaged by Mr . E . T . Sniith for his Italian Opera . The S chosen for her first appearanc e at Drury Lane is that of "La Sonnambula ; " the Elvino will- he Signor Mongini . Meyerbeer ' s new . opera is , ondit to be produced at Paris this evening . It has been thoroughly rehearsed and has been ready for representation for some days . It is called " Le Pardon de Ploor mel . " The Breton " Pardon" is a countryside festival of a character partly religious and partly secular . . We learn from a well-informed contemporary , that the libretto of Messrs .. Carre and Jules Barbier is rich ; in-the devotional , legendary fariciftil , and fantastic attributes . The overture which is an echo of the current events in the work ' is interwoven with a Hymn to the Virgin , sung behind the scenes , which is again repeated in the last act . A " berpeuse" for the heroine , a grand intrata for the tenor Hoel , and the trio finale with " clochette" accompaniment , are the items of the first act . In the second act the " Shadow" air , based on a delicious waltz movement , will alone make the fortune of the opera . A buffa aria , sung by Corentin ; a fine duo between the latter and Hoel ; and the trio finaie amidst the storm , are the attractions in the second act . In the last division of the " . Pardon " are songs of the hunter , of the mower , a paternoster as a quatuoiya romance by Hoel , and a duo between him and Dinorah , and finally the chorus of the " Pardon , " terminating the work . The Imperial Theatre de l'Opera Cbmique will find another " 'Etoiie du Norde" in the " Pardon de Ploermel , " and musical Europe another masterpiece from Meyerbeer .
Mr . Howard Paul has left for Paris , there to seei materials for a new entertainment . We have reason to know that such apparently flimsy [ though from their vitality they may not be called ephemeral ] productions as Woodin ' s Carpet Bag , Albert Smith ' s Overland and China , Howard Paul's Patchwork , and the German . Reed's entertainment give much more trouble to authors than many a heavy drama and light . comedy , that the few men of admitted fitness to compose them are very shy indeed of commissions . There is ho reason why the French market , which s o copiously supplies the dramatic character market , should not yield treasures also to the caricaturist . Mrs . Howard Paul is , we hear , about to appear in her favourite part of Sims Reeve , at the Britannia Theatre , where the great tenor having triumphed in person , his " double" is sure to be appreciated .
Mr , Lemon has just sold an elaborate line-engraving of Webster ' s picture , " Punch , " to the Glasgow Art-Union , which will be . a sure source of gratification to the numberless subscribers of that body .
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THE REVENUE RETURNS . The Returns exhibit a net decrease of 809 , 712 Z ., on the quarter , and of 2 , 404 , 2291 ., on the year ending March 31 . For the quarter , the Customs show an increase of 25 , 943 ? ., which arises on tea , wne , and tobacco . In the Excise there is a decrease oi 64 , 0007 ., attributable to diminished receipts tor spirits in England and Ireland . Stamps exhibit nn improvement of 9 , 4261 . In Taxes , tho small incroase of 3 , 9671 ., is owing to the number of new houses . The decrease of 9 O 7 , QOU , in Property and Income Tax , arises entirely from tho reduced rates ° rduty . The Post-offico shows an increase of po . uuuj Under the head of Crown Lands there wan increase of 2 , 0002 . ; and under Miscellaneous , a decrcaso 01
Tor the year , wo find in Customs an increase of 1 , 008 , 839 * ., owing to a large increase in tho wcog » of duty upon sugar , and tobacco ; also an increase upon corn , currants , silk manufactures / and otuor articles . In Excise , thoro 13 an increase ot 77 , ooy « . jv decrease of 4 , 902 , 528 Z . in the Property and Income Tax necessarily results from the reduced rates 01 280 , 000 . Tho increase of 3 , 380 * . in Crown Jf n ™> and of 529 , 057 / . under the head Miscellaneous , are casual variations , . mi m * . . 1 _ . * i itri . ««« ± n- % rna linvfl DOOR The Times remarks Where toxes have ueon
: — " removed and others laid on it is impossible to araw any conclusion torn the whole yoai ' s revonuo , ow , tufting those brandies which have not , been aUootcu by recent legislation , we may say that tho o xponai turo of the country on luxuries has wqroasqd , »« o consequently tho people may be supposed to > w prosperous , Tho large increased receipts on sugar , tobacco , and othor articles of foreign produp J J more than compensate the decline in the eonsumptioB of spirits . Trade may not havo that feverish oxoiw menVof three years since , buttho national prospowty nii
seems to bo on a firmer basis 5 tne » UBW » " anathy , aro well employed , ana the present poWJ ^^ ffi fa spite of a ; great question and tho moat BUniui »» JB oratory , is a proof that our laws are just , ana ™» commercial system a sound ono .
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488 THE IjEADER . . [ Ho ; 471 , Ap ril 2 , 185 Q .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), April 2, 1859, page 438, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2288/page/22/
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