tures, by Weber (Euryanthe') and by Mozart (Nozze di Figaro '), were executed; and that Mr. J. F. Barnett's new symphonic piece, 'The Lay of the Last Minstrel,' was produced. Now, when we compare this night's attractions with those offered by the two Patti concerts, it must be admitted that the result looks extremely disheartening from the Art point of view. But the Committee, however strong in their figures, are wrong in their reasoning. We feel sure that if they had not resorted to the star-system, the returns would have been as great, if not greater, for the attendances would have been more equalized, and ensembles would have been more valued than individuality. By risking the fortunes of the Festival on the voice of a single prima donna, the Committee seriously compromised the general issue. If the Committee had been well acquainted with the working of our Italian Opera-houses, they would have recognized the fact, that whenever there is an absorbing "draw," to use the theatrical term, caused by any single artist, the off-nights on which such singer does not appear are more or less a loss. What was one main cause of Mr. Lumley's ruin at Her Majesty's Theatre? The reply is easy, it was the Jenny Lind mania. Treble prices were paid for places when the lady sang, but the receipts were next to nothing when she did not. If Impresarios were firm in resisting inordinate terms of remuneration, and did not strive so much to manufacture stars, they would fare better themselves, and would achieve something for Art. Prime donne are like the monster created by Frankenstein, they are a curse to their inventors. Mr. Lumley was described by Adolphe Adam as the "Director who invented Jenny Lind and resuscitated Sontag," at what a cost he too well knows. Mr. Gye, who has been trying to make a prominent "star" of Mdlle. Albani, ought to be thankful that he has failed in the attempt, for the lady's terms, if she had attained the fame of a Patti or a Nilsson, would have been equally ruinous.

Connected with the question of the starsystem, as affecting the interests of the lyric drama, is an event which is now agitating the French capital, namely, the resignation of M. Faure, who has been the main-stay of the Grand Opera-house in Paris, since he seceded from the Théâtre de l'Opéra Comique. The cause of his retirement at the end of this month from the National establishment has been stated by him frankly He considers the course pursued by M. Halabzier, the director, of doubling the prices of admission at the Salle Ventadour, on the nights for which Madame Adelina Patti is specially engaged, as wrong in principle and injurious to Art. He protests against the practice as being totally opposed to the regulations and traditions of the Grand Opera-house; and he thinks that artists are insulted and degraded if they sing one night at a double tariff, in order to pay a star-singer an enormous salary, and the next evening they are to perform for half prices. Now M. Faure is known to be a high-minded man, a real lover of his art; and our contemporaries who have thought fit to ridicule him for his course of action, and to ascribe it to jealousy and vanity, take quite a wrong view of his character, and of the reasons which have prompted him to resign. M. Faure stands not alone in the notion that the star-system is a crying evil. Both in London and in Paris, artists of all grades, whether vocal or instrumental, have long been fully sensible of the folly of directors, in staking the success of Opera-houses on the threats of single singers, to pay whose extravagant salaries choralists and instrumentalists are ground down, and the secondary soloists have their remuneration lowered, which, of course, breeds discontent through the establishment. Only so late as the 22nd of June last, a remarkable memorial was drawn up by the Société des Compositeurs de Musique in Paris, and was presented to the Assemblée Nationale. It drew attention to the falling off" au point de vue de l'ensemble" in the interpretation of operas, owing to the increased pretensions of star-singers, encouraged by the

directional speculators; and pointed out that this system had produced the most deplorable results. The public, it added, were no longer attracted by the general execution, but by a single artist-the chanteur en vogue, at whose mercy was the theatre and if the "star" was away, owing to any accident, the house became a desert, deprived of its idol. The memorialists argued that neither an effective troupe nor a complete répertoire could be secured to interest the public whilst this empirisme, as they termed the system, existed. Now this memorial was signed by MM. Ambroise Thomas, H. Réber, Félicien David, and Victor Massé (Members of the Institute), the Presidents of the Society, and of MM. Boieldieu, Boulanger, Colonne, Danbé, Danhauser, Léo Delibes, Dancla, Franck, Guilmant, Kastner, Lamoureux, Massenet, Membrée, Paladilhe, Pougin, Ernest Reyer, Salamon, Vervoitte, Wekerlin, and other distinguished musicians, who called upon the Government to bestow privileges upon them similar to those enjoyed by painters and sculptors, that is, special grants to develope vocal and instrumental talent, whether creative or executive. M. Faure has, therefore, simply adopted the views already put forward by his colleagues in Art. Whether he would not have acted more wisely, from a worldly point of view, had he simply protested, instead of resigning his verbal engagement, remains to be seen. If the Minister of Fine Arts does not succeed in persuading him to remain at the Grand Opéra, there is not an Opera-house of any note out of France which is not open to such an artist as M. Faure; and it is well known that to retain his post in Paris, he has, on account of his national predilections, sacrificed infinitely more lucrative engagements for Russia and other countries. He will not stand alone in the protest he has made against the star-system.

THE LATE LEEDS FESTIVAL.

WE were obliged, when noticing the Festival at Leeds, in last week's Athenæum, to defer our criticisms upon the execution of some of the works which were being performed as our journal was going to press, but the uniformity of precision which prevailed during the concerts, morning and evening, of four days, was so rarely disturbed by any flaws, that it would be hypercritical to dwell on them. The wonder is that, in the execution of three oratorios in their entirety, namely, 'St. Paul,' 'St. John the Baptist,' and the Messiah'; of another oratorio partially, 'Israel in Egypt'; of a 'Hymn of Praise,' and of a 'Stabat Mater,' in the sacred selections; and of two symphonies, the 'Jupiter and Pastorale'; of seven overtures, 'Paradise and the Peri,'' Euryanthe,' ' Zampa,' 'Gazza Ladra,' 'Il Ballo,' 'William Tell,' and 'Masaniello'; of a violin concerto, with orchestra, Mendelssohn; of a scherzo by M. Gounod; of a march and chorus by Wagner, Tannhäuser'; and of two difficult cantatas, The Bride of Dunkerron' (Mr. H. Smart), and Paradise and the Peri' (Schumann), there should have been no hitch, either arising from band, chorus, or principals, the latter indulging, as usual, in their pet pieces for solo displays. The quantity of music executed was prodigious, sufficient, indeed, to form the programmes of at least four German festivals. Singularly enough, the two cantatas were persecuted by fortune; that of the 'Bride of Dunkerron' suffered through wrong copies of the parts having been used, which stopped the first rehearsal, whilst it is scarcely possible to convey a notion of the general yawn provoked by Schumann's dismal setting of Moore's poem. It will be for the Committee of future Festivals to consider whether nearly seven hours daily of musical gleanings, for four consecutive days, are not too much for choralists and instrumentalists, as conductors of the calibre of a Costa will not always be available. And the auditory of the Messiah,' last Saturday morning, appreciated the fact when the High Sheriff, Admiral Duncombe, at the close of the oratorio, rose, as President of the Festival, in the absence of Earl Fitzwilliam, who is abroad, and, from the patrons' gallery, addressed Sir Michael

Costa, and thanked him for his services, adding the hope that his aid would be afforded on similar occasions in future. The orchestra and audience responded to the speech by ringing cheers, for Yorkshire throats are strong, whether in speaking or singing.

It may be mentioned that the earnest appeal of the Committee against encores was complied with, except in three instances, the chorus of sea-maidens, "Hail to the Child of the Earth" (sopranos and contraltos), in Mr. Smart's work; in the Hailstone Chorus of Handel; and in the witty Marionette March of M. Gounod. There were other re demands, it is true, but the conductor and artists prudently declined them. The solo singers, Mesdames Tietjens, Alvsleben, Singelli, Trebelli-Bettini and Patey, Messrs. E. Lloyd and Santley, Signori Campanini, Perkins and Agnesi, were all in good voice, and distinguished themselves. Disappointment was felt at Mr. Bentham's having a cold, for he is a Yorkshireman by birth, his mother being a lady of Leeds. The absence of Mr. Sims Reeves gave rise to uncalled-for strictures. Surely the loss of a lucrative engagement ought to be fairly ascribed to its true cause, the physical inability to sing.

The practice adopted in 1858, of having a People's Festival Concert on the Saturday night, at a tariff of 2s. 6d. and 1s., was repeated on Satur day night. The Town Hall was thronged; and it might have been filled twice over by the applicants for admission. The singers were Madame RozePerkins, Madame Valleria, Madame Alvsleben, Mr. Lloyd, Signori Catalani and Perkins; the solo players were Dr. Spark, organ; Messrs. Broughton, two brothers, and Mr. F. H. Cowen, pianoforte; and Mr. Lazarus, clarionet. Sir Michael Costa conducted, and the Festival choir was in full force, but the band had departed. All the artists named gave their services gratuitously for this winding-up concert, which ended with the National Anthem and with speeches from Alderman Carter, M.P., and Mr. Wheelhouse, M.P. (les extrêmes se touchent), thanking the Festival Committee, and responded to by the hospitable Mayor, Alderman Marsden,

The Leeds Festival has ended in artistic triumph and in financial success. Yorkshire has reason to be proud of the result, and it will be an incentive for a continuance of practice on the part of the choralists, the sympathetic quality of whose splendid voices has tended so much to secure the perfection of the ensemble.

The total receipts from all sources were little short of 7,500l.; and, it is to be hoped that the outlay will not amount to 6,000%, so that there will be a good balance for the local charities,—a balance which, with the éclat and experience of the past meeting, will no doubt be greatly increased at the next Festival.

SYDENHAM SATURDAY CONCERTS.

WE must once more protest against the introduction of a novelty at the fag end of a programme, to play out audiences who, in this country, will persist in leaving the hall in the midst of, or at the beginning of, the last piece. If Mr. Gadsby's setting of a fragment of the Ingoldsby Legend is, as stated by "G." in the book of the last Saturday's concert, "an overture full of fancy, feeling, and musicianlike treatment," it ought to have had a better place. The hearers will not generally be disposed to dissent widely from the above criticism (which, by the way, is not an analysis, but an eulogium) of the 'Witches' Frolic,' the second concert overture of the young composer, and Op. 9 in his list of works. But what it lacks, as was found when it was played at a concert of the British Orchestral Society last season, is that pronounced individuality which proves a composer to be an original thinker.

The other instrumental items Oberon'; but Mr. Manns's players were not in were Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony and Weber's their best form. The main attraction of the scheme was the first appearance, this season, of Dr. Von Bülow, who selected for his pianoforte dis

plays Dr. Liszt's 'Hungarian Fantasia,' composed expressly for his pupil and friend, who makes it his cheval de bataille in bravura execution seemingly incredible to the eye which follows the fingers, but which is audible enough for the ear. It is difficult to conceive a more wonderful and exciting execution than that of Dr. Von Bülow in the variations based on one of the fifteen Rhapsodies Hongrois, written as pianoforte solos; the E minor air of which, scored expressly for Dr. Von Bülow, quite electrified the auditory in the closing prestissimo, who recalled the pianist. In more subdued style were the two Chopin solos, the Berceuse, Op. 57, and Valse, Op. 42, the peculiar style of the Polish composer and pianist being resuscitated by the German artist. Encored in the valse, Dr. Von Bülow played Dr. Liszt's 'Ronde des Lutins,' another marvellous exhibition of intricate manipulation. The vocalists were Madame Sinico-Campobello, who gave a sound lesson to singers of Mozartian strains, and showed how a pure school will succeed in such airs as "Deh vieni," from the Marriage of Figaro'; and Miss A. Sterling, who is more at home in Lieder by Schubert and Mendelssohn than in the intensely dramatic style required for Gluck's 'Orfeo' scena. Mr. Halle will be the pianist this afternoon (the 24th), and Madame Otto Alvsleben and Mr. Lloyd the singers.

THE THREE-CHOIR FESTIVALS.

THE Dean and Chapter of Worcester Cathedral met on Monday, and resolved to refuse the use of the edifice for the Festival of 1875. This refusal is in answer to the applications of the Stewards, in the list of whom are the Marquis of Hertford, Earls Beauchamp, Calthorpe, Coventry, and Somers; Lords Leigh, Hampton, and Northwick; of the Bishop of Worcester, who is President of the Festival; of the Corporation of the town; of the Dean and Chapter of Hereford, and also of the Stewards of the Festival of that city; and in opposition to the expectation entertained by the large majority of the subscribers to the Cathedral Restoration Fund in 1870, that the Festivals were to be continued on the same system as had existed for 150 years. The present Dean, the Hon. Grantham Yorke, the successor to the retired Dean, Dr. Peel (brother of the late Sir Robert Peel), considers that he is not bound by the acts of his predecessors. A Correspondent at Worcester tells us that the indignation excited by the refusal of the use of the Cathedral is universal and strong. Signatures for a public meeting were attached at once to a requisition to the Mayor, and a special meeting of the Festival Committee had been convened. The decision is a great blow to the Church, the opponents of which might illuminate their houses to celebrate this suicidal act of the Dean and Chapter. We learn that these sapient dignitaries have a scheme of their own for a Festival in September next, at which music of the sacred school will be introduced in the ordinary services, but without band, and no chorus beyond the meagre choirs of the three dioceses, if the singers can be got to attend, which is very doubtful. It is proposed to invite popular preachers to lend their voices, and to pit sermons against scores; but the latter will eventually triumph, for even Deans and Chapters are not immortal. As regards the course to be pursued by the Festival Committee of 1875, it is anticipated they will do as has been done before - -use one of the largest churches in the town for the oratorios in the morning, while for the evening secular concerts they can have, of course, any public building, such as the New Shire Hall, the Guildhall, &c. A special banquet and a grand ball, to be given during the Festival week, would add to the musical attractions of the singers of European fame, to the engagement of a first-class orchestra, and, as heretofore, of a well-trained and selected chorus. In short, the battle of popular opinion against clerical bigotry and intolerance has commenced, and, as we are in the nineteenth century, we all know who will be the victors. It is, too, a great Art question, for the struggle will decide

whether the musician is to be ignored within the walls of a cathedral where the painter and the decorator have had full licence.

CONTINENTAL MUSIC.

MADAME ADELINA PATTI completed her series of representations in the 'Huguenots' as Valentine, and in 'Faust' as Marguerite, last Wednesday. We may remark that the Parisian musical critics take much the same view of the lady's Valentine as the Athenæum did, when she played the part in Italian at Covent Garden Theatre, namely, that the part is not within her physical powers. In a list of twenty-nine representatives at the Grand Opera-house of Valentine, since Meyerbeer's masterpiece was produced in 1836, published in the Paris papers, nearly all of whom we have heard, we could only select the names of Mdlle. Falcon, who created the character, Madame Viardot (perhaps the best), Mdlle. Heinefetter, Mdlle. Sass, and Mdlle. Tietjens, as fulfilling the vocal and dramatic requirements of the part. There have been many noble voices, such as those of Mdlle. Cruvelli, Madame Julian Von Gelder, Mdlle. Julienne, &c., but defects have accompanied their natural gifts. Even Madame Grisi, energetic as she was, failed to fully realize the part. M. Faure's resignation, in consequence of the double tariff, charged to pay Madame Patti 5,000 francs per representation, we have referred to elsewhere.

The new Lucrezia Borgia at the Salle Ventadour, at the opening of the Italian Opera season, by M. Bagier, has proved a success. Madame Pozzoni-Anastasi came from Italy with strong credentials, as Signor Verdi selected her for his 'Aïda,' when that opera, still unknown here, was produced at Cairo. The lady has dramatic impulses and a good voice. She made a decided hit in the finale. Her husband, Signor Anastasi, is a tender tenor of the tenderest kind, vocally and dramaticallymore adapted for the salon than for the stage. The new contralto, Mdlle. Emiliani, and Signor Romani, the new basso, are promising. Signor Vianesi's conducting was found to be too demonstrative, as we pointed out it was, when he yielded the baton at Covent Garden. For saying so the Athenæum, as usual, was duly abused.

The death of the Norwegian composer and pianist, M. Tellefsen, in Paris, where he was long resident, is announced. The decease of a Russian violoncellist, B. A. Koligriwoff, who did much to promote art in his country, has taken place. He, jointly with Herr Rubinstein, was mainly the founder of the Conservatoires of St. Petersburg and Moscow.

For the construction of the new Opera-house at Odessa, for which plans were asked by the municipality, 160 designs have been sent in, of which fifty-two came from Italy, thirty-two from Russia, twenty-seven from France, sixteen from Austria, fourteen from Germany, six from Switzerland, four from England, four from Turkey, three from Sweden, and two from Belgium.

The Gewandhaus concert season began in Leipzig on the 8th inst., with Herr Halle as pianist, who played Beethoven's Concerto in G, and pieces by Chopin; and Mdlle Proska, prima donna at Dresden, as vocalist.

Signor Cagnoni's new comic opera, 'Il Duca di Tapigliano,' has been successfully produced at Lecco. The libretto is by Signor Ghislanzoni. Madame Bellini, and Signor Parasini, the tenor, had the principal parts; but the two best buffos in Italy, Signori Botteri and Fioravarti, were included in the cast.

Halévy's 'Juive' has been a great success in Moscow, with Mdlle. Krauss as Rachel; M. Jamet, the Cardinal; and M. Naudin, Eléazar. Madame Nilsson had reached St. Petersburg, and was soon to appear. Madame Patti was to begin

first in Moscow.

A contemporary has announced the death of Herr Formes, the well-known singer, in Germany. If this statement refers to Herr Carl Formes, the bass, it is a mistake; he is alive, and in America. It is his brother, Herr Theodore Formes, the tenor of Berlin, who died recently in a lunatic

asylum near Bonn, having had the misfortune, previously, to have suffered from a total extinction of voice, without any apparent cause, like our English tenor, the once-popular Mr. Charles Lockey.

Musical Gossip.

THE season of the Monday Popular Concerts The will begin on the 9th of November. pianists up to Christmas will be Dr. Hans Von Bülow, Mr. Halle, and Miss Agnes Zimmerman ; M. Sainton, M. Wieniawski, Herr Straus, and Madame Norman-Neruda will be first violins; and Signor Piatti, violoncello.

AN adaptation of M. Hervé's opéra-bouffe, 'Les Chevaliers de la Table Ronde,' was produced, last Saturday, at the re-opening of the Holborn Amphitheatre, under the title of 'Melusine, the Enchantress'; but, as the composer is in this country, and has protested against an unauthorized production of his work; and, as the execution of the. music of what may or may not belong to him is very indifferent, no further notice is required, except the expression of the hope that the RophinoLacy system of treating foreign operas by compression, by variation, or by mutilation, may not again be revived. The fate of M. Serpette's 'Branche Cassée,' at the Strand Opéra Comique, which is to be withdrawn after this evening, should be a warning to even opéra-bouffe managers.

AT Mr. W. Carter's concert in the Royal Albert Hall, next Wednesday, Mendelssohn's 'Elijah' will be performed. Next Monday Mr. Walter Bache will begin his third season of pianoforte recitals, with the aid of Mr. Dannreuther and other artists. Next Saturday Dr. Von Bülow will give his first pianoforte recital.

PROMENADE Concerts, with Mr. C. P. Manns as conductor, are given every evening at the Islington Agricultural Hall.

MADAME LEMMENS has been added to the vocal staff of the Covent Garden Promenade Concerts this week. Madame Sinico-Campobello is promised for next Monday, and Madame Otto Alvsleben for the 31st inst., when Herr Gung'l, the dance composer, will appear.

MR. G. A. MACFARREN'S oratorio, 'St. John the Baptist,' will be produced by the Liverpool Philharmonic Society, by the Plymouth Vocal Association, by the Paisley Musical Association, by the Glasgow Choral Union, and by the Nottingham Sacred Harmonic Society. It is pleasant to note the increasing popularity of a really great work by a British composer.

THE Prospectus of the Glasgow Choral Union for the Session, 1874-5, has been forwarded by the President of the Council, Mr. J. Richardson. Established in 1843, this Union has yearly improved its position, and now there is a long list of guarantors to secure the services of a resident orchestra, and for a new series of four choral and twelve orchestral concerts. Amongst the works to be produced will be Herr Brahms's 'Song of Destiny,' Schumann's 'Paradise and the Peri,' Mr. Macfarren's 'St. John the Baptist,' and Mr. Henry Smart's 'Jacob,' besides the Messiah' and symphonies by the great German masters, and overtures and other instrumental pieces by Auber, M. Gounod, Berlioz, Herr Reinecke, Herr Taubert, Herr Wagner, Cherubini, Herold, Herr Gadé, Wallace, Meyerbeer, Spohr, &c.; and, by our English composers, Sir W. S. Bennett, Mr. Sullivan, &c. M. Theodore Ritter, the pianist, is engaged. Amongst the vocalists are Mdlle. Carlotta Patti, Mdlle. Singelli, Mdlle. Enequist, Madame Sinico-Campobello, Miss Edith Wynne, Miss Rose Hersee, Madame Nelson Varley, Patey, Signor Campobello, &c. Patey, Miss A. Fairman, Messrs. Cummings,

Mr. Lambeth will be the conductor.

MR. BRINLEY RICHARDS has been lecturing in various towns in Wales, on Welsh and other ancient national music, with the vocal illustrations of the Messrs. Davies and Evans.

BALFE'S 'Talismano' has been as successful at Liverpool as in Dublin, with Mesdames Tietjens

and Roze-Perkins, Signori Campanini, Rinaldini, De Reschi, Catalani, Campobello, R. Costa, and Casaboni, with Signor Li Calsi as conductor. The chapel-scene was modified from the version at Drury Lane Theatre; the altar and priest were retained; but there were no acolytes, no swinging censers, and the nuns were without the emblems of the cross. The third act, as in London, seems to have secured the applause of the audience. In Mr. Mapleson's travelling troupe, besides the above-named artists, are Mesdames Singelli, Risarelli, Bauermeister, Valleria; Signori Brignoli, Galassi, Zoboli, Grazzi, Perkins, Mr. Bentham and Herr Behrens. Full chorus and band and a corps de ballet, with complete mise en scène, are included in this Bohemian Operatic Company, which is visiting the chief towns in the United Kingdom. DR. STAINER, the organist of St. Paul's Cathedral, refers us to a full report in the Choir of a paper he read at the recent Church Congress at Brighton, to show that he is quite opposed to "monotonous Gregorianism, or to dry psalmody,"

and that he is a staunch advocate for the progressive character of church music. On reference to his paper in the Choir, we find that his disclaimer is fully confirmed. It is gratifying to learn that a Professor, occupying the position he does, takes the right view of the future condition of ecclesiastical composition. Our remarks on his paper, in last week's Athenæum, were based on what proves to have been a mangled and erroneous report of the proceedings.

An organ by Hill & Son, the gift of the Earl of Pembroke to the celebrated church at Wilton, built at the expense of his father, Lord Herbert, was opened last week by Prof. Oakeley, of Edinburgh University.

THE College of Organists, a charitable institution, had a festival service in St. Paul's Cathedral, last Tuesday night, under the dome. There was a choir of 300 voices, under the direction of Mr. R. Limpus, the founder of the College, and Dr. Stainer presided at the organ. The sermon was preached by Bishop Claughton.

THE autumn and winter season of Italian opera in New York commenced in the Academy of Music, on the 28th ult., under the direction of Herr Max Strakosch, with Signor Verdi's 'Traviata,' the part of Violetta being taken by the Dutch prima donna, Mdlle. Marie Heilbron, who sang it twice last season at Covent Garden Theatre; the tenor was Signor Benfratelli, and the baritone Signor Del Puente. Signor Muzio is the musical director and conductor. Mdlle. Albani was to make her début during November. Mdlle. Heilbron did not at all satisfy the American amateurs as Margherita in 'Faust. The début of Madame, Potentini in Signor Verdi's Aida,' with Signor Carpi tenor; Signor Del Puente, baritone; Signor Fiorini, bass; and Miss Cary, contralto, was quite successful.

DRAMA

THEATRE ROYAL DRURY LANE.-Sole Lessee and Manager, F. B. Chatterton.-Immense success of RICHARD CŒUR DE LION,' vide public press. On MONDAY, and DURING the WEEK, at 7. NOBODY IN LONDON'; at 7:45, RICHARD CŒUR DE LION.' Mr. James Anderson, Mr. W. Terriss, and Mr. Creswick; Miss Wallis, and Miss Bessie King. 'HERE, THERE, and EVERY. WHERE, Mr. F. Evans and troupe. Prices, from 6d. to 51. 58. Doors open at 630; commence at 7.-Box-office open from 10 till 5 daily.

and affords room for striking scenes of warfare. It is not devoid of a certain kind of ingenuity, and it turns to profitable account the sympathies of those who still take either As a side with regard to the past combat. domestic story, fairly interesting and tolerably well told, is linked to the scenery, a firm hold is obtained upon the public, and the play will probably retain its place for many a month to come. will probably claim. There is, however, no Here is as much praise as its author passion or intensity, no dramatic grip or sequence. The single human emotion which, lasting through the progress of the piece, holds together its separate scenes, is the hatred of the villain for his prosperous rival, which burns brightly through the four acts, and is only extinguished with his death at the close. of treatment, improbabilities, inconsistencies, It would be easy to point out separate defects and the like. Criticism of this class is scarcely needed. In spite of the five hundred nights' reputation it brings from America, The Geneva Cross' is an ephemeral production, which will be forgotten so soon as its temporary purpose is served.

answer the purpose for which they were intended; the worst, that they are irregular, inconsistent, and unshapely-faults which speak, at least, for their being of home manufacture. Each succeeding piece has all Mr. Byron's excellencies and all his defects. The ingredients being the same, and the proportion of each not widely different, the only differ ence between them is due to the manner in which they are cooked and served.

'Old Sailors,' so-called because a previous piece of Mr. Byron's obtained a success under the title of 'Old Soldiers,' is a three-act play professing to give a picture of modern manners. A little misinterpretation between some young lovers, one of whom feels it due to his father, an impoverished lieutenant in the Royal Navy, to marry for money, gives rise to some compliput into false positions, and there is a good cations. For a while a number of people are deal of confusion. In the end, Cupid asserts himself, determining that the country proverb shall be once more known.

Jack shall have Gill, Naught shall go ill,

Its characters The man shall have his mare again, and all shall be

and its language are conventional, and its incidents are arbitrarily brought about. If the author wants a character at a given place, he puts him there without much regard for probability, a fact sufficiently illustrated in the crowning scene, in which all the principal characters, without exception, are gathered together in a fort outside Paris and within a few yards of a Prussian battery. So close are they that the place is blown up beneath their feet, and the climax is reached with the appearance of the Prussians in the breach. The acting is like the play. In the early scenes it is moderate and touching. As the incidents become more striking the acting grows extravagant, until the men who, in the first act, had shown themselves capable of appreciating and expressing character, seem to have escaped from a mad-house. With more control over her voice and with more

sustained style, Miss Marie Henderson may prove a valuable actress. An occasional hardness and a Malvolio-like tendency to smile over-much interfere at present with the value of her performance. Mr. Glover, Mr. Sinclair, Mr. Calhaem, Miss Hughes, and Miss Hudspeth, played with more or less ability, though the part allotted to Miss Hudspeth is an excrescence upon the play.

Mr. Byron's comic dramas come under no known category in art, and should, in fact, constitute a class by themselves. Comedy knows them not, since they present no reflection of manners or of any society that has as yet existed; they are not burlesque, since their purpose is serious, farce for they allow no unbridled licence in the actor,-nor extra vaganza, for they never take us out of the world around us. Polonius himself, with his all-reaching power of combining epithets and shaping distinctions, would find it difficult to define them. They invoke no aid from without in the shape of music, and so are divided from all the generations of opera; and they possess a distinct originality, so far as concerns derivation from foreign sources, and so are separated from almost all works which might be regarded as their rivals. The best that can be said in their favour is, that they make people laugh, and so, presumably,

well.

Some not very striking scenes are elicited in the course of ravelling and unravelling the threads; some distinct, if rather prosaic, characters are set before the spectator; and some incontrovertible lessons of morality are enforced. What remains is the dialogue. This, however, is Mr. Byron's forte, and he is once more himself. Brilliant, original, quaint, and characteristic at times, he is at times also perversely wordy, imitative, and commonplace. A joke which draws from an audience a roar of delight, is followed by another which is mere verbal quibble, unworthy of a place in the most feeble attempts at comic journalism. A speech conceived in the most admirable spirit of repartee is followed by another which has no quality to recommend it but insolence. Mr. Byron's dialogue is, in fact, a mixture of cloth of frieze and cloth of gold. It is as though some young gallant of the seventeenth century were masquerading in the exterior habiliments of poverty, and the sparkle of diamonds and the glitter of splendid attire revealed themselves at times through the illfitting and carelessly worn fustians. We might be inclined to pardon a tendency to verbal jokes Mr. Byron is clearly unable to conquer. Rudeness of repartee is a matter, however, for which the dramatist has often been rebuked, and in favour of which he can advance no excuse of habit of mind. Since the time when men ceased to wear swords and duels became unfashionable, while all other forms of manifesting active resentment remained unsuited to a gentleman, language has necessarily become milder, and consideration in speech and behaviour is the unfailing attribute of the man of the world as well as the gentleman, Mr. Byron makes his characters in society use to one another such language as could scarcely be heard in the innermost sanctuaries of Bohemia. This fault, of all others, needs the author's attention. When it is conquered, the most important step he can take towards making his writings comedies will have been taken. For the rest, 'Old Sailors' is profoundly amusing, and contains some of the wittiest things its author has said. It is respectably acted. Mr. Terry, as the retired