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^EBRiTAKr 24, 1855.] THE LEADER, 189
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BIRTHS, MARRIAGES, AND DEATHS. BIRTHS. B...
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THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION. There is a ...
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VIEWS OF SEBASTOPOL. One of the best, pe...
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GALLERY OF ILLUSTRATION. The recently ad...
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Transcript
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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The Drama In France—Mdlle. Rachel And « ...
wa /» h of the two lovers has a semi-confidant ; in the case of Sapieha , an JS * drunken old Dutch admiral , named Villerbeck ( Monkosb ) , and in the f ^^ S uTCzarine , Menzikoff , Prime Minister of the Empire , who had Svrmerlv taken Catherine prisoner at the siege of Marienburg . Although" himself ^ t hv tlie charms of his captive , being more of a courtier than a gallant , he 25 ? her ¦ ud to the Czar , hut continued on friendly terms with her , and is repret edkt the play as , partly from compassion and old sentiment , partly from Inflated motives , endeavouring to excite his imperial mistress to conspiracy ^ St herhusband . The lady , however , acting according to a code familiar S ?^ i « iflji wives , whilst having no objection whatever to push her intrigue « j * fc « £ Sia to the utmost limits , is at first shocked at the idea of treason , or Iven of disobedience in the smallest particular . " If , " says Menzikoff , endea-VnvriW * to nrovoke her , " the Czar sends for you to Ladoga at this time , ' tis tffiheTwants to kill you . "— "Jele crois , " replies Mdlle . Rachel , with superb thhousereadto admireresounds with lause
resignation : and e , y , app . The real interest of the piece—which is made interesting , despite its trivial diction and repulsive incidents , by the genius of Mdlle . Rachel and the ability of her supporters—turns on the struggle between this bourgeois idea of matrimonial fidelity ( swaying the Empress . to the alcove exclusively ) and the more natural development of female passion . We are not allowed to doubt , after the first act th , at the Czarine gives herself up wholly to Sapieha . She has a fortnieht of intense—we were going to say pure—happiness , because we are speakof an unreal world . But the terrible Czar returns full of fufy and suspicion . He talks of nothing but blood and vengeance , yet does not know how and by ¦ whom he has been injured . The drunken admiral , by a contrivance common to M Scribe , whose philosophy of history consists in always finding small causes for great effects , is made the accidental instrument of disturbing the loves of the Czarine and Sapieha , and of putting Peter on the right scent . After a drunken bout he wanders through the snow , and ; coming to the door of the Empress ' pavilion , is admitted by mistake , but immediately expelled with violence . The way in which he tells this story suggests the truth , and of enlihtenedbut
the Czar is on the point , in the second act , being completely g , for the existence of a pleasing heroine of the second , order , charmingly played by Mdlle . Fix . Olga , the daughter of Menzikoff , is the favourite lady-in-waiting of the Empress , and has an apartment in her pavilion . When , therefore , it comes out that Admiral Villerbeck was mistaken for Sapieha , the latter is obliged to pretend a passionate attachment for this same Olga . " Let them be married , Bays the Czar at once , still half doubting . The marriage takes place ; but Catherine exacts conditions very hard to be complied with , especially as Sapieha , making a morning visit to his bride , discovers that he has long been loved by her . The situation becomes more and more delicate , and some of the most disagreeable conflicts of sentiment which French dramatists are fond of exhibiting succeed . The young bride , rather surprised , and probably somewhat annoyed at the neglect of her husband , presumes to play the part of a listener , and overhears a dialogue between Sapieha and the Czarine which more than satisfies her curiosity . She resolves to escape from her unprofitable chains as soon as possible , but remains quite devoted to her mistress ^ . absolutely kisses her hand after learning that she is her rival . The gallery . and the pit applaud . intricate lotThe at
We cannot , however , notice every detail of this p . Czar length becomes convinced of his disgrace , and seeks an explanation with his wife , who tells , with wonderful effect , because Mdlle . Rachkl gives life to a very bald phraseology , a long story of how in former years , when the Czar was in difficulties on the banks of the Pruth , she had been allowed to give a smile and " something more" to a Turkish general to get him off . This " something more" is admitted in a startling peut-etre which excites the enthusiasm of the audience by the extravagance of its audacity . The Czarine gains her point , and turns away suspicion for a time from herself and her lover , but only for a time . She is at length arrested , and condemned to execution . The plot becomes more complicated . Menzikoff seeing at length that it is necessary to put a stop to the mad career of the Czar who has drawn up a formidable list of great people for execution , endeavours to excite the Czarine to conspiracy . He tells her that she is to be put out of the way by poison . " He has the right , for I am guilty , replies the Czarine . Then she learns that Sapieha is condemned to death , and determineato , saYe _ him or to die , but still refuses to listen to the treasonable suggestions of Menzikoff , the Bertrand" of tlie piece . ~ ^ , — ... returned to St to his wifeto whom he has
But Sapieha has . Petersburg see , now transferred his affections . He is again arrested , and the Czarine hears the terrible fact from the Czar himself ^ The scene , though most trivially writto n , is of thrilling effect on the stage . Sapieha is supposed to be led to execution under the windows of the palace . She commands her emotions , having a poignard ready to stab herself as soon as the fatal blow is struck . The Czar describes the progress of the terrible procession , and wonders at her insensibility . She twice answers him " Eh bien" with splendid affectation of indifference . The Czar is completely deceived , and stops the execution . He asks pardon of Catherine , saying : " Now I know you did not love him . As for him , I knew it alreadyhe loves another . " This throws her quite off her guard . She is supplanted in Sapieha ' s heart by Olga . Her indignation bursts forth . She betrays herself in her jealous fury , and the Czar condemns her to death—her , and wo believe everybody else . But meanwhile Menzikoffhaa " drugged his posset , " and death comes on with fearful and convenient rapidity . The friends of the Czarine proclaim her Empress , and she has both leisure and power for love or vengeance . She indulges in neither—has a fine movement of forgiveness—sends
" Go , " she says , " without regret , without remorse , if you can . To him happiness—to me empire . —Allons ... rc gnons / " . . All this is , of course , very effective , if wo believe in the manners and admit the philosophy of M . Scbibe . The cast of the piece is excellent . Geffroy plays the part of Mcnzikoff with great care and finish . Delatjnay , though he dresses too much in the Opera Comiquo stylo , makes a very elegant and interesting Sapieha , Monrose is admirable for dry humour in the sober scenes of the Admiral ; but his drunken confession to the Czar is not well marked . Mauuant , one of the most useful men of the company , is entrusted with a character of which wo have not found it necessjiry to speak—a stiff , welldisciplined Russian head of the police , a great favourite with his master because ho always answers " Yes , Sire , " to every thing . Beau vallet ' s part , as written by M . SoniDK , is both extravagant and wearisome—full of clumsy allusions to
present politics . He has a sleeping scene , in which he talks indistinctly of " Constantinople , " and is almost comic . However , what with his tragic voice and his great experience , he manages to lug on this ungrateful part , and to produce considerable effect here and there . We have already hinted how well Mdlle . Eix—who has , indeed , but to show Her face to excite applause—^ performs her duty . As for Mdlle . Rachel , all we shall say is that she creates a character almost without the assistance of a part . Her representation of the impassioned woman , struggling with duty , but yielding to love , defending her happiness , with more energy than she defends her life , hoping , fearing , submissive , jealous , irate , and despairing . by turns , we would call perfect , if in " this naughty world of ours" perfection and insipidity were not near neighbours .
^Ebritakr 24, 1855.] The Leader, 189
^ EBRiTAKr 24 , 1855 . ] THE LEADER , 189
Births, Marriages, And Deaths. Births. B...
BIRTHS , MARRIAGES , AND DEATHS . BIRTHS . BAILLIE . —Fob . 14 , at 0 , Qucon Ann-street , Cavondishsquaro . tho wife of Capt . 1 < . Baillio : a daughter . DaSUWOOD . —October 28 , at Nelson , tho wife of Edwin Dashvrood , Esq ., or Moutoro Houao . Nolaon , New Zealand ; LOFTUS . — -Fob . 15 , at Berlin , tho lady of Lord Augustus LoftuB , Seorotary to H . M . Legation at Berlin : a daughter . PIXLE Y . —Fob . 13 , at 84 , Kildaro-torraco , WostUourno-park , the wife of T . "W . Pixloy . Esq .: a daughter .
1 MARRIAGES . BOWYER—SANDBY . —Feb . 20 , at St . George ' s , Hanovorsquaro , Honry Gcorgo Bowyer , Esq ., youngest son of Sir Goorgo ltowycr-, Bart ., of Radloy , Berks , to Kathorino Emma only child of tho Rov . George Sanby , vicar ot Fltxton , 8 ufrblk . ; JERVOISM — CHURCHILL . — Fob . 20 , at Funtington Church , Sussex , Joryoiao Clarke Jorvoiso , Esq ., Captain Twenty-third R . W . Fusiliers , oldest son of Sir Jorvolso Clarke Jorvoiso , Bart ., of . Idsworth , Hants , to Sophia Horatia Churchill , sixth daughter of Honry Lawcs Long-,
Esq ., of Hamilton Lodgo , Surroy , and tho Lady Catharine LonB > DEATHS . „ u , COLBORNE —Fob . 17 , at 10 , Hill-street , Berkeley-square , imhnf & d ^ lATA ^ Z'lolZ ^ tXy UM , Norfolk , Joseph Homo , ' jaoSsoS ? iFoblWllcd by accident , whilat voluntarily aVaistiiiK to extinguish tho firo in Holland-Btroot . Blaekfrlara , Mr . Thomas Parker Jackson , agedtwenty-flvo .
The Photographic Exhibition. There Is A ...
THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION . There is a variety , of character no less than of subject , in the exhibition of photographs , which we hardly expected to find there . Indeed , it might almost be supposed that the excellent Society of Water-Colour Painters , in whose gallery the Photographs are shown , had been " keeping up its reputation , " by general agreement of its members , through the sole medium of Vandtk brown . When we say that these five or six hundred sun-pictures vary among themselves in character , we do not mean to imply a mere inequality of skill among the exhibitors in dealing with the thousand niceties of their delicately-capricious art ; such variety as tEis would not have been remarkable . What we mean is that , just as one may readily trace the individualities of Gilbert , Haag , Duncan , Tayler , David Cox , and the rest of the popular water-colour painters , so may you at once discern the bold , steady hand of Sherlock . ; the the Hennah
singular breadth , force , and richness of Cundall ; brilliancy , of ; and the familiar grace of Roger Fenton , whose love of nature is as poetically and truthfully manifest in the charming little bit of natural history , " Common Quail ( Coturnix Communis ) , England , " as in the grand studies from Rivaulx Abbey , the views at Spithead on the departure of the Baltic Fleet , the genial pictures of English homesteads , and the English landscape scenery of a more romantic character . Fenton ' s place in photography is that of William Hunt in water-colour painting ; and next to Fenton , as a true artist , we do not hesitate in naming Hugh Owen . Mr . Spencer ( the photographer , we believe , of the Panopticon ) may be particularised for a very careful and judicious method , and for the adherence to one effective tone . The most showy of . the uncoloured photographs ate the Parisian scenes by Bisson Freres ; and the best of the tinted and slightly " touched" works are by Mr . S . R . Lock . This gentleman also exhibits a frame of untouched miniature portraits , very neat and pictorial
m their arrangem . , , The portraits by Mr . Matall are so prominently placed that it would be difficult to avoid noticing them ; but we regret our inability to do so in a way that will satisfy the pretensions of an exhibitor who parades printed testimonials of his merit and skill . Thejeminently clear and sharp outline of Mr . Maxall ' s portraits appears to have captivated some persons . Our own impression , at a first glance , was that the heads-and figures were cut out and fastened on a " fancy" background . "We were wrong , as a very slight inspection assured us . Perhaps our second guess was nearer the mark . It seems to our inexperienced eye that the background in the " negative" of these portraits has beeninvariably " blacked out , " so that in the " positive" impression there is no background at allTbut the object stands against plain white paper ; and that this is afterwards filled in , " according to taste j "—such taste , we imagine , as would accept West ' s " Characters and Scenes , " especially when coloured , as works of art .
We would impress on our readers that the Photographic Exhibition is worth a visit , if only for the reason which has led us there a second time , and which is identical with our opening remark , that the pictures are various in their character , thus showing that Photography is not the mere mechanical work that might be supposed , but that , while it confirms the best works of pictorial art , it is itself an art , capable of being judged by the same standard .
Views Of Sebastopol. One Of The Best, Pe...
VIEWS OF SEBASTOPOL . One of the best , perhaps quite the best , of the many attempts to impart a distinct conception of the positionsof the Allies in Ahe . Chersonese , Jisjthe model exhibited by Mr . Wyld , at the Great Globe , in Leicester-square . There , ini miniature , the spectator may familiarise himself with Balaklava , Kadikoi , Kamara , the terrible country leading up to the camp , the ground over which the Light Cavalry so gallantly but fatally flew , the ridge leading to Inkerroan , the scene of the battle , and the whole country between the great harbour of Sebastopol and the sea . The rugged ravines which intersect the lines of the besiegers , those remarkable lines themselves , and beyond them the defences of Sebastopol , all modelled after drawings taken on the spot , are spread out before him : It is another merit of this model that it shows the great road to Simpheropol ; which sweeps up the heights and passes by Mackenzie ' s Farm . Certainly any one who wishes to " know the country" should go to the Great Globe for assistance . Another praiseworthy and portable attempt is " Stanford ' s Bird ' s-eye view of the Seat of War in the Crimea . " This is a remarkably well-coloured and shaded map ; and while , with much accuracy , it portrays the country and " the Hues , " it , at the same time , is an elegant picture .
Gallery Of Illustration. The Recently Ad...
GALLERY OF ILLUSTRATION . The recently added pictures of " Inkerman , " " Balaklava , " and the " Great Storm in the Euxiuo" have materially strengthened the interest of the War Diorama at the Gallery of Illustration ; while , by judicious compression at the opening part , the entertainment is varied aud enriched , without being spread over more room than it has hitherto occupied . Wo have still to object that the fighting business , though quite up to the spirit of the old stage direction for making the scene " us bloody as may be , " is needlessly violent , and at the same time deficient in force . But the pictorial merit in other respects is undeniable . The storm scene convoys a pretty tangible idea of the awful reality . It is in painting objects of external nature that Messrs . Gmeve and Teluin areexcejiont . Sir Henry Bishop has been engaged by Mr . Mitchell to give a short series oi Afternoon Vocal Concerts , selected from his own compositions , llio first Concert will take placo at the Hanover-square Rooms , March 6 th .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Feb. 24, 1855, page 21, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_24021855/page/21/
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