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    EISTOEI AS MEDEA. . , The-world haa&jent...

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    BrKTHS, MARRIAGES, AND DEATHS. BIRTHS. P...

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    FROM THE LONDON GAZETTE. Tuesday. June 1...

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    CORN MARKET. Mark-lane. Friday, Juno 13,...

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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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    Exhibition Of The Royal Academy..11112 K...

    H ^^^ Sss ^ fets ^«^ ¦ ^^' wSto SSaRo'Sr ^ s ioB for a 3 cribhig ; ta him a picture by another aiSSof ? he Sm ^ riatae . ^ he inadvertence was not of very serious moment ; but if ; was an inadvertence , and ought to be corrected . ]

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    Eistoei As Medea. . , The-World Haa&Jent...

    EISTOEI AS MEDEA . . , The-world haa & jento see " The RisTOJu : " - and the world has come away it raptureB , The critics have tortured their ingenuity in dujcoverxng points tc admire , and have exhausted their artistic vocabulary in attempting to express theJrSmiratioh . First impressions are proverbially dangerous , and , therefore , wedetermined to see her more thau once , in order that / we , might be able to form a deliberate judgment . If , on the one hand , this remarkable person owes something at least to the unworthy desire of depreciating the great Rachel she has , on . the other hand , herself suffered detraction at the hands of those who Save displayea a foolish jealousy of the fame of her French rival . It is . we think , impossible to doubt that RisroRi is a woman of genius ; and that whether superior or inferior to Rachel , the lovers of dramatic art ought thankfully to welcome so eminent an artist . The Medea byM . Legohve , which she selected for . her debut , has many defects . It has no plot ; it exhibits little skill in construction ; it : is obviously written for the purpose , of exhibiting the powers of a particular actress ; it is a series of situations , each , of which is intended to afford the actress scope for the display of her histrionic faculties .

    Nevertteless , ^ lie ^ plajrfe iwell written' and has been so admirably translated by M . MontaneJli that tto . e Italian , version is , to our mind , superior to the French original . The critics may abuse the play aa ^ fcey please , but it is idle to pretend th * t a work which affords such scope for drsjptic power can be entirely without jneriV Our own opinion ia , that unless itcontain some absurd inconsistencies , M . Leooove has achieved a considerable success in the performance , of an almost hopeless task—the construction of a drama capable of exhibiting in one evening the varied emotions which sway a fiercely passionate woman ' s soul . It would be tedious to analyse this tragedy scene by scene . But Medea's character , as drawn by M . IVegoove , appears to have been so strangely misunderstood ; that it may be well to explain ourselves a little . Medea is no mere monster ofinicpiity . Before she beheld Jason , she lived a life of innocent happiness . From the hour she beheld him she had but one thought—Jason . The pow ^ r ^ f Lov * filled her soul . JMidinot ; indeeddestroy her other faculties , but it'orerBhadawed them . She feels herself under the domination of an inexorable power—the God of Love . To some , indeed , this god is the happy child of

    heaven— incoronato Giovine name dal sorriso eterno ; but to Medea— di nere Eumenidi e messaggio E di lividi serpi s' ingbirlanda . Hence the seeming contradictions of the Medea of Leoocve . Sometimes she is the incarnation of all the noblest feelings of woman's nature , but again the terrible god takes possession of her soul , and the voice of nature is suddenly extinguished . In this Medea we behold a woman of strong passions , in whom , however , the passion of love is developed to madness . Such as it seems to us is the key to the anomalies of this apparently inexplicable character . must obviouslhave passion at

    In such a drama the successful artist y every command ; Medea is a queen—she is a mother—she is afflicted—she has suffered wrongs ; though abandoned by her husband she yet seeks him through the world—for that husband ' s love she has perpetrated crimes the most atrocious ; she is possessed by the power of Love—chained to his chariot-wheels ; she is brought face to face with her rival—she is consumed by jealousy—she dotes on her children to distraction—she is left alone in the world to struggle with inexorable Fate . There is , indeed , something awful about her . The very fashion of her countenance , stamped with the mysteries of her life , inspires terror in all spectators . She is haunted by her guilt—the smell of blood is upon her . As she crosses the threshold of the temple she hears a voice in her earu Qui si respira Odor di sangue" — Her very children shrink from her embrace .

    In such a character there is full scope for dramatic genius . In the attempt to portray this character , Ribtoki ventured upon an arduous task , but in that task we think she has succeeded . Clad after the old Etruscan fashion , in the ample folds of an orange-coloured robe , with , a green scarf—her luxuriant black hair collected behind , whilst the long curls are left to fall about her cheeks—her fine forehead bound with a scarlet band , and admirably Betting off those strongly marked but finely chiselled features—RisTonr , the moment she steps upon the stage , at once fixes attention . That impressive but at times stooping figurethat sallow comnlexion—dark eve—loner aauilinc nose—a mouth full of

    changeful , expressioor-rchin rivalling in delicacy the chin of the great Bonaparte combined with ; the , thousand tones of' that ' rich musical voice , and a natural genius for the statuesque , form together a combination of natural advan * tages , the efleet of which it would be difficult in any woman to conceal . But Rmtori has been an . anxious student . At times , indeed , it seems as if her elaborate pantomime lacked , feeling . ; nor can we avoid thinking that the story , as she tells it , of her first interview with Jason labours under this defect . Nevertheless we are free to confess that throughout most of the performance it was impossible to watch her without that thrill of emotion which is the surest token of a genuine inspiration . Some critics , indeed , seem to think that the sort of imitation in which this actress indulges verges on the burlesq ue . Probably in the hands of any but an Italian artist of genius it would be so . But to us that almost exaggerated demonstration , absurd as it would probably be in a self-contained Englishwoman , seems but the abandonment to the genuine feeling of the time . This actress , be it remembered , 5 s from the fiery fickle South , with all its fierce genius . The character which she portrays is the impersonation of a thousand passions . Risxori transforms herself into Medea , and that after the Italian fashion .

    To review this play scene by scene , and as it were to mark it for those who have not yet visited the Ltceum , is not the purpose of a criti que . Enough of this sort has been done already . Who has not heard of Medea as she first appears—the picture of royal affliction—descending the rocks with her famished children ? of that grand burst of artistic power , in which , like the very incarnation of jealousy , she seems to tear her rival limb from limb ? Nor will those who witnessed it soon forget the picturesque terrors of that look which Medea casts upon Creusa , when drawing aside her long dark curls and stretching her body forward into the innocent girl's face , she exclaims : — Non parlai D'Eumenidi e d ' amor duci a delitto ? Non vedesti sul mio livido volto II tartareo segnal che Giove in fronte Dell' omicida imprime ?

    Spake I not Of the Furies and of love that leads to crime ? Seest thou not on my livid face That mark of hell which Jove stamps Upon the murderer ' s front ? Not less profoundly pathetic was that first interview with Jason when , in spite of all the wrongs she has suffered at his hands , she persists in the mad hope that he still cares for her . Checked by his * coldness in the mid-career of her exultation , for that she has at length found the desire of her eyes , she exclaims with ineffable tenderness : — Forse il lacrimar di sua Morte alia voce , e un disperar che conta Sei lime , e . il lungo aspro cammin la mia Sembianza guastar si , che pellegrina Gli appar ; and then—whilst her half-averted eye still searches for

    his—Giasone , io son Medea . Let those who doubt the power of Ristom go and watch the burst of overwhelming hate with which , finding Jason and her children lost to her for ever , she takes refuge in the thought of vengeance . Nothing can excel the fine frenzy with which the stalks the stage : — Sangue!—sangue!—strazziar—spezzar suo core Un che di spaventoso atroce strano . . . Un supplizio a natura urnana ignoto . . Pari , alfin , se il puote , all' odio mio . Like King Lear to his daughter : I will have such revenges on ye both That all the world shall I will do such things—What they are yet I know not ; but they shall be The terrors of the Earth .

    Perhaps the finest effort of that peculiar faculty for physical description which this actress possesses is the scene in which she draws her dagger ana imagines herself officiating at the murder of her rival Creusa . Every gesture shows the spirit of the Italian avenger—even the frantic kiss of the dagger as she rushes from the stage . Were it necessary to sum up in a word the peculiar merit of RrsTonr , we should say it consisted in her voice and her countenance . The tones of that voice express to the ear every vicissitude of thought—tne play of those features reveals to the eye every alternation of human feeling . It would be rash to pronounce Ristori a consummate actress until sfte nas displayed her powers in more characters . It may be that her faculties require the extravagance of emotion which is fitting in the Medea . We should like to see her in a different part . But as we sat in the stalls of the Lyceum , we coma not repress the desire of witnessing her interpretation of Lady M ™ " ! r > ° L . Constance in King John . This would test her powers to the full . M . montanejm ., 1 might , perhaps , be induced to lend his aid . ___ i _^ =-

    Brkths, Marriages, And Deaths. Births. P...

    BrKTHS , MARRIAGES , AND DEATHS . BIRTHS . PENNA . NT .-On the 11 th inst ., at 30 , Bolgravo-squoro , the Lady Louisa Douglas Pennant : a daughter . " SHAW . —On the Vtli inst ., at 20 , Belgrave-road . Pimlico , the , . wife . of George Shaw , Esq ., barristor-at-law , prematurely ; a son . TO 1 LBMA 0 HB . — On Saturday , the 7 th lnBt .. at South Witham Beotory . Lincolnshire , the wife of the Rev- B . W . Lionel Tollemacho : a daughter . MARRIAGES . FORESTER—MBLBOUJfcNE . — On the 10 th hist ., at St . John ' s Church , paddington . by tho Hon . and Hcv . Or-• lando Forester , Lord Forester to Lady Melbourne . HAINQUBBLOT—BLOUNT . — On the Oth Inst ., at the . Vatrta of the 1 st Arrondisseinent , and afterwards at tho Church of 8 t . Phillippe du Roule , Paris , Edounrd . oldest son . of Monsieur and Madame Hainguerlot , of the Chateau de ViUandry , Indro-et-Loiro , and grandson of the late , l & wrCobaj Oudinot , Duo do Xteggto , to Alice , eldest daughter of Bdward Blount , Esq ., of Paris , and niece of Sir Edward Blount , Bart ., of Mawley , Salop . DEATHS . OAR . EW . —On tnasd tatit . ; at Gaatlo Borough , county Wox-. . : jfqrtL Robert Shapland Lord Oarew , K . P ., aged 00 . GOCWPALL . — -On tho 9 th inat .. at 4 , Cmmdeu-uquaro , Leonard , ' theyoungeat son of Frederlok Qoodall , A . R . A . SOOOTV-HTn . tho Ofch hist ., at Sandhurst-grange , aged 18 , . Gocrgbaa Laura , daughter of the Hon . Fr / tncls Soott , M . P .

    SHREWSBURY .-On Wednesday , tho 4 tli inst ., at Paris tho Rt . Hon . Maria Terean , Countosa-Dowager of Shrews- ' bury .

    From The London Gazette. Tuesday. June 1...

    FROM THE LONDON GAZETTE . Tuesday . June 10 . BANKRUPTS . — Samuel Lovklocji : and TnoMAs Foustbb , Dow ^ ato-hill and Streatham , India-rubber manufacturers— John Rosb Coumagk , lato of Russell-square , boarding-house keeper — Charles OitiiCB Hamilton , Princo ' a-streot , Bloomsbury , ironmonger— James Gkkkn , Long Buckby , Northamptonshire , coal-merchant— Samuel Pieuson , Sun-street , Bishopagato - street , ironmonger — Thomas Small Pack , Husband Posworth , Leicester , grocer—William Howb , Coventry , builder — William Robinson Lowe , Wolvcrhanipton , manufacturing ohomist —Hhnky Gomm , Cheltenham , draper;— William Marks Bbnibon 8 AKBI . L , Holsworthy , Devonshire , ironmonger—Edwab . 1 ) Smith , Leeds , hosier—Jambs Hoixihuake , lato of Scotland , noar Baeup , and elsewhere , cotton splnnor—Jam KB Davhnpowt , Macolosfleld , watchmaker . SCOTCH SEQUESTRATION—W . Paul , BorrowstannosB , ship broker . Jfriday , Juno 13 . BANKRUPTS . — Edmund Wbbb , rortswood , timber dealer — William Norvolk , York , tanner — Mauuiob Richards , Birmingham , grocer—On a wjsb Mdwabd Uaok ,

    Tottonham-court-road , grocor-EDWiN * ishun , H «^ ncy road , oil and colourman—Hembv Jonatuan J 1 AWKi « _ , Midway-terrace . Lower-road , ftotherhitho , wwfctc ^ or Gjcoiuu Nkwman JUobsok , Ppolo . t niJ op- . |* S " A" ^ arvon , FiTir . Pwlllioll . now of Pei . ycliaiii . Abproiroh . Carnarvo draper and grocer -Robert Sbmiok and Stbi-hun bENio « , Staincliifo , blanket manufacturers . SCOTCH SEQUESTRATIOTT . -WiLLIAM BoYP , ow » - gow , commission agent .

    Corn Market. Mark-Lane. Friday, Juno 13,...

    CORN MARKET . Mark-lane . Friday , Juno 13 , I 860 . Tim trade in English and Foreign Wheat Is ¦ " ™ a ^| £ atV Monday ' s rates . Thoro are very f « w « vrrrya Is orw nt Maize ( fir tho coast . A lino carpo of *^ ™ ^' . hjk of poor is good order has boon sold at 01 b ., and ono of « a ' ^ ' of < iu £ lity at B 5 s ., cost , freight and inHuranco Also »»» of GalaU Maize arrived witli bad report * ' ™* « ^ S Vt iW-. tho same on passage at 30 s . four of Ibrall on P ""^^ at and ono of Ibrail in a Greek vessel six months ° » P ^^ t , 28 a ., and a cargo of Saidl Beans about d " ° ' ^ anroK OU "" a freight , and insurance . Some cargoes of Taganrog » d Whoati have been sold at Bto . 6 d ., and of BordianHK ^ ^ Marlanopoli at 57 a-, cost , froiglit and insura ce , r < r i diate Bhipmont . Barley , with a trilling supply , mw r J . at foriTior prices . Oats also are in request at ^ JU . w on vauce . Beans on tho spot are Is . dearer , and ¦ « " * " " passage are hold at 32 a . coat , frolght and insuiauco .

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), June 14, 1856, page 20, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_14061856/page/20/