cation of these funds? And will they not pause as to the results, when they find that an establishment involving an expenditure of from three to five thousand pounds per annum, is erected, for the purpose of educating about thirty musicians? Such, however, is the fact; and as the details of the management become more known, we may venture to anticipate that the astonishment of the public will be augmented. We have now neither time nor space for the developement; but at some future period, when the passing musical events are less interesting, we may, perhaps, endeavour to elucidate the claims of the Royal Academy to public support. In the mean time, however, we would clearly be understood, neither to impeach the mo tives of the promoters (which we believe to be excellent), nor the principle of the institution, which is nationally important; but as far as As relates to the plan and to the actual management, we may venture to pronounce, that funds furnished by public liberality have seldom been more unfortunately misdirected. It were an endless task to speak individually of the numberless concerts now giving in London. Every night has its performance; but recent, circumstances, it should seem, have determined the Lord Chamberlain not to license more than one concert on the same evening. Those of Mr. Vaughan, Mr. F. Cramer, Mr. Sapio, and Mr. Pio Cianchettini, have been the principal during the present month, That of the first named singer, at the Hanover-square Rooms, perhaps, was the most nu merously attended. Mr. Sapio has a host of patrons, for which he is in some degree, we believe, indebted to the effects of aristocratic blundering, The committee of the Royal Academy fixed their concert on the night Mr. Sapio had previously advertised, not considering it possible that a Professor could stand for a moment against their fut. Mr. Sapio, how ever, not only had right on his side, but those who were determined fearlessly to uphold that right on behalf of the profession at large; and in the end the noble committee were content to purchase Mr. Sapio's concession of his right, by the extended patronage which appears at the head of his bill, and by payment of all expenses incurred by the engagement of the room, &c. By this relation we do not purpose in the slightest degree to prejudice Mr. Sapio's deserts. He is not only a singer of distinguished ability, but the singer, par excellence, of rising estimation. Mr. Braham is a ruin, a splendid ruin, indeed, but completely a ruin. Mr. Vaughan retains the high place he has so long preserved, with the same quiet and unpretending air that appertains to his beautiful polish and acknowledged perfection. His course is as measured and as certain, as it is exalted. But, Mr. Sapio comes a new star into the musical sphere, is sought, and is admired. The theatrical singers have introduced little concerts as intermezzi at their benefits, in aid of plays and operas. At Miss Paton's, Mr. Escudier, a violinist, played; but the hour was exceedingly late, the audience completely exhausted, or departing. No judgment could be formed of his ability. There has been nothing new at the Opera, except the appearance of Garcia in Otello, at Curioni's benefit. Garcia is a fine musician, and has been a singer of almost unlimited powers; but like our great English Tenor, his voice is in decay; and to cover its failure he has recourse to florid execution, and exertions which serve only to enforce the opinion they are meant to invalidate. Thus in Otello he sang above his voice, and substituted mere force for expression, to the annoyance of every judicious auditor. La Donna del Lago is the only opera brought out this season that keeps the stage; nevertheless, we cannot be induced to regard it as equal to many of the former compositions of Rossini. With the exception of the little piece of melody, “O mattutini albori," there is scarcely a single strain that would take possession of the mind. The performance of this piece has brought into notice the uncommon improvement Madame Ronzi de Begnis manifests, in her advance towards the character of a serious singer. Her sensibility is exquisite; and the vast alteration in her manner leads us now to believe she will in a great degree correct those defects of tone and execution which so lately gave the impression that she must confine herself to the Opera Buffa. We certainly never recollect to have observed so rapid a change before in any great public singer. Mr. Ebers has hired the King's Theatre for two years. It is reported, that the ubiquitarian M. Bochsa, not finding sufficient employment in his imperial vice-royalty at the academy, in teaching, composing for Drury-lane, conducting the oratorios, and writing for the shops, actually meditated engrossing the manage ment of the Opera-house, in conjunction with some city gentlemen, who made an offer for the theatre. Mr. Ebers has, however, certainly engaged it for the time above stated. Signora Corri, we understand, has been received with great applause at Venice, where also Sinclair is said to have performed with great credit to himself. Since the example of Billington, England has begun to make some return for the vast importation of vocalists she has so long enjoyed from Italy. In Mr. Bishop's new Opera, Clari of Milan, brought out at CoventGarden, there is little to commend as to composition. The opening of the serenade, which is the first thing in the piece, has so near a similitude to Hayes' Wind gentle Evergreen, that we presume it to be an adaptation. The duet between Master Longhurst and Miss Love is My pretty page, decies repetita; and Sweet Home is in sentiment and imagery exactly the counterpart of a ballad published by Mr. Parry seven or eight years ago. It is greatly to be lamented that a composer of Mr. Bishop's ability should be tied down to remodel exhausted subjects in this way: Clari of Milan does not exhibit one single trait that has not been produced and reproduced over and over again. Five Grand Musical Festivals will take place this summer; so powerful has been the example of Birmingham. The triennial meeting at that town, one at Oxford in June, one at Liverpool in September or October, and one at York, will be held, beside the meeting of the three choirs at Worcester. At Norwich also there will be two or three Grand Concerts in October. The private musical parties in town have been, and still are, very numerous this season; but foreign music and foreign artists every where predominate. The publications this month are superabundant. Two Airs for the Pianoforte. The Variations composed for, and dedicated to the Princess Augusta, by J. B. Cramer. These compositions remind us of some of Mr. Cramer's best works. Mr. Ries has an Air with Variations. The subject, When Meteor Lights, a nations, has an animation which pervades the piece. German air from the melodies of various Mr. Rawling's Divertimento for the Pianoforte and Flute, introducing the Scotch Air, Kelvin Grove, must please. It is light, elegant, and melodious; the flute part not difficult, though sufficiently prominent. M. Bochsa has an Andante and wecond Rondo on a favourite Quadrille for the Harp. Piacer" for the harp, with an accompaniMadame Dussek has arranged " Di ment for the pianoforte. The brilliancy of the theme is retained, and even augmented, although it can hardly be said that the most is made of many of its passages. There is also by the same hand a short and easy lesson for the harp on a Scotch air, The Campbells are coming. It makes few pretensions, but will be useful to beginners. M. Meyer's Divertimento, for the same instrument, is in an agreeable style, and is both to the young performer and her aujust sufficiently difficult to be interesting dience. La Bella Capricciosa, for the Pianeforte, by J. N. Hummel, conforms to the character of excursive fancy its title implies: "from grave to gay, from lively to severe," is exactly expressive of its nature, and caprice was seldom more captivating. M. Moscheles' Rondoletto is extremely pleasing, but more simple than the general works of this great master of the instru ment. Here's a health to all good Lasses, as a M. Meves has arranged the old glee, Rondo for the Pianoforte. M. Holst, in his Greek Air with Veriations, has put together the passages best adapted to facilitate execution in a form more interesting to beginners than an exercise, and he has succeeded in producing an attractive little piece. Un' Offertà alle Grazie, by Mr. Harris, fails in interest; the subject is insignificant, and does not fasten upon the ear sufficiently to carry it through the variations: it wants character. The new adaptations are Books of the favourite Airs from Il Barbiere di Seviglia, arranged for the harp and fiste, by M. Bochsa; also, by the same gentle 1823.7 The Daisy in India. man, Book X. of favourite Airs from Mr. Clementi has arranged Mozart's celebrated Symphony, The Jupiter, for the pianoforte, with ad libitum accompaniments, for flute, violin, and violoncello. Amusemens de l'Opéra, being a selection of the latest operas and ballets of Rossini, Weber, Paer, Winter, Gallemberg, &c. arranged for the pianoforte, Nos. I. and II. The Antologia Musicale is of the same description. The Twelfth Number contains a specimen of the style of Leopold Mozart, the father of the great composer of that name. No. VIII. of Boosey's Selection of Overtures, is Beethoven's Overture to the Mr. Killick, an organist at Gravesend, has commenced an arrangement of Handel's Overtures for the organ or pianoforte.The first number is from the occasional oratorio. Mr. Burrowes has adapted the beautiful old music in Macbeth, as duets for the harp or pianoforte, with ad libitum accompaniments for flute and violoncello. The vocal list is very meagre; there is scarcely any thing worth notice. The Fairy Queen, a duet, in the manner of the old writers, by Dr. Carnaby, is upon words of no very poetical structure. The Jasmin Wreath, a canzonet, adapted from Carafa, is an agreeable song, but by no means equal to Fra tante Angoscie, the only work of the author known in England. Queen of every moving Measure, by Mr. Dannelly, is equal at least to the general run of ballads. Mr. W. Collard has brought out two more of his very commendable series of moral songs. THE DAISY IN INDIA: SUPPOSED to be addressed by the Rev. Dr. Carey, the learned and illustrious Baptist Missionary, at Serampore, to the first plant of this kind, which sprang up unexpectedly in his garden, out of some English earth, in which other seeds had been conveyed to him from this country. The subject was suggested by reading a letter from Dr. Carey to a botanical friend, in England, an interesting extract from which is given at the foot of these verses. Extract from a Letter of Dr. Carey, in India, to Mr. J. Cooper, of Wentworth, Yorkshire. "With great labour I have preserved the common Field Daisy, which came up accidentally in some English earth, for these six or seven years; but my whole stock is now only one plant. I have never been able, even with sheltering them, to preserve an old root through the rains, but I get a few seedlings every year. The proportion of small plants in this country is very inconsiderable, the greater number of our vegetable productions being either large shrubs, immense climbers, or timber trees. By the kindness of yourself and other gentlemen, who have lately sent me roots or seeds, our number of small shrubs is much increased, and our stock of bulbous plants become very respectable. Still, however, tulips, hyacinths, snowdrops, most of the lilies, &c. are strangers to us. I have a great desire to possess honeysuckles, especially the common woodbine. I mix the seeds which I send you with twice or thrice their bulk of earth, and ram the whole in a box (a cask would be better), and nail or hoop them up close. I have no doubt but a quantity of most of your wild seeds, and many others, would succeed here, if well packed in earth as I have done with this box. A cask of your peat-earth, thus full of seeds, would be an invaluable tressure, as the earth itself would be of great service in the culture of many plants. We have no peat in India. All our soils are either strong clays, deep loam, or loose, but fertile, sands. I need not say, that the seeds should be packed as soon as possible after they are ripe. Old seeds have scarcely ever succeeded in this country." THE CHILD ANGEL:-A DREAM. I CHANCED upon the prettiest, oddest, fantastical, thing of a dream the other night, that you shall hear of I had been reading the "Loves of the Angels," and went to bed with my head full of speculations, suggested by that extraordinary legend. It had given birth to innumerable conjectures; and, I remember, the last waking thought, which I gave expression to on my pillow, was a sort of wonder," what could come of it." I was suddenly transported, how or whither I could scarcely make outbut to some celestial region. It was not the real heavens neither-not the downright Bible heaven-but a kind of fairy-land heaven, about which a poor human fancy may have leave to sport and air itself, I will hope, without presumption. Methought-what wild things dreams are!-I was present-at what would you imagine?-at an angel's gossiping. Whence it came, or how it came, or who bid it come, or whether it came purely of its own head, neither you nor I know-but there lay, sure enough, wrapt in its little cloudy swaddling bands-a Child Angel. Sun-threads---filmy beams-ran through the celestial napery of what seemed its princely cradle. All the winged orders hovered round, watching when the new-born should open its yet closed eyes: which, when it did, first one, and then the other with a solicitude and apprehension, yet not such as, stained with fear, dims the expanding eye-lids of mortal infants-but as if to explore its path in those its unhereditary palaceswhat an inextinguishable titter that time spared not celestial visages! Nor wanted there to my seeming O the inexplicable simpleness of dreams! -bowls of that cheering nectar, which mortals caudle call below→→→ Nor were wanting faces of female ministrants,-stricken in years, as it might seem so dextrous were those heavenly attendants to counterfeit kindly similitudes of earth, to greet with terrestrial child-rites the young Present, which earth had made to heaven. Then were celestial harpings heard, not in full symphony as those by which the spheres are tutored; but, as loudest instruments on earth speak oftentimes, muffled; so to accommodate their sound the better to the weak ears of the imperfect-born. And, with the noise of those subdued soundings, the Angelet sprang forth, fluttering its rudiments of pinions-but forthwith flagged and was recovered into the arms of those fullwinged angels. And a wonder it was to see how, as years went round in heaven-a year in dreams is as a day-continually its white shoulders put forth buds of wings, but, wanting the perfect angelic nutriment, anon was shorn of its aspiring, and fell fluttering-still caught by angel hands---for ever to put forth shoots, and to fall fluttering, because its birth was not of the unmixed vigour of heaven. And a name was given to the Babe Angel, and it was to be called Ge-Urania, because its production was of earth and heaven. And it could not taste of death, by reason of its adoption into immortal palaces; but it was to know weakness, and reliance, and the shadow of human imbecility; and it went with a lame gait; but in its goings it exceeded all mortal children in grace and swiftness. Then pity first sprang up in angelic bosoms; and yearnings (like the human) touched them at the sight of the immortal lame one. And with pain did then first those Intuitive Essences, with pain and strife to their natures (not grief), put back their bright intelligences, and reduce their etherial minds, schooling them to degrees and slower processes, so to adapt their lessons to the gradual illumination (as must needs be) of the half-earth-born; and what intuitive notices they could not repel (by reason that their nature is to know all things at once), the halfheavenly novice, by the better part of its nature, aspired to receive into its understanding; so that Humility and Aspiration went on even-paced in the instruction of the glorious Amphibium. But, by reason that Mature Hu |