CHANGE OF NAMES IN 1847. January 2.-William Richard Baker Smith, of Partyseal, co. Monmouth, Comm. R. N. in respect to his maternal aunt Sophia Sellon, sister of the late Rev. W. Sellon, Rector of St. James's, Clerkenwell, to take the name of Sellon in lieu of Smith, and bear the arms of Sellon in the first quarter. January 12.-Samuel Potter of Broadstairs, Surgeon, and Mary Ann his wife, daughter of Henry Lodge, of Stoke Newington, gentleman, in compliance with the will of Mary Ann, widow of Paulin Huggett, of Stone-farm, St. Peter's, Thanet, gentleman, to take the name and arms of Huggett only. February 3.-John Desborough Walford, of Bentley Hall, Suffolk, gentleman, only child of Desborough Walford, of Ipswich, by Harriett, only child of John Gosnall, of Bentley Hall, Esq., to take the name of Gosnall, after Walford, February 4.-Patteson Holgate, of Brigg, co. Lincoln, gentleman, in compliance with the will of Philip Gedney, of Withycombe, Rawleigh, co. Devon, Esq., as well as the will of Jane Eliza, widow of the said Philip Gedney, and sister to the said Patteson Holgate, to take the name of Gedney, after that of Holdgate. February 4.-Algernon Charles Percy, of Hodnet, Esq. to take the name of Heber, after Percy, and bear the arms of Heber, in the second quarter. February 10.-Rev. E. Wateley, M. A. of Badgworth, Gloucester, grandson of John Whateley, by Mary, only child of Joseph Pyddoke, in compliance with the will of his aunt, Elizabeth Wateley, of Handsworth, to take the name of Pyddoke only, and bear the arms of Pyddoke quarterly, with his own arms. February 26.-William Leaming, of Wray, co. Lancaster, gentleman, in compliance with the will of John Marshall, of Wray, Esq., to take the name of Marshall only. March 4.-John Aston, of Seisdon, in the parish of Trysull, co. Stafford, in compliance with the will of his brother, Thomas Peach Pudsey, of Seisdon, Esq., to bear the name and arms of Pudsey only. March 22.-Catherine Dealtry, of Thorp-upon-the-hill, in the parish of Rothwell, and of Springfield House, in the parish of Wakefield, co. York, widow of Benjamin Dealtry, of Great Grandsden, co. Cambridge, Esq., she being sole heiress of her grandfather, Metcalf Proctor, of Thorp-upon-the-hill, Esq., to take the name and arms of Proctor, instead of Dealtry. April 13.-Augustus Saltern Willett, of Tapley, in Westleigh, Devon, Esq., grandson of the W. S. Willett, Captain R. N. by Hesther, sister of John Cleveland of Tapley, Esq., to take the name and arms of Cleveland only. April 13.- Henry George Windsor Aubrey, of Exeter College Oxford, gentleman, eldest son of H. G. Windsor, of Barbados, merchant, in compliance with the will of Elizabeth Anne, wife of G. W. Aubrey, of Montreal, Esq., to continue to use the name of Aubrey, after Windsor. April 20.-Cecil Mina Bolivar Townshend, of Magdalen College, | Esq., (formerly Beevor,) of Great Oxford, Esq., Cornet 13th Light Dragoons, to discontinue the name of Townshend, and take the surnames of Dunn Gardner, and use the arms of Dunn and Gardner, with such distinctions as may by the laws of arms be required. May 17. Sir Culling Eardley Smith, of Bedwell Park, co. Hertford, Bart., to take the surname of Eardley only, and quarter the arms of that family. May 20.-Andrew Clarke, Esq., of Comrie Castle, co. Perth, eldest son and heir of Robert Clarke, Esq., of Comrie Castle, by Isabella, elder daughter and co-heir of Robert Wellwood of Garvock, co. Fife, Esq., to take the name of Wellwood, after Clarke. May 31-John William Birch, Esq., of Henley Park, co. Oxford, Clerk Assistant of the Parliaments, fourth but now second surviving son of the late George Birch, of St. Leonard's Hill, co. Berks, by Mary, daughter of Thomas Newell, of Henley-on-Thames, Esq., and niece of William Newell, of Adwell, co. Oxford, Clerk, to take the name of Newell before Birch, and bear the arms of Newell in the second quarter. June 22.-Ralph Hutchinson, of Maston, CO. York, gentleman, youngest son of the William Hutchinson, of Hunmanby, by Anne, sister of the late Christopher Russell, of Maston, gentleman, to take the name of Russell after his present name. August 10.-Edward Lombe, Melton, Norfolk, now residing in the kingdom of Tuscany, son and heir of Edward Lombe, Esq., (formerly Beevor,) Barrister-at-law, in compliance with the will of Sir John Lombe, Bart., to continue to use the name of Lombe only. August 9.-Robert Blake, of Swafield, Esq., in compliance with the will of John Humfrey, of Wroxham, Clerk, to take the surname of Humfrey after Blake, and quarter the arms of Humfrey. September 24.-Rear-Admiral, E. H. A'Court, of Amington Hall, Warwick, in compliance with the will of C. E. Repington, Esq., of the same place, to take the name of Repington after A'Court, and bear the arms of Repington in the first quarter. September 3.-Lieutenant Walter Scott Lockhart, of the 16th Light Dragoons, has been permitted to assume the name of Scott, in addition to and after that of Lockhart. September 30.-Harriet Elizabeth Lady Wetherell, widow of Sir Charles Wetherell, Knight, to adopt the surname of Warneford after Wetherell, in accordance with the directions of the will of her father, Colonel F. Warneford, deceased. October 27.- Charles Robert Scott Murray, of Danesfield, Bucks, Esq., in memory of his great uncle, Robert Scott, Esq., of Danesfield, whose property he inherits, to take the surname of Scott before Murray. THEATRES. THE GRAND OPERA AT DRURY LANE. M. Jullien is conducting this new and bold speculation with amazing ardour and energy; his wonted success attends him. The Bride of Lammermoor," of the opening-night, created a sensation, since it shewed, for the first time, now-a-days, how an English Opera could be effectively performed-how, by congregating together really good music and singing, a fair and honourable rivalry might be attempted with the great Italian Theatres. Marked, even among the decided triumph of all the vocal performers at Drury Lane, was the impression made by Mr. Sims Reeves, who, at once, shewed his rank to be among the first tenors of Europe. But this prosperity is not enough for M. Jullien, he is determined to aggrandize his glories. Having called in the aid of Mr. Balfe, he has just produced a new opera, the work of that famed composer. The success of this beautiful lyric drama is of such importance to English music, that it fully claims a detailed account of its merits. The opera is entitled "The Maid of Honour;" the music, as we have said, is by Mr. Balfe; the libretto is by Mr. Fitzball. The cast of the characters is as follows: The plot of the "Maid of Honour "is taken from the ballet of Lady Henrietta, brought out at Drury Lane, and also given with great success at the Académie de Musique, at Paris. The only change that has been made is transferring the epoch from the time of Queen Anne to that of Queen Elizabeth. The scene is laid at Greenwich, where Elizabeth used to hold her Court and partake in many popular pastimes. Lady Henrietta and Lady Alison are Maids of Honour. Wearying greatly of courtly etiquette, they determine upon a frolic, into which they enlist an enamoured knight, Sir Tristram, of the Euphuist school, who, though he dare not displease Henriette, the lady of his devotions, is yet greatly scandalized when he hears that the court damsels purpose repairing disguised to the "Statute fair," where, according to the old-fashioned custom, servants present themselves to be hired. At this fair, two young farmers, Lyonnel and Walter, repair, for the purpose of finding two maid-servants for the house work at home. They glance over the eager crowd of girls without seeing a face to their liking, until Lyonnel's eyes are arrested by Lady Henrietta, who, attired in peasant's array, waits with her companion to be chosen. The two young farmers, attracted more by the pretty faces than the domestic qualifications of the two damsels, who own they can neither "bake nor churn, nor light a fire," engage them immediately, dance with them, and, as evening approaches, insist on their fulfilling their bargain, and going home with them. There arrived, they find that the pretended maids can perform none of the duties assigned to them. At length, they retire to rest, but not before Lyonnel, who has been deeply smitten by the graces of the high-born Henrietta, has found means to acquaint her with his passion, to which, though pride rebels, her heart in secret responds. When all is hushed in slumber, however, the two maids, exhorted by Sir Tristram, take their flight. Lyonnel and Walter, when discovering their loss, enlist, the former in despair, the latter to bear his friend company. The scene changes to the Court of Queen Elizabeth, who sallies forth with a goodly company of squires and dames, amongst whom are her maids of honour, to hunt in her royal park of Greenwich. After a brief interview between Lyonnel and Henrietta, in which she treats her humble lover with feigned scorn, the latter is instrumental in saving the Queen's life, menaced by the fiery spirit of her steed. The Queen, in reward for his royal gallantry, makes him her squire for the day, and thus he becomes spectator of a performance given to the Court of Orpheus and Eurydice, in which Henrietta takes the latter part. Lyonnel recognises his scornful mistress, cannot contain himself, rushes forward and throws himself at her feet: general confusion ensues, in the midst of which, Henrietta, finding an opportunity to speak to him apart, confesses her heart is touched by the honest yeoman's love, but begs him to spare her pride before the courtly throng assembled there. He is at length led off, and Elizabeth gains from her young protégée the avowal of her secret. After chiding her imprudent adventure, the Queen is, nevertheless, determined to assure the happiness of the man, whose good looks and gallantry had interested her before. She gives orders to the reluctant Sir Tristram that all should be arranged in Lyonnel's homestead, as on the day when the pretended servant girls had entered it, and arranges so, that when the young farmer mechanically rings the bell, obedient to his call, Henrietta and Alison appear. The sequel may be guessed. Lyonnel and Walter are made happy, and the curtain drops. The plot of this opera is favourable to dramatic effect, and Mr. Balfe has employed the resources furnished with his wonted genius. It is impossible to be more spirited and effective than are the numerous comic portions of the opera. In the management of the choruses, Balfe has displayed the hands of a master. We may instance, especially, the scene of the statute fair, one of animation, liveliness, and real English mirth. In fact, there is a hearty, genuine humour and feeling about the whole composition which is peculiarly English. The chorus of soldiers and huntsmen, in the second act, wins vehement applause. The opening madrigal, sung by a chorus of female voices, is very much in the style of the old English compositions of this nature, and deserves popularity, The ballad, "The Red Cross Knight," sung by Miss Birch, has a peculiar and quaint sweetness about it that gains on the ear, repeated, as it is often, throughout the opera. The duet between Lyonnel and Henrietta in the farmhouse-" I know not by what spell "-follows. this, the voices blended together produce a delightful effect. In The third act commences with an excellent comic solo of "Sir Tristram," sung my Mr. Weiss, with an amusing chorus. Then follows the mimic performance of Orpheus and Eurydice, with the demon's chorus, and the invocation of Orpheus, sung by Miss Miran. The duet between Orpheus and Eurydice, executed by Miss Birch and Miss Miran, is a pleasing composition; the two voices combine at its conclusion with that agreeable effect of the union of soprano and contralto. The ballad, "In that old chair," is the next piece of importance, and the opera concludes with a brilliant rondo, sung by Miss Birch. She is far Miss Birch made a triumphant debut, and will, we trust, have no occasion to regret having given up the Parisian stage for this. more impassioned as a dramatic singer than ever she appeared in the concert-room. Her voice and execution are perfect. Miss Miran possesses a fine, powerful, pure-toned, though not as yet very extensive contralto voice, a good style, a pretty face, and a considerable portion of comic talent. Madame Weiss, who has been well known in concerts as Miss Barrett, has considerable strength of intonation. Throughout this opera, Reeves more than sustained the great reputation he so speedily made in the Lucia, and has proved that the simple ballad style of music is not less suited to him than the more ambitious but not more difficult Italian singing. His full, clear, manly, and expressive voice produces a sensation of pleasure, which his excellent taste, his perfect control, serve to maintain; while his feeling and impassioned acting perfectly preserves the illusion of his part. The libretto in some parts of this opera is pleasingly written; for instance, the following words of the song so exquisitely sung by Reeves :— In this old chair my father sat, I feel the kiss of their fond love, And here, alas! when they were gone, In Beauty's own array, A pitying angel on me shone, To cheer each grief away; But oh! it was delusive love, Too sweet, too pure to last. Oh! if such dream time must remove, Those who are advocates for the employment of native performers will perceive that every singer in this opera is English. To us, however, it seems that success does not nor ought to belong to any particular country, but to real ability. M. Jullien has adopted the only proper means of making English singing prosperous-viz., the production of such talent as may vie with the beautiful voices of Italy. |