ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 254, 5 January 1848, Page 3

ENGLISH EXTRACTS.

Money Market and City Intelligence. — Wednesday Evening, August 11. — The English funds opened this morning at an advance, and a still further improvement took place during the day. The first price of Consols for money was 87 to |, and they left off at 87| to \. For the account the range was from 87| 10 \to 87f , at which they closed buyers. Some considerable purchases on the part of speculators closing their accounts was understood to have been the chief cause of the upward movement. Money was perhaps not quite so much in demand in the Stock-Ex-change, but out of doors there was uo relaxation. Bank Stock left off at 195 to 197 ; Reduced Three per Cents., 87£ ; Three-and-a Quarter per Cents., 89^ to \ ; Long Annuities, 9 1-16 to £; India Bonds, ss. dis. to par ; and Exchpquer-bill, par to 4s. premium. The dividend declared at a meeting of the Royal Bank of Australia, held to-day, was at the rate of 6 per cent, per annum. According to the report presented on this occasion, the state of business within the colony k satisfactory, and the settlement of the land tenure question is regarded as likely further to improve the prospect of affairs. The only drawback which has at all interfered with general business, and neces&arily in a degree with the profits of the bank, is the high price of labour; but this disadvantage will, it is considered, be speedily removed "by emigration oh a large scale under the auspices of the Home Government.*' The Directors seem firmly impressed with the convction that the benefit of regular steam communication must before long, be accorded to parties interested in trade with this quarter of the world, and commendations were expressed of the exertions oi Lieutenant Waghorn in favour of the route via Singapore.

What Becomes of all the Cape Wine? — The capital embarked in v.me cultivation was said in 1843 to be nearly two millions sterling ; and the quantity exported into England averages from five to six hundred thousand gallons. The liqueur wine, Constantia, is well known, or rather well talked about, for it is too scarce and too dear to be within the reach of more than a few : but, with this exception, the wines of the Cape, pronounced execrable by the first English conquerors, retain their character to the present day. It should not bt said that they are entirely unimproved, for they have lost, in some measure, their peculiar earthy taste ; but still, they are so inferior to the wines of Europe, that they are never seen upon the table — under their ' own name. It is curious that no one asks in Parliament what becomes of the half million gallons which are iraporte 1, since there is not an individual of that august body who ever saw a bottle of " Cape Madeira" in his life ! The fact is, the British Government could not conceive why we should not have as good wine from Southern Africa as from continental Europe, since it is well known that the grapes of the former country are among the finest in the world ; and in order to encourage the colonists to turn their attention to the article, they gave them a discriminate view of about fifty per cent, in their favour. The consequence is, that the same quality of wine continues to be made at the Cape, and imported into England, where, as nobody will drink it pure, the dealers are compelled to mix it with other wines, and sell it at twice its value. — Ritchies British World in the East.

A " Cut" abovb Lord De Roos. — Jonathan, like Mr. Squeers, who, by the way, would have made a capital slave overseer, declares his the right shop for morals. Knowing this, we have been sadly puzzled by the following advertisement, which we give as classical penny-a-liners have it, verbatim et literatim, from a recent number of the New York Sun. No doubt such things are done in London, but they are not advertised, cheating is trore abashed here :— " Cards ! Cards ! — On sale by J, Muabeau, 100, Nassau-street.*—

Marked cards of every description, and directions lor taking advantages in the following games : Bluff, Poker, Brag, Seven-up, Faro, Vingt-et-un, &c, by one who is practically acquainted. Those who wish to receive lessons in advantages that requite dexterity, must enquire as rbove."

The "Great Britain."— lt is with much pleasure we have to state that, during the spiing tide of Thursday, Mr. Bremraer succeeded to his fullest expectations in at length raising this steamer, so as to leave the keel comj letely visible. The vessel is now ilniost as if she were in the dock-yard, or, in other words, suspended in the air by means of the lever, the wedge, the screw, and the large boxes of sand. The workmen are at present busily engaged hi repairing the bottom, and should the weather continue mild there is every prospect that she will be floated off much sooner than was expected a few weeks ago. This being the assize week here, numbers of individuals are daily thronging to vis.it this noble specimen of naval architecture. We hope by our next publication to be able to announce when she will be floated off. — Down Recorder, August 24. Several letters have been received in town containing intelligence of a very desiructive fire having taken place in Archangel on the 17th and 18th of July, which has consumed a great p<irt of that city.

The English in Egypt. — "Wherever they come they stay and prosper. From the summit of yonder pyramids forty centuries may look down on them if they are minded ; and I say, those venerable daughters of time ought to be belter pleased by the examination, than by regarding the French bayonets and General Bonaparte, Member of the Institute, fifty years ago, running about with sabre and pigtail. Wonders he did to be sure, and then ran away, leaving Kleber, to be murdered, in the lureh — a few hundred yards from the spot where these disquisitions are written. But what are his wonders compared to Waghorn ? Nap. massacred the Mamelukes at the pyramids : Wag. has conquered the pyramids themselves ; dragged the unwieldy structures ft month nearer England than they were, and brought the country along with them. All the trophies and captives, that ever were brought to Roman triumph, were not so enormous and wonderful as this. All the heads that Napoleon ever caused to be strurk off .(as George Cruikshank says) would not elevate him a monument as big. Be our* the trophies of peace. — A Journey from Cornhiii to Cairo.

Theatrical Applause. — There is a certain price put down for simple app ause — another for applause accompanied by laughter — a third, ior applausp mingled with genuine tears — one for admiration — another for enthusiasm — a good round sum for spasms, hysterics, and fainting fits. The author has but to pay : his dainty dish will be served up to him accordingly to its nature, and the figure at which it is numbered in the bill of fare. This is no joke : it is pure and simple earnest. The Mouckeur, the blower of noses, and flourislier of pocket handkerchiefs at a new play professes a trade, as well established as that of a baker or a grocer ; the sang lot cur, or sobber, studies his r6le beforehand, as a part of his profession : a female in the first boxes undertakes a fainting fit or convulsions ad libitum : and if she can sport a hat and feathers, an embroidered pocket handkerchief, and a gold smelling bottle, her price rises rapidly ; and she is paid in proportion to the sympathy of her elegance, and the weakness of her nerves at the tragic scene, excite. The claqueur, at the origin of the institution, was a volunteer, ill paid, or paid only by the rectmpense of admission to see the play, in return for the applause bestowed : he was usually a friend of the hairdresser, or the dresser of the theatre. But the trade throve and prospered, and became a trade. The claqueur at last disdained his vulgar name, and became an entrepreneur de succls dramatiques, who monopolised the whole direction of the applause to himself, and had a troop of subordinates under his orders. By what gradation the system rose to the perfect state of organization under which it now exists, it would be a curious history to trace. Did managers and authors recognise the merit of their auxiliaries ? or did the claqueur impose himself upon author and manager as indispensable 1 Where was the cause of the great progress in the trade ? whence the effect ? However that may be, the fact is, that the complete organization of this arrangement has been proved by the roost curious documents, laid before the legal tribunals in Paris, in cases of actions being brought, on the one side or the other, by the engaging parties, for the non-fulfilment of contract. Not long ago, a regularly drawn up document of this kind was published in the newspaper "Law Court Reports," by which it appeared that a " success contractor " as he styles himself, had entered into an engagement with the .manager of one of the theatres in Paris to supplyhim with a certain quantity of pieces"

in return for certain ceded prerogatives, privileges, and advantages. These advantages consisted chiefly in a certain number of tickets given to him every night for his own disposal and profit, the whole pit upon first representations, together with so many boxes and stalls and other little pickings too numerous to mention. On his own part, the dramatic success contractor agreed to provide a certain number of men "decently dressed" to applaud, and to>be present himself, in order to direct the when, where, and how of the applause to be bestowed, to attend all the rehearsals of the new pieces, and to arrange with the author the points where the applause was to be introduced, and finally, to come to the manager's room when required, to consult with him as to what actor, or more generally what actresses, were to be more especially ap- | plauded and supported. And this extraordinary contract so degrading to art, honour, and truth, was a legal document ! The Parisian "success contractor" is now a gentleman, who dresses very fine, keeps his cabriolet, and in his moments of leisure, when not occupied by his essentially literary occupations, lounges, with cigar in mouth, along the Boulevards, where he will catch hold of the arm of any dramatic author who may be one of his "clients," and talk over with him the progress or presumed effect of his new piece, of which he esteems himself a very important collaborateur, inasmuch as its worth, he conceives, is due at least a half, if not threequarters to himself. Upon occasions of rehearsals of some great piece, however, he never leaves the theatre ; he then pulls out his note hook and marks down with care the strong and weak points, the scenes that are to be brought out, the situations to be strongly marked, the passages to be encored, and the exits and entrances to be peculiarly favoured. He scruples not to give his advice, and his' proposals for changes to the author and manager, and is affronted when he is not listened to. When the great general rehearsal comes, he summons his troops, gets into an upper box, draws out his opera glass and his note book, and, with all the airs oPa great general, arranges his plan of battle for the next day. He generally disposes a square battalion in the centre of the pit, a dozen or more of sharpshooters at each flank, a moucheur or two, particularly well dressed, in the stalls, a sangloieur in the balcony, a few choice spirits in the gallery, and an " interrupter" in the upper boxes. The interrupter is a variety of the claqueur, lately introduced, be is intended to represent some very naif individual, who, led away by the emotions of the drama, is supposed to take it all for natural, and apostrophise the wicked actor on the stage. The "inerrupter" is generally turned out of his box; but his peiformance of his little part is almost invariably crowned with a great success ior the piece. Upon the occasion of a first representation, tho "success-contractor" is in all his glory as general in chief. He then occupies the centre of his forces in the pit. He waves his hand covered with white kid gloves, over his head, as if hs were no more or less than M. Jullien, in order to give the signal for the attack. The signal is given in three movements—"Make ready!" "Present!" "Fire!" and the fire of paid enthusiasm bursts out, obedient to his signal — enough to deafen half the theatre, and fully to disturb the nerves of the other half. The "success-contractor" never applauds, himself; he only glances with eagle eye over his columns, to see that "every man does his duty:" and -at the nod of his head the fire ceases ; the artillery of hardened hands is stopped ; and preparation is made for another discharge. Woe betide the unhappy neophyte who should dare applaud, for pure gratification, before the order is given, or venture to prolong his exercise after the retreat is blown ! He has dared to have a feeling of his own : he is a condemned man ! Aud when the battlers won or lost— and it is generally considered won the first' night, however it may be lost afterwards — the "success-contractor" goes behind the scenes, to congratulate, or to receive the congratulations of the author and manager. - Besides, he has there other "clients/* upon whom he must bestow a word or two. Theseclients are among the actors and actresses, til of whom, more or less, pay their tribute to the "chief," who is the arbiter of their destiny — some being abonne to him for so macn T applause for a month, others for a whole year/ some again' only for a certain r6le, and others for that night only, but all of whom are more 1 ' or less discontented because he has treated every rival far too well. And this is glory! this is fame! this is art! this is literary merit:! This odious system of forced applause does not always save or damn a piece, it. is true, according as the "success-contractor 11 * 1 wills. Merit will be appreciated by the pub'lie, and duluess put down : but- the system exists to the .extent above described; and. that is significant enough to display. the venality of the- land and of the *ge.—rßent!ey'* Miscellany,