vigour of her youthful days. Cabarets
abound all over France, but la Mère Saguet
is the last of her race.

THE DATCHLEY PHILHARMONIC.

I AM of opinion that an impartial narrative
of our Datchley Philharmonic Union, traced
conscientiously from its original inception in
the early part of the year eighteen hundred
and fifty blank, to its final extinction in the
autumn of that same year, would form an
humble, but interesting page in the great
history of the musical human family. I,
myself, have peculiar facilities for this task,
having in a manner stood by its cradle and
followed its hearse. Perhaps I may add,
modestly, that I paid my share towards the
expenses of these obsequies, the concern
being, so to speak, insolvent at the period of
its collapse.

It was at Tritonville, at a select party
of Mrs. Lightbody's, that the idea originated.
Belmore Jones was the immediate originator;
and I, with the two Miss Withers, and
Weesond (who blew a little on the cornet), seized
on the project greedily and worked it
promptly into shape. No doubt the
rapturous applause accorded to the two-part
song for equal voices, so sweetly rendered by
the Misses Withers, had put Belmore Jones
upon the notion. No less satisfactory had
been his own performance in the early
portion of the evening, giving his famous bass
song with singular force and effect. The
well-known Orphean quartett, in which we
had obtained quite a provincial reputation,
had also formed part of the evening's
entertainment: the components thereof (the
Misses Lightbody, Belmore Jones, and
myself—-tenor) falling in, regimentally, in front
of the piano, had been delighting the
company with miracles of sound, full of strange
and pleasing contrasts. At one moment,
our voices were lulled to the very faintest
whisper, sending abroad doubts as to whether
the chaunt was not now prematurely
concluded; at the next, bursting with startling
effect into proclamation respecting the
Hun-ter on the Alpin' Heighths! From
rock to rock He gaily Boundeth—-gaily
Boundeth! Indeed the Männer-Gesang-
Verein, from Cologne, were held by a
competent judge, who had been lately up in
London, to sing very much after our manner.

"I can assure you, Jones, when I heard
those Cologne men last year, the Männer-
Gesang-Verein, you know, give that very
Jäger-Lied; I thought it a coarse
performance—-a very coarse performance."

Jones was excited by the triumphs of the
evening. " Suppose," "said he, panting with
eagerness. "Suppose, we form a society,
and give concerts in the Assembly Rooms,
and issue complimentary tickets!"

It was a vast conception, and we stood
looking at each other for some moments,
without venturing to speak. It was opening
up a new vein, as yet undreamt of. We had,
in a manner, sung out our whole circle of
friends, and were secretly craving for a more
expanded sphere. It was welcomed, therefore,
with enthusiasm. Miss Bandoline, who
was held to have an unrivalled soprano
voice and Mrs. Lightbody's eldest, was in
raptures, as was Mrs. Lightbody, herself.
All she stipulated for, Mrs. Lightbody said,
was, " that it should be select."

We became then resolved into a committee
of the entire party: Belmore Jones on the
piano-stool, and a number of hasty resolutions
were passed, the essence of which was, that
there should be as many concerts as possible,
and that everybody should have opportunity
for displaying his or her peculiar gift. The
exclusion of all professionals was sternly
pressed by Mrs. Lightbody, saving always
Mendelssohn Jackson, local organist and
director of the well-known Guild Band of
the place. He would be indispensable for
moulding into shape, the harmonious raw
material; and so was taken in, under
protest. At an adjourned meeting, held the
following day, the capabilities of this raw
material were looked more into, and classified:
Mendelssohn Jackson being in attendance
on the occasion. There was Miss Bandoline,
first woman and leading soprano, beyond
dispute, having but newly come from the
hands of Polonio, the eminent lady's teacher,
and bon ton composer. It was marvellous
to hear her taking that C in alt—-swooping
at it gymnastically, with visible
muscular action and swelling of veins. It was
whispered mysteriously, that it had been
manufactured, by the ingenious Polonio, he
having with infinite pains so worked on the
delicate organs in the regions about the
thorax, as to bring about this remarkable
result. It must be admitted, certainly, that
the note, so eliminated, was of thin and wiry
texture; perhaps owing to the physical
configuration of Miss Bandoline's person, which
was of the same character. Still, had not
Polonio decreed her organ to have been of
the character known as the Veiled Voice, or
Voix Voilée, as the French have it—-which
quite explained it? There was Miss Bandoline's
sister—-contralto—-who was held to put
in a sweet second in Polonio's own admired
duets, dedicated each to a noble pupil of
Polonio's in London. There was Belmore
Jones's basso profondo, which seemed to
issue from many miles below the surface of
the earth. The lowest note on his register
was famous in the parish, it being reported
to make the windows vibrate like the pedal-
pipes of an organ.

Looking, however, to the instrumental
department, it was truly cheering to see
what abundant promise was held out to us
from all quarters. It came to be a positive
embarrassment of riches. Locock, in the
handsomest manner, came to lay his cornet,