DANUBE conflict of passions; when their features, their very looks, shall speak their inward feelings; when, extending their arms beyond the narrow circle prescribed by the rigid rules of pedantry, and with equal grace and judgment giving them a fuller scope, they shall by proper situations describe the gradual and successive progress of the passions; when, in fine, they call good sense and genius to the assistance of their art; then they may expect to distinguish themselves : explanatory speeches will become useless; a mute but powerful eloquence will be substituted to much better effect; each motion will be a sentence ; every attitude will portray a situation; each gesture convey a thought, and each glance a new sentiment: every part will please, because the whole will be a true and faithful imitation of nature.” The essence of Noverre’s theory was that mere display was not enough to ensure interest and life for the ballet; and the late Sir Augustus Harris expressed a similar opinion when he was asked wherein lay the reason of the decadence of the modern ballet. Noverre brought to a high degree of perfection the art of presenting a story by means of pantomime, and he never allowed dancing which was not the direct expression of a particular attitude of mind. Since Noverre’s time the greatest ballet-master was undoubtedly the famous Gaetano Apolline Baltasare Vestris, who modestly called himself “ le dieu de la danse,” and was accustomed to say that his century had produced only three great men— himself, Frederic II., and Voltaire. He was, indeed, the finest male dancer that Europe ever produced, and was a great man in his time. Gluck composed Iphigenia in Aulis in conjunction with Vestris. In 1750 the two greatest dancers of the day performed together in Paris in a ballet-opera called Leandre et Hero; the dancers were Vestris and Madame Camargo, who introduced short skirts on the stage. The word “ balette ” was first used in the English language by Dryden in 1667, and the first descriptive ballet seen in London was The Tavern Bilkers, which was played at Drury Lane in 1702. Since then the ballet in England has been purely exotic and has merely followed on the lines of French developments. The palmy days of the ballet in England are said to have been in the first half of the 19 th century, when there was a royal revenue spent on the maintenance of this fashionable attraction. Some famous dancers of this period were Carlotta Grisi, Mdlle Taglioni (who is said to have turned the heads of an entire generation), Fanny Elssler, Mdlle Cerito, Miss P. Horton, Miss Lucile Grahn, and Mdlle Carolina Rosati. Miss Kate Vaughan is probably the greatest dancer whom England has produced, and, in Sir Augustus Harris’s opinion, she did much to elevate the modern art. She was the first to make skirt-dancing popular, although that achievement will not be regarded as an unmixed benefit by every student of the art. Skirt-dancing, in itself a beautiful exhibition, is a departure from true dancing in the sense that the steps are of little importance in it; and in the present day we have seen its development extend to a mere exhibition of whirling draperies under many coloured lime-lights. The best known of Miss Vaughan’s disciples and imitators (each of whom has contributed something to the art on her OAvn account) have been Miss Sylvia Grey, Miss Letty Lind, Miss St Cyr, Miss Mabel Love, and Miss Topsy Sinden. But balletdancing, affected by a tendency in modern entertainment to make less and less demands on the intelligence and intellectual appreciation of the public, and more and more demands on the eye,—the sense most easily affected,-—has gradually developed into a spectacle, the chief interest of which is quite independent of dancing. Thousands of pounds are spent on dressing a small army of women who do little but march about the stage and group themselves
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in accordance with some design of colour and mass; and no more is asked of the intelligence than to believe that a ballet dressed, for example, in military uniform is a compliment to or glorification of the army. Only a few out of hundreds of members of the corps de ballet are really dancers, and they perform against a background of colour afforded by the majority. It seems unlikely that we shall see any revival of the best period and styles of dancing until a higher standard of grace and manners becomes fashionable in Society. With the constantly increasing abolition of ceremony, courtliness of manner is bound to diminish ; and only in an atmosphere of ceremony, courtesy, and chivalry can the dance maintain itself in perfection. (a B f y ) Danube.—The river Danube and its tributaries have been described at length in the ninth edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. It is proposed in this article to describe briefly the recent engineering works for the improvement of its navigation, more especially those that have been carried out under international agreement as decided on under the Treaties of Paris, Berlin, and London. The European Commission in 1866 had its powers prolonged for five years, and by the Treaty of London of 1871 it was granted another twelve years’ lease of life. At the Congress of Berlin in 1878 its jurisdiction was extended from Isakcha upwards mission. to Galatz, a distance of 25 nautical miles, and it was decided that Rumania should henceforward be represented by a delegate. By the Treaty of London of 1883 the jurisdiction of the Commission was extended from Galatz to Braila—10 miles farther up the river; and its powers were prolonged for twenty-one years (i.e. till the 24th of April 1904), at the expiration of which period its existence is to continue by tacit prolongation for successive terms of three years, unless one of the High Contracting Powers should propose any modification in its constitution or attributes. It was also decided to withdraw the Kilia or Northern branch of the mouths of the Danube from the immediate jurisdiction of the European Commission, but Russia and Rumania were to superintend the application of the regulations in force in the Sulina branch in that part of the Kilia branch lying between those countries. Russia was given complete control over that portion of the river which flows exclusively through her own territory, and was authorized to levy tolls intended to cover the expenses of any works of improvement that might be undertaken by her. Article VII. of the same Treaty declared that the regulations for navigation, river police, and superintendence drawn up on the 2nd of June 1882 by the European Commission, assisted by the delegates of Servia and Bulgaria, should be made applicable to that part of the Danube situated between the Iron Gates and Braila. In consequence of Rumania’s opposition, the Commission Mixte was never formed, and these regulations have never been put in force. As regards the extension of the Powers of the European Commission to Braila, 10 miles above Galatz, and at the head of the Maritime Navigation, a tacit understanding has been arrived at, under which questions concerning navigation proper come under the jurisdiction of the Commission, while the police of the ports remains in the hands of the Rumanian authorities. The British delegates on the Commission have been successivelySir John Stokes, R.E., K.C.B., whose invaluable services extended over a period of fifteen years, from 1856 to 1871 ; General C. G. Gordon, R.E. (of Khartum), from 1871 to 1873; Major-General H. T. Siborne, R.E., from 1873 to 1881 ; Sir Percy Sanderson, K.C.M.G., 1882 to 1894; and Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Trotter, R.E., C.B., since October 1894. S. III.— 48
