The Sun. — London, England, 1865-04-18 00:00:00

this and repinings at that, and amid the din and IFEBOAT SERVICES. —During the st o rms boats of the National Litebeat distraction of the hour,. some wise individuals were ustitulto t h n e h p a a y s e t I:v a e r d l 4 B :2 4 our coasts. The Institution ptheers a e l n so s e ir x o p m en 1 9 'sa3dld 14s. sd. different wrecks on vehemently asserting that England stood less in life same period on lifeboat establishments , chance in case of an invasion, and that our granting £1,569 as rewards for saving 69 ship n wrecked per sons by its lifeboats, and other means. fleets . were unprepared, and our armies were The Committee of the Institution e arnestly m to P P r re meet t the n insufficient for our defence, and, above continued heavy demands on the enable stitution's 110 lifeboat establishments. all, that our population were u nskilled in military C on t r ibutions are received, by Messrs Willis and co., matters, and could thus rende r n o real or efficient Herries and Co., Coutts and Co., and by all the London and Richard country bankers ; and by the Secretar y,phi. Lewis , Esq., at the Institution , 14, John-street, Adel aid in times of peril. All this tirade of gloomy prognostications and sinister reflection is now hap pily silenced, and the saturnine reflections of the captious and the critical are brought to a conclusion by the triumphant establishment of a Volunteer Institution, and the energy and enthusiasm which have fostered its growth and nurtured its power. Without offending foreign nations we can now look on with indifference at their coup d'etats and start ling panoramic changes, secure that, so far as we are concerned, the shock will not affect us, nor the evil influence be felt to any great degree. Notwith standing the acknowledged truth of this it is still satisfactory to see that periodical celebrations take place. The scene at Brighton yesterday was of the most animated description, and all the ar rangements were admirably made, and there were but few contretemps to mar the success or spoil the pleasures of the day. It is a great satisfaction that the Easter Monday Reviews should go on with such regularity for so many years. It shows that the feeling is a deep-rooted one which thus permits its continuance, and that no mere suggestions of com fort and convenience are suffered to stand in the way of the prosecution of the self-imposed task. It was very sagaciously predicated by some persons that it was only an evanescent excitement which kept up the first displays, and that as time went on a marked decadence would be observable in the alteration of these anniversary rejoicings, until the whole affair quietly lapsed into oblivion. A more striking contradiction to these seemingly plausible prophecies could not have been given than that which was furnished by the appearance of the Downs at Brighton yesterday. The animated assemblage and brilliant display fully justified the statements of those who have declared that the Volunteers are making progress in the right direc tion, and that of late they have increased in efficiency. The eagerness displayed by the towns people. to do honour to the affair was very signifi cant, and, from early in the morning, when they assembled in hundreds to give the Volunteers a welcome on their arrival, through the whole of the brilliant and exciting day until its successful close, their Sympathy was apparent and their admiration unbounded. Brighton may well regard it as an honour to be chosen for the scene of so interesting an exhibition ; but few places could be so appropriate, and nowhere is there a better place presented as the theatre of such a display than the glorious South Downs. Twenty years ago it would never have been believed that an English town would fur nish such a spectacle as that presented by Brighton yesterday, but time works wonders, and this last wonder of transforming a nation of shopkeepers into martial defenders of their country may be reckoned as one of the chief advantages that modern days have witnessed. The twenty special trains that took the Volunteers arrived at an early hour, which gave the several corps time to rest before the actual business of the day commenced. It cannot be said that anything was left undone by those who had charge of the arrangements, or by those in command, that could at all 'conduce to the comfort of the troops, and while perfect order and regularity required rhroughout the proceedings the convenience of those who had to undergo such great exertions was duly studied and provided for. An ample space of time was allowed for rest and re freshment between the period of arriving in Brighton and that of assembling upon the field for operations. This was a very good idea, and thereby much of that over-haste and over-fatigue was prevented which cause so much distress and disaster upon many of these exciting occasions. We may fairly con gratulate those whose skill and foresight brought the arrangements of yesterday to such perfection, and they must have received their best reward in the satisfactory issue of the affair. It is something of which to be justly proud that such a display should be made of the powers of our Volunteers. It exhibits the undertaking in the most satisfactory light to ourselves, and it speaks trumpet-tongued to surrounding nations. " Defence, not defiance," is their motto, but they hold themselves in readiness against all attacks that may assail the rights of their native land. To use the words of the poet, they " stand a wall of fire around their much-loved isle," and evenat this culminating epoch of their success we may add that they deAerve recognition and regard more from their constancy under the difficulties of their outset than: for their assiduity in perfecting themselves, and the skill they have displayed in attaining to such perfection in their art. THEATRE -ROYAL, DRURY-LANE, Managers. Messrs. E. Falconer and F. B. Chatterton. THIS EVENING, Shakespere's Play of HENRY THE EIGHTH, te mioating with the fall of Wolsey. !Aims. Pheli s, Walter Lacy ; Miss Atk nson. After which. on a scale of gre it splendour, Milton's Mask of COMUS : Messrs. Walter Lacy, t% iibye Cooper, Henri Drayton, Miss rOOIC, Miss Augusta Thomson, and Mrs. H. Irezin. THEATRE-ROYAL, Lessee, Mr. Buckstone. THIS EVENING, MY WIFE'S MOTHER. Mr. Chip pendale; Miss N. Moore, Miss Snowdon, Miss F. Wright, &c. Atter which, THE WOMAN IN MAUVE. Mess's. Sothern, Compton, Howe, Farren, Braid, &c ; Mesdames Stuart, Lovell, Buckstone, age. And EASY SHAVING. Miss Louise Keeley, Miss F. Wright ; Mesas. Clark, Gordon, Rogers, &c. To commence at 7. NEW THEATRE-ROYAL, ADELPHI :sole erupriwtor and Manager. air. B. W ebster. TO-NIGHT, THE LOVE CHASE. Wi'drake (his origi nal character), Mr. B. Webster. Messrs. Billin,gton, Ashley, Stephenson. Widow Green ,22d time), - Mrs. Stirling; Con stance (22d time), Miss Henrietta Simms; Lydia (her 22d appearance), Miss Sophie Young. After which, 7th time, a new Extravaganza, entitled PAN; or, The Loves of Echo and Narcissus. Messrs. J. L. Toole, Paul Bedford, a J. Smith, H. homer, Miss Woolgar, Miss K. Kelly, Miss Lillian Bruce, and Miss A. Seam,n. To conclude with THE STEEPLECHASE; or, In the Pigskin. Messrs. J. L. Toole, Paul Bedford .; Miss K. Kelly. A very vigorous onslaught has just been made on old prejudices and selfish interests on behalf of a substantial and much-needed reform. It may indeed appear at the present crisis to be a very forlornhope, but we know that the most difficult positions have I been carried by the force of daring and determina tion. The leader of this " Column of Attack" * certainly does not want for courage or resolution. His views are most decided; his charge upon the enemy shows undaunted spirit, and he takes care to support his cause by vigorous and practical logic. The subject of the little pamphlet before us is the old and well-worn question of the Ballot, with which the writer shows himself to be well acquainted. His valour is indeed sometimes greater than his dis cretion in the manner of his attack. He is inclined to rely too much on emphasis and style instead of depending on the plain common sense of the matter, but notwithstanding any such deficiencies, which are not perhaps to be wondered at in a soldier who belongs rather to the volunteers than to the regular ranks, there are a good many home truths in his statement which our Reformers would do well to listen to. Our venerable Premier he regards as the worst foe of the Ballot, and he takes some trouble to confute his argument about the vo t e being a trust which should be openly fulfilled. Our advocate says very justly that the Con stitution requires in fulfilment of this trust that the vote before everything should be given honestly. Roguery, he declares, may be openly bold as well as secretly skilful, and a vote is far more likely "to be honest in secret than to be honest openly, where it can be got for a consideration." The trust reposed by the Consti tution in the electors is the honesty and not the boldness of the vote, and this trust the Ballot will enable them to fulfil, shich, in a great preponder ance of cases, they cannot do at present, owing to the pressure of the landlords, employers, or others who have a direct or indirect influence over them. As for the argument that the Ballot would enable a man who owed everything to his landlord to vote against him after he had obtained all the favours he wanted, the writer observes, with reason, that such favours should never have been granted with an eye to the vote, and if a voter cannot do what he thinks best both for the Constitution and forhis landlord, he ought, as an honest elector, to give the public duty the preference. As for the argument that the * "A. Column of Attack on behalf of the Ballot," by a soldier of the People. 1865. Commence at 7. ROYAL LYCEUM THEATRE. Under the Sole Management of Mr. Pechter. THIS EVENING, SIMPSON AND CO. Messrs. Sam. Emery, C. Horsman, Collett; Mesdames Elsworthy, Hen rade, E. Boyce, and Mrs. C. Horsman. After which, at halt-past Eight, THE MOUNTEBANK. Belphegor (the 31,Juntebank), Mr. Fechter; Paul (his scnl, Waiter Fechter; supported by Messrs. Widdicomb, Ryder, S. Emery, Fitzpatrick, E. Garden, C. Horsman, Raymond, Moreland; Miss C. Leolercq, Mdlle. Beatrice, and Mrs. C. Horsman. Doors open at Half -past Six. The Box-office open daily from Elev. n till Five. ROYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE. Sole Lessee and Manager, Mr. Geo. Vining. THIS EVENING, a new Farce, by Mr. David Fisher, entitled HEART-STRINGS AND FIDDLE-STRINGS. Alter which, ABBAH NA POGUE : Mes3rs. Dion Bowl cault, J. Brougham, H. Vandenholf, D. Fisher, D. Murray; Mrs. Boucicault and Miss 11. Oliver. To conclude with AN AMPLE APOLOGY. ROYAL STRAND THEATRE, Sole Lessee and Manageress. Mrs. Swanborough. THIS EVENING, at 7, CROSS PURPOSES: Mr. Par selle ; Miss Palmer. *After which, at 8, ONE TREE HILL. Messrs. Craven . Stoyle, Jame., Belford; Miss A. Bwanborough and Miss M, Palmer. To conclude w:th PATIENT PENELOPE. Miss Sirup. son. GRATIS AND POST FREE E. MOSES and SONS' New Pamphlet, THE PHILOSOPHY OF DRESS. MOSES AND S 0 N ~• respectfully call attention to their large and well assorted stock of JUVENILE CLOTHING. The newest fabrics are combined with the latest and most fashionable designs, and the best workmanship. E. IuOSES and SON give particular attention to this important branch of their business, and they can with confidence affirm that the prices are such as must satisfy the most economical. Tuffs depart ment is in a distinct part of the premises, which will be found a great convtnience for ladies and children, MOSES AND SON ~j. respectfully invite public attention to their large and we►l-assorted SPRING STOCK. MOSES AND SON'S • "SANDRINGHAM" and "DANISH " WRAPPER Introduced by them) Is the newest and most fashionable style of Overcoats for the season. El MOSES AN - 4) SON'S • READY-MADE and BESPOKE CLOTHING for all classes and all ages. EMOSES AND SON'S • CELEBRATED "INDISPENSABLE" SUIT. from 30s. E MOSES AND • HOSIERY and DRAPERY, for all classes and all ages. S 0 N'S EMOSES AND SON'S • RATS AND CAPS, fur all c asses and all ages. - 1 - 41 M SES AND , SON'S .• BOOTS and b1:1011.b. for all classes and all ages. EMOSES AND SON'S • OUTFITS, for all classes, all ages, and all climates. E• MOSES AND SON'S LONDON HOUSES, 154, 155, 156, 157, Minories; 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, Aldgate 506, 507, 508, New Oxford--street; 1,2, 3, Hart-street; 137, 138, Tottenham-court -road ; 288, Euston-road Also, Bradford, Yorkshire. MOSES AND SON'S E• Establishments are closed every Friday evening at Sunset until Saturday evening at sunset, when business is re sumed until li o'clock. All articles are marked the lowest prices in plain figures. Any article not appnved of will be exchanged, or the money returned. List of Prices with Rules for Self-measurement, Fashion Card, and our new pamphlet, " The Philosophy of Dress," gratis and post free. THE LATEST EDITION of " THE SUN " supplied, as soon as published every Evening by W. ALEXANDER (late BROOKS), Newspaper Agent, 21, Old Cavendish- street, Oxford-street. T HE LAST EDITION of . " THE SUN " LATO P PIn a S s asnoinSltsoll.N?(illeldisilrairGnEgN ail the i LI. W. HARRIS, Newspaper Agent, 4, Blacktriars-ma y , London, S. IIHE LAST EDITION OF " THE SUN," Containing the Latest SPOUTING' INTELLIGEZi tni be had Every Evening of G. ft. GLENIE, NEWS AGENT, No. 4, Connaught-terrace, Hyde-park. A PHOTOGRAPHIC CURIOSITY. With a copy of The a tin PRICE 4D. ; STAMPED, SD. ; is presented GRATIS (with a Supplement) A MINIATURE PHOTOGRAPHED FAC SIMILE of the FRONT PAGE of THE SUN - ---- -- - of MONDAY, the 2d January, 1865. * * * For the convenience of Subscribers wishing to preserve the Photograph, a suitable frame is pro vided, and may be had at The Sun Office, price is. The Photograph, ON CARD, 6d.; or mounted in frame, ls. 6d. HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE. Tins :DAY. —Morning, 6h. 25m.—Afternoon, 6h. 50m. To-IL:snow:Morning, 7h. 20m.—Afternoon, 7h. 54m. . --1-ct.d. • &G. 4.4 ,-- LONDON, TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 1865. Amid the many trivial amusements and engage ments into which people enter at Easter time, there is one thing which assumes an aspect of consider able importance, and which possesses national char acteristics. The Volunteer Review is now an annual custom, and it is well that it should be so in every respect, for tim e and experience, those un erring tests, have shown how great and good are the effects of this Institution, which at one time was thought so very lightly of in certain quarters. It is most gratifying to consider that the volunteer establishment is now un fait accompli, and that henceforth it will rank for all time among our national undertakings, and those great works which are landmarks of human progress, and epochs by which to note the great strength of our nation's intelligence. It is now an admitted fact on all sides that the Volun teer movement has supplied a want long felt in this country, and rectified an error into which, as a people, we had fallen, of becoming too much im mersed in business and too much engrossed with commercial pursuits to take heed to the importance of outward affairs. Suddenly, ever and anon, a sort of panic arose, and a most undignified demeanour was exhibitel by the inhabitants of the greatest country in the world. There were complaints of THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, APRIL 18, 1865 Ballot would. not put an end to bribery, he contends that it would destroy its marketable value, since few woulid care to give £lO or £2O for a vote, when they could not be certain whether or no it was given in the way they wanted. Besides the open opposition of threatening landlords or employers, there are a great many cases in which a man who did not fear immediate expulsion or discharge might be placed in a very awkward though less serious difficulty. The members of a club are not afraid of personal loss or of family trouble if they give an open vote for or against a new member, but they wish to avoid the li awkwardness, the bad grace, and all the inconve niences attending the public profession as to thei r belief that so-and-so would not be an eligible mem ber. Nobody pretends that such a regard for the little courtesies and amenities of social life is neces sarily "un-English" or " unmanly," yet our politi cians insist on exposing other men to the unpleasant little test which they shrink from themselves. The adversaries of the Ballot again urge that the secresy would not be long kept, for that the vote usually publishes itself. But, as our author very happily reminds them, the telling must come from the voter himself. The Americans, he says, con stantly declare how they have voted, and so do the Parisians, who, indeed, canvass each other, but no one has heard of money passing between them in the matter. The ballot, he urges, is in fact eminently Conservative, " because secret voting enables every one to vote contrary to any and all evil influences, be they from money, aristocratic rank, or mob dic tation." It would be found, he adds, protective of the rights of property ; and asks what is meant by the argument, or rather assertion, that it would sooner or later destroy them ? Cannot the consti- tution, he asks, be used as contemplated by its founders ? or, were the " rights of property to in fluence the votes of the constituencies" at first con sidered as a necessary and indispensable part of it ? There is one very convincing proof of the impor tance of some immediate change in the manner of any elections, and that is the very great number of qualified electors who never exercise their privilege. Imperfect and unequal as the present system of representation is it does not have a fair trial, and while our Reformers are constantly urging the injustice of excluding so many from the fran chise, a large proportion of those who might vote will not. Men may shrink from voting directly against their convictions while they cannot afford to offend influential connection. They may scorn to take bribes, but they dare not for the sake of their families make an open profession of disregard ing their landlord's opinion. It is very often those who are best qualified to use a vote, those who have sufficient intelligence and political knowledge to form a decided opinion on public affairs, and sufficient conscientiousness to act up to it, who are perforce absent from the hustings, and whose votes are left ungiven. It is as necessary to set this large and important class free to exercise their privilege as it is to admit those now excluded from its possession. Yet so long as the present system is maintained we shall have the same mortifying re- suit, and learn from a comparison of the electors and the votes that a great number of our constitu- elides are not even partially represented. LATEST INTELLIGENCE. (RETJTER'S TELEGRAMS.) ITALY. TURIN, APRIL 18. The Committee of the Senate on the bill for the unification of the laws had rejected the proposal to abolish capital punishment, but has amended the penal code by reducing to nine the number of crimes punishable by death. THE BOMBAY MAIL. The Ellora, with the heavy portion of the Boni• bay mail, may be expected at Southampton about the 26th, not the 30th instant, as previously an. nounced. A NOBLE COURT PICTURE. A Drawing Room at St. James's Palace. PAINTED BY JERRY BARRETT. NOW ON VIEW AT MR. M`LEAN'S, 7, HAYMARKET. A similar Picture, illustrating the Court of Queen Elizabeth let us say, as vividly as this one does the Court of Queen Victoria, would be, just simply—in one word—priceless ! If only Mynheer Hans Hol bein, for example, had portrayed, collectively, upon an equally comprehensive scale, any one of the grand receptions accorded by Bluff King Hal to his Majesty's leiges en grande tenue according to the fashion of those days ! If only Sir Peter Lely, again, could but have done the like by the volup tuaries (of both sexes) constituting, a few genera tions afterwards, the Court of the Merry Monarch at Whitehall ! What perfectly novel and far more vivid impressions we should have had of the noble dames, and the famous courtiers, and the historical counsellors of those two earlier Sovereigns ! Hap pily, at any rate, for the more curious in after-times, the keen eye and the skilful hand of Jerry Barrett, have, in this remarkable picture of his —representing " A Drawing Room at St. James's Palace in the Reign of Queen' Victoria"—caught the fluctuating outlines and evanescent hues of one of those sump tuous and truly royal spectacles and have there upon fixed them in radiant colours upon his can vass. Among Court Pictures this painting, we may say at once, occupies a wholly excep tional position. Unlike the generality of these productions, it is none the less of a genuine work of art than it is a life-like portraiture of so much regal magnificence. Its paramount merit lies in the fact of its being a truthful representation —at once in the superb general effect and in the minutest of the costly details of the picture—a thoroughly truthful representation of the actual scene thus undertaken to be depicted. A glance shows us that it is the work not only of an eye witness, but of one who has enjoyed opportunities of rendering himself perfectly familiar with the scene pourtrayed : and who, moreover, has made the best possible use of those opportunities, as is evidenced by his very manner of pourtraying it. Beginning the picture exactly three years ago, that is in the spring of 1862, Mr. Barrett appears to have been busily engaged upon its production during a period of fully two years altogether, before he could well satisfy his own mind as to its actual completion. Completed it has been, however, and with a suc cess too that cannot fail to add very considerably indeed to the reputation already won for himself by his three earlier pictures, each of them well known to the public at large—one of them a Prison In terior, the other two Hospital Interiors—Mrs. Fry in Newgate, Her Majesty in the Hospital at Chat ham, Miss Nightingale in the Hospital at Scutari. From the felon's prison and the soldier's hospital, whether at home in peace or abroad during war time, Mr. Barrett has, here, advanced into the very throne-room of the Palace, and that, more over, at a moment when those halls of luxury are to be seen in their greatest splendour, namely, in the very midst of the stately throng of a Drawing-Room Day When, (in spite of the throng!) there is preserved there—in the Presence—. the profoundest silence! Insomuch that the mere sweep of the silken trains of the ladies about to be presented becomes distinctly audible—the courtly hush of the audience chamber being otherwise alone broken by the Lord Chamberlain's voiceleading out the name of each successive debutante, or by the silvery voice of her Majesty uttering some gracious word of welcome to the lady then " kissing hands." At the moment selected by the artist for portrayal, the present Marchioness of Carmarthen—then first presented, under her maiden title as the Hon. Miss Pitt—is depicted as in the very act of kissing the hand of the Sovereign ! The portraiture of her Majesty is altogether about the most truthful and lifelike that has for a long while been produced. It represents our beloved Queen precisely as she has looked of late years, nay, for that matter, precisely as her Majesty still looks, though it should be said —and for a sufficient reason—nowadays with a somewhat more saddened expression of counte nance. The reason, here, being almost painfully appreciable, upon our first momentary glance at Mr. Barrett's radiant Picture of the Court of Queen Victoria—as that Court still was but a I very brief while since I For, there, beside her Ma jesty, do we not note, with a pang of regret, the noble presence and handsome features of her Royal Consort, as he was, in the very pride and flower of his life—only three seasons back—imme diately before his premature disappearance ? His Royal Highness, who is portrayed in the full uni form of a Field Marshal, has immediately in front of him the stripling Heir Apparent to the Crown, H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, then with hardly the down of adolescence upon his cheek, looking, in deed, far more like sixteen than nineteen. Besides these three chief personages in the picture, Mr. Bar rett's remarkable painting comprises within it some fifty or sixty, for the most part wonderfully success ful, portraitures of eminent individi ala. Viscount Sydney, the Lord Chamberlain, is there conspicu ously portrayed, at the left hand of the Sovereign, reading, card by card, the names of those admitted to the honour of presentation, the osier basket at Lord Sidney's feet having a card tossed into it at each presentation. There, too, is at once dis tinguishable the Lord Steward, th e E ar l o f S t. Germans, and yet more prominently—i mme di ate l y in the foreground to the left of th e spectacle— the present Mistress of the Robes, her Grace the Duchess of Wellington. The then Mistress o the Robes, her Grace the Duchess Dowager of Sutherland, is introduced, as, inde e d, but befitted her office at the time, as much nearer to the person of the Sovereign, among a fair bevy of maids of Blundell, and th e L a d y honour and ladies in waiting, in c l u di ng among n th a e l m d, the L H ad e y n. Jo mr cel s yn' the lion, Fl ora Macdo . Churchill. The Royal Secretary, Sir Charles Phipps, although standing rather in the back- ground, will be instantly recognised. Towards the centre of the Picture, beside the three highest personages in the realm, are three other well-known members of the Royal Family, H.R.H. the Duchess of Cambridge, H.R.H. the Commander-in-Chief, and the buxom Princess Mary. Near to whom is seen an especial favourite of the Crown, and one who is, in every sense of the phrase, one of the chief ornaments of a Drawing Room Day at St. James's, his Highness the Maharajah Duleep Singh, tawny, blazing with jewels, altogether, both in person and in costume, a noble representative of Oriental magnificence. - Ambassadors and Ministers of State are there in abundance—with many others of the illustrious. As the French Ambassador of a few years since, there is the Count de Persigny, not as nowadays the Prince de la Tour d'Auvergne. The Austrian and the Turkish Ambassadors being, even then, as they still continue to be, respectively, Mons. Musurus and the Count Apponyi. The Viscountess Palmerston, standing face to face with the spectator, occupies the very centre of the picture. The Prime Minister himself, by the way, is to our thinking one of the least successful likenesses intro- duced upon his canvas by Mr. Barrett. Far better as likenesses are several of Lord Palmer- ston's colleagues in the Government, Cabinet Mi- nisters many of them instantaneously recognisable among these—the Duke of Argyle, the Right Hon. Milner Gibson, the Earl Russell, and the Earl (oddly misprinted in the programme Viscount) Granville. Brief though the lapse of time has been since the picture was commenced, five of the illustrious per sonages introduced in it have passed away in the interval—H.R.H. the Prince Consort, the Lord Herbert of Lea, Field Marshal Lord Clyde, Gene ral Bruce, and Lord Campbell, the then Lord Chancellor. One illustrious member of the Oppo- sition, the most illustrious of all, the Leader of it in fact, is distinguishable among the throng of actual Ministers of the Crown. Conspicuously present there among the great ladies of the Court of Victoria, are, among otherS, the Duchess of Manchester, the Lady Constance Grosvenor, the Countess Spencer and the Countess of Lichfield, Lady Mary Craven and Lady Constance Villiers, the Viscountess Sydney and Lady Geraldine Somerset. Ten feet long, though the picture is in its dimensions, it admits—in the mere working of it up, in the m ere minor izietails and EASTER AMUSEMENTS. THE THEATRES, &c. ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA. The band, conducted by M. Sainton (in the absence of Mr. Costa), formed, as usual, one of the chief attractions. DRURY-LANE. Milton's Mask of " Comus." The production of Milton's mask of " Comus" by the managers of Drury-lane, to celebrate the Easter holidays, has resulted in a grand and triumphant success. With a full recollection of the care and splendour with which it was represented under the Macready management of the theatre many years ago, we can safely assert that it quite equals, and in some instances actually exceeds, that celebrated epochs in the annals of " Old Drury." In reviving " Comus," Messrs. Falconer and Chatterton have sought to do honour to a poem which has received at the hands of actors, composers, and singers the greatest tributes of respect ; and in order to give due effect to the mask the managers of Drury-lane enlist in their enterprise Mr. Beverley for the scenery, Mr. Henri Drayton, Mr.. Wilbye Cooper, Miss Poole, Miss Augusta Thomson, and a chorus of upwards of 100 voices for the vocal department, Mr. Robert Roxby undertaking to direct the general action of the piece. In point of fact " Comas" may be regarded in the same light as one of those Shaksperian revivals with which of late years playgoers have been made familiar. In trans ferring such a work as Milton's " Comus " to the boards of a theatre, it will be readily understood that, with every anxiety to respect the perfect structure of the original composition, the manager must obey those exigencies of dramatic effect, the absence of which in so different an area, and under circumstances so totally opposite to those for which it was in the first intended, would compromise the . ... _ general result, and render a composition really full of life, grace, fancy, and poetry, tedious and flat in effect. Whenever therefore "Comus" has made its appearance on the stage, it has been with such modifications as the nature of the case required, and these have in some sort become traditional. We have therefore in the present version all those cele brated musical gems of Handel, Dr. Arne, and Bishop, which have earned an established fame, rendered by artists who, each and all, pay a reverence to the score that is deserving of especial praise. That the cast of characters is complete, we may as well at once mention that the part of the arch enchanter Comus is sus tained by Mr. Walter Lacy, the Elder and Younger Brothers by Mr. E. Phelps and Miss Falconer, the First and Second Bacchanals by Mr. Henri Drayton and Mr. Wilbye Cooper, the Attendant Spirit by Miss Poole, Sabrina by Miss A. Thompson, and the Lady by Mrs. Hermann Vezin. It will thus be seen that better performers could not be obtained ; whilst the arrangement of the revel rout following Comus, the bacchanalian dances, and the grouping of the masses occupying the stage were strikingly pic turesque, and proved that Mr. Cormack, the arranger, was a perfect master of his art. Award ing special praise to Mr. W. Lacy, Mr. E. Phelps, Miss E. Falconer, and Mrs. Vezin, for the correct and beautiful reading of the text, we come to the vocal portion of the entertainment, and here we give unmeasured approbation to our own incom parable ballad-singer Miss Poole. Her warbling of the music allotted to the part of the attendant spirit, was perfectly enchanting, especially Bishop's air, "" On the smooth enamelled green," which she gave with a delicious sweetness that elicited an universal and rapturous encore. Mr. Wilbye Cooper, however, had the novelty of the evening: it was a ballad, the words of which were paraphrased from Milton and Spencer by Mr. E. Falconer, and the music by Mr. Barnard, commencing " Waste not in dreams youth's ever fleeting hour." Nothing could be better than the manner in which Mr. Cooper rendered the graceful composition—it called forth general applause and, of course, an encore. Another very noticeable feature was Miss Augusta Tliompson's singing as Sabrina, to the harp accom- paniment of Mr. Frederick Chatterton. The effect was exceedingly beautiful, and tended much to in- crease the pleasure of the audience. As to the scenic illustration of the poem by Mr. William Beverley, there is no artist more capable of realising, without vulgarity or conventionalism, the imagined glories of the palace of Comus, the mysterious gloom of the wild wood in " the navel" of which it is reared, or the limpid depths of Sabrina's subaqueous retreat. None who behold the enchanter's:pa/ace with its glittering and luxurious allurements can fail to admire the skill with which the effect of unlimited vastness is pro duced. Sabrina's home is a splendid production, but completely separated from the halls of dazzling light and coral grottoes which Mr. Beverley annually gives to his own invention and fancy for the benefit of Christmas holiday folk. Admirable as is the scenery, no less excellent are the dresses which have been designed by Mr. R. W. Keene. They are all of them rich and effective, and as during the mask the stage is nearly always crowded, it is almost impossible to convey an idea of the effect produced. The mask of " Comus" is unques tionably a great success, and one which will carry on the season of 1864-5 to a triumphant and brilliant close. THEATRE ROYAL LYCEUM. Mr. Pechter as Belphegor• Another character was added last evening by Mr. Pechter to the list of his great impersonations. And it was one, moreover, of those exceptionally suitable impersonations of his that he contrives somehow to make, at once, peculiarly his own, in very despite of their having been—as was the case in this present instance—rendered already familiar to the stage by previous interpreters. M. Frederic Lemaitre, years ago in Paris, and more recently both Mr. Charles Dillon and Mr. Benjamin Webster, here in London, have pourtrayed again and again to delighted audiences the joys and sorrows, the griefs and gambols, of the itinerant juggler and acrobat, Charles Belphegor. Yet—it almost seemed to us at times last evening as though the character could hardly ever before then have found so apt an interpreter of it in all its varying phases—so exactly fitted does the part seem to Mr. Fechter's peculiar and exceptional capabilities, nay, we are almost tempted to say—to his very idio sYneracy. Nevertheless, it could not but appear to us last evening as in many ways rather unfortunate that the representation by Mr. Fee/Ater and his accessories--of a very careful, of even a minute exa mination—an examination extending to the very side walls of the reception-room, to the very paint ings hanging on those walls, to the carpet covering the floor, to the chandeliers pendant from the ceil ing. Reproduced as the picture will be upon a large scale and in the highest style of art, under the graving tools of Mr. Stacpoole, this remarkable painting by Jerry Barrett of " A Drawing Room at St. James's Palace in the Reign of Queen Victoria" has apparently a very fair prospect of attaining a wide and lasting popularity in the form of an en graving worthy of preservation. The holiday people were afforded an opportunity for enjoying one of the most popular operas of the day last evening at Covent-garden, for "Faust" was given with Signor Mario, Madlle. Berini, and Signor Attri in the principal characters, and the usual grand ensemble to which the public has been long accustomed at the Royal Italian Opera. Signor Mario, in better voice than he had pre viously been this season, sang his very best through out, and in the much-admired " Salve dimora," which he sang with soul-felt fervour and exquisite taste from first to last, raised the enthusiasm of the audience to the highest pitch. The per formance was indeed encored, although not re peated. Maddle. Berini increased her artistic credit by an impersonation of Margherita, improved in many respects by the confidence of self-possession acquired since her recent debut on the Anglo-Italian stage, and the Mephistopheles of Signor Attri was, as on former occasions, a vigorous and musicianly, if not a very refined, delineation of the " sneering devil." OUTWARD BOMBAY MAIL. The Ripon, from Southampton on the 12th inst., reached Gibraltar on the 17th at 3 p.m., and left for Alexandria at 7 p.m. All well. FRANCE. BOURSE, April 17.—Little or no business is transacted in the market to-day, owing to the Easter holidays. Threes, for the Account, are now at 67f. 75c. Italian Loan, 65f. 90c. Mobilier have been doneat 808 f. 75c. In Railway Shares, as in other securities, scarcely any transactions have taken place. The market closed as follows: 41 per Cents 96 Do. end month _ 3 per Cents. 67 70 Do. end month 67 75 Credit Mobilier Do. end month Bank Shares Italian Loan — Do. end month 65 90 Ditto Threes — New Mexican Russian — Austrian Spanish Threes Home Debt — Deferred 'AYS. Crlclit Foncier 1295 Roman — Cash. Acct. Orleans Northern ' 1057 50 ... 1060 Lyons and Mediterranean 987 50 ... 968 75 Southern 6lO -- ... 608 75 Western 531 25 ... 528 75 Eastern 527 50 ... 528 75 Sardinian 306 25 ... 305 Austrian Lombard 548 75 ... 551 25 North of Spain 295 ... 295 50 Saragossa 3BO ... 380 Ditto to Barcelona l6O ... THE ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH. —The total length of Atlantic cable made to the close of work on Thursday night was 1,954 nautical miles, and of this quantity 1,353 miles have been shipped on board the hulks Amethyst and Iris for coiling on board the Great Eastern.—Rail way News. FATAL ACCIDENT AT ESCRICK PARK.--An event has occurred at Escrick-park, the seat of Lord Wen lock, near York, which has caused the deepest sorrow to his lordship and his family. Mr. Lawley, Lord Wenlock's eldest son, was 'out rabbit-shooting with a keeper named Smith on the afternoon of Thursday last, when Mr. Lawley, who had a double-barrelled gun with him, shot at a rabbit, but missed it. The rabbit was running away, and Smith called out, " There it goes." Mr. Lawley was raising his gun, but before it reached his shoulder it went off unexpectedly. Smith was near to and a little to the left of Mr. Lawley, who was horror-stricken to find that the charge had pene trated the " billycock" Smith was wearing, and entered the right side of his head above the ear, producing a most fear ful wound, which bled profusely, and from which brains and bones were protruding. A portion of bone had been driven into the brain. And Mr. Lawley, on seeing the poor man fall, immediately rushed to his assistance, and with the aid of another keeper named Dodsworth, endea voured to stop the bleeding. Mr. Lawley also immediately sent for Lord Wenlock and Mr. Howard, the surgeon, who resides in the village of Escrick. They shortly afterwards arrived at the place where the unfortunate accident had happened, and although Smith was then breathing, he died as he was being taken home. He resided with a widowed mother, and was 34 years of age. On Friday even ing an inquest washeld on the body, before Mr. J. Wood, of York, and previous to the investigation proceeding Lord Wenlock entered the room with Mr. Leeman, of York, his solicitor, and stated that this melancholy event had caused intense distress to himself and family, and it was his special wish that his son should state the circumstances. The Hon. B. Lawley was then examined, and corroborated the facts already given. Dodsworth's evidence was quite in accordance r with that given by Mr 4 Lawley, and Dodsworth also proved the great attachment that existed between Mr. Lawley and the deceased. Two of the younger brothers of Mr. Lawley had been out with Mira on the morning of the same day, and it was shown that Mr. Lawley had been for some time experienced in shooting. The coroner thought the jury would be quite satisfied that this was a pure accident. It was an accident very much to be lamented, but no blame could attach to any one. The jury returned a verdict, " That the deceased died from having been accidentally shot," and at the same time they offered their condolence to Lord Wenlock and his family on the melancholy occur rence. Lord Wenlock said he begged to thank the jury most kindly for their sympathy and condolence under these painful circumstances company of thi s old play of "Belphegor" redivivus under the new title of " The Mountebank" should happen, as it does, by ill luck, to fol low just immediately upon the heels of the re vival there, upon those same boards, dur ing this very season of 1865, of the old drama of " Robert Macaire," under its new title of " The Roadside Inn." And simply for this reason, let us explain at once, " unfortunate"—because though in reality very widely contrasting as the two plays do, the one with the other—" The Roadside Inn," that is, and " The Mountebank," otherwise " Robert Macaire" and " Belphegor"— they have about them (and it is impossible not at once to recognise the fact that it is so) the superfi cial semblance of a repetition! Very soon after the rising of the curtain upon each play one perceives in the Lyceum cast, here of " Macaire", here " Belphegor"—what there is in effect in those two plays, in the way of an almost conspicuous resemblance ! In each Mr. Moreland is a good natured chatter-box of a village inn-keeper ! In each Miss Leclercq is the pretty lady-heroine of the piece, travelling under the guardianship of the father of an inane young - stripling of a lover —again a lover of the plum-box character im personated by M. Fitzpatrick! As usual, Mr. Hors man is the walking gentleman, and—still more—as a matter (we had almost said) of inevitable necessity, Mr. Ryder isthe villain of the play, with a touch of the ruthless in the very twist of his moustache ! But— beyond all else, as indicative of there being (at least superficially) something really akin between the cast of "The Roadside Inn" and the cast of " The Moun tebank"—there is Mr. Fechter, as the hero of each— as RobertMacaire, and as Charles Belphegor—as an itinerant tatterdemalion, picturesquely clad in shreds and patches! Crowned in each instance with a battered white hat! And faithfully followed--both as Macaire and as Belphegor—followed, as by his own shadow, by a grotesque but devoted attendant of his, one who worships the very ground he treads upon, exclaiming, in a sort of rapture, at every available opportunity, " I adore that man 1 I perfectly idolize him !" This same fantastic attendant--a jack-pud ding, in the one instance, a still more wretched scarecrow of a tatterdemalion in the other —being pourtrayed, with the very broadest extravagance of low comedy humour, by the farceur of the Lyceum, Mr. H. Widdicomb. Granting all this, however— it is really something wonderful in its way to note how, by the sheer force of his artistic instinct, Mr. Fechter, through his vividly contrasted imperso nation of the two characters, that is, of Macaire, and of Belphegor—similarly apparelled and similarly sur rounded though they are, as we have but just now indicated—nevertheless contrives in some extraordi nary manner to produce upon the self-same audi ence a totally distinct effect, it would hardly be extravagant to assert as much, an absolutely and diametrically opposite impression!. Of his re markable impersonation of Robert Macaire we have already in these columns, and at some con siderable length, expressed our opinion. It is of his impersonation of the wandering street-tumbler or travelling mountebank, Belphegor, that we would here speak exclusively ! Premising only in reference to the startling contrast presented by it as a representation of character, when viewed for a moment in comparison with the escaped galley slave who was the hero of the " Roadside Inn"— that, whereas Robert Macaire held the mastery, in our instance, over a mingled sense of terror and laughter, emotions almost inextricably blended together, or, so to speak, felt simultaneously—Bel phegor, the mountebank, holds firmly, even in his lightest grasp, throughout the four acts, holds, as one may say, with the every glance of his eye, with the every tremble of his lip, with the every intona tion of his voice, the mastery over our tenderest sympathies—often, at one and the same moment, over our sense of the ludicrous and of the pathetic ! The opening act is merely preliminary, it should be said—it is only, in other words, the mere pic turesque introduction to the inner charm and passion of the plot, the salient incidents of which make up the three later and more resiarkable acts of " The Mountebank." Belphegor's appearance as an itinerant showman in one of the village streets of provincial France, is, in fact, the principal occur rence of act the first : an act which closes with the flight of himself and his family from the threaten ing of a great temptation—the temptation to part Belphegor from his wife and children, so as to secure to the latter (Madeleine, the wife, turning out to have been nobly born) wealth and honour, immense riches and high rank among the nobility of the Restoration. It is in the garret scene of the Second Act, in the garden scene of the Third, and in the sumptuous palatial scene of the Fourth, that the true passion of the plot, however, is unfolded. It is through these scenes mainly that the great actor again seizes to himself the opportunity, by the purest and subtlest touches of nature, rather than by any appreciable evidence of his consummate mastery over his art, to influence—just precisely as he lists, it almost seems, at the mere whim and spur: of the moment—our innermost emotions, the emotions commonly betrayed by the trembling nerves of the face and by brimming tears in the eyes. Rare moments like these were appreciable to the whole house, last evening. As, for example, when Belphegor exclaimed in a high pitched voice of suppressed fury to the insolent tempter Lavarennes, ‘‘' And the husband ?" When, hurrying out of his garret to buy the shawl for his wife, not for fifteen hundred francs but for fifteen, he besought Catherine not to talk of any of those costlier shawls to Madeleine during his absence) When on his return exultingly with the poor tokens of his home-affection, when he finds that Madeleine and Jeanette have both left him during his absence, his look, his voice, " his very heart seems breaking in the lips pressed to those faithful ones," that is, to the lips of his little boy Paul, the one darling of the poor ruined home, yet left to him ! Repeatedly, during the progress of the play, there are little trivial words, mere monosyllables, that, as uttered by Mr. Fechter, go straight through the ear into the heart and then, with an electric sympathy, into the eyes ! As, let us say—when in merely speaking of Madeleine during her absence (it is in one of his con fidences with Catherine) he says, clasping his hands, and throwing a world of tenderness into the simple words, " I love her " An exquisite scene is the one occurring in the very midst of the " Arlequinade et Gallopade des Lanternes," where the mountebank strives to go through his perform- ances with his boy, until interrupted by the latter fainting from the effects of sheer starvation, to his (Belphegor's) distracted terror. The crowning touch of all among these numerous and most subde touches of nature in Fechter's noble and affect ing impersonation of Belphegor, is the very last—to which he gives look as well as utterance—imme- diately before the descent of the curtain. It is the one in which, clad though he is as a marquess, just enrolled though he is among the ancien noblesse by adoption, as the recognised husband of Madeleine (and looking his new dignity every inch !) the poor Belphegor of yesterday, out of the very lightness of his heart, at the breaking of - his evil fortunes and at the restoration of all that is dear to him in life, bursts (from the sheer force of habit) into the itinerant showman's clamorous appeal to the mob to gather round him ! And, then —shamefacedly consciousness of that worse than " gaucherie"—hushing himself into silence, with a finger on his lip and a hist ! And so the curtain descends ! It was another triumph for him both as Actor and as Manager, and one all the sweeeter to him no doubt last evening, for inasmuch as his little son—a pretty boy not yet in his teens, yet already evidencing a hereditary - aptitude for the histrionic art—participated in it. The Madeleine of the cast was Madlle. Beatrice, who shared, and not alto- gether undeservedly, with Mr. Fechter and his son, in the recall marking the close last night of each one of the four acts of Belphegor. " The Mounte bank," let us here add, was preceded yesterday by the charming little comedy of "Simpson and C 0.," charmingly performed—Simpson by that true and skilled artist, Mr. Emery, who afterwards appeared in the four-act drama as the Duke of Montbazon. As usual on the first night of any new impersonation by Mr. Fechter, the house was crowded throughout by a brilliant audience, an audience including amongst them (also, as usual) a large gathering - of literal and artistic notabilities, by whom, it is significant to remember, Mr. Fechter's genius as an actor is among all classes, the most thoroughly appreciated. ST. JAMES'S. This elegant and comfortable theatre may now claim to be an institution among playgoers at Easter and other holiday occasions. The performances opened last night with a capital holiday piece—" Faces in the Fire," which is spiritedly acted by Mr. Charles Mathews/ Mr. F. Robinson, Mr. Arthur Stirling, Mrs. Charles Mathews, Miss Herbert, and other members o f the excellent cmips dramatique. Afterwards came the Easter novelty, a burlesque of the popular school, from the prolific pen or Mr. F. C. Burnand, than whom no play wright and humorist disports himself more cleverly amongst those choice and treasured passages of fiction, tra dition, and history which the student would be the last to view in a comic light. Going back to a remote classic time, he now presents us with a well-written and lively burlesque entitled " Ulysses ; or, the Iron-clad Warrior and the Little Tug of War." With regard to the persona tion of the different characters, the most noticeable feature was that in the part of Ulysses, Mr. F. Robson, the son of the talented comedian whose premature loss was so severely felt in theatrical circles, made his first debut before a London audience. The first appearance - of a young actor before such a critical assembly is generally a hazardous task, and last night was no exception to the rule, for, though the reputation of the father was certain to secure every indulgence, the mind could not help drawing a com parison between the merits of the one and the other. Ire was well received, and his performance made a decidedly favourable impression upon the audience by whom, at the conclusion, he was called before the curtain and cordially greeted. The performances terminated with the Three Furies," an amusing comedietta by Mr. G. Roberts, which was not over until a rather late hour. NEW ROYALTY THEATRE. Mr. F. C. Burnand's new extravaganza of "Pirithous, the Son of Ixion," which is the Easter novelty at this pros perous establishment, is intended as a sequel to the f a mous burlesque of " Ixion, or the Man at the Wheel'—a pls9 which kept rolling for something like 300 consecutive nights, and which won for the managers in its triumphUnt course abundance of golden opinions and, what is better still, of golden coin. The new piece, if not exactly the sou of the old, at all events "stands in that relation to it" (to use the lucid and subtle distinction of one of our great log functionaries); and it does no discredit to the illustrious lineage. It is a bright, merry production, full of fun and gaiety. Thou g h scarce l y equa l to i ts predecessor " Ixion, " in elegance of fancy and vigour and variety of humour, " Phithous" undoubtedly possesses much merit, and, cle verly acted and brilliantly embellished as it is, it will pro bably prove a genuine suttees. STRAND. The holiday piece at this theatre bears the well-timed title of "One Tree Hill," and is from the pen of Mr. If• Craven, whose proficiency in the art of constructing domes' t'c dramas has been conclusively proved by Th e post Boy," "Milky White," and other pieces of a kindred class, which have long and deservedly enjoyed the favour of the public. His new play is, for truthfulness of character, in genious development of incident, and strength and variety of dramatic interest, the best he has yet produced, and it fully merited the enthusiastic acclamations with which it was unanimously received. The part of Jack Salt is played with admirable ability by Mr. Craven himself, who does full justice to the homely humour, the genial temper, and the genuine, though bluff and somewhat rugged,'integrity . of the character. His make-up for the part is perfect. Ile looks no sham sailor, but the veritable old tar whom ever' Londoner has seen times and again upon the top of One Tree Hill, hobbling along in search of some good natured strangers whom he may accommodate with the loan of the queer little telescope which he has made him self, or regale with a stock of stories less authentic than romantic. Dick White, the old mulatto sailor, fanatically devoted to rum, for whom Jack has an almost idolatrous admiration, and whom he fondly styles a " boy," albeit he is on the wrong side of 60, is played in excellent style 1 3 9 Mr. James Stoyle, whose impersonation of the part is 5 highly-finished portrait, boldly and vigorously drawn and richly coloured. Fox e; a fl as hil y -d ressed " , whose villany is all the more pernicious that it is smooth and subtle, is performed with singular address by Mr. D. James, and Mr. Belford turns to comic account the eccen tricities of Tom Bubble, a silly "swell," who is very WiS° in his conceit, yet has scarcely wit enough to remember his own name. His fond, devoted wife is impersonated with much grace of manner and tenderness of sentiment by Mid Milly Palmer ; and the " gushing" young heiress, full of romance and high-flown sentiment, yet sound at heart and loyal where she truly loves, finds an attractive represents: tive in Miss Ada Swanborough. _ _ Mr. Fenton's view of One Tree Hill is capitally painted and most ingeniously arranged. It evoked a _hearty_linati" of applause and a vociferous shout for the artist. All the principal performers were summoned to the footlights two or three times in the course of the evening• There was no call for their wives or children. a 003 viendra 'avec le temps"—as the French say. CRYSTAL PALACE. At holiday times the directors of this institution provide what they not unfairly call a " continual round of amuse ment" from morning to evening, and if all the performance; are not of the most refined description, they appear to meet the taste of the visitors for whom they are provided. Yes terday was somewhat dull, but still the day was sufficiently fine to attract large crowds of pleasure-seekers to the Palac® to enjoy themselves in various ways. The entertaimentS included Professor Anderson with his world of magic, and his clever daughter, the "second-sighted sybil ;" the Mau° Brothers as "the Spirits of Fun;" the Brothers Martinette, with the Little Grimaldi, in their acrobatic entertainments the Alabama Minstrels, with their darky ditties and plan tation dances ; a pantomimic ballet, entitled " The Ren dezvous ; or, Love in, a Tub," in which the Lauri, family elicited roars of laughter and applause ; the Chinese col lection from the Summer Palace at Pekin; the Shakspere house and museum, the skating hall, the boating, the Palace band, the great festival organ, and we know not what be sides. There was certainly enough to please everybody' that could bear the atmosphere, which was intensely hot within the Palace, and everybody appeared pleased accord ingly, but we must protest against the growing sy s tem of charging one price for admission, and then having half a dozen or more specialities all to be charged for extra, as it is neither just to the public nor the exhibitors who pay for space to sell their Wares. An entertainment advertised for is should not be raised by such adventitious means to 2s 9d or 35., as was the case yesterday. If those inside the Pa lace were amused, there appeared to be thousands of others in the grounds who found equal pleasure in the enjoyment of the scenery, kiss in the ring, the mulberry tree, and other kindred sports. In the evening the Palace was illu minated; and it was somewhat late before the last visitors departed on their return to town. POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTION. The managers of this popular institution are not behind any of their contemporaries in providing amusement for their patrons, judiciously combining solid instruction with their lighter fare. To say nothing of the well known cos moramic views, diving-bell, glass spinning, machinery il l motion, and other attraction; we would specially direct attention to the instructive lecture of Mr. King o n the models and drawings of inventions calculated to promote the saving of human life in railway travelling. The hall was yesterday crowded both - morning and evening. EGYPTIAN HALL. Mr. Arthur Sketchley resumed his entertainments last evening of "Paris Portrayed" and the inimitable "Mrs- Brown at the Play." Need we say that they continue to be as much appreciated as ever, and that there is at present no evidence that Mr. Sketchley will ever be called upon to change his programme. In another apartment in the same establishment, that formerly occupied by the late Albert Smith, a new pro fessor of magic and ventriloquism, Colonel Stodare, m ade his appearance. The performances of the colonel are neat and spirited, and he will no doubt become a favourite with the admirers of this style of entertainment. GALLERY OF ILLUSTRATION. Mr. and Mrs. German Reed, with Mr. John Parry, las t evening resumed their entertainment of " A Peculiar Family," which is nightly growing into popularity, as everything these talented artists undertake is sure to do• "Mrs. Roseleaf at the Seaside" continues to bring the evening to a " right merrie" conclusion. ST. JAMES'S HALL. Tom Thumb with his family party attracted numcroug visitors yesterday, as indeed they have done for some time i past, and a re lik e l y to cont i nue to do so long as they find t convenient and profitable to defer their continental tour. The performances of the General, the Commodore, and their ladies have lost none of their prestige, whilst baby i t/ growing alike in favour and inches. ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. Notwithstanding the threatening state of the weather, these gardens received a full proportion of visitors out of the thousands who were yesterday on pleasure bent. The gardens are in beautiful order, and the collection of nature's wonders never more perfect than at present. The estirna- tion in which this magnificent collection is held by the general public is shown by the official returns of the num ber of visitors yesterday. More than 23,000 persona actually paid at the doors. The various wonders of the gardens—the great and small carnivori, the elephants and rhinoceri, the vast collection of birds, the monkey-house , and, above all, the aquarium —excited boundless delight. There have been some recent additions of great interest , and amongst them the King Penguin, a most remarkable bird, the first which has been brought to this country, an d it was an object of great interest throughout the day. W e were glad to perceive that the arrangements in connection with the creature comforts of the vast mass of visitors wer° on a scale commensurate with the craving appetites of the promenaders, In this department Mr, Trotman go.