The Sun. — London, England, 1864-12-27 00:00:00

CHRIST ,MENTS, COVENT.GARDEN. After Benedict's opera, "The Bride of Song," supported by Henry Haigh, Alberto Lawrence, Fanny Huddart, and Miss Hiles, the holiday making many were regaled with the standard Christmas entertainment of a pantomime, cr rather from the splendour, length, variety, and comic ex cellence of its introduction, a fairy spectacle. Its title tells its story to the youthful mind, and its po' pularity in the form of opera and melodrama at once convinces us of the fitness of the legend for panto. mimic working. " Cinderella ; or, Harlequin and the Magic Pumpkin and the Great Fairy of the Little Glass Slipper," needs no preamble to show why it should be susceptible of the most amusing and gorgeous effects in the hands of such artists as the Brothers Grinn, with the eldest of the modern school of scenic art, Mr Thomas Grieve, assisted by a talented follower of the pencil. The dresses and scenery are as remarkable for their taste and their comic extravagance, as for their material richness and propriety. The story is only so far interfered with as to render it the vehicle of broad pantomimic fun in the persons of Mr W. H. Payne (the Baron), Mr F. Payne (his servant Pedro), Mr H. Payne (Clown), without question or flattery the most talented family of burlesqae performers on the boards. The Prince ligolino (Mr E• Danvers), a fat and selfish Prince, Bantingised and humanised by the beauty of Cina derella, was performed in the broadest of humour. The opening scene exhibits a rocky cave on the summit of an inaccessible mountain, wherein we discover a misanthropic necromancer, hight Hob goblin (Mr Lingham). He is sadly annoyed at the familiarity and intercommunication which mortals are pretending to or establishing with Eu pe rnaturals, and delivers some punning and pungent remarks on the Davenports, the rope tyings, and other humbugs of the day. His solitude is broken in upon by the fairy Papillon (Miss Craven), who woes him back to the wcrld he has forsaken. The only human being Hobgoblin has cared for, it appears, is a certain Prince Cgolino, who, as we have said, is very fat end exceedingly selfish. The fairy undertakes to cure the Prince of his engrossing regard for himself by reeking him fall in love with a beautiful girl, and Cinderella is chosen to accomplish the object, which, of course, is eventually achieved. The great ballet scene of the Butterfly Haunt of the Fairies introduces the Prince and his retainers on a hawking excursion, and this is followed by the interior of the Baron Pumpolino's mansion, where the persecution of Cinderella by her tyrannical father and her cruel sisters is humorously exhibited. The preparations for the ball are made, and the hapless Cinderella, receiving a visit from the fairy, who, with the help of the pumpkin, the mice, the rats, and the lizards, provides the tradi tionary carriage and suite of attendants, is enabled to follow her father and sisters in yet grander style. The ballroom is a singularly splendid scene, and the visitors are so richly apparelled that it may be doubted, reliance being placed on greenroom report, if any court festival ever exceeded this in sumptu ousness of wardrobe. By a device of Hobgoblin, who figures disguised among the guests, the clock is made to lose to a quarter of an hour, which is sufficient to mislead Cinderella, and reconvert her brilliant equi. page into the common objects from which it was originally composed. The loss of the glass slipper, however, proves her gain, and, having established her claim to the missing article, and her right to the hand of the reformed prince, the fairy Papillon appears with her brilliant court to attend the nuptials. The scene in which the transformation occurs is certainly a marvel of magnificence. The dancing, too, in the Butterfly's Dell, supported by Mdlles. Duchatecu, Montero, and Bonfanti, with an unsurpassable coips de ballet, was worthy of the reputation of its arranger_and composer, M. Desplaces. The yes of that dtjesse de danee, Idle. Bonfanti, were magnificent, and raised a tempest of applause. The opening of the scene, too, upon the vanisting of Hotg , blin's clitinal retreat, tha splen did aerial perspective, the gorgeously tinted flowers, the myriads of fluttering butterflies (metamor phosed quickly into lovely damsels), the transparent waters, the artistic contras's of light and shadow, made this scene a tirumph of spectacle. Mr Augus tus Harris's care and experience, too, were visible throughout. The d fficulties which rendered the --- appearance of th e l ong - announce d one.legged dancer Donato doubtful, are alluded to elsewhere. The legal injunction, which, upon an ex parte ap plcltion, we gra“tra uu o.4tuldoj, La, bteu Sue. pended in its prohibitive operation, urrd the Signor made his first bow, and achieved his first London triumph last night, in the scene of a rifle review on IVirabledon Cone ion. The pantomime has been produced with the greatest completeness and magnificence, and there lore " Cinderella " at Covent-garden is sure of a rrosperous career. HER MAJESTY'S. Mr H. Byron, the acknowledged prince of pun a'ers, has furnished the pantomime at thii theatre. The subject is the nursery quatrain of " The Lion and the Unicorn were fighting for the Crown," which we have hitherto been told ended in " the Lion beat the Unicorn round about the town ;" but to this Mr Byron demurs, and treats the legend in another-guess faahion. The secnery by Messrs Danson is worthy of their established reputation. The dances, tasteful and effective, are arranged by M. Petit. The music is se lected by Mr Montgomery —the pantomime pro duced under the experienced stage management of Mr Edward Stirling. The story of Mr Byron's bur. league introduction is thus carried out :—.The first scene represents the Home of the Demon Sulks (Mr. Anderson), a grim and morose monster, who has a special objection to Rabin (Miss Furtado), a huntsman, who will defy the demon, and persists in retaining his natural cheerfulness, in spite of every anuoyarica and misfortune. The Fairy Good Tem per (Miss E. Bufton) professes friendship for the youthful hero, and she makes a compact with the demon. The demon agrees that, if Robin; can re. frain from losing his temper up to the time of his marriage, he shall never more be molested. The next scene is the Resplendent Grotto, or Haunt of the Fairy Protectors of Robin, in which an allego. rival ballet occurs. The scene then changes to an Enchanted Forest—the forest when King Roary borealis, otherwise termed the Lion (Mr. Rouse), and his cub (Master Newham) are hunting with retainers. Great is his horror and indignation when, at luncheon al fresco, with his beautiful daughter the Princess (Miss Cottrell), the marauding Robin rushes in, makes furious love to the Princess, and carries her off before her father's eyes. Roaryborealis, like Lord eUllin, is "left lamenting." This he does with a singular mechanical accompaniment that created much mer riment. The younger poacher and outlaw bears away the Princess to his home, viz., the succeed. lug scene, a Georgous Palace, wherein takes place the march of the unicorn guards, fairy elves, and the smallest drummer in the world. Ia a subse. quent scene we view King Roaryborealis and all the lion retinue bursting into the Enchanted Castle; a terrible combat occurs, in the course of whioh " the fieryatamed steed" Robin, whose crest is a unicorn, now comes to grief, until, meeting the King alone, a tremendous encounter takes place between them, the bakers' assistants to Mess? Brow n and White (Messrs Dela vanti) giving them a t i ntervals the legen dry 4, white bread and brown" as a restora tive. Fortune conti nues to frown upon Robin, and he is covered w i th manacl es b y his remorseless conqueror. The Demon Sulks naturally thinks this is a most favourable moment for testing Robin's temper, and he asks him to admit th a t h e is in a bad temper, but Robin repli es tha t wh es ich he Was never his chains fall better temp ere d i n hi s life, a from hi m , an d t h e d emon gives him up. Finally the marriage of Prince Unicorn with the Princess is celebrated in the grand transformation scene, the Maze of Silver D ew d rops, f orm i ng a coup d tea of unsurpassed splendour. Much credit is dus to the pantomimic artists, and an invention entitled somewhat pedantically Etdos Acides, declared to be an improvement upon the ghost apparatus of Professor Pepper, Is introduced in the pantomime. Its trfects We muet examine on some other occasion more minutely, and with a bet• ter opportunity, before we express an opinion upon its merits. Its principal feature is the rendering persons, while speaking and acting, instantaneously invisible, and vice versa. nean palace, and the second scene opens at the end of the 20 years, when the young Princess is brought to the Court, and the Envoy of Prince Brown Fans farinet:(Miss Louise Keeley) appears to demand her hand in marriage for his master. The Princess and the Envoy !all in love with each other, and after a grand banquet and a very pretty dance by the corps (le ballet, the young folks elope,] are pursued, and overtaken. After some trials on all sides, the King consents to the union of the truants, and the piece ends happily, amidst the glow of coloured fires and all the combined beauties of tropical scenery, real and imaginary. Miss Louise Keeley played and sang with great spirit, and Miss Neily :More, as the Princess, was sufficiently fascinating to carry away more hearts than that of the Envoy of Prince Brown. Mr Compton, as the King, exercised his great powers of burlesque with his usual success. Mr Clarke, as the wicked old fairy, was humorously spiteful, and Miss H. Lindley was judicious as the attendant of the Princess. Miss Fanny Wright, as the Enchanter, acted the part of Chorus to the entertainment. DRURY.LANE, The Spirit of Pantomime reigned supreme last night at Old Drury, and Mr E. L. Blanchard's 15th Christmas offering at this theatre, " Hop o'my Thumb and his Eleven Brothers, or Harlequin and the Ogre and his Seven Leagued Boots," outrivailed all his former productions, successful as they have been. " - What a glorious house I'' was the expres sion of nearly every person within our hearing ; and certainly the observation was literally true, for a more animated or crowded holiday assembly it has never been our good fortune to witness. Of course, there was the usual differencea of opinion with respect to the right to certain seats, and high words sometimes ensued, but the observation "All right, it's Christmas time," reproduced good humour, and all went as merrily as the heartiest holiday maker could wish. The preparatory farce, " A Young Man from the Country," was tolerated, we cannot say listened to, although now and then some good humoured personage would insist on shouting out " Pantomime," but the green curtain descended, and then occurred that peculiar perfor• mance on a boxing night, viz., the gods exchanging civilities with the pitites in the shape of showers of orange peel and other unconsidered trifles. The " wait" was patiently endured, but at l eng th th e conductor of the band gave his signal for the commencement of the overture, and amidst a jolly cheer the music commenced. As the medley com position proceeded, many of the favourite ditties were recognised by the gods, but when the first few notes of the " Organ Grinder" were heard the whole of the seathing mass in both galleries burst out into a chorus, and thus we had a mon ster concert of the most animated description. "Encore," cried many a one as the last note was played, but there was no time for reflection, as another well known ditty broke upon the ear, and as in the previous instance, iC elicited a jolly chorus, Amidst the most unbounded cheering the curtain rose on the pantomime of 1864 5. The first scene shows us the Welkin, with various atmospheric changes, and where we find the witch Okriki, with her two gigantic demon cobblers at work at the seven-league boots of the Ogre. The next scene is that of the Valley of Mosses and Lichens, in which the brilliant Actinia, the active principle of the Solar Rays, appears. This formid able sprite, Solar Ray, does not discover to us any of her once enormous powers when she was sup posed to be the great gold producer, and the very essence of the elixir of life, but she discourses of the things of the day, and informs the spectators of the morning performances of the pantomime in the following neat manner :- 1 "After the late rams, look how verdure springs; Late trains are really most convenient things I Those living out of town well know them such, The rural resident now sees so much. But let us not forget we have some pleasant Morning performances on hand at present." The badinage of this scene is very cleverly written, and at the same time carries on the story as the Man in the Moon (Miss Weston) who enters, en gages ail the sunbeams in favour of his little pro• tegj Hop o' My Thumb. This too is the grand bal let scene; and we think we may use the phrase, though we have said it before, that in extent of view, beauty of forms (it is a stalactite cave), and the vast number of dancers, it is a scene of the most effective nature. Great use is made of the new lights, lime and other, and the most refills gent effects are produced. The Misses Gunniss perform the principal pas ; but the whole of the ballet is very finely devised by Mr Oscar Byrne. The third Scene introduces the more domestic part of the story ; and here we are introduced into the family of the Thumbs, consisting of Dame Thumb (Mr G. Weston) and Daddy Thumb (Mr Tom Matthews), with Hop and his eleven brothers. The father, who it appears—and we believe for the first time —was a decayed gambler, resolves to lcse his overpowering family of children in the forest. The Man in the Moon appears to Ifop, and pro mises him that he shall save his family. The business of this scene is chiefly of a comic kind, and , is humorou s ly carr i e d out b y Mr (1, Weston, Mr T. 'Matthews, and Master Percy Roselle. The fourth scene carries us into the Depths of the Pine Forest (a cipitally.painted scene), where we are introduced to the grim Ogre (Mr Belmore), who both acts and sings with a remark,:ble gusto for devouring voting flesh. Here the little family are abandoned, and are beset by a tro)p of Trolls, who slide from the boughs of the pine trees, and perform many strange tricks. The fifth scene gives us the Great Ogre's Castle Hall, and we are intro troduced to his twelve daughters, who are repre, sentatives of all the detestable qualities of pride, spite, Sea. The youngest. however, is supposed to be represented by Sungleam (Miss Lydia Thompson), who has taken her form ; and she goes through the various dances, which are received by the galleries with absolute transport. The Ogre comes in, and is eager for food, and is about to devour the Thumbs, when they escape. The sixth scene is the usual dark and gloomy one before the transforms. tion, and it shows us the Ogle pursuing the Thumbs over the Snowy Mountains and Icy Plains of the North. He, however, lies down to sleep, and Hop steals one of his boots and gets off. A grand chace is seen on the summit of the Sun Mountains of the Ogre pursuing Hoy; but Gloriosa calls the Sun Sprites to her aid, and the mountains dissolve, and the grand transformation scene rises amidst the outpouring of the sunbeams, when all the powers of stage light are brought into play, and certainly with a gorgeousness that cannot be surpassed. The great novelty here is that the suspended fairies are in constant motion, and rise and fall in a per petual succession that is dazzling, They are in cased in gold gossamer wings, which expand and glitter, and as they revolve produce a new and dazzling effect. The entire scene is surpassingly brilliant, and received long and loud approbation, ending with a call for Mr Beverley, who responded to '4- The scenery, by Messrs. O'Connor and Morris, was Extremely pretty, and the banquetting hall of the palace and the view of " the Beautiful Islands," with which the piece terminates, were admirable specimens of scenic excellence, and obtained a cor responding amount of applause. Altogether, it may be taken as a successful production, and as such was received by the audience, and no doubt will be appreciated by •the young people who are taken to this theatre with a certainty that a pretty and elegant piece will be presented to them. PRINCESS'S THEATRE. The pice de resistance provided at the Princess's est night, was a pantomimic extravaganza, founded on the plot of Auber's celebrated opera, " Le Cheval Bronze," entitled "The Magic Horse and the Ice- Maiden Princess." Messrs Best and Bellingham are the joint authors of the travestie, and it is merely an act of justice to record that their production achieved a complete and legitimate success, re ceiving an unqualified success. The theatre was well filled, though not overcrowded ; and those who were present constituted the best specimen of a holiday gathering we ever remember to have wit nessed. Departing from the rule almost invariably adopted by managers on Boxing-nights, Mr Vining commenced his Christmas entertainment with the burlesque novelty, instead of holding it in reserve until after the performance amidst tumultuous and discordant cries or manifestations amounting to dish edifying impatience of some revived tragic drama of the " Jane Shore," " Paul Clifford," or " Ernestine" class. This judicious innovation was accepted in a becoming spirit, and it had the doubly beneficial effect of securing for Dion Boucicault's "Streets of London," which immediately followed the extravae ganza, an amount of attention commensurate with its features of attraction, and an eager appreciation of its intrinsic merit. In working out the travestie of " The Magic Horse," Messrs Bellingham and Best, who are favourably known as jocose and facile bur• lesque writers, have followed pretty closely the story of the opera, and by means of smartly, if not brilliantly*written dialogue, agreeably rhymed songs, pleasant verbal pyrotechuy, the attractions of exquisite scenery, and the graceful grouping and dancing of an extensive corps de ballet, they have produced a lively and humorous Christmas bur lesque, which throughout the holidays must com mand a very large share of public approbation and proportionately enrich that treasury over which Mr Vining presides. The title of the pantomimic jocus far extravaganza, " The Magic Horse and the lce- Maiden Princess," fairly indicates the spirit of the performance. Stella, the Ice-Maiden, played with great intelligence and lady-like grace by Miss Marston, is an enchanted and enchanting princess in the power of a magician, King Cloud, a very gay monarch (Miss Emma Barnet"), and by the spell cast upon her, she is bound to use every art of fascination towards the mortal visitors to Cloud land. By this means they are induced to I embrace her, and h av i ng once touched her they I instantly descend to the Pandemonium of Ice, there to remain as frozen statutes till some less susceptible hero shall have successfully resisted her blandishments and broken the spell by blowing out the magic lamp and seizing the enchanted ring. Oginarma (Mr. C. Seyton), the father of Prince Pluc-ki (Miss Minnie Davit), another of King Cloud's victims, doomed by him to bold the rein of the magic horse, a wonderful steed of brass, gifted with the power of flight and of speed, the An thropogloss'lless of the playewhich transports mor tals from earth to (1:oud/ancl. At the opcuios ut he travestie, a landscape in Tartary, we ere intro duced to Prince Pluc-ki on his return from a vain search after the divinity of his dreams, the Princess Stella, Overpowered with fatigue, he and his fol lowers sink to sleep, when the Prince is suddenly aroused by the apparition of Oginarma, who con jures him to seek out the magic horse, mount to Cloudland,and undo the spell that holds his father in servitude. 'This appeal is followed by another from Princess Stella, who descends on a star to earth, and urges _ the Prince to her rescue. Thus cons strained, Prince Pluc-ki awakes his followers and proceeds in search of the magic horse. The under plot of the piece represents Pan-ting (Mr. D. Mur ray), a rich and corpulent old gentleman making love to a country maiden, Peki (Miss Jenny Wil more), but he has a rival in her lover, Ko-An, the Anthropogloss'Hoss's showman. An exhibition of the latter curiosity leads to the ascent of Prince Pluc-ki upon the horse's back. Ko-An (Miss Gwynne) having revealed the secret of the Anthros pogloss'Hoss, is transtormed to a statue and sinks to the Artie Hades, Prince Pluc-ki, having reached Cloudland and failed to resist the enticements of Stella, meets the same doom, as does also Pan. Ting. It is left to Peki to break the spell, and this she does by assuming male attire, and as a pert young cavalier laughing to scorn all Stella's blandishments she extinguishes the lamp and seizes the ring, and with this daring feat the kingdom of King Cloud collapses, Prince Pluc-ki, Pan-Ting, and Ko-an, discovered as statues, are restored to their normal condition by Peki, now mistress of the spell, and the union of the two lovers and thedissolving of their ice prison follow at a natural conclusion. From the manner in which ewe have already written of the extravaganza it may easily be surmised that it was produced with that combination of splendour and taste for which the management of Mr. Vitas 1g is so remarkable. Where every scene was was good it is difficult to paricularise ; but the transformation scene, and the Pandemonium of Ice dissolving into Flowery Realms, and the Bouquet of Beauty is one of the most gorgeous, magnifi cent, and art:stically constructed, ever presented to an English audience, It drew down heeety applause and gained for the gifted designer and painter, Mr F. Lloyd, who was called on the stage, no scant rued of praise. Many of the female warrior group ings elicited the warmest expressions of admiration by their picturesqueness, and the ascent of the An thropoglosa' Hoss to the stars was remarkably well managed. Miss Minnie Davis, as Prince Pluc-ki, has a part just suited to her naivete and vivacity. Her make gap in imitation of the wonderful Menkin of Mazeppa notoriety, was something wonderful, and when bound upon the magic horse a la Menkin and after the fashion of the Davenport Brothers in their rope-tying trick, she convulsed the audience with laughter. Miss Marston looked exceedingly pretty, acted gracefully, and sang sweetly as Stella. Mr Cathcart's embodiment of Tea-Gin (Pans Ting's first wife), described in the official programme, as " a very gin -teal party,' was a welt-conceived, gen uine, and creditable piece of acting. The smart style and pert pleasantries of Miss Jenny Wilmore gave additional charm to the character of Fels', and Miss Emma Barnett played King Cloud with dae burlesque propriety. Mr Charles Hall has arranged tha music with the skill of a practised hand, "The Streets of London '' seems to have lost none of its popularity. It followed the burlesque, and gave undiminished satisfaction, Mr Vining as Badger, earning for himself hearty commendation. The fairy characters in the opening were very charmingly embodied by Miss Weston as the Man in the Moon, Miss Hudspeth as Actinia, Miss L. Thompson as Sungleam, Miss E. Falconer as Sun beam, and Master Percy Roselle as Tiny Hop o' my Thumb, was accaz:ngly clever. The harlequinade was supported in capital style by Messrs Cormack and Saville as Harlequins, Madame Boleno and Mdlle. Gunniss as Colum• bines, and Messrs. Boleno, Lauri, Barnes, and Morris as Clowns and Pantaloons. The fun was kept up with without the slightest intermission, and the gloriously refulgent last scene brought the curtain down amidst a perfect hurricane of sp. planse. We have again to congratulate Messrs Falconer and Chatterton upon the triumphant success of the Christmas entertainment, which we do in the heartiest manner, and at the same time we pre. dict an extraordicary run for their brilliant pan, tomime of "Hop o' my Thumb." The drama of the " Workmen of Paris," and Mr Tcole's reappearance at this house in the "Area Belle," after his late successful provincial tour, were found to he sufficient attraction for a holiday audifn::.e. Mr Toole was very warmly received, and THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 27, 1864. a new farce on the " Davenport" subject is to produced for him next Thursday, Miss Bateman, in Leah," is announced for next Monday. LYCEUM. Mr Fechter has departed from his custom this year by producing a little piece of wild absurdity as a Christmas offering, called "Bear.faced impostors," No author's name is given to this piece, which is called an "Oriental Farcical Extravaganza," but we believe it was written about ten years ago for the garrison theatricals at Canterbury. This is a thoroughly seasonable farce, and it was admirably acted. Mr Fechter still appears in " Ruy Blas," and it will probably be some little time before he will find it necessary to produce any new drama. invented and written, as usual, by Mr Martin Dutnal, and for the scenic effects of which the invaluable aid of Mr IV. Calcot has been secured. The plot turns on the story of the Lion-heart King, not narrated strictly according to his tory, but interwoven with fairy lore. The pantomimists aro "little" Rowella, a very good clown—Mr John Beck ingham, Pantaloon —Mr Fred Evans, Harlequin; Madame Schmidt and Miss Emma Collins, Columbines. The entire pantomime has been arranged and produced by Mr Shep herd. CRYSTAL PALACE. The Crystal Palace still distances all competitors for popular favour by the number, novelty, and variety of its Christmas amusements; and with a preference that may be regarded as instinctive, and a confidence in the genius and resources of the management that the lapse of each year only tends the more to strengthen, the holiday folk yesterday bestowed their patronage upon its attractions with a lavishness that has not often been equalled and sel dom surpassed. A mere enumeration of the entertainments provided for this festive season would of itself make a greater demand upon our space than we should find it convenient to satisfy, the reader must therefore be content with a simple glance at the more noticeable features, accompanied by the assurance that a visit to Sydenham during tho present week cannot fail to impart the highest gratification. As usual, at Christmas, the palace is plentifully decorated with flags, banners, and devices in evergreens; ever green quotations also, principally from Shakspere, appropriate and inappropriate to the festival, interspersed with welcome and happy greetings, strike the eye in all directions; and everywhere the symptoms are unequivocal that the spirit of mirth is in the ascendant. The whole length of nave, except where it is broken by the transept, has been devoted to a fancy fair, where a busy traffic is conducted in an exhaustless variety of articles suitable as ornaments or presents. This proves a great attraction to the juveniles, who gather round the stalls in thick clusters and invest largely of their available capital in the treasures so temptingly displayed to view. In the estimation of many the great Christmas tree at the north end of the nave, reaching from roof to roof, will be a sight long worthy to be retained in the memory, and its brilliant ap pearance when lighted up is calculated to forme conspi cuous object in the pleasant dreams of childhood. Christ mas is a period of the year when the manager feels that ho has an unquestioned right to introduce any description of amusement that will afford the greatest amount of enjoy ment. In this respect he may boast of practically carry,. hag out " the greatest-happiness-of-the -greatest-number" theory. Accordingly he imports the most celebrated per formers as gymnasts, clowns, tumblers, rope dancers, contortionists, comic singers, and pantomimists. Thus we have Herr Willio as the "Flexible Gnome," a very clever contortionist, who puts himself in the most ludi crous and unnatural postures with an ease and facility truly marvellous. Then Jean Bond, from far off Australia, goes through a series of interesting tricks with his wonderful dog Prince, a sagacious and agile crea ture in whom instinct seems nearly allied to reason. A séance a la Davenport is also given by the Brothers Nemo as the Japanese clowns; but judging from the reception they met with yesterday, which was by no means a flatter ing one, it may be concluded that the British public have had pretty well enough of this entertainment; that the humbug is exploded, and that the act of tying and untying knots iu a cabinet is anywhere looked upon as aught mysterious or occupying the agency of spirits, it is only among the classes who arrogate to themselves a monopoly of the refinement and education of the age. It is a pity, however, that the Brothers Nemo did not get the credit they certainly deserved for the skill and dexterity with which they accomplished their task when bound by ropes and enclosed in the cabinet, not in a darkened room, but in the open face of day. Jackson Haines, the cham pion American skater, performed some beautiful evolutions on his drawing-room skates. A most amusing scene, too, that in which the Brothers Osman appeared as clowns, and introduced Silvester as the charmed monster, who exe cuted some mast extraordinary feats in tumbling. The two Ellistras followed with their trapeze perform ance. Thorn, the Parisian gro::esque, astonished the audience by his curious antics, Barnes, the champion vaulter, throw the orthodox "sixty summersaults." Ant' the entertainments concluded with a pantomimic ballot from the pen of Mr Nelson Lee, who also acted as master of the ceremonies. The palace was brilliantly and effectively illuminated in the evening; and the promenade, which always ensues previously to the c mpany breaking up, was enlivened by the strains of the great organ, at which Mr Coward presided, and executed a selection of favourite airs. We may add, in a postscript, that Edmond's menagerie has been brought down to the immediate neighbourhood of the palace, and that access is obtained to it from the north-wee transept in the Sydenbam road. HAYMARKET. The entertainments selected for Boxing.night at this theatre comprised Mr Robertson's new play of "David Garrick," already too favourably known to require eulogy at the present time, although the performance of last evening was altogether eo ex• cellent that it would ho unjust to pass sithout notice the exquisite acting of Miss Nelly Moore as Ada Ingot, in which part she evinced a delicacy of feeling and deep pathos that brought moisture into many eyes. Mr Sothern, who was as much at home as ever, was cordially received on his return from his long provincial tour. He also enacted Lord Dundreary in his married capacity with the full breadth of his comicality. The new piece complimentary to the season was a fairy extravaganza founded on the Countess u'Aulnoys' story of the Princess Printaniere, and entiticd, " Princess Spring Time ; or, the Elvoy who Stole the Ring's Daughter," written by Mr Byron. The story relates to the d3u..hter -Irineess Sp r i ng T i me (Miss Nelly Moore)--:f King Kokolorum (.Ir Compton), who, by the enmity o f tbo fairy Carabossa (Mr Clarke) is destined to be unfo!:unate,u, rail she a t ta i ns 20 years. To protect her from evil the King confines her in a subterra. ST. JAMES'S, Last evening an original classical extravaganza, entitled " Hercules and Omphale," was produced at this theatre. It is from the pen of Mr Brough, and the classical scholar will be as much amused by the English style in which Greek deities and heroes are represented to him with their cockneyisms, vul garities, and absurdities as the very wildest of the City Arabs will be entertained by their "frisks and vagaries," Terpsichoran or otherwise. There were several fine scenes; the interior of the Brezen Tower, the Palace and Gardens of Omphale, and the Apotheosis of Hercules and Omphale, which were highly creditable to Plr. Telbin, the scenic artist. Altogether, the new Christmas piece gave decided satisfaction to a numerous and respectable audience. OLYMPIC THEATRE. The Christmas novelty produced at this theatre is from the pen of F. C. Burnand, Yiq,, and is en titled " Cupid and Psyche; or, Beautiful as a But ;'' and if it is not one of surprising novelty, it is yet so well and so admirably acted through out, that its success was completely established. The scenery, dresses, and decorations were all of a very superior order. The scenery was especially good, particularly Cupid's Botanical Gardens, a Pretty Spot of Greece, and the closing scene, the Temple of Hymen. At the termination of the bur lesque the author was exiled for. He appeared upon the stage and made his acknowledgmer►ts, The drama of The Hidden Hind" preceded the burlesque, and WAS as effective as ever in its repre sentation, STRAND THEATRE, Our readers will recollect that some years ago a drama was produced at the Adelphi entitled " The Green Bushes," which was favourably received by the public, and had a considerable " run." The novelty introduced to public notice last night at the Strand is a burlesque on that very successful piece of Mr I3uckstone's. Its author is Mr Henry Byron, who designates it " The Grin Bushes," and the boistercus merriment which it provokes fully justifies the word in the title. The travestie pursues the original with wonderful closeness, extracting, as it advances, an amezing quantity of merriment from every incident. The origi+ nal melodramatic performance is so well known that a very brief outline will suffice to explain the burlesque. Connor O'Kennedy (Miss Raynham), a rollicking Irish blade, as the name sufficiently indicates, .finds himself implicated in certain treasonable transactions which render an excur sion from the Emerald Isle a prudent and desirable enterprise. Before he is able to E ffect his escape he is betrayed to the British soldiers by Phil Murtogh (Miss Maria Simpson), but nevertheless succeeds in reaching America, where he marries Miami, a huntress (Mr James Stoyle), although he has left a wife and daughter in " Ould Ireland." His Irish wife pursues him, and Miami, finding she has been deceived, attempts to shoot him, but although the shot took no effect, Connor pretended otherwise, and, being considered dead, Miami threw horst If into the Mississippi, but was rescued from drowning by a passing rafts Several other sensa tional incidents are intrcduced, and a variety of puns, parodies, and comic dances, which altogether make an agreeable entertainment. There are some excellent scenes by Mr Fenton, and the musical illustrations are by Mr F. Musgrave. The dresses were provided by Mr May and Mrs Richardson, and the general arrangements were under the management of Mrs, Swanborough and Mr. i , Parselle. SADLER'S WELLS. The performances last night opened with "The Idiot Danouneer." The pantomime at this theatre has a local colouring, which will add very mate. rially to its general attractions, which are neither few nor small. Mr Charles Millward is the author, and he has chosen for his title "Sir Hugh Myddel ton and the Fairy of the Crystal Stream, or II -ale quin and the Bailiff's Daughter of Islington." The transformation scene was gorgeous in the extreme, and elicited rounds of applause. Miss Marriott was twice called for, and greeted with a hearty welcome. Both the acting and the singing deserve high praise. NEW ROYALTY. In consequence of the success and recent produc- tion of " Snowdrop ; or, The STven Mannikins and the Magic Mirror" no change was made here, but on Monday, January 16th, a new and original comedy, in two acts, by Mr John Oxenford, titled " Billing and Cooing,' is to be produced. ASILEY'S. The pantomime at this theatre is entitled " Hark (train Jack Sprat ; or, the Three Blind Mice, and Great A, Little A, and Bouncing B, the Cat's in the Cupboard a n d She Can't S ee. " The opening,as wehe Brotherst are informedGri nn., by the playbill, i s wr i tten by First we are introduced to Tom Tiddler's gold and silver grounds in the centre of the earth, where we are shown how Tom Tiddler behaved on the arrival of Merry Christmas time. We are then introduced to the Abcdo of Amusement, with preparations for the rejoicings on the New Year's coming of age. This is followed by a grand procession, the cars being drawn by horses. Next we have a grand ballet, pourtraying the four seasons of the year. The story of the pantomime is founded on the adventures of the famous Jack Sprat, " who could eat no fat and his wife could eat no lean, and so between them both they licked the platter clean." Jack falls in love with Joan, a miller's daughter, but the lovers are thwarted by a mischief making Tell Tale Tit, a servant of a potentate gamed Robin de Bobbin, a great gourmand. Jack is befriended by Mother Shipton, who promises Jack that he shall marry Joan if he can bring to her Tell Tale Tit's nose. Jack obtains admission to Robin de Bobbin's castle, and seeks to propitiate Robin do Bobbin by the bribe of a blackbird pie. " Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie." " The maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes, When out pop'd a blackbird and picked off her nose." The blackbird flies off with it to his nest, brit Jack eventually obtains it and with it his promised bride, and then we have the grand transformation Beene, and Jack Sprat is changed into harlequin, hand some Joan into columbine, the miller into pantaloon, and the great De Bobbin becomes clown. There are ten scenes altogether, each of which may be pronounced good, but the transformation scene was gorgeous in the extreme, and drew forth the loud and deserved plaudits of the house, which was crowded from pit to ceiling. The tricks of course followed ; they were of the old amusing de scription, and were rendered the more amusing by the addition of a diminutive clown, harlequin, and pantaloon. The tricks were divided into scenes, the first representing a preparatory reboot, which is quite a novelty. Mr Milano made a very good clown, albeit it was his first appearance in that character. Miss Annie Cook acquitted herself wel.l as Columbine, and Mr Deulin Johnson as Pants, loon. Miss Caroline Parkes, as Joan, sang an ex. cellent song. and accompanied it with a dance, in imitation of Taglioni, and Leon, and Milano which r got an encore. - We should also not omit to mention, though they are omitted in the Wit, a troupe of acrobats, who filled up the intervals:with marvel lous feats of agility. F - UItREY. The whole of the resources of the management have for montha past Lcen concentrated upon the production of " Eing Pumpkin ; or, Iltrkquirt itichlrd ye Lion 1-I,nrt, TILL OX.VOItD. Boxing-night was signalised at the Oxford in the plea sant strains of the cantata " King Christmas." The work had been heard at the last anniversary; but, as Christmas fare has a strong family resemblance in all years, there was no reason why this excellent composition, devoted specially to the season, should not be again produced, " King Christmas" and the mirth exciting " Orphec aux Enfers," were the chief musical featnres cf the evening. Offenbach's vivacious little piece of satire has become a permanent source of attraction, and the saucy couplets Of the various mythological personages—from arch Cupid to Jupiter in his less severe moments—were immensely relished by the teeming audience, the fine, rollicking laughter of Mr Greene communicating itself to and being generally shared in by the assembled spectators. Comic opera, rendered con amore, as this one is, by all concerned, is better seised tha n sentimental for display iu the music halls, and it is to be hopei that the facetious repertory will soon furnish another sample as rich in humour as " Orphee aux Eiders." Music on the larger scale was last night, as usual, varied by en tertainments which more proverbially appeal to holiday in stincts. Four French comic dancers, from the Paris Cirque, were added to the programme for the occasion. They carry the grotesque style of dancing and mimicking of characters in a bal masque to a high point of ex'rava gance. Sextillion, an astounding and graceful contortionist (also a rare importation for holiday consumption), per formed some extraordinary feats of agility and dexterity. Silvester, likewise one of the jillet«l, or boneless school, of acrobats, conveys food to his mouth in a manner never yet dreamt of in any book upon table etiquette. In Little Bob is to be found one of the best exponents of nigger characte ristics in London. He has a capital tenor voice, which ho skilfully employs in several parodies, and is eff3ctive in his nigger and shakedown dances. Mr W. Randall is an esta blished favourite at the Oxford, and now and- then reveals signs of dramatic power which might be manifested with advantage on older stages. His combat with the clever Mrs Randall with four cutlasses wa- a triumph of comic en counter. The "Descent of Mercury," by Mr Jas. Talliott, is an elegant performance down a perpendicular rope, a classic outline of figure and grace of attitude being preserved throughout. Mr Gaston Murray has gone into the domain of comic song, and has a wide field for the display of his abilities, vocally and histrionically. The whole of the entertainment, including the elegant solo violin playing of Mr Viotti Collins, gave entire satisfaction to one of those vast assemblies which the metropolis only sends pleasure finding on red letter days. CANTERBURY HALL. Other music halls may havo their distinguishing archi tectural characteristics, but there is but one Canterbury Hall. No other building of the kind embraces such a noble suite of halls, while in its great picture gallery thc Canter bury stands out alone, No wonder then that with recurring seasons sightseers from the country should swarm to the "Royal Academy over the water," whore also, in the ad joining sallc, grand ghost t Erects have been produced which have outvied all cff)rts in that direction. The Canterbury Hall at this particular moment is faithful to its reputation in provtding an abundance of entertainment for the Christ mas holidays. ALIIAMI3RA PALACE. Among the many splendid transformation scenes given to the public last evening none certainly could be more eplendid than that presented to them by Mr F. Strange, the new lessee of this extensive and attractive building. But one short month ago the interior of the Alhambra was dark, dingy, and positively depressing; but, hey presto, enter Mr Strange, and instantly gloom is sent to the right about, and beauty and brilliancy most wel comely take its place. To say that the whole of the interior of the Alhambra Palace has been tho roughly redecorated would but convey a very poor notion of the splendour it now presents, but when we add the cost of those redecorations, viz., nearly £lO,OOO, some idea may then be formed of the ex. treme grandeur of the interior. The prevailing colours used in the re-embellishment of the build ing are gold, ethereal blue and vermillion, and never has a combination of these attractive hues produced a more pleasing effect. But the most striking object that will attract the attention of every visitor will be the superb gigantic crystal chandelier sus pended from the dome. This triumph of British workmanship has emanated from the famous firm of J. Defries and Co., and of itself is certainly one of the wonders of the metropolis, To speak of the effect produced by this grand illuminator is impos sible, but at the first gaze it seemed to U 5 ns if it were a gigantic cataract or rubies, emeralds, and diamonds. This magnificent chandelier is 27 feet high and 15 feet diameter, and contains no less than 1,700 lights. The arms holding the ruby and silver clusters arelGO in number,and the peculiarity in the design is worthy of especial notice. The great feature is the novelty of the light emanating from the ruby and silver balls, each ball encircled by a silver wreath and clusters of crystal, produc ing a brilliant effect, the novelty and beauty of which cannot but strike the beholder with admira tion. In addition to the large chandelier, 12 others of smaller size,but equally novel and brilliant, Bur round the promenade, and 12 others of the same design surround the boxes ; these with 12 crystal prismatic lanterns, which have been adapted to the upper galleries, and five chandeliers in the refreshment room, and four in the supper room complete that galaxy of light, which is one of the most beautiful and magnificent that has ever been applied to a public building, and which reflects great honour upon the enterprise and ingenuity of the firm of Messrs J. Detries and Sons. The entertainment is like everything":else of the highest order and:talent. We have two splendid petite ballets, supported by fifty or sixty ladies, all in the most elegant costumes, and further illus• trated by some of the most beautiful scenery ever presented to the public. The cascade of real water in the second scene is peculiarly charming, and such was the delight it afforded that before the per formance was allowed to proceed, Mr F. Strange and his scenic artist had to bow their grateful thanks. The principal danseuse is a Mdlle. Bioletti. She is a graceful and accom plished artiste, and one certain to become a great favourite. The vocal company is exceedingly strong. The engagements include Miss Pearce, Mr H. Da Brenner, 'alr Henry Herbert, and Mr Theo dore Distin ; Mr Barlow, a Negro comedian of polish and refinement, an Eccentric Musical Spider, and Le Petit Blondin. The music is under the direction of Mr J. W. Hird and Mr J. Caulfield, jun.; and Mr H. Boleno is the stage direc tor. To present to the public a place of superior entertainment, Mr F. Strange has been lavish in his expenditure, and we sin cerely hope that his bold venture for a portion of the public patronage will meet with that success which" perseverance, and good taste invariably deserves. He has.presented to the metropolitans a splendid place of entertainment, and thousands most certainly will nightly testify by their presence their high appreciation of it. STRAND MUSICK HALL. The audience at this, the latest of the great popular em poriums of music, was extremely large, and highly demon strative of its delight at the Christmas entertainment pro vided for its delectation, Not only was the hall itself, but likewise the adjacent supper and refreshment rooms, con tinually filled with crowds which, though inconveniently numerous. were at all times orderly. Mr Vance, the n6w comic star, was heard more than once throughout the evening, as well as many other popular singers, who, together with a well trained and effective band, make up a strong and attractive company. THE WORLD OF MAGIC. Professor Anderson, assisted by his clever daughter, gave two entertainments yesterday, both of which, wo need not say, were fully attended. The Wizard's marvellous performances, his wonderful sleight of hand, Miss Ander son's second sight, and the rope-tying and cabinet per formances of Miss Lizzie Anderson and Mr Sutton were received with shouts of applause ; and the monster Christmas-tree, covered with gifts for the juvenile visi tore, proved to be a great source of attraction to the men and women of 20 years hence. EGYPTIAN HALL. Mr Arthur Sketchley's amusing entertainment of "Mrs Brown at the Play," and " Mrs Brown in Paris," con tinue as attractive as ever ; and we would remind the public that the season of this excellent delineator of the peculiarities of mankind is to be brought to a c:osii with the termination of the week, THE AGRICULTURAL lIALL. This hall certainly did its share in providing amusement for the holiday-makers. In the afternoon, and again in the evening, large as it is it was filled with the crowds thronging to see the equestrian performances. We have already noticed at length the various actors and their doings: suffice it that yesterday the clowns joked and tumbled to thoroughly appreciative audiences, if loud and long laughter be any criterion. Nor were they alone in their power of evoking applause. Scarcely one of the performers, from the lions to Mr Frank Pastor, failed in eliciting- hearty, and, bo it added, well-deserved applause. Those who ad mire feats of horsemanship, and spectacles in which horses take a great part, have an opportunity afforded for the gratification of their taste, at the Agricultural Hall, such as can rarely be equalled. BURLINGTON GALLERY. The performing fish was honoured with a large company yesterday, and played his tamberine and obeyed the voice of his keeper with all his usual cheerfulness. The exhibi tion is a peculiar one, and doubtless will continue attractive throughout the holidays, MADAME lUSSAUD'S. In is now nearly half a century since Madame Tussaud first opened her exhibition of waxworks in London, and from lhat time to this it has never wanted in popularity —a fact which is owing to the tact with which every leading personage of the day, as well as all its notorioties, has been at the eadipnt Uppnrtenity prt , gpritpil to the rublie. Th. Hall of Kings continues most gorgeous in splendour ; and it is really wonderful how the freshness alike of the'fig,ures and the dresses is kept up, it appearing as though the pro prietors possessed some magic talisman by which to over come the ravages of time and the influence s of the atmos phere. Boxing-day has always produced a numerous audi ence, in which the juvenile element largely predominates, at this exhibition, and yesterday was no exception to the rule—Baker-street being attractive alike to young and old. ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. Though by no means the best season for these gardens, a fine Christmas, such as we are now enjoying—albeit, some what dull—is sure to bring numerous visitors to admire the wonderful works of animated nature which they contain— alike of beasts that roam their native wilds, lords of all they survey; fishes of the deep; birds that wars in the highest heavens; reptiles that crawl on the earth, each after its kind ; and no exhibition that we know of is more instruc tive or better adapted for boys or girls from school than these gardens, where they can see the living illustrations of those animal of which they have been reading both in sacred writ and modern history during the last half :tear—and relative to which many have received as prize books which they will mentally devour more eagerly after a visit to the Zoologi cal. GALLERY OF ILLUSTRATION. Mr and Mrs German Reed, with Mr John Parry, gave two representations yesterday of their inimitable perform ances. The " Rival Composers," with the Sisters Pry, did not fail to excite the usual amount of applause and laughter, which, if anything, was rather more hearty than g nerally indulged in at this fashionable place of resort, whilst the Bard and his Birthday was as interesting as ever. We need only say that Mr John Parry brought the entertainment to a happy conclusion with " Mrs Roscleaf at tho Seaside." POLYGRAPIIIC HALL. This pretty little hall in King William-street is now in possession - of th 4 C. C. C. Christy Minstrels, as merry, and moreover as musical, a troop of "darkies" as any who have visited the metropolis, from the days of Jim Crow, who "turned about and wheeled about," to the present time; and judging from the numerous audiences (for there wore two performances) yesterday, "nigger" amusements have not yet lost nor are they likely for some time to come to lose their popularity. THE PIGMIES. Those popular little performers, Commodore Nutt and Miss Minnie Warren, held three levees at St. James's Hall yesterday —at eleven, three, and eight o'clock—and it would be difficult to say which wore the most pleased with the performances, the visitors or the actors, for the Com modoro and Miss Minnie dance, sing, and act with a spirit as if they were only amusing themselves, and not contri buting to the gratification of the public. THE DAVENPORTS, The Davenport Brothers gave another of their peculiar seances at the Hanover-square Rooms last evening, when the usual performances with which the public are now so familiar were gone through, exciting alike the wonder and admiration of the audience, GALLANT LIFEBOAT SERVICES.—I have to report (writes Mr James Riches, of Palling, Norfolk) the following gallant services of the lifeboat stationed at this place belonging to the National Institution. About twelve o'clock on the night of the 22d inst. a vessel came on shore on Palling beach. It was blowing a gale of wind from the N.E. at the time, with a very heavy sea on. The crew of the lifeboat were at once mustered, and with great difficulty, after having had to launch the lifeboat three times, they succeeded in reaching the wreck and in taking off the ship wrecked crew, six in number. When brought on shore they were in a very exhausted condition. The vessel proved to be the schooner Idds, of Danzig, bound from that port to Dunkirk with seed. The cost of this lifeboat and her car riage, together with a sum to provide for her future main tenance, amounting in all to the sum of £2,000, was muni ficently presented to the National Lifeboat Institution by the firm of Cams and Co., Parsee merchants, of Bombay, in acknowledgment of their success in business since their establishment in London in 1835, and in testimany of the uniform kindness and courtesy which they had received from the inhabitants of the British metropolis. The in atitution accordingly named the boat the Parsee, to perpeb tuate the generous act of the donors. EALING STEEPLECHA SES.—A placard was posted early yesterday morning at Paddington, and all the stations on the Metropolitan Railways, announcing that, in conse quence of the frost, Elting Steeplechases were postponed until further notice, and that the special trains advertised to run to and from Ealing were alto countermanded, Murder of Two Wives by an Arab. A. singular trial recently took place before a council of war at Constantine in Algeria, a man having b answer to the charge of murdering bii two wives. The evidence re vealed many curious traits of Arab life, and showed how the natives understand and apply their rights as husbands, and how they punish adulterous wives. Ali Ben Tabar, of the Mzeloux tribe, had two consorts, Fatma - ben - el - Ady-Belkessenand Couika-ben-Lakden-ben - Kipuf. Both were remarkably beautiful, and on this ac• count their husband had paid a considerable sum of money for them. Ali-hen-Tabar was sleeping under his tent, and on awaking and casting a glance around he was astonished at not seeing his wives reposing on their mats at his side. He left his tent and carefully inspected the vicinity of his dwelling. At a short distance, under a clump of trees, ho fancied he heard a sound of voices. He advanced slowly, like a leopard about to seize his prey, but at this moment some clouds which had obscured the moon passed away,and as the flood of pale light suddenly shed upon the earth re• vealed his form, two men instantly ran from under the trees and took to flight. The distance was too great to allow Tabar to overtake them, and besides this his immediate ob ject was to know if his two wives, or one of them, had been false to him. He soon reached the trees whence two women flew towards his tent. These fugitives were Belkaesen and Kipuf. The Arab quickly appeared before them, and in' etantly they were ordered to fall on their knees. The man date was immediately obeyed, but their prayers and suppli cations met with but one response—" Their names." Tear s and sobs were redoubled, but Tabar reiterated in a stern voice his demand to know wbo the men were who bad taken to flight on his approach. Receiving no reply, he seized a stout stick, and ceased not to shower blows upon the faith less women till he knew that they were dead. Two other women, relatives of Tabar, attracted by the shrieks for mercy, quitted their tents and became spectators of the tragic scene, but whether is was that they considered the husband to be taking lawful vengeance, or whether they feared his rage would cause him to turn upon them, they remained silent and motionless. At daybreak Tabar left his tent and presented himself be fore the officer in charge of the Arab bureau, to whom he said, "I have killed my two wives I I have avenged u l 7 outraged honour I" and this avowal he repeated when exit' mined' in the preliminary stages of the judicial inquiry. At the trial eight witnesses proved the facts, and two of them, called at the request of the father of one of the women, said the cause of the quarrel which had arisen between the accused and his victims was idleness on their part. The in-• terpreter to the council observed that this assertion might very properly be doubted, as the father would have a double motive in inducing the Court to believe in the truth of his witnesses' statements, for if relied on, the stain of dishonour would not attach to the memory of his daughter, and in addition, he would be c ntitled to recover damages against the husband. Tabar, in his examination, said—" I pur chased these women for 200 douros, and by killing them I have lost that amount. If I had considered my money be fore my honour I should have let them live." The judge of the tribunal urged that the penal law should be carried out, admitting. however, that the council might take into consideration the excuse of the accused, founded on the flagrant crime of adultery ; but the council, taking into consideration the facts and circuwitances, and the out rage done to the husband, pronounced a sentence of acquittal. Suspected Murder at Aldershot. On Sunday morning the quiet which usually reigns in the camp at Aldershot on the Sabbath was disturbed by the discovery of the dead body of a man under such cir cumstances as to leave little doubt that the advent of Christmas in that neighbourhood had been marked by a brutal murder. About a quarter past seven o'clock a person named Hardy, a milk-seller, accompanied by his wife, was corning along a lane which skirts Aldershot Cemetery, when they found a man lying dead, covered with blood, and marks of a struggle surrounding the spot where the body was lying. They procured a light and assistance, and communicated with a person named Finch, a Government warder and pa rish constable, whose house was not more than 10 yards distant from the spot where the body was lying. This per son at once gave information to the police, and Superinten dent Howard, of the Haute constabulary, was soon in at tendance. On examining the body he found it to be that of a pensioner named James Raynsford, who had belonged to the 84th Regi men t, and As about 55 years old. Deceased's coat was off, his shirt sleeves turned up, his fists clenched, and his arms bent in the attitude cf . fighting. There was 1 1 severe cut over hi s r i g ht e y e , w hi c h was b lackened, an d his lips wore swollen as if from bruises. The body was con veyed to a building in the cemetery. From subsequent inquiries made by the police it appears the deceased was last seen alive at half-past 9on the night before, at the Royal Exchange Music-hall. He was sup posed to have been then under the influence of drink. A man named Samuel '`amore had been seen out late on Sa.+ turday night near the spot where the body was found, and was known to have entered the beer• house adjacent. The police proceeded to this man's lodgings in Denmark-street, There they found Wetmore dressed in a lodger's clotheS. His own clothes had just been washed by the landlady, a nd she was ironing his shirt when the police entered. She admitted that sho washed the shirt and other garments be cause t hen: was blood upon them, and on examination fs police found marks of blood on Watmore's waistcoat. The women also admitted that Wetmore had been out on the previous night about the time wheal it was alleged he was seen in the beer-house. lle was taken into custody on the charge of having caused the death of the deceased. Yester day morning he was brought before Capt. Newcome and Capt. Elliott at the Aldershot petty sessions, and was re manded for three days. COUNTRY MARKETS. ..—........,t. .......s. COLCHESTER-Dm 24. ---•--• We had a fair supply of wheat on offer at our market to-day, and the previous quotations were fully maintained. Fine barley scarce, and rather dearer; other sorts without change. Beans and peas Gd cheaper. Wheat, white 40s 46s Beans,Mazagan..33s 363 red 36s 42s middle & 5ma11.353 40s Barley Oats NORTHAMPTON-DEC. 24. White wheat, new,: 39s to 425; new red, 37s to 40s; old. 40s to 44s per qr. Barley, now malting, 32s to 345- - other sorts, 26s to 295. Old oats, 28s to 325; new, 20s to 27s per 24 stone. Beans, 36s to 44.. Peas, 348 to a° per qr. GLOUCESTER-DEC. 24. - --• There was a good supply of English wheat to-day 1 %, our market, which s o ld f ree ly a t l a t e pr i ces. Foreign vis' in better demand, at a b out f ormer rates, Barley, "`tlss and beans dull. CHELMSFORD—DEc. 23. --• At this corn exchange to-day the supply of wheat we e fair, with a thin attendance, and last week's quotations were unaltered. Spring corn met with a slow sale, at former prices. Wheat, old white 40s 45s • Peas, Partridge , ...36s 36. new 403 41s White 30s 343 old red.... 393 40s Boiling 3Bs 42 ' 3 new 37s 40s Dun ..31s 3 5 s Barley 25s 32s Ditto new --31 - - 1 Chevalier ..... ..26s 33s , Beans, Tick, old 34s -- "P Grinding 20 8 28 s new..-6 --.° Malt.... Chevalier . 64s 688 new..--s g Oats 20s 264, Mazagan ......, 33s 3544 KIRKCALDY GRAIN—DEC. 24. We had fair suppli es o f b ar l ey an d oats at our war tat to-day, but small of wheat. Prices remain much the 0 3113 as last week. Wheat. Barley. Oats. Fir5t....308 (d 21s Od I 168 Od Second ..33s Od 22 s 6d 1 7 s Od Od 24s Od 183 Od THE LATE STORMY WEATHER.—The wind kep t N.N.W. on the n or th- eas t coast on S un d a y, a" another portion of the long windbound fleet of laden ships' about 100 sail, l e ft th e T yne. T he fore i gners were keepillb Christmas, and did not sail from the port, but it was e t. l' pectad that there would b e a h eavy sea t id e yester d a y. weather was intensely cold in the county of Northunibe r i : land on Christmas Day, with a h ar d f rost. Th e se a, urbl e had been so many weeks rough and boisterous, was smooth as a lake. Births. Fn —On Christmas-day, at 11, Manor-park, Leo, 1i.01 2 4 the wife of Mr Thomas Fry, of a son. PRINGLE—On the 25th inst,, at Myrtle Villa, Lewisham' the wife of the Rev. A. D. Pringle, of a daughter. SimoNus—On Christmas-day, at Abbotta Barton, Ilaut g ' the wife of W. Larrow Simonds, Esq , of a son. WEB—On Christmas-day, at No. 4, Westbourne - P ark f Villas, W., the wife of Ernest Frederick Webb, EE ( 1 1 ° a son. Marriages. .13nIcKADER—GuirrAuu—On the 231 inst., at the W i t church, Clifton, Charles George Blackader, Carlotta Louise lin - othea, youngest d a ughter of the late Carl Guinau(3, of Lubeck. SMITH —BAIL Y.—On the 22(1 inst., at Trinity Church+ Westbourne-terrace, Rich ar d H or t on Smith, EF/1. , of Lincoln's-inn, to Manilla, the eldest daughter of .)°— Daily, Q U. ALDER—OnCwa Deaths. Hants, the Rev. St. John . Alder, aged 80. CowArn —On the 24th inst., at Brighton George Fredk• 231 lust , at the Rectory, 13edharoptopp Esq., of Streatham, Surrey, aged 46. rd, Ih9 11- u„GnEs —On the 22(1 inst at the Rectory,. Nuffield , th° Rev. Edward Hughes, B . :13. , Fellow of Jesus Colleg e, Oxford, aged 77. LivfxosTON—On the 221 inst , a t his residence , 770, Old Kent-road, Mr Charles Livingston, late of Limehouso and Poplar, aged 75. OGLE.—On the 21st inst., at UpperNorwood, Richd , Og le, .Ebq., of the Inner Temple. ____......° London : l'rinted and rt-Nished by ►WILLIAM .A.NI)/O':j7CS of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at 111 E SUN ()Mc,: hc. " 2 f Strand, In the Prannot the Srroy. the 0. uli t Y" °- 111:14100X,7-Tutaclay, Deceratnr 27, I€6L