The Sun. — London, England, 1845-03-25 00:00:00

VT : :e. i SW 1 5g31114 takeoi l a a ft. 0 oi get, le p o], P ° cobil OWL to Arce+.7 0 o°ll° t, THE THEATRES. DRURY-LANE. B ile Consequence of the illness of Miss Romer, fo a r s opera o f the Bohemian Girl was substituted Robert th e D ev il, which had been announced as the first piece to be performed last evening. After the opera, we had a new comic ballet, entitled Robert eLl3ertrand. This ballet is another version of Robert Fcaire, and we had no idea that the story of our °id friend Robert could have been made into such an e xcellent p l o t f or a b a ll e t. It i s t ru e that various _Zisodes were i ntro d uce d i n or d er t o g iv e an oppor nitY for the production of various pas de caractere, thwhich Mademoiselle Polin and M. Gasparini, from lie ; Royal Op era , Berlin, made their first appearance * e an English audience. Mademoiselle Polin is d ecidedly the most accomplished danseuse who has e roared at Drury-lane during the present season. is very young , very pretty, and very ani kiatc4; there is a jlyousness about her style of 4 1c ing which reminds one strongly of Lerito, Fanny Ile f or neatness of execut i on s h e r i va l s eve n Ellsler herself. She appears first of th ; a grand pos de deux with Gasparini. In 1 320. she was exceedingly graceful, and her tours s i 7resse were neat and beautiful in the extreme. e was rapturously applauded, and from that mo ;lent took h er s t a ti on as one of the first danseuses of day —a s La Deesse of the theatre. She next ap pred in a new Polka with Gasparini. This Polka, e guldtely superior to the original Polka—superior t v t ea to the Redowa—is certainly the most charac teristic and spirited that we have yet seen in England. 2 11 1 entered thoroughly into its spirit, and not only 7emed it exquisitely, but acted it with the most ),be witching coquetry. It is needless to say that she as rapturously applauded, and that the dance was ent husiastically encored. Her last pas was a pas seul, t ambourine dance, La Esmeralda. It was a per i,e le ct tri ump h , an d M a d emo i se ll e P o lin may consider public, as firmly fixed in the favour of the British 1 , - 0 1, ut ic- She was excellently supported by Gasparini , ° is a clever and accomplished dancer. 'Mesde moiselles Adele and Louise also made their first ap tes,rance before a Drury-lane audience in this ballet , 72 danced a pas de deux and a bolero very sracefully and cleverly—they are accomplished Z e i ttes and will be an acquisition to the corps of Wtheatre. Payne, the prince of buffo dancers, l it! Robert Alacaire, and T. Mathews was Bertrand. We,ir pantomime was first-rate, and their burlesque " Cachouca" was one of the, most humorous th ings we have seen for many a long day. The au kence were in a roar the whole time of its perform :cc, and at the conclusion, it was rapturously en cored. Th e b a ll e t en ds with a fete a la Vaux it in which a balancer exhibits some very won - Cic'on, and thus escape from their pursuers. The al feats, and Robert and Bertrand ascend in a L mitise was very well attended. HAY MABKET. The performances at the Haymarket, last night, ffor asned with the Sheriff of the County, which ba nd f for as great a run of popularity as Old Heads ( lung Hearts, its predecessor. The rural simplicity the Sheriff (Mr. W. Farren), the tawdry pride of the Sheriff's wife, the gaucherie of the servants, and historical blunders of Pansy, the gardener (Buck iZ'lle) continue to amuse as much as ever. As for ze episodical story of the soldier, who is sentenced be shot for knocking down his superior officer, it L " dull, heavy, and tiresome, and quite out of keeping W ith the lively characters of the play. Webster 's ing as Lord Mayor's footman, a sort of culinary e'll-s ergean t, was admirable, and Mr. Strickland : amplified the craft and selfishness of Smirker, the 4 orney, in a manner which was loudly applauded. A new gr and, classical, extravaganza," as the bill terms it, called the Golden Fleece, was brought out last night, for the first time. It is in two Ports, and Mr. Planche is the author. Every thool-b o y knows the history of Jason and ye Golden Fleece. Eetes, King of Colchis (Mr. A ttrues Bland) promises to restore the golden Zece, provided Jason tamed bulls which breathed 'es to conquer a multitude of armed men bo would spring from a field, which Jason was ft ged to sow with serpents' teeth, and to kill a dra pl which incessantly watched at the foot of a tree Zro which the Golden Fleece was suspended. Medea, ba th King's daughter (Madame Vestris), falls in love 4th Jason (Miss P. Horton), and in return for vows da etern a l fidelity, promises to deliver him from all egers. The stage, after the fashion of the ruined leek Theatre, was partially raised, and the rising e t o the curtain discloses the Palace of the King of rd English on the front of which is written in Greek re English characters, " All in my eye and Betty h a rtin.' There is a mock throne, and the chorus is ,presented by Mr. Charles Mathews, dressed in the r o St approved classical costume, who, as the bill in- US, " renders at least 59 male voices perfectly ress.' To sustain a performance like this, where plot has little interest, an almost uninter 7,epted flow of humour is necessary a succession it sl ridiculous incidents, humorous expressions, W hich witty hrases • ulness in a composition, "i h e as neither solidity or refinement to re etnlinend it, is intolerable. Mr. Planche seems ' l 3' alive to this, and the Golden Fleece contains a jreat deal of broad farcical humour, and of a vein of eIY ridicule. 2Eetes is attired much in the same antier as Creon in Antigone, and Bland mimics, Wi th rauch;truth and effect, the pomp and dignity of " I tadenhoff. Jason sings a moat unclassical song, lan a sprightly, lively lad." Zetes leaves the stage, , h - "d Jason, Pursues the King, To the grind-stone his nose to bring, t hen Medea is about to charm the dragon, she ob serves, that The dragon is a very artful dodger, And sleeps with one eye open—the dry old codger. And Jason fears he will be, Like the Lord Chancellor who got the pack, "Re has lost the wool and only got the sack. hen Medea inquires, in what manner, YEetes' spirit fled, 430 n replies By a punch on the head. rld iEetes says That fatal puneh, I feel it in my noddle, e , And down to Pluto's realms I must to ddle. much for the first part. The foundation of the 4e eond is—Creon, King of Corinth, promis es his d M ed ea, (Glauces) to Jason, who repudiates Medea. "led fr ea, in revenge, sends her a poisoned garment, , 411 which she dies, and Creon, with h ii famil y , 1 ;0'e a similar fate, the palace being bur nt, with J ason's the piece concludes. Medea comp lains of 4 son's conduct, and says that — How mad it will drive her ; A I'll b e thrown on the parish without a single sliver. 11 d pathetically exclaims— fle (Jason) lives in a fine palace over there, While I and my two babbies are coop'd in a two-pair ! '' 11 (1 when the chorus remonstrate she, after s ome mile reasoning, classically exclaims — A, lid, therefore, most inveterate haters, -;lose up the trap in which you put your taters reon interferes, upon which Medea says — None of your soft sawder, Your d o wny words don't weigh with me a feather 1 When Medea says — T l , A bridal gift for Glauces I'm preparing. 4 'ie Chorus answers — which, I have no doubt, she'll be the worse for wearing T he Chorus, speaking of Jason, says— If I Were hia father I'd break all his bones, \And se n d him to sea like that other boy Jones. e cannot notice this piece at greater length, and 41 i l l p st conclude by remarking, that it was loudly ap - Oncled, and that at the fall of the curtain Mr, l athews came forward, amid the cheers of the nu llet!ce, and announced its continua nce until further ottee. ADELPIII. Even if those " sweet recorders," the play-bills, t i l e re more modest and less lavish of their promises t an they generally are, one would have many reasons A ° : expecting a treat on Easter Monday. In the ,i 3 t place, after the rigours of Lent, during which, th course, as good Christians, we have observed all A at the rubric and the most precise and normal t, ne doctor would enjoin, we are anxious, and na ogrally so, for a little relief, and betake ourselves to p l i ir ordinary mundane amusements ; and, in the next vv !•ee, considering how we have been lately kept w it hin doors, muffled to the mouth, and as nea r as Ny e could well sit to as large a fire as we could el l have, it is not to be wondered at if we ere ready to enjoy the first day of sp rin g , and willing to find good in everything. But that is N ,7angerous state of feeling for one to enter a theatrese , who is supposed to be as rigid at Themis her r, so we allowed ourselves to cool down as much as rnosßible before witnessing St. George and the Dra thl'it_he Easter-piece at this theatre, the plot of 'en is as simple as can well be, and simplicity is a cha rm whenever it does not run into—and the parti oll is very eas ily ove r s tepped—silliness. St. George o ut 83 Woolgar), and the other six Champions set Eupon their adventures. St. George arrives in g ypt, wh ere h e f a lls into the very best so th t Y--that of King Ptolemy (Mr. Selby), and into Yer.y to best love—that of the King's daugh /31;. the P r i ncess S a b ra (Miss Chaplin). t'the Princess is too pretty not to have more corn etitors for her hand than St. George. Almidor, .-.l\ll,lperor of Morocco (Mr. Wright), and the Dragon i h _ t r. Paul Bedford), are his rivals. The scenery is, tirieifore, principally Egyptian, and it is really beau "lY executed. The Egyptians had a taste for the L and e tt „, and beautiful, and any one who reads Lu " s description of Caesar by Cleopatra will be of ,bolotpirion ; and th oug h we cannot boast of having he l old Vi cero y, or th e Pyramids, or the three d e uern „ ii i lr ed - szated Me m phi s , or the Nile, we had a good 1 ;i realised f or us l as t n i g ht, and saw living moving representations of what we be- TIFIE.ATIN'tLONDOIVe; TUESDAY —MORNING., MARCH 045. man named " John Barry,'" who is made particularly happy by such a result - . Tho clea,•acter of Marg?rret had all the advantage of Miss Vincent's aeknow ledged piwe;.a in this department, while Miss E. Terrey, first as AriQs Betty Scrag (a dealer in tripe and sheep's heads at Back-hill, Islington), and after wards as Mrs. Nim Vatkins, kept the audience in great good-humour by her lively and whimsical per sonation of those characters. To all the other parts similar praise may be awarded; and if interest on the part of the audience be any criterion of success, this piece bids fair for a considerable run. A burletta, entitled Hercules, King of Clubs, was the second course in the bill of fare for the evening. It is a very smart and laughter-promoting little piece, as was evinced by the manner in which it was re ceived. The evening's entertainment concluded with a grand historical drama, adapted from the novel of Sir Walter Scott, called The Knights of the Cross; or, the Dog and the Standard. The cha, racter of Richard Cceur de Lion was very well sus tained by Mr. Henry Howard ; that of Philip of France, by Mr. Hitchison ; and that of Leopold of Austria, by Mr. Henry. Berengeria, .Queen of Eng land, was well represented by Mrs. G. Lee; and Edith Plantagenet by Miss Richardson. As the Dog of the Standard" hector" enjoyed a consider able share of applause. The house was exceedingly full, even in the early part of the evening, and the audience appeared much gratified at all that was pro vided for their amusement. fore only knew through mummies and the Museum. The scene of the grand procession and the last tableau were exquisite. With regard to the dialogue, it was of the liveliest character, and well sustained through out. The jeux des mots told with the happiest of efft ct. The St. George was, of coarse, the great re dresser of wrongs—not a gambling booth, not a thimble-rig or loan society, in upper or lower Egypt, that he did not put an extinguisher upon ; not a pill or bolus sold by the quacks that a certain Egyptian medical bill gave them a liberty of dispensing the effects of which he did not destroy ; in short, he did everything that a good legislator ought to do, or upset everything that bad legislators often do, and for his reward he obtained the hand of the fair Princess, and distanced his rivals. And the best of the thing was, and herein the moral of the piece consists, that he effected all this, not like the St. George of old, but by the aid which modern civilisation employs—public opinion and the press. The acting of Mr. Wright and Mr. Bedford was, what every one knows it to be, all that could well be desired. The piece was emi nently successful, well applauded by a full house, and likely to have a long run. LYCEUM. A new extravaganza, under the title of Whit tington and his Cat, was produced as the Easter piece, last night, at the Lyceum, to a brilliant and crowded audience. Whittington and his Cat is of the same. stamp as Aladdin, Valentine and Orson and the Forty Thieves, which have lately been produced at the Lyceum ; and it bids fair to rival those witty and successful spectacles which have hitherto been the mainstay of the theatre under the present manage ment. The piece of last night is one continued stream of wit, and the laughter which greeted it never flagged for a moment. The various allusions —and they were many—to the prominent topics of the day were eagerly caught up by the audience and applauded to the echo. Mrs. Keeley sustained the character of the hero of the piece, and we need not say with what spirit she invested it. Miss Fairbrother was as charming as ever as the Princess, and with Mr. A. Wigan received a large share of well-merited ap plause for the performance of the Cellarius Valse. Two young ladies, Miss Villars and Miss Dawson, made their first appearance last night, were well re ceived, and will, we are confident, prove great acqui sitions to the company. The spectacle was gorge ously put upon the stage, and it will, no doubt, run through the season. During the recess the theatre has been re-decorated, and it presents now a very light and elegant appearance. indeed, that she was punished with an encore. The aniweinents of the evening concluded with (we yank: the la) an entirely - new, novel, and perfectly origi nal, grand, romantic, chivalric, burlesque extrava ganza, neither adapted, nor taken from, the French, but founded upon the well known history of the " Seven Champions of Christendom." The thing, as we could gather, was entitled St George and the Dragon, and, if we recollect a newspaper paragraph aright, was announced as being written by a gentle man of " considerable literary celebrity." We have no desire to know any other of the author's doings, for a more vapid effusion than that under notice we have never witnessed ; and we were only sorry to observe Miss Davenport, Miss Kate Howard, and other clever artistes, trying ineffectually to impart an interest to halting metre, unbrightened by the most distant approach to an idea. We have remarked with regret the absence of Mr. Waldron from the boards of this theatre, and we regret his absence the more, that none seem to have been engaged able to-supply his place in the coming season. ASTLEY'S. The doors of the ever-famed Astley's were thrown open last night for another season, and ere ten mi nutes had elapsed, the silence which for two or three weeks past had been suffered to reign triumphant in the body of the theatre, was disturbed by the joyous shouts and whistling of a good humoured and nume rous audience. The house, doing the short recess, has undergone some slight change; and those of our readers who are in the habit of frequenting Astley's will be glad to learn that many improvements which time had, no doubt, suggested, have been introduced for the convenience of the auditory. Crimson cur thins have been added to the back of the boxes, and each tier is decorated and lined with orange and blue upholstery, giving the house a cheering and comfortable aspect. Mr. Batty sustained his former popularity in pro ducing another new and grand military spectacle, plentifully interspersed with startling and exciting incidents. It is founded on an event which occurred during the disastrous Peninsular war, and is entitled The Maid of Saragossa; or, the Spanish Amazons. No doubt many who read this notice are familiar with the celebrated painting of the late Sir David Wilkie, representing the defence of Saragossa by the Spaniards against the beseiging of the French army; if so, this will give them an idea of one of the prin cipal scenes in the spectacle, which is taken from this picture, and certainly forms a very effective tableau vivant. The piece opens with the retreat in the mountains of a party of Guerillas, who are sum moned by the army stationed in Saragossa to aid them in repelling the attacks of the French, and from scene to scene we arrive at the city walls of Sara gossa, where a terrific encounter ensues between the two armies. At the moment when the Spanish sol diers, exhausted by the severity and heat of the en counter, are about to retreat, they are rallied by the appearance of the Maid of Saragossa, who throws herself into the midst of the fight, and by her heroism and courage reinvigo rates the army of Ferdinand, King of Spain, who is thus enabled to save the city of Saragossa from fall ing into the hands of the French. In the succeeding scenes we see Angostina, the Maid of Saragossa, crowned with laurels for her previous prowess ; but she forgets the glory of the moment in her grief for the loss of her lover, who has fallen into the power of the French. Again she assumes the part of an amazon, and, heading a troop of female warriors, goes forth to her lover's rescue. She has scarcely succeeded, ere another attack is hazarded by the French, and for a second time Angostina, by her prowess and undaunted courage, saves her native city from destruction. These are the principal features of the piece ; but there is an episode introduced, which we have altogether omitted mentioning. It is made up, as episodes generally are at this theatre, of an humble village tradesman forsaking his home and his sweetheart to follow the calling of a soldier. An Irishman, too, is introduced, but why or for what purpose, no one save the author can tell; but perhaps it would not be an Astley's spectacle without an Irishman. The piece was admirably placed upon the stage, and was supported with much spirit and ani mation by a numerous corps dramatique, amongst whom were Mrs. Ismay, who played the heroine, Messrs. Harwood, Lemon, Egan, and Hart. The piece elicited a great deal of applause, and if a little curtailment is made in the dialogue it may keep possession of the stage for five or six weeks. It was followed by the performances in the Cirque Olym pique, and Arena of Equitation, which brought be fore us a Parisian artist, named Madame Dumos, who is an exceedingly graceful and elegant equestrian ; nor must we omit to mention in equal terms of eulogium, a Miss Isabelle, who, though considerably the junior of Madame Dumos, is nevertheless a clever and accomplished performer. The evening's entertainments terminated with the farce of the Sleeping Draught, the chief character of which was played by Mr. Charles Marsh, who, it will be remembered, was the Clown at Covent-garden last season. He is engaged here as the principal Clown, and there can hardly be a doubt, from the mirth he excited, and the applause he won last night, that he is destined to become as popular on the other as he was on this side of the water. SURREY THEATRE. Easter has come o'er us again, and with it the usual accompaniments of the spirited proprietress of this theatre—a well set-out table tor the amusement of the holiday folks. For the first course we had the drama of Margaret Catchpole, founded on the late work of the Rev. Mr. Cobbold ; for the second, The Irish Tutor, with Miss Heron, the Infant Power, as Doctor O'Toole. And, lastly, a new and magnificent romance, founded on a tale in Blackwood, and dramatised by Mr. T. Townshend, entitled the Spirit Haunted, or the Moor Maiden and the Demon Sprite of the Golden Spring. Of the first piece little more need be said than this, that it is founded on events of a most singular nature, which took place about the year 1797. Since the publication of Mr. Cobbold's work most, if not all, our readers must be aware that the extra ordinary heroine of the piece was born of humble parents, and underwent the most singular vicissitudes that perhaps ever marked the career of woman. After meeting with many strange adventures to obtain an interview with her lover (a celebrated Captain of smugglers of the last century), she stole a horse, on which she rode to London about eight hours; for this she was tried and condemned to death at the Bury Assizes, in the year 1797 ; was reprieved, broke out of prison at Ipswich to join her lover, was re taken, sentenced again to death, and her punishment changed to transportation for life. She retrieved her cha racter in Australia, where she distinguished herself in many extraordinary adventures : obtained a free pardon, married a wealthy settler, who left her sole mistress of an immense fortune; she had one son and two daughters, who received the best education which England could afford, and returned to settle in their native land, to close the eyes of their affectionate parent, who died September 10th, 1841, in the sixty eighth year of her age, deeply lamented and revered by all who knew her. The piece was eminently ef fective, and was announced for repetition every night until further notice, in a house crowded to the ceiling, amid much cheering. Of Miss Heron in the Irish Tutor we cannot say too much. She is certainly a very clever child, imitates the Irish brogue excellently, and is a most excellent imitator in miniature of Power. Her acting delighted all parts of the house, and kept the gods in most excel lent humour. The last piece, The Spirit Haunted; or, the Moor Maiden, has been got up at great trouble and expense, and promises to repay the spirited lessee with a golden harvest. The scenery is excellent, the dresses in strict keeping with the time in which the occurrences are represented to have taken place, and the music reflects great credit on Loden The piece was announced for repetition amid great approbation. PRIACESS'S THEATRE. The Stralier is a play so well known to every part of the British empire, that an observation upon it would be almost as superfluous as upon the opera of La Sonnambula, yet each is so exquisitely beauti ful, that the announcement of either is always a guarantee for a full house. Such was the result, last evening, of the announcement of The Stranger at the Princess's; but no doubt the appearance of Miss Cushman as Mrs. Haller attracted very many. She is a young lady of great talent, and evidently under stood her part well, and appreciated it, too, for her reading and acting produced a simultaneous disguise of all the fair eyes and faces, and a display of all the white handkerchiefs, in every box where a female was visible. Mr. Graham's Stranger was a good piece of acting, and such as proves him to be a man of no inconsiderable ta lent; and both he and Miss Cushman were well supported, and did not elicit a whit more ap plause than they merited, though it was loud and long-continued. The new " Grand oriental burlesque Extravaganza" was very beautifully got up ; the talent of the painters to whom was entrusted the exe cution of the scenic department of the display, was here most effectively brought out—the distances, lights, wood, water, and perspective, were distributed, softened, and fixed in a manner so skilful and true to nature, as to rivet the gaze, deceive the senses, and elicit an involuntary burst of admiration. It opened with a view of an oriental palace supported on arches, beneath which appeared to flow water between arti ficial marble embankments, until all disappeared in the distant meeting of the horizon. Then came a moonlight scene of beauty still more exquisite but not less perfect ; while the crowded corps dramatique heightened the coup d'ceil to an effect almost magical. The author of the piece deserves much credit for the terse sentences and home and witty hits he has made, of the truth and facetiousness of which the audience admitted many proofs by their repeated plaudits. The couplets took occasional sly hits at the state of " things as they are," such as when Timour was taunted with not attempting to lay siege to England, " Where might be reaped a harvest rich and good." The mighty monarch compassionately exclaimed "But then her walls are only made of wood, "Yet if he did begin, he'd make them rue it.' Whereupon his right-hand man put in an (aside) " So Joinville said—l'd like to see him do it." The scene then changed to a burlesque tournament, the Largesse of which the King Timour gave forth in these words, pipe in hand : " Now, Heralds, blow, and blow it long and loud ; "And while ye raise a dust, I'll blow a cloud." The spirit of the piece was kept up with unabated vigour to the end, near which the heroine, in reply to an innuendo from the Grand Vizier, expresses her doubts that "A minister with power could ere abase it." " Aye, quoth the V. do any thing but lose it." " I will resist him, despite all his terror, And make him know the law by writ of error." " Be careful, madame—Don't increase his fury; For if you do, he'll challenge all the jury.' The piece had not concluded by twelve o'clock, and up to that time the interest and amusement it created and kept alive were such, that not a seat was vacated until the curtain dropped. SADLER'S WELLS. The even course of the highly talented directors of this renovated and now classical theatre, Mrs. War ner and Mr. Phelps, proceeds, unruffled by joyous bursts of holiday extravagance, and undiverted by the wild sports of periodical pantomime, which come timely and in their season to relieve the dulness, and briefly raise the hopes of those once great houses, from which the spirits of Shakspeare, Massinger, and Otway have long since fled, to find at last a re cognised temple and fitting worshippers upon the banks of the New River. It seemed a bold attempt to restore Shakspeare to his genuine granleur, and to present the true play of King Richard the Third, from the original text, upon the boards of Sadler's Wells--real Shakspeare in the place of real water ! The success was as gre at as it was unexpected, and as the talents and spirit of the managers deserved. The performance was fully and carefully re ' viewed in The Sun, upon the first night of the representation, and last night offers nothing new for comment but the remark able fact, that Shakespeare's Richard the Third (and not even the profane and popular version of Cibber), attracted, upon Easter Monday, a full, elegant, and delighted audience. There could scarcely be a greater tribute to the "immortal bard," or a greater compliment to the patrons and managers of this flourishing theatre. Mrs. Warner, in the arduous and grandly drawn character of Margaret, Phelps as Richard, ',with Marston, G. Bennet and J. Webster, sustained their well-earned reputation and were rewarded with re peated and judicious applause. We have only to add our hearty encouragement to the managers. "Go on and prosper." OLYMPIC. This house opened for the Easter holidays with three new pieces. '1 he first, indeed, is stated to be only an adaptation from the American stage, by Leman Rede, but it may with much greater truth be termed an original drama, as not only is the dialogue re-written, but the plot itself is considerably changed and im proved. The principal object intended by the talented adapter of the piece, was to intro duce Mr. Marble, the eminent Transatlantic comedian, in the character of a thorough Kentuckian, one of the earliest settlers in the back woods, " half horse, half-alligator, with a pretty considerable dash of lightning," the connecting link as it were, be tween the red man and the civilised dweller in the pity. Samson Hardhead, therefore, " the game-cock of the wilderness," is in fact the only character, the others being merely auxiliary ; and though Mr Marble in this, as in all his efforts, kept up the in terest of his audience, yet we could have wished that the stale Jonathanisms had been less frequently in terspersed, and that something more akin to real life and real feelings had been substituted. The plot is of the most common-place character. Colonel Mereville (Mr. Mellon), a landed proprietor on the Ohio, is attacked in his residence by a war party of Indians, and his son is in his presence knocked on the head and thrown into the river. That son is rescued, and, at an after period, proves to be Samson Hardhead. Until the discovery is made, however, he settles in the neighbourhood of his father's house, forms an acquaintance with Roderick (Mr. Binge), a young gentleman affianced to his sister, and, as might be expected, regards with a corresponding hatred Dorrington (Mr. F. Burton), that friend's rival, and Clara Mereville's (Miss Field ing's) rejected suitor. Then there is Nance Butler, " the Yellow Flower of the Forest," Hardhead's ina morata, most felicitously represented by Miss Kate Howard. Dorrington, chagrined at the refusal of his suit, determines on the murder of his rival ; and with the assistance of Dodger (Mr. Tumour), afterwards conceals the purse, &c., of his victim in the cabin of Hardhead. The latter is taken into custody, and, on the presumptive evidence, condemned to die, when, in the nick of time, the Dodger informs upon his prin cipal ; and while he is punished all the others are re ' warded. A petite comedy, entitled The Plague of Plymouth, went off very trippingly, Mr. Roxby sus taining the principal part. Then followed a dance by Miss Wright, very beautifully executed, so much so, VICTORIA. The performances at this theatre announced for the Easter recess, commencing yesterday evening, exhi bited no less attraction than usual to the taste of the audience, and their love of thrilling dramatic and domestic incident. For some time past the adven tures of Margaret eatehpole, the Female Horse stealer, or, as she is more familiarly called, "the Suf folk girl," have been before the public in various ways. If we mistake not, it was a gentleman residing in the county who first presented the public with the par ticulars of her life ; and, perhaps, no tale of real life, certainly none originating in a provincial town, ever excited a deeper interest, or enjoyed a more extensive circulation. Besides, however, the original publica tion of the tale, it has, as we have intimated, been presented in various other shapes, though, of course, a good deal condensed; and it would, for this reason, be tedious and useless to give any detailed account of the plot in noticing this living representation of it on the appropriate boards of the Victoria. It is well known that the heroine, for such, we suppose, she must be called, notwithstand ing the horse-stealing affair, first signalised herself by escaping from Ipswich gaol, and, on being re-taken, her sentence was commuted to transportation for life; the only way of accounting for the change being ap parently the astonishing behaviour of Margaret in travelling to London on horseback. Arrived in New South Wales, the conduct of Margaret and the events that happen to her form a complete climax to her adventures in England. She is carried into the interior of the country by some of the coloured natives ; two of the tribe fight for the possession of the " white maid," and while they are doing so, islargaret escapes. The denouement, whether in all respects it corresponds to that of the real story we forget, is at last satisfactory, as most of the ter minations of domestic plays. The principal feature in it being a " free pardon of the Suffolk Girl," and her union, after having passed through so many vicissitudes, with it gentle- ROYAL STANDARD. This popular eastern theatre was filled last evening, and well do the spirited managers deserve this sup port. For their Easter attraction they brought forward another version of the B lood Royal; or, the Crown Jewels. This was followed by the Gaol Bird, and then came the real attraction of the evening, bearing the start ling title of &fount Vesuvius, or the fiend of the Volcano, and founded upon a tale which appeared some years back in " Friendship's Offering." The scenery was excellent, and the actors did all that was necessary —pleased the audience. In furnishing this brief notice of the entertainments of the evening, we must not overlook the remarkable performances of llerr Hengler on the tight rope, who performed several daring and astonishing evolutions, which were loudly applauded. A Miss Emma Short made her debut on this occasion, in the character of Rachel Ryland, in the Gaol Bird, and gave some promise of future excellence. LITERATURE. cani. THE ARCHIBOLOGICAL ALBUM; or, MU SEUM OF NATIONAL ANTIQUI7'ES. Edited by THOMAS WRIGHT, Esq., MA. F.S.A. Corresponding Member of the Institute of France. The Illustrations by Frederick W. Fairholt, F.S.A. This is a book in which the Bannatyne and the Roxburgh Clubs would have delighted ; printed in a quarto size, on the very finest paper, with the most beautifully clear type, and profusely illustrated by exquisite copper-plate engravings and magnificent il luminations—published, moreover, in an ornamental cover—it has altogether a very aristocratical appear ance. There is an excellent paper in the present number, entitled "History of Art in the Middle Ages, as exhibited in Illuminated Manuscripts." This paper is profusely illustrated by woodcut en gravings from ancient illuminations. From a paper on obsolete punishments we extract the following account of the last recorded instance in which the punishment of ducking was inflicted on a scold by sentence of the law : " Nearly all town accounts during the sixteenth cen tury and the commencement of the seventeenth contain entries relating to these implements of punishment. The practice of ducking continued through the whole of the seventeenth century, and the name, now no longer un derstood in its original form, began to be changed from tucking-stool to ducking-stool. Instances of this punishment being put in practice occur as late as the middle of the last century. In Brand's Popular An tiquities' an extract is given from a London newspaper of the year 1745, stating that last week a woman that keeps the Queen's Head alehouse at Kingston, in Surrey, was ordered by the Court to be ducked for scolding, and was accordingly placed in the chair, and ducked in the river Thames, under Kingston-bridge, in the presence of two or three thousand people.' The guilty individual appears to have been often carried to the place of punish ment in procession by the mob. Our readers will re member the description of such a procession in Hudi bras,' which makes the subject of one of Hogarth's illus trations of that poem." cqiitatie to mistalz« the cause - of sv h expressions, which were perfectly nanral undler the cirentn,tanoes, but they nevertheles deeply afflictcAi him, V,tri they reached his In this sate of things frimds resolved to re move him from such a scent : ., xcitement, and to place him amA the quiet scenery of the country. An asylum was offered him in the family of Ijount Itzeoplitsch, where he was sufficiently near to become acquainted with the gradual development of the all-important crisis, and yet free from any unpleasant personal contact with it. Here, at the family-seat of Cunersdurf, scarcely a day's journey from Berlin, wholly devoted to botany and other fa vourite pursuits, Chamisso conceived the idea of Peter Schlemihl, and with rapid pen finished off the story. " Chamisso was often pestered with questions respect ing what he really meant by the story of Schlemihl. These questions amused as well as annoyed him. The truth is, that his intention in writing it was perhaps scarcely of so precise a nature as to admit of his giving a formal account of it. The story, sprang into being of itself, like every work of genius, prompted by a self creating power. In a letter to the writer of this notice, after he had just commenced the story, he says, ' A book was the last thing you would have expected from me ! Place it before your wife this evening, if you have time; should she be desirous to know Schlemihl's fur ther adventures, and particularly who the man in the grey cloak is—send me back the MS. immediately, that I may continue the story ; but if you do not return it, I shall know the meaning perfectly.' Is it possible for any writer to submit himself to the scrutiny of the public more good naturedly?" FRENCH RAILWAY COMPANIES. The following is the Bill drawn up by the Com mittee appointed by the Chamber of Peers to examine Count Darn's proposition relative to the proceedings of railroad Companies:— Art. 1. Companies formed for the partial or in tegral execution of railroads cannot, under the pe nalties fixed by Art. 419 of the penal code, create or issue shares or promises of shares, before the period that they shall have been constituted en societie anonyme, in the forms ordered by Art. 37 of the commercial code. Art. 2. There can only be delivered to subscribers a receipt of the sums or assets by them paid in. This receipt shall be addressed to each person by name. It shall be cut off from a register kept for the pur pose, and shall have a fixed number. It shall men tion the number of shares demanded by the subscriber; and, in addition, shall state, first, the purport of Arts. 4 and 5 of the present Bill ; and, second, the obligation under which each subscriber lies, to ex change the receipt for shares, when the society shall have been legally constituted. Art. 3. These receipts cannot be quoted at the Bourse. All publications whatever of their value, be fore the issue of the royal ordonnance authorising the formation of the company, shall be punished by a fine of from 500 f. to 3,0001. Art. 4. These receipts cannot in any way be transferred or ceded, in totality or in part, under pain of nullity of all negotiation of the kind. The sums paid for any such negotiations may be remanded and sued for. Art. 5. Furthermore, all persons engaged in such negotiation of receipts, whether principals or agents, may be punished by fines not exceeding the capital of the values negotia•ed. Art. 6. All notaries, agens de change, or other per sons who may assist in such negotiations, are to be liable to lose their places, and in addition to be fined from 500 f. to 5,000 f. for each negotiation. Art. 7. No adjudication of any railroad line can be definitively approved of by royal ordonnance, unless the sociae anonyme shall have been at the same time authorised in the form prescribed by Article 37 of the Communal Code. Art. 8. Within the month after the issue of the royal ordonnance, the receipts shall be changed for shares. Should the subscriber not appear in person to claim his shares, the authority which he gives to his agent or representative must be in authentic form, and must bear date posterior to the royal or donnance. Art. 9. After the delivery of the shares, the ori ginal subscribers shall not remain responsible to the company for more than five-tenths of the nominal ca pital of the shares, for which they have subscribed. Art. 10. The first payment of each subscription cannot be inferior to the tenth of the nominal value of the shares subscribed for. Art.ll. The projectors, directors, or provisional managers of the company are personally and con jointly responsible to the subscribers and to the com pany, for the safe-keeping and employment of the sums paid in. Art. 12. The funds arising from the subscriptions are to be paid into the Casse des Depots et Consigna tions within ten days after they have been received, under penalty of the application of Art. 40 of the Penal Code. Art. 13. The Caisse des Depots et Consignations shall draw the interests that may fall due, and shall credit the company therewith, the company account ing for the same to the subscribers. Art. 14. The company to which the concession is granted may draw out its funds, with the interest thereon, as soon as it shall have been regularly con stituted by royal ordonnance. In case of non-con• cession, the funds deposited as ordered above, and the interests thereon, shall be paid back to the subscribers, the lawful expenses being always deducted. Art. 15. It is forbidden, under pain of nullity of all the proceedings, to stipulate in the provisional statutes any indemnity, retribution, or salary what ever, to the projectors, directors, or temporary managers. Art. 16. The designation of the directors or ma nagers in the statutes, before the approbation by Royal ordonnance, is essentially provisional. Art. 17. Within three months after the Royal ordon nance, the shareholders shall be convoked in a general meeting, to definitively appoint directors or managers —to fix their emoluments—and to determine and re pay all that may be due to the projectors, for ad vances, cost of surveys, or other expenses. It:I.EL WAY INTELLIGENCE. REPORT OF THE RAILWAY DEPARTMENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE ON THE SCHEMES FOR EXTENDING RAILWAY COMMUNICATION BETWEEN LONDON AND YORK, &c. Railway Department, Board of Trade, Whitehall, March 20, 1845. The Board constituted by Minute of the Lords of the Committee of Privy Council for Trade, for the transac tion of railway business, having had under consideration the different schemes deposited with the Railway Depart ment for extending Railway Communication between London and York, and the intermediate districts to the east of the existing lines of railway, have determined on submitting the following Report thereon, for the con sideration of Parliament. The following is a List of the Schemes in question, showing the number of miles of railway proposed to be constructed in each case, and the estimated capital. I.—lntegral Schemes for effecting a new and independent Communication from London to York. Length. Estimated Capital. Miles. Chains. £ London and York ...... 327 18 6,500,000 Direct Northern lB5 52 4,000,000 ll.—Schemes for effecting a new Communication be tween London and York, in connexion with existing Railways. Length. Estimated Capital. Miles. Chains. A: Cambridge and Lincoln B3 20 1,250,000 Tottenham and Farringdon-street Extension Midland Railway : Swinton to Lincoln, Boston, and March Lincoln, York, and Leeds B3 42 1,400,000 York and North Midland to Don caster lll.—Schemes more or less connected with the above, for supplying East and West Communication, and local accommodation to the intermediate districts. Length. Estimated Capital. Miles. Chains. Bedford, and London and Bir mingham Eastern Counties—Hertford and 5 1G 800,000 16 31 125,000 Biggleswade Branch Eastern Counties—Cambridge and Huntingdon Ely and Bedford Midland Rail way—Sys ton to Peterborough Midland Railway—Nottingham to Lincoln 33 52 408,000 Newark and Sheffield 32 60 500,000 Manchester and Sheffield, and Midland Junction (Sheffield to Chesterfield) l2 14 400,000 Sheffield and Lincolnshire Rotherham, Bawtry, and Gains borough Great Grimsby and Sheffield 6O 48 600,000 hull and Gainsborough Wakefield, Pontefract, and Goole 30 73 365,000 Barnsley and Goole Goole, Doncaster, Sheffield, and Manchester York and North Midland and Goole Goole and Snaith 5 27 It will be seen from the above list, that the question upon which we have now to report involves the con struction of upwards of 1,200 miles of railway ; an amount not much less than that of the whole of the railways in the kingdom already in existence, and the proposed investment of upwards of 20,000,0001. of capital. We have approached the subject with a full sense of its importance, and of the responsibility which is imposed upon us in expressing any opinion upon questions of such magnitude; and we have now to report the conclusions at which we have arrived, after most anxious and delibe rate investigation. The leading objects which are proposed to be accom plished by the schemes under consideration may be classed under two heads, viz.:- Ist. To extend the benefits of railway communication to the large portion of England which lies intermediate between the London and Birmingham, and Northern and Eastern Railways, and to the east of the Midland and York, and North Midland Railways. 2d. To form a new trunk line from London to York and the north, by the east of England, more direct than the present circuitous route by Rugby and Derby. The former of these objects appears to be decidedly the more important. In our report on the projected railways in Scotland, we have already stated our reasons for believing that, owing to the interruptions occasioned by the Firths of Tay and Forth, the eastern line can never become the principal trunk line of communication between Scotland and England. In the event of the Caledonian and Scottish Central lines being sanctioned by Parliament, the traffic of Glasgow, and of the whole of the northern, western, and central portions of Scot land with England, would pass principally by way of Carlisle and the western route; and if the Trent or Churnet Valley lines should be constructed, the distance even from Edinburgh to London would be almost as short by the western as by the shortest of the proposed eastern routes. The existing through traffic to London that would pass over a more direct London and York line, is stated not to amount to more than about 97,0004 a year ; and al though this amount may probably be increased by the opening of new lines between Newcastle and Edinburgh, yet, on the other hand, it must be remembered that a larger proportion of the existing Scotch traffic now comes up by way of Newcastle than can be expected to do so ultimately, when both the eastern and western lines of eommuuication are completed. On the whole, therefore, we are not of opinion that the probable importance or amount of the through traffic between London and York would be sufficient to justify an expenditure of several millions for the sole object of shortening this communication by a few miles. At the same time we consider it obviously desirable, for na tional as well as for commercial purposes, that the whole railway communications of the metropolis with the northern portions of the kingdom should not depend upon a single trunk line ; and that, consequently, the opportunity should be embraced now which presents it self of obtaining a good second trunk line to the north, by a combination which at the same time provides for the local and lateral communications of the eastern counties. These general considerations appear to us to be suffi cient to narrow the question considerably, by the ex clusion of two of the principal schemes which enter into competition. The Direet Northern, considered as an integral scheme between London and York, has been projected mainly with a view to the attainment of the shortest practicable route between the termini, to which object the local accommodation of the district traversed has been considered as secondary. Should Parliament be of opinion that the construction of the most direct line be tween London and York ought to be considered as a paramount object, the integral scheme of the Direct Northern would deserve a preference. It reduces the distance to 1761 miles, being 42 miles shorter than by the existing route, and 91 miles shorter than by the proposed London and York line. But for the reasons already stated, we do not consider that a slight saving of dis tance between London and York would be a sufficient compensation for neglecting the local accommodation of the intermediate districts ; nor do we think that it would justify the outlay of capital requisite for the con struction of such a trunk line as the Direct Northern. On the other hand, the scheme of the Midland Rail way Company from Swinton by Lincoln, Boston, Spald ing, and Wisbeach, to March, is open to the opposite objection, that it entirely sacrifices the object of attain ing a tolerably good second line of communication from London northwards. As part of a trunk line to York, it is obviously inadmissible, since it would make the dis tance as circuitous as by the existing route by way of Rugby, while, as a more local line, although in itself it might be useful, it is too long and expensive, and com petes too much with any possible trunk line through the same district, to be allowed to stand independently. An inspection of the map will be sufficient to show that its extension is altogether incompatible with that of the Cambridge and Lincoln line, to which it would be a di rectly competing line for the greater part of its course, while, as compared with the London and York scheme, it would merely be an expensive substitute for the " loop" or second line of that scheme, which diverges at Peterborough and joins the main line again at Lincoln. Even apart from other schemes, and considered merely with reference to local purposes, this scheme also, although in some respects it would be advantageous, would obviously be insufficient, since it merely skirts the coast from Boston southwards, and affords no ac commodation to the important agricultural districts of the interior. We shall at once assume, therefore, that the question may be narrowed by the exclusion of the Midland scheme, and of the Direct Northern, considered as an integral scheme, and that the comparison rests between the Lon don and York, and the Cambridge and Lincoln, in con nexion with some scheme for completing the communi cation from Lincoln to York ; those two schemes alone complying with what we consider to be the indispen sable requisite of uniting the two objects of promoting local accommodation, and of affording a good trunk line. As regards the latter object, we are of opinion that the merits of the two schemes are very equally balanced, and that either would afford a very good trunk line be tween London and York. The distance from London to York, by the London and York scheme, is 186 miles ; by the Cambridge and Lincoln (in connexion with the northern portion of the Direct Northern, and with the Tottenham and Farringdon-street Extension, which is proposed as part of this combination), it would be 1951 miles ; the difference in favour of the London and York 1 being 91 miles. But on the one hand, the gradients of the Cambridgeroute are very superior ; and on the other the terminus at Farringdon-street is nearer to the Bank, the Post-office, and Charing-cross, than that of the London and York Railway at King's-cross. The main line of the London and York has two miles of its length at an inclination of 1 in 100, to 1 in 110 ; and 51i miles at an inclination of 1 in 181, to 1 in 200 ; with 4• miles of tunnelling ; while the whole of the proposed line from Cambridge to York has no plane so steep as I in 200, and oaly five short planes, whose united length amounts to 51 miles, steeper than 1 in 250 ; while for the greater part of its course it is practically level. Although the gradients of the London and York line are for moderate lengths, and have nothing in themselves that can be considered as objectionable, it is evident, that as compared with the extraordinarily good gradients of the Cambridge route, they detract from the advantage in respect of absolute distance. Recent experience has shown upon the Brighton Rail way, that a train may b© worked regularly with safety 17 35 I.=-0,000 43 - 270,000 47 62 750,000 42 24 635,000 THE WORLD OF LONDON.-A NEW SERIES. Mr. Fisher Murray is already favourably known to the public by his papers on London, which ap peared from time to time in Blackwood. Mr. Murray is a shrewd observer, and descants on men and manners in a bold, sarcastic, quaint style, which is exceedingly amusing. Take the following on the power of Parliament, as an example : " Something awful is there in contemplating in ima gination the power of Parliament. " What corner of the near or remote world is not, or has not been, at one time or another, influenced by its deliberations, its orations, its enactments ? " Over what class or denomination of men does not its mighty power extend ? " Nothing is too large for the grasp of its long hand, nothing too little. Sceptres it wrenches from the hands of kings, and seizes pickpockets by the collar. Dynasties are by: its • might overthrown, and stalls of octogenarian applewomen ; princes it binds in chains, and emancipates the quadrupedal captives of the dog trucks. Its fiat sends forth havoc and desolation over distant lands, and at home forbiddeth little boys to play at taw upon the pavement ; it changeth whatever it listeth, and whenever it listeth changeth what it hath changed. " It bringeth in an Act to amend an Act, and an Act to amend the amendment, and maketh an Act to explain an Act, passing all understanding I "It taketh the crown from the head of one man, and putteth it upon the head of another ; and maketh every. body swear allegiance to the same. "It changeth its religion, enacting that everybody shall believe that it hath changed, Not from false to true, or from true to false, but from true to true ; and every body that doth not so believe, or pretend to believe, it hurteth in their lives, liberties, and properties. " It putteth at will its hand into the pocket of every body, taking therefrom gold and silver, nor disdaining brass, telling everybody th a t this it doeth for his protec tion, and every body submits, a nd hath no remedy. It laughed' inits sleeve, and cajoled', and coaxeth, and waxeth wroth with everybody ; it giveth anybody leave to live upon everybody, a n d enac t e th that anybody who is not living upon everybody may live how they can ; it maketh anybody to be everybody, and everybody to be nobody. " It babbleth for six months in the year, more loqua cious than fish-retailing fag of Billingsgate ; and al though it pretendeth to speak in a whisper, yet is indig nant if its talk be not retailed next morning over all the town. " It beginneth what it ca ll e th its business when men of business are asleep. It babbleth droningly through the long hours of night, and the short hours of morning, and goeth to bed when it hath levied enough taxes ; the world in general then getteth up, to slave, and strive, and struggle to pay the taxes, and laboureth all day, till night, when Parliament getteth up, goeth to the House, babbleth, and le vieth more and snore taxes ; and this it doeth eternally, a machine of perpetual tax-motion !" Mr. Murray, however, can be serious when occa sion requires and many of his reflections show that he is a deep thinker, a philosopher , and a philan thropist. After describing the miserable abodes of the artisans in the metropolis, and expressing a wish, that capital, now so superabundant, could be directe d towards the improvement of the dwellings of the working classes, he proceeds : " But, unless a man is either:wealthy or a pauper, no oare is taken to give him a decent abode ; humble in dustry may hide its head where it can ; as long as it is in working order we take no heed of it ; but the minute it is demoralized, or depauperized, we have the most elegant model-prisons to correct it, and the most beauti ful union workhouses to lock it up in! " If a poor working-man cannot afford to pay 201. a-year, it is impossible for him to get a comfortable home ; and then, it will be in the outskirts, at a distance from his business, where builders can afford to cover an acre of ground with decent cottages ; but no man thinks of making his fortune by building in the heart of London, decent cottages, one on the top of another." This is one of the best books that has been pub• lished on London just such a book as Washing ton Irving might have produced on the subject, in the days when he wrote " Salmagundi." All persons who intend to snake the great metropolis their place of abode, should not only read but study it. BURNS'S FIRESIDE LIBRARY. PETER SCHLEMIHL, THE SHADOWLESS MAN. By CHAMISSO. This is a reprint of the history of the renowned Peter, who sold his shadow to a certain mysterious Gentleman in Grey, and f?und the want of it ever after wards. The present edition i s illustrated with some spirited wood.-cuts. From the Appendix by the pre sent editor, we extract the following accoun t of the circumstances which induced Chamisso to write this strange tale : " The origin of Peter Schlemihl is to be ascribed in a great degree to circumstances that occurred in the life of the writer. During the eventful year of 1813, when the movement broke out which ultimately freed Germany from the yoke of her oppressor, and precipi tated his downfal, Chamisso was in Berlin. Every ono who could wield a sword hastened then to employ it on behalf of Germany and of the good cause. Chamisso had not only a powerful arm, but a heart also of truly Ger , man mould ; and yet he was placed in a situation so peculiar as to isolate him among millions. As he was of French parentage, the question was, not merely whe ther he should fight on behalf of Germany, but also whe ther he should fight against the people with whom he was connected by the ties of blood and family relation ship. Hence arose a struggle in his breast. I, and I alone, am forbidden at this exclamation to wield a sword I' Such was frequently his ; and instead of meeting with s3mpathy on account of his peculiar situa tion, he was frequently doomed to hear, in the capital of Prussia, the hoed-quarters of the confederation against France and Napo;eun, expressions of hatred and scorn directed against his countrymen. Ile was himself too THE NEW GUANO ISLAND. We extract the following intelligence touching the newly-discovered guano island, and the rich deposit thereon, from the Cape of Good Hope Shipping Ga zette, Nov. 29 :—" It is to Mr. Marsh, the Govern ment Resident at Saldanha Bay, the colony is in debted for the valuable discovery of the guano de posit on Madagas Island, situate in Saldanha Bay, of which the following is a description from the most authentic sources we have been enabled to obtain : This superb harbour (Saldanha Bay), and especially Hoetjes Bay, within the said bay, one of the most commodious in the world, is in lat. 33 S., and long. 17 52 E., and is one of the harbours on the west coast of the colony, at the Cape of Good Hope, about one deg. N. from Table Bay. There is no danger to be apprehended in approaching and entering it, if the navigator be in possession of good charts ; for, although the entrance is not very capacious, it is suffi ciently so, as the prevailing winds are favourable, and there is no hidden danger. On the south-western side of the entrance is a small island, having a hill in its centre, forming two small peaks, called J utton Island, opposite to which, on the northern shore, is Madagas Island, or the guano island. After passing these islands, in the centre of the entrance is Marcus Island, which divides it into two channels, by either of which it may be safely entered, the southern channel leading round to the anchorage on the western side of the hay and northern to that in Hoetjes Bay. Round the promontory to the south of Marcus Isle are two small bays, the first called Sala mander, the other Charonaut Bay, in either of which there is good anchorage in from three to seven fathoms, having Aleeuwen and Schapen Islands to the south. Off Meeuwen Island the water is deep, and vessels may be anchored tolerably close in, out of the tide way, which runs rapidly between the islands ; but from the northern shores of Schapen Island a bank projects, on which there are but two fathoms of water. In Hoetjes Bay vessels can anchor in three to seven fathoms, close in, and being land locked, are safe in every respect. At the Government residency the main springs of the country have been found to flow into that part of the bay within eight feet of the surface, and about twenty yards of high water mark. By the most simple and efficient con trivance, a small portion of the flow was arrested in its progress into the bay, and by means of a tube, se cured in the head of a cask, was made to rise about twelve feet above the level of the spring, and to yield at the rate of five gallons per minute; and at this place ships may be supplied with good water. The first cargoes of guano which reached here from Ichaboe were not of such superior quality as those which arrived afterwards, after the layer had been fairly broken in ; and this, no doubt, will also be the case with Madagas Island. An eminent chemist, of this town, speaks favourably of the first promiscuous samples which have been sent here and analysed by him. In the meantime, by the erection of stages on the island, every facility will be afforded by yarn ment in the removal of the guano, on such conditions as are stated in our Number 45, of the 18th inst." PRINCE ALBERT AND THE DUKE OF ROTHESAY.— It may not be generally known that his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales is Duke of Rothesay, as well as Duke of Cornwall, and which it would appear from the following incident which has recently occurred, was either unknown to or forgotten by his royal father. One morning a card was presented at Buckingham Palace to his Royal Highness Prince Albert, upon which was en graved " The Duke of Rothesay," and an audience so licited. Ilis Royal llighness seemed puzzled and re peated the name several times, saying he did not recol lect ever having heard of such a nobleman, but he con sented to give the required audience and ordered the Duke of Rothesay to be shown in, when he was agree ably surprised by the entrance of the heir apparent, at tired in fall Highland costume, attended by her Majesty's piper. The above amusing incident was productive of considerable entertainment to the royal circle. DEATH OF THE COUNTESS OF 'OTMO have to notice the death of the above Countess, who. on Thursday last, died, at her residence at Bath, after a short illness. The deceased Countess was in her 69th year, , and was second wife of the late Earl of Fortmore, title now extinct. and punctuality at an average speed of 33 miles an hour including stoppages ; and there is nothing upon any portion of the route between London and York, by way of Cambridge, to prevent this or even a higher speed from being attained, at which rate the journey from London to York could be accomplished in six hours. Taking into account, therefore, on the one hand, the difference of absolute distance, and on the other thedif _ ference of gradients, and the advantage of the Cambridge route by the superior proximity of its terminus to the heart of the ruetropoli , , we are of opinion that, for the purposes of through traffic between - Loadon and York, the merits of the two schemes may be considered as very evenly balanced. The more important question remains to be considered of local accommodation for the eastern districts of Eng land, now deprived of the benefits of railway communi cation. In order to arrive at sound conclusions upon this ques tion, we must consider the nature and wants of this dis trict. It is almost exclusively agricultural, being, in fact, the great corn and cattle producing district of England, from which food is sent, on the one hand, to the dense manufacturing population of Yorkshire and Lancashire, and, on the other, to London. From North Lincolnshire, Newark, East Retford, &c., the bulk of the produce finds its way (mostly by circuitous water conveyance) to the manufacturing districts, a great deal of it centering at the important corn mart of 'Wakefield. From South Lincolnshire, Stamford, Peterborough, Cam bridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, &c., the produce goes partly to the west arid north, and partly to London by sea from Boston, Spalding, and Lynn. The fat cattlo and sheep of the whole district go principally to London. The whole district is destitute of coal, lime, building stone, &c., all which it draws from the west and north west (the Wakefield, Barnsley, Sheffield, Clay Cross, Pinxton, &c., coal fields), or from the sea ports. General merchandise, colonial produce, &c., come principally from London and Hull. Timber, oil-cake, bones, guano, Scc., from Hull and the shipping parts. It is clear, therefore, that the leading object is to con nect the chief towns and principal markets for agricul tural produce with one another ; with London ; with the railways leading to the manufacturing districts ; and with the shipping ports. The chief towns and markets as we go north from London are— Population. Cambridge 23,455 Peterborough Stamford Grantham 8,786 Newark 10,218 Lincoln 13,411 Doncaster The principal shipping ports are— Spalding Boston Gainsborough 6,948 in addition to Hull, Selby, and Goole, and to Lynn and Wisbeach, which, however, are rather connected with another system of railway communication. A reference to the map will show how these objects respectively are attained by the London and York, and Cambridge and Lincoln combinations. If we disregard for the present all considerations of expense, it may be considered that the London and York scheme, on the whole, presents a larger and more com prehensive system of communication. It runs a new trunk line from London to Peterborough, half way be tween the London and Birmingham, and Northern and Eastern, and thus accommodates a greater extent of country. Again, by the loop or second line from Peter borough, by way of Boston and Lincoln to Bawtry, com bined with the direct line, it traverses a greater extent of country, and places both the towns on the old North road, Grantham, Newark, and East Retford, and also Lincoln and Boston, in a continued line of comtnunica d on, which no single line could do. Also, it comprises branches direct to Sheffield and Wakefield, which place it in a better position for competing with existing lines for the traffic of the manufacturing districts to London ; and, on the whole, having 327 miles of new railway, as compared with less than 200 by the opposite combina tion, it of course traverses a greater extent of country, and thus affords greater accommodation. On the othes hand, the Cambridge and Lincoln line places Cambridge (which is by far the most important town between London and York) on the main line, and is, we think, a better local line for South Lincolnshire, running through the heart of the country, just skirting the fens in the line of the principal population, and at the head of all the principal drains and navigable cuts, while the lines of the London and York scheme skirt it on each side, and run from Boston to Lincoln parallel with an existing water communication. The question, however, cannot be considered prac tically without reference to considerations of expense. As an abstract proposition, it may be undeniable that it is desirable to extend the benefits of railway commu nication to every village and hamlet in the kingdom ; but as a practical question, the probability of a sufficient return upon the requisite capital to enable the railway to support itself in a state of solvency and efficiency, affording to the public the benefits of good accommoda tion and moderate rates, must, under ordinary circum stances, be looked upon as decisive of the question, whether a particular district can be considered to require a railway. Also when very nearly tho same objects are attained by two schemes, one of which is extremely expensive, while the other, although in a certain degree less com prehensive, is so much less costly that its promoters can afford to offer much greater advantages to the public generally than could be done by the other, it would ob viously be a sacrifice of the greater to the lesser object, to sanction the more expensive scheme, and thus impose a heavy additional tax upon the bulk of the traffic, for the sake of minor advantages. It is essential, therefore, that we should consider in some detail the probable cost of the two schemes be tween which, as we have already stated, we consider the comparison to lie. To begin with the London and York scheme. This scheme consists of the following parts : Miles. Main line from London to York; vid Hunting don, Peterborough, Grantham, Newark, and Doncaster Loop from Peterborough, by Boston and Lancas ter, to Bawtry B6 Sheffield Branch 2Ol Wakefield Branch Bedford Branch Stamford Branch 5 Minor Branches, Junctions, &c. Total 3271 The estimated capital required for the construction of this railway is 6,500,000 L, or at the average rate of 20,0001. per mile. The extreme improbability of the line being constructed for anything like this estimate must be apparent. It is true that a great part of the line traverses a country where nature presents few ob stacles to the construction of railways. The loop of 86 miles through the level parts of Lincolnshire, and along the bank of the Witham Navigation, runs nearly on the surface, and considerable portions of the main line are also of an easy character. Other portions, however, are of a very difficult and expensive character ; as, for in stance, the line for some distance north of London, the Sheffield Branch, and a portion of the Doncaster and Wakefield Branch. On the whole, the scheme has 61 miles, or 11,771 yards of tunnelling, 2 , 67 7 yards of viaduct, and about 69 miles of which the earth-works are very heavy and decidedly above an average. The comparison of the first 112 miles of the London and York line out of London to Grantham, with the 112 miles of the London and Birmingham Railway, is stated, in a document officially submitted to us, and which the parties state that they are prepared to bear out by evi• dente before Parliament, to show the following results London and Birmingham Railway-112 miles. Earth -work 14,000,000 cubic yards. Tunnels 4/ miles. Longest viaduct Ditto, greatest height London and York Railway-112 miles. Earth-work 13,000,000 cubic yards. Tunnels 4l miles. Longest viaduct Ditto, greatest height B9 „ We have not been in a position to test the accuracy of all the details of this statement ; but it appears suffi ciently established that there is no such decided diffe rence in the nature of the works upon the two lines as would warrant us in assuming, owing to this cause alone, an entirely different rate of cost of construction. It is true, that since the time when the London and Birmingham Railway was made, a much greater degree of economy has been introduced in the construction of railways. A great part of this economy, however, has obviously resulted from temporary causes, which are no longer in operation. For instance, the price of iron rails. which, at the time when the estimates for most of the railways now proposed were framed, did not exceed 61. or 71. per ton, has since risen to nearly double that amount; and from the extraordinary demand that must exist for the next four or five years, from the simulta neous construction of so many thousands of miles of new railway, both in this and in other countries, it is evident that, notwithstanding the increase that may be antio antic *. pated in the powers of production, is impossible ta, calculate upon a lower price of rails than prevailed while the London and Birmingham Railway was in course of construction. The increase of price during the last six months, upon the article of iron alone, would swell the estimate of cost for the 327 miles of the London and York Railway, by an amount not less than 500,0001. The rise in the price of almost every description of labour applicable to the construction of railways, dur ing the last six or eight months, has also b een con siderable, and where, as in the present instance, i mense works would have to be completed within a short period by the collection of lege masses of the class of men known by the appellation of " navigators,' if can hardly be expected that the cost of common earth-- work will be much below what p reva il e d d ur i ng t h e period from 1836 to 1839. In remote localities, where the additional demand for labour is less felt, or Wileb the earth-works are of such a light nature that they can be executed by the o r di na ry su rplus labour of the district, the estimates, founded upon the experience of the last year or two, may not be greatly exceeded, but upon such works as those which have been described, and in the vicinity of London, it is impossible to doubt that a very large allowance must be made on the score of increase in contractors' prices, and in the wages of labour. Notwithstanding these deductions there is no doubt that many permanent causes of superior economy axis* as compared with the period when the first great rail ways were constructed. The cott of land may reason ably be expected to be considerably less, and the ex perience which hs.s 1)o'n acquired by engineers and con tractors, and by 'the managers of railway undertakings, will enable them to avoid many sources of expenses. The saving that can be effected in the purchase of land, and in incidental and preliminary expenses cannot, how ever, exceed a small proportion of the total cost, as will