The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1869-02-16 00:00:00

MILITARY AMATEUR THEATRICALS.

The Dramatic Cleb of the Mk Company Royal
Engineera gave the first of their drainatic nights et the
Wevrocuch, on "riteaday het, by the kind
permission of Colonel BelArild, and under the patronage
of the officers of the garriaori. The &Merman intustrate
basing a concert on the some evening might have
somewhat interfered with the attendance being quite
U numerous no it derierved ; but there iiraa a good
henna Among ikon present ware C. 1. T. Hanibro,
Req., M.P., Capt. Bennett, Mr. nod the Misses Whalley,
the Mines lanes, Kr. Coedell, Lieut. Hajar, &E.,
Lent. &nun, LB.,

The eveeing's entertainment commenced with John-
stone's drama of "The Gipsy Farmer ; or, Jack sad
Josh's Brother," which ws. pet upon the hoods in
grand style. The biggest villain in the piece is Abel
dosimr C. Thomas, wbo is Imps/sadly an honest
and inds.tr.ons farmer, but in reality.. bold • smuggler
as ever sailed wider false colour., end the roof of wholes
barn covers more kegs than eorn. Meet kis. a soft plows
In his heart, end • desperate pession for Margaret Cobb,
" Miss" Abbott, th• daughter of Christopher Cable, Co..
poral Turner, a megistress who over limns bop's side.
Alfred, a mate in the Royal Navy, is the favoured lower
of the heroine, and Abel plots that she most be curled
off. The first semis opens by a moonlight meeting row
lloat Marsor.boase, or two virgin aimed Mork sad
Matthew, whom Abel Allnut, who unites to his
character. of former and smuggler that of a e'er bribes
to abduct Margaret and carry her on board- the lugger.
He is scaraely gene when Joe, the orphan found -in •
haystack, spleen with • hare he barn "found," end
they are about to take it away when rodeen),
Appian Jack, and senile them flying. By-and-bye
Alfred, Jack's yo nnnnn brother, but superior oMcer,
joins the party, when the discomfited roamss return
with a crowd of dishonest ;pixies to rob the sailors ;
but their parpose Is defeated by memo, the °in.,' Queen (" Moo" Milbsoki. The nest amine shows Jesk
nuking love to 'Lary ILartinsb, Itergeret's pretty maul
(" Miss" Heindatoe), which is amusing, sad another
love wow follows between Alfred Lad Margaret, very
sentimentally played by Sapper Falkeer and Sergeant
Abbott; bus alas! lovers' stoles interviews cian't last,
sod they are interrupted by Mr. Cable, who, so far
from being amorously inclined, only want. the creature
oundorts of coffee and buttered toast, before be hurries
of to his °Jerk, Luke HetAeld, who is waiting for the
'lamination of Joe, caughtby two mantillas asleep
with • bare under his head. This sfforde an opportenity
for Mr. Cable to donenesss the game laws and deplore
hie bud fate in being made a ineguarate, while soma,
remarks of limy cell forth the following highly own-
mendable remote from Mr. Bettleld :—" Woman!
Nature'. brightest gem I In the boor of adversity
man's Arm and fondest friand—in prosperity his pride
and boast I The heaven.goot messenger to sheer him
on his rough road! Though weak in body strong in
mind to serve and to save I The first to sad, th• last
to leave; as mother, wife or sister, pilot through life's
Hovey ma l" This beret of &Nimes, delivered con
amen by dapperGolding,wasof cosine reoeived with int.
mea•• applause. dapper Thompson capitally portrayed
the abasokl* timid urpluis before tbs bench, and Corp.
Turners, uttered • mean of hard hits 1,1 the
inhumaaity of pariah uffidalls, which, if report he tree,
some of the" guardian." in London union." might talus
to bawl. Sappers Itiin and Iroise dii th, eonetables
both funny and stolid, sod after Jack be. paid the flue
ler Joe, Luke Hatfield thus delivers biasedf ex
adAtiirel concerning the inertia of our jolly tars.
w Liam while the battle rises, Lambe when th• Agit is
en to st.la fearless, arid feitbfal at duty's
sill; the nation's honour—the nation's boast, Beigiend
easy well be proud of the hardy sons of the soirgirt
r Toill which the audience and vs sold and say
ititto witii all our hearts. Mina all this la going est
the time approach.' for Alfred sed Margaret be meat la
the wood; but, sad fate await• them. Merge:set is seised
by the muggier gipeiee and Alfred offering resistsnee is
shot, The second art opens upon Margeret`e father and
the arrant mod wonderteg at Margervt's abeam, and
Jest( arrives astonished litho brattier beteg also missing ;
but the natural belief that they had is, away logottier
is rather shakes by Joe, who has found Allred's
handkerchief stained with blood, and the two
"'mu' the Must Manor house. In another
room of this poor Mergers, has to beer the
offer of marriage from MMus, who"' it"' """ and hates; but her misery is inaroaded by the thought
that her Alfred is dead sad she is is the villain's pooer.
Fortunately he is called away by • signal from the
lugger, and her brutal gaoler, Matthew, thiaking to
add to her wretchedness by showing her the more of
her lover, to her mistime Sb. dia•ovors that, though
badly wounded. he is alive. As Matthew attempt. to
hush his wort, in bursae the atilt, mad a light MUM ;
but that eyed' lunicroae ogees" onion In a manner
sreetb, of Joe—by She Hilmar*. More onagglowe join
In the &ht, and as the other side oat asses a peel, of
seem fro by Lake HeMs* she esesSeSeeee. aid ihe

Gipsy Queen. Batasld gate mortally wounded Woe
the smuealere surrender, and (mamma that ho, in
revenge for wrong done by a former lurd of Moat Manor
to his sister, stole the rich man'e OM and placed him
with the fisherman, suppo•ed father of meted, to tbit
the mate is heir to the Manor hams and estate. Mary
Maybush agree' to marry Jack, and there is a grand
tshieen. Coml. Jenkins wig every Birth &sailor according
to et•ge ideas, and rattled out nautical phrases with a
gusto and persistency that smacked strongly of the brine.
while the Orphan, who greatly oontributed to the "go"
of the piece, was most humorously played by Sapper
Thompson, who Was the favounte of the mediate., his
every .pweersooe being hailed with roars of 'emitter
and wpieteso. Sappers Boyd and Taylor Made
two wipitel ripsy ruffian% and well sustained their
ehareeters of bravoes. Sergeant Abbott most admir-
ably acquitted " heeseelf in the very difficult part of the
heroine, sad her passionate appeal to Annul when is his
power was a first class Sift* of acting, while her Maga.
meal and delight at diseoverfog her lover WU quite life.
like. Sapper Henderson as Wary Mayhnali made • fine
young woman, something worth making love to ; she
was •prightly and attractive and her tones and deport-
ment very becoming • good girl. Corporal Milbank. in
onetime is the ruined Mailso, displayed oonsiderable
tragic power, and in her argument with her brother,
Luke Hatfield, brother and sister equally appeared torn
with agony and remorse. flapper Golding also, in the
other scenes in which this character appears, ably per-
formed a part which requires more than usual study and
ear.. Sapper Falkner as Alfred nieely represented a
sailer • at-p higher than eommon—fond of the sea, but
not demist it neess.ary to show it in every motion
and phrase:. Corporal Turner kept with talent the
gravity contending with kindliness of Bogliind's Great
Unpaid. Sapper Thorne' was alternataly rough or
winning as the fliPsee Farmer and Margaret's
suitor, and concluded with a good grace at last
Our military friends, by the aristanee of Mr. Nathsa,
perruquier and costumier, dressed egmedingly well,
there being enoneh of brilliancy withoet showiness being
oventrained. The piece received great' applause, and
the whole of the performers were resealed.
- -

• -
Corporal Hitching, then performed a fink solo "My
Pretty Jane," coomposed tor the oocasion, which wee full
of tender melody, and also "Long, long, ago." aad his
artistic performance was loudly applanded and sneered.
The after•piam was "A Reamets, under DifSeeitles."
Mr. BurnanWs faro, is a dem trille, the fen arising
from the love-etruck Fred Markham climbing into the
apartment of the would-herounintio Dinka, who has
fallen in love with • shadow,•acd serenades the lady with
a tromboue. The lady meek Markham by appointment
in the saute room, but her father imbibes her with
Diules, while Merkhara is secreted Iseei. Ssept. Abbitt
who thoroughly entered into Mee entre of lb wt,
ispitally burlesqued the desperate attempte of Diggles
to make • sensition, which, however, are marred by an
unreinantie cell, and an streams:A to pickles. The
sergeant's versatility was something astonishing, for
there was not the slightest sign of the lovely and loving
damsel which he represented in the lint piece. His
comicality, agility, and flexibility of body and voice .•
were really unprepared for, end his ooriddences to the
andienes were done in excellent style. The humour
that he infused into the veriest trifles, snob as the doleful
failures with the trombone, the seines in and outside the
window, the dialogue, with the other characters, and
the pickles, would have made • mach weaker piece
succeed. Corporal Lewis made a rattling good•lo.lring
Markham; the "stern parient" came out well under the
able treatment of Sapper Lyle ; and by no mews least
was Sapper Henderson, as Fanny, the heroine. The
band of the company under Corporal Flitehings well
supplied the made, tiring several favourite pieties. The
entertainment altogeter met groat approval, end we
fully anticipate still greater success on Thursday night.

Boaouoa Prrn Szetuors, Mooday.-13sfore the
Mayor (J. Tisari, Seq.), Lod W. Talbot, Kr%

Mona, Mullett, Newport, Isle of Weight, hawker,
sad NalAnniei Drummoad, of Cumberland, miner, were
charged with hewing two cotton dresses in their pa..
session and not giving a satisfactory &avant how they
sung by the MIRO, at Ifelcombe Rep; on February 6.
P.C. Apse said that on Sstarley. about 11, be went to
the Fort:won't Retreat, St. Tliossas-mreet, where be saw
a bundle in the posseesioe of Mullett. It contained the
two dresses produeed, and on hie adingthow he setae by
them, they retailed to satisfy hint, and he brought
Mullett to the station. Drumesood followed i.nd said
they were him, and warms detained him also. They
then said the dreesee were given to them at Portland;
bat he mould not lind that any one hal giverepritoners the
dr...ma—There being no evidence of stealing the dresses,
prisooers were discharged.

Chriatopher Gibbs. of Portland, labourer, was charged
with stealing 5Ve quarts of beer and eve sigma from the
Bmt lon, Weymouth, the property of George Gulliver,
valued at Ja.—Mr. Gulliver, landlord of the Boot Inn,
said that prisoner bad been in his employ is ostler. Last
evening about half-past elves vette..e was sitting in the
bar, when he heard the pipes in the cellar rattle, and
got • light and went dowa. There he found Gibbs
drawing the beer. He had unscrewed the pips that
led to the engine in the bar, and drawn between seven
and eighi quarts of hear, witness should think, from the
barrel into the jag produced. Prisoner had no right to
draw the beer, and on being asked what busies.s he had
there, said he mine down to see that it wee all right.
Waimea had sent him down a little before to alter the
optic; bet be had nothing to do with the pipe. The
hoer was worth ball-a-crown. Some sitars had also Men
stolen from him.--Crom-etamined Hod told prisoner
to go down and "stop" the ale.—Job Short, was in
Mr. Galliver's about omen, and • abort time afterwards
beard the cellar pipet rattling. He accompanied Mr.
Gulliver to the collar, and saw Gibbs in the act of
rionneeting the pipe with the cask, sari near him was •
large jug them-puts full of beer. with the froth on it,
as If it bad just been drawn. Gibbs was tipsy at the
Amp. almost too much to know what he was saying.
Army took prisoner, in
.eastody. aad took
ii.onie cigars on the prisoner, which eking.. took laacas,,
st.elßoot fen and found that a taw of the same /kart
hose bees taken from a bundle.—Prisoner said that he
wished the magistrates to settle the matter, and
admittef having stolen the cigars, but not the beer.
When Mr. Gulliver told him to stop the ale he was
drunk, and fell soros a piece of wood and disooneested
the pipe, on which he put the jug under the emir to
octet the waste. The jar was kept down in the collate
keep the "bermes" in.—Mr. Short admitted that the
jar was used as • waste jar.—The Bench said he had
pleaded guilty to stealing the cigars, and they had beard
his tale about the beer, and wipe inelieed to give credit
to it. He must have gone to tlis bar to steal the cigars, .
and would be imprisoned for 14 days.