The Press.
London, England, 1853-10-29 00:00:00

MU' HY LAN E.

AN " season " hag supentesied the dramatic
performances at this theatre. Homes, tumblers, and
4. posture " groups occupied on Monday last the stage
heretofore devoted to SliSklipi`iire Saki tiustsvus
Brooke. But upon two points Mr. Smith, the enter-
prising lessee, kept his old principles of management
unchanged—ht uttered to the public the best talent
in the market ; anti he retained that monopoly of full
looses of which he alone, of all Ontry-lane managers,
during the present generation, seems to have pone.
trated and utilised the secret.
As a species of performance, the:peculiar exhibition
now presented labours doubtless under this disad•
voltage—that if petiCetion be quite as difficult of at-
tainment as in higher walks of the drama, which we
candidly admit, at all events novelty is mousier ex-
hausted. The range is so limited, and aeper-excel-
lenee, we are sorry to say, so little appreciated by the
supereir public. if a rider eau leap at full gallop
through a SrlieS of hoops, or over a certain area of
coloured ribbons, the average audience are contented
e u gh with his performance to pass almost unre-
gartled the Miens of a rival who may jump through
one more balloon or acmes an additional yard of
binning, even though the ditference may represent a
more exalted genius, developed by yearn of patient
industry. In like manner, if the ingenious gentlemen
who climb up smooth poles, loosely resting upon a
comrade's girdle, balance themselves, in the perfor•
1111111C1, entitled " La Perche." at an altitude of twenty
feet or of thirty, what do the audience care ?—though
one feat may require nothing more than the ordinary
nerve and muscle of a " climbing-boy," and the other
task the energies anti exhibit the dexterity of human
limbs to the uttermost. Yet again—when one
tumbler has thrown lorty nommersaulta in &WWI.
slurs, there is not one spectator in a thousaud who
will not think he has had enough of it, or will admire,
as it deserves to be admired, the miraculous endue
ranee of head and heck which eitablea another to
throw sixty-one, as Mr. Barnes dues, we believe,
nightly—and semetinies more. Or yet one more—
when a couple of artists, lying on their backs, have
shown that they can toss, and catch, and spin a solar
system of globes on the points of their Wets, the
wonder of the ps•rformance is very little enhanced to
the audience—whatever it may be to the performers—
it the regular spheres are exchanged fur miniature
wine casks, anti get handled, or rather footed, as
deftly.
With this drawback in his theory, Mr. Smith hats
succeeded in practice in collecting a corps of biped's
and quatintpeds, each superexcellent in their respee-
live walks, rides, child's, or gallops. Four hours are
twetipied with their performances every night, to the
delectation of thronged audienees. We have, how•
ever, three suggestions to make. First, that he
should reitiftpree lois troupe with some additional lady
etittestriatts. Aloulanue NewNitllle anti Mlle. Zatne.
son look prettily and ride well; but what are two
oolong so many? Secondly, let his clowns, espe-
cially the "deathless Tom Barry," learn to hold their
tongues occasionally ; anti, thirdly, let hint retrench
the outrageous puffing of his playbills. Fortner
lessees have, no doubt, pulled their ' blows of triumph'
before him, but they did not succeed ; and Mr.
I Smith, who has succeeded, should reform the prac-
tice altogether.

Tar. lAwsoN °awayAroav CouurrrEr. have been
making renewed exertions by applying to the nobility
gentry, and various scientific societies for assistance,
The central committee have generally doubled their
former subscriptions, but hitherto all their exertions
leave them nearly Ellin/. short of the sum stipulated
by Mr. Lawson.
I r is said that the English and French chess
clubs have mule a novel Match, to be played shortly
at the Hippodrome in Paris. A gigantic chessboard
will be marked out upon the turf. The castles will
be carried on the backs of real elephants, and every
other piece will be represented by an equestrian per-
former dressed in character. 'llse kings and queens
will be in gorgeous robes, the knights in complete
armour, and the bishops in full canonicals.
tiornicnts, ex-editor of the New Prussian Ga-
zette, who had been condemnial to detention its a for-
tress, has obtained a pardon from the King.

PARIS THEATRICALS.
(From a correspondent)
PARIS, at the emptiest and dullest time, is still ono
of the gayest and liveliest of cities; and, in like
manner, Parisian theatres, at the flattest season,
when the hest actors are starring in the provinces,
and playwrights hoard their powder for the winter
campaign, still manage to attract crowds and occupy
public attention. For Englishmen, a majority of
whom pass months, and even years, without bestow.
ing an hour's conversation or consideration on
theatrical matters, there is something diverting in
the frequent and animated recurrence to the topic
amongst all classes of society in Paris. Within forty-
eight hours after the appearance of a new piece, even
though its success Khania not have been remarkable,
everybody knows all about it—will tell you who tilled
in it—its principal points—how it was received—its
chances of retaining public favour. And pieces that
are upon the stocks, by writers of mark land point
larity, are frequently dismissed beforehanal, on the
strength of hints from the author, the gossip of the
green-room and foyer, and the revelations of read-
ing committees.
The chief theatrical topic during the last few
days has been the double drama written by Alex-
andre Dumas for the Comedie Francais. Some of
Dumas' historical dramas have been extremely sue •
cewsful, anal are still popular anal frequently played :
as, for instance, Lea bentobudies de St. eyr, which
has been acted repeatedly this year, although no
novelty. To make up, in some degree, for the loss
of attraction the theatre sustains by Rachel's (Water-
ton to the Russian, M. Dimas was applied to for a new
drama. Ile wrote one, entitled The Youth td. Louis;
Nlr., which was read to, anal approved lay, the com-
mittee of the theatre. It was not one of his happiest
efforts, anal its length was exorbitant (it would have
taken nearly five hours to act), but it was not to be
rehised in these days of dramatic dearth, when pro-
ceeding from a writer who, notwithstanding his
eccentricities and extravagances, has lumpiest' lily
a strong hold upon the French play going public.
Su Idenly, however, a report spread that the eentoirs
had forbidden the play's performance, became it
contained allusions to the Emperor's marriage.
From what 1 learn, 1&a not behesc there ever was
any actual and positive prohibition. but that N.
Artene Houssaye, the director of the a!oinklie Fran
yak, took fright—perhaps et some intimation or
inquiry from the authorities—and so the piece was
shelved. Its subject—the atlaclmlelsl of Louis X I V.,
when a young man, to the charming Maria di
niece of Cardinal Mazarioe—would cer•
taint y lend itself admirably to so yeast ns and initendoes
referring to the stran4 a anal romantie union or N apo-
I 441 111. with a young Spanish et ; hal Ilismas
has too much sense and tact to indulge in allusions
which would be fatal to his play. Neither sulky
n ar discouraged by a he Call hardly
hay.' nnlioipalcd, he dextrously seized the (ippon ti
pity to play off one of those practical pull's stud brag-
gadocio airs for which he is laillow4, and tir which we
final an example in I tr. Veron's reoently-pnblishod so
fume of mo N. Apropos of nothing in the world
:—;ierhaps to distract the reader's attention from the
int .llhe eg,4olslll aif his has ik —I let or gives, at the
II I of his first chapter, let tris from several literary
men, addressed to himself, itt the time that he was
editor of the Constantionnet. Amongst them is one
from Dumas, which, being Neu). short, I will here
quote
- - - -

" Nly dear Vi•ron.—This is how men of talent work. I
send sou 1111 pages of white impel. Vim will Inter them
stamped in one owner by your clerk. Yon will send them
me back on Thursday morning by the that train. Yon
will Mid tone eol begun when pin dine with me on
Thiers.hiv, the I Ith, and I will take it to you. finished.
when I dine with you on 'Thursday, the —Yours,
" A. DumAs."
The note which this MO expeditious genius
wrote to the direetor of the Francais, on learning that
his play must not be played, w 115 as brief anti ill its fan-
fan in a tone as the one above quoted. I t was •I'ue!=day,
be said, and he was about to commence another tive-
act drama. which should be ready for reading on the.
following Nlonday monliug. It should lie called Tehe
Youth of Louis Xl'. Of course, added he, I need
not soy that there will not be a single scene or situa-
tion in it that is to be found in The Youth of Louis
Xll'. Two or three days within the stipulated time
the work was done, and its completeness was notified
to M. lloussaye by another laconic epistle from its
author. These brief billets usually go the mutual of
t :e newspapers, making everybody laugh, agreeably
t ckling M. Dumas' insatiable vanity, and—which is
p Aatbly of some importance to him in his capacity
of a fettilletonist—keeping his name green in the
public memory. The tive acts that had been got
through in the astoni.thittglY short "Voce of four
days have since been read to the Committee of So
cianires, which decides the fate of all pieces offered
for performance on the classie boards of the Fran-
cais. The pivot of the plot is, if I do not itrentiv en'.
really historieal: and I think the idea has already
tut% mailed iu some Ereuch tale er reuumce.