The Express.
London, England, 1864-12-10 00:00:00

THE CHRISTMAS NOVELTIES AT THE
THEATRES.

(From the Era.)

For many weeks past the managers of the London
theatres have been busily preparing the entertainments to
which the holiday-makers so anxiously look forward at
the Christmas season. On the present occasion the expendi.
tare has been even greeter than in former years.
HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE will have a pantomime fur-
nished by Mr. H. J. Byron, who has expanded the nursery
legend of the Lion of Windsor fighting for the Crown into
a burlesque opening, which will have the assiatance of Mr.
George Honey and a strong body of vocalists for its inter.
pretation.
The ROYAL Diann OPERA bas a pantomime furnished
by the Brothers Grinn, and produced under the immediate
superintendence of Mr. A. Harris, with greet are and cost.
It will be entitled Cinderella; or, Harlequin and the
Magic Pumpkin and the Great Fairy of the Little Glass
Slipper. Mr. W. H. Payne has, of course, the principal
character in the opening, and the scenery, by Mr. T. Grieve,
is unusually elaborate. The famous one-legged dancer,
Donato, appears in the harlequinade, for the lint time in
this country.
Dacar•LsrE 'Nunn, as usual, is supplied by Mr. E.
L. Blanchard, who has treated the story of Hop o' My
Thum?, and his Eleven Brothers in an entirely new manner.
The principal characters in the opening will be represented
by Master Percy Roselle, Miss Lydia Thompson, Mr. G.
Belmore, Miss Helen Howard, Mr. Tom Matthews, and
Mies Hudapeth. The scenery and effects, by Mr. William
Beverley, are said to be exceedingly striking, and Mr. Ro-
bert Hokin secures the excellence of the stage ►rraange.
menu. The fantastic and artistic designs of Inkwynk7n
will add to the humour of the induction. Morning per.
formances will be given every day following Boxing Night
for the remainder of the week.

The HAYMAN= has a fairy burlesque by Mr. H. J•
Byron, founded on a story by the ()mama d'Auluois, not
hitherto made use of for stage purposes, and which will
embrace the whole strength of the company.
The LYCEUM will have a new craned drama in which
Mr. Fechter will perform, and a revival of the oelebrated
drama of Ro,..rre Morally, in which that accomplished actor
will represent the hero, originally played by the celebrated
Frederic Lemaitre.

The PunEns's continues the run of The Streets of
London, followed by a brief extravaganza.
The OLYMPIC is supplied by Mr. Burned with a clas-
sical Burlesque called Cupid and Psyche.
The STRAMD has The Gnu Bashes, a burlesque by Mr.
H. J. Byron on the old Adslphi drama.
The Anr.LPUI is also supplied by Mr. Byron with a
burlesque on a classical subject.
The ST. Jauns's will re-opeo, under Mils Herbert's
management, with a new classical burlesque by Mr. W.
Brough, founded on the mythological story of the "Labours
of Hercules."

AsTLET is catered for by Mr. Greenwood, who has in-
pelmety attached a remarkable story to " Jack Sprat,"
of nursery memory.
The SURREY is historical, and Richard Czur dc Linn is
likely to figure in an entirely novel form.

The Vlcroula has the marvellous Baron Ifunchauseu for
its hero.

The New ROYALTY continues its popular extraysganita of
Snowdrop.
Semmes WELLS is provided by Mr. Millward with a
local subject, uniting the history of Sir Hugh Myd.lelton
with the Bailiff's Daughter of Islington.
The MARTLEBONZ takes the Bronze Horst for its title
and the other the►tres have pantomimes in preparation
which seem likely to absorb all the names left in story-book
and nursery rhyme.

The associated societies of the Edinburgh Univer-
sity held a meeting on Thursday night, in the Societies
liall College, for the purpose of nominating candidates for
the office of honorary president, which is at present held by
the Lord Advocate. The candidates proposed were the
Duke of Argyll, Sir Archibald Alison, Dr. John Browne,
Lord Ardmillan, Professor Christian, sad Dr. Samuel
Warren. The election takes place on the 20th inst.

The number of the Publishers' Circular just
issued mobiles specimens of the illustrations in the Dew
Christmas books, and a very valuable summary of literary
intelligence.

The Poet 'Aureate, we (Rcadcr) hear, lately
read " Maud" before a select and very limited audience in
London.

An almost perfect example of the great Auk
(Aim impcnais), in a mummy state, has been forwarded
to the British Museum by the President of the Nova
Scotian Institute of Natural Science.

Gibson, the sculptor, says of the newly-found
Hercules :—"lt is the most beautiful work of art in Rome,
It made me melancholy the whole of the day after I bad
seen it, to think that, after the labour of a life, I bad
made such alight approaches to the perfection of the
master-band which had executed that work."

The Popular Concerts are announced to com-
mence on the 16th of January.

A new society, the Beethoven Society, advertises
its intention of giving eight Saturday evening concerts
during the winter ; the evenings "to be chiefly, but not
exclusively, devoted to Beethoven's compositions."

On the 3rl ult., Samuel Brooke Kemble, mid-
shipman of her Majesty's ship Orlando, second eon of the
Rev. Charles Kemble, rector of Bath, a lad of 15, was
drowned, together with seven other officers and four men,
by the capsizing of the ship's cutter. in Tunic Bay.

" Roy-al and illustrious personages," writes a
Paris correspondent, " are rapidly losing the association of
mystery end sublimity in Paris. The facility of travelling
brings us weekly kings, and princes, and celebrities from all
quarters of the globe, who turn our hotels into a court for
st►te receptions. At the present moment the Hotel du
Louvre is occupied by the famous General Tom Thumb.,
After threading your way through servants and officials,
you find yourself in the reception room. Here the general
stands with his back to the fireplace, accompanied by his
little wife and sister-in-law, a lady 24 inches high. At the
other end of the room is a nuns, who holds the infant
offspring of the little couple, a doll child of one year old.
I took the liberty of reminding the general that be had
reached the extreme height of all ordinary distinction and
wealth ; that there was now nothing to aim at but a throne.
We had a difficulty in finding kings in theme days—Would
he accept a moms ! 'Yea, sir, I'm perfectly prenatal for
that busload's,' said the little men. Heroines of his lords in
waiting broarbt the generals telegraphic despatch from the
director of the Crystal Palace, near London, and I am
happy to inform your readers that the general end his
family will armed to that magnificent royal palace and
' maim' than daring the Christmas holidays,'