The Express.
London, England, 1860-04-10 00:00:00

STRAND.

imam.

Messrs. TsMord and Byron, in selecting the
subject of the Leese berlasqus for this theatre, have wisely
chasm ass while ma SO wooly wound the leasibilities of the
mast sansitive. Mis eld-fashioned melodrama of which
The Miller and Mt Men is a fair specimen belong; to what
may he naiad the skswgisi and antis( school, and newts

The entertainment at this theatre commenced
with The Oweapkwy, ia which Mies Elsworthy, who made
her Ant appearsum sines her return from America, sus-
tained the character of the Palma Lady 0044 thin
with much eclat Bat the great feature of the evening was
the Ant appearance at this theatre of Sir William Don.
He remanded Twinkle Toad's in The Toadies, and
Cousin Joe in the Rough Dkilluned, in both of which cha-
rlatan lie literally kept the house in a roar. He has been
=appal, se the playbill informs as, for twelve night., and,
if we may judge from his retios lest night, we should
I think be will be a great attraction, rot only from the cir-
i munstance of its being a rarity to me a sal lls 1ft11.7111 Min

name... trelilled.

ASTLEY'S.

In reaming the seine of management, after as
hewnl of several years, Mr. Batty has, at the outset,
given an assurance to the public that our efficient metro-
iitan—it may almost be called our national—circus dual
resume the high position in popular favour which it held
during the first half at least of the present century. Since
the termin►tion of Mr. Cooke's lease the theatre has been
entirely redecorated and renovated. The gilding has been
restored, the draperies renewed, the fronts of the
loxes have been enriched by additional medallions
End baccelief groups appropriate to the speciality
of the house—and which thrown up, as they
*ens, open a delicately green•tinted ground, picked
eat with red, white, and gold—give a rioh and at the same
Maas an agreeable light aspect to the entire proscenium.
?be general appearance is further improved by a very band•
ems central chandelier, and by the substitution of glass
lustros for the orchestra side lights.
The opening piece with which last night Fester tide was
ushered in is an English version of an equestrian drama,
which at Franooni's, or at the Cirque Imperial, in Paris, is,
we believe, just now attracting considerable attention—
L'Histoire dun Dropeau. The English title is a literal
translation of the French, and is of itself almost a sufficient
bdication of the nature character and incidenta of the drama.
the History of a Flag is an Astleyan account of the wan
and victories of Napoleon the Great during the Consulate,
the Empire, and down to the return from Elba, and as
such affords ample scope for the display of the peculiar and
varied resources of this establishment. Mr. Holloway,
Mr. George Belmore, and others of the principal performers,
were called before the curtain to receive the reward gene.
rally awarded to favourite performers at the fall of the cur-
tain when the audience are more than usually satisfied with
their exertions. Mr. William Batty, too, the lessee, was
compelled, in obedience to loud and long-continued calls o
make hie bow in front of the curtain, in acknowledgment of

the congratulations of his patmns on his successful effort in
catering for their amusement.

The ;cones in the circle were worthy of Miley's mintiest
days, the Mist equestrians being Macs. Berg, Monet,
and Marie, eml Herr Fernando,from the continental cirques
and amcmplifirall.known and established favourites, Mr. H.
Williams and Jonathan Jack, Messrs. Charles Watson and
Thorne, as the clowns of the ring, promise to uphold the
character of the hones for that species of humorous ac-
companiment to equestrian performances which time-
hemmed custom has mad. almost a neoessity.

BRUIN! Muszum.—Long before 4 o'clock up-
wards of 15,000 persons had entered the building
and perambulated some of its various departments,
and by five—the hour for closing—the total amounted
to not far short of 30,000, the gratification with
which such a vast aggregate must be viewed being en-
hanced by the fact, testified to by the officials, that
the utmost decorum marked the behaviour of the visitors,
without a single known exception. The only perceptible
' drawback was the difficulty which the juvenile portion of
the mass found in quenching their thirst at the handsome
recently-erected drinking fountains under the colonnade,
the flow of water and the capacity of the chaste drinking
goblets being quite inadequate to meet the incessant demands
upon them.
Tat Cotoesztris.—The Easter entertainments at
the Cob-swam are, as has been before intimated, of the
mast varied character, and the assemblage yesterday
attested that this place has lost nothing in popular estima
teen by the lapse of time. The lessee, Dr. Bachhoffner,
has indeed done much to revive and strengthen the reputa-
tion of the establishment, and the spectators and audience
of yesterday, more particularly in the evening, showed a
lively appreciation of the efforts made for their gratifica-
tion. The new drawing-room entertainment, How for the
Holidays, in which Miss Kate and Miss Ellen Terry afford
fresh illustrations of their histrionic talent, is especially
successful. The dissolving OMStill fonn a JZ.Qinent
felilift to the amusements, Ana what may be termed the
promenade portion of the programme maintains its wonted
attractiveness. The visitors of yesterday, though some-
what inconveniently numerous, were good-humoured and
delighted.

IiI7117011.1)98 PANOILUIA.—A picture of Venice has
been recently added to Mr. Burford's Panorama, supplying
the place of the View of Benzes, which has been with.
drawn. The view is taken from the Plasm of St. Mark
during the carnivaL Of the execution it need only be said
that it is in the best style of the artist of this establish-
ment. Both on Saturday and yesterday numbers of per-
sons visited this exhibition.

POLYGRAPHIC HALL—Nothing could be more
indicative of the increased popularity of the Christy's Mln•
strele th►n the numerous attendance, and the warm expres-
sions of delight evinced by ooe and all present yesterday
evening. The programme presented no novelty, the res-
pective members of the company having only some well
known and favourite pieces assigned to them. Mr. Collins
was exceedingly humorous in " The Gal in Blue" and " Kiss
me Quick and Go ;" and Mr. Wilson's effective rendering of
"Be kind to thy Father" wee certainly the gem of the
evening. The "Sleigh Polka," as performed by the
Christy's for upwards of 1,400 times, concluded the first
part, after which "La Manola" was very cleverly bur-
lesqued by Messrs. Howard and Collins, and the entertain-
ment concluded with "A la Jullien." We observe that
this is the farewell season of the Christy's in London, and
most cordially do we recommend all these who have not
seen them to do so without delay.

ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, RIGINT'S PAR[.—The
popular collection of the Royal Zoological Society, gene-
rally amongst the most successful of holiday exhibitions,
has this year attracted even more of public notice than
usual. Whether or not the portrait of the Salamander,
whose ugly effigy figures in last week's lUtsWrated News,
tended to stimulate curiosity, it would perhaps be diMealt
to say ; but yesterday afternoon the walk; spacious as they
are, were quite thronged.

CIALIARY or liamerearios.—A fair share of
patronage wee accorded to Mr. and Mrs. German Reed yes-
terday, when their popular illustration, Our Home Circuit
and Sea Side Skekhee, were received in a manner that
evinced the greatest satisfaction on the part of the audiee ce.
and must have been gratifying to the performers.

MKILTINO or SUNDAY SCHOOL CHILDZIN. -YOB-
- the annual meettmng of teachers and children of
various metropolitan Sunday schools took plans at the
,
Surrey Chapel, Blackfriare-road, when most impreeuve
address was delivered by the Rev. Newman Hall to the
assembled congregation. The children, amounting to ninny
hundreds, looked in the beet health, and were respectably
dressed. The precision of their singing was of the first
order, and reflected great credit on their teacteers.ed The
juveniles were conveyed from • distance by co r vans
and ouutibuaes, and seemed heartily to enjoy their r
trip.

foORDORIP then proceeded,to " The Army and
Navy,' with a glowing and et 'recapitulation of the
briftert deeda of both servlosia - 'Waring glowed at the
flonness which British soldiers Mad sailers had displayed in
the Crimea, in /mdia, and still more recently in China, his
lerdship ooncluded by oohing , In connexion- With the toast,
his So* Hightails Oemunialr•in-Chief.
The Di& of role to return thanks, aid wag
received, wikioud and rooarol cheering. His Royal
nees mid— Lord Mayor, ladies and gentlemen,—l rise tO
reepand to • tort which has fort bees given from Nub
chair, oa the part of the army n 4 also for mypart ilidioi•
dually. I harithe eniatost pleasure in responding for the army,
for although I am itrworeinel lid, I may be petruittedjaomm
wiNK_4l"o,l_ MS'

pulst ni77treikl7,7;ol leje lain ittr, mesas:
ilm Ingdp• , liar.) It bee liddll the babied
adtik sums prom maul° flag ths sort of kb* aidase
bnlers eaotry hr always done us the justice to
Ihni*lhi its Wien were tined upon to shosrwhat
amddidlo Is the held tiny have always coma up to tits eras
gestatices of their fellow-chasms. (Cheers.) each is the
Mb* of the army at the present moment, and I Wipe It will
ensillass long hi &Mate of equal ea.:Macy, so W &Brays to
gomcce compliment& of so greiil3* Virim
es those which have just been paid by • orpl:
alp. Believe me that such encouragemen tetd
it • Vela mesenre to keep up in our soldiers
thet high spirit without which the army cannot sustain its
high reputation. Our soldiers, when stationed in
bad", look back to their own to see how their
are estimated—in short, to learn'.' what they think of as ki
home." (Loud cheers.) That feeling produces a most ben&
Mal effect. I can assure you, upon all ranks in the armyand
navy. lam on the present ocession addressing • large and
important assembly, few of whom arepersonally contemned
with either the army or navy bat all will agree with the
Lord Mayor that the hosphafity of occasions like the pre-
sent, and the riches by which it is maintained, owe much af
their abundant character to the army and. navy, which give
us that security in which we live, and work, and enjoy
ourselves from day to day, and from hoar to hour.
Under their protection our skips go to every part
of the globe, and gB every sea ; and without that protection
neither the trade nor the commeree of this mighty empire
could thrive for a single day. I trust that that security
may ever continue, but believe me that its permanency
will depend on a continuance of that liberality which as
absolutely necessary for the maintenance of the two ser-
vices. You must not relax your exertiona, or else that
security which is the life-blood of this great empire must at
once be diminished. You are a great and important empire ;
you are at the head of civilisation, and give the tone to the
rest of the world. We have maintained that position, and
we ought to maintain it, and it is in this sense that I venture
to express my hope that you will never allow yew two
great services to be neglected. (Loud cheers.) No doubt
the maintenance of an army and navy is an ex-
pensive thing, but much of that expense arises from the
improvements and inventions of modern times. It is a na-
tural consequence of the march of intellect and of the new
intelligence which is so rapidly expanding in every part of
the world. The facilities for locanetion in railways, ships,
and steamers, all give us great advantages, but they entailperpetual expenses. Nobody is better able to appreciate
such facts than our merchant', and they know further
that these circumstances tend (heady to alter our position
with reference to the rest of the world. Formerly, the
fact of our being an island was the guarantee for our security,
but, although I trust that that security may be continued,
still I must not disguise the fact that modern ohmmeters's'
call for modern vigour and completeness in all our measures
for defence. Nothing can be more lamentable than a con-
stant succession of panics, and nothing more expensive,
whereas a judicious and at the same time ample expendi-
ture will be found to be the most economical system in the
end. (Hear, hear.) I hope I shall be forgiven for making
these few observations, but before I sit down I wish to ex-
=a:ly sense of the admirable spirit which has been
in this country in the ripe development of the
volunteer movement. (Loud cheers.) I think that that
movement, if well • caa be made a most valuable
adjunct to the ar army, but will depend upon the
meaner in which it is carried out. If it take the position of
an auxiliary to the army and navy, nothing can be better;
but if, on the contrary, it be relied upon to displace the
standing fumes of the country, the result will be much to
be deplored. (Hear, hear.)
Admiral W•worr returned thanks for the navy.
The Duke of CAMBRIDGE gave "The Health of the Lord
Mayor," with an appropriate eulogium, to which
His LORDSHIP returned thanks, and gave "The House of
Lords."
The Bishop of iltoccrsren returned thanks.
The LORD MAYOR gave "The House of Commons," which
Mr. LINDSAY acknowledged in a few appropriate °beer-
' rations.
After which the remaining toasts were disposed of, and
the company adjourned to the drawing-room.
The band of the Royal Marines, under the direction of
Mr. Winterbotham, played in the vestibule during the
evening. Mr. Brown was the toastmaster.