The Express.
London, England, 1867-02-11 00:00:00

THE JAPANESE.-ST. MARTIN'S•HALL

The newly-arrived Japanese, the jugglers and
acrobats, not the ambassadors and gentlemen who are
anxious to study English manners and the English lan-
guage, gave • " private" representation at the above hall
on Saturday afternoon, of the entertainment which they
will present to the public this evening in the same spacious
building. Belonging to a race who have only been recently
" opened up," to use commercial language, their arrival in
this country has excited unusual interest, and many people
will doubtless be willing to pay a shilling to stare at them,
apart from their talent as jugglers and acrobats. The
platform on which they exhibit is somewhat rudely fitted
up with poles and bamboo-canes, tied together with ropes,
and it is upon this scaffolding that some of the " high"
performances take place. The stage underneath is adorned
with a variety of articles of Japanese manufacture that
look like brightly coloured models of machinery. The
feats exhibited on Saturday consisted chiefly of top spin.
ning and butterfly fluttering—two essentially oriental
tricks that have often been imitated, but never equalled
by Europeans. The tricks with spinning tops are marvel-
lous exhibitions of dexterity, the tops—fashioned more
like teetotums than English tops—being hurled high in the
air, caught upon the points of canes, and made to travel
along the edges of swords and fans, and over a man's back.
The butterfly trick is quite • poetical imitation of nature ;
and it is only the acrobatic performances that fall below
the European level. One Japanese has • monkey-like
power of holding on to bamboos with his feet, but
the high tricks generally were rather clumsily performed.
It is only fair to ■ay that the " Blondin of the troupe," a
performer on the slack wire, was unable to exhibit in con-
sequence of an accident met with on board ship. The per-
formances are all conducted with Oriental coolness and
contempt for time, and are accompanied by true discordant
Japanese music. One of the children sang a song that
caused much merriment, though doubtless intended to be
serious, and there was a chorus of the charity-school
order. Several of the performers have considerable power
as actors, and the butterfly juggler's face is a study
for coolie physiognomist'. The Japanese dresses
are brilliant and peculiar, the distinction be-
tween men and women not being very strongly marked.
St. Martin's-hall is no longer the dingy collection of vaults
which it was • few mouths ago, and has been for several
years past. It is newly painted, decorated, and lighted,
and the principal entrance and grand staircase have no
equals in London, except at Covent-garden or Drury-lane.
The Japanese have fitted up the place with articles
brought from Yokohama, including paper lanterns, which
are superior in size and design to the celebrated Chinese
lanterns. The entertainment can only be continued at
this hall for a fortnight, the place having been taken for
a series of promenade concerts with novel features, by Me
F. Strange, acting for the Alhambra Company (Limited).

Usrvza.srn• Corazon, LONDON—Dr. Hodgson,
one of the members of the Council, has resigned his east
on account of his strong disapprobation of the conduct of
that body in setting aside the high claims of Mr. Marti-
neau, in refusing to call a special meeting of proprietors
in defiance of the Charter, and in appointing a professor
for the vacant chair in anticipation of the result of that
meeting. We understand that the controversy is not
settled by the fate of Mr. H. H. Hutton's motion at the
late meeting. Mr. N. D. Christie, who took a prominent
part in the recent discussion, has, we are informed, given
notice of a motion to be brought forward at the next
meeting of proprietors, when we presume the battle will
be fought over again.—initotrcr.