The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-03-17 00:00:00

OPERATIC PROSPECTS

Since the burning of Covent-garden Theatre, all sorts
of rumours have been rife respecting the chances of an
Italian Opera Company in London. during the ensuing
season. Covent-garden Theatre is destroyed. The real
old Opera House—her Majesty's Theatre—exists, and the
simple plan is to make it available for the performances
of Italian Operas, and of the beautiful ballets, for which
it was distinguished before the C)vent-garden scheme was
thought of. This seems to be the plan all the more
feasible, inasmuch as every attempt at a substitute has
failed.
We learn that Mr. Buckstone declined Mr. Gye's
overtures for the possession of the " Little Theatre in the
Haymarket," which he has resolved to open on Easter
Monday. He has wisely resolved to keep faith with the
public, and with his company, and to keep his friends
before and behind the curtain together for many future
successes of his own. The Lyceum and Drury-lane are .
also deeply engaged. presses. If an Italian Opera
be a London necessity—as it has been for many years—it
behoves all interested in her Majesty's theatre to look
about them, and to make " a long pull, a short pull, and
a pull altogether, to make available once more the finest
building, and the most appropriate situation, for the
representation of those performances which have delighted
the fashionable and musical circles of London for many
successive years.

The celebrated Bowyer Bible, in 45 folio volumes, and
containing 6,000 engravings, was sold by auction at Bolton,
on Thursday, and bought by Mr. -Heywood for £550.
nytivra OF LORD BOSTON.—We regret to announce the
demise lath e venerable Lord Boston, who expired on Wed-
nesday s, at his seat, Hedsor, Bucks, in the 79th year of
his age. Lord Boston is succeeded by his eldest son, the
Hon. George Ives Irby, who married, in 1830, the daughter
of W. H. Hopkinson Northey, Esq., of Oving House,
Bucks.
SUICIDE BY A SAVINGS BANK ACITARY.--MIICh excite-
ment has been occasioned in Crickhowell, Glamorganshire,
by the following melancholy affair. A few days ago the
directors of the Crickhowell Savings Bank discovered that
their actuary, Mr. Edward Burfield, ironmonger and hard.
wareman in that town, had appropriated various deposits to
his own use, and to cover his abstractions bad made a
number of fraudulent entries in the books. A warrant was
issued for his apprehension, and placed in the bands of
Inspector Gregory, who, upon going to the shop, and telling
Mr. Burfield his business, was told by the latter that he
would follow him directly to the magistrates' office. He
then went up stairs as though to fetch his hat and coat, but
immediately afterwards the report of fire-arms was heard.
Running up stairs, the inspector found Burfie'd in a dying
state, he having shot himself in the head with a pistol. He
died in about an hour.
RENTERS or COVENT•GARDEN THEArRE.—At the meet-
ing of the renters and proprietors of the late Covent-
garden Theatre, held on Saturday, the pecuniary position
of the property was most clearly and lucidly explained by
Mr. Surman, on behalf of the body of proprietors. The
resolution to which the proprietors had come was, that
seeing the heavy incumbrances on the property, amount-
ing to not less than £5,000 a year, and the small margin
which existed for profits, they would not be parties to
any attempt to reinstate the building, and that their only
anxiety was to get rid of the property, leaving it to the
Duke of Bedford to retake possession of the land. It was
also stated that there was ground for believing that the
land on which the theatre formerly stood would be appro-
priated by the Duke of Bedford to the enlargement of
Covent-garden Market, which was at present very much
in want of increased space in order to accommodate the
amount of business that was required to be transacted
there on market days.
ATTEMPT TO STAB LADY CHANTRY.--A young woman,
named Marin Daniells, one of the chambermaids at the
Pier Hotel, Was charged before the magistrates at Brighton,
on Friday, with attempting to stab Lady Chantry, relict of
Sir F. Chantry, the eminent spulptor. It appeared that the
prisoner had been some time in the establishment, and was
generally well conducted. Recently, however, it was
observed that she had somewhat changed in her manner,
but nothing serious was apprehended. In the course of
Thursday morning she was in ono of Lady Chantry's rooms
cleaning it up, her ladyship. being also in the apartment,
when another domestic hearing screams went into the room
and found the prisoner in an excited state with a cheese
knife in her hand. After some struggling it was got from
her, and then it was ascertained that she had attempted
to stab her ladyship, whose dress was cut in several places.
The bench remanded her, in order that she might
undergo medical examination. The attack has had a
serious effect upon Lady Chantry, who is upwards of 70
years of age.