Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-06-23 00:00:00

THE AMPHITHEATRE.

The Amphitheatre presented last night an unusual and
very remarkable combination of talent—Mr. B. Webster,
Mr. Wright, and Mr. Paul Bedford appeared together for
the first time, we believe, in Liverpool. Several local
causes, including some annual public festivities, interfered
to prevent the opening night of this engagement from
attracting as crowded an audience as under other circum-
stances it would certainly have done ; and the house,
although well filled, had not the overflowing benches
one might have expected to see. Each of the
principal performers received, however, that enthusiastic
greeting which their merits could not fail to call forth,
Ile performance for the night was Janet Pride, a play
which may be considered as successfuly established on our
wage, and which, although morbid and melodramatic to a
considerable extent, is filled with the striking incidents
and " moral purpose" scenes and objects which seldom fail
to secure popularity for a drama of the modern
domestic school. About a year since, Janet Pride
was produced in Liverpool, with Mr. Webster
as the leading character. It had then the
great advantage of Madame Celeste's impersoation
of Janet the mother in the first act, and Janet the daughter
in the concluding portion ; but, on the present occasion,
the appearance of Mr Paul Bedford as Black Tack, and
Mr. Wright as Dickey Trotter, formed a most valuable
addition, and something of a compensating attraction. Mr.
Webster's own acting must secure success for this drama
under any circumstances., It seems almost a waste of
power to give such artistic and finished elaboration to such
a part. A. more perfect piece of acting cannot be seen on
our stage at present. In the first act, the weak and
good-for-nothing husband, made selfish by intemper-
ance, but not wholly without glimpses of better
feeling—in the second the escaped convict, raised by the
character of his violent and dangerous career, to something
of the dignity of the bravo—in the third, the vulgarized
and depraved ruffian, in whose breast age, selfishness, and
drink have extinguished every spark of feeling —in all
these degrees of ruin Mr. Webster was equally truthful
to his part, painfully life-like in every look, gesture, and
word. If Mr. Webster's Richard Pride, be an inferior
performance to his Tartu e, the inferiority lies in
the subject, not in the artistic rendering which
the actor gives. Mr. Bedford, as the low, vulgar, London
outcast, made up of slang and coarseness, was as effective
as Mr. Wright, appeared in the character of the soft-
hearted, blundering, honest C )ckney apprentice. Of Miss
Page's performance we can speak, on this occasion, with
unmingled praise. It is not saying too much when we
pay her the tribute of admi,ting that the absence of Madame
Celeste was far less felt than one might have expected with
any substitute. Mr. Wright and Mr. Bedford appeared
in a screaming" farce called " The Terrible Tragedy in
Seven Diets," and succeeded in drowning, amid over-
flowing laughter, any painful impressions caused by the
incidents of the drama which preceeded.
Janet Pride will be repeated to-night.

NEW ZEALAND...-. 'TNT E RTAINMENT T.) THE NATIVE CHIEFS.
—By a letter from Wellington, lately rec-ived, we learn
that Captain Muldle, of the Oliver Lang, gave an enter-
tainment to the native chiefs, about forty in number,
resident in the Wellington district. They offered as their
part towards the amusement of the company to go through
the war dance, adding to it some of their old warrior songs,
Many of those chiefs, who formerly were a terror to
Europeans, are now practising the arts of peace and civi-
liz ition, and several of their sons are leading merchants
and traders in Wellington and Nelson, with good balances
to their credit at the banks. It is a remarkable fact that
near'y three-fourths of the native population of New
Zealand can read and write. (?)
CRICKET.—On Saturday last, a match was played be-
tween the first elevens of the Rockferry and Bumboro'
Pool Cricket Clubs, on the ground of the latter, with the
following result :
Rockferry—First Innings
Do. Second do

Buml)oro'—First Innings

no
... 61

Second do., with nine wickets 1 35
to fall • •

96
By previous arrangement, the match, not being played out,
was decided by the first innings, the Rockferry Club were
therefore declared winners, although, when the wickets
were drawn, the Bemboro' Pool Club had but fourteen runs
to make, and only one man out.
AN ASSAULT BY AN ATTORNEY.—Yesterday, Mr. S. H.
Goodere, an attorney, practising in the Police-court, was
summoned before Messrs Stitt and Sands, upon a charge
of having committed an assault upon a man named
Buckley. The witnesses having been ordered out of court,
the complainant stated that on Wednesday last he was
standing in Exchange-street West, when the defendant
came up to him and said, " You d—d villian, I will
have you locked up there very soon," (pointing to the
bridewell), and then he struck him a violent blow in the
side. Mr. Goodere : How often have you been bound
over to keep the peace? Winces : I object to answer
that. Are yon not now under bond to keep the peace at
Cheshire ? Witness : That has nothing to do with the
question. Mr. Wyeergh : But you are on your oath, and
you must answer. The Witness: Well, then, I am. Mr.
Goodere : His conduct to me and other attorneys
practising in this court, has been of a most pro-
voking character, and I admit that I did strike
him, but it was such a blow that would not have cracked
a flea. (Laughter) James Richardson was next called,
to corroborate the complainant's statement. Mr. Gooelere:
You see what sort of a fellow ha is, and I will not occupy
your time about it, but leave it in your hands. Toe coat-
plainant : I kept the pe ice, or I could have taken him up
and whipped his bottom with a birch rod. (Laughter.)
The bench inflicted a fine of 103 and ceste it bring clearly
proved and admitted that an assault had been committed.
AUSTRALIAN SHIPS IN PRINCE'S DOCK.—At present there
ati no less than three leviathan ships in this dock, almost
filled and filing for Australia. The John Linn, belong-
in.e to Mr. Thompson's Mersey Line of Packets, is adver-
tised to sail on the 25th. She is a very handsome ship,
with first-rate accommodation for passengers, and of which
she is, we believe, nearly full, the berths being engaged with
rapid eagerness, consequent on her character and that of
the will-known line to which she belongs. The next is
the Albion, belonging to the old-established and favourite
house of Tapscott and Co. She is advertised for the 10th
July, and no doubt will be punctual in her sailing.
The more seen of this really handsome and
attractive clipper, the more she must necessarily be
admired. For the last few days she his been
iiisnec7ed by hundreds, and there has not been the slightest
difference of oeinioa on all points connected with her.
She is, undoabtedly, amongst the foremast vessels that have
left this port, in all respects—lofty in cabins, perfect in
ventilation and light, and improved (compered with
former ships) in every way condusive to the health, con-
venience, and comfort of passengers. A visit will amply
bear out these remarks. She is a most desirable ship for
passenger'.—The next is the Florence Nightingale,
blonging to the "Eagle Line" of Messrs. Gibbs, Bright,
and Ca. Of this vessel we have spoken recently in detail.
She is set down for the 15th of July. Little need be added
to what has already been said regarding her, except that
she seems to be filling very fast, and seems to be as great a
favaurite as the splendid ships of that line have always
proved to be with the public.
Any NTURES OP LADY FRANKLIN'S BOAT:--About
fourteen mouths ago, Mr. Cunard, of Cunard, Munn, and
C )., of Liverpool, sold by auction the Sir John Franklin
expeditionary steamer Isabel, the conditions of sale being
tie .vithdrawing learn the transaction a small mahogany-
built ice-boat, which was laid down years ago under the
instructions of Sir John Franklin, which accompanied the
exoedition, and was with the party who found the
Fnnklin relics,
aul which was much prized on those ac-
counts by Lade Franklin. That baat was not included in
the s tl.o, but by slaw omission 't remained on board the
Is ,bet, and was taken away by the purchaser of that vessel,
and ultimately all clue to her whereabouts was lost. In
the meaatime Lady Psanklin, with a devotion unparal-
leled, embarks the raineant of her f trtune in a final expe-
dition in search of her husband, whom she still believes
may be rescued, and directs that this favourite boat shall
agai ). take parr in the exphr Miens. Another effort to find
it was ordered to be made. The matter was placed in the
hands of Inspector Bates, of Liverpool, who, after search-
ing isquiiies, obtains informatien from an old fisherman,
which leads him, accompanied by Mr. Johnson, a gentle-
men who can identify the missing boat, to a place called
L'anaubeira:i, about seven miles inland on the Welsh
coast, and about sixteen miles from Carnarvon. There, in
enelosere something like a pinfold, and covered with
dirt and filth, they found the little boat, in the possession
of a landsman who bad been left in charge, but who, on
having the case explained to him, made ne attempt to
resist the servant of the law. A cart was procured, and
the b at was taken to Men,i, where it was shipped in the
next steamer for Liverpool, at which latter place it arrived
on Wednesday, and was on Thxursrdiajyn.
forwarded by rail to
Aberdeen, in time to join the e petio

TELEGRAPIIIC NEWS.

[By British and Irish Magnetic Telegraph.]

FRANCE.

THE ELECTIONS.

PARIS, MONDAY NIGHT.
The opposition candidates are "elected for Paris,
viz , Cavaignac, Carrot, and Choux.
The Three per Cent Rentes closed as follows :-
68f 75c.

During the last week there has been little change
in commercial affairs. The Russian Commercial
Treaty and the new American Tariff, which comes
into operation next month, are expected to give an
impetus to trade. The silk crop in France this
year will doubtless prove more abundant than that
of last year. The vines for 20 years have not
presented so promising an appearance. The corn
markets are very dull; stocks. are limited. The
harvest bas begun in the South.

MARSEILLES, MONDAY,
The steamer Blidah has been lost at the mouth
of the Ebro. The passengers are all saved.

EGYPT

The news from Egypt is to the 13th. The
harvest is very abundant.