Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-01-11 00:00:00

PUBLIC FEELING IN VENETIA.

During the late representation of a ballet in the
theatre of Treviso, a city in the Venetian provinces, the
consummate agility and artistic feeling displayed by one
of the performers were such as to evoke the most rap-
turous expressions of applause on the part of the spec-
tators, who had gathered together in unusual numbers,
on account of the present festive season of the year,
as well as of the extreme scarcity of diversions
on the other side of the Mincio—the consequence
of the unhappy issue of political events. According
to custom, the stage was inundated with a shower
of wreaths and nosegays, proceeding from every
part of the house. The girl, whether yielding to the
impulse of the moment, or previously instructed in the
part she was to play—and the event proved her to be a
docile pupil—selected from the floral tribute which lay
at her feet three wreaths--one green, the other red,
and the third white—blended them together, and
advancink to the footlights, made graceful acknowledg-
ment of the enthusiastic plaudits of "the, multitude, and
with fervid significance pressed the -national colours to
her bosom. The effect may be well conceived. The
public responded to the .demonstration with the rapid
and spontaneous vehemened of the south. The symbol
of Italian independence was greeted with frenzied and
deafening acclamations. , Terpsichore, invested with the
attributes of Athene Poliouchos, the guardian deity of the
state, achieved a double triumph. On the following
morning the father of the girl was summoned before
the police. When, however, it was discovered that he
was entirely innocent of all complicity in the events of
the preceding night, he was dismissed with an admon-
ition for the future, and the recommendation to prevent
the recurrence of a similar scandal; by giving strict
orders to his daughter henceforth to refuse all testi-
monies of popular approbation, and remorselessly to tram-
ple under foot all wreaths and flowers that might be
thrown to her. The dancer promised obedience, and the
piece was announced for repetition. On the second per-
formance the first acknowledgment of her skill was an
enormous group of yellow immortals bound with a black
silk ribbon of conspicuous dimensions. In obedience to
her orders the girl advanced, as on the first occasion,
exhibited the black and yellow emblem to the view of
the whole house, and then deliberately placed it under
her feet. If the excitement was great before, it was
now increased a hundredfold. The outburst that fol-
lowed baffles all description, and ended in the abrupt
termination of the performances and the closing of the
theatre for the remainder of the season.

DEATH or A VETERAN.—The death of Mr. James
'Thomson, late of-the 42nd Regiment, on the 23rd nit.,
at Glasgow, has deprived us of the last of those brave
men who, under Sir Ralph Abercromby, were the first
to turn the tide of war against the. French on the plains
of Egypt. The veteran soldier lived to the ripe age of
eighty-five.—Wasgow Herald.
TREATMENT. OF WAR TROPHIES AT SWANSEA.-04
a small grassplot in front of the Town-hall of Swansea
lie two guns, trophies of the late Russian war, without
carriages or mountings of any description, and in., that
manner, they have lain for upwards of three years.
Passing through Swansea lately, I was struck with
the indifference which the compliment to the town
appeared to have met with, and learnt from an
authority on the subject 'that these guns were presented
to Swansea by the War Department, at the request
of the Mayor, on condition that they shall be propely
mounted. Instead of this condition being fulfilled, a
casual passer-by might take them for old iron, with no
more tradition attahing to them than to guns which are
planted at pavement corners in garrison towns, and but
tobsoscmuerittyowowe sohfoulledsspwreoablatbhlyt•hlaniaveslwieonardseshetio,rde
memory of those whose blood purchased them that
nrkeormwtho Nt-hiesda tbese guns at its own expense, and paid to the
respect which is its due.—Letter in the Times.
A NERVOUS PHYSICIAN.—The Civil Tribunal of
Tours was a few days ago occupied by a singular case—.-an
action brought by a physician of La Grenadiere against
one of his neighbours, of the name of Sourdie, to obtain
2,989 f. as damages for having been bitten by a dog be-
-1 longing to him, which he.conceived to be mad. It ap-
peared that as the physician was one day taking a walk,
M. Sourdie's dog suddenly rushed forward and bit him
in the leg. The physician went home in dismay, crying
out that the dog was mad, and that, consequently, he
himself was sure to die of hydrophobia: He then, with
extraordinary resolution, applied burning irons to the
part bitten, and according to his account contemplated
blowing out his brains, in order to avoid a more horri-
ble death. By the advice of his friends he-afterwards
went to Saint Nizaire, to take sea baths, but so con-
vinced was he that he would become insane that he had
himself accompanied by a keeper provided with a strait-
waistcoat I He subsequently consulted Dr, Velpeau
and other eminent physicians, and from what they
said he became somewhat calmer, but he could not
for a long time free himself from the idea that
he was destined to become mad, and that idea
was strengthened by the fact .that when on &ache
assuring him that the dog was not mad he had required
that person to allow himself to be bitten by the animal
in his presence. Sourdie had declined ! For all this
anxiety of mind, and for the expense of consulting
physicians, the plaintiff maintained that the sum he
demanded was reasonable. M. Sourdie, in answer to
the action, rerresented that the physician is well known
for his eccentricity, aßil that tile action ought not to be
considered serious. As, however, the plaintiff had been
bitten by his dog, he coffered him 214 f., which he con-
tended was sufficient. The tribunal ordered 500 f. to
be paid