Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-12-19 00:00:00

:PRUSSIA.

BERLIN, FZIDAY.
Diplomatic relations will, it is now believed, be
resumed. very► shortly with the Swiss Confederation

FRANCE.

PARIS, FRID.IY Maur;
The reduction in the rat• of discount has in-
spired confidence. The Three per Cent. Rentes
closed at 67f. 20c.

PUBLIC AMUSEMENTS.

TRIIATRI ROYAL.
The Arnpitheltre company have transferred their
ser►ices to this theatre, while the former is being fitted up
for Ws reception of an Equestrian Company riving the
Christmas holidays. The aew comedy of the " Victims,"
by Mr. Tom Taylor, was produced but night and Thursday
night, and in a manner which would have done credit to
any theatre, even in the metropolis. We do not think the
house suffereet much from the absence of any metropolitan
"star," except that the boxes were not filled as they
possibly might ha►e been by the presence of inch an
attraction. To-night, it addition to other eatertsiameuts,
the 'Rotarian band will perform in this theatre. The
title of the new Christmas pantomime has been, as our
readers will have perceived, already announced. "Pass in
Boo's" is a sufficiently taking name, especially for the
most important class of pantomime audience—the young
ho'i lay-makers—although it does not seem to suggest
much novelty. So much, however, depends upon the
getting-up, the hits, and the scenic effects, that it would be
idle to conjecture either for or against from the name alone.

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD ; OR,
HARLEQUIN DICKY SAM, AND THE WOLF OF YOE7E:TM
BY C. MILLWARD.
it is not generally known that the poverty-stricken
fishing hamlet of Leverpole was, ie its early days, " when
giants inhabited the arch and furies were wont to be
their guests," the ffillrsery of many of those heroes and
heroines whose stories have filled men's minds with wonder,
and wrought our juvenile fancies to the highest pitch of
imagination. We have already traced the romantic and
exciting stories of " Jack and the Bean Stalk" (Joknnas
ep ti Twig Beanos), and " Whittington and his Cat"
(Ricardo Whit in-toun si Felines) to a local origin, and
a further pursuit of the same learned amusement has placed
before us the fact of Little Red Riding Hood being als3 a
daughter of the good old town. The story, as we have
traced it in the old "Domes-day boke," may be briely
related :—" Once upon a time, the good old town of
Leverpole was sorely troubled by one Baron WolMn-den,
who had been appointed governor of the town by the
then reigning Norman King, and who did tyranise over
the inhabitants most grievously. Now this baron (who,
by the way, was most ill favoured in his appearance) did
become desperately enamoured of a fair girl, named Riding
Hood, whose exceeding beauty obtained for her the title
of The Flower of Toxteth, and did eadeavenr, b► all the
means in his power, to win her hand and heart. Finding,
however, that the maiden had pledged her troth to Dicky
Sam, a young fisherman, he waxed very wrath, and
caesed the young man to be banished to the far-of-wilds of
Evertone, where he remained for some time in great
distress. Ultimately, however, he contrived to effect his
escape, and, being aided by the good little folks of the
Dingle, he became the husband of Riding Rood, and the
twain lived long and happily, and left behind them seven-
teen sous and nine daughters, from whom are descended
the .Dicky Sams of the present day. We may add that
the cruel baron mysteriously disappeared about the time
of the young man's return, aad an it so happened that a
ferocious wolf, which had long been the terror of the
district, wes hunted down and slain at the same time, it is
shrewdly surmised tint the baron and the wolf were one
and the same person."—Pdatottime for Royal Park
Theatre, 1857.
PEOPLE'S CONCERTS AT ST. GEORGE'S HALL.
This evening a,Concert for the People will ba given in
St. George's Hall. The veteran Henry Phillips will
appear and sing some of his ballads, in which he has few
rivals. Mrs. Sunderland will also appear, and some other
singers. If the advocates of intellectual recreation, in oppo
sition to the gin palace, are in earnest, why will they not
patronise thew concerts, and induce all their friends to go
to the reserved seats, so as to provide a good musical per-
formance for those who may be unable to pay more than
the price of the unreserved sea's ? It can scarcely be
expected that the low price of the latter can pay fora good
concert ; and those who endeavour to assist the advocates
of such means of gratification of the poorer classes, have a
right to expect the support of the advocates of such views,
;11, endeavouring to cover the costs.
ROYAL INSTITUTION SCHOOLS.

The paintings and drawings by the pupils of these
schools are now being exhibited in the G-Illery of Art,
• o dquitt-street. They comprise several paintings in oil,
pen and ink drawings, &c., and evince considerable ability
on the part c f the youths by whom they have been executed.
The prize paintings of Messrs Mapples and Phipps deserve
special mention for their excellence, but they are not the
only paintings i❑ the exhibition which excite and receive
commendation. Most of the pen and ink drawings are of
a superior character, and show considerable improvement
when compared with the drawings of the same class in the
exhibition of last year. The exhibition, which opened on
Thursday, the occasion of the distribution of prizes to the
pupils of the schools, has been visited by numbers of per-
sons other than those immediately interested in the insti-
tution, and it will be admitted that its character well
sustains the reputation of the schools as one of the first
educational establishments in the town. The exhibition
closes this eveuirg.

QUEEN'S HALL,—BoSCO.
Bosco is neither an ordinary trick performer, nor what
termed a conjurer. It is pleasant to see some ono travel
oat of the ordinary and common track of legerdemain,
with which the public are martyred almost every week, in
the fifty-two that compose the year. The wizard of the
north is replaced by the wizard of the south, and the
wizard of the west comes in and pushes out the wlzard of
the east, and the wizards from every point of the compass—
aye, and from a great many points not on the compass at
all, come busting, and rushing, and rolling in upon the
public until a sort of deluge—(that is of wiz irds) only that
no body goes to be smothered at the performance—zompas-
sell every hole and corner where an exhibition room is to
hired. It is very amusing to see the walls placarded over
with the extraordinary fetes said to be performed by the
wizards--nobody ever sees them anywhere else—we con-
sfeustnsettwiaitzalar'ed tsnbtoidpes,tawnoi
tobre tbhersete
odfestpbeerwatebavveenttnbreessaimnteo
resemblance to Bosco's, as the classic show of punch and
Judy does to the acting of Gustarous Brook ! Bosco is not
a performer of tricks—any cue can play tricks—Bosco is
not a conjurer in the stave acceptation of the word—he
soars far above these things, and although, we might write
a couple of quarto volumes about him, we would fail to
convey any true idea of his superiority—he eschew antes
and tables, and the silent agency of such like affairs;
he despises living confederates, as his own genius masters
all—he is not only a master of his own art, hut he masters
all other artists is his line, and his rod, like that of the
brother of Moses, cats up the wands of all other magicians,
and he may therefore be called the Aaron of al lnecromancers.
It is not so much fur the astounding fetes he performs that
he is to be admired, as for the grace, ease, and dignity, and
the natural manner in which all subluniary things are
changed into apparently different mater. This is not
mere slight of hand calculated to deceive the senses by
rapid passes, assisted by present or invisable confederates,
and so transparent as to be seen through at a glance.
There is, in a word, a refiaemeat about Signor Basco's
entertainment, which, for classic, el.gance of conception,
and results in detail, will sever ba surpassed by
any performer. The mystery of his science lies
in the fact, that he has no preparation, taking
things as it were h ip•hszard—for instance, he
solicits a cmple of gentlemen from am angst the audio e
(the last two we saw were merchants of the first respect-
ability off Change, who happened to be at the performance)
to assist him as it were, and with the agency of these,
but quite against their will, he performs what seem
miracles—for we know cot of any other name to apply,
We cannot enter into a detailed account of the pertorm-
once, but we may sum up in a word, which ear friends
across the Ailantie use as expressive of every thing, when
ull language fail to convey their notion; and although
we are not prone to quote Brother Jonathan or any one
else, we must, for the nonce, be indebted to him this time,
by saying that Signor Bosco " Bangs all Creation Into
everlasting smash !"

LEWIS AND COMPANY'S NEW ESTABLISHMENT FOR BOY'S
CLOTHING.—Number of boys clothed for the week ending
Saturday, December 12E,h, 765; corresponding week lao
year, 436—increase, 3211.