The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-19 00:00:00

STRAND THEATRE.

This little theatre, in imitation of its many larger
rivals, provides a pantomime for its holiday patrons.
Jerrold's " Black Eyed Susan" gives the subject, which
is here called, Black Eyed Sue, or All in the Downs and
Davy Jones' Locl:er. The author of the opening scenes
is Mr. F. Talfourd, whose brilliant success in Gomm,
Shylock, Macbeth, Alccstes, and many other extravagrn-
zas and burlesques, is a sufficient guarantee of the good-
ness and point of the dialogue. The opening scene in-
troduces us to the realms of Davy Jones, who appears
presiding over his locker in the depths of ocean, and
lamenting that
" For full six weeks, I've reckoned up by Cocker,
No Tar has come to Davy Jones' Locker.
Indeed now I deliberately reflect,
There's really nought worth speaking of been wrecked
Since the renewal of the present war
Except the 3t of my good fiiend the Czar,
Who, as a means to kea them from his foes all,
Has kindly sent them down for my disposal."

A ship is wrecked, and Davy's imps speedily dispose
of the drowned seamen in the locker. Hatchet, one of
the sufferers, to prolong his own existence, promisel to
encompass the death of William, who has offended Davy
by saving the ship and crow, of which he forms one.
The next scene introduces us to Susan in her cottage, a
lovely black-eyed damsel, who thus bemoans her fate—
" William, not yet from sea, oh, dear ! oh, dear !
He's boatswain there while I'm left tenant hero."

The cruel uncle, in answer to Susan's appeal for time,
only replies—

" Dy tears my purpose isn't to be shaken,
And gammon, Ma'am, you'll find won't save your bacon."
William, a la T. P. Cooke, returns and finds his Sue
rather too attractive to the Captain, and in revenge cute
off his superior officer's pigtail, Susan exclaiming—
" Leave me, an officer should be taught betterer,
Who harms a female in distress, et cetera."
A coral grot introduces us to a pretty collection of Fea
nymphs and Britannia, who are visited by Rumour,
rather a valuable character, with a hundred tongues,
who informs them, inter (dig, of Wil'iam's dilemma, and
secures their aid.

William's farewell of his messmates and approaching
execution, somewhat ludicrously treat-d, leads us to the
transformation scene, which is marvellously complicated
and gorgeous for so small a house. The Harlequinade
introduces Mr. Ricket's, from Dublin, as Clown, Mr.
French as Harlequin, Mr. Priorson, an old hand, as
Pantaloon, and the gay and graceful Mdlle. Hinrade as
Columbine.

The comic scenes are replete with smart and practical
hits at the follies of the day. The scenery, by Mr. 11.
Saunders, is equal to that of more pretentious rivals. A
novel act drop, dedicated to the Ppirit of the age, is au-
other feature introduced by Mr. Payne.

INJURY TO FRENaII PAINTINGS BY

FIRE.

The distribution of the prizes and medals awarded to
the pupils of the Imperial School of the Beaux Arts,the
Paris, during the year 1854-55, which took place in
Amphitheatre des Etudes of that establishment,lo Was
k
iu the
marked by a sad disaster. At about nine o
morning, one of the pipes of the catori
tTh ,
place, hadin the grand
amphitheatre, where the sitting WAS o e
take
become red hot, and bad set fire to the estrade prepared
for the ceremony. Fortunately
spreading far, but theeY l the flames were per-
ceived in time to prevent their
estrade, chairs, liahnegw g, and flags were consumed, and
the paintings on
by M. Delaroche, injured. It
the wall,
was in consequence ot this accident that the distribution
took place in the Amphitheatre des Etudes.
At the commencement of the proceedings M. Fould,
Minister of State, referring to the fire, expressed himself
as follows :
" Gentlemen,—Before having the honour of opening
this sitting, I wished to assure myself of the amount of
damage inflicted on the fine work of one of the heads of
this school, and I am happy to state that the hemi-cycle
of Df. Delaroche has not been seriously injured by the
fire which broke out in the course of the morning."
Unfortunately there is too much reason to believe that
M. Fould was too sanguine, and that Paul Delaroche's
great work has received irreparable damage. We read
in the account of the accident given iu the .Dcbats:—
" The flames, which spread rapidly in all directions,
attacked principally M. Delaroche's fine paintings, which
are in great part destroyed. The cement which kept the
stones together is destroyed, the stucco which covered
the surface of the painting is all in lumps from the heat,
the colours have run in such a quantity that they form a
hard surface at the bottom of the wall so strong as not
to be removed by hard robbing. In short,
with the ex-
ception of the section containing the portrait of Rubens,
where the colours are preserved, M. Delaroche's work
is completely disfigured. We shall probably have occa-
sion to return to the subject of this, perhaps, irreparable
misfortune ; but we could not refrain from at once ex-
pressing those poignant regrets, which will be shared by
every loYer of art.".