The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-10 00:00:00

Grinning through Horse Collars.

While theatrical managers, says the London Review,
weakly shut up their 'amine rather than face the dull
season, music-hall proprietors aro more daring, and one of
them, Mr 'Weston, has even discovered a means of filling
his building, and raising the enthusiasm of his audience to
the highest pitch. The sporting tradesmen, prize-fighters,
and publicans who form so large a proportion of the visitors
at Weston's Music Hall were just the people to be aroused
by a "great singing match," and the leading comic singer
of the establishment, who likes to be known as the "funny
little man," was, therefore, pushed on to issue the following
challenge :
"A CHALLENGE FOR £5O.

"Mr .1. Taylor, ' The Funny Little Man' (now engaged
at Weston's), challenges all comic singers in the United
Kingdom to sing six songs, each competitor to sing the
same or his own songs, and the judges (to be selected from
our best comedians), to decide as to which is the most origi-
nal, truest to nature, and the most comical."
This challenge, issuing from a place of entertainment so
near Drury-lane, was at once taken up by another comic
singer at the Middlesex Music Hall, who published the fol-
lowing reply :

"In answer to Mr J. Taylor's challenge, I, John Blan-
chard, will sing six comic songs against him for £5O a-aide,
and will be at the Middlesex Music Hall on Wednesday
next, July 20, to draw up an agreement to that effect) at 12
o'clock noon."

That.everything might be in proper sporting form, the
following articles of agreement were drawn up :
"th tales of Agreement.
"London, July 20, 18f34.
"We, James Taylor and John Blanchard, agree to sing
six songs each, for the sum'of £5O a-side.

"Each party to sing what eongs he may think proper,
either in or out of character, and he songs to be sang
alternately.
" Each party tc name two judges, and agree upon a third
person, who shall be referee, and his decision to be final,
" The competition to take place on Wednesday, August
24th, 1864, at Weston's Music Hall.

" The judges and referee to decide which competitor is
the most original the most truthful to nature, and the most
comical.

" We hereby deposit £lO each, and the entire sum of £•io
aside to be in the hands of the stakeholder seven days pre-
vious to the 17th of August, 1861. Either party failing, to
forfeit the money down. The Editor of the Era to be the
stakeholder.

(Signal) " JAS. TAYLOR.
" Witnesses— " JOHN BLANCHARD.

" G. H. George.

" Geo. Ware.

" N.B.— It is particularly requested that the audience on
this occasion will not applaud or show their disapprobation
on either side, but leave it entirely to the judges."
At the time and place appointed the two singing cham-
pions appeared, confident in all the tricks of " mugging,"
wearing hats stuck on the side of the head, and pulling
down the hair over the face, which distinguish the comic
singer. The hail was crowded in every part at double the
usual prices of admission, the utmost quantity of drink of
all kinds was consumed, the bets ran high, on pretty equal
terms, upon both singers, and the audience, disobeying the
iejunctions of the chairman, were uproarious in their ap-
plause. Mr Taylor started first with a "patter song,"
canal " The Seven Ages of Man ;" Mr Blanchard followed
with an English version of " Largo al Factotum ;" and
then each competitor represented in turn an old woman, a
love-sick youth, an idiot, a costermonger, a Greenwich pen-
sioner, a chilly man, a jolly man, a traveller by a Calais boat,
aid Macbeth travestie. Each singer—to use a sporting
phrase- -" came up smiling," perhaps a little too smiling; but
although a few good points were made by each, and Mr
Taylor showed some little capacity as an actor, their art
belonged to a very low level. The songs were old—defi-
cient, as usual, in humour and observation of life—and the
style of singing was of the very ancient grimacing kind,
clowning without the paint. In originality the real quiet
fun both singers were far inferior to Mr Macknoy, Mr
Unsworth, and Mr J. G. Forde, though probably they suit
their market even bettor than those gentlemen. The judges
—Messrs E. L. Blanchard, Ledger, Nelson Lee, C, J.
Collins, Elliot, and Nimmo, awarded the prize to Mr
Taylor, who was evidently the favourite in the betting. The
decision, being on a matter of taste and not a matter of
fact, of course proves nothing, except that a " singing con-
test" is as popular with a certain class as an Eisteddfod in
Wales.

Mr. Justice Williams and the Ranting
System,

(From the Low limes of 70-dly,)

We are happy to state that Mr Justice Williams is at last
pronounced out of danger. For weeks he has been hover-
ing between life and death, and the decision in his favour
will be hailed with delight by the public, as well as by his
private friends. It is to be hoped that those of our readers
who are tempted to try the effect of the Banting system to
reduce that obesity which nature has given them, will think
a little of Mr Justice Williams before adopting it, for it is
said that the serious illness of the learned judge was thought
to have been occasioned by the use of that famous system,

FALL OF A SUSPENSION BRIDGE.—The suspen.
aion-bridge over the Oise, at Verberie,gave way two
days ago, and a loaded waggon with five horses and the
driver wore. precipitated into the river. Two of the animals
saved themselves by swimming ashare, and, what is some-
what singular ono of them was the shaft horse, which in
the fall had become released from the vehicle by the break-
ing of the harness, The driver, named Bocquet, was carried
some distance down the current, where he met with one of
the other horses, which, although wounded, was endeavour-
ing to reach the bank, and he caught hold of its mane,
Bocquet's shoulder being however dislocated, h's strength
soon failed him. Ile lot go his hold, and would have been
drowned had not seine boatmen came to his assistance. The
horse to which the man had held on perished with the
other two. The bridge had been built 28 years, and must
have been in a v,ry had condition, as the weight of the
waggon under which it gave way was only from 5,000 to
6,000 kliegs., which is much less than the limit of weight
fixed by the engineers.

FRANCS, SURELY—NOT POUNDS !—Alexander
Dumas, Pere, calculates his lit aary earnings up to this point
at only £733,544.
The greater part of the statues, bassi-rilievi, and
detached frescoes, remains of the Farnese Collection, has
been purchased from the ex-King of Naples for the British
Museum for £l,OOO.
VICTOR lIuGo has gracefully remarked in his
new work about " Ehakspere that in many of the Great
Poet's dramas a minor plot of the came kind, like a secohdai y
rainbow, faintly reflects the main action. Laertes, like
Hamlet, has a father's death to revenge. Gloucester, as
well as Lear, is the victim of parricidal cruelty,