The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-21 00:00:00

Literature, Science, and Art,

(From the Athenceum.)
Tho arrangements of the Shakspere Festival are so far
completed as to admit of the following announcements :
On Thursday, April 21, there will be given a great concert,
in the Agricultural Hall, under the control of Mr. Jules
Benedict. On Friday, April 22, a great concert will take
place at the St, James's Hall, which Mr. Benedict will also
conduct ; on the same evening a Grand Shaksperian masque,
at the Agricultural Hall. On Saturday, April 23, there
will be Shaksperian performances at Drury-lane, the Hay-
market, Princess's, Adelphi, and St. James's; also, a grand
Shaksperian fete at the Urystal Palace. On Monday even-
ing, April 25, there will be a Shaksperian performance at
Sadler's Wells and at the Strand ; on Tuesday, April 26, at
the Victoria; and on Thursday, April 28, at the Surrey and
the Britannia. All these performances will include a play
or a scene fr3m Shakspere. Mr. Buckstone will perform
"Twelfth Night," "Bunkum," and " Venus and Adonis ;"
Mr. Falconer "Henry the Fourth;" and Mr. Fecb.ter
" Hamlet,"

TIIE SHAKSPERE TERCENTENARY.—The mana-
gers of the London theatres had a meeting on Satur-
day at the rooms of the National Shakspere Committee,
120, Pall-mall, to arrange the time for the performances
which are to take place in aid of the Monument Fund. Mr.
Benjatnin Webster, by whom the meeting bad been con-
vened, presided, and many of the leading managers were
present. It was finally agreed that the best time for such
performances to take place would be during the weeks com-
mencing Monday, April 18, and ending on Saturday, the
30th. The plays acted will, for the most part, be Shakspere's
own, and, on the night of the day itself, as well as those
immediately before and after it, " special and interesting
features," according to the report of the daily papers, " will
be imported" into these performances. Of the nature of
the said "features," however, we are left in the dark.
Did it ever occur to any of those who are interesting them-
selves. in the present movement that we are about to cele-
brate the tercentenary of Shakspere on a day which is not
the anniversary of his birth at all ? Shakspere was born,
lived, and died during what is called "the old style,"
when the calendar was 12 days behind what it is now.
The real anniversary of his nirthday, therefore, is nut the
23d of April, but the sth of May. Perhaps it was wiser to
maintain the apparent rather than the real exactness.; but
those whose enthusiasm has not exhausted itself by the end
of April may have a second celebration on the sth of May,
with greater appropriateness than at the earlier date.—
London Review.

The will of this illustrious man, which consists of three
sheets of brief paper, has, by direction of the judge of
the Court of Probate, been very carefully cleaned,
and each sheet placed in an elaborately polished oak frame,
between sheets of plate glass. The frames are made air-
tight, and on the top of each is a brass plate engraved,
" Shakspere's Will, 25th March, 1616 ;" and each one is
fastened with one of Chubb's patent locks, This excellent
plan prevents its being handled when shown to the public,
and will very muck add to its preservation. Tho three
frames fit into a beautiful oaken box, and the memorial is
now well worth seeing by those who take an interest in the
coming Shakspere Tercentenary. The judge has also sanc-
tioned the taking of photographs of it, but in the presence
of one of the record keepers of the court. This permission
was refused by the late Sir Cresswell Cresswell.

LONDON ARTILLERY BRIGADE.—A detachment
of this corps attended gun practice at Plumstead on Satur-
day last, when some excellent shooting was again made,
worthy of that of the Royal Artillery. There is to be a
full-dress inspection of the corps by the commanding officer
in Westminster Hall on Thursday evening, preparatory to
the Guildford review.

DUPItEZ'S SINGING PUPPETS.--After a grand
dinner given last week at the Tuileries, the Empress
favoured her guests with a private performance of the famous
Guignol of Duprez. This etain.,nt artist has recently con-
structed for his own amusement, at the village of Valmon-
dois, of which he is mayor, a small theatre of singing pup.
pets. The figures are masterpieces of art, and are porticu•
larly successful when they sing, being animated by the
voices of Duprez's children, Madame Vandenheuvel, and
Leon Duprez, who give parodies of all the best scenes of
the operas performed at the Grand Opera and Opera Co-
mique with such cleverness as to excite the admiration and
laughter of their audience. The Emperor occupied a stall
in the first row, and the whole performance was most suc-
cessful, particularly in the part where Madame Vanden-
heuvel sang the air of the " Traviata" and M. G.
Duprez the " Gastibelza," of his own composition. Since
this performance at Court, numerous applications hive been
made to Dupr..z to give private performances, but his
puppets only sing for their Majesties and for his own inti-
mate friends.

Ei-PECTED ARRIVAL OF GARIBALDI IN ENGLAND
best week or the week afterwards.—On Thursday
last Signor Casta, a Italian exile, residing at Chelsea,
communicated to the secretary of the Trades Garibaldi De-
monstrations Committee (a committee formed about twelve
months since, consisting of delegates from trade societies,
to give a publie welcome to Garibaldi, who was at that
time expected) that General Garibaldi would be in London
by the end of the present month at the latest. On receipt
ut this communication the secretary at once telegraphed to
Caprera, and received a reply to tae effect that Garibaldi
had left the island, it was believed, en route for England.
If, therefore, no circumstance bhould arise to prevent it,
Garibaldi's arrival in this country may be looked for in a
few days. The demonstration committee have been called
together for the early part of the next week, to organise
the proceedings, which it is intended shall consist of a pub-
lic entry into London, and a banquet, probably at the
Crystal Palace. The 3d London Rifle Volunteers have,
through their commandant, Major Richards, consented to
act as a guard of honour to Garibaldi on the occasion.—
The Observer.

CURIOUS CASE OF CONTEMPT OF COURT.—The
rather unusual course of committing a witness for
contempt of court was taken on Thursday by Mr Justice
Ball, at the Belfast Assizes, A man named Liddy was
examined as to his knowledge of the circumstances of a
case of seduction, and amongst other questions his lord-
ship asked him if he was a publican. He replied in the nega-
tive, but stated that he was a sinner ; anti this so offended
his lordship that he reprimanded him. The witness
sharply retorted that he could not answer questions he
did not understand, adding that he was incapable of doing
a mean thing. His lordship at once made out a warrant,
and the sheriff took the witness to prison.
THE RICH PRAIRIES AND FERTILE LANDS OF
THE RED RIVER AND SASKEWATCHAN.—A corre-
spondent writes :—We are glad to find that Sir Edward
Grogan has brought to the notice of Parliament the pre-
posterous claims of the Hudson's Bay Company and their
successors to the richest portion of our American colonies,
three times as large as France, with fertile lands and a
climate free from fever and ague, the curse of the United
States prairies. If these lands were opened to settlement
under the Crown, as intended by Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton,
when Colonial Secretary, they would soon rival the sister
colony of British Columbia founded by him. The lease
of the company was out several years ago, since
which they have been holding as tenants at will, till
we heard the Under Secretary's reply that they are the
owners of millions of acres, to which they have no just or
legal right, but which belongs to the Crown as the trustees
of the public. We want to know how these assumed rights
were obtained and when; we want to know if the case had
been fairly argued bsfore the Privy Council who were the
advocates on behalf the Crown, the public, and Canada,
or, if the thing was done in the dark, an illegal Whig
job which must be brought to a higher tribunal.
The public here won't suffer it, Canada and the
British colonies wont suffer it. We must know the ins and
outs of the whole transaction, which must be brought for
adjudication to the Privy Council, and then decided on its
merits. Parliament has abolished all the monopolies save
this, and the sooner this is done, and all British subjects in
our colonies placed on an equality, the better. There
must be no exclusive privileges—no monopolies of trade or
land—no surrender of the public rights to powerful Whig
families, as done by the Government in this case.

The Lisburn bribery case came on for trial at the
assizes for Belfast on Friday. It will be remembered that
Mr. John D. Barbour, who was returned as the represen-
tative for Lisburn in February, 1863, was unseated by a
decision of a committee of the House of Commons, and a
prosecution directed against him and his brother Robert
for bribery and treating. Mr. Hubert Barbour was on Fri-
day indicted for these offences, and after a lengthened
hearing of the case the jury found a verdict of not guilty.
TILE ITALIAN FLEET.—From a report presented
to the Italian Parliament, it appears that the Italian fleet
is now composed of 14 ironclads, 34 screws, 36 paddle-
steamers, and 18 sailing vessels, carrying an aggregate t,t
L 324 guns and 21,930 men. The total cast is 141,,U,205
francio—Ctqlignrini.