The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-23 00:00:00

Was the Earl of Essex---Hamlet 3

Shakspere being known to have been acquainted
—freshly acquainted—with Southampton at the
time when " Hamlet" was first planned and pro-
duced, may have conceived his character of Hamlet
from Essex, and that of Horatio from Southampton !
The indications which would point to such a con-
clusion are not few. The common people regarded
Essex as a prince, descended through his father
from Edward the Third, and through his mother
the immediate kinsman of Elizabeth; and some
persons, like Sir John Hayward, imagined that his
title to the throne was better than the Queen's. In
person, for he had his father's beauty, he was all
that Shakspere has described in the Prince of
Denmark—the glass of fashion and the mould of
form ; the observed of all observers. Then,
again, in his family relations, as in his personal
position and appearance, he resembled very
closely the ideal prince. His mother had been
tempted from her duty while her gracious and noble
husband was alive. That handsome and generous
husband was supposed to have been poisoned by the
guilty pair who had done him such cruel wrong.
After the father's murder, the seducer had married
the consenting mother. That father had not
perished in his prime without feeling and expressing
some doubt that foul play had been used against
him ; he had sent from his deathbed his forgiveness
to the guilty woman who had sacrificed his honour,
and perhaps taken away his life. All these parti-
culars in the real life of Essex, and in the imaginary
life of Hamlet are pointed out. There certainly is an
exceeding singularity of agreement in the facts of
the case and the incidents of the play. The re-
lation of Claudius to Hamlet is very much the

same as that of Leicester to Essex. Under the pre-
tence of fatherly friendship, Leicester was suspicious
of his nephew's motives and jealous of his actions;
he kept the young man much in the country and at
college; be let him see but little of his mother, and
clouded his prospects in the world by an appear-
ance of benignant favour. Fear was probably at
the root of all his conduct to the ardent, volatile
youth. Gertrude's relations to her son were much
like those of Lattice to Robert Devereux. She
loved him much, but she feared him more. She
could never quite reconcile him to his stepfather : a
little more than kin ant less than kind. Then,
again, "in his moodiness, in his college learning,
in his love for the theatre and the players, in his
desire for the fiery action for which his nature
was most unfit, there are many kinds of hints
calling up au image of the Danish prince."

HER MAJESTY'S STAGHOUNDS.—The meet yes-
terday was at Frog-green, Wokingham, whence there was
a fast and capital run in the direction Reading, and the take
was at Oaleot, a few miles westward of that town. It was
generally admitted by the field that this was one of the best
days sport of the season.
DEATH OF A COLUMBINE FROM FlRE.—Yesterday
morning Madame Maria Charles, aged 27 years, a
Columbine lately engaged in the pantomime at the Pavilion
Theatre, Whitechapel-road, expired in the accident ward of
the London Hospital, from the mortal effects of burns re-
ceived by her dress taking fire while engaged iu her duties
on the stage about a fortnight ego. The unfortunate woman
had been employed since Christmas-eve, and on the night
of the accident. towards the termination of the pantomime,
she retired to the back portion of the stage to adjust her
dress, which by some means came in contact with the gas
jets arranged behind a set piece of scenery. She was at once
enveloped in flames, but the scene shifters and the managers
procured wet blankets, which were kept on the side of the
stage, and speedily subdued the remnants of the burning
dress. She was shockingly burnt over the back, and was
,nce removed to the above-named institution, but the
`I her system ultimately caused death, Au inquest
' on the body this day.

MANCHESTER, January 22.—Cotton Goods.—The
gradual decline of prices which has taken place
during the last few weeks has made business rather
more practicable to-day. The stoppage of mills has
probably helped to this' result, because the les-
sened production in a market not much burdened
with stock naturally tends to strengthen the hands
of sellers both of cloth and yarn. In the yarn market
there has been a decidedly better feeling, with more
business doing, and in some cases a shade higher
prices obtainable than spinners would have accepted
even eo lately as yesterday. The business effected
in shipping yarns has been chiefly for China, India,
and the Mediterranean markets. The sellers of
home-trade yarns have asked rather high prices,
but only a small amount of business has been done.
Practically there has been no change in prices, but
there has been more inquiry, and a less gloomy
feeling existed than in the earlier part of the week.
In cloths there has been but little done since
Tuesday, and the improvement has been slight.
The extreme flatness which existed up to that day
has given way a little, and some business has been
done for China, owing to better accounts having
been received by the mail to-day. Advices
from Calcutta by the same mail are only a day later
than those previously to hand, bat report a rather
better feeling there. These advices have led to little
or no business. Some offers have been made on
India account, but of too speculative a character and
at prices too low to be favourably entertained. The
demand from the home trade is of no account ; and
though the market on the whole is rather firmer,
there is very little change in the relative position of
buyers and sellers. The large orders held on foreign
account have not yet been thrown upon the market,
and the aggregate business is reported to have been
small. At Hong Kong, Dec. 15, 811 b. shirtings
were 2s. 6d. to 31. 6d. per piece higher.