The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-27 00:00:00

COMPAGNIE GENERALE des OMNIBUS
de LONDRES (GENERAL LONDON
OMNIBUS COMPANY.)
Established in Paris, under Acts of the 4th and 17th Decem-
ber, 1855, as a " Societe en commandite," by which the
liability of each Shareholder is limited to the amount sub-
scribed.
Capital—Twenty-tive Millions of Francs—One Million Sterling,
In 250,000 Shares of 100 francs, or 41. each.
In Two Series.—The First, 200,000 Shares (800,0001.)
The Second, 50,000 Shares (200,0001.)
The First Series only will be issued at present.
esuayta or TIIE COMPANT—Macsamara, Carteret, Willing,
and Co.
MANASIMA iw JANSON.
Messrs. John Wilson, I Messrs. Richard Hartley,
„ John Barber, „ John Trevott.
MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL OF SURVEILLANCE.
Robert Keating, Esq., M.P., Director of the London and
County Bank, London.
Le Comte De Lantivy, Paris.
Tacossin, Administrateur do la Compagnie d'Assurance
baine, Paris.
Frederic Toche, Banquier, Paris.
Edwin Chadwick, Esq., C. 8., London.
Augustin Dubois, Administrateur dcs Forges de Mostataire,
Paris.
Maraiou, Directeur-Gerant de l'Union Maritime, Paris.
Th. Harrisson, Esq., London.
BANKERS.
In Paris Messrs. Greene and Co.
In London..,
The London and County Bank.
5
1 Messrs. Robarts, Curtis, and Co.
SOLICITORS.
ha Paris Mr. Petit Bergonz, Avoue au Tribunal de Pre-
miere Instance.
Is Loudon Messrs. Wilkinson, Gurney, and Co.
The applications for shares must be accompanied with a
deposit of 11. per share with the bankers of the Company on
the number of shares applied for. The remaining 31. per
share must be paid upon allotment, on the number of shares
stilettos].
Forms of application for shares may be had ai the Com-
pany's Temporary Offices, 47, Old Broad-street, London.

COMPAGNIE GENER kLE des OMNIBUS
do LONDRES.
No Application for Shares can be received later than Satur-
day next, the 29th inst.
Company's Offices, 47, Old Broad-street,
Dec. 24, 1855.

THEATRE ROYAL, COVENT GARDEN.—
Professor ANDERSON, the Great Wizard of
the North, respectfully announces that this THEATRE was
opened LAST EVENING, December 26, under his manage-
ment. He has fortunately succeeded in arranging with the
Directors of the Royal Italian Opera for a short season, dur-
'-',... Int which he will prod.tice notify noveltiestat this the most
ibagiailleent Theatre in the -Wtropolis7 its 'EVENING,
• Dec. 27, he will have the honour of presenting his Entertain-
ment of MAGIC and MYSTERY, on a new and more ex-
tended scale, as performed by him 129 times at the Lyceum
Theatre, before an aggregate audience of 339,000 ; to be fol-
lowed by tho Great National, Historic, and Chivalric PAN-
TOMIME, which has been so many months in preparation of
the BELLE ALLIANCE ; or, Harlequin Good Humour, and
the Field of the Cloth of Gold. Professor Anderson hopes
that the Nobility and the Public will appreciate his efforts to
Open Covent Garden Theatre during the Christmas season.
Associated as the history of the house is with so many glo-
rious recollections of Christmases that have long since passed
away, when " The Pantomime at Covent-garden" was the
town talk at Christmas-tide, and when to go and see it was
as much a matter of course as to place the holly over the
Mantel, or hang-;the mistletoe in the hall. Mr. Anderson
trusts that a Pantomime reproduced oaths same boards—the
boards whereon the fame of " Mother Goose" was acquired,
and the popularity of the " Greatßed of Ware" was won, and
Produced on these beards with more attention to details and
to scenic effect than has ever been given to any Pantomime,
will certainly enlist the patronage, and those whose pleasant
tnemeries of Covent-garden rendered to them the recognised
field of Pantomimic triumph, as it will attract the visits of
those who have heard only with curiosity of that which
the stage of Covent-garden can produce. As the Royal
Italian Opera, the house for years has been the most distin-
guished, as it is the noblest Theatre which London pos-
sesses. Since it has been rebuilt and remodelled it has been
comparatively shut up to the public generally. The
Theatre of Royalty, the house of fashion, the heavy expenses
of its directors, have rendered it impossible to open its doors
at the usual theatrical prices. Professor Anderson now sub-
mits his intention (in fall confidence that it will be understood
and duly valued by the public), to make the admission to the
Theatre Royal Covent-garden the same as that charged to
theatres of less pretensions and with less capabilities to ac-
commodate an audience. The whole of the magnificent bal-
cony recently erected after the Continental model, and a pa-
rallel to which is not to be found in any theatre in Great Bri-
tain, will bo retained, and present its unrivalled coup-cl'eeil of
beauty every evening;-.the admission to it will be 4s. The Pri-
vate Boxes on the thiid tier will be removed to form a range
of Upper Boxes uneqtalled by any other theatre in London;
the prise of admission to which will be 2s. 6d. There will be
so pit stalls ; but the entire of the extensive and majestic
Pit, capable of holding more than 1,500 persons, will be given
to the public at an entrance fee of 2s. The fourth tier of
boxes will bo completely removed, and added to the Amphi-
theatre, so as to constitute one immense, commodious, and
Host eligible gallery, the admission to which will be One
Shilling only, while it will command a view of every part of
the stage, and of the stupendous and elegant house. In fact
Ito attention will be spared by Mr. Anderson to render Co-
vent-Garden Theatre, par excellence, the house for Christmas
Intertainment ; nor will he forget, while consulting the con-
vinience of the public, to supply them with the best talent
thilirpaoney can command for their amusement.
Tlit inducements which have led him to undertake so large
a venture have been numerous, and were he quite sure that
the public would feel interested in learning them and his ar-
rangements for their entertainment, ho would cease to speak
V himself in the third person, and address them most re-
spectfully somewhat in this style:—Ladies and Gentlemen—
Considering myself deeply indebted to my generous patrons,
the British public, who, after several years of uninterrupted
hvours, have recently thought fit to visit me nightly at the
Lyceum Theatre, leaving me such substantial proofs of their
friendship and munificence as I scarcely know what to do
with, it seemed obviously my duty, in the commonest grati-
tude, to attempt something for the benefit and amusement of
that public, on a scale previously unattempted either by my-
self or others. The question was—how to do it ? Wizards,
after all, are but mortal men with restricted powers. The
public liked to see me ; they could see no more of me than
existed. Even I could not make myself into two Wizards,
and as for finding another Wizard, or anybody else at all like
Me (though I have frequently been ridiculed for my modesty)
I was bound to reject the idea as preposterous and out of the
question. Could I improve my magic ? I could vary it, as I
do every night; but to quote my respected friends, the linen-
drapers' assistants (half price at 9 o'clock gentleman), " the
quality of the article would remain the same." Could I do
anything towards improving the personal comfort of my pa-
trons in the matter of seats, warmth, ventilation, dre. ? Can-
didly, I did not see much room for improvement in that di-
rection, though I made a memorandum of the idea as a small
item to be attended to in my debt of gratitude. Would it be
any use multiplying the Bottle Trick by two hundred dozen
and sending away my guests in a state of unusual exhilara-
tion I No 1 that would be a coarse and vulgar admission
that my friends only came to see me for what they could get.
Would it be any gratification to the public if I were to
staid to be shot at by the best marksman in London,
(say my friend, Gordon Cumming) with a real non-enchanted
bullet I I was perfectly willing to risk any sacrifice, oven my
= ii... a cause ; but then came the terrible afterthought
siMPEIIVWFuId be the condition of London the next day, on
finding itself without a Wizard? As a last expedient I thought
—Could I give my patrons their money back ? I deliberated
ever this momentous question for some hours, and at last
came to the understanding that it was impossible ! I bad
almost given the matter up as a bad job, and come to the dis-
heartening conclusion that nothing could be done but to go
on in the old course, introducing, if possible, more spleudour,
more novelty, more bewilderment into my tricks than for-
merly ; makincsay theatre more like a palace—or like a
home—than *vex-Ts But no !—in painstaking devotion to the
amusement of my patrons—in untiring exertions, in the
humblest and most energetic desire to please, I could not
alter. I had arrived, I repeat, at this desponding conclusion,
when a practical friend called upon me and threw out the
following suggestion ; " If you have got so much money that
yen don't know what to do with it, and wish to ged rid of it
in ono lump for the amusement of the public, why don't you
take Covent-garden ? There was certainly something in that.
Still I hesitated a moment, when he added—" And open
with a Pantomime." Eureka ! I had found it. I wrung
. that practical friend's hand with fervour—took his advice—a
cab—and Covent-garden theatre within the hour. lam
bound to state that the preliminary expenses of the Covent-
garden Pantomime have triumphantly answered their ex-
pected purpose. Nevertheless, great deliberation and inge-
nuity were necessary, in order to bring the outlay up to the
desired mark. In the first place, a subject necessitating un-
paralleled splendour and gorgeousness of spectacle, seen:-ry,
and decorations was indispensable. I was some time in find-
ing one cf sufficient costliness, but at length decided on an
Australia-California-Rothschild Koh-i-noor-Bank-of-England-
parlour species of pantomime —to be entitled Ye Belle
Alliance; or, Harlequin Good Humour and the Field
of the Cloth of Gold. This subject was extravagant
enough, in all conscience, for the most golden ago of
pantomime. The next question was to secure an author
on appropriately ruinous terms. The name of Sterling
Coin naturally suggested itself ; but that gentleman having
other engagements. I cast my eyes about among the gold
mines of the age's intellect, and decided upon Mr. Harris
and Mr. George Augustus Sale, two jewelled ornaments to
the Augustan Era of burlesque literature—the riches of whose
imagination would naturally call for an adequate rate of ex-
change in the current coin of the realm. These gentlemen I
employed to write the opening for me ; and I am bound to
say, the skill and workmanship they have displayed in ham-
mering out and fashioning the precious ore into the daintisA
shapes and devices, is worthy of a Goldsmith. My next step
was to engage a scene painter, Mr. William Beverley, a gen-
tleman who has been rolling in gold and jewels all his life. It
is needless to say that when ho has been engaged it has not
been for nothing ; and few will dispute the right of any pic-
ture he ever painted to be set iu the most sumptuous gold
frame. Mr. Beverley was accordingly secured. But even
now the inroads on the doomed exchequer were barely per-
ceptible. I looked about for the disengaged musical corn-
;, l poser and director, whose notes were worth most gold in the
i• market, and was so fortunate as to come to terms with Mr.
Leder, whom I instructed in playful north country phrase to
spare no amount of brass in his orchestral arrangements.
The balance on hand was still tremendous. At this time
Monsieur Guerin, from Paris, a distinguished operative in the
spectacle lino, relieved me of a considerable amount, by
arranging the ocular department of the entertainment, so as
to astonish the weakest optic nerves, and enable me to defy
• any other establishment to produce a pair of such gold spec-
tacles ! I was compelled to mask my intentions for a while
by the employment of Mr. George Ewing, a model of model-
lers, whose sterling talent rendered him most fitting to model
nay sovereigns, Henry VIII. and Francis L The tailors' and
dressmakers' bills also, of Mr. SmiGhers and Mrs. James, who
were ordered to spare no lavishnessof goldcloth, gold thread,
gold lace, gold beater's skin, and what not, added to a docu-
ment of immeasurable length (which I speak of in my hu-
naourous way as the golden legend) from Mr. Priscott, the
property man, or fashioner of appointments, whose charges
for gold leaf, gold watches, gold rings, golden numbers, golden
ointment, and golden syrup, are something fearful ; these did
begin to dip somewhat deeply iu what my clown facetiously
terms, " the tureen of mint sauce." And when I came to
(Calculate the enormous sums I had been tricked out of by two
gentleman named Brough, another called Harris, and a third
by the name of Dorringtou (especially the latter) for the
tricks and changes, I felt that a trick must be good indeed
that called for such an intolerable quantity of change, and
began to feel that my accumulated sovereigns had indeed un-
dergone a large amount of the process vulgarly known as
sweating. I was not yet daunted—in spite of the consider.
able amount I allowed Mr. B. Barnett, as ballet master, with
an innumerable corps of golden-haired nymphs, to dance away
with. I solicited Mr. Floxmore (stamped current as the
shining sovereign clown) in popular phrase to "tumble into"
whatever salary he liked to name. (It is needless to say that
to Darned ago ?d sue.) W. A. Barnes, the great transatlantic

u 1 4-11.4.1.44

, 'OO