The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-27 00:00:00

ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS.

Though by no means the best season for these gardens, a
fine Christmas, such as we are now enjoying—albeit, some-
what dull—is sure to bring numerous visitors to admire the
wonderful works of animated nature which they contain—
alike of beasts that roam their native wilds, lords of all they
survey; fishes of the deep; birds that eoars in the highest
heavens; reptiles that crawl on the earth, each after its
kind ; and no exhibition that we know of is more instruc-
tive or better adapted for boys or girls from school than these
gardens, where they can see the iiving illustrations of those
animal of which they have been reading both in sacred writ
and modern history during the last half year—and relative
to which many have received as priza books which they will
mentally devour more eagerly after a visit to the Zoologi-
cal.

GALLERY OF ILLUSTRATION.
Mr and Mrs German Reed, with Mr John Parry, gave
two representations yesterday of their inimitable perform-
ances. The " Rival Composers," with the Sisters Pry, did
not fail to excite the usual amount of applause and laughter,
which, if anything, was rather more hearty than g nerally
indulged in at this fashionable place of resort, whilst the
Bard and his Birthday was as interesting as ever. We need
only say that Mr John Parry brought the entertainment to
a happy conclusion with " Mrs Roseleaf at the Seaside."

POLYGRAPHIC HALL.
This pretty little hall in King William-street is now in
possession of the C. C. C. Christy Minstrels, as merry, and
moreover as musical, a troop of " darkies" as any who have
visited the metropolis, from the days of Jim Crow, who
"turned about and wheeled about," to the present time;
and judging from the numerous audiences (for there were
two performances) yesterday, "nigger" amusements have
not yet lost nor are they likoly for some time to come to
lose their popularity.

THE. PIGMIES.
Those popular little performers, Commodore Nutt and
Miss Minnie Warren, held three levees at St. James's
Hall yesterday—at eleven, three, and eight o'clock—and it
would be difficult to say which were the most pleased with
the performances, the visitors or the actors, for the Comp•
modore and Miss Minnie dance, sing, and act with a spirit
as if they were•only amusing themselves, and not contri-
buting to the gratification of the public.

THE DAVENPORTS.
The Davenport Brothers gave another of their peculiar
seances at the Hanover-square Rooms last evening, when
the usual performances with which the public are now so
familiar were gone through, exciting alike the wonder and
admiration of the audience,

GALLANT LIFEBOAT SERVICES,--I have to report
(writes Mr James Ric Lies, of Palling, Norfolk) the
following gallant services of the lifeboat stationed at this
place belonging to the National Institution. About twelve
o'clock on the night of the 22d inst. a vessel came on shore
on Palling beach. It was blowing a gale of wind from the
N.B. at the time, with a very heavy sea on. The crew of
the lifeboat were at once mustered, and with great difficulty,
after having had to launch the lifeboat three times, they
succeeded in reaching the wreck and in taking off the ship-
wrecked crew, six in number. When brought on shore
they were in a very exhausted condition. The vessel proved
to be the schooner Idde, of Danzig, bound from that port to
Dunkirk with seed. The cost of this lifeboat and her car-
riage, together with a sum to provide for her future main-
tenance, amounting in all to the sum of £2,000, was muni-
ficently presented to the National Lifeboat Institution by
the firm of Cams and Co., Parsee merchants, of Rinabay,
in acknowledgment of their success in business since their
establishment in London in 1835, and in testimony of the
uniform kindness and courtesy which they had received
from the inhabitants of the British metropolis. The in•
stitution accordingly named the boat the Parsee, to perpe..
tuate the generous act of the donors.

EALING STEEPLECIIASES.—A placard was posted
early yesterday morning at Paddington, and all the stations
on the Metropolitan Railways, announcing that, in conse-
quence of the frost, Ealing Steeplechases were postponed
until further notice, and that the special trains advertised
to run to and from Ealing were alto coutennanded,