The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-17 00:00:00

Whitsuntide Amusements,

Whitsuntide has indeed come in with the " sun," which
its " tide" fortels, albeit its occurrence, depending upon
Easter, is this year especially early. The country is in
its fullest of May beauty, and London was indeed tcniptaa
" out of town." If the numerous lines of rail have dimi-
nished the passenger traffic of down-the-river steamboats,
by supplying a readier, a cheaper, and a mere rapid means
of transit, they have widened the area of country available
to holiday• makers, and increased the excursionists to as
extent that the limited modes of egress of former times
would have rendered utterly incredible. The travellers
yesterday who availed themselves of all the great lines out
of London, may be counted by myriads ; and the great rural
attractions at Kew, Richmond, Kensington, Cremorne,
Chiswick, Sydenham, Rosherville, Woolwich, kc., were
crowded with pleasure-seekers, in holiday attire and with
pleasant which bespoke the prosperity and happi-
nessof faces,them illions, despite the too•numerous cases of
destitution and suffering which are ever-recurring in the
columns of the daily press. Yesterday was eminently a
people's festival, therefore quitting the pleasant fields, we
will return to the populous city, and briefly noto what there
attracted the many.

At Drury-lane the splendid revival of " Henry the
Fourth," with Phelps's Falstaff, was repeated.
The Haymarket found no necessity for chocking the
career of Mr. Sothein's latest assumption " David Garrick,"
supplemented by the classical extravaganza, entitled
" Venus and Adonis."

The Lyceum is closod until Saturday next, when Mr.
Fechter will produce " hamlet," with something sensa-
tional in ghost effects,

PRINCESS'S THEATRE.
Mr. Dominick Murray, an actor, we believe, from
night in the part of Mr. Waverley Brown in Mr, H. F.
appearance at this theatre last
Australia, made his first
Byron's petite drama, " The Old Story." Brown, it will
be recollected, anxious to enjoy rural retirement takes a
cottage ornee in the village of Tattleton, and no sooner is
he become located than he is beset by tuft-hunters for his
niece, and old maids, widows, and blue for himself and his
nice little property. Both, however, are rescued from the
clutches of the schemers by the real lover of Miss Lucy
Brown,oer report
iswhoi's to test the sincerity of the hangers-on, gets
up aof
the irretrievable ruin of her uncle. No
n heard than all fall away from the " dear
so
delightful Mr. Brown," and he is left to meet his fate as
best he may. All however come to rights at last, and
Thompson
receives the hand of Lucy as a reward for his
ice
Air. Murray as Waverley Brown, a timid, good-
natured, silly old man, acted with care and judgment, and
if we cannot compliment him upon being a first-rate artist,
at least we can
Fah he is a vs..ry judicious one. He gave
,
us some nice little " bits" of acting now and then, which
kes us feel anxious to see him in a character of greater
ma
verley Bro
tance than a wn.
importance

t he
RTehpeubdl
rill
aw
iass theo t noveltyhe
most producede xc it
in g
ASTLEY'S.
the villany of a certain M.
at this theatre last evening by the enterprising lessee, Mr,
"The Spy of
E. T. Smith. Mr. Edward Stirling has turned to good
account the materials furnished to him by the French Re-
volution, and converted them into a three-act piece of very
considerable merit.
character, and turns upon
Charles Danville, who, to obtain the absence of his mother
and wife, and afterwards marry the daughter of a wealthy
republican, denounces them to the Republican Tribunal,
which of course decrees them to suffer death. A faithful
friend, however, turns up in the person of Lomaque—the
spy of the Republic—who defeats the schemes of Danville,
and saves both mother and wife from the death to which he
had consigned them, and retribution follows on the would-
be matricide. The drama was well received. Mr. Stirling,
Mr. Edgar, and Miss Fiddes were called before the curtain
and warmly applauded. "The Three Black Seals" fol-
lowed, and the performances altogether gave great satisfac-
tion to a well and fashionably attended house.

~---

SURREY-
The entertainments provided at this favourite transpontine
whEhye it d
has Susan,"
bee nightly h
place of amusement were, first, "a most powerful domestic
drama of thrilling interest,"entitled "Cloud and Sunshine,"
performed here for the first time ; and Douglas Jerrold'swich
fcreolmebrtahteedconnatuintiucead applausel drama ofwith which f "Black
received for so long a time, would lead to the inference that
around
it has found a permanent habitation here. . The fine
tocwuerastihoners,isnotofatvhoeucroaubnletry districts London, in all
out-of. door amusements and ex-
probability had a material effect in thinning the number pro•
sent last evening ; and, although the house was not so
densely crowded as we have known it on former occasions,
yet there were more than sufficient present to render the
atmosphere agreeable with the present state of the ventila-
tion, But as this defect must be as palpable to the proprie-
tors as it is to the public, and knowing their desire to do
everything which will contribute to the comfort of those
who so liberally patronise them, there can be no doubt that
every effart will be used on their part, before the hot weather
has really set in, to make the house as comfortable as pos-
sible. The new piece of " Cloud and Sunshine" is one well
adapted both to the audience and the performers, and from
the manner in which it was received will no doubt become
a 8 groat a laymitc as Ropy of its predecessors, T v priA-