The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-02 00:00:00

1101114

HER MAJESTY,

OSBORNE, Aug. 1:
The Queen and Princess Louise attended evening
service at Whippingham Church yesterday.
The Dean of Westminster preached the sermon.
The Prince and Princess of Wales attended the
morning service.

The Queen of Wurtemburg has arrived at Ostend,
where the King, her husband, is shortly expected.
Madame Musurus and daughters will leave the
Turkish Embassy the latter end of the month, for Baden
Baden, for a few weeke.

Lord and Lady Chesham left Grosvenonsquare
on Saturday for their seat, The Learners, Bucks.
Lord and Lady Colchester and the Hon. William
Abbot leave Berkeley-square to-day for Tunbridge Wells
for a few months.

Frances Countess of Albemarle and Colonel
the Hon. Peregrine Cust leave town to-day for Tunbridge
Wells.
MINISTERIAL MOVEMENTS.—Ihe Duke And
Duchess of Argyll and family have left their villa
at Camden-hill, Kensington, for Inverary Castle, Argyll"
shire, for the autumn. The Earl and Countess of Claren-
don and Lady Emily Villiers have arrived at Wisebaden,
from Paris. We understand the earl and countess contem-
plate a sojourn of about a month in Germany. Lord
Stanley of Alderley left Dover-street, Piccadilly, on Satur-
day last, for Germany. Lady Stanley of Alderley and the
Hon, Misses Stanley left on Wednesday for the Continent.
The Right Hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer will
leave town to-morrow to join Mrs. Gladstone and familY st
Hawarden Castle, Sir Stephen Glynne's seat in Flintsbire.
This last week has cltared. town. The fashion'
ables have all departed, and many literary and artistic
celebrities have followed their example. Mr. Dickens is
at his country house; Mr Wilkie Collins is on a yachting
excursion; Mr Anthony Trollops is at the English Lakes;
Mr Elmore, R.A., is at Homburg ; Mr Leech at Sob wal-
bach ; and Mr Millais in Scotland.—The Fiancer in the
Star,

PRINCESS'S THEATRE.

The Streets of London

Last evening Mr Vining produced, at this theatre, Alr*
Boucicault's adaptation of French drama, " Les Pauvrea
de Paris," under the title of "The Streets of London.'
The piece, as most play-goers are aware, has been repre-
sented in Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, &c., &c., at all
of which places it has been arranged so as to apply, by title
at all events, to the streets of the particular locality--
but although the success of the piece, wherever it was
performed, was a complete success, its representation
in the metropolis has been deferred until the present coca'
eion. The drama has been well written up, and notwith-
standing that Mr Stirling Coyne furnished one adaptation
of the piece to the managers of the Surrey Theatre, where it
was produced in 'b7, entitled, "Fraud and its Victims," and
that Mr B. Barnett had also grounded a comediette•
" pride and Poverty," produced at the Strand Theatre
some time since on the same subject, it " went" last ever
ing at the Princess's as well as the most sanguine manager
could desire. " The Streets of London" is in three acts,
with a prologue., The curtain rises and discovers the
offices of " Crawley and C 0,," bankers, Moorgate-street,
City, where we become at once acquainted with the post'
tion of the firm. Crawley has ruined himself by over-
speculation in the railway market, and, as recovery seems
hopeless, he hi preparing to abscond to America with
such moneys as ho can possibly collect together. Se
imagines the state of his affairs is known only to hit:vault"
but in this he is deceived, for his book—keeper, Badger,
has long been a keen observer of his actions, and knows
exactly how matters stand. He refuses to allow Crawley
to escape without he is " squared," and whilst the rogues are
arranging matters, Capt. Fairweather enters and leaves in 1 he
hands of Crawley £20,000, the result of a life-long struggle,
for investment for the benefit of his two children. The

seaman receives a receipt for the money and departs, but
in a few minutes he returns, having in the interim heard
rumours of the insolvency of " the house." He is all e%-
citement, and demands the return of his money, but while

it is being handed over to him he is seized with apoplexy
and expires. Crawley now determines to appropriate the
£20,000 to himself, and finding Badger is not at all indis-
posed to participate in the fraud, he gives him £2,000, and
then Badger arranges that the body of the captain shall
be quietly conveyed into a court at the back of the office, in
order that it may be imagined that the unfortunate man
had suddenly died in the street. This is done. All sus-
picion is removed. Crawley gives up his idea of flight, but
Badger, not wishing to give a chance away, departs •
for California, having taken care to secure the receipt
Crawley had given to the captain as an acknow-
ledgment for the money. A period of fifteen
years is
supposed to elapse between the prologue, and the drama
commences. The story of this part of the piece is soon
told. Crawley succeeds in his speculations, and became
possessed of an immense fortune, whilst the two children
of the captain became famished and almost houseless
wanderers in the streets of London. Badger returns from
California penniless, but, hearing of the success of Crawley,
he obtains an interview with him, and then, to the sorrow
of the banker, he learns that he is in the
power Of
Badger as long as lie keeps possession of the fatal bit
of paper. The banker tries various stratagems to ob-
tain the receipt, but all his efforts fail, and he at 113'4
comes to the determination of purchasing the house in
which Badger lodges, and, having done so he sets fire to
the building, hoping by that means to destroy the daceeing
proof of his guilt. Tais act also fails, and then comes the
climax. Through the instrumentality of Badger the °ill:
dren of the captain are discovered ; they, of course, bec°7l;-
rich, and the banker ruined and disgraced, with the
tion of something still more terrible, viz., a callous, unduti-
ful, and revengeful daughter. The drama, it will be at
once admitted, belongs to that class so popular " t'other
side o' the water;" but though some years ago the produe-
tion of such a piece at the aristocratic Princess's would
have been looked upon as an error of management, yet We
live in an age of surprises and change, and hundreds who
would have then condemned the play at the period We
mention will now assuredly be found among its most en-
thusiastic admirers, because it possesses within it a real
and genuine sensation. The great tableau of the drama
oecurs in the last act. The vivid portrayal of the
horrors of a conflagration in one of the close and thiekly
peopled courts of London, with the excitement ay.
sequent upon its discovery, the bursting of the flawe'l
through the windows, the awakening of the sleeping neigh'
bourn, their efforts to save their household treasures, the
gathering of a great and tumultuous crowd, the rapid
arrival of the brigade with their engine (a regular
built " Alerryweather." drawn by real horses), the helter-
skelter to get the machine to work, and, finally, the dis-
charge of the combating element upon the burning and
blazing rafters, has been reserved for Mr Vining and hie
band of clever coadjutors, and never has a mimic scene se
closely resemLled the terrible reality. Fear to sonie esieet
topli possession of the audience ; and it was not until l‘if
Vining led forth the artist, Mr Lloyd, that all could fairly
make themselves satisfied that there was no real cause fel
alarm. The applause was so immense, that ba
been possible we think that the audience would ieJ
demanded a second sight of "the great effect." Aneillery
of the scenic illustrations, " Charing••cross on a vile"'
night," deserves the highest commendation. It is a wee-
dertully true representation, something superior to 813,1:
thing that has yet been seen even on the boards °lcv
metropolitan theatre. Having already more than "o
pied the space allotted to this notice we mush /r.
brief in our remarks on the acting of the play
Vining as Badger, the clerk, the returned adventurer, tu
street seller of cigar•lights and bills of the play, gave utsha
series of the most finished representations. There No 030
true artiste unmistakeably stamped in each, and
audience were not slow in recognising his great abia
Mr. Ray; as the banker, played, as he always doe!' ere-
markably well, and Mr. David Fisher and Mr. Detallic..
Murray each represented to the lira the
trusted to them. Mr. John Nelson's embodiment °f
sod
Livingston was but tolerable. It was cold, hard,olo,
unimpassioned. Mrs Marston's Mrs Puffy was a ge,_ her
bit of nature; and Miss Fanny Gwynne, who tue°7oo of
prom'
first appearance as Lucy Fairweather, gave
being possessed of more than ordinary talent.
formalicei
Everybody was called for at the close of the per
.tcso
and, amongst those who received the enthusiastic aPPI
• ault, `van
of the audience, the talented adapter, Mr Boucle
characteram:x
not forgotten. inceelv
The house was crowded,
we might almost 039
niently so, for a hot summer's evening.