The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-29 00:00:00

ST. JAMES'S.

Mr. Planche's burlesque, the "Golden Fleece," revived
at the Haymarket last autumn, when Mr. and Mrs. C.
Mathews reappeared after their return from Paris, is brought
out at the St. James's with the same excellent artists in the
principal characters.

time, although in attitudes which seemed to render such
operations absolutely impossible. The performance was
well worthy of the favourable reception it met. Various
other entertainments followed, among which the most re-
markable WiS perhaps that of the infant Polandus, specially
intended for the young, Lut amusing to every one. One of
the most interesting objects exhibited yesterday in the
Palace was a model of the house at Stratford-on-A von in
which Shakspere was born. Occupying a conspicuous place
in the great transept it was during' the day constantl v sur-
rounded by a group of visitors. It appears that Mr 3.. T.
Parris has been engaged for some months in constructing,
in wood, plaster, and canvas, a copy of the house of the
exact size of the original. On the 23d of next month, the
day of the great fete, it will be placed in that part of the
great transept yesterday occupied by the small model.
Several parts of the largo copy were to be seen yesterday
cn the basement. These gave amp!e evidence of the care
and fidelity with which the monument will be represextted.
Very judiciously Mr. Parris has imitated, without the
slightest deviation, the house as it now appears. The
building has been restored or rebuilt without any attempt
being made to give the newer patchwork the tints of age,
and the appearance so produced has beenfa,ithfully repeated
in the great model. The cracks and furrows and blisters,
which the beams exhibit, have been carefully imitated with
the chisel and paint-brush. The small size of the building
will surprise many of those who are familiar with the wood-
cuts representing it, It is 60ft. long, but the whole height
is 25ft. from the ground to the rcof of the red brick roof,
and it will form but a small object when placed under the
lofty roof of the transept. The more interesting part of the
interior of the house, including the room in which it is said
the poet was born, has also been reproduced, even the cracks.
in the old-fashioned window panes, on which visitors have
scratched their names, having been carefully imitated, as
far as it is possible to do so by stucco moulds and photo-
graphs. The visitors to the Palace a few weeks hence will
thus have it in their power to form quite as correct an idea
of the appearance of Shakspere's house as they would have
after ajourney into Warwickshire. As a guarantee of the
correctness of the reproduction, a photograph of the house by
Negretti and Z atnbra is to be presented to each visitor on 23d
proximo. In the grounds yesterday there was little doing.
This year, however, the booths of Edmonds' (late Womb-
well's) menagerie have been erected in the grand walk of
the Palace gardens, and yesterday they were visited by
immense crowds. It was amusing to see how
gently the elephants pushed their way through
the closely packed crowd, and how familiarly they were
stroked and patted by the ladies and children, who
would have rushed in terror from a (hove of bullocks cross-
, ing Blackfriars-bridge. The performance of an African, who
enters the cage of full grown lions and leopards, and makes
them perform tricks which would be surprising in dogs,
were repeated yesterday every hour, and seemed to excite
more interest and wonder than any other part of the day's
entertainment.

ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY'S GARDENS, REGENT'S-

PARK.

In spite of the gloomy aspect of the weather, which did
not promise much enjoyment for those engaged in outdoor
amusements, a large concourse of holyday makers resorted
to these gardens yesterday morning, and continued to do so
during the greater part of the day. The entrances up to
the time of the closing of the gates amounted to 15,250, a
large number, but less than those that have visited the
gardens on several previous Easter Mondays, when that
national holyday has fallen later in the year, and the
weather has turned out more genial. It is satisfactory to
be able to add that the behaviour of the pleasure-seekers, a
large proportion of whom were young people, was most ex-
emplary, and that no injury was done to the socie4's valu-
able collection of living animals.

THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, GREAT

GEOrtaE-STREET.

This exhibition, which is not yet so generally known as it
deserves to be, attracted 1,184 people in the course of the
day ; last year there were 912 : in 1862, 670 ; in 1861, 279 ;
and in 1860, 771. It is the property of the nation, as its
name imports, and is exclusively devoted to the portraiture
of eminent British worthies of all classes, by the first
masters. It was opened a few years ago with about a score
of rare portraits and busts, presented by private indi-
viduals as a beginning, which have now increased to
182. The collection is vested in a body of trustees com-
posed of noblemen and gentlemen, and is free to the
public ordinarily on two days in tho week, and on Easter
Mondays and Tuesdays. Among the latter additions to the
gallery are portraits of Lord hiausfield,William Woodfall,
the first Parliamentary reporter, Archbishop Laud, Lord
Heathfield, and a bust of Dr Arnold. Tho whole collection
is made up of contributions by about 40 donors, at the head
of whom is the King of the Belgians.

BONNET'S SILKS A LYON.—Every Article of
commerce takes its title either from the inventor or
manufacturer, and the more perfect the production the
greater is the credit which attaches to the originator.
BONNET'S SILKS are said to be incapable of identifica-
tion in England; but the fallacy of such an assertion is ex-
posed by the very trade mark of the firm, as exhibited by
, • , Messrs. JAY, of Regent-street.
The following interwoven mark may be seen at. the end
ofeach piece :—" Manufacture de C. J. Bonnet et Cie., a Lyon
e a Injarieux." Wear guaranteed.