The Sun.
London, England, 1839-04-02 00:00:00

SURREY.

Mr. Davidge has made another lucky hit. To please
the holiday folks he has produced a piece called 74he
Curse of Mammon ; or, The Earl's Son and the Citizen's
Daughter, in which are represented five tableaux giving
faithful copies of Hogarth's celebrated pictures the
" Marriage a la Mode." At the rising of the curtain
Mr. Davidge was discovered in the dress and attitude
of Howarth with his dog. In that character he spoke
the following prologue :
" " To night the Players take from me their text,
I wonder what the deuce they'll think of next?
If they don't do the Pictures well, od rat 'em,
As sure as life set my old dog at 'em.
The Author, so they say. to fame is new,
And.seeks, through me, to win a name from you.
Giant Lim then a patient hearing, pray,
And, 'pon my life, I think you'll not dislike his play."
The plot of the piece ran almost parallel with that told
in the pictures. A wealthy citizen is ambitious to
marry his daughter into a noble, though poor, family.
She in the mean time had plighted her troth to the
Nobleman's Lawyer, who had met her while en-
gaged in borrowing money from her father for
the use cf the Nobleman. After the marriage she is
neglected, and after a long struggle %liar better feelings,
she receives the constant visits of her former lover, who
was the protege of the old Lord, and the son of his
housekeeper. After the tableau, showing the duel, it
turns out from the confessions of the steward that the
Nobleman and his Lawyer had been foster children, and
that they had been changbd in their infancy,—the lawyer
proving the true Earl, and the one who had been killed
was the son of the housekeeper. The Lawyer succeeds
to the title, and the guilty wife of the false Lord
takes poison, and dies in her father's house, after im-.
ploring him to allow her child to take that course her
heart pointed out for a settlement in life. The piece
was wound up by an Epilogue delivered by Mr. Yates,
who was raised up through a trap-door. It was as fol-

[ows :

" Ladies and Gentlemen,—Ghosts in my day
Never spoke Epilogues, or gave out the play,
But as they've ask'd me, and, in short, insist
Upon my doing it—" List—list—oh list !"—(lmitation.)
A hundred years have circled round the earth
Since Hogarth's mighty pencil gave me birth ;
And in that time what change I " Ah, wue is me 1"
Seeing what I have seen—seeing what I see,"
_ _

(Imitation.)
Show me a ghost that would not stand aghast
If he compared the present with the past.
The bag-wigs—breeches—buckles—and brocade--
The hoop—the high-heel'd shoe—the trusty blade_
The well-form'd leg—(now hid in dama'd long things
That they call trowsers—l, breeches with wings)
The ruffled frill—the coat with ample skirt—
The patch, and, not the dickey, but, the shirt—
The stately trains that swept the polish'd floor—
The little boys that held them up—are now, all; 1 no
wore. Weepix7. )
Prompter's bell rings.) Harh, there's the knell

. .
That summons me to Heaven or to--
(Bell violently rung.)
Wcll,
I'm coming—( Going off—returns.)
Bless me 1 such an oversight !
Ladies and Gentlemen' by your good leave,
Which we shall be too happy to receive,
This play will be repeated every night.
The piece was received throughout by a most crowded
audience with loud applause. The acting was very
good, and the Surrey play-goers had a great treat in the
performances of Mr. and Mrs. Yates, and others of the
Adclphi company. This piece was followed by an ex-
hibition of monkeys, but it did not seem to be relished.
The giant, Monsieur Bihin, gave a sample of his quality
in an unmeaning piece called " The Giant's Castle, or
the Well of the Marble Waters." The whole weight
of the piece depended upon the superior acting of Mrs.
Keeley. All went off well, and a most crowded au-
dience departed well pleased.

FINE ARTS.

CORONATION OF QUEEN VICTORIA.
___

We were favoured yesterday with a vprivate view
of Mr. Parris's painting of the late Coronation, which,
independently of its subject, has sufficient merit as a
work of art, to ensure its popularity. The principal
figure in the picture is of course the Queen, who is re-
presented seated in her Chair of State, while the Arch-
bishop of Canterbury is in the act of placing the Crown
on her head. The likeness of her Majesty is an excel-
lent one, and her attitude, though full of dignity, is
perfectly unconstrained. To the left, in the fore-ground,
stand the Duke of Devonshire and Lord Melbourne. The
latter it is impossible to mistake for an instant, so felici-
tous is the resemblance ; but we cannot accord the
same praise to the portrait of his Grace ; it is, we think,
rather too young, and there is something stiff and artifi-
cial, not to say finical, in his look and figure, which is
anything !Mt characteristic of the original. Behind the
Queen, stand a group of females, who are disposed in
the most graceful manner imaginable ; and whose coun-
tenances possess all that elegance and refinement, verg-
ing on the ideal, which Parris knows so well how to
throw into his portraits of women. This group is by
far the ablest portion of the picture, both as respects
disposition and colouring. But the most striking single
portrait in the painting, is unquestionably that of Mar-
shal Soult, who is represented sitting in the Ambassa-
dor's box, and engaged in conversation with the Marquis
of Palmella. This likeness is perfect, and there is a
breadth and vigour in the colouring quite unusual with
Parris. On the whole, the painting is a highly effective
one, and would have been still more so, if the artist had
not thrown so many flaring yellow tints into it.

The Lord Bishop of Llandaff will hold a meet-
ing at Usk, on Wednesday, the 3d inst., for the purpose of
considering by what mode education, in the principles of
the Established Church, can be most effectually promoted
and extended.

We rejoice to hear that Ralph Lambton, Esq.,
the veteran leader of fox-hunting in this county, is so far
recovered, that on Monday last, be was enabled to greet
with a kind nod of recognition many an " old familiar
face" as it passed Murton Hall.—Sunderland Herald.
UNDERWRITERS.—The underwriters on the late
brig Cumberland Tickle, of Maryport, lest, with all hands,
on the sand banks off Formby, during the awful hurricane
of the 7th and Bth January last, have requested the ma-
naging owner, to divide the net proceeds from the sale of
tka wreck among the w►dows and relatives of the crew.—
Newcastle Chronicle.

FIRE AND Loss or LlFE.—Last night, about
ten o'clock, a fire broke out in 4, Cox's-square, Petticoat-
lane, a neighbourhood inhabited principally by poor Jews.
The engines from Jeffreys-square station were soon on the
spot, and also numerous other engines. On a fireman as-
cending a ladder which was placed to the part of the build-
ing on fire, he discovered a female crouched under the
window of the first floor. He called to her several times,
but, receiving no answer, contrived to get hold of her
arm, and pulled her out of the window. To his alarm
he found her lifeless, and burnt from head to foot in a
most shccking manner. She was removed to the London
Hospital. The fire in the meantime was with great diffi-
culty extinguished, but not before the house was exten-
sively damaged.

On Wednesday night as Mr. King, of North
Biddick, was proceeding thither from this town, he was
attacked by two men, near to Springwell Inn, who knocked
him down and robbed him of what money he had on his
person (a few shillings). A man named Learmouth, of
Wrekenton was taken into custody on Thursday, and has
been identified by King as one of his assailants.—Gateshead
Observer.

TEETOTALISM.—At a late meeting in Lincoln
an advocate of teetotalism is reported to have assured his
friends that not less. than twenty millions of money were
spent in the consumption of spirituous liquors annually,
and that gin was liquid fire and distilled damnation.

SHOCKING ACCIDENT BY 'FIRE.—On Satur-
day morning, between eight and nine o'clock, a poor
woman named Conolly, living at No. 23, Earl-street,
Bunbill-row, St. Luke's, was taking some washing things
out of a copper, when her gown coming in contact with the
door of the fire-place, which was nearly red hot, ignited,
and, communicating to other portions of her apparel, the
poor creature was burnt in a very dreadful manner before
the flames could be extinguished. She was conveyed to
the London Hospital.