The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-16 00:00:00

HAYMARKET THEATRE.

On Saturday evening a "new and original" comedy,
entitled " Silken Fetters," by Leicester Buckingham, Esq.,
was announced for representation ; and accordingly a very
crowded and brilliant audience assembled; but the antici-
pations of many were disappointed, for the "new" comedy
proved to be a translation of one of M. Scribe's earliest
dramatic works—and which, by-the• bye,was produced about
10 years ago at the old Adelphi Theatre, Mr. and Mrs.
Yates and Mr. Wright supporting the leading parts. It
must be admitted, however, that Mr. Buckingham has
completed his task with ability, skill, and judgment. The
leading incident of the piece is one that produces anything
but a pleasant reflection; in fact, the comedy is so intensely
French that the wonder is how he could have succeeded so
well in adapting it to the tastes of an English audience.
The plot may be briefly related as follows :—A certain
young man, one Herbert Travanion, having a taste for
literature, rejects the offer of an uncle, a wealthy merchant
in Bristol, to enter his counting-house, and comes to Lon-
don to seek his fortune as an author. Arrived in town,
he finds fortune-making not so easy an operation as
he imagined, and he is doomed to undergo hardships
he little expected. However, as a musician he
attracts the attention of the Countess of Windermere, one
of the leaders of the beau monde, and his fortunes seem to
brighten up, Through the influence of the Countess his
plays become accepted, his poems published, and Herbert
Travanion, from an unknown and friendless man, becomes
one of the lions of the day; luxury opens her portals to
him, and his dreams of affluence and splendour resolve
themselves into reality. Travanion, dazzled by the beauty
of the Countess, becomes, as he supposes, deeply in love
with her, and the lady's husband, the marquis, being, as
she imagines, dead, nothing stands in the way of their
marriage. This takes place, and in a short time after, to
the consternation of the newly-married pair, a letter ar-
rives, informing the Countess that her first husband is still
alive, and that he will be in London almost immediately.
This, of course, renders the second marriage invalid, and
Herbert, who has mistaken gratitude for love, is ready to
resign thorn Countess in favour of his first love, Clara Hazle-
ton, but the Countess is not so easily resigned to the diffi-
culties of her situation. Notwithstanding the arrival of
her first husband the Countess proposes flight to Her-
bert, as he is the only man she really :eves. A
spell is on Herbert, he knows not which way to turn, when.
luckily Mr. Caleb Codicil, a bustling, meddling, good-
natured lawyer, after having involved the unfortunate
Herbert still deeper in difficulty, effects an arrangement by
which peace and happiness to some, if not to all, is brought
about. llerbert marries Clara, and the Countess, recon-
ciled to the loss of her lover, quits England with her
husband for the West Indies.

With respect to the acting of the comedy, the performers
did not seem to bo perfectly in love with their parts. Mr.
Howe as the Marquis, and Mr. W. Farrar as Herbert,
both had what is termed up-hill work of it, and, although
now and then there was a telling line or two for them, yet,
the tone of the characters was unpleasant, and both, to a
great extent, had the audience against them. Mr, Charles
Mathews' Caleb Codicil was the life and soul of the piece,
in fact, to his inimitable acting was the success of the
comedy mainly indebted. Mrs. Mathews, as the Countess,
acted with great intensity, and succeeded in making the
part deeply interesting by her fervour and impressiveness.
Miss Maria Harris as the innocent little country girl,
Clara, acted with the sweetest simplicity.
The applause was enthusiastic and general at tho fall of
the curtain, and after the principals had acknowledged
the honour of a call, the adapter, Mr. Buckingham, had to
make his bow.

ADDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL GALLERY.—The
addition of 29 pictures to the National Gallery
marks an epoch in its history. They belong to a class of
works in which it was by no means rich. This class is that
Flemish and German masters. Twenty-
produced by early
two of the works now for the first time before the public may
justly be named Prince Albert's Gift, because, as the in-
scriptions affixed to there attest, they are given by her Ma-
jesty "in fulfilment of the wishes of the Prince Consort."
Prince Albert's gift consists of the following works :—No.
701, "The Coronation of the Virgin," with the principal
incidents of her life in a small triptych ; the Virgin is
shown in the centre compartment crowned by her Son; on
the interior sides of the wings are, above, " The An-
nunciation," below, " The Birth
and Crucifixion of
Our Lord ;" on the exterior sides of the wings
are, above, " The Expulsion of Joachim from the Tem-
ple' and 'The Angel appearing to him foretelling the Birth
of the Virgin' ; on the second line, ' The Meeting of Joa-
chim and Anna at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple' and
The Birth of the Virgin' ; on the third line, ' The Pre-
sentation of the Virgin in the Temple' and The Marriage
of the Virgin.' Painted in tempera, by Justus of Padua,
1367.---No. 702, ' The Madonna and Child, surrounded by
a glory of Cherubim,' tempera, by Andrea di Luigi, of
Aloisi, called L'lngegno, circa 1484.—N0. 703, The Ma-
donna and Child,' by Pinturicchio, born 1454, died
1513.—No. 704, Portrait of Cosmo the First, Duke
of Tuscany,' by A. Bronzino, born 1502, died
1572.—No. 705, ' Three Saints,' Matthew, Cathe-
rine of Alexandria, and John the Evangelist, tear
pera, by Stephan Lochner of Cologne, died 1351'®
No. 706, ' The Presentation in the Temple,' by tf.r
Master of The Liversberg Passion,' alias the g
Von ,Werden, living between 1463-90. No. 707,1)
Saints,' Saints,' Peter and Dorothy, part of an altar-piece,ltelta._
the other portions are in the Munich Gallery,
oblii7B, The
ter of the Colonge Crucifixion,' circa 1501.•
Madonna and Child,' by Margaret Van
Hubert and John, buried cis ca 1430. ;INe,
ThiseteMrao-f
circa 1495.
donna and Infant Christ,' John Mentlivlrdied
H• No
Goes, died
No. 710, Portrait of a Monk,' by,-":_lallo. 712, Ece.a
1478. No. 711, Mater Dolorosa.
e'''y'rounger. died 1529.
Homo,' by R. Vander
ChildWeydeuthin a Garden,' by Jan.
No. 713, 'The Virgin and
,2dother and Child, in a,
Mostert, died 1555. No. 7 t_
14
ibertsz the elder, died 1633
with St. John and
Landscape,' by Cornelis Enclion,,
Numbers 715, 'The Cruel
,r; ,St, Christopher carrying the
the Four Maras ; St. John on the Island
Infant Christ,' and 7ith'e
Book of Revelation, by
of Patmos,' writthgdied 1518.—Nos. 718, 'Mount Cal-
Joachim de Patiair,_rosts,
St. John, the Virgin, the Mag-
vary, Christ on the
and
another soldier ; and 719, The
vase of ointment, by Henrik des
dalen, Longinus, a
Magdalen,' holding
05-O.—Nos. 720, The Holy Family at a
Bles, died rerejoseph offering fruit to the Saviour; and 721,
Fountain,'
Portrait of a Lady,' by Jan Schoorel, died 1562.—N0.
722, 'portrait
of a Lady,' in a large white cap, attributed
to sigismond Holbein, brother of Hans the Father, living
1540. The following pictures arc purchases for the National
Gallery, made during this year :—No. 726, Christ's Agony
in the Garden,' by G. Bellini, died 1516.—N0. 727, The
Trinity,' tempera, by Pesellino, died 1457.—N0. 728, Ma-
donna and Child,' by Beltrattio, died 1516.—N0, 729, ' The
Adoration cf the Kings, Bramantino, living 1525, The
last picture is net yet placed.—Athenceum.
A BEAUTIFUL SPECIMEN OF PEOTGGLYPHIC
ENGIRAVING, ow STEEL—in other words, a photographio
picture on steel—effected solely by the agency of light act-
ing on certain chemicals.—The specimen, as stated by Mr.
Fox Talbot, is quite untouched. It represents an exquisite
scene in Java—a ravine and rivulet fringed with banana;
trees. Not the least wonderful circumstance connected with
it is, that at least 5,000 copies can be taken before the plate
deteriorates. Such a result, after so many years of labour,
must be for Mr. Fox Talbot a genuine triumph.
FLoToW has just composed a new three-act
drama, called "Nelda," for the Court Theatre at View,