The Sun.
London, England, 1839-10-17 00:00:00

ADELPHI

The elephant here is tire most extraordinary per-
former perhaps ever seen on these or any boards. The
sagacity displayed by our elephantine friend is t, my
astonishing ; its sitting down to a table for the purpose
of making a repast, and its quick. intelligent, and very
effective pulling of a bell-string with its 'proboscis, in
order to summon the attendants 3vbo supply it with
plates of apples, was remarkably edifying. Time fruit is
swept iota its eapacieusgOrge, and disappears with
.sur-
prising celerity. Perhaps as pleasing a portion of its
performance as any, although not singularly brilliant,
'was its actual lying down on the stage, distending its
huge limbs, and trying, as we fancied, to emulate th,rt
playin7, rolling action in which the donkey tribe is so
proficient. The most graceful of all its .exploits was
the sustaining on its long tusks its keeper, and wheeling
him round with a quick circular motion. But the
crowning evidence of its sagacity was seen when walk-
ing across the prostrate person of the same man, whose
slightest motion of the hand was obeyed, and all coe,
tact avoided, but the apparent danger of this exploit is
some drawback en our gratification. Since elephant
actors arc now the fashion we are hound, in justice to
time Adelphian imnortation, to deci.lre that nano could
possibly play his part better, or be b:-.Ater received.

THEATRICALS IN THE UNITED

STATES.

(From the New Yor:, Morning Herald.)
The departure of the steam ship for England te.rner.
ow renders it necessary to give a brief and accurate
summary of the state of theatricals in this country, for
the information of our nurrerous teaders on the other
side of the water. We shall be very rich in opera this
winter, if all the available talent is broe;ht out.
have here the following operatic talent :—Miss Shir!.
ruff,. Miss Inverarity, Mrs. Seguin,. Mrs. Bailey, Miss
Poole, Mrs. Horn, Mrs. H Wallack, Mrs. t'Morley,-
Mrs. Watson ; Mr. Wilson, Mr. Seguin, Mr. Guilielei,
Da Begnis, Mr. Martin, Ms. Manners, Mr. Horn,
Mr. Morley.
In ballet we shall be • badly cfr ; the Taglionis, after
enchanting all who sae:, them,leave to day in the British
Queen ;- -Celeste, it is true, does not leave to-day as she
in:cmiczl, but she will not play again.. has made
150;000 dollars by her splendid talent's andiMmense
exertions, and only awaits the convalescence of her hus-
band to go to the south of France to recreate, and
thence, at the proper season, to the baths at B.lden
Baden. Celeste's father was a German officer in Benne-
uarte's army, and her 'desire to spend some time in G..‘r-
many is natural ar.d commendable. Lt'Colliti! and Atr,r,usta
have both left us ; Mine. Stephan is married and can't
dance, and we have now no one in the ballet but Kline.`
Proche Guibelci, and her we do not tf.iuk much of as a
dancer. In comedy we have great strength : ,Lanes
and Henry Wallack, Barnes, Hill, Lambert, Mit-
chell, Brown, and Williams at the National ; and Pia-
ci.!e, Ranger, Chippendale, Riehir.g'S•S'aw, and Cres-
wick, at the Park. In tragedy the Park has nothing;
no one at all endurable. At the National there are
Forrest, C. Kean, Vandenboff, and Jsmes and Henry
; a most powerful cast. When we speak of
" the National," be it remembered, we shall still call
Wallack's company by that name, though they. play, at
Niblo's for the next three months.
Mr. Wallack's friends in England will be pleased to
learn that after a lapse of only seven blank nights (cc-
casioned by the burning of his theatre), he opens with
the-whole strength of his company-at Niblo's to-night,
with Vandenhoff as Hamlet ; and Yankee Hill in one
of his favourite characters. This latter movement,
by-the-bye redounding immeasurably -to the credit- of
Hill, who ought to have played alone under ordinary
circumstances, and who could have filled a house. There
is no doubt that Wallack will make as much money or,
more at Niblo's in the next three months, than he weuid
have done at the National : and in six months he may
have the most splendid theatre in the country. He has
immense talent at his back, and can ring the ehane;es
with it to advantage.
The opera at the Park is strong, bat does not draw
so well as it ought ; the houses have not averaged more
than 500 dollars a night, when the force there should
bring 1,000 dollars at least. Mrs. Martyn's Cindeylla
is admirable. Mr. Manvers is not much adin.red.
Miss Poole wilt become a great favourite. Miss
Shireff and Wilson have been doing a good business in
Philadelphia, where Charles Kean opened last
Forest is playing at the Walnut-street theatre. 13noth'
is on his farm. Hamblin is lording it over the
Bowery ; making money ; playing Hamlet occasion-
ally by way cf amtveinent, and taking life easy,' Barry,.
late manager of the Tremont, is Hainblin's stage-
manager.' Scott .is at the new Chatham.. So much
tor our tragedy people. Miss Vandenhoff has not. vet
appeared. There is a great desire to see her. Nei-
ther Miss Philips, nor Fanny Kemble return to the
stage as rumoured. Bills is doing well at St. Louis ;
Abbott is gone. to Charleston, and not done much.
Latham is, no one knows where. Freer and Mrs.
Gibbs are at Halifax. Mr. Be finis is going with Mon-
tressor to the West Indies—Miss D.,venport was last
at Montreal, drawing good houses. Tila opera people
have made a great deal of money by concerts in Canada.
Such is the disposition of all our theatrical stock in
trade. Wallack's opera company will draw more than
Price's ; and his tragedy talent has been very successful.
Charles Kean drew full houses the two or three nights
that he acted, although (owing to sicktiess) he almost
made a failure the first night in Ihtnlet. We still
hope better things of him by-and-bye.

,

CASE-BOOKS IN HOSPITALS —At an inquest
bell yesterday at the North London Hospital on the
body of a carter, whose death was the consequence of a
fall from the shaft of a cart on which he was riding in
a state of intoxication, Mr. Wakley, examining a book
kept by the housc.surpon, and in which the treatment
of the case and observations incidental to it • were mi-
nutely detailed,said the way the entries were made wa:,
h;ghly creditable to the. hospital, and they unuld'-lint
only be of use in directing the judgment of the Jury. to
the real cause of &alit, but ~;.‘uld likewise be fiund
structive as a record for the guidanc!!.and information
of persons we:lying in sorgery who had not the oppr r
tunity of being prezeut at the treatment of a similar
case. The verdict was" Accidental death."

A WOMAN POISONING FIER 01VNCEIII.D.—
On Tuesday last a young woman named Helen
M'Donald, residing as .nurse-maid with the Rev. Mr.
Thomson of Shettleston, was apprebenth.d nt that vil-
lage and lodged in Glasgow gaol, upon a charge of hav-
ing murdered her own child, an infant about 19 months
old, by having administered to it a quantity of oxalic
acid. The following, as far as we can learn are the circum-
stances of the case. The child was One of twins wh:ch the
girl had to a mason, who absconded, leaving upon her all
the burden of their mainteaance. One of them died When
about a fortnight o!d, and the other has for sometime past
been in the keeping of a woman in the village, while
WDanald was in the service of the Minister. Upon
Sunday, the 6th instant, she sent for the woman, and
the child to the manse, while her master and mistress
were at church. When they arrived, after taking them
up stairs to the nursery, she took the child from the
woman and went .down stairs 'with. it. In a short
time she returned with the child. in the .agonies of
death. Some of the poison was still oat its lips, end
we. understand that an analysis has taken place of what
was found in the stomach, and a quantity of oxalic
acid has :been extracted front its contents. It appears
she had bought the poison upon - the previous Thuri-
dAv-, and thus had it three - days in her .possession be•
'ore she applied it to its' fatal purpose. She does not
appear .to be much more than 20 years of age, of a
mild and rather prepossessing appearance, and no motive
can be a=signed for the crime but -the burden she was
under of do-oling ala)ost her whole earnings to the sup,
port of her child.—Glasgoto Chronicle.