The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-04 00:00:00

SURREY THEATRE.

Crowded and appreciating audiences have
thronged the Surrey Theatre sinco the com-
mencement of the engagement of Mr. Phelps. We
need not revert to the exertions of this genuine
artist to uphold the drama in its truest and grandest
form for many long years in the far north of a.
metropolitan suburb : he is now supporting with
equal energy and success the glorious standard of
England's greatest genius in the south of our
modern Babylon. Hamlet was given on Monday
and last night, Othello was played on Tuesday.
\lr. Basil Potter is a vigorous second, Mr. Vollaire
experienced and comic, in the Shaksperian sense,
in Polonius and the lighter embodiments of the
great plays in progress; Mr. Shepherd's Cassio and
Mr. E. Price's Laertes are careful and well-studied
impersonations.

TOBACCO. —A paper published by M. de CO-
Caupanne on the subject of the cultivation of tobacco iu
Algeria, and on the different qualities brought forward at
the late Exhibition, contains the following details Eng'
land consumes 32,000,000 kilogrammes of tobacco, and pro' -
duces none. The United States export 60,000,000 kilos. ;
Kentucky, Virginia, and Maryland furnishing the greater
part. During the last two years. in consequence of the war,
the cultivation has been neglected, and the export rendered`.
impossible, and a supply of the article from America is on
the point of being wanting as well as that of cotton. It is
at such an inopportune moment that the measures adopted
by the Administration of the Tobacco Establishment/
and the publicity of its decisions checked the cul-
tivation in Algeria and depreciated the quality. Tl°
exhibiticn of tobacco in Algeria and the importance
which its cultivation might assume, particularly attracted
the attention of English commerce at the moment when the
war in America interrupts the export from that country.
When compared with the other tobaccos exhibited, that Of
Algeria may, in 1862 as in 1855, stand the test with those
of all other countries. The three varieties cultivated-0°
Phillippine, the Palatinate, and the Chebli—possess, accord,
ing to the soil and to the attention paid to them, very Ye'
markable qualities. The province of Constantine, al:reedi
sigualiaed in previous competitions for the superiority
of its tobaccos, has not remained in the back-ground. Those
of MM. Uetirgas and Grime, of PhilipprJville, and of I%l',
Patureau, at Gastonville, are remark/31/1e for fineness and
flavour. They may be compared with the finest from Ati°‘;
tria and Hungary, which have exhibited fine cigars, en"
also with those from Java exhibited by Holland. Spa's
_A
has also a magnificent exhibition of raw and manufacture'
tobacco, remarkable for colour, aroma, and combustibilitr
a
Corsica has only flat leaves of a disagreeable colour ae
very rank. Guadeloupe has some leaves of remarkable
fineness, very aromatic, and very much resembling
Chebli tobacco. The other French oolonies exhibit leayse
of different shades, more particularly calculated for swot'
ing. The Zollverein and the Palatinat, have with Sun'
gary, the best specimens as regards fineness of leaves. "
do not speak of Manilla and Cuba, as we cannot coraPete
.
with what comes from those countries. The United Stated
of America did not send any tobacco. Although we regret
this abstention, as it prevented a comparison being made
between them and the Algerian, we think that it has not
been injurious to Algeria, whose productions are very sire!'
lar to those of the United States. The absence of Areerli
can tobacco rendered more sensible the presence of that
Algeria.
OUR SHIPS OF WAR.—Those accustomed to 00.4:
ports and merchantmen only, are struck with the inaPeel
magnitude of all the details belonging to our great ships of
war. Milton, when he likens Satan's spear to the mast ot
"some tall admiral," conveys by his similitude only a Pot
idea of their portentous size. Let us take the main-11'4h
of the Duke of Wellington, for instance. Here it
stretching its length for many a rivet : not a simple q°',
for no tree furnish such a bulk as it Prea
gents; but a complex structure, built up of innunaers,.
pieces, with as much care as one of those tall chirenet#o
stacks which carry off the fumes of alkali works—rieing
a,lieight of upwards of 200 feet, and surmoun tad on tm•ua
-
' toprusist spar with a truck. We shudaw, when vo 00007
British' tar occasionally stand upon this giddy heighr, °
of bravado; but the feat loses somewhat of its merit, wh
we find that this same truck, which looks like a mere 6P
at the mast-haad, is in reality as big as a small tea.table •

Once a Week.
I.ed
THE LOTTERY IN ROME.—The game is p
thus :—On Satuday, at noon, in front of ' the Finance;
office, under the eyes of the assembled people, a C°
of
mittee, presided over by the representative
floe
the prelate minister of Finance, drawstyo
numbers from a wheel which contains 90. Aninngs-t Das
eager gamblers who are present at the drawing, cal-
played at the " simple extract," that is, be has wagn- of
against the government that such a number will he,°ll4
the five drawn; if his number comes out' he wins lu both;
times times his stake. Another will play at ambo, twos or "tha
he chooses two numbers and wagers both will come frcdfor
wheel. Another plays a tern, having selected three ti
bers—he wins more than 5,000 times his stake. 'itaer.
who could guess beforehand three out of the five nu haa'
that will be drawn next Saturday, could purch ter
!' 0., for
dred thousand francs, or four thousand pounds stern'oo
one Napoleon. That settled, every one of our oil,
puzzles his brains to foresee what numbers will be itato,
Up to twelve o'clock on Thursday night they e°gosel
worry themselves with cabalistic combinations, take °soot,
of their friends, and seek inspiration from on high' 006
interrogate the drawing of preceding years : sne say;
such numbers have the habit of appearing ill enrsPoths;
they have not been seen for more than si% 11%.
we shall soon have them again I Others search fa
,0001
on the city wall, where ready-made terns are to he 101-0
written in charcoal by amateur prophets. Not a few thou
a " novena," or nine days' devotion, to deterrailleacx to
numbers to come forth. Whoever has had the ;others
of a dog or a cat, consults a dream-book, Vie
every sort of vision has its correspondent number' f bothgrand, the sole, the inseparable idea of all Romanspar
sexes is the hunt after good numbers.-4/1 the
Round.
T., Pelf'
A REFLECTION AT PORTSMOUTEL-41$ 0-00 f 00
vet's the treasures of the mast-house —sees the sparst;
old Victory, of the Duke of Wellington, the ClneVosida
Prince Albert,and of the scores of other first-rates that ' ore
by side, stacked away with as much ease as though iiie„,,Yorer
Sthe et mere walkin g-s ticks—one feels a certain melancholY
sion that they belong to the past. Never again 'ilial flee.
stately masts carry the bulging sail ; never again ''this re;
of three-deckers put out from our sea-ports. It Isar
nota
flection which gives such an air of sadness to all:,
itisiesti'
arsenals. Th.-, old fighting ship which towerea ore s
tally over all meaner craft, and which bore 800.11 it rode, ip
tion, as regards size, to the mighty deep on will° itonlsn
as much a thing of the past as the Great Harry, ;0111
galley. When Turner, 30 years ago, paintecied to her
picture of " The Fighting Temeraire g
tubgut too truly fore'
berth" by the little fizzing tugboat, ei reit!:
shadowed the coming fate of the
re vast and olejer
seemed, like Ossian's heroes, to grow amore
d from the 'Ooh
tic as they finally disappeare
Week, 00'
A e upon the - lo'
OUR ANCHORS.—Wheri
ga,
sleet anchors" it'
o'eraniterace of ships, will('
mulation of huge "best bowers,
'ribs of countless
" rack," looking like the whthiteene
ed
urse that has alWaYs to
phants, we are reminded ot
fhe curse of sacrificing progreus: it
tached to the. Admiralty—the
public have often w''
,c the system." The British asked.rit ,iipe 0
is that the British navy are supplied with the old r.
and most unscientifically constructed anchors, whit n 0401
often tested and found wanting, in comparison ref)
been so ,
the patent anchors of Trotman, now used by all v
ships of the mercantile marine ; and the answer is 0-7, Airo
teristle enough of the department which makes itor tlo
cannot adopt the new anchor, because the contracts 'dozen
old one are not yet out, and will not be yet for so, eV
•
years." What would the nation say if our
gineers had made the same improvident and irabeeln)oo.
tract in the case of guns, and had refused our tried tract
strongs and Whitworths, because they had .0 sit)"
running with the Carron company for smoothher
eight pounders P—Once a Week. lirod"es'
CRYSTAL PALACIL—Ono Shilling PAY' by seagn
day, Dec. 3.—Admissions on payment, 321; do'
htt
tickets, 716; total visitors, 1,037. -,,st deed
d
The village of Stilfs, in the Tyrol,
has been rc)ce
completely destroyed by fire, 65 houses having pope'
_
to ashes and 120 families rendered houseless,
ror of Austria immediately sent a sum of I,sun
RussiaA 1/108$;:
meat their most urgent wants.
n 111
Baron de Budberg, the new ht, preenill--
dor, has arrived in Paris, and will, it is thong
credentials to the Emperor next week.
yei' s,-
vod
lace have
The directors of they rystal Pa
per t ' ear'
to recommend a divind of 3
ss t
"t
"ce,
ordinary stock of the company
for the P
on this ooel,
'
This is the largest dividend ever paid
relent
and is equal to over 8 per cent. on its p