The Sun.
London, England, 1865-09-02 00:00:00

The Baby Actress.

The entertainment now being given at the Westbourne
Hall, Bayswater, is of a very peculiar character, from the
fact that the principal performer, Miss Howard, is but
two years and a few days old. She is called the Baby '
Actress, and certainly we have never heard the lines of%
Shakspere declaimed before by a child of such tender
years. The principal part of the entertainment consists
of the performance of one of the scenes from "Sing
John"—that with Hubert and Prince Arthur in the
Tower. The retentive memory of the Baby Actress
is most astonishing ; but this is not all : the words
aro not only correctly spoken, but they are delivered with
a force and emphasis that would do no discredit to many
actors of more mature age. Mr. Howard, the father of the
little child who sustains the part of Hubert, states most
positively that no forcing or unkind treatment has been
used to bring about such a peculiarity in his daughter,
but that, on the contrary, the natural gifts of the
child have only been fostered, and, to a degree,
developed. If such be the case then the performance is
truly wonderful. Judging from appearances the little lady
appears as happy as a princess, there is no trace of " hot-
house process ;" and such being the case the entertainment
an be witnessed with tho greatest pleasure. Some of our
contemporaries, however, have been doubtful in the matter,
and, as honest journalists, they have not scrupled at
giving their doubts publicity, but Mr. Glenie, to whom
Mr. Howard and his infant daughter are under certain
engagements, has addressed to us the following letter,
which it appears to us to be but fair to make public :

" TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

" Sir,—A few days since I had the honour to send you,
among others of the press, a ticket of admission to witness
the performance of the " Baby Actress."
" The Telegraph, without seeing the child, was pleased in
its impression of Wednesday, the 22d, to devote a leader'
in condemnation of the performance. The writer assumed
the hypothesis that this was a child who, showing an early
intelligence, was 'tutored,' crammed,' and ' forced' into a
prodigy by those to whom it belonged, then drew a picture of
the heartlessness of the parents with the sufferings of the
child, and designated the performance as having something
not only ' distressing,' but horrible,' about it.
" It has occurred to me that other members of the press
may have somewhat the same impression of the character
of the performance; hence I hasten to assure you that the
"Baby Actress" has not been crammed' or ' forced' in
any sense of those words. Her powers of mimicry and
memory are so wonderful that her performance of recit
ing, Src., is but a natural result of those gifts.—l have the
honour to remain, yours very respectfully,
"G. R. GLENIE.
"4, Connaught•terrace,.Hyde-park, Aug. 81, 1865."'

A LARGE STURGEON.—On Thursday afternoon,
about two miles south of Rame-head, the Plymouth fishing
sloop Red Rover, belonging to Mr. Samuel Browne, caught
in her trawl-net a sturgeon 9ft. Bin. long, from nose to tail,
4ft. girth, and weighing newt. It was alive when landed
the same evening at the Barbican, and having been wrapped
in canvas, was sent, via South Devon Railway, to Billings-
gate-market.