The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-11 00:00:00

THEATRE ROYAL DRURY LANE.

Levee, Mr. E. T. Smith.

THIS EVENLNG, MAT 11,

Mill be performed DER FREPCHU CZ. Characters by Madame
Caradori, add Slc Ile. Sedlazek ; Herr Reichardt, Herr Formes, and
Herr Holzel.

Followed by a B ILLET DIVERTISSEMENT.
Prices—Stalls, 7e; Dress Circle, 55.; Boxes, 33 ; Pit, 2s. ; Gallery,
Is. ; and Private Boxes, One, Two, Three and Four Guineas. The
Box-office °nen daily from Ten till Six, where places may be
secured. Private Boxes and Stalls to be had of Messrs. Leader and
ock, 63, New Bend-street.

THE ITRE ROYAL HAY MARKET.
Under the management of Mr. Rnekstone.

THIS EVENING, MAX 11,

Will be performed the new comic drama, called RANELAGM
Characters by Messrs. Van lenholt W. Farren, Buckstone, Tilbury,
and Rogers; Miss Reynolds, Mrs. Fltzwilliam, &c.

Atter wnieh, the entirely new ant original extravaganza, entitled
MR. BIICKSTONE'S VOYAGE ROUND THE GLOBE (IN LEI-
CESTEIt•SQUARE), written by J. R. Planch6, Esq. Princ:pal
characters by Mr. Buckstene, Mr. W. Farren, Mr. Clark, Mr. J.
Marshall, Mr. H. Marshall ; Mrs. Fltzwilliam, Mrs. Cattlfleld, Miss
E. Grey, Miss Lydia Thompson, Miss Laura Morris, and Miss
Featherstone.
To be followed by HUSBAND AT SIGHT.

ROYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE, OXFORD-STREET.
Under the maaagem of Mr. CHARLES KEAN.

TIIIA EVENING, MAY
Will be performed THE MARRIED UNMARRIED. Characters
by Messrs. W. Lacy, Ryder, arid Cathcart; and Misses Heath and
Murray.
Followed by FAINT A.ND MARGUERITE. Characters by
Messrs. C. Kean arid Day.d Fisher : Mrs. Winstanley and Miss C.
Leclercq.
After which, AWAY WITH MELANCHOLY. Characters by
Messrs. Meadows, D. Fisher, and Salter; and Misses Murray and
Daly.

THEATRE ROYAL ADELPHI.
Proprietor, Mr. B. Webster.—Directress, Madame Celeste.

THIS EVENING, MAT 11,,

Will be perfcrmed TWO LOVES AND A LIFE. Supported by
Messrs. C. Selby, Leigh Murray, Benjamin Webster, Keeley, and 0.
Smith ; Miss Woolgar ana Madame Celeste.
Followed by THE AOUSTACIIE MOVEMENT. Principal cha-
racters by Messrs. 0. Smith. Keeley, and Parselle; Mrs. Keeley,
end Miss Mary Keeley.
Aft3r which, TIM OVEEL kND JOURNEY TO coNn AN ri.
NOPLE, AS UNDERTAKEN BY LORD 8.4.1'E WAN, 'WITH
INTERESTING PARTICULARS OF THE FAIR SOPHIA..

ROYAL OLYMPIC THEATRE.
Lessee and Manager, Mr. A. Wigan.
THIS EVENING, MAY 11,
Will be performed FIGHTING BY PROXY. Characters by
Robson and Wigan ; and Miss E. Turner:
After which, THE HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE. Cha-
racters by Messrs. F. Robson, J. H. Willie, Leslie, and V.ncent ;
Mrs. Chatterley, Miss P. Horton, and Miss Marston.
To be followe.l by TO OBLIGE BENSON. Supported by Messrs.
Emery, Robson, and Leslie; Mrs. Stirling and Miss Wyndham.

STRAND THEATRE.
Sole Lessee Mr. F. W. Allcroft.—Directress, Miss Rebecca

THIS EVENING, MAT 11,
Will be performed NELL GWYNNE.
The ZULU KAFIRS, as they appeared at St. George's Gallery.
After which, SUMMER FLOWERS, in which the French Ballet
Troupe appear.
THE THREE TURKISH RAZOR GRINDERS.
55.; Boxes, 35.; Pit, Is. 6d; Gallery, 6d.; Private Boxes,
£1 113. 6d., to be had of Mr. Allcroft, 15. New Bond-street.

ASTLEY'S EUROPE'S NATIONAL
Lessee and Manager, Mr. William Cooke.
THIS EVENING. MAY 11,
WM be presented the new grand Nautical and Equestrian spec-
tacle, embodying n ivel and extraordinary elects (written by Mr.
Nelson Lev), entitled A 'TALK OF THE SPANISH WAR; or.
The Horse of the Wreck. Th., horses expressly trained by Mr. W.
Cooke.
Followed by an entire change of the Scenes of the CIRCLE, intro-
ducing Miss Emily Cooke.
Mdlle. Blanche, the celebrated Continental Artiste, on the
TIGHT ROPE.
To conclude with a Grand Ballet, entitled THE STAR OF THE
RHINE.

Box-office open from Eleven till Four. Stage Manager. Mr. W.
West.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
T4t4 Day —Morning 42 min.:Liter 12 I Evening 5 min.aft. 1
ro•Moattow--Morning 24 rat/Leiter 1 I Evening 43 min.aft. 1

- THE WEATHER.—SUN OFFIC3I, MAT 11.
THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE.
61—highest since noon yesterday.
48 —lowest this morning and during the night.
60 —this day at noon.

BAROMETER, 30—falling.
WIND, variable from S.W. to W.—Light breeze, with
cloudy weather, and glimpses of sunshine.

raw'
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LONDON, THURSDAY, MAY 11, 1854.

It may have been a blunder, so far as official
etiquette is concerned, the honourable member
for Louth putting those inquiries to the First
Lord of the Admiralty in regard to the supply of
steam gun-boats in the Baltic, for the aid of the
Anglo-French fleet in shoal-water navigation. It
may, we say, have been an error of judgment, so
far as official etiquette was concerned, but at any
rate it has been advantageous, for inasmuch as it
has ventilated the subject within the walls of
Parliament. It has effected more good results
even than this, seeing that it has fixed the atten-
tion of the public generally upon a matter of the
gravest importance, and one which cannot now un-
der any circumstances be cushioned by the Admin-
istration. A letter, reprinted in our columns else-
where, has been addressed to a morning contempo-
rary, in consequence of the incident already referred
to as having taken place in the House of Commons
on Tuesday evening—a letter from one whose opi-
nion on the subject of these steam gun-boats is en-
titled to no ordinary amount of consideration—a
letter through which Mr. SCOTT RUSSELL virtually
endorses everything implied by the queries perti-
nently put to the First Lord of the Admiralty by
Mr. TRISTRAM KENNEDY. The communication is
altogether one deserving the attention of every
intelligent member of the community. It is
of importance, if only as a statement made
by the builder of those two remarkable
steam gun-boats mentioned by him significantly
as now in possession of " certain foreign Govern-
ments." Speaking directly in regard to these re-
markable vessels, the writer observes that they
were "entirely designed, constructed, and equipped"
by his firm—then known as the house of ROBINSON
and RUSSELL. The "certain" Foreign Power
alluded to previously by Mr. SCOTT RUSSELL
meant, of course, no other, in this instance, than
that very power against which in the waters and
along the coasts of the Baltic Admirals NAPIER
and DESCHENES will have to bring forward the
whole of the might of their noble maritime
armaments. The names of these two notable
steam gun-boats have been neither mentioned
in the letter of Mr. SCOTT RUSSELL, nor in the in-
quiries of Mr. TRISTRAM KENNEDY ; but we be-
lieve we are correct in stating that they were no
other than the Nix and the Salamander. The re-
presentative (now the head) of the firm by which
they were built, says of them : " They have now
been about three years in service, and have com-
pletely answered all the purposes for which they
were designed; and it is not impossible, though I
hope improbable, that they may yet be among the
vessels Sir CHARLES NAPIER. may have to encoun-
ter in the Baltic."
Now, according to
learn in regard that we can possibly
estl English-built steam gun-
boats, now
the Baltic, they the service of Russia in
are, everything considered,
precisely of the very character
the assistance of the combined fleets so soon as
those fleets shall have come up to such a formid-
able stronghold as that of Cronstadt, and, eager to
push forward towards the capital, shall find them-
selves obstructed by all the of difficulties
- a very
shallow navigation.
Now, in illustration of the exceeding import-
ance of having our fleets properly supplied with
steam gun-boats like those already mentioned,
vessels having a very light draught of water, we
would here recall, we cannot but think some-
what aptly, a rather curious incident to
the popular remembrance. Unless we are mar-
vellously mistaken, it so happened that not
many years ago, one of our diplomatists, then
on his way to the Russian capital in his cha-
racter as her Britannic MAJESTY'S Ambassador,
found, after traversing nearly the whole length
of the Gulf of Finland, that it was impossible for
him to advance further than Cronstadt, although
it was peculiarly desirable, of course, that he
should have arrived at St. Petersburg on board
of a British man-of-war. And this actually came
to pass, although an Engli •sh steam-ship—called, if
we re in emberrightl
the
Lightning—accompanied
the frigate which ea • riled his Excellency as far as
Cronstadt with all d • esti-able pomp and cere-
mony. But now mark this
l— as it so
chanced that this steam-vessel drew about
ten feet of water, it was discovered impossible
for her to amend the Neva, that ri •
ver being only