The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-18 00:00:00

ASTLEY'S.

This popular place of amusement was re-opened last night
for the summer season, under the management of Mr. Wm.
Cooke, the lessee, in the presence of thousands, who availed
themselves of these holiday times to witness, amongst other
entertainments, a new grand nautical equestrian spectacle,
embodying novel and extraordina'ry effects, which had been
weeks in preparation, and was produced on a scale of un-
usual magnitude, with entirely new and most extensive
scenery, costumes, &c. It is entitled A Tale of the Span ieh
War; or, the Horse of th' Wreck, being the old story o
the utter discomfiture of tbevills.nons at tempt of a rejecter:
suitor to compel a fair lady to become his bride, and the
bestowal of her hand and ,heart upon her gallant deliverer.
The piece opens with a view of the ramparts and guard-
house- of Bilboa, and in this scene appear Don Guzman, the
governor, attended by his suite, among whom is Gomez,
the rejected suitor of the Lady Juliana, the daughter of the
governor. A British ship, conveying a cartel of authosity
for an exchange of prisoners, suddenly appears in the offing,
and a gun being fired, the English officer (Captain Pennant
lands, attended by a party of seamen, one of whoni bears a
white flag. The gallant officer recognises in Lady Juliano.
the features of one whom he had some years bsfore rescued
from the burning wreck of a Spanish vessel which had been
opposed to an English man-of-war. He relates his story ;
the facts are proved, the governor is delighted at meeting
the man who had saved his daughter's life, and the British
officer is feted and entertained with great hospitality.
Gomez, however, who is in league with a party of guerillas,
carries off the Lady Juliana, and detains her a prisoner in
a "lonely mansion," but in the meantime he has had con 7
veyed to the governor an anonymous communication charg-
ing the British officer with having carded off his daughter.
The horse Belvador, which has been presented by the Lady
Juliana to Captain Pennant on his intended departure, in
the first instance, is a most important character in the
plot, for the animal contrives to, reach the lone house, and
by a letter he carries apprises Juliana of the attempts mak-
ing to discover her place of retreat. A notification is by
the same messenger sent to the governor, and the favoured
horse is, indeed, the means of the restoration of the Lady
Juliana to her father. The lady has, of course, many
hair-breadth escapes ; but at the moment of apparent vic-
tory she is released from the hated power of Gomez, and
is united to Captain Pennant. among the party of British
seamen is Jack Marline (Mr. Harry Rignold), who performs
marvellous feats of gallantry and courage, and ultimately
kills Gomez in the closing scene of the attack upon the
citadel by the rebel's party. The character of the dialogue
among the British tars is well suited to the present crisis,
and each performer did his utmost to do justice to the
piece.
During the progress of the drama, there are exhibited a
wreck in the Bay of Biscay, and an attack on the citadel.
The animation imparted to both of these scenes, by artistic
skill andpeiecxec, in fact,ellenta went oft cos
cting,istrulybst urprising. The Whole
of theadmirably,
and the
chief actors in it were rewarded with great applause at its
' cl9se. Equestrian liColl9s in the circle next feasted the