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

HAYMARKET.

The Easter piece at the Haymarket is entitled Mr.
Buckstone's Voyage Round the Globe, and described as " A
new and original cosmographical visionary extravaganza
and dramatic review, in one act and four quarters." Re-
garded as a dramatic composition, it is of slight structure ;
but, being blessed with a good dialogue, enriched with
good music, and illustrated with good scenery, it gave in-
finite satisfaction to the audience, and may fairly be pro-

nounced a " hit."
Mr. Buckstone is at once the drollest, the most senten-
tious, and the most sedentary of travellers. He does not
take the road like Don Quixote, that he may cleave giants,
slay dragons, tilt at windmills, dissolve enchantments,
and set captive damsels free. Such philanthropic projects
find little favour in his eyes. Neither does he travel after
the manner of Madame Ida Pfeiffer, that most fearless and
adventurous of matrons, who wanders from the world's
girdle to the frozen pole with " Bunyan's Pilgrim's Pro-
gress" in ono pocket and a pound of salt in the other. To
such erratic impulses, and to all the discomforts they ine-
vitably engender, he is, happily for himself and the London
playgoers, an utter stranger. He is a traveller of the same
school as Zavier Lemaitre, who, for a long period of his life,
never crossed the threshold of his own door, and yet he has
left us in his" Voyage Autour de ma chambre" apleasanter
book of travels than many a man has been able to pen who
has shivered with the Icelanders and panted with the
Moors. On the principle, we must presume, that a man
may be a good astronomer and yet not live in the moon,
he deems it possible to be a great traveller without push-
ing his peregrinations farther than Mr. Wyld's Globe in
Leicester-square. It occurred to him that, like the
man mentioned in Mahomet's story, who lived years in a
moment, and travelled to the utmost limits of space with-
out ever leaving his arm-chair, he might sail the wide world
over in a dream, without the misery of sea-sickness, the
nuisance of passports, or the chronic anguish of incessant
disbursement. A. happy thought, truly, and one in which,
with the aid of Mr. Wyld and Mr. Planche, he has suc-
ceeded a merveille. The plot of the story is the simplest
thing imaginable. In company with an unfortunate author
(Mr. W. Farren), " a youth to fortune and to fame un-
known," Mr. Buckstone repairs to Leicester-square, with
the intention of taking an actual voyage round Mr. Wyld's
Globe and an imaginary one round "the great globe itself."
At the foot of the staircase he and his companion are pro-
vided with arm-chairs, in which to rest their weary limbs
before ascending ; but Morpheus marks them for his
own, and they fall asleep to the air of "Slumber my
Darlings." Cybele, alias Tellua, "the Goddess of the
World," (Mrs. Fitzwilliam) appears to them in a dream'
and introduces them successively to her four daughters—
Europe, Miss Ellen Grey ; Asia, Miss Grantham ; Africa,
Mrs. Caulfield ; and America, Miss A. Vining. On each
of these young ladies Mr. Buckstone urges the same earnest
entreaty that she will be graciously plea,ed to supply him
with the materiel for an Easter piece that will pay. They
lead him through some of the most beautiful districts of-
their respective dominions—the scenery splendidly illus-
trated by the pencils of Mr. W. Calzott, and Messrs.
Morris and O'Connor—but so far fromfacilitating his pro-
fessional views, they regard' his perplexity with evident
enjoyment, and take a malicious satisfaction in repro-
ducing subjects which they are well aware are either
already appropriated by other men to his entire exclusion,
or else are completely " used up." Thus Europe takes him
to " the theatre of war," which he declares his utter in-
ability to manage. She then introduces her "young man
with a carpet-bag," meaning Mr. Woodin, who is personated
by Mr. E. Villiers, and after running the gauntlet through
various other celebrities, she has the sublime effrontery to
propose an interview with the " Corsican Brothers." Mr.
Buckstone almost swoons at the thought, but when she as-
sures him that it is the last sight ho shall ever get of them, he
is overjoyed at the announcement, and declares that upon
that blessed condition ho is willing to endure the apparition
once snore. The stage opens at the command of Europe,
and who should spring up but the " Duke of Glo'ster from
Drury-Lane," and the " Duke of Glo'ster from the Prin-
cess's," meaning Mr. Brooke and Mr. C. Kean ! Mr.
Buckstone retreats without "coming to an engagement,"
and, crossing the Dardanelles, continues his journey by the
Overland Route to Asia, where he sees " grand oriental
spectacles," wise elephants of the East standing upon their
heads, " feasts of dragons," and " wonderful performances
of Chinese magicians" (the Messrs. Marshall), one of whom
does not stick at impaling his friend with dinner knives.
In Africa he is struck with the sad appearance of its dark
angel, and indulges in various ethnological reflections on the
Bosjesmans, Zulu Kaffirs, Earthmen, and other unnatural
curiosities, who would willingly come to terms with him if
Le would engage thek_. in Amenoa, he has an interview
_ _