The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-18 00:00:00

new and original drama, in three acts, called Plot a;

Passion, said to be by Mr. Tom Taylor and Mr. Lang,
and a more intensely interesting piece we have not seen
of late—every scene from first to last enchaining the at-
tention, and tending, by the continually increasing com-
plexity of the plot, to excite an anxiety in the fate of the
chief movers. The groundwork of this drama can be
told in a few words ; but it would require more space
than our columns would permit to describe with any
accuracy the various incidents which constitute, as it
were, the superstructure, and lead to the happy denoue-
ment of a most tragic beginning. The scene is Paris,
and the period that when the detested Fouch6 held the
portfolio of police under the first Napoleon, and when
his system of espionage extended itself throughout the
whole of society, and no family or individual was safe
from his machinations. A young royalist, Henri de
Neville, has published an anonymous pamphlet, giving
a true and particular account of Fouch6 and his prac-
tices ; and suspecting that he is the author, Fouch6, who
is attired in the garb of a confessor, draws him into a
game at cards, and in "friendly" conversation alludes
to the unpalatable publication in terms of praise. Taken
off his guard at the frankness of his companion, Henri
avows the authorship, and launches out in bitter invec-
tive against the object of his attack. Fouch6 arranges
with his agents that, on leaving, Henri shall enter a car-

riage whose destination is the prison of Vincennes ; but
there is a hitch in this plan, and by mistake he gets
into one which is charged to proceed to Prague,
and thus Fouchs is baulked of his prey. Among
the rest of his paid spies is Madame do Fontanges, a
distinguished member of the old aristocracy and a great
beauty, but ruined by her passion for play. Fouchd
takes advantage of her necessities to make her his tool
—an occupation which, though she loathes, she reluc-
tantly submits to when more money is needed for
gambling. He proposes to her that she should seek out
Henri in Prague, and captivate him with her charms,
and then decoy him back to Paris. This task she un-
dertakes, and succeeds in inspiring him with a violent
attachment, but in return falls not less deeply in love
with him. Wretched from the feeling of her degrada-

tion, and unable to accomplish her treacherous mission,
she suddenly leaves Prague and returns to Paris, under
circumstances which rouse the lover's jezilousy, as he
thinks she has gone off with a rival. He, follows her
to Paris, thus rushing into the hands of his enemies.
He is immediately discovered by FouchZ, by whom
he is arrested ; and the prospect of his approaching
fate is embittered by his learning the real character
and pursuits of the object of his passion. A scene of
agony ensues between them ' - he is unable to withstand
her tears and contrition ; all her faults are forgiven ; and
the reconciled pair are preparing, hand in hand, to
meet their fate, when they are saved by the sudden
downfall of Fouche's power, caused by the detection of
some foul play in which he had been engaged against
the Emperor. It is impossible to speak in too high
praise of Mrs. Stirling as the heroine. Her acting was
beautiful and pathetic,
,especially in those scenes when
giving vent to her feelings of remorse at the thought of
loving and being loved by one whose destruction she
had almost too successfully brought about, and who
was ignorant of the gross moral debasement of her pre-
vious life. Mr. Wigan, first as the enthusiastic royalist,
and next as the desperate lover, was most effective ; and
indeed the last few scenes between him and Mrs. Stir-

ling were as fine as any we ever witnessed on the stage.
Mr. Emery was very careful and intelligent in the cha-
racter of Fouch6, pourtraying the keen shrewdness and
reckless villany of the chief policeman of the empire,
with an adequate appreciation both of its salient and
more delicate points. Mr. Robson, who has achieved
such laurels in burlesque, appeared as Desmarets, Fou-
ch6's secretary, the minister's creature, and the agent
of his dark designs. Mr. Robson's performance of this
character was a most extraordinary display of power.

Desmarets is a villain of the most mean and sordid de:

scription ; cunning, obsequious, with the cool compo-
sure produced by the consciousness of intellectual
strength ; and all this joined to violent passions, con-
strained by a powerful will. Robson, though naturally
with a little exaggeration, gave to this character an in-
tensity that sometimes was actually terrible. Several
times the audience seemed lost in astonishment, and
gave vent to their feelings in peal after peal of applause.
,The curtain fell amidst the loudest marks of appro-
bation.

TICKET OF LEAVE CONVICTS IN ENGLAND.—The act
which permits the executive to grant tickets of leave to
convicts in this country, received its first execution last
week. On Friday and Saturday eight convicts were li-
berated from the Warrior convict ship, stationed off the
Woolwich dockyard. These convicts have each served
between three and four years of the period expressed in
their sentence, and return to their friends, or to any
employment they may obtain, unfettered with any re-
strictions save that of their avoiding the haunts of
thieves, or associating with bad characters, on pain of
being again taken up and sent to the hulks without any
further trial, where they will then be kept until the full
period of their original sentence expires.

~~. ~

-or

WARWICK RACES.

(THIS DAY.)

(BY BLEOTRIC TELEGRA PH.)
SWEEPSTAKES OF 5 SOVS. EACH.
Five Furlongs.

Census

Nine ran. Course very heavy.

COURT OF BANICRUPTCY-(T_HIS DAY)

(Before Mr. Commissioner Evans.)
IN BE J. AND F. GOULD.

These bankrupts carried on business as lace ware.
housemen, City, and to-day was appointed for their last
examination.

The accounts prepared by Mr. G. Butler, shows
debtors to creditors, 5,015/, 11s. 10d. Assets, cash,
31. 17s. 1d; debtors, 2321. 16s. 4d. ; property, 1,5541.
Bs. Bd. ; consignments to Melbourne, 397/. 14s. 9d.
The losses amounted to 9071. 10s. 9d. ; trade expenses,
1,2381. 14s. id ; partners drawings, 6251. 7s. 10d.
The bankrupts passed without opposition.
RE-OPENING OF THE OFFICE OF THE ACCOUNTANT-
GENERAL IN BANICRI7PTCY-This office has been re-
opened after the vacation, and dividend warrants will be
issued and paid forthwith.

SHERIFFS' COURT-(THIS DAY.)

(Before R. Gurney, Esq.)
TAILORS' CHARGES-MIXTABLE V. WHITE.

This was an order to recover the sum of Cl. for goods
sold.

The plaintiff is a tailor, and charged the sum claimed
for a suit of clothes. The defendant, on being examined,
swore that the plaintiff agreed to make the articles for
5/., which he was prepared to pay. The plaintiff, in
reply, said that the agreement was for ready money, but
defendant having kept 'him out of the money, he consi-
dered himself entitled to charge the difference. He ad-
mitted, however, that he did not deliver the bill, stating
the course of trade, until some time after defendant had
had the clothes.

His Honour said that under the circumstances plain-
tiff was only entitled to 51. without costs, but defendant
ought to have paid the money into Court.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.-(TIIIS DA Y.)

STEALING A WATCH.

Henry Harris was brought before Mr. Bingham,
charged, on his own confession, with having stolen a
silver watch, value 61., the property of Mr. James
Crouch, water gilder, 50, Old Compton-street, Soho.
The prosecutor stated, that on the 12th of August
last he left his shop about nine o'clock in the morning,
on business, leaving his watch hanging over a bench in
the shop. A short time afterwards he returned, when
he found the watch gone from the place where he had
left it. He at once communicated with the police, but
heard nothing more of the matter till last night, when
he received the following note :

"Sir,—l stole your watch, and pawned it for,lBs.,
at Brown's, in Ryder's-court. If you wish to punish
me for it you will find me this evening at No. 8, Bow-
street."

In consequence of this communication witness, ac-
companied by Ryland, a detective officer of the C divi-
sion, went to the place named in the note, where they
saw the prisoner, who admitted the truth of his state-
ment, and was then taken into custody. The watch
was subsequently found at Mr. Brown's, pledged for 18s.
An assistant of Mr. Brown's produced the watch, and
identified the prisoner as the person from whom he took
it in pledge.

The prisoner was committed for trial.

COURT CIRCULAR.

WINDSOR, OCT. 17.
The Queen, with the Princess Royal and the Princess
Alice, rode in the Riding-house this morning.
His Royal Highness Prince Albert, attended by Colo-
nel the Hon. Charles Grey, Lieutenant-Colonel Francis
Seymour, and Lieutenant-Colonel Biddulph, left Wind-
sor at 10 o'clock this morning and proceeded to London
by a special train of the Great Western Railway. His
Royal Highness drove to Buckingham Palace, and sub-
sequently visited her Royal Highnes3 the Duchess of
Glocester, and returned to 'Windsor Castle at a quarter'
past two.