The Sun.
London, England, 1853-03-23 00:00:00

THE AMUSEMENTS OF LENT.

This being Passion Week, during which,, from time
immemorial, managers and actors are allowed to rest
from their work, lecturers, astronomical and otherwise,
wizards, concert-givers, and entertainers of all descrip-
tions, have stepped forward in nizlnbers greater than
usual. At Drury-lane, M. De Linski " wiejds nightly
the wand of enchantment" to crowded audiences; though,
perhaps on the ground that " familiarity breeds con-
tempt," his somewhat stale exploits have not created
any great excitement in the nowadays easily-pleased
audience of Drury-lane. The wizard Jacobs holds a
nightly soirée, with much greater and more deserved
success, at the Marionette Theatre, where he has suc-
ceeded Mr. Woodin, who, in his turn, has transferred
himself to the Myriographic-hall, Piccadilly, better
known as the Salle de Robin, where his really great and
varied powers, and the facility with which his transfor-
mations of character are effected, keep the auditors in a
state of constant excitement and agreeable surprise.
Judging from the crowded audience and the continuous
applause of last night, the entertainment bids fair to
have a long and prosperous run in its new locale.
At the Adelphi Mr. C. H. Adams has once more made
his annual appearance, and, judging by the patronage
with which he continues to be honoured, his popular
lectures on astronomy would seem to have lost none of
their early attractions. We know'of no exhibition more
interesting and instructive than Mr. Adams'.
At Sadler's Wells, in the far regions of the North, Mr.
Hoskins is delighting the Islingtonians by a new Shak-
spere entertainment, termed " Leaves from the Life
and Lays from the Lyre of William Shakspere." It
consists of two parts, the first on " The Ballad Litera-
ture of Shakspere," which, besides being illustrated by
the lecturer in a few brief and clever sentences, is vocal-
ised by a small band of singers, consisting of Miss Julia
Harland, Miss Burton, Miss Fanny Beaumont, Messrs.
Sharpe, Price, and Beale, the whole being conducted by
Mr. Linly Norman, who perform a dozen or so of the
most noted ballads interspersed through the plays. The
second part of the entertainment consists of a disserta-
tion on the "Visibly Invisible Characters of Shakspere,"
in which the lecturer seeks to bring out in further detail
than has been done by the poet, such incidental charac-
ters as " The Thane of Cawdor ;" " Potpan, the serving
man ;" " Leah, Shylock's wife ;" " The Wise Woman
of Brentford ;" " Will Squele, a Cotswold man ;" and
" Yorick, the King's jester." This he very successfully
does, and with a good deal of fancy and feeling, showing
a competent knowledge of his subject. At the Olympic
and the Surrey there are grand concerts, which comprise
in their programmes the names of all the popular and
well-known vocalists of the metropolis. To-night the
Sacred Harmonic Society give their usual Passion-week
Performance of " The Messiah," at Exeter Hall,
when Herr Formes will make his first appearance
in England this season, and on Friday night they will
perform Mendelssohn's Hymn of Praise, and Mozart's
Requiem. The London Sacred Harmonic Society at
Exeter Hall, and the Cecilian Society at Albion Hall,
London-wall, also repeat " The Messiah" to-morrow night.
Besides all these there is the usual panoramas and other
exhibitions of a similar nature, "ever varying, ever
new," continue open; and, on the whole,the Lenten fare
of the metropolitan sight-seers is neither meagre nor
unsatisfactory.

SHERIFFS COURT-(THIS DAY).

(Before R. Gurney, Esq.)
DURRELL V. LLOYD.

TEA TABLE GOSSIP AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.---This
was an action to recover damages for breach of contract,
under rather unusual circumstances.

It appdared that the plaintiff's wife was engaged as a
wet nurse in the family of the defendant, who resides in
the City. It was admitted that there had been an en-
gagement, but it was denied that it was for any specific
period, but no sufficient reason was given for her dis-
charge without notice.
_ _

A:Manning, the dry nurse, was called, and said that
Mrs. Lloyd had heard that Mrs. Hurrell was herself in
a very interesting state, but that was only tea-table talk.
His H6nour said it was not made out that there had
been any agreement for six months, but some compen-
sation ought to be made.
The plaintiff said that, on that belief, he had put out
his own child to nurse at ss. a-week.
His Honour awarded 10s. in lieu of notice.
(Before a Jury.)
NELSON V. TAYLOR.
THE VALUE OF A LEG.—This was an action to recover
damages for an assault, by which one of plaintiff's legs
had been broken.

The damages were laid at 501.
Mr. Buchanan, Basinghall-street, for the plaintiff,
stated the case, from which it appeared that, on the
13th of December last, plaintiff, who is a bootclof3er,
went to the shop of Mr. Cole, bootmaker, in Union-
street, to whom defendant was foreman, and some dis-
pute having arisen, defendant seized plaintiff by the
collar, and threw him with great violence from the shop
into the street, by which one of his legs was broken.
He was taken to St. Thomas's Hospital, where he was
kept for five weeks ; and singe his discharge he had
only been able to earn a few shillings a-week, and was
still suffering from the injuries sustained.
Mr. Lewis, for the defence, called witnesses who con-
tended that it had been a fair stand-up oght, and that
the injury was not intentional.
Mr. Buchanan in reply, however, pointed out the po-
sitive evidence for the plaintiff as to his violent eject-
ment by the defendant.
The jury, after a short consultation, gave a Terdii:t
for the plaintiff, damages 51.

REMORSE AND SDlClDE.—Yesterday Mr. Wakley held
an inquest at the Bear and Rummer, Mortimer-street,
Marylebone, on William Thomas Tucker, a tailor, aged
47. It appeared from the evidence of deceased's widow,
who evinced great mental distress, that for the last 22
years deceased led a dissipated wild life until Christmas,
when his father died in the workhouse, which deeply
affected him, as he was frequently heard to exclaim that
if he had spent upon his father the.money he had squan-
dered in drink, he would not have died an inmate of the
workhouse. He often said he would not long survive
his father, and threatened suicide. He lately purchased
a business, which proved a failure, which greatly in-
creased his melancholy. Between one and two o'clock
on Sunday morning he returned home the worse for
drink, and went to bed. His wife sat up all night
watching him, lest he might be smothered in his drink.
Upon bringing him a cup of tea at seven o'clock, she
found him insensible, and gave the alarm, after which
she sent for a friend, who, in consequence of deceased
having said to him the day before, " Mr. Pheasant, to-
morrow you will hear of my death," concluded he had
poisoned himself, and sent fo di
r mecal aid, but before
Mr. Tucker, the surgeon, could arrived, deceased was a
corpse. Mr. Tucker said deceased died from laudanum,
which was taken from a phial that was found at his bed
side. Verdict, "Insanity.
WORKING MAN'S EMIGRATION SOCIETY.—=Last night
a full meeting was held at the Temperance Hall, Broad-
way, Westminster, Sir J. V. Shelley, Bart., M. P., •
the chair, for the purpose of receiving an explanation of
the means and objects of the Working Man's Emigration
Society.—The Chairman, while expressing his conviction
that at no time had the lot of the agricultural labourer
been more prosperous than it now was, enforced the de-
sirability of opening to the industrious a way from a
country where labour is in excess to another where it is
greatly needed. The society enable men to go out by
the aid of the funds resulting from the common sub-
scriptions, priority being determined by ballot. Six
persons had secured passages under these
arrangements
and several others would receive the same atidoin
eafoeni
days, the society receiving the security
of w
for repayment. A number of questions respectingrs the
operations of the society were put and answered, and
resolutions approving of the society and its aim were
passed before the meeting separated.

THE FATAL BOILB.REXPLOSIOIV AT BRIGHTON.

VERDICT OF THE JURY.

The inquiry before the Coroner into the particulars
attending this melancholy catastrophe was brought to a
close at a late hour on Monday evening. The jury re-
tired for two hours, and then returned the following
verdict :

" First, on the body of John Young, the engine-driver,
that his death was caused by his own reckless conduct, in
placing a higher pressure on the engine than it was fitted
to bear ;
" Secondly, as to John Elliott, that; by such reckless
conduct, Young did kill and slay him ; and
" Thirdly, that, in the same manner, Young did kill
and slay Richard Thomas Baker."

The Coroner added that the jury also drew up and
signed a paper, in the following terms :

" The jury now sitting upon the bodies of John Young,
John Elliott, and Richard James Baker, the persons un-
fortunately killed at the Brighton Terminus, on the 17th
day of March inst., unanimously recommend that in future
a more frequent and rigid examination be made of the
locomotive engines.
" And that the directors be requested to take into con-
sideration whether an improved system cannot be adopted
of instructions to the drivers.

" And the jury hope that the time is not far distant
when the safety-valves may be placed beyond the undue
control of the drivers."

The bodies of the three deceased have been interred
side by side in the new extra-mural cemetry, on the
Lewes road, near the Cavalry Barracks. Four thou-
sand persons witnessed the deremony.