The Sun.
London, England, 1849-10-16 00:00:00

TnE S N",

Mrs. Bunbury's Spoons, a slippery, trippry,
sketch, written by Mr. Stirling Coyne—the princip,l
charact rs by Al r. IVright, Mr. Pbul Bedford, Mr.
0. Smith, and Mrs. Prank Mathews ; such was the
announcement in the Adelphi bills, an announcement
which everybody who knows the Adelphi also knows
denotes a foregone conclusion of a regular Adelphi
screamer, overflowing with Adelphi fun, and con-
cluding with a regular Adelphi triumph. No one is
more au fait than Stirling Coyne at seizing any
prevailing novelty and devoting it to Adelphi pur-
poses ; and Mrs. Bunbury's Spoons is neither more
nor less than the Pas des Patineurs which last
season created such a furore at her Majesty's Theatre
Coyne'd into an Adelphi farce. We have Wright
masquerading first in a Hungarian costume, and
then as a Bavarian broom girl, and committing
all sorts of ludicrous extravagances; Paul Bedford
polking on the ice as a harlequin, with Mrs. P. Mat-
thews attired as a Hungarian lady, and 0. Smith
appearing, first as a baker, and then as the devil. The
scene of the skate dancing is the lake at the Surrey
Zoological Gardens, and the Pas des Frileurs and the
Pus des Patineurs were admirably danced by the
ladies and gentlemen of the Adelphi corps de ballet.
There was a Pierrot whose activity awl agility is
worthy of especial commendation. The piece con-
cludes with a snow storm, and Wright speaks the
tag standing under an umbrella w ith Paul Bedford.
The announcement of its repetition was received with
shouts of applause. The house was, as usual, crammed
to the ceiling.

LYCEUM THEATRE.
A two act adaptation of the vaudeville Le Cheva-
7er d'Essonne, which the acting of Mademoiselle
Nathalie rendered so popular a short time since at the
St. Jame-s's Theatre, was produced here last evening
under the title of A Lady in Difficulties. The adap-
tation is from the pen of Planet* who has transferred
the scene of action from France to Prussia, and has
very judiciously condensed the three acts of the ori-
ginal into two. The lady in difficulties of the Eng-
lish version is a certain Madame Denhoff (Miss H.
Gilbert), and her difficulties arise from the exceeding
friendship of Count Hutzmar (Mr. C. Mathews),
the son of the friend of her father. It ap-
pears that the brother of Madame Denhoff
having engaged in some political intrigues,
fancies he has cause to fear the vengeance of
Frederick of Prussia, and, in order to facilitate his
escape, his sister disguises herself in male attire, and
passes herself as her brother. This lady, thus dis-
guised, meets Count Hutzmar, and, believing her
to be the son of his father's old friend, declares
that he takes the young cavalier under his protection,
presents him with a commission in his own cavalry
regiment, and makes him a present of a handsome
charger, varying these most annoying kindnesses by
professicns of love for the, as he thinks, absent sister
of his friend. She is relieved at length from these em-
barrassments by the receipt of the intelligence of her
brother's safety, when she is enabled to explain
the real state of the case. In order to keep up her
assumed character, the lady has been obliged to make
hot love to a poor village girl, the ward of a grasping
old hunx Puffengruntz, who is desirous of turning
her musical abilities to account for his own behoof.
The village girl was admirably performed by Miss
Kathleen Fitzwilliam, who introduced several new
ballads, which she sung deliciously ; and the old
guardian was played with great humour by Mr.
Frank Matthews. The great weight of the piece,
however, fell upon Mr. Charles Mathews, who acted
in Count Hutzmar not only with that rattling volu-
bility in which he stands unrivalled, but also with a
warmth of feeling which made it a piece of genuine
comedy. He was admirably supported by Miss H.
Gilbert, who has added greatly to her fame by her
excellent impersonation of The Lady in Difficulties.
the success of the piece was complete, and there
were cloud calls for the author at the fall of the
curtain.

PRINCESS'S THEATRE.
A sparkling
_little novelty,• in the shape of a
one act farce, entitled The Major's Daughter,
was brought out for the first time last night at
this theatre. The author is evidently no novice
in the art of dramatic literature, and, whilst avoiding
the old stage conventionalities for the production of
effect, he has relied upon his dialogue and incident ;
the result has been a merited success. Mr. Blushley
(Mr. Furman) is an original character ; and in these
days of French translation it is agreeable to find a
thoroughly English piece upon our stage. The cha-
racter of Lydia (Miss Louisa Howard) is light and
spiritual; she is made to come out of very embar-
rassing circumstances indeed in a manner far re-
moved
from the gross or vulgar. In all this the
author's powers were well tested. We 'cannot con-
clude this notice without rendering a just tribute to
Mr. Wigan's development of the free and easy Mr.
Septimus Offhand. The piece was deservedly suc-
ces4ul, and the author was loudly called for. The
other entertainments were Don Giovanni and The
First Night.

COURT CIRCULAR.
WINDSOR, MONDAY.
The Queen and Prince Albert, walked this morn-
ing in the Slopes.
The Royal Family took their usual airings.
His Serene Highness Prince Edward of Saxe
Weimar is expected to join the royal dinner circle at
the Castle this evening.
Her Majesty's private bandwill attend this even-
ing in the Castle.
The Hon. Miss Cavenlist arrived on Saturday to
take her duty as Maid of Honour in Waiting.
Lord Camoys (Lord in Waiting), and Sir Edward
Bowater (Groom in Waiting), also arrived at the
Castle.

Her Majesty the Queen Dowager continues very
poorly.
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, at-
tended by Lady Anna Maria Dawson, went yester-
day to Richmond and visited her Royal Highness the
Duchess of Gloucester.
The American Minister had an interview with
Lord John Russell yesterday at his official residence
in Downing-street.
The Mayor of Liverpool and Mr. Cardwell, M.P.,
had an interview yesterday with Lord John Russell.
Dispatches from the Lord High Commissioner of
the lonian Islands was received yesterday at the
Colonial-office.

Dispatches were sent off last evening from the
Colonial office for the Governor of Malta.
The Right Hon. H. Labouchere left Stoke yester-
day for his seat, Overstoway, Somersetshire.
Earl Fortescue had an interview with Lord John
Russell. Sir James Clark had also an interview
yesterday with his Lordship.

MR. BiDFORD, JUN.—Young Bedford the nephew
of the glorious Paul, is, we perceive from the Dublin
journals, winning golden opinions in the Irish metro-
polis, and the opinions of the playgoers of Dublin is an
opinion of great weight and importance. The Dublin
Theatre has always been the feeder of London • it was
from Dublin that John Kemble came to us, and Dublin
also sent us the most accomplished of actors, Farren. In
speaking of the acting of Mr. Bedford, jun., one of the
Dublin journals says, "Bedford as Von Dander, in
'Twould Puzzle a Conjuror, as is his wont, kept the au-
dience in a continued roar of laughter, and as each sen-
tence of the quaintest drollery escaped his lips the re-
peated cheers of his audience announced their apprecia-
tion of his exceeding ability; whilst another of them de-
scribes him as having a Listonian and laughter-pro-
voking oddity in the manner he looks around, especially
in his bye-play, that would excite feelings of mirth even
in the most ascetic. We should advise some London
comedians to look out warily lest some day they find
that younger blood and patient industry, combined with
innate talent, should slide the old fellows from the
boards they have lorded it over so long. We hope soon
to see Mr. Bedford on the boards of some metropolitan
theatre.

Zeal without judgment is an evil, though it be zeal
unto good.—Eliza Cook's Jourrol.
THE GENERAL LYING-IN HOSPITAL.—The quar-
terly general court of the governors was held yesterday
at the Hospital, York-road, Lambeth ; Thomas S. Cox,
Esq., jun., in the chair. The balance sheet for the
past three months showed the total receipts to have been
9161. After defraying all expenses there remained a
sum of 403/. A committee, appointed some time since
to inquire into the " whole affairs of the hospital," now
brought up its report, of which the following are the
principal features. The revenue of 1848 was less than
the expenditure in a sum exceeding 1001., and the anti-
cipated deficiency for the year 1849 is upwards of 2001.
For the last three years the average number of in-pa-
iientseach year was 283—namely, of married women
267, single 16; the average number of patients attended
at their own houses in the same period was 448. For tno
three years last past the applicants admitted amounted to
849, and the out patients to 1,344. The average cost for
euch in patient (exclusive of rent, &c.) was 2/ 9s. 6d.
The report recommended that the number of letters of
recommendation be curtailed, and suggested, as a means
of increasing the funds of the charity, that there should
be an anniversary dinner, and likewise that an occasional
charity sermon should be preached. The report was re-
ceived, and, in accordance with the rules, was referred
for confirmation to a future court.

THE REV. GEORGE WILKIN'S WHEAT.—We
have received from the Rev. G. Wilkins, of Wix, and
have eeposited in our office, as he requests, for the in-
spoction of agriculturists, a sample of Egyptian wheat
in the ear. To grow it he states he put in only single
grains, and he had root after root of from 20 to 30 full
ears, and some of 35 and more. The Rev. Gentleman
adds—" I am about to put in on my small domain 6i or
7 acres, and I shall put in half that quantity of land with
so many pecks of seed, and I would do the whole so were
I to follow my own inclinations, but according to my
practice I shall put in some thicker, merely to convince
others, were it possible to do so, of the folly of wasting
seed and exhausting the land."—Essex Herald.'
FANNY KEMBLE.—it is rumoured that Mrs.
Butler is about to marry Theodore Sedgwick, Esq., of
sWckbridge,