The Sun.
London, England, 1838-09-13 00:00:00

SADLER'S WELLS.

At this well-conducted and now very comfortable little
theatre, The Dream of Fate, or, Sarah the Jewess, which has
been performed for the last three or four weeks, continues to
attract very good houses, which the piece itself, the manner
in which it has been got up, and the acting, particularly of
Mrs. R. Honner as the Jewess, Mr. Cathcart as David Stol-
berg, and Mr. R. Honner as Stephen Cardinham, well merit.
The mclo-drama of 7'herese, which followed, was well per-
formed ; as was also The Dumb Savoyard and his Monkey,
which concluded last night's entertainments. Peter Wilkins,
or the Flying Indians, is announced for representation on Mon-
day next ; and we doubt not that, with the manager's usual at-
tention to the scenery, &c., and the strong cast at present at
this house, Mr. Honner will preserve the credit which he has
with the public, and deserve a continuation of the liberal coun
tenance which he now enjoys.
MAST

'ER GUSTAVE ADOLPHE
BASSLE.

We copy the following with much pleasure from the New-
castle Journal of last Saturday. Master B. (who is a Belgian)
is certainly one of the prodigies of the age :
" In our paper of the 25th ult. we cursorily noticed the as-
tonishing powers of this truly wonderful boy, Master G. A.
BassWi (for such be is in reality, being only twelve years old),
as displayed in the Mnemonic Art, at the Promenade of the
British Association, in the Green-market, on the evening of
*be 22d ult., on which occasion he elicited, as was observed,
very general admiration from a distinguished circle, including
their Graces the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, the
Mayor of Newcastle, the Marquis of Northampton, the Bishop
of Durham, the Hon. H. T. Liddell, M. P., and a numerous
body of the savans of the Association. Since then the appear-
ance of this prodigy in the Saloon of the Literary and Philoso-
phical Society, on Friday se'nnight, where the elite of Newcastle
were assembled, has afforded us an opportunity of witnessing more
leisurely the extraordinary talent of this very interesting young
foreigner, in the art of Mnemonics—a talent which as regards the
powers of memory based on a system, far surpasses any thing we
previously bad a conception of.' Independently of the extra-
ordinary faculty of memory he displays in repeating, backward
and forward, with accuracy a long series of figures, to the num-
ber of 50 or upwards, after the inspection of a minute or two,
—the prompt and correct answers he 'gives to questions of a
scientific nature—such as the specific gravity of various sub.
stances, as gold, alcohol, sea water, &c. ; as well as the dates
of remarkable epochs; the distances of the planets ; their
proper movements, &c., including a vast variety of interesting
matters connected with sacred and profane history, geography.
cosmography, mythology, natural history, and philosophy (and
which he renders in four different languages, namely, the
French, Dutch, German, and English), are all evidence of a
power in the Mnemonical Art, which equally astonishes and de-
lights, and which shows how aptly the term was applied to Master
Bessie by a London journalist, of his being in fact, an AMBULA-
TORY ENCYCLOPMDIA. Prior to the Duke and Duchess of
Northumberland quitting Newcastle, Master Bassle had the ho-
nour of exhibiting his wonderful talent to a select party, at their
Graces' residence, in Westgate-street; and so highly was the
company gratified with the performances of this astonishing boy,
that the Duchess, with that benign and amiable condescension
so characteristic of her Grace, made an appointment for the
rang master to attend at Northumberland House, London, in
the month of February next, when her Grace's patronage would
be further extended to him upon a scale commensurate to his me.
rits. All this, no doubt, is highly flattering, as is also the
communication addressed by command of His Royal Highness
the Duke of Sussex, to the father of the talented boy (the Che-
valier Hassle, who accompanies his son), dated Kensington Pa-
lace, August 4, giving permission that the Mnemonical Conver-
satione," shall, during the stay of the young Professor in Eng-
land, be " under the special patronage of His Royal Highness
the Duke of Sussex, President of the Royal Society." Master
Gustaphe Adolphe is, we understand, about to visit Scotland,
in the metropolis of which, as well as at Glasgow, Liverpool, and
other great commercial towns of the empire, the talented young
stranger will no doubt meet with that kind and friendly re-
ception to which lie is so justly entitled, as well by reason of
his uncommon talents, as by those gentle, pleasing, and unas-
suming manners which so peculiarly characterize him. His
judicious parent most assuredly has great merit in educating
his son in a manner so every way calculated to promote his
future .advancement in the world. All that we shall say fur-
ther is, we sincerely and cordially wish them both every
mundane felicity in their ulterior career ; and that their visit
to England may prove one of the most fortunate incidents in
their lives. It is the intention of Master Hassle to pay a
short visit to Sunderland before his departure for Scotland.

ENGLISH OPERA.—We are happy in informing
our readers, that Mr. Peake (for many years Treasurer of the
English Opera-house, and to whose prolific pen we are in-
debted for several very amusing pieces) takes his benefit on
Tuesday, Sept. 25 ; on which occasion the patronage he so
richly merits must ensure him an overflowing house. We
understand Mr. Peake has so many offers of aid, from all the
first-rate talent of the. Metropolis, that his bill of fare will be
unusually attractive. If public talent and undeviating good
conduct can have any claim, the house must indeed bo a
bumper. _ _

ABSENCE OF MIND (NOT AMERlCAN).—Yes-
terday, at the Police-office, Liverpool, a dirty-looking in-
dividual, named Smith, was charged with having been found
fast asleep, quite naked, in a gutter in the neighbourhood of the
docks. The prisoner, notwithstanding what Dr. Young has
said to the country, that
" Tired nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep,
He, like the world, his ready visit pays
Where fortune smiles,"
insisted that he was one of the most unfortuate of men ; for,
by some witchcraft which he could not divine, his bed, usually
so warm and comfortable, had been changed into the bed of a
kennel; his downy pillow into a pillow of slush ; his dear
kind-hearted Molly into a hard-hearted cobble stone, and, to
complete his misfortunes, he had not a rag of blanket, and
every stitch of his clothing had miraculously disappeared.
From the statement of the policeman who took him into
custody, it appeared that the prisoner had been wandering
homewards from some friend's house, Bacchi pleni; when,
having made several circuitous tours, he imagined, very ne-
urally, that he had walked long enough to be at home, and
herefore, concluded, very erroneously, that he was at home.
Acting on this conclusion, he proceeded forthwith to pull off
his clothes, as he would have done in his own proper bed-
room, of which, having totally disencumbered himself, he
proceeded to step into what ho supposed was the bed, by
stepping into the bad of the kennel, in which, having comfort-
ably deposited, his length, he threw his arms round the cobble
stone, to which he addressed several very endearing epithets,
calling it his " Dear Molly," and dropped soundly asleep.
Whilst he was snoring with his cheek against a cobble, some
one had taken the opportunity to walk off with his clothes.
In this state he was found by the policeman, who roused him
from his dreams, and safely lodged him in Bridewell. He
appeared at the bar in a " shocking" bad suite of clothes,
which had been lent to him. Mr. Hall, after severely repri-
manding him, told him to take care and not make such a beast
of himself again, which being promised, he was fined five
shillings for being drunk, and liberated, to tell his " Dear
Molly" his adventures.—Liverpool Standard, Sept. 11.
On Tuesday evening a poor woman went to the
shop of Mr. Franklin, pawnbroker, of No. 5, Tottenham-
court-road, for the purpose of pledging a shawl for two shil-
lings. A man in the adjoining box at the same time offered
his watch, upon which he asked two sovereigns. Mr. Franklin
made out the duplicates, but instead of giving the two sove-
reigns to the man he threw them towards the woman, who
eagerly seized them and made off. The mistake having been
found
until the woman was parsucd, but could not be
until seven hours after. None of the money was discoveredin
her possession, and she denied the charge. She was, how-
ever, given into custody, and taken before the Magistrates of
Hatton. garden, when she was remanded.