The Sun.
London, England, 1849-01-09 00:00:00

LYCEUM THEATRE,

Last evening we again visited this elegant palace
of amusement, and were even more delighted on this
occasion than we were the first time we witnessed
the Christmas offering of Planche—the ever welcome
ambassador from the fairy court of Oberon and
Titania—who is acknowledged to be, far and away,
the most elegant and polished, at the same time most
classical burlesque writer of the day. Competitors
he may have—and who has not ?—but they all sink
into nothingness when they dare a tilt with him. The
wit and satire of Planche, though keen, is never
vulgar ; there is none of that low and offensive lan-
guage so prevalent in the efforts of other writers to
be found in any of his successful productions—the
rubicon of wit and sparkling repartee is always gained
but never passed, and hence the secret of all his
triumphs. The King of the Peacocks is, without
doubt, the most magnificent fairy extravaganza that
has ever been produced at this theatre, so renowned
for grandness of style ; we say this, well remembering
the refulgent brilliancy and voluptuous beauty of
The Golden Branch and Theseus and Ariadne. All
that could be done by the liberality of the manage-
ment in the way of taste and splendour has been done ;
and truly the stage seems, what with the dazzling
magnificence of the dresses and appointments and the
gorgeousness of the scenery, a perfect El Dorado.
We have before had to speak in terms of high com-
mendation of the scene painting of Mr. Beverly, and
in this instance he has eclipsed all his former works.
The applause bestowed upon the Pecockian Quadrille
is well deserved ; it is one of the prettiest things we
have seen for a very long time. Madame Vestris
as Argus, the brilliant-eyed, King of the Pea-
cocks ; Miss K. Fitzwilliam, as King Florizel ; Miss
J. Coleman, as Prince Jessarny ; Miss Marshall, as
Fiiry Faithful; John It eeve, as the May-fly—and
such a May-fly !—Harley, as the Chinese Junkman,
with a very hard name; Selby, as Soyez-tranquille ;
and Mr. 11. llall, are each in their respective parts
excellent. The music which is allotted to each cha-
racter is very neatly given, but especial mention
must be made of the parody on the chorus from
Ilaydee, " The Breeze," the solo part being exquisitely
rendered by Madame Vestris. The house continues
to attract the most fashionable and crowded audiences.
The applause at the fall of the curtain was enthusiastic
in the extreme. Our readers we are sure will thank
us for informing them that early attendance at the re-
ceptions at the Court of his Majesty the King of the
Peacocks is indispensably necessary, as after seven
o'clock every evening standing room even rises to a
premium.

CORN-LAWS.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SlR,—Being a constant reader of your paper, I
have taken the liberty of requesting you to find room
in your valuable journal for the following :
A poor man called to take one of my cottages,
which holds looms and jennies, by hand, at Mihnon,
near Rochdale, which I let for 6/. ; the rent was
formerly 9/.
Two years since this man gave 3s. 6d. for a peck of
flour. He now purchases the same article, with the
addition of one pound of sugar, one pound of candles,
and one pound of butter,l for the sum; 3s. 6d. He
has still his former wages. I am very happy to
inform you that working people are looking forward
to the close of the Corn-laws, and in my opinion it
will answer their most sanguine expectations. Excuse
this trouble, and you will oblige
Your obedient servant,
JAMES BUTTERWORTH.
Green Booth Mills, near Rochdale,
January 8, 1849.

THE BRITISH .MUSEUM. Yesterday the British
Museum was re-opened to the public ; it will continue
open on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, without
intermission, between the hours of te❑ and four, until the
Ist of May, and will then be closed till the 7th, when,
on re-opening, the hours will be extended from ten till
seven. The new building, with the exception of the
addition to the Gallery of Antiquities, erecting in lieu
of the Townley Gallery, is complete, and early in the
ensuing month of February the last remaining portion
of old Montague liouse,'fronting Great Russell-street,
will be removed.

DEPOSIT Or FLOUR IN BOND.—A firm at one of
the ports in the west of England has recently made ap-
plication to the revenue authorities to be allowed to de-
posit the very large quantity of 1560,0001b5. weight of
flour in bond, under the Grinding Act, for ships' stores,
in lieu of 717,9481b5. weight of wheat to be delivered
from the bonded warehouse, free of duty, being at the
proportion of 781bs. of flour to 1001bs. weight of wheat.
This is one of the largest individual depasits of the na-
ture alluded to which has come under our notice, and is
especially remarkable as being at one of the smaller out-
ports. It appears that a very large number of arrivals
of cargoes of flour have recently taken place at the port
alluded to, from France, and that many more are antici-
pated to take place from the same quarter.
MOST EXTRAORDINARY FEAT. SPLITTING A
BANK NOTE.—The Governor and Directors of the
Bank of England having been informed of the extra-
ordinary ingenuity of Mr. Baldwin, and that he was
able to split not only a newspaper, but a bank-note, sent
for him in order to test his skill. That his task might
be as difficult as possible, they picked him out one of the
old one-pound notes, which are printed upon paper much
thinner than the notes of the present day, and told him
to split it if ho could. Mr. Baldwin took the note hcme
with him, and returned it the next day in the state he
had premised. The paper was not in the slightest de-
gree torn, and seemed as though it had but just come
from the manufactury, so little was its appearance
affected by the operation. The Directors remunerated
Mr. Baldwin for his trouble, but could not elicit from
him the means he employed. The discovery is con-
sidered of much importance in connexion with the paper
currency of the country.
EMEUTE ON BOARD A CONVICT SIIIP.—An earteute
of a very alarming character occurred last week on board
the Sulphur hulk, lying off Woolwich Dockyard, used as
a convict ship. The affair originated in a conspiracy
_
formed by several convicts on board that vessel tcobmnwro r
b who
or savagely ill-treat a quartermaster, named
ylwVer. e, how-
had made himself obnoxious to them. had
ac-
ever, led to believe that a prisoner ni'ifit,efa-nlid-et•hrleay
given information to Webb of their plot,
tbweoingguards,
b„t most unmet.-
cordingly set upon Kenna, whom
that he
mur-
dered, The man screamed out chassistawnea:
tiered, and his cries brought to his
WitneY' for two other officers of
'The prisoners, it being
Warren,. against the former
named Quick and
dark at the time, mistook them
Webirbo7bdars, made a desperate attackrn
es, and, ar
be hardly
the ship, named
yu
injuries cats 'lt
0
ing themselves with
11 of them were severely injured,
boards. 13°t
o f whom
übcehe
filens
oeovfreitgrhei
en:11;
upon the gua
and Witney suffered Bach
yet out of danger. board the lioyal Mariues was at
on vessel, and
length brought the guards were
rescued. Three of the prisoners, provt dto have been
the ringleaders in this affair, named Williams, Harris,
and Rodgers, were afterwards brought len"'
before Captain
Voules, the superintendent of the hulks, and sentenced
to receive 50 lashes each. The sentence was carried
into effect upon all except Rodgers,
43 lashes, was ordered by
mr. who, after receiving
Dabbs, the resident sur-
geon, to be taken down. Another convict, named Felton,
received 24 lashes at the same time for insolence to one
of the guards.
DEATH or DR. BLACKER, LL.D.—The Rev. Dr.
Blacker, rector of Mullabrack died on Wednesda lastl
in the 78th year of his
The union Y '
age.
0 ill the gift of the Primate of Ireland.

GOLD DIGGINGS in CALIFORNIA
VALPARAISO, OCT. 30, 1848.—During the month
most classes of English goods, particularly cottons,
have been in brisk demand at good prices. The im-
portations from Europe (which continue limited)
during the month amount to 300,000 dollars, the
greater part of which sold within a few days after the
arrival of the goods. In produce for exportation
there is little or nothing doing at present.
The news lately received from California of the dis-
covery of an extensive gold-washing (of which you
will no doubt have heard in England) has produced a
great deal of speculation. Several cargoes have been
dispatched from this market, and others have been
prepared; while houses are being opened in California
in connexion with mercantile establishments here.
The chief ground of hope for the success of all
this speculation is the continuance of the gold-wash-
ing in its present fertility. Gold dust to the value of
100,000 dolls, has already arrived here within the last
few weeks from this gold-washing, and we have ad-
vices of as much more being on the way from the
port of San Francisco, in Upper California. The gold
sells here at 18 dollars an ounce. The washing is
situated on a tributary of the Sacramento River,
about 200 miles inland from San Francisco, and great
expectations are raised from its extraordinary fertility,
and from the ease with which the gold is procured. It
is found with little labour, near the surface of a valley
extending for many miles between the Sacramento
and the great chain of mountains known as the
" California Range."
The American Governor of California made a visit
to the washings lately, and he has reported to his
Government the value of the gold dust collected at
2,200,000 dollars a month by the present imperfect
mode of working. As yet the washing is free to
the exertions of all who may choose or risk to seek
their fortunes in this El Dorado. An eye-witness,
just returned from the scene, describes the bands of
reckless desperadoes there collected as something
horrible. They are more to be likened to bands of
pirates than to anything else. The masters of vessels
in the Bay of San Francisco find it impossible to
retain their sailors on board. They all run away to
the gold-washing, and the captain of a Chilian vessel
just arrived here from California was under the
necessity of paying labourers to unload and to load
his vessel one dollar per hour, with grog cd libitum.
All the other resources of the country are abandoned
for the gold-washing. Labour, provisions, and goods
fetch most extravagant prices, and immigration from
the United States across the Rocky Mountains con-
tinues in one unbroken stream of fortune-seekers.
RATES OF FREIGHT AT VALPARAISO.
From the abundance of shipping, and the dullness
of the export trade, freights are at present quite
nominal.

The last charter for nitrate to Liverpool was at 3/.
in full.

Light Freight to London or Liverpool may be
quoted at 41. in full.
In copper ores no charters have been made lately.
Freight to France, 120 f.; ditto to the United
States, 22 hard dollars; to llamburgh, 4.8 and 5
per cent.
Exchange.—Bills on England, at 90 days' sight,
430.; English Navy Bills, at 3 days' sight, 43d.;
American Bills on New York, at 90 days' sight, 2s.
per cent. premium ; bar silver, 10 dolls. 31c. per
mark ; hard dollars, 10i to 10i per cent. premium.
Exchange on Paris, 4f. 90c. for Treasury bills ; ditto,
on commercial bills, sf. Exchange on liamburgh,
1 Banco.