The Sun.
London, England, 1840-10-16 00:00:00

OLYMPIC THEATRE.

A new mythological and operatic burletta was
produced at this theatre last evening under the
title of Venus a Vestal. The scene is laid at Del-
phi, where resides a fair widow. Agapheta by name
(Mrs. H Beverley), who, like the famed Ephesian
matron, has vowed never to wed another. The
oracle which she has consulted on the occasion has
declared that none of mortal parentage shall ever
touch her heart. Venus (Miss J. Moidaunt) and
Apollo (Miss M. Glover) determine that the wi-
dow shall love and shall wed, notwithstanding her
vow, and they make a free use of their supernatural
powers to bring about their object. Venus,
in her intercourse with the widow and her
friends, assuming the disguise of a vestal, and
A pollo that of a pedlar, and accordingly she
falls desperately in love with, and even-
tually weds, Phormio (Mr. St. John Horton) her
slave, who, however, turns out to be not of mortal
parentage, inasmuch as Venus owns him for her
son. The music is pretty and the scenery very
good. The piece, however, requires curtailment,
particularly in the first act. Miss Jane Mordaunt
made a very arch and coquetting Venus, and looked
exceedingly well in her vestal's dress. Indeed the
success of the piece is mainly owing to her exer-
tions, backed as they were by the excellent actin('
of Miss M. Glover as Apollo, Mrs. Garrick :s
the bustling landlady of the Apollo's Head, was
exceedingly quaint and humourous. She was,
however, nearly meeting with an accident in the
last act, from the clumsiness of one of scene-
shifters, who suffered a portion of a scene to fall
on the stage, instead of through a trap. Some of the
scenic effects are very good. One more particu-
larly struck us—the scene in the interior of the
Temple of Apollo, with the colossal statue of
that god. The temple is in darkness, but, on the
entry of Apollo, a brilliant star shines forth from
the breast of the statue, and illuminates the whole
fane. This effect was exceedingly well managed,
and loudly applauded. At the conclusion, Baker
came forward and announced the repetition of the
piece. There was a slight attempt at disapproba-
tion, but the applause greatly predominated. The
laughable farce of the Moving Statues fol-
lowed, in which Balls, Baker, and Roxby
kept the audience in a continued roar, and My
Grandmother's Estate and the Railroad Station,
which deserves to keep open every night of the sea-
son, concluded the evening's amusement at a sea•
sonable hour.

We arc rejoiced to see that Butler's judicious ca-
tering is properly appreciated by the public : the
doors of both pit and boxes were crowded long
before the hour of opening, and those who wish to
secure good places at the Olympic would do well
to come early. This is as it should be. No ma-
nager deserves success more than Mr. Butler.

DEATH IN THE PENITENTIARY.—Wednes-
day afternoon an inquest was held before Mr. Higgs, at
the General Penitentiary, Milbank, on the body of
Thomas Pegg, aged 24, late a prisoner in that institution,
who died from the effects of fever, making the second in-
stance within the last seven or eight days. It eppeared
that the deceased was received into the Penitentiary rn the
3d of April last, from Leicester, at which assizes he had on
.
the 10th of March, in the present year, been convicted of
stealing stockings. He had been sentenced to seven ) cars'
impr
transportation,json to expire On the 10th of Marcy, 1843. which, however, had been commuted • o three
years'
Mr. James Wade, surgeon to the prison, said the deceased
was found to be labouring under fever, and was removed
into the infirmary on the 27th ult. In a few days after the
fever, which was typhus, assumed a very malignant form,
and was attended also with symptoms of diseased lungs.
The fever gradually became worse, and he died on Mon-
day evening, at eight o'clock. He and Dr. Bailey had
made a post mortem examination of the body, and found
great inflammation of the lungs, which, coupled with the
fever, was the cause of death. In answer to questions by
thu Jury, Mr. Wade stated that the deceased was in the
infirmary ward at the time the other man died, and that
there were other cases of fever in the prison, but, he trusted,
not serious ones. Verdict, " Died from the combined ef-
fects of typhus fever and inflammation of the lungs,"