The Sun.
London, England, 1849-01-05 00:00:00

ITALY.

Bing CHARLES ALBERT is about to take up his
winter quarters in the fortress of Ale3sendria.

OLYMPIC THEATRE.

A melodrama, entitled the Beadsman, being a dramatic
adaptation, by Albert Smith, of a tale which appeared in
a recent number of Blackwood, was produced here la,t
evening with the most complete and deserved success.
'1 he interest of the piece turns upon the lan- wlsic!o pre-
vailed in the Low Countries during the middle ages,
involving the entail of the office of public executioner
upon the eldest son of the existent functionary, the
odium attached to the unlucky family in whom was
vested the exclusive privilege of wielding the re•
tributive axe often subjecting its members to
the insulting aid dan;eroua hatred of the populace.
The drama illustrates the agony of a young man, the
offspring of one of the denounced and outlawed Gloss,
who is called upon to decapitate a felon in consequence
of the accidental inability of the father to perform the
duty. The drama represents his ignominious expulsion
from a cabaret, the heroic sympathy of his sweetheart,
and his ultimate appearance on the scaffold, when a
shriek from his betrothed unnerves his arm, and the fatal
axe, hanging over the head of the condemned, fallspower-
less, amid the invectives and execration of the bystanders,
while the denouement is brought about by the disco-
very that he is not the son of the headsman, hut the
illegitimate child of the reigning prince, and happily ex-
empt from the repugnant contingencies of his reputed
birth. The success of the drama depended chiefly upon
the gloomy interest of the last scene, when the spectator
beheld the scaffold in all its visible reality, lit with dimly-
' burning lanthorns, and the wretched criminal, attended by
his ghostly confessor, awaiting bare-necked the impend-
ing blow. Mr. Leigh Murray exhibited the distress of the
youthful headsman with great effect, and his denuncia-
tions of the loathsome task which devolved
upon him were delivered with much manly feeling.
He was admirably supported by Miss De Burgh, as the
heroine. Miss De Burgh is a young lady new to the Lon-
don
boards, and will become a great acquisition. She is
a most interesting looking girl, and her features, which
aro very expressive, have a pensive cast, which suits
exactly with the character. She has, moreover, a sweet
voice, " a most excellent thing in woman," and in her
acting shows great intensity and pathos. She will soon
be what Mrs. Yates was twenty years ago. The quaint
dry humour of Compton, who acted the part of a relic-
maker, was a welcome relief to the more serious parts
of the drama. The piece was announced for repetition
by Mr. Leigh Murray, amidst the enthusiastic applause
of a very crowded house.

MARYLEBONE THEAT
The Marylebone pantomime of the Knight and the
Wooden Demon continues to attract crowded house.;
here every night. It is a pantomime of the old ,chool,
full of fun, frolic, and trick; with a Harlequin, Panta-
loon, and Clown who do not fear to exert them-
selves. It is delightful to witness the uproarious
joy of the children at this theatre. The engagement of
Mrs. Fitzwilliam and Mr. Buckstone, which terminates
shortly, has been most profitable to the management,
Every night since Christmas this snug little theatre has
been crowded to suffocation.