The Sun.
London, England, 1847-10-04 00:00:00

HAYMARKET THEATRE.

Mr. Webster takes the field for the winter season
in greater force than ever. It is true, he has lost
Buekstone, but this loss is more than compensated
for by the acquisition of Mr. and Mrs. Keeley, and
Mr. Alfred Wigan. With the exception of Buckstone
we have all the old favourites, Mrs. Glover, Mrs.
Nisbett, Miss P. Horton, Miss Fortescue, Miss Rey-
nolds, Miss Julia Bennett, Mrs. Humby, Mrs. W.
Clifford, and Farren, Hudson, Tilbury, Howe,
Brindal, and, although last not least, clever, quaint,
little Clark. The new engagements are Mr. and Mrs.
Charles Kean, Miss Helen Faucit, Mr. Creswick,
Mr. H. Farren, Mr. H. Vandenhoff, Mr. Ranger,
and Miss E. Messent, in addition to the Keeleys and
Mr. Alfred Wigan. The theatre was opened on
Saturday night for the season with the School for
Scandal and the Invisible Prince. The following was
the cast of the comedy, and since the days of Elliston
and Charles Kemble never has this chefd'oeuvre of
Sheridan been so strongly cast as it was on Saturday :
Sir Peter Teazle Mr. Farren
Sir Oliver Surface Mr. Tilbury
Sir Benjamin Backbite Mr. A. Wigan
Joseph Surface Mr. Creswick
Charles Surface Mr. Henry Farren
Careless Mr. 11. Vandenhoff
Rowley Mr. Gough
Moses Mr. Webster
Snake Mr. Braid
Sir Harry Mr. Canfield
Crabtree Mr. Rogers
Trip
Lady Teazle ... Mrs. Nisbett
Mrs. Candour Mrs. Glover
Lady Sneerwell Mrs. W. Clifford
Maria Miss E. Messent
Maid Miss E. Woolds
It was a bold attempt on the part of Mr. H. Farren,
to appear for the first time before a London audience
in the character of Charles Surface, but the success
of the attempt was quite equal to its boldness. Mr.
11. Farren in person resembles his father. He is tall
and well proportioned, and has very expressive fea-
tures. His voice i 3 powerful, and his manner easy.
At first he appeared somewhat stiff, but as he
warmed in the part he acquired confidence. The
auction scene was very good, and the screen scene
was excellently given. The manner in which he
banters Joseph and Sir Peter at the conclusion, was
quite equal to the most gifted of his prede-
cessors. Mr. Creswick is a careful and clever
—and if he would dare to be original—he would be
a great actor, but he must avoid Macreadyisms. His
Joseph Surface would have been first rate had it not
been marred by his imitations of Macready's worst
faults. He emphasises every syllable, for instance,
he always spoke of Sir Peter Teazell, not Teazle, and,
like Mossop, rolled his thunder in monosyllable. Let
him cure himself of this propensity to imitation, let
him cease to be a disciple of a bad school, and he may
attain the very highest position in his profession.
His conception of character is admirable, and his
powers are great. The Sir Benjamin Backbite
of Mr. Alfred Wigan was far and away the best that
has been seen for years. It was quite equal to
Jones's, and that is giving it the highest praise pos-
sible. Miss Messent was timid and nervous, and
therefore scarcely did justice to herself, in Maria.
W ebster's Moses was first-rate. It had all the
quaint humour of the Moses of Yates. Mr.
H. Vandenhoff made the most of Careless. He
was admirable in the auction scene. His person is
good, and his voice melodious, and he will be an
acquisition to the company. Farren, Mrs. Glover,
Mrs. Nisbett, and Mrs. W. Clifford all seemed
in excellent health and spirits, and acted
as they alone can act. It was the most perfect repre-
sentation of the .School for Scandal that has been
seen for years. The National Anthem was sung at
the conclusion of the comedy. The house was
crammed to suffocation in every part long before the
rising of the curtain.

THE NATIONAL ANTI-GOLD-LAW
LEAGUE.
(FROM A CORRESPONDENT.)
The following suggestions are humbly offered for
the consideration of the Nalonal Anti• Gold-law
League, being indited solely with the patriotic view
of obviating the pecuniary difficulties of the present

period.
ht—Applications to the Prime Minister, through
elected delegates, f r an " Order in Council," to
authorise the issuing of " One Pound Parliamentary
Notes."

2d—With these representatives of national wealth,
the contractors of those railways in progress to
discharge the wages,
and other debts, due for materials
used.
3d—At the expiration of six or twelve months from
the opening of such railway, the holders of the notes
so issued and numbered to present them for payment
at the respective banks of issue—such notes to be then
cancelled.
4th—These operations to be repented according to
the requirements of each special railway, and as the
funds arising from the traffic of such railways shall
appear to warrant.
Let the " Order in Council" only vote the Parlia-
mentary 11. notes, and all the serious impediments—
mercantile industry (of both railways, in forming,
and the whole trading interest) are removed.—Deo
volente.

TILE VACANT CoLoNELCIEs.—•The vacancies in
the 10th, 33d, and 94th Foot, have at length been filled
up, and, strange to say, the Guards are for once in a
minority of favour. The officers who have been selected
by the Comm.:nder-in Chief are Lieutenant General Sir
Thomas MeMah,.n, Major-General D'Oyly. and Major-
General Sir William Warre, all of them officers of dib-
tinetion.—Mited ervice Gazette.

CHARGE OF 111 E HORRIBLE MURDER OF A CHILD
BY ITS MOTHER.—At the Dowlais Petty Sessions, Mar-
garet Davis has been charged with the wilful murder of
Anne Davis, her female infant daughter, by forcibly
immersing it in a pail of water. The prisoner, who ap-
peared wholly unconcerned, declined saying anything in
her defence or putting any question to the witness who
gave evidence against her. The magistrates fully com-
mitted the prisoner for trial at the next assizes.—Here-
ford 7 imes.
FATAL ACCIDENT AT WATERLOO-BRIDGE. —On
Saturday afternoon, a fine boy, aged about seven years,
son of Thomas Bunker, dairyman. of Marquis-court,
Drury -lane, crawled through the balustrade on to the
entablature of Waterloo-brn.ge, where he overbalanced
himself, and fell from a height of above thirty feet,
pitchieg upon the watertnens' stone steps. A person,
well known as Rubinson Crusoe, from constantly paddling
about the river in a canoe, was on the spot, and imme-
diately conveyed the child to Mr. Snitch, surgecn, of
Brydges-street, who recommended his removal to
Charing- cross Hospital, where the little sufferer arrived
only in time to breathe bis last. The moilier of the
deceased happened to be at the hospital, visiting her
father, who had his ear cut off by being run over in
Bow-street the same morning, and was on her return
when she discovered the dead body of her child in the
hall of the institution.
Loss OF THE HON. EAST INDIA COMPANY'S WAR-
STEAMER CLEOPATRA.—For several weeks past a feel-
ing of the deepest regret has prevailed amongst the
authorities of the East India House, in Leadenhall-street,
in consequence of the receipt of intelligence from the
Company's Marine Depot at Bombay, announcing the
probable lose of the above-mentioned vessel. The cir-
cumstances attending her destruction will most likely
ever remain in mystery. The Cleopatra, it is stated,
from her peculiar form of build, was not well adapted fur
the service in which she was commissioned. She measured
nearly 800 tons burden, and carried four guns. She
steamed from Bombay on the 14th of April last, with orders
for Singapore, and had on board nearly 200 convicts. Her
crew comprised 70 persons. There was also a detachment
of Marines on board. Among the officers in charge of the
ship may be mentioned—Captain J. A. Young, com-
mander, Lieutenant Eden, Lieutenant Ralph, Mr. F. W.
Nott, Mr. T. G. Croad, acting master, and Mr. J.
Soady, son of Captain Soady, R.N. Four days after the
departure from Bombay, it came on a frightful hurri-
cane, which continued with unabated violence three days
—the 17th, 18th, and 19th. It is very probable that the
Cleopatra had, at the time of encountering the storm,
reached the Malabar coast, off which, unfortunately,
there is too much reason to believe, she foundered, with
every human being on board. The marine authorities
at Bombay sent out two powerful steamers in search of
her, and, according to the last account, not the slightest
discovery had been made that would tend to clear up
the mystery that at present surrounds the fate of the
h theab i el
id-
iniastleadn d
vwasess vessel.
thought The
thatuninmg btot
probablywhich it
have been driven, had been inspected,steamers westward,
b
neither had any wreck corresponding ithutthoe Cf
leopatra
been been picked up. he estimate for building and fitting
the unfortunate ship exceeded 30,0001.
THE LATE EXPLOSION OF FIREWORKS.—One of
the three parties so severely injured by the explosion of
fireworks which occurred on Friday evening last, in the
Blackfriars-road, and reported in this journal of Satur-
day, has expired from the effects of the burns received.
The deceased was a brother of Mr. Mordey, and about
fourteen years of age. At six o'clock last evening
(Sunday), Edward Perry, another of the injured per-
sons, and Mr. Mordey, were lying in such a state that
very little hopes could be entertained of their recovery,
Indeed, the death of the boy Perry was hourly ex-
pected. Everything that humanity or surgical skill
can devise has been done for the unfortunate sufferers
by the surge,us of Guy's Hospital, to which institution
they were removed, but it is feared without success, for
the chest and other vital panof Otia 61'0 believed to
be injured.