The Sun.
London, England, 1849-12-18 00:00:00

HAYMARKET THEATRE.

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS !"
(From Eliza Cook's Journal.)
" Cry Havoc," and let slip the dogs of war," is no
unworthy expression of Shakspere, to intimate a
coming state of hurly-burly and disastrous confusion;
but we have strong doubts whether more mischief—
albeit, less poetry—would not have been conveyed in
" Cry, Home for the holidays,' and let stip the girls
and boys."
Reader, have you ever been resident in a respect-
able and well ordered mansion before the arrival of
some half-dozen brambles—(we beg pardon, it should
have been "olive branches") ? Have you enjoyed
cheerful, undisturbed converse with the host and
hostess over the breakfast-table ? Have you indulged
in solitary luxury over a favourite volume in a little
study ? Have you serenely dozed by the twilight
fire, with all around breathing propriety, and, blessed
word, peace ? Have you reposed in this balmy secu-
rity, we ask, before the importation of "six under
fifteen," on or about the eighteenth of December? and
have you managed to exist in the same abode after
tLe said importation ? What nerves, what resolution,
what endurance must be yours, if such ordeal can be
borne without flinching !
Unrestrained symptoms of an incipient excitement
may be detected in mamma a day or two before the
auspicious period, and important communications to
the cook may be overheard touching the size of cakes
and the number of tarts. A deal of extra bustle and
commotion in the general household may be observed,
extending from the scullery to the topmost bedroom,
and the increased pulse of domestic vitality indicates
the approach of the restless fever which is ever
brought from school by girls and boys.
Papa, mamma, and perhaps a foolish aunt, go of
course to the "station" to meet the " dear children ;"
and when the carriagt doors open and the identified
forms rush out, some strong delight and a little
nervous agitation are displayed, which occasionally
cause a degee of difficulty in getting the right lug-
gage together; and we once saw a fond father, in his
exuberant bewilderment, carry a huge cricket-playing
boy of ten years date, from one end of the platform
to the other—but then the little giant had curly hair,
and soft, laughing, grey eyes, and wan the youngest
of the family, and above all "very like his mother."
Home they rattle, their tongues going much faster
than the cal;-wheels, with all sorts of spasmodic in-
terrogatories and replies, jostled together by impatient
eagerness, that would perplex any but very partial
auditors into confirmed lunacy.
For a few hours, perchance, some slight • trace of
"boarding-school" manners may linger about the
"young ladies and gentlemen !" but full soon the
uproar begins; play-boxes are unpacked, prizes voci-
ferously displayed, ushers abused, roasters mimicked,
governesses called " old frumps," and lady-like
teachers stigmatised as "disagreeable things !" Oh !
the vast chaage in the quiet house! Such tramping
up-stairs, such sliding down balustrades, such hunt-
ing in attic cupboards, such invasions of the pantry,
such litters in the parlour, and such a gathering in
the hall of caps, cloaks, comforters, beaver bonnets,
fur capes, and gloves, that one might mistake the
place for a superior sort of Rosemary-lane! Master
Henry has been violently smitten during the " last
half" with an affection for theatricals on a small scale,
and consequently every evening the whole table is
occupied ,by a miniature stage, foot-lamps mest redo-
lent of bad oil, saucers of paste, bottles of gum, boxes
of colours, gold and silver foil, spangles, brushes ;
Mr. 0. Smith as somebody in The Fire King; Mr.
Van Amburgh as somebody among four lions; and
the whole " properties" and " personages" essential to
The Miller and his Men. Master George insists on
having room for his magic-lantern, and Miss Ellen
and Master Tom cannot see any just reason why there
should not be space for the draught-board. Jangling
ensues, and a quickly-brewed storm rages until papa
is called upon to interfere. The surface of the waves
is smoothed, but sundry kicks are carried on beneath
the mahogany, and acute whisperings relative to
"serving out" ms be distinctly heard.

A rew and original play, in three acts, entitled
The Lowing Woman, was produced here last evening
with the most complete success. It is from the pen
of Mr. Mark Lemon, which is as much as to say
that it is well built, well written, and full of interest ;
it is acted by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kean, Mr. James
Wallack, Mr. Howe, and Mr. Rogers—that is to
say, as perfectly cast, and as perfectly acted as possible;
and that it was therefore triumphantly sue.
cessful follows as a matter of course. The
following is the plot of the piece :—Ottilia
(Mrs. Charles Kean) is the ward of Wielfert
(Mr. Howe), an old usurer of Prague, who would
fain make her bis wife ; she however rejects his suit
for that of the gay, the gallant, the accomplished
Rosen (Mr. Charles Kean), the son of a widow who
had brought him to Prague when he was a child,
and who had bequeathed to him all she possessed.
The usurer, before consenting to her marriage with
Rosen, so ties up her property that not even
Ottilia herself can transfer it to Rosen
without the consent of Wielfert. He also
discovers that Rosen's mother had borrowed
money on the security of her property, buys
up her bonds, and on the wedding day enters Rosen's
house, accompanied by Hermann (Mr. Wallack), a
beggerman clad in rags, and, taking possession of all
that it contains, would fain instal Hermann, in hisr;gs,
as lord of the feast. Ilermarn, who has caught a
glimpse of the portrait of Rosen's mother, refuses to
lend himself to Wilfert's revenge. Hermann,
it appears, had been, some three-and-twenty years
previously, a rich and prosperous man, to whom
Wielfert was largely indebted; in order to avoid pay-
ment
of this debt Wielfert bad, in conjunction with
his servant Groschen (Mr. Rogers), concocted an
accusation of treason against Hermann, and had sup-
ported it by forged documents, so that Hermann was
forced to flee-, and to become a kggar. In the course
of his wanderings he had become acquainted with the
mother cf Groschen, who when dying had informed
him of the conspirators in the plot of which he had
become the victim, and had likewise pointed
out to him the spot in the house of Wielrert ) 1
in which the proofs of his innocence
might be found, and it is to obtain them that

lertnann has returned to Prague. Meanwhile Ottilia
endeavours, by every means in her power, to console
Rosen, but in vain. He feels that he is dependent on
her, and he becomes fretful, suspicious, and, at
length, jealous. Wielfert hires persons to irritate
and annoy him, and he is at length almost driven to
madness by a ballad, entitled "The Beggar's
Wedding," of which lie is the hero. Ottilia
proposes to sign a deed of divorce, to which he con-
sents. Hermann the beggar enters just as the divorce
is signed, and declares himself the lather of Rosen, on
which Wielfort denounces Hermann as a traitor, and
having degraded Rosen into the son of a criminal, and
deprived him of his wife, considers his revenge,
complete. Ottillia, however, having now become
free, tears to shreds the deed of settlement,
and then kneels at the feet of Rosen and beseeches
him to accept her hand now, when by so doing her
fortune will be his and he will be no longer depen-
dent. Hermann, who has proved his innocence,
produces his accusation against Wielfert, who is led
off a prisoner by the city guard, and liermtnn Rosen,
and Ottillia are made hippy. The character of the
loving woman was most pathetically, most tenderly,
most exquisitely delim ated by Mrs. Charles Kean, who
threw a commanding dignity into the scenes with
Wielfert, which contrasted beautifully with the ex-
quisite tenderness which she infused into her scenes
with Rosen. Never had loving woman more fitting
representative than Mrs. Charles Kean. Mr. Charles
Kean's Rosen:was full of spirit and chivalrous bear-
ing, and the expression of nervous irritation in his
tone, his manner, and his bearing in the last act,
when he is writhing beneath the sense of dependence,
is one of those gems of acting which genius, chastened
and subdued by the most accomplished knowledge of
art, can alone produce. Wallack's Hermann was
perfect, and is worthy to rank with his Brigand, or
his Don Cesar de Bazan, as one of the most picturesque
impersonations on the' Wage. Howe's Wielr. rt is by the
far the beat thing he has yet done—it is a great step
in his Professional career, and a step in the right
direction. GroshEn the servant, was admirably
acted by Rogers. At the conclusion Mr. and Mrs.
Charles Kean, Wallack, and Howe, were all called
for, and the piece was announced for repetition
amidst the unanimous applause of a crowded house.
The admirable comedy of the Serious Family fol-
lowed, and the performances concluded with
Box and Cox, in which Buckstone and Keeley kept
the audience in a continual roar.

,
I " Horne for the holidays !" Oh, words of übiqui-
tous import !—we hear them in the everlasting duets
strummed to every visitor by two giggling girls, who
do not think it at all necessary that bass should be in
unison with treble; we hear them in the slang school
phrases, blustered by gawky boys, in defiance of
mamma's entreaties that they will not be "so rude ;"
we see them printed in the " Polka" steps, with
stampings and slidings, and hoppings and heelings,
alike innumerable and mysterious ; we see them
written on the jam puddings and marmalade tarts
spread far and wide. We note the syllables in the
medallion pieces of card-board traced with flowers
unrecognised by Lint,muq, and in Swiss cottages
that would have astonished the designing faculties of
Sir Christopher Wren ; they haunt us in the forms
of "fancy baskets," made to carry nothing; and
highly-coloured maps that would have puzzled Cap-
tain Cook and all other captains. We tumble over
them in the shape of bows and arrows, stray marbles,
miniature cannon, skipping-ropes, bats and balls, and
a variety of juvenile possessions left indiscriminately
wherever they might have been last used.
" Home for the Holidays" stares us in the face, as
we look round the boxes of Old Drury, and see a
grinning, rosy-faced regiment in white collars and
smart frocks. "Home for the Holidays" jostles us
in every highway, as the troops of independent
youngsters make a dead stop at some enticing shop
window, with various pulls at the maternal skirt, and

corresponding inquiries as to whether certain desired
articles cannot possibly be purchased. " Home for
the Holidays" is stamped on the tailor's bag, contain-
ing loosely-fitting suits of dark blue, and the dress-
maker's parcel, teeming with deeply-tucked dresses.
" Home for the Holidays" is detected in the piles of
new shoes, new stockings, new hats, new bonnets, new
everything, all coming in with the New Year.
" Home for the Holidays," pleasant joyous
words ! bringing to our hearts and firesides, health,
hope, cheerfulness, and light. Children are the
butterflies of our wordly wilderne!s, and we love
to have them come about us at all seasons, though
to confess the truth, they are very provoking
sometimes, and to our certain knowledge many a
doting sire who hastened with intense exuberance of joy
to hail his progeny in the month of December, has
been heard to make particular inquiry towards the
end of January, as to " when school commenced,"
and a very truthful and genuine air has accompanied
his remark, that he was " glad the time was near."
Nay ! we once heard one of the best fathers in the
world declare that he would have a fiddler and a
bonfire the day after the departure of his cherished
brood, to celebrate the happy event; but, perhaps, it
is fair to mention that that this declaration was wrung
from him by the painful facts of two young gentle •
men having taken infinite trouble to precipitate them-
selves through a most remote skylight, and three
young ladies having indulged in preserves and sweet-
meats, to the extent necessary to insure a visit from
the family Esculapius.
We have noticed that depredations and enormities
generally increase as the vacation draws to a close.
Jackets and trowsers are damaged beyond reparation,
frocks discovered with gathers out, and pins in, and a
reckless apathy to all paternal discipline is often evi-
dent, exhibited, we suppose, on the desperate principle
of "a short life and a merry one." Serious lectures
are bestowed on "dear Tom," and sharp reprimands
lavished on "sweet little Emily." It is protested that
"such eating and drinking," 4` such running and
racing," "such mischief and rudeness," cannot be
"put up with," even by the proprietors of the crimi-
nals, and sorry are we in our charity and philosophy
to say it, but it does really appear that a most har-
dened audacity, and brazen character of rebellion
generally mark the conduct of very "young England"
when "Home for the Holidays." •
And yet these few words are traced in illuminated
letters that we would not exterminate for the world.
They are the beacon-lights that guide many a tiny
craft through the stormy waters of "grammar,
geography, French, Latin, and history." Many a
small breast with large heart would sob itself to
death, were it not for this El Dorado ever kept in
sight. The frosty discipline of school duties, and
the sharp atmosphere of "classes" and " examina-
tions," would try many a susceptible constitution
severely, were it not for the six weeks of relaxing
climate found in the southern latitude of " Home for
the Holidays."
"Home for the Holidays"—oh, words of magic
might ! Who does not recollect the time when they
had the power of sending the warm blood bounding
through the heart with quickened glow ? Who does
not remember the joyous thrill that prompted, as the
stage-coach whirled away from academic walls, and
visions grew stronger of fun, freedom, pantomime,
and plum cake? Midsummer was merry enough;
but Christmas, jolly, happy, glorious Christmas, was
the acme of delight, with its beef and pudding festi-
val, its Boxing-day, its New Year's-day, its Twelfth-
day, and all its appliances of clowns, columbines,
family feasts, juvenile parties, roasted chestnuts,
smoking flip, and " Blindenan's Buff." Bright, warm
young spirits—rollicking and romping, as we once
rollicked and romped—we bless you from our inner-
most souls, although we are compelled now and then
to scold, and occasionally wish you back again at
Mr. Whackem's and Mrs. Trimtail's. Health and hap-
piness attend ye, and may the days to come never cause
ye to look back with a sigh on the days gone—when
ye shouted "Home for the Holidays!"
ELIZA COOK.

DIRECT LONDON AND EXETER RAILWAY.—Notice
of appeal against the decision of the Master in Chan-
cery, Brougham, rendering all parties who had signed
the deed, or paid the deposit, contributories to the
expenses of winding up the company, has been lodged
with the view on the ground of fraud, of rendering
the directors alone, liable, and compelling them to
return the deposit.
ABERDEEN RAILWAY.—This line was opened for
goods' traffic on Thursday last to Portleshen, and will
be opened for passengers in a few days.

TUESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 18, .849 I

LONDON AND BLACKWALL
RAILWAY COMPANY.
A special general meeting of the shareholders of this
company took place yesterday at the London Tavern,
for the purpose of taking into consideration the report
from the committee of proprietors appointed at the
helf-yearly meeting of the company, held in August
last.

J. N. DANIEL, Esq., the chairman of the company,
took the chair shortly after twelve o'clock, when
Mr. GOLDSMID, the chairman of the committee,
proceeded to draw the attention of the proprietors
to the report of the committee, and to the
observations made upon the several parts of that re-
port by the directors. From his statement and the
report it appeared that there had been great mis-
management in the conducting of the line in many
respects, especially in persons being able to get into
the carriages of the company without paying ; the
inconveniences at the Brunswick Pier ; the charging
too high for the transit of some goods and too low
for others; and that the interest of the
proprietors had been overlooked by the
directors in the course they had pursued. The
committee recommended that there should be one
general manager of the line who should be well paid,
and the whole management of the [railway should be
placed under his control ; and that, in order to effect
this, the salary of the directors should be reduced
from 1,0001 to 7001. a year. The report also recom-
mended that no iflicer of the company should hold
any office in any other company. Mr. Goldsmid,
after adverting at considerable length to the statements
in the report, moved that the report, and the obser-
vations of the directors upon it, should be entered
upon the minutes.
The CHAIRMAN at some length defended the course
pursued by the directors, and the answer given by
them to the assertions in the report of the committee.
The motion for entering the report and observa-
tions on the minutes was then carried.
Mr. GOLDS➢IID moved a resolution to the effect
that none of the officers of the company be allowed
to hold office in the service of any other company.
Mr. HICKSON, one of the committee, seconded the
resolution, and in doing so said that he did not agree
to the whole of the report, and he did not think the
committee had done their duty to the company. The
recommendation with regard to the appointment of
a general manager had not been discussed by the
committee at all, it emanated entirely from Mr.
Gobismid, the chairman. Four out of five of the
committee voted for the adoption of the report, and
he (Mr. Hickson) was bound by the majority.
The CHAIRMAN said he would not oppose the
motion.

It was then put and carried unanimously.
Mr. GoLDsarin moved, that a manager be appointed
by the shareholders under the control of the direc-
tors, to superintend the whole of the affairs of the
company, and that his salary be contingent on a
small per-centage of the profits, which was seconded
by Mr. COLEMAN.
Mr. TITR, surveyor to the company, explained
that the directors were not to blame with respect to
the carrying out of the agreement with the Eastern
Counties Company, who had been at great expense
with their station at Shoreditch, and they were un
willing to give up part of that traffic to the Black-
wall Company ; and, if they came on this line to
London-bridge, they would charge the same fare as
if they took the passenger to Shoreditch, without
making any allowance in favour of the Blackwall
Company. lle knew that Mr. Hudson was extremely
adverse to any arrangement with this company.
With reference to a junction with the East and
West India Dock and Birmingham Junction Rail-
way, although the company were prevented by Lord
Sheftesbury's clau,e from joining the Blackwall at
Poplar, on the level referred to the directors, they
had secured a junction with that line at another
point of the Bow and Stratford Junction Railway, he
had no doubt that in the course of six months they
would see traffic from Liverpool, by means of this
junction, pass over the line. It was to Mr. Wight-
man, their superintendent of traffic, that they were
indebted for the change in the system of working
the line. He concluded by moving an amendment,
to the effect that the further recommendations in the
report of the committee be referred to the board of
directors, who are to report to the next meeting
thereon, and adopt such of them as may be expedient.
Mr. J. WILSON seconded the amendment, and
complained that the, committee had not touched the
accounts ; being one of the auditors, he could say
that the accounts were kept in a most perfect manner.
Mr. BOSIIER was much disappointed with the report
of the committee. He did expect a detailed account
of the expenditure and other matters, so as to enable
the proprietors to form some opinion on the position
of their affairs.
The motion of Mr. Goldsmid was then withdrawn,
and the amendment proposed by Mr. Tite was put
and carried.
Resolutions were passed reducing the allowance of
the directors from 1,0001. to 7001 per annum, and
agreeing that all reports and accounts be sent to the
proprietors at least one week before the general
meetings.
Oil the motion of the CHAIRMAN a vote of thanks
was passed to Mr. Goldsmid, the chairman of the
committee ; and after a vote of thanks to the chair-
man, the meeting separated.