The Sun.
London, England, 1870-06-16 00:00:00

HAYMARKET THEATRE.

The revivalof Mr.Buckstone's comedy, "Married Life,"
has proved a great ,success.; and,; although the cast is
nearly a now one, the broad fun of the piece is brought
out in the most remarkable Manner. When the piece Was
first produced the principal parts were supported by Mrs.
Glover, Mrs. Humby, Messrs. Farren,Stricklancl, o.Smith,
and Mr. Buckstone, lan ;of whom, with the exception of
the talented author, have passed from the mimic stage,;
but, aided by the services of Mr. and Mrs. Chippendale,
Mr. HoWe, and, Mrs. Frank Matthews, the piece now
" goes," as it is termed, with 'all its original effect.. On
the first night of its representation, Mr. Buckstone appeared
as Mr. Henry 'Dove, and a more artistic representation
of true comedy, we well vecollect could not have been
witnessed on the metropolitan stage. It is now embodied
with all that rich, racy humour, which has made Mr.
Buckstone one of the most popular faVourites on the
English stage, and we sincerely hope he may be long
spared to pursue his professional career, a wish • that will
find a warm response in the breast of every admirer of
legitimate acting. The applause at the fall of the curtain
was enthusiastic, and, had it been the first night of the
representation of the piece, it could not have met with a
warmer welcome. " Home " has also been revived, with
Mr. Sothern and Mis Ada Cavendish, and, altogether,
the entertainment at the Haymarket is now one of the
most pleasurable description. The house was most bril-
liantly attended.

A SNUB TO ENGLAND.—A flagstaff is to be
erected on the field of Bannockburn on the 25th instant,
and a public demonstration is to be held on the occasion.
The flat stone on which the column is to rest is about sft.
square. The entire height of the staff, which is divided
into two portions, one of iron and the other of wood, is
about 120 ft. The former part is to be 75ft in height, and
along with the latter will weigh about thrQe,tons.

THE LATE Mr. DICICENS.—The following poem
on Mr. Dickens by the Hon. Mrs. Norton is. from Albert
Schloss' English Bijou Almanack for 1842: -
Not merely thine the tribute praise
Which greets an author's progress here;
Not'merely thine the fabled bays
Whose verdure brightens his career ;
Thine the pure triumph to have taught
Thy brother-man a gentle part,
In every line of fervent thought
Which gushes from thy generous heart :
For thine are words which rouse up all
The dormant good among us found—
Like drops which from a fountain fall
To bless and fertilise the ground!.

A. SHERIFF'S COMMENTS ON PROMISE OF MAR-.
RIAGE.—The Sheriff of Perth has awarded £5O damages
to a young woman named Elizals-sth Forbes, who was the
plaintiff in an action for breach of promise of marriage.
Attached to his interlocutor was a note in which the
sheriff said :—" This is not a case of ' hasty acquaintance
followed by promise to marry, heedlessly made and as
wantonly violated. The parties are of equivalent ages
and station, and their courtship was on the patri-
archal model of seven years. The amount of
damages is the only question. Here there is a
special damage, as the pursuer is proved to have made an
exuberant preparation in articles which generally is the
province of the man to provide, These still have-their
value ; and if the defender was to pay their full value; he
would of course be entitled to the equivalent, and seine of
them would be unsuited for his sex. But, doubtless, the
loss on the purchase forms an item of calculation. ' Loss
of market,' is the favourite terms in which damages are
often awarded. But the Sheriff-Substitute discards so
ignoble an epithet, suitable only to the beasts of the stall.
And, indeed, it has often been said that such actions ope-
rate rather to enhance than to diminish the worth of the
rejected one."

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THE first night of the debate in the House of Lords
on the second reading of the Land Bill proved a
great triumph for that energetic peer, Count SMORL-
TORK. He had it all his own way. The Upper
House is capable of great debating achievements,
but for the performance of noble deeds an incentive
is generally required, and this is lacking in
the case of the Irish Land Bill. Their
lordships are deeply interested in questions
affecting " the rights of property ;" but here the
Fates are against them ; they acknowledge that a
measure must be passed, and they resign themselves
to their present destiny, lest, in trying to avert it, a
worse thing befall them. No great oratorical displays
can be expected of a bill which both parties agree in
passing, subject only to disputes on issues of de-
tail. When they come to the famous third clause we
may reasonably expect a fine explosion of patrician
fervour, but in wandering over the whole measure
without an object and without a guide, the great
Conservative Opposition does not cut a very credit-
able figure. The debate was dull, and for the most
part uninstructive.

This discussion will, however, render one great
service. It will teach the nation what a fine class of
men landlords are, andhow irredeemably bad are the
rest of mankind, especially tenants. Once let a man
own landed property, and his moral qualities are
permanently set right; once let him rent landed
property, and he is lost. Such at least is the moral
enforced by the Duke of RICHMOND. He does not
deny that the Irish cultivator is in the majority of
cases entirely at the mercy of his landlord.
But he assures us that no harm comes of
it. Everything is going on well in Ire-
land. Landlords as a class treat their tenants
properly, and do not either capriciously evict them
or appropriate their improvements. There may be
a few exceptions, yet even these are not landlords