The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-02 00:00:00

TTHETHE
COURT INDIA H
of DIRECTORS of APRIL 2 1846.
the EAST
INDIA COMPANY do hereby give notice,
That the SPECIAL GENERAL COURT of the said COMPANY,
appointed to be held at their House in Leadenhall-street, To-
MORROW, the 3d instant, at Eleven o'clock in the Forenoon, is fur-
ther made special, for the purpose of taking into consideration
motions of thanks in reference to the important and decisive victory
of Bobraon, on the 10th of February last.
'The said motions are now open for perusal by the Proprietors at
this House.

JAMES C. MELVILL, Secretary.

THE LATE MR. LISTON.
Mr. John Liston, the celebrated comedian, expired at
his house, in George's-terrace, Knightsbridge, on Sun-
day last, in his sixty-ninth year. He was liberally
educated at the Soho School, and his first profession in
life was that of a teacher at tho Grammar School of St.
Martin's, in Castle-street, Leicester-square. In his
habits off the stage, he was retiring, and associated but
little with his dramatic brethren. He was ever ready to
recommend and foster rising talent, and by his death
the stage has lost an incomparable artist, and society a
polished gentleman.

Like the major part of our best comedians, Mr. Liston
was the votary of Melpomene at his outset in dramatic
life ; and as Mr. Bannister and Mr. Lewis have enacted
Douglas, so Mr. Liston, possessed of a similar degree of
appreciation of his own talents and requisites, determined
to make his first appearance in the character of Pierre.
His ardour for those pursuits under the patronage of
Thespis continuing to increase, he in a short time totally
abandoned the task of juvenile education, for the less
certain, but more alluring, profession of an actor.
After partaking of the usual cup of disappointment and
calamity, to render which agreeable dose more palatable,
he had the supreme satisfaction of viewing life in many
of its most grotesque shapes, and making large extracts
from the book of Nature, his fate at length conducted
him to the Dublin Theatre, where he " kept the even
tenour of his way" for some time, with the reputation
of being a useful, though by no means a brilliant trage-
dian. Tragedy was still the sphere in which this planet
moved, when he was engaged by Mr. Stephen
Kemble ; but he had not remained long a per-
former in the company of that discriminating
manager, when be discovered that he had totally mis-
taken his own powers ; he thought he could play
comedy—he felt equal to the attempt ; and, after some
little cogitation with himself, he resolved to try his
strength in a comic cast of characters ; as might be ex-
pected, he succeeded to perfection ; and from that mo-
ment he began to devote himself exclusively to the per-
forming of low comedy. He personated old men and
country boys with distinguished applause in Newcastle,
and other towns which lay within the circuit of Mr.
Stephen Kemble's company, and evinced powers of very
whimsical and original humour, which were highly ex-
tolled in every play-going circle.
To the general effect of his acting, external nature
had contributed as much as study and observation of
the particular characters represented ; he had a face
which, while by some accident it was not displeasing,
presented, nevertheless, a most eccentric example of the
boldness with which nature can violate all her own es-
tablished rules of beauty and proportion. This face did
a great deal for his fame ; and no damsel of romance
ever made a greater progress in glory and in fortune by
her lovely countenance than Mr. Liston by his grotesque
physiognomy.
The following diverting anecdote, we are inclined to
think, our readers will not deem misplaced:—At the
Little Theatre in the Haymarket, many years ago, Mr.
Liston was acting Lord Grizzle, the hero of the burlesque
tragedy of Tom Thumb, and among the other irresistible
drolleries which he displayed in this admirably affected
piece of acting, was a dance which accompanied his song
and
dit ;
and
to Huncamunca. He was encored in this song and
dance, andwa
the performed
repetition,
ther
thata s e ctohnnd
audiencetime;
called
a sl
loe
d l enter-
tainingoud
applause though
prevented the
for third performance. But Mr. Liston made his
the
anivpeinresae fromluproparrneeoefdiasgh,ouhtes
did not choose to gratify the
turning. The Y spectators by clamourre-
he actually hid himself becoming louder and louder,
But the discontent of the people avoid the third effort.
quite unruly, at length brought him
now became
corning down to the lamps, he verimc forward, and
audience that he had been " really totiYmuaciTfyattiold then
repeat the dance." The people were some of thegmued't
leased and some of them diverted; but the piece went
on very quietly, till, in the fight, some wag from the
front of the boa,e called out to the actor who was
fencing with Liston, "Don't do too much, you'll fatigue
him!" This, of course, caused a universal laugh ; and
the next day a bulletin was posted in the green-room,
stating that Lord Grizzle's physicians were happy to de-
clare his Lordship greatly recovered from his fatigue.—
Dramatic and Musical Review.

YETDIINSTER.—WO understand that the licensed vic-
tuallers in this district, having suffered very considerably
from the large quantities of liquors of all sorts sold by per-
sons not licensed, are making arrangements for their mutual
protection. When it is considered that publicans occupy
houses highly rented and rated in consequence of their being
duly licensed, it is manifestly unjust that they should be under-
sold by persons who have no legal right to compete with them.
A meeting will soon take place on this subject, and the plan of
protection to be proposed is equally simple and efficient, viz.,
to offer a suitable reward for the conviction of any person
who shall be detected in the illegal sale of liquors, and to di-
vide such expense among the members of the association, so
that no outlay will be made until a conviction shall have
taken place. Several of the gentry and clergy have ex-
pressed their readiness to co-operate in this scheme, as many
instances of suffering and crime come under their notice
from facilities thus afforded for intemperance.—Sherborne
Journal.

PIGEONS VERSUS STEAM.—OR Friday, two pigeons
ware tossed at the starting of the railway train at Brighton for
London, and one of the birds arrived at its home (the Borough) in
thirty minutes less time than the train. _

A GREEDY BRUTE.—A prairie snake was lately shot,
in whose stomach were found 18 swallows half digested. The rep-
tile was found over a nest of young birds, which it was devouring,
while the old ono were flying and screaming violently around it.