The Sun.
London, England, 1848-03-03 00:00:00

LYCEUM THEATRE.

Last evening a new comic drama, in two acts, entitled
Not a Bad Judge, was produced with success at this
theatre. The materials are of the slightest description,
the whole depending upon the habits of observation and
discriminative powers of John Caspar Lavater, the
great physiognomist, who is the mainspring of the
action. The part was worked up to fit Mr. C. Mathews
to a nicety; his cool, self-possessed manner being well
adapted to the walking Sir Oracle, who discovers that
mine host of a country inn had rabbits for dinner yester-
day, by observing the skins hanging up at the kitchen
dour; pronounces a young damsel to be innocent of
the charge of infanticide, because she has a pretty
innocent-looking face; denounces an escaped convict
highwayman in the person of the pretended Marquis do
Traval (Mr. Roxby) upon a first glance at his features,
and so conduces to break off an unwelcome match, and
to unite the fair Louise (Miss Howard) to the lover of
her choice, Christian (Mr. Parselle), whom the instant
he sees him he pronounces to be a brave, generous, and
in every way excellent young man. It would be tedious
to go into a longer detail of the plot. The acting was
excellent. C. Mathews was more quiet and impressive
than in the general run of characters ho has hitherto
played, and the change became him well. Miss Howard
is a promising young actress, and did the slight part of
Louise with a great deal of delicacy and feeling. Harley
was very droll, as a stupid, pompous burgomaster, intro-
duced chiefly as a foil for the wit of the philosopher of
human faces. The. piece was well received, and an-
general applause.
nounced for repetition amidst

PRINTERS' PENSION SoclETy.—The Marquis of
Northampton, we are assured, has kindly consented to
preside at the ensuing anniversary dinner of the Prin-
ters' Pension Society.
RoYAL ASYLUM or THE ST. ANN's SociETY.—The
annual festival in aid of the funds of ehis institution,
which was established for " maintaining, clothing, and
educating the children of those once in prosperity," was
held last evening at the London Tavern. Mr. B. B.
Cabbelt, M.P., presided; and after the usual routine
toasts proposed the memory of the late president of the
institution, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The toast
was drunk in silence. It was followed by " Prosperity
to the Royal Asylum of the St. Ann's Society," in pro-
posing which the chairman alluded particularly to the
fact that there were Only two societies in the metropolis
—of which the St. Ann's Society was one—that did
not confine their sphere of benevolence to one locality,
but extended it to all the world. The toast was drunk
with due honours, and was followed by the health of
the Count de Montemolin, who sat at the right hand
of the chairman; to which his Royal Highness replied
in brief terms. In the course of the evening Mr. Leeks,
the secretary, read a long list of subscriptions, amount-
they included a legacy of 500/. from the
Addeley, of Upper Clapton, 20/. from the
lcianhtgeaitroAlr9a.2n,7e...d 101. from the Count de Montemolin. The
report of the managers of the society for the past year
showed that the receipts amounted to 5,9481. 14s. Id.;
out of which 500/. had been invested in the purchase of
consolidated and reduced annuities, while 731. 1 ls. 6d.
asseuh'esldlebgetu.nErser.m—rl; elsvfaekrdicai, opr.n:antgthaenTivrno-
remained in the hands of the treasurer.
in-
quest public-house, St. Giles', on the body of Sarah
Bransgrove, aged 4. 7,
,who died shortly after undergoing
of an
It appeared
an operation at King's College Hospital. The inquisi-
tionan allegation that the
from the evidence that the deceased, who was the wife
cboyn
thee q unesnec
ne
of a porter residing in Little St. Andrew-street, St.
Giles', died ou the 23d of February last. On the
death w sa
was causede ld i
n
Saturday previous to her death she Complained of severe
pain in the abdominal region, and at her own request
was removed in a cab to King's College Hospital. On
her admission she was found to be labouring under
strangulated hernia. By her own consent an operation
was performed while she was under the influence of
chloroform. She:was perfectly sensible after the opera-
tion, and saw her son and husband, but made no com-
plaint
of the treatment adopted. She died on the fol-
lowing Wednesday. Mr. Fergusson, the gentleman who
performed the operation, deposed, that he operated upon
the deceased while she was under the influence of
chloroform, making the usual incision and replacing the
intestine. The case was not a bad one, but he had
found, upon a post mortem examination, that the peri-
toneal inflammation, which was the cause of death,
existed prior to her admission in to the hospital. After
the operation she was treated for peritonitis, but with-
out success. The adminiAration of the chloroform had
nothing whatever to do with the death, and the operation
had certainly tended to prolong life. Some angry feel-
ing was manifested by the relatives with reference to the
post mortem examination, for which it appeared, how-
ever, that permission had been asked and obtained. The
coroner commented on the fact, that the incision made
had not been sewn up before the body was sent to the
was, he stated,
friends. Such neglect very much calcu-
lated to cause angry feelings on the part of the relatives.
Mr. Fergusson assured the coroner that he had ordered
the incision to be secured in the usual way, and regretted
that his instructions had not been attended to. The jury
returned n verdict of "Natural death."
ABDUCTION.--A letter from Oporto, dated the 22d
ultimo, states that two heiresses, of the respective tender
ages of five and nine yes y+ have been " abducted" by
their guardian. It is said he intends to marry one of
them (each having great fortunes) when he thinks
proper. This circumstance has caused much excitement
in Oporto, and the police have been unusually vigilant
and watchful. Search has been made in various houses,
not only of the P,rtuguese, but also of the French and
English inhabitants (one house searched was that of the
agent of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam-packet
Company), and without the usual formality having been
gone through to the Consuls of those nations, which has
much surprised all British residents at Oporto, and leads
them to imagine that all foreign privileges are at an
I end.