The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-22 00:00:00

LYCEUM THEATRE.

The first of the dramatic versions of Dicken's new
Christmas story, The Battle of Life—and it will go hard
if it prove not also the best—was produced here last
evening, when the Keeleys opened for the season, with
the most complete success. We have already given a
minute analysis of the plot in our notice of Mr. Dickens's
work; and Mr. Albert Smith, the adapter, has had the
good taste and the good sense to keep as closely to the
original as possible. The successive scenes follow each
other in the same order as in the book, and all the best
of the dialogue is preserved, while the quaint descrip-
tions of Dickens—such for instance, as his description of
Clemency—her limbs, her elbows, and her dress are in-
terwoven into the dialogue of the piece in the most artisti-
cal manner possible. Albert Smith is the prince of
adapters, for he has so admirably " built" this dramatic
adaptation of the Battle of Life, that to one
ignorant of the existence of Dickens's Book, it might
well seem an original and an admirably constructed
drama. Tho following is the cast:—Doctor Jeddler,
Mr. Frank Matthews; Alfred Heathfield, Mr. Leigh
Murray (his first appearance at this theatre); Michael
Warden, Mr. F. Vining; Mr. Snitchley, Mr. Meadows;
Mr. Craggs, Mr. Turner; Benjamin Britain, Mr. Keeley;
Grace Jeddler, Miss Ellen Daly; Marion Jeddler, Miss
May (her first appearance at this theatre); Mrs. Snitchey,
Mrs. Woollidge ; Mrs. Craggs, Miss Grove; Aunt Martha,
Miss Foster ; Clemency Newcome, Mrs. Keeley.
The Dr. Jeddler of Mr. Frank Matthews is scarcely the
Dr. Jeddler of the author. In drawing the character of
Dr. Jeddler, Dickens has exhibited a greater insight into
the depths of character, as modified by civilisation, than in,
perhaps, any character that he has hitherto drawn. His
Pickwick, his Weller, his Squeers, his Ralph Nicklehy,
his Fagin, his Quilp, his Chester, and his Pecksniff have
been representatives of genera, of classes—his Jeddler is
an individual; or if a representative, the representative of a
small species, but of a species, the idiosyncracies of which,
any one at all acquainted with the social life of remote,
rural districts will at once understand. He is a hale
and hearty. and healthy man ; and, like all hale and
hearty and healthy men, he has a warm and sound
heart—the

Mens sana in corpore sano,
and wherever there is the corpus sanum, there be sure
doth the mens sana take up its habitation. But Dr.
Jeddler, relegated to a remote country village, has been
compelled to associate either with children, such as
Grace, Marion, and Alfred, or with men whe are intel-
lectually his inferiors—to wit Snitchy and Craggy.
Therefore hath he sought refuge from ennui in the study
of books, and, above all, in books of philosophy. In
these books he has met with the theory—
that the world is a farce. Is it surprising that he adopts
the theory? The world, as far as it relates to success in
life, has gone well with him. He has had no sorrows—
no trials. He has seen none about him suffering sorrows
and trials, save, and except, such sham sorrows and
sham trials as a mens sana zn corpore sano can shake off
and laugh at. What wonder then that he becomes
a Democritus—a Voltaire, but when his daughter
leaves him, when real trials and real sorrows come upon
him, then is Dr. Jeddler an altered man ; and this alte-
ration ought to be marked by the actor, and herein, Mr.
F. Mathews failed. In the earlier scenes he should have
made of Dr. Jeddler a Voltaire, with a spice of bonhom-
mie, his bonhommie breaking through the plating of
false philosophy ever and anon, as though in
spite of himself. In the last scene all this
should have been completely reversed, and the
renunciation of the false philosophy should have been
made all the more heartily, and the mere pathetically,
and the more intensely, because it was the conquest of
the heart over the head, and because, albeit, the head
had ruled for years, yet it had not ruled with undisputed
sway, the heart having ever and anon protested most vehe.
mently against its rule. Instead of this Mr. F. Matthews
made the Doctor the regular conventional stage old man.
Ile uttered his sneers at the world, because the words
were set down for him ; but there was no sneer in the
manner or in the tone—on the contrary, the manner and
the tone belied the words—and if a person ignorant of
the language had chanced to have seen him, he would
have put him down as a jolly, comfortable, old gentle•
man, who considered the world a very excellent world—
far too excellent to be made the subject of a jest.
The other characters were admirably supported
Had Dickens drawn the characters of Britain and
Clemency for Mr. and Mrs. Feely, he could not have
more admirably fitted them. Meadows's Snitchy wes
quite equal to his Gruff and Tackleton ; and Miss Ellen
Daly and Miss May, as Grace and Marion, were all that
Dickens could have desired. The piece was admirably
put on the stage, and, at the conclusion, all the principal
artists, including Mr. Albert Smith, the adapter,
were called for, and made their appearance before the
curtain.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.
TATTERSALL'S.—YESTERDAY.
The reports from " the corner" during the Christmas
holidays, have usually shown a very slack market. Yes-
terday was an exception ; the number of subscribers
present, and the amount of business transacted having
considerably exceeded the average. The four leading
Derby favourites were decidedly in force, Van Tromp
having been backed at 15 to 2 and 8 to 1 for three or
four hundred pounds, Epiro:e at 14 and 15 to 1, Planet
at 18 and 20 to 1, and Glentilt at 25 to I each for three or
four hundred pounds at the least. Of this selection, Planet
and Epirote were most generally in demand, 1,000 to 30
was taken about Lunedale, 1,000 to 25 about Red Hart,
900 to 20 twice about Conyngham, 1,000 to 20 eight or
ten times about the Liberator, 1,000 to 20 twice about
Montpensier, similar bets about Christopher, Projectile,
and Bingham, 2,000 to 30 about War Eagle, 1,000 to 10
each about Bedlam and West India Planter, and a few
other bets in smaller amounts. The closing prices were
in most instances governed by these transactions
CHESTER Cur—(Name or not.)
50 offered on the field
50 agst Mr. Dawson's Crim Con--offered
1250 to 25 agst Mr. Hesseltine's Fitzallen—t. and aft. off.
2000 to 30 agat Mr. Irwin's Mickey Free—taken
1000 to 15 agst Mr. H. Hill's Punch—taken
1000 to 15 agst Mr. Griffiths's Newcourt—taken
1000 to 15 agst Mr. Walt's Crown Prince--taken.
TWO THOUSAND GUINEAS STAKES.
sto 1 offered on the field.
DERBY.
15 to 2 agst Lord Eglinton's Van Tromp
14 to 1 agst Mr. Bowes's Epirote
17 to 1 apt Mr. Mostyn's Planet
25 to 1 agst Mr. Mostyn's Glentilt—taken
28 to 1 agst Mr. Payne's Sis. to Cobweb colt
33 to 1 agst Mr. Bowes's Lunedale—taken
33 to 1 agat Mr. Wreford's Old Port
33 to 1 agst Lord Caledon's Wanota—take 35 to 1
35 to 1 agst Mr. Gully's Allertonian
40 to 1 agst Duke of Richmond's Red Hart—taken
and afterwards offered.
40 to 1 agst Mr. Gully's Mathematician
40 to 1 agst Mr. Mostyn's Miss Martin colt—t. 45 to 1
45 to 1 agst Sir Pigot's Conyngham—taken
50 to 1 agst Mr. O'Brien's Liberator—taken
50 to 1 agst Mr. Mostyn's Projectile—taken
30 to 1 agst Sir R. Bulkeley's Montpensier—taken
50 to 1 agst Colonel Anson's Bingham—taken
50 to 1 agst Mr. W. Scott's Christopher—taken
1000 to 15 agst Lord Strathmore's Galvanic Ring—taken
1000 to 15 agst Mr. Bouverie's War Eagle—taken and
offered
100 to 1 agst M afterwards
r. O'Brien's. Bedlam
100 to 1 agst Mr. Mostyn's West India Planter.
OAKS.
10 to 1 agst Mr. Mostyn's Slander.
15 to 1 agst Sir J. Hawley's Miami—taken. to 100.
15 to 1 agst Mr. J. Day's Farmer's Daughter—taken and
afterwards offered.
20 to 1 agst. Captain Harcourt's Ellendale—taken.
The premises in St. James's-street, formerly occupied by
the Messrs. Bond, have been taken by the recently formed
Turf Club, of which about seventy noblemen and gentlemen,
have already become members; the subscription commences
from the Ist of January.
Mr. Harg,frave's horses will leave Richmond for Newmarket
in a few days.
The bonus to the Metropolitan Handicap, as we predicted,
will be 5001. An immense entry is anticipated.
HUNTING APPOINTMENTS.
Her Majesty's stag hounds will meet on Thursday, at Salt
bill, and on Saturday, at Bedfont Toll-gate—at 11.