The Sun.
London, England, 1870-03-24 00:00:00

THE BALLET IN LONDON.

The taste for spectacular entertainments, observes
the Pall Mall Gazette, is decidedly on the increases
and at the same time burlesque and pantomime are
fast degenerating into dancing and capering. The
ballet is the popular exhibition of the day. The
number of females in London who come under the
class of the " Preciosa "

A dancing girl who shews herself
Nightly, half-naked, on the stage for money.
must be reckoned by the thousand. The glory of
the ballet is shewn to the full in the \Vest-end,
where a palace is devoted almost solely to its repre-
sentation. Magnificent costumes, a large band,
everything is present to render the ballet attractive.
As for the dancers, in numbers they would make
half-a-dozen cargoes for Miss Rye. They glitter in
purple and gold, and dance to gaudy and clever
music. In the East-End and South London, with
few exceptions, the entertainments are woefully poor
as to legs, dress, and music. Red fire is bountifully,
lavished. Quantity is everything here ; the habituds
must have as much as possible for their money. The
movements that pass for the poetry of motion are a
stagger, a kick, a
.jump, twenty pairs of legs unsteadily
presented at the cloud of witnesses, through the
reeking haze of cigars and the fumes of gin. The
Tall Mall Gazette says that in Russia, France, and.
Naples the authorities can interfere with any too
indecorous show of this sort, but the experience of
the state of our stage during the past twelvemonths
teaches us that there is not much use in calling on
our Lord Chamberlain to interfere. The ballet appeals
to coarse senses and to coarse people, and as there is
a moral cruelty in it, the continual increase in the
number of women occupied in this way canpo b 9
taken as a wholesome token of progress.

THE COMIC PAPERS.
(From, Punch.)
Obvious reflection thereupon—Not the March °Lintel-
tect.

A SPRING ClRCUlT.—Jumping through the hoops held
for the riders round a circus.
HEADING OF A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE.—
the (Ecumenical Council."
PROSPECTIVE.—Dissipated Customer (for the ninth time
of asking, a.m.)—" Musht jusht have 'nother a'hree
Penn'th, Missh ! (hic) ' Goin' t' s-h-alt fish f' dinner ! "
MORE THAN COULD BE EXPECTED.—Some people seem
so utterly stupid that one feels relieved even to hear them
say that they have " half a mind."
SAFETY TRAINS.—It turns out to be untrue that a train
conveying the Prince and Princes of Wales the other day
narrowly escaped a collision. No accident ever does occur
to a Royal Train, because proper precautions are always
taken that none shall. It is liberal of railway companies
not to charge ordinary passengers by Royal trains extra for
safety.
(From Fun.)
THE REAL CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.—Conscience,
MOTTO FOR VELOCIPEDES.—Where ther's a wheel there's
away.
We regret to see that English actresses have so far
adopted American practices as to cowhide an editor at
Chicago. We prefer to have English girls " whip
creation "—and its lords—in the figurative sense only.
SPORTING PROSPECTS,—Finnigan, surveying a small.
thin gentleman, (to Murphy) :—" So, that's the new land.
lord, Mick. 13egorra, it will be as hard to shoot him as
Jack-snipe."
TEE SELFISH SET. —lt is stated that at a "grand" ball,
given by the bachelors of Gateshead, in the new Town
Hall, the room was devoid of all decoration. A. sufficient
t?roof that none of the fair sex were present.
PARLIAMENTARY.—In answer to a question put by Mr.
Mac Something, M.P. for the Something Burghs, the
Postmaster-General did not state that there was a special
demand at the telegraph offices for a supply of Highland
clerks, on the score of their being more wiry than post
p;oplo.

"The March of

(From Judy.) ,
4%. RADICAL—The root of all evil.
A. TAX ON PATIENCE.—Doctors' bill.

A CRYING NUISANCE.—A baby.
A VERY RUDE QUESTION.—Why ought yen to be Achimney sweep ?—Because it would suit (soot) you.
What is the difference between a chattering lover and a
pedestrian excursion ?—One is a talking wooer, the other
a walking tour.
What is the difference between a leaden image of the
enemy of mankind and a flat piece of ground 2—The onq
Is a lead devil, the other a dead level.
Can it be considered a solution of the hitherto unsolved
mathematical problem of " squaring the circle," to Bay
that, " when a man who has been in difficulties getj
road, he is admitted to be quite square?"

The proposal to withdraw the Athanasian Creed
from the ordinary service of the Church has been de-
feated in the Ritual Commission.
The masons in Perth have struck for an advance Ili
their wages. They demand sixpence per hour, which is a
rise of a halfpeenny on the present rate.
The Rev. Newman Hall, in a letter dated Serums
salem, March 2, says : " I am thankful to state my
health has improved beyond my expectations."

The Emperor of Russia has just issued an ukase
in which he deigns to permit" the Russian language to
be used in Roman Catholic and Protestant churches in
Russian Poland.

RAILWAYS IN JAPAN.—Mr. Lay, C. 8., has con-
eluded his arrangements in Japan, having induced the
Government to undertake the construction of a railway
which concession has greatly delighted the European resi-
dents in Japan and China.

OUTRAGES IN CHINA.—A merchant travelling into
the Chinese interior under passport, with the cognisance
of both consular and customs' officials, has had his goods
seized at Formosa, while a reward of 200 dollars was
offered for his head. He, however, escaped. Another
merchant had all his goods stolen at the same place, and
both were insulted by the local authorities without provo-
cation. Another French missionary disturbance has
taken place at a town not far from Kin-Kiang.
- - - . -

GREAT FIRE AT YEDDO.-A terrible fire is reported.
from Yeddo on the 29th of January. It originated near
Shiha, the Tycoon's burial ground, and was driven onward
by the wind towards the foreign settlement at Sukidgi.
The number of houses destroyed when the news left was
over a thousand, but the great temples of Shiha had
happily escaped. A great number of the telegraph poste
and wires were consumed, stopping the communication
between Yeddo and Yokohama. The news reached the
latter city by the Government quick post, but
the smoke of the fire, which was plainly visible at Yoko-
hama, had already prepared the inhabitants for the iutel•
ligence.

YETITrONS.—The eighth report of the select com-
mittee appointed by the House of Commons to inquire
into the public petitions presented to the House has been
issued. The total number of petitions praying for inquiry
into the conduct of the Norwich Election Commissioners
in the discharge of their duties, presented up to the
18th inst., were two, the number of signatures being 1,270.
In favour of the Women's Disabilities Bill, 101 peti-
tions, bearing 41,584 signatures, have been 'Pre-
sented. No less than 10,335 persons have signed 13
petitions praying for inspection of monastic and conveu•
tual establishments, and 8 petitions, bearing 5,660 names,
have been presented in favour of equalisation of poor rates
in the metropolis. The movement against the Contagious
Diseases Act seems to be gaining force, for no fewer than
91 petitions, bearing 83,123 signatures, have been presented
praying for the repeal of these Acts. For extension of
the present system of education 1,773 persons have signed
226 petitions • whilst 1,756 petitions, bearing 220,187 ,
names. pray for alteration of Mr. Forster's Elementary,
Education Bill. Forty petitions, with 7,087 signatures, ;iv'
favour of the Married omen's Property Bill, have been
laid before the House.
The Manx Sun says that during a recent trial in
the Isle of Man, the jury were addressed by counsel and
judge for a period of 29 hours 55 minutes I
The first number of the Sans Culottes, a new
weekly paper, whose political tenets may be inferred from
its title, was seized on Saturday at the printing office.
SPANISH AFFAIRS.—On the 20th of March a ban-
quet took place at Madrid, at which those distinguished
foreigners who assisted at the inauguration of the Suez
Canal were present. Deputies of all shades of opinion
appeared on the occasion, from which it was augured that
the rupture between the Unionists and the Radicals was
not so complete as had been supposed. The Memorial
Diplontatigue, in going over the various events which have
taken place in the Peninsula during the last few weeks,
calculated the chances of the several candidates
for the throne. It regarded the success of Don Carlos as
unlikely, because of the ill success which attended the last
Carlist attempt, and the chances of the Duke of Mont
pensier as greatly diminished on account of his recent
duel. The Prince of Abturias appeared most likely to fill
the throw. which hap been Y.acauticr vightaziastabs•

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