The Sun.
London, England, 1834-04-02 00:00:00

THEATRES.

CO VENT-GARDEN.
14 two-act adaptation of HEROLD'S Opera of Le
last .4.v Clercs, under the title of The Challenge, was
beetillight produced at this theatre. The original has
Pk:iaPerformed upwards of two hundred times in
or ratilione.
The dramatic portion is the production,
tent ,r the adaptation, of Mr. PLANCRE, the arrange-
taeut (0)i r music being intrusted to the able manage.
24Y thas. ; *T. COOKE. Of the plot it will suffice to
Perform— is identically the same as that of a drama
°Pera-be' for several nights last season at the English
nio,,d-iniouse, under the title of The Mask, or Birk
that t4e Olden Time, the only difference being
1143,1°114e the scene of the challenge is laid in the vici-
sign of he
Paris, that of the Mash, as its title would de-
Wera was in England. The principal characters
Ae
x.tye allotted to Messrs. H. PHILLIPS, WILSON, H
Slotted
; Miss INVERARITY, Miss SHIRREFF, and
1;11~lu8 ""WBsv each of whom infused, both into the dia;
114,1 e, and music, a degree of spirit which in
.othee
doubti. that they would have manifested. Th
showed that were extremely well. filled, and
the, that no trouble had been spared in rendering
whi:.!, Perfect in the music allotted to !he.m. Th
so'on Inost Pleased us were an air in the fierspt act,
sun bn I shall behold thee," which was very sweetly
eheor Y Mr. WILSON, and met with a well
,d,eserved
that ; and the first song of the second act,
.§ceirs
teeeivnl,; can never," in which Miss SHIRREFF likewise
'het, encore. There is also an extremely pretty
the 'ellteamed resort of beauty's firest flowers,"
a°nfirst ug by SEGUITond Miss H. CAW
WaS much applauded. Mr. PHILLIPS two
excel allotted, which were executed in his usual
ealieZnotrstyle, and received a degree of applause more
30tigs the singing than the idtrinsic merit of the
144 ofth he dresses, and especially those of the yeo-
Ptopri.tee guard, were extremely magnificent, and ap-
nnrioth; •, On the fallin of the curtain the piece vas
114,,i —Leen for repelt. g to-morrow evening, amid a
tre-e-tate d
-egree f lon
applause. The house was ex-
well attendoed.

THEThe ITALIAN OPERA.
K; ,
IleXt. s Theatre is fixed to re-open on Saturdayt.y
F air. Laporte is now in Paris, but will return oby rartiel• Great preparations are making that the
_pu_
bird 4,ePartnient should assume its full strength. R anThurini. Ivanoff, and Mademoiselle Giubliettina
Longo leave Paris this day, that they m
of ex4bY Saturday. In the ballet a similaraydegre decree
town, lence will shortly appear. Perrot is alreadyinai
day,. and Teresa and Fanny Eisler will arrive f the tit, of ew ballet com osed by M. Faucher, under
tvhe loffoLrtahEcosin'ern'alga - Ist
et°r
popularrnl nnoovveel No. tre Dame de Parzs.
sl
t reef rt
ledt ist o fboeufinrdsetdami on

SHE GERMAN OPERA.
The G
ents have
their erloan Company are expected to commence!
rti Performances as soon as the necessary arrang
s a weekbeen
time completed, and will
m. apdlaaymetwsoeohrrteehdreeer
bevrient, • been dilig during the season.
country, has
esiiitr her appearance in this
._
engaged instudying the English lan-
guage, and so fahad she ressed that an engage-
°f was offered her to Iprog
y English characters at one
of our national to play
abut the terms not being, as
she thoughts ought, sufficientl 'liberal, she has accepted a
rare adv
I antageous offer,
ine prima donna of the
y
alandy;
anGderwmialnl roepmearainwinil.lGbeerma
"'III Hamburg. Euryanthe is in rehearsal

TIIE FRENCH THEATRE.
The French plays which are to be performed at the
pipit will introduce to our notice some French ac-
rs of cel b not previously appeared in
eny, w o N
4)4don, and will bring before us others more familiar
,'"),.the French playgoer. Laporte is at present the
r'l4eipal attraction.

SURREY.
a s l'hi theatre re-opened on Monday evening, after
lothil°rtexrtenesisyse, which has been successfully occupied
ag attractiv
preparations for the splendid ballet so
e at the Adelphi Theatre, Lurline ; the
transfer of
A which from the Strand, to this side of the
the ter, has deteriorated nothing from the splendour of
tress B:nerY, the effect of the tableaux, or the chaste-
The -31' rrectness of the costume and decorations.er-
abt._?ffret of the celebrated battle scene was consider-
to
t, ?",aeightened, from the more extensive space afforded
Avant Machinist (Kendall), who availed himself of this
eesZntage with considerable ability, and complete suc-
Ad iphirlie addition of the principal performers
of the
Hoeneny,ta„e°l?.l?oailyn, including Mr. an d Mrs. Yates, Mrs.
Mr. 0. Smith, to the
already
ST I h Reeve, and s
blishm l'oog force of the spirited lessee o.f thi! e t.a-
tellectnt' has opened to the Surrey public a rich in-
tropoliatal treat, not to be surpassed on any of the med-
in 4 piL boards. Reeve and Mrs. Honey appeared
IneznPrhe' Miss Vincent succeeding Mrs. Keeley in
and ;ono: a'nolis are the same as those who. "fought
addition' of oil the boards of the Adelphi, with the
°lle of the Cis! Pairbrother, who, in the. command of
udii, , attalions, acquitted herself with that talent
raip`ll has stainped her deservedly a favourite. Their
av'car volutions were most correctly performed,
dit's drew down enthusiastic and well-merited plan-
iltr; Grace Huntley followed, in which Mr. and
t bates, 0' Smith, and J. Reeve sustained
hileir original characters with that ability which
as gained for them the entire approbation of the
public. The part of Tibby Craeko, originally sus-
oh by Buckstone, lost nothing in the hands of that
mgt at deserving favourite, Rogers. The Prisoner i
cifra' e and the Mummy, completed the bill of fare; ;
kll thelle,
former of which Messrs. Osbaldiston, Vale,
an-. 4,1 13ibdin Pitt, played with their accustomed ability
1-4, 11l the latter, J. neeve drew down that bestl mead
h aPProbation for a comic actor, roars of aughter.
e house was crowded to excess in ever part, and asYlave no hesitation in saying will b. e
4 eantng as the spirited proprietor contlaueeelspeesrfoyoeermx%ce:lanagices;
were erer for the public amusement. Th
fr_ repeated last evening with incr!asedc success be-
' a Most brilliant and crowded audienc •
...
_ --............—___ ~......
SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

---1..
_ESTER.
DETTIN --
MANCHG AT
NIGHT.
MANCHESTER, MONDAY
THI".; CATTERTCK CUP, P P. (TUESDAY NEXT.)
6 to 4 agst Tomboy (taken)
, THE RIDDLESWORTH, P.P.
,-, to 2 offered on the field agst Viator
4 to 1 agst Nell Gwyn (taken)
5-b, .
i agst , TIM CHESTER TRADE CUP, P.P.
.
7to : ' 'erseverance
7 to 1 261 SPeculator 11
agsta TBihredcacatrcdhienral(tak,)
1 91
ttoo Ito 1 :it IndoDendence 11 to 1 agst Mona's Pride
7i t 0 1 it ,B°l°o
4- ,oritroller (taken) 11 68
ttoo
11
aaggsstt
Itßaritdceagtcrhoeo
;.? 10 1 agst Mr. Turner's horse (taken)
sto i , rni(t(atkaken))
Bto 1 stt Ili,
ag4t
l'itztli koiNE
4kMeApHALLB CU Pl, .
agst Palmflower (taken)
ctoer ((tiakenn)) I 8 tilto 1 agst The Controller
10
. ...nibasteal to 1 agst Mr. Tomes's colt
11 10 2 a., THE HEART.
t; to I 7-- i
14 to 1 agst Olympic (inrn.))
10to 1 aist Bentley (taken) 20 to 1 agst Emigrant (take
I% to laim PIM° (taken) 20 to 1 agst. Delirium (taken)
agst Shilelth (offered) No others mentioned
THE OAKS.
S? t°
I ag't Cotillon
I 1 1 to 1 agst Louisa (taken)
I" 1 a 551 Rosalie
The
days' exceptt St. Leger.±lN3 oto I agst Flycatcher (taken)
betting this past few
25 to 1 upon Queen Bess (taken),

DOVER HARBOUR.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SIR,—" Preserve us from our friends," may the inha-
bitants of Dover exclaim, on perceiving the two let-
ters, respecting that port, in the Times of the 24th
and 29th inst., one signed " A Friend to Dover," the
other by the " Engineer of Dover Harbour." The
former declares that harbour to be, perhaps, in a worse
state than ever • the latter asserts, upon the testimony
of the oldest inhabitants, it never was in a better con-
dition, by which, I presume, we are to understand
that it was always as bad as it could be, and therefore
can be no worse at present ; or that it is as bad as it
can be, but no worse than for:lie-fly. Which ever way
we take it, the best illustration of its correctness is,
that on the very day the engineer's ambiguous compli-
ment reached the Times office, a change of wind oc-
curred, the Ferret, Calais packet, was compelled, on
account of the bar at Dover, to run into Ramsgate,
and, on the next day, the French mail followed her
example.
The following extract, from a petition to the House
of Lords, in the year 1718, will show the incurable
state of Dover harbour upwards of a century ago, and
the disease had then been of long standing.
From the Historical Register of March 12, 1718 :
" Dover harbour hath, for many years, been a bur-
den to the trade and navigation of this kingdom, by
having large sums of money raised on the same, for
the repair of the said harbour, under a pretence of
making it a convenient place to receive ships in stress
of weather. _ _ _

" The situation of the said harbour being such, that
whenever the wind blows hard from the sea, that is,
from south east to south west, the entrance of the pier
is choked up with small stones, washed in by the wind.
and sea, that very often, at high water, a hoy of
30 tons cannot get in or out, and likewise the packet
boats of the said town of Dover are liable to the same
misfortune for two or three days together, so conse-
quently can be of no benefit to shipping in distress, or
bad weather on that coast; for when shipping want a
port in distress, it is only when the wind blows hard
from the sea, and the coast is a lee shore. All persons
that are versed in sea affairs must allow, ships are not
in distress for a harbour when the wind blows from the
shore.

" The mouth of the pier is but one hundred feet
broad, and the channel much narrower, occasioned by
a lodgment of stones, and at the pier heads the tide
runs strong directly across it, which not only makes it
difficult, but dangerous to get in or out ; neither is the
harbour, nor can it be made, of any advantage to any
but the fisher boats and small ships or vessels using.the
said place.
" And, as the matters here set forth are true, and
the moneys raised for the purposes aforesaid are looked
upon as an hardship upon the persons who pay the
same, and that the laying out the said money upon the
harbour of Dover is of no more use than to employ
the inhabitants of the said town, they humbly hope
your Lordships will not continue a tax upon the trade
of this nation, for these purposes, any longer."
As this petition very forcibly states, ships do not
want a harbour when the wind blows from the land.
Dover is accessible with the wind at north or east, and
offers shelter when shelter is not required.
The inhabitants of Ramsgate may also complain of
their friends, if they have not in their memorial peti-
tioned for the French as well as the Ostend packets.
Excuses may be found for not dividing the stations,
but sooner or later, eithei to save seventy or eighty
thousand pounds in useless experiments, or, after the
experiments have been made, and the money spent,
the merits of this harbour will be known and appreci-
ated. The proposed motion for inquiring into the
condition of the Kentish ports, if carried, will put the
Government and the country into immediate possession
of sufficient facts to decide upon the superiority of a
port which may be entered by steam vessels, with any
wind, and at all times of the tide, without reservation
or exception.
I am,, Sir, your obedient Servant,
Ramsgate, March 29. W. A. 11.

TO THE EDITOR OP THE SUN.
SlR,—Since my letter of yesterday I have ascer-
tained that the Ferret left Calais so late that there
was not sufficient water to enter Dover harbour ; the
wind blowing strong, she ran for Ramsgate, where she
was sure of entering, in preference to waiting during
the night for tide to enter Dover. The bar at Dover
was not up. The French packet also left under simi-
lar circumstances. These are, however, stronger ar-
guments than even the bar, because vessels must leave
the foreign port at a particular time of 'the tide to
enter Dover under ordinary circumstances when there
are no obstructions.

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
Ramsgate, March 30. W. A. 11.

EAST INDIA SHIPPING.

Departures from St. Helena—The Herefordshire
and Inglis, for London, Feb. 12.
Arrival at the Cape—The Mounstewart Elphin-
stone, from Portsmouth, Jan. 16, and sailed for Ma-
dras and Calcutta 31.

Arrivals at Singapore—The Sylph, from China,
Nov. 13 ; and Pyramus, from Manilla, 14.
The Thames, from China, has arrived off Portland
She sailed on the 29th of November, Table Bay on
the 31st of January, and St. Helena on the 12th of
February.

FROM LAST NIGHT'S GAZETTE.

WINDSOR CASTLE, MARCH 27, 1834,

The King was this day pleased to confer the honour of
Knighthood upon Captain John Woolmore, Deputy Master of
the Trinity-house.

WAR-OFFICE, APRIL 1
MEMORANDUM.

The half-pay of the under-mentioned Officers has been can-
celled from the Ist instant, inclusive, they having accepted
commuted allowances for their commissions :—Captain C. de
Gaifron, half-pay Brunswick Hussars ; Lieut. C. Walsh, half-
pay 3d Foot.
The under-mentioned Officer has also bean allowed to retire
from the service, receiving a commutation for his commission :
—Paymaster M. Rafter, 95th Foot.

Commissions by the Lord Lieutenant of the County of Norfolk.
Horatio Lord Walpole to be Deputy Lieutenant; T. A. Gir.
ling, Esq., to be ditto; March 14.
Commission by the Lord Lieutenant of the County of Surrey.
Surrey Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry—G. Best, to be Cap-
tain, vice Edgell, promoted, March 21.