The Sun.
London, England, 1851-04-29 00:00:00

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FRENCH PLAYS, ST. JAMESIM
THEATRE.
A numerous and fashionable audience assemblecLatl,s7L:e:;„!:--,,ea-
lbe St. James's Theatre last Peering, to inaugunie u/
the
the she! t season for the Funcli plays. Short us thesesie-
seasonsmay be, however, it cantle: but be most brit- "e-a's
limit, seeing that Mr. Mitchell has managed to secure
the services of almost every One of the notabilities of
the French stage; and so alert is he in securing
every available talent, that although the name of
Madame Charton did riot appear in tile pro-
gramme of the season, which Mr. Mitchell
put forth a week since, yet that lady appeared last
evening, and sung the solo part of the " National
Anthem" divinely. The performances commenced
with the vaudeville of Jobin et Nannette, sustained •
by M. Hyacinthe and Mdlle. Scrivaneck, of the
Palais Royal Theatre. The plot of Jobin et
Nannette has been common stage property any time
during the last century, and has been freely used by
almost every farce writer from the author of La
Serva Padrona, one of the earliest versions
of the piece, down to the author of the
Alarming Sacrifice, which: is, we believe, the
latest.
M. Hyacinthe and Mdlle. Scrivaneck were
admirable in
their respective parts, and kept the
audience in a roar of laughter. Then followed
Scribe's last new comedy, Une Bataille des Dames,
which was produced so lately as the 17th of last
month only At the Theatre Franqais. The scene of
this delightful comedy is laid at a château near
on the eastern frontier of
Lyons, and bordering
France, and the time is the year 1817, immediately
after the discovery of the Bonapartist conspiracy at
Lyons. This château is the property and residence of
Madame la Comtesse d'Autreval (Madlle. Judith), a
fine high-bred and courageous Woman
of
32, and a
Royalist of the most ultra description, her niece
Leonie (Madlle.. St. Marc), an interesting girl of 16,
is residing with her in the:chateau. Henri de Fla-
vigneul (M. Lafont), the son of her dearest friend, is
condemned as being concerned in the Lyons conspi-
raby, and has sought safety in the chateau,
where he is disguised by the Countess as
her valet, Charles, and at first gives great
offence to Leonie for-what she imagines the assump-
tion and arrogance of his manner, but the young
lady, having discovered; his real character, falls in
love with him, and makes a confidante of her aunt.
Now it so happens that the aunt also has fallen in
love with the too fascinating Henri, and hence the
Bataille des Dames. There is also at the chateau
certain M. de Grignon (M. Regnier), the son of a
brave mother and a most cowardly father, and
who is, according to his acount, brave in
theory, but not in practice, who talks with
the soul of his mother, but always finds the
paternal half engrosses him altogether, whenever he
is called upon to reduce his words to action. This
semi-hero determines to marry, and fixes upon the
Countess for his lady-love. Things are in this position
when the Baron Montrichard (M. Roger),o
the
prefect of the department, arrives to search for Henri,
of whoseconcealment in the château he had received in-
formation. He is completely outwitted by the Countess,
who engages Charles in his own service, and actually
sends him on his own horse across the frontier, while
De Grignion is arrested in his place,:hearing which
Henri returns, and all is set right by the arrival of an
amnesty, when the Countess, generously overcoming
her own affections, resigns Henri to Leonie. The
dialogue is brilliant and sparkling—sparkling even
beyond the usual brilliancy of Scribe; and the acting
is perfect. Madlie. Judith, who made her debilt last
night, is entitled to rank emong the very first
artistes of the haute comedie, ftidile. St. Marc is the
most interesting of jeunes; demoiselles, and Lafont's
gentleman valet was a perfect piece of artistic repre-
sentation. Regnier, as the coward hero, was deli-
ciously quaint and humorous. It would be well tbat
some of our EngliAh humorous actors should pay a
visit to the St. James's, and study the admirable deli-
neation of the character of M. de Grignon by M. Reg-
nier, they would then see that it is possible to be quaint,
yet at the same time well bred, and that to be hu-
morous it is not at all requisite to be vulgar. The
Baron of M. Roger was a careful and artistical
performance. The play was much applauded
throughout, and, at the conclusion all the artistes
were called on. The performances concluded with a
drollery, entitled L' Amour a l'Aveugletle, in which M.
Tetard made his rentree. The National Anthem
was performed, in the course of which Madame
Charton, as we have before stated, gave the sole.
This lady had kindly volunteered her services for the
occasion.

• i‘;

The theatre vras crowded by a distinguished and
fashionable company, amongst whom we observed
Prince Edward of Saxe Weimar, his Excellency the
Russian Minister and the Baroness Brunnow, Madame
de forts, the Marquis of Douro, the Marchioness of
Ailesbury, the Countess of Tankerville, La Comtesse de
Flahault, the Earl of Wilton, the Earl of Kilmorey, the
Earl of Gifford, the Earl and Countess of Morley, the
Countess of INaldegrave, Lord and Lady Walsingham,
Lord Ribblesdale, Viscount Clifden, Lord Frederick
Beauclerc, Lady William Poulett, Lord Alfred
Churchill, Lord Adolphus Vane, Hon. Valentine Brown,
Sir Robert Peel, Sir Henry Webb, Sgi. &c.

STRAND THEATRE.
Under the new designation of "Punch's Play-
house," this little theatre opened last evening, under
the management of Mr. W. R. Copeland, of Liver-
pool. Considerable improvements have been effected
in the interior of the house ; the gallery is replaced
by a new tier of boxes, new entrances made, and the
whole of the theatre entirely re-embellished and deco-
rated, many effiigies of the hump-backed moralist
being prominent throughout. The opening piece was
a two-act farce by Mr. Courtney, entitled Living in
Glass Houses, which amused the audience consider-
ably, the principal characters being sustained by Til-
bury, W. Attwood, Norton, J. Rogers, Romer, and
Mrs. C. Horsman ; the latter lady, who comes from
the Manchester Theatre, is the only really good im-
portation among the many new faces announced in
the bills. She reminds us somewhat of Mrs. Orger
in former years, is very pleasing, clever, and good
looking, and a decided acquisition to the metropolitan
boards. The second piece, called The Exposition,
from the pen of Mr. Shirley Brooks, is a burlesque
sparkling with witticisms and jokes. The frosty
deities of Scandinavia, Odin, Thor, and the other per-
sonages of northern mythology descend on earth to
partake of the enjoyments diffused by the gathering
of all nations to the Great Exhibition. The chief
part in this capital sketch is that of " the Spirit of the
Age," which Miss Marshall, who met with II very
_h
reception, ception, enacts a la Mrs. Keeley. T
e
authors of both these pieces were loudly demanded,
and bowed their acknowledgments amidst. unanimous
acclamations. The preparations and dpr:ol.selitrnengornwaenrie
certainly incomplete, and the prompter's post
we delight
trust to behold
hoccasions.and
sine-
cure, but the utmost hilarityw
festednbuymtehreousspecotnatofarst,ure
more
ee
is decidedly worth a visit, and it is to be hoped
that a succession of smart novelties will render the
profitable one. Lively and telling
that Mr. Brooks'c 'll
vl answer
sketches,
nucah as
well,
the employment of which
and would in our opinion be much assisted by a
proved so
when Flexmore, Cormack, Falser Wright,
abtatlrlaecttciv°ernPuennYde'r Mr. Bolton's management last
drew overflowing benches. Mr.' Copeland
andautumn,
C
is, however, a clever and experienced teenager, and,
vie dare say, quite as compete et to feel the pulse of
the public is some who deem it a ve
ry clever piece of
criticiten to throw cold water upon efforts to please,
which should, in their comm
view ed with an ind 1 eneeinentat
least,
be
u gent and encouraging
eye.

G OLDSMITIP.' BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION.--Tbe
eighteenth anniversary festival in aid of the funds of tbis
institution, was yesterday held at the Freemasons'
Great Queen-street; Mr. James Garrard, prime vengtvilhg
the Goldsmiths' Company, in the chair. The
cloth
toasts, been removed, the chairman proposed the usual 10:e in
re_
coueling "The- Church" with " The Queen," !a
itteation to his
ference to Prince Albert, making a graceful e
the commercial
Royal Highness'e present efforts to promote
ot-ss
, to the Insti-
Taverani.
and metal prosperi.y of this country.
tution" was next drunk amid great increasing prosperity
" S
applause,e-.c the Chairman
celebrate, and congratulating his audience upon thte
to
of the charity which they were mat to
the enlarged muster
proof of this assertion,
de-
monstrating the same by a referenceextended subscription list
of gentlemen around him, and theor, in
of the past year. He pointecteoty
of Suol. the annual
an addition to the funded urged,
by. waY oft appeal to the
had enjoyed prosperity, and
subscriptions of 40/. ; andthe fact tbat in times past the pre-
sent feelings ot
recipientshis hoefatrhe boom
to those which they the
now
indulged hopes similar
experienced and ,
8, drew a moving picture of the wants of
entertained. Mr. J. W. Thomas, president.
in returning thanks,
by institution, exhorted the subscribers to
those relieved sin a cause so fertile of good to those
beatifying to their benefactors. He further
renewed exertion
so
benefited, amidands"
considerable applause, that two cheques for
remarked, h had been forwarded' to him b the thirty
on the occasion of the annul ball, had
fifty guineasho
twhem'selves by their efforts to promote the in-
terests of
Inethe charity. Oe these, one was a donation, the
to go to the annual subscrintion fund. This showed
other .
Ibis
what private exertion might do for the promotion of 1
sgiegental ei i
work. Other toasts and a liberal subscription followed; after
which the company dispersed.
THREATENED INTRUSION or EQUESTRIANS INTO
KENsINGToN GARDENS.—Last night a meeting.e
lif theand the
inha-
bitants of Bayswater, Kensington, Notting
-ahti the Prince
vicinity of Keneington-gardens, was held
propriety of pre-
Albert Tavern, Notting-hill, to consider PTO
the intended forma-
seating a petition to the Queen against tahre.
_3.
Amongst
lion of a public ride in Kensington-g den
l• g the meeting were
those who signed the requisition
callre-two churchwardens
Mr. Sergeant Wilkins, Mr. Barlow, the
1 all the respectable
of the parish of Kensington, c_l
anßotyi ie, barrister-at-law, pre-
inhabitants of the c'istrict.
Mr.
be first resolution, which was
sided. Mr. Bunford proposed the
with surprise and alarm
to the effect that the meeting viewedoilers of Woods and Forests to
the intention of the Com
auss-,,lardens, which had for upwards
make a drive in Kensington-Gardena, .
fo he recreation of all classes of
of a century been set apartd
sitcnlarly for ladies and chit-
an P
her Majesty's subjects,
dren. The resolution was carried. Air. Williams proposed
the next resolution, to the effect
orthwith presentee, to
that a petition should be
f
her Majesty, praying her to give orders
to the Commissioners d
a deputation 1111171_
of Woods and Forests not to carry out
ent. The resolution was tarried, an
the intended infriong
g been appointed to present such petition,
_ .._.
the meeting broke ur