The Sun.
London, England, 1856-03-10 00:00:00

PANCKS.

" He was dressed in black, and rusty iron grey ; had jot
black beads of eyes ; a scrubby little black chin ; wiry
black hair striking out from his head in prongs, like forks
or hair-pins ; audo. complexion that was very dingy by
nature, or very dirty by art, or a compound of mature and
art. He had dirty hands and dirty broken nails, and
looked as if ha had been in the coals ; he was in a perspi-
ration, and snorted and sniffed and puffed and blew, like
little labouring steam-engine."
Cheek by jowl with whom, at Christopher Casby's
dinner-table, is a companion personage, the like of
whom we don't any where remember in all the
long, wide. range of humorous literature. Ob-
sery e

MR. F.'S AUNT.

" This was an amazing little old woman, with a face like
a staring wooden doll too cheap for expression, and a stiff
yellow wig perched unevenly on the top of her head, as if
the child who owned the doll had driven a tack through it
any where, so that it only got fastened on. Another remark-
able thing in this little oil woman was, that the same child
seemed to have damaged her face in two or three places
with some blunt instrument in the nature of a spoon ; her
countenance, and particularly the tip of her nose, present-
ing the phenomena of several dints, generally answering
to the bowl of that article. A further remarkable thing
in this little old woman was, that she had no name but
Mr. F's Aunt.

• • • • • • . • .
The major characteristics discoverable by the stranger
in Mr. F's Aunt, were extreme severity and grim tacitur-
nity; sometimes interrupted by a propensity to offer re-
marks, in a deep warning voice, which, being totally un-
()ailed for by anything said by anybody, and traceable to no
association of ideas, c mfounded and terrified the mind.
Mr. F's Aunt may have thrown in these observations on
some system of her own, and it may have been ingenious,
or even subtle; but the key to it was wanted."
So—in the middle of a neatly-served and well-
cooked dinner of soup, soles, shrimp-sauce, and
potatoes—to begin with—Mr. F's Aunt, after re-
garding the company for ten minutes with a male-
volent gaze, delivers the following fearful remark—
" When we lived at Henley, Barnes's gander was
stole by tinkers." So, too, when the dinner is well
over—finishing with mutton, a steak, and an
apple-pie " (nothing in the remotest way; con-
nected with ganders)"—this same Mr. F. s Auut
" strikes again into the conversation like a clock,
without consulting anybody," with—" The monu-
ment, near London-bridge, was put up arter the
Great Fire of London, and the Great Fire of Lon-
don was not the fire in which your uncle George's
workshops was burned down." Until Arthur
Clennam (and no wonder) becomes absolutely
frightened by these sepulchral proclamations, and
Mr. F.'s aunt winds all up with the Solomonic
sentiment " I hate a fool I" to which she imparts
so extremely injurious and personal a character, by
levelling it straight at the visitor's head that it
becomes necessary to lead her from the room ! [The
subject, by the way, of one of Plii2s hap-
piest illustrations --giving us The Tug, The
Patriarch, the simpering Fiera, and that staring
wooden doll with the face " teo a() ip for expres-
sion," that wonderful inventor of the system with-
out a key, " Mr. F. a Aunt''—all of them delight-
fully, inimitably.] As for the list, sad, charming,
beautiful chapter in the fourteenth number of
Little Dorrit, we can scarcely as yet, of course,
appreciate its full significance. That, be sure, in
all good time, will duly appear in the dim, sorrow-
ful hereafter ! It hints already, we cannot but
believe and fear—the final death of dear exquisite
Little Dorrit—a homelier, older, yet scarcely
less child-like, or less poetical creation than
the angel-heroine of the dear " Old Curi-
osity Shop"—a Little • Nell, sot of the
rural roads, on the village green, or the. ivy-man-
tleti church, but of the sordid, squalid, intry,

proud lady, Mrs. Montgomery (Mrs. Poynter), to
whom he is about to married. The son, whom he be-

lieves to be dead, be shocked to learn from Ripstone,
who he terms his evil genie., is still alive. The proud

nabob shrinks from the thought of meeting his neglected
child—the fruit of his ignoble marriage—and believing
that Ripstone means to expose him, he tr es to get him
out of the way by causing him to be arrested for a bill
whiah he has passed to Mrs: Montgomery. Tom, how-
ever, contrives to turn the tablei on his enemies, and •
raises a hearty laugh against the lady by intercepting a
wig which had been sent by her hairdresser. At the
same time he manages to unite C ara Fielding (Hiss
Swanhorough), the ward of Hill Cooley, to Barton (Mr.
Villisre), a yourg surgeon, who turns out to be the son
of the nabob, whom the kind-hearted Ripstone had
brought up and educated after he had been deserted by
his father. Of the acting of the different artistes engaged
in the performance we must speak in the highest terms of
praise. The Tom Ripstone of Mr. Buckstone was the most
perfect embodiment of good humour itis possibleto imagine
—in a word, his acting of the part was perfection. Three
new scenes, viz., the parlour of a vil:a in Derbyshire,
the gardens before the villag: the park and coun-
try mansion of the parvenu Cooley, were capital speci-
mens of the scene-painter's art. The comedy was rs-
ceived a ith the most enthusia,t:c applause, and at the
fall of the curtain there was a general call for Mr. Back-
stone, who came forward and announced the piece for
repetition every evening. The house was fully and
fashionably attended.
ELEXIIORE'S BENEFIT.- -The celebrated pantomimist,
FiLxinore. who filled the rule of Clown in the panto-
mime of " Henry the Eighth" during the late season at
Covent-g:lrden tapes his benefit at the Lyceum on Wed-
nesday evening next. He is so well known and appro. •
eated that the house is certain to be well attended.
Mr. Andersen will appear in " Black-eyed Susan," and
the beneficiaire has secured the services of a host of vocal
and terpsichorean talent.
SURREY THEATRE.—The melodrama of "The Sailor
of France" has been produced with great success at this
theatre during the last week. Mr. Shepherd personates
the French tar with a fine perception of the real fun of
the character. Miss Seyton, a debutante from the pro.
viuces, promises to be a valuable addition to the com-
pany. Altogether the piece is very effective.
The services of Mons. Jullien have been secured by
Messrs. Cramer, Belle, and Co., of Regent-street, for a
series of musical performances in which the great master
of the baton may display his energies to advantage. The
same firm have also entered into an engagement with M.
and Male. Gassier, and with Mr. Swift, the new tenor.
That charming singer, Mme. Gassier, will appear in
London, on the operatic stage, after an absence of several.
months, next Thursday evening, for the benefit of Mr.
Loder, in the ever-pleasing "La Sonnambula." •
MARYLEBONIS THEATRE.—This pretty little theatre
will commence its summer season under a new manage-
ment, and with a choice company, selected from, the
members of the Theatres Royal Drury-lane, Lyuegm,
Charlesnd
r.
Sadler's-wells, Edinburgh, Hull, &c. Among the. stare
engaged, we have heard the names of M
Mathews, Mr. Barry Sullivan. Miss Fitzpatrick,
and
Mrs. J. W. Wallack, mentioned. The new lessee, Mr.
E. Seaman, has placed the acting and stage management
in the able hands of Mr. Edward Stirling.
Among young musical and theatrical artistes about to
rise on the horizon (not, in truth, before they are wanted),
wo hear of a younger Miss Keeley, from whom we are.
bidden to expect good things.
THE DuAlrA. IN AUSTRALIA.—Catherino Hayes has
become so great a favourite With the Melbourne people
that her announced departure has brought forth an ad-
dress to the lady, numerously and respectably signed, in
which she is earnestly requeSted to continue for some time
longer her operatic performaricea in that town. G. V.
Brooke has appeared for the first time in the character
of Richard the Thir 1, at (.;aoppin's Olympic, where the
play was revived at some cost, and with much care, last
November. The house was crowded on the occasion,
and at the fall of the curtain there was a general call for
Mr. Brooke. Shylock is, however, considered by the
Australian public as his very best impersonation.

COVENT-GARDEN THEATRE.—Tire ruins of this vast
building were yesterday visited by many thousands of
persons, and the police had an office of difficulty in
preserving the crowd from accident. The demolition of
the walls has now commenced, and in a very few days
the lofty outline of the theatre will be brought down to
the level of the adjoining houses.
FIRE AT DRURY-LANE THEATRE.—On Friday after-
' noon great altrul was created among the servants of
Drury-lane Theatre in consequence of the discovery of
a smouldering fire in the " flies" of the stage. With
Ilittle difficulty the flames were soon arrested without
causing any material mischief. Mr. Braidwood, the su-
perintendent of the fire brigade, was immediately sent
for by Mr. Smith, the lessee, and on his arrival at the
' theatre a strict inquiry was instituted into the cause of
the fire. It was eventually traced to have resulted from
wadding in an ignited state, discharged from a gun fired
in the course of the performance of the pantomime the
P rev'ous evening falling into one of the beams in the
flied, and the timber hein,cT eiceedingly dry it quickly
ignited, and from its proximity with the scenery, &c.,
its early discovery is considered most fortunate. A few
hours later and Old Di tzry would have met the fate of
Covent-garden. Neither the theatre nor its contents
are insured.
LONDON THUATRES DESTROYED Ey Film—Drury.
lane, 1672 and 1809 ; her Majesty's, 1789 ; Pantheon,
, 1792 ; Astley, 1794, 1303, and 1841 ; surrey (Circus),
' 1 1805 ; Covent-garden, 1808 and 1856 • Royalty, 1820
English Opera House, 1830 ; Argyll Rooms, leV
Olympia 1849 ; Pavilion, 106.