The Sun.
London, England, 1851-12-27 00:00:00

PROPOSED ROYAL " MARIONETTE "
THEATRE.

On the site of the once popular Gallery of
Practical Science, in Adelaide-street, Strand; a
very elegant theatre has just been constructed
for the performance of a troupe of artistes of
an extraordinary character. The humorous
vaudeville, the interesting spectacle, the comic bur-
lesque, and the :elegant ballet, will here be repre-
sented by " Marionettes," or :mechanical figures of
such exquisite construction, that every movement and
every action will, it is said, fairly rival those of their
human contemporaries.
" There is speech in their dumbness,
Language in their very gesture."— Winter's Tale.
The scenery to be used in this extraordinary per-
formance will be remarkable for artistic truth, the
dresses for splendour and strict adherence to histo-
rical authority, and the decorations for gorgeousness
and correctness. The first performance will take
place next week.

DESTRUCTION OF THE GLOUCESTER HOTEL, GREEN^
WICII, BY FrnE.—Yesterday (Friday) morning between
twelve and one o'clock, a mounted police-constable of the
R division arrived at the London engine stations with intel.
ligence of a serious fire having broken out in Silver-street,
Greeenwich. The moment the news was received, Mr. Hen-
derson, the chief officer of the D section of the London esta-
blishment, started to the scene with an engine and a power-
ful body of firemen, and was followed by Mr. Connorton with
the West of England engine. On entering Greenwich they
found the spacious range of premises belonging to Mr. A.
Larkins, and termed the Gloucester Hotel, in a regular blaze.
The building, which was about three times the size of an or-
dinary house, stood in Silver-street, and at one period it was
feared that every place near would have fallen a prey to the fury
of the flames. The engines of the parish, as well as those from
the Royal College and her Majesty's dockyard, had previously
arrived, and being supplied with an abundance of water
from the Kent main, the police and inhabitants were
fortunately enabled to cut off the extension of the fire in the
direction of the other buildings, during the time lost in
sending to town for additional assistance, but they could not
succeed in extinguishing the main body of flame. The
London firemen, therefore, went to work most vigorously,
and with the assistance of the local aid eventually succeeded
in subduing the conflagration, but not until a serious amount
of valuable property was reduced to ashes, which is thus
Thereported by Mr. Superintendent Braidwood :—" Th
Glou-
cester Hotel, in Silver-street, Greenwich, about two-thirds of
the building and its contents destroyed;',, No. 1, in the same street, Mr. W. Doo, tobacconist, contents seriously damaged
by removal. Mr. Larkins was insured in .the Kent Fire-
office for the contents, and the buildinginsured
was in the
Royal Exchange Office, but Mr. Doo was not insured. The
origin of tie fire is unknown.
"Go IT, BOOTS."—A Mrs. Boots, of Pennsylvania
has left her husband, Mr. Boots, and strayed to parts un-
known. We presume this pair of boots are rights and lefts.
We cannot say, however, that Mrs. Boots is right, but there
is n 9 mistAkt, Mr, Bootskft.-4merican raper.