The Sun.
London, England, 1851-09-16 00:00:00

SADLER'S WELLS THEATRE.

lAnother Shaksperian revival took place at this
theatre last evening, viz., Timon of Athens. The
production of the play at this time and place is an
event worthy of special notice. It is not only Mr.
Phelps's acting we go to see, but his idea and illus-
tration of the play. The play of Timon of Athens is
one of the mixed dramas. The earlier part is, both
in rhythm, style, and delineation of character, of a
very composite nature, and is certainly derived from
a previous production. That a play did exist on this
subject previously the commentators acknowledge,
and the Shakspere Society have published from an
unique manuscript a play of the same name. From
this play, which is a comedy of serious interest, it is
evident Shakspere borrowed nothing, though there
are coincidences in both, derived probably from a
previous production. In Timon of Athens the only
part of real consequence is that of Timon ; for
though Apemantus is effective, it is still quite se-
condary. Among the many beautiful passages of the
play, nothing could equal the artistic manner in which
the following dialogue, which takes place in the
third scene of the fourth act, between Timon and
Apemantus, was given :
Ape. If thou didat put this scour-cold-habit on
To castigate thy pride, 'twere well; but thou
Dost it enforcedly; thou'dst courtier be again,
Wert thou not beggar. Willing misery
Outlives incertain pomp, is crown'd before;
The one is filling still, never complete;
The other, at high wish. Best state, contentless
Hath a distracted and most wretched being,
Worse than the worse, content
Thou shouldat desire to die, being miserable.
Tim. Not by his breath, that is more miserable.
Thou art a slave, whom Fortune's tender arm
With favour never clasp'd; but bred a dog.
Hadst thou, like us, from our first swath proceed
The sweet degrees that this brief world affords
To such as may the pasive drugs of it,
Freely command, thou would'st have plung'd thyself
In general riot; melted down thy youth
In different beds of lust; and never learn'd
The icy precepts of respect, but follow'd
The sugar'd game before thee. But myself
Who had the world as my confectionary;
The mouths, the tongues, the eyes, and hearts of men
At duty, more than I could frame employment;
That numberless upon mo stuck, as leaves
Do on the oak, have with one winter's brush
Fell from their boughs, and left me epee, bare
For every storm that blows;—l, to bear this;
`That never knew but better, is some burden;
Thy nature did commence in sufferance, time
Hath made thee hard in't. Why shoulds't thou bate men?
They never flatter'd thee: what bast thou given?
If thou will curse—thy father, that poor rag,
Must be thy subject; who in spite, put stuff
To some she beggar, and compounded thee,
Poor rogue hereditary. Hence! be gone!
If thou hadst not been born the worst of men,
Thou hadst been a knave and flatterer.
Ape. Art thou proud yet?
Tim. Ay, that I am not thee.
Ape. I that was no prodigal.
Tim I, that I am ono now;
Were all the wealth I have, shut up in thee,
I'd give thee leave to hang it. Get thee gone.
That the whole of Athens were in this!
Thus would I eat it.
The applause which followed the giving of this passage
was immense. The Timon of Mr. Phelps, taken as
a whole, may be pronounced perfect. Mr. G. Ben-
nett, as Apemantus, stood prominently out; it was an
admirable performance, not one word of the biting
railing missing its mark. Mr. 11. Marston as Alci-
biades was excellent ; in fact, the whole of the cha-
racters in the play were well supported. There was
a very pretty masque of ladies in the first act which
does great credit to Mr. Frampton. The scenery and
dresses were of the most superb description. We
cannot conclude our remarks without entering our
protest against the accommodation given to the repre-
sentatives of the press, who always have a difficult
duty to perform, and therefore their comfort should
be studied to a certain extent. At Sadler's Wells
they have three alternatives of being, firstly, thrust
into an overcrowded back box, where they can neither
sit easily or see plainly ; secondly, of mounting a
ricketty platform in the lobby; or, thirdly, of stand-
ing and looking at a quantity of empty seats in the
front tier of boxes.

ROYAL POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTION.
Yesterday Dr. Bachhoffner commenced, at the
above-named establishment, the first of a series of
lectures on the electro-metallic deposits in the Great
Exhibition, the Doctor having drawn a brief out-
line of the rise and progress of this interesting and
valuable branch of art, in which he traced its gradual
development from the crude productions first exhibited
in the year 1839, to the magnificent display of gold,
silver, and bronze specimens, kindly forwarded for
the occasion by Messrs. Elkington. The electrotype,
for by such name was the process first designated by
Dr. Bachhoffner, on introducing the subject twelve
years since at the Polytechnic Institution, is a pro-
cess resulting from the action of the voltaic current,
whereby a metal may be deposited on any given con-
ducting surface, when a voltaic current is transmitted
through a metallic solution. The Professor illus-
trated his subject with numerous beautiful and ap-
propriate experiments, which considerably heightened
the interest of his lecture ; and the Learned Doctor
concluded his discourse with most deserved applause
from a large and highly respectable audience.

PARRICIDE OF A RELIGIOUS ENTHUSIAST.—The
Criminal Court of Stuttgart tried three days ago a female
named Held, for the murder of her mother. The accused,
from her earliest youth, had been noted for her religious fa-
naticism, and at last her mind became so affected that she
fancied she was enceinte by the Holy Ghost of a new Messiah.
In the night of the 11th of last month, as she was lying in
bed, she fancied she heard Ged say to her—" My new Son
cannot be born until after the death of the mother of his
mother !" She immediately- proceeded to her aged mother's
chamber, and strangled her, as she was sleeping, with a
pocket handkerchief. The next morning she proclaimed to
her neighbours what she called her " heroic exploit." She
was arrested. Before the Court she declared with 'much
bravado that she considered she had done a meritorious
thing. The jury gave a verdict of guilty, and the Court
condemned her to death; but the jurymen immediately
signed a petition to the King, praying that she might be sent
to a lunatic asylum. —Galignani.
RULED BY THE MAJORITY.--••All Irisbnitin, being
about to enter the array, was asked by one of the recruiting
officers, " Well, sir, when you get into battle, will you fight
or run ?" " Ah, faith," replied the Hibernian, with a
comical twist of his countenance, "I'll be Itftlier doin', yer
honwr, al the majority pf ye does."