The Sun.
London, England, 1851-12-29 00:00:00

SURREY THEATRE.

The Surrey has always been a popular theatre,
but the crowds that besieged it on Friday right were
such as few places of amusement in London could
boast of. Of course after this it is needless to say that
every part of the house was crammed. Of the first
piece (Shiers tragedy of Evadne) it is unnecessary
to say anything further than that from first to last it

was performed amid the most deafening noises, which
utterly prevented our hearing a single syllable.
After the first piece, the pantomime of harlequin
Blue Cap and the King of the Golden Water, taken
(as the bill informs us) from the Persian of " Hafiz
Al Thun," fairly commenced. The first scene of the
abode of the fairy Trifla (Miss G. Hodgson) was en-
tirely devoted to a ballet of fags, in which the danc-
ing of Mdlle. T. Cushnie elicited much well-merited
applause. Upon the appearance of Queen Barli
Shoogar, the whole scene was admirably transformed
to the " City of Splendour on the shore of the Golden
Waters," the colours in which were really beautifully
blended, and with much taste and view to dramatic
effect. Mr. Sheppard, the lessee of the theatre, came for-
in answer to repeated calls, and bowed his acknow-
ledgments. Here the Emperor of Alecampane and
King of the Golden Seas (Mr. Hazlewood) enters,
accompanied by his daughter, the Princess Saccha-
rine (Madlle. Annie Cushnie), and announces in the
presence of a gorgeous train of sweetmeats his inten-

tion of bestwiving the princess upon Grinsguffin,
monarch of the Ugli Isles (Mr. Bradbury). Fortu-
nately for the princess, and in spite of the presence of
Grimguffin, and his attendant Uglies, this decision is
opposed by Prince Bluecap, heir apparent to the
throne of Noideawhare, in the Kingdom Knursawry-
tales (Miss Harriet Gordni), who obtains permission
to wed the princess on condition of bringing three
gifts to her father from the animal, vegetable, and
mineral kingdoms. Notting daunted by these con-
ditions, the prince sets out on his travels, very well
represented by a pretty, though rather brief, pano-
rama, which, as the bills informed us, " might have
been three miles long," bat which certainly was not.
Arrived in the animal tingdoin, he makes the ac-
quaintance of a benignant fairy who, as her first
gift, presents him with a dog, which is to guide
his footsteps for the future. Conducted by this
sagacious animal, be starts for the court of
the Vt-g:table King, whose palace is depicted by
a model of the Crystal Palace turned into a winter
garden, and where his army and court of carrots,
turnips, pigs, potatoes, &o, is admirably represented
by the various musks, who caused continued roars of
laughter. Here Prince Bluecap receives a spade, to
enable him to reach the mineral kingdom, where he
is supposed to acquire huge masses of the precious
metal, and then returns to the court of the King of
the Golden Seas to claim the hand of the Princess.
But the obdurate Grirnguffin is more pertinacious
than ever, and still disputes the right of Prince Blue-
cap to the band of Saccharine, until the appearance
of the Fairy Trifle in the hive of a thousand sweets.
It is almost impossible by mere description to do jus-
tice to this really splendid scene, which we have never
seen anything of the kind to surpass. The house rose
en masse in a perfect furore of admiration, and again
called Mr. Sheppard on to the stage. In this scene
the transformations were effected, and the Harle-
quin (M. Milano), Clown (Mr. Buck), Pantaloon
(Mr. Bradbury), Columbine (Mdlle. Annie Cushnie),
and Sprite (Herr Deani) were sent forth upon their
usual mission of mischief and confusion. In the
scenes which followed several smart hits were made at
the follies and vices of the iay that told admirably.
One in particular, labelled " rare curiosity for the
British Museum," and
whirl turned out to be a vote
at St. Alban's not sold, elicited much applause.
Bloomerism, Smithfield, &c.,came in for their share
of satire, and the whole went on swimmingly amid
shouts of laughter until the temination of the piece in
the Pavilion of Shoogar Canl
i—a scene the tasteful
effect produced by which brought down the curtain
with tremendous applause. The pantomime was a
decided and most successful lit. Molls. Cushnie was
a pretty and graceful Coluobine' while the Sprite
(Herr Deani)—who also performed
the part of the
dog in the opening—was,
person encumbered
with a back bone and ribs, ne of the most supple
sprites we ever had the pleasuie of witnessing. The
whole of the performances wets over before midnight.

ARGYLL ROOMS'
This popular and fashionabD west end resort is so
well supported at all seasons of the
dinary occasion in the numbersyear, that it is
difficult to distinguish an extrenrclinerY
from an or-
of the dancers, together with the
fre-
quenters, but on Friday night tta spirit and animation
and class of its
aspect of the company, told pretty plainly here, at
brilliant and numerous
least, Christmas was being spent in a right merry,
jovial, though, withal, a quiet mood however noisy
it may have been elsewhere. I.fail recently it was
erroneously supposed that the English people were
not partial to dancing, it was universally conceded
that it was only on the other
side of the Channel
that a quadrille or a cotilian could be executed in
public by amateurs with any degree of taste or
credit, but the existence of the Argyll Rooms has
served to destroy that delusion. The metropolis of
England is as famous for its dancing
assemblies as
any other capital in Europe; indeed it may be said,
almost without fear of contradiction, that the suc-
cess of this description of past time and amusement
is more visible in London then in Paris or any
other similar city, a result which in a great measure
is attributable to the decorum which is always
in force in our public assembly rooms.
But in addition to the excitement
of the dance, we
have at the Argyll the advantage of an efficient and
powerful orchestra, whose performances are really
admirable ; and while the pleasure-seeker rests from
the momentary fatigue which the waltz or the polka
has called forth, he has the influence of an instru-
mental concert acting joyously upon his ear. Never
did M. Laurent and his able band of instrumentalists
play for a happier company than that which applauded
his exertions on Friday night. Bourcault, upon the
cornet-a-piston, was splendid, and in the exquisite
music of the new Rodowa, which is at present all the
rage, he—and in fact all the other solo performers—
areperfect in their tasks. The performance iccluded
the " Young Couple Polka," the "Dew Drop
Waltz," the " Beresford Quadrille," the "La Plus
Jolie Rodowa," and " Storm Mantlet Galop." The
dances were all well arranged, and the entire manage-
ment reflected the greatest credit upon the tact and
ability of Mr. G. F. Bryer, the affable and popular
director.

EXHIBITIONS.
BURFORD'S PANORAMAS.

Mr. Burford's new panoramic view of the valley of
the Tigris, :from which Mr. Layard has exhumed
the architectural remains of ancient Nineveh, had, on
Friday, an unusual number of visitors. We have so
recently described the pictorial excellencies and the
wonderful faithfulness of this painting, that we need
only remark, that a second visit has only more
strongly confirmed the favourable impression we at
first conceived. The other views, viz., Lucerne, the
Falls of Niagara, and the City of Jerusalem, still
continue to
,attract.

ROYAL POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTION.
It is curious to observe the influence which the
patronage of royalty has upon everything by which
is encouraged—it is like the gentle rain and genial
warmth of May upon the spring flower—by it its
latent energies are developed and nourished ; this is,
perhaps, strikingly exemplified in the instance to the
Royal Polytechnic Institution, which has the good
fortune to have recently been honoured by its foster-
ing influence, and already begins to put forth its ad-
vantages in the augmentation of subscribers and the
increased number of exhibitors who daily flock to
the Institution, to deposit specimens of their inven
tive genius. We heartily congratulate the directors
of the Institution upon the condescention of his Royal
Highness Prince Albert in thus presiding as its
patron, as from his Royal Highness's just considera-
tion and appreciation of the metrits and respectability
of any institution which he thus encourages, it con-
fers a distinguished honour, and will add most mate-
rially to the permanence and improvement of this
already flourishing and well-conducted establishmen

COLOSSEUM.
The continued popularity of this admirable place of
amusement furnishes an incontestable proof that ex-
cellence is always well appreciated by the public.
Although the stalactite caverns, the Alpine scenery
and waterfalls, the gallery of sculpture, the ascending
room, and the wonderful view of London, and other
attractions of the Colosseum, have long ago obtained a
wide-spread reputation, their visitors continue to be
as numerous as ever, and the pleasure of a first visit is
hardly greater than that of a fourth or a fifth. The
view of Paris by night appears to have as much popu-
larity as that which the view of London has so long
deservedly enjoyed; and the recent exciting scenes
which its streets and squares have witnessed, have
given an increased interest to its clever representation.
On no previous "boxing day" has there been a
greater number of visitors to the Colosseum than on
Friday.

PANORAMA OF THE ARCTIC REGIONS.
Panoramic representations of the several expedi-
tions which have been made in the Arctic regions
during the last few years. There was also in ad-
dition (besides a diorama of the Great Earthquake at
Lisbon), a lecture upon female costumes, by Miss
Osborne, which, although well delivered, and
cleverly illustrated by life-size drawings, is but a poor
imitation of Mrs. T. C. Foster's discourse on the
same subject.

PANORAMA OF THE NILE.
This panorama has been re-opened with "grand
additions," which announcement means, that the fol-
lowing scenes, illustrating the city of Cairo, have
been added, namely, " the Gooreyen, or Great
Bazaar," " the Procession of the Malamil," and " the
Ceremony of the Dosah." We need merely add that
the useful and artistic labours of Messrs. Warren,
Fahey, and Bonomi cannot fail, with the additional
attractions we have mentioned, to continue to com-
mand a considerable share of the public patronage.

THE GALLERY OF ILLUSTRATION.
Notwithstanding the length of time which has
elapsed since the opening of the Panorama of the
Overland Route to India, " time has not seared or
custom changed its infinite variety." It is still as
fresh and beautiful as when it first became the pioneer
in the way of similar exhibitions in the metropolis,
and was visited on Friday by great numbers of those
who prefer induling in imaginary travels, to the more
exciting inducements of theatrical representations.