The Sun.
London, England, 1856-01-15 00:00:00

(From the Times.)

The last trick played by the " Wizard of the North"
is by no means his worst. All the bottles, boxes, ex-
tinguishers, &c., that constituted the apparatus of h,s
" Magic and Mystery" have clean passed away, and he
has suddenly raised in their place a whole company to
support the musical drama " Rob Roy," transforming into
the " bold outlaw" no less a person than himself.
When Mr. Anderson announced in that large type of
which be makes such artistic use that he was about to
play " Rob Roy" we firmly believe that many persons ex-
pected something exceedingly odd ; so completely had
he become associated in every mind with the idea of le-
gerdemain that it was difficult to disunite him from the
conjuror's art, and conceive him going steadily through
a bit of histrionic business. Moreover, Rob Roy is
scarcely a part to be stage-struck about, like Othello or
Hamlet. It is a good melodramatic character, the per-
sonation of which hardly secures a sufficient feed of hay
leaves to gratify a morbid appetite for fame. Why
should the "Wizard of the North" undertake Rob Roy
The answer to this question is so excessively simple
that few, probably, have hit upon it. Mr. Anderson
has elected to play "Rob Roy," because—strange reason!
—he can play it very well. We do not mean to say that
he brings out every detail of which the part is susceptible,
but his general rendering has a hearty, bold bluffness
about it that is exceedingly well maintained throughout,
and most adequately conveys the notion of one of those
doughty heroes with whom strength of body was of more
importance than intellectual superiority. On more than
one occasion the outlaw has to menace others of the
dramatis persoroe in good set terms, and the conviction
that these menaces could easily be carried into execu-
tion was not to be avoided. From the beginning to the
end of the piece we were impressed with the belief that
Rob Roy could have thrashed the rest of the characters
all round without the slightest fatigue of the muscles,
and this was done without any forced manner. Wo
had before us a good, steady, sober, business-like piece
of acting.
As for the acting of the masses, which are numeri-
cally very strong, it is better than we recollect to have
seen in any previous representation of the piece. The
picturesque grief attending the " Och hone a rie !" and
the tumultuous exultation that last night thrilled through
the multitude when the lost chief unexpectedly returned,
and every rocky platform was alive with joyous move-
ment, were capitally managed.
The crowded audience seemed delighted at this revival
of this once popular piece, roaring at the jokes of the
Bailie, sympathising with the outlaw, and shouting ap
probation, long and continuous, on the descent of the
curtain.

(Front the Morning Chronicle.)
Professor Anderson appeared last night in a new cha-
racter. Instead of the wizard, we had the Highland
chieftain, the magician turned actor, and with no slight
amount of success. Perhaps, however, we ought hardly
to say that this was a new character ; for although the
professor is known to metropolitan sight-seers only as
the Wizard of the North, we believe that he has already
appeared in "Rob Roy" both in Scotland and in Ame-
rica. Last evening this agreeable musical drama of the
late Sir H. Bishop was produced at Covent Garden with
the most decided success—success which was not unde-
served. Great pains had obviously been bestowed upon its
presentation, which was singularly satisfactory. The
musical arrangements were under the direction of Mr.
Loder, who bad under his command a very competent band
of executants. The scenery was excellent. Several of the
views of Highland glens and valleys might rank amongst
the best pieces of art of their kind. And to conclude these
remarks upon the general production of the piece, we
may add, that the grouping of the large bodies of chorus,
highlanders, soldiers, and supernumeraries of one sort or
another, was managed in the most picturesque and pic-
torial manner by Mr. A. Harris. The general effect,
therefore, was unequivocally good; and, upon the whole,
the merits of the individual performers of the individual
performers of the principal parts were not entitled to
less favourable consideration. Mr. Anderson himself
played the " bold outlaw " with a great deal of the melo-
dramatic breadth and the rugged strength which be-
came the character. Although this is not his peculiar
line, he treads the stage like an accustomed actor, and,
whatever faults his performance may have, want of ease
and stage confidence are not amongst the number. The
performance went off exceedingly well, as it bad evi-
dently been prepared for with exceeding care, and a
lavish employment of the artistic elements of SUCCeSB ;
and, so far as we can see, we doubt whether "Rob Roy"
will assist the Wizard in getting rid of the superabund-
ant cash for which he told es he took Covent-garden
Theatre as an outlet. The professor was called for at
the close of the firs: and third acts, and was most warmly
received.

(Front the Morning ATeriiser.)
Last night this theatre, so long devoted t.) Italian
music, re echoed once more to the words of Englsh
opera, " Rob Roy " having been produced by the
temporary lessee, in order to show the town that a
Wizard's talents are universal. In indulging this pas-
sion for the histrionic art, the Professor has shown his
usual business tact, for he has produced the lyric
melodrama with all the attractions of a spectacle.
The chief interest to the habitues of the theatre Was
derived from, watching the performance of the Professor.
He has size, or what, if we wish to be complimentary,
we may term a commanding figure, and his face is not
incapable of stage expression. With these qualities be
is sure, in so manly a part as Rob Roy, to produce a
certain amount of effect. The audience were gratified
to the top of their bent last night, and their admiration
was expressed in a proportionate degree. The house
was well filled, and the pit and galleries were crammed.
The usual calls were made, and, as usual, responded to.
The performance doubtless will carry the Professor pro-
fitably to the end of his brief season.

(From the Daily News.)
" Professor Anderson " has come before the public in
a new capacity, in this country at least. Not content
Withbeing UarlYarlied conjuror1024 a dashing theatn7

cal manager, he now appears as an actor on his own
stage. He is not new t the hoards, however ; fir tie
character of Rob Roy, which he acted last night, has (as
he states) been " performed by him in Scotland, and in
all the theatres in America." He looked the stalwart
outlaw exceedingly well, and showed himself to be a
melodramatic performer of considerable power. As a
spectacle the piece was got up with great care and con-
siderable splendour. The scene of the Highland glen,
where the soldiers are surprised and defeated by the
Macgregors—with the incidents of the fight and the
triumph of the victors—was exceedingly striking. The
performance was highly successful.

(From the Morning Post. )
Last evening the great Wizard care out as an actor
for the first time in London, and met with great success,
inasmuch as he was warmly applauded throughout his
performance, and called for twice in the course of it.
The part he enacted was Rob Roy, in the famous play
of that name. There was a large amount of dash and
aplomb in his impersonation, and we can praise the dis-
tinctness of his articulation, his manly bearing and pic-
turesque make-up, his unflagging spirit, and clever man-
agement of stage business. Many of Mr. Anderson's
readings were sensible ; much of his acting sober and
legitimate ; and there was a certain dash, combined with
a romantic spirit and picturesqueness about the whole
assumption, which would have rendered a much less in-
tellectual performance highly effective.

( Prom the Morning Herald.
Professor Anderson, it would appear, has ambition as
an actor as well as a wizard ; and his reputation in
Scotland, as the representative of Rob Roy, in Pocock's
once-celebrated piece of the same name, is stated to be
considerable. He made his first London attempt in an
histrionic capacity last night, and played the famous
hero of Scott's novel in the presence of an immense
audience. His acting, as might have been anticipated,
was flavoured with no, inconsiderable amount of vigour,
while his aspect was sufficiently stalwart and imposing.
The professor is evidently not a novice in the arts of
melodramatic elocution, and he well knows how to give
popular force to his sentences. The whole performance
was meritorious, and the spectators relished it exceed-
ingly.

FURTHER DESTRUCTION OF DOCKS AT

SEBASTOPOL.

(Front the Daily News Correspondent.)
CAMP BEFORE SEBASTOPOL, Jan. 1.
It had been the intention of our engineers to blow in
a portion of the English half of the docks last Saturday,
but owing to the prevalence of water all could not be
got ready for that purpose before yesterday afternoon.
At head-quarters at 10 o'clock in the morning it was
not certainly known whether we should be able to fire
more than three charges in the left side of the basin ; and
although the French had arranged to blow up their east
dock, the entrance pier of their west dock, and their half
of the left side of the basin which joined us, still I know
that the Quartermaster-General of the army was not
aware of the French intention, nor was he of ours till late
in the afternoon. For this extreme secrecy I can see no
reason. To show how few officers were present actually
to see the docks, I will just give you their name:. At
the first explosion (French and English), besides seve-
ral French engineers, I noticed Sir W. Codrington and
his two aides-de-camp ; Lieut-Colonel L. Curzon and
Captain Ponsouby ; Sir flueh Rose, our commissioner
at French head-quarters ; Lieut-Colonel Turner, com-
mandant of the Karabelnaia ; the Town Mejors ; Cept
Ceoch, 62d ; and Major Dewar, 49th ; Mr. Deen, R N.;
twe surgeons 62d Regiment ; the officers of the White-
buildings guard ; and of our engineers there were pre-
sent—Colonel Gordon, Major Cooke, Captain Schaw,
Major Ewart, Lieuts. Brine and Donnelly, and Lieut.
Colonels Lloyd and Bourchier, together with the four
engineers wee> have been employed on the demolitions,
viz., Major Nicholson and Lieuts. Cumberland, Gordon,
and Graham. At the second explosion, four hours
later, which the French engineers appeared to take
great interest in, there were present, iu addition to the
foregoing, General Froissard, of the French Engineers;
the French Commandant of the Karabelnaia, Col. Percy
Herbert, and Lieut.-Colonel Lefroy, R.A. It was at
six minutes to one that the drum was beaten by the
French sapper for the 39 French and four English
engineers to light their port-fires. At 54 minutes, the
drum beat two taps for all to be ready, and at 44
minutes to one the drum beat one more tap to fire ; in
64 minutes afterwards the charges in the side and
bottom of the French east dock exploded almost simul-
taneously. Shortly afterwards the large charges in
the piers of the entrance and behind the steps leading
down to the dock blew up. These three charges shook
the ground all round terribly, and propelled large stones
perpendicularly up in the air to the height of at least
900 feet. In 14 minutes the English charges exploded,
causing a very neat demolitioa of half the side wall of
the basin ; but the powder was, I think, run a little too
fine. After the smoke had cleared away, it was evident
that four of the French charges and one of the English
had not gone off, The four French charges being two in
the entrance pier to their west dock, which was nob
blown in by them on the 21st, and two in the side wall
of the basin, adjoining our charges. The demolition of
the French east dock—or " Steamer Dock," as it is
called, for it contains the remains of the paddle steamer,
which was brought from Sinope and set fire to by the
Russians on the 9th September—was complete. They
appear to have used too much powder, and the right
floodgate being blown in against the left fl >odgate has
the effect of making the destruction of the left entrance
pier look less complete than that of the rest of the dock.
The quantity of powder expended in blowing up this
dock alone was 10,0001b5., with 33 charges in all.
The 12 side charges were each 5001bs. Behind the
steps leading down to the bottom of the dock there were
1 charge of I,ooolbs. and two of 5001hs. of powder each.
The remaining charges, I mean those under the docks i
and the floodgate, averaged about 110Ibs. each. After
the Russians had fired a few badly-aimed shells, and
the French and English engineers had examined the
debris, the former again fired the four charges that had
not gone off. After the lapse of a few minutes these ex
ploded, and thus the west and east docks of the French
half, together with the left side of the large basin, even
to the gates, were cornpleteiy destroyed. Sir W. Cod-
rington new asked Col. Lloyd how long he thought i
would be before our engineers would be ready to blow
up the bottom of their dock. The answer was, "A-
soon as Mr. Dann, who has charge of the voltaic bat-
teries, is ready." Mr. Deen, on being asked, stated he
could not be ready for two hours ; and at this time it was
about two. Our three docks, on account of being ahem
four feet lower than the two French docks and entrance,
have half a foot of water in each of them. As a result
of this great difficulties have had to be contended with ;
and, owing to the severity of the weather, the sapper-
have suffered terribly, both by night and by day. At
about five the wires and cables appeared to be getting
fixed. The bunk where Mr. Deen had his ten vol-
taic batteries, and from which he fired the mines,
was on the other side of the dockyard high white
wall, and up a steep hill. In the bottom of the
dock were ten charges, each of 1621b5. These
were connected by electric wires co the two cables,
making five wires for each cable, and these two
cables, with an electric inside, ran up the hill
through holes in the wall to Mr. Deen's bunk.
Just before the explosion, the force of the electricity
was tested at the end of the cables, which were about
100 yards long. At 20 minutes past 5 o'clock, just bs-
fore dark, Private Sulley, tinsmith by trade, of the 10th
company of Sappers, was ordered by Major Nicholson
to connect the ten wires to the two cables. In another
twe minutes all bad cleared away. The moment the
word " all right" was passed up to Mr. Deen eight of
the tea charges blew up, which were quite sufficient
completely to destroy the bottom of this dock. The
latter was 191 feet long on the stone skids at bottom,
40 feet wide, and 29 feet deep. At top it is 238 feet
long and 95 feet 4 inches wide. The revetment at top
was 6 feet 8 inches broad. Our centre dock, which in all
probability will have its bottom blown up to-morrow
evening, is 936 feet long, and the west dock is 233 feet.
There is every reason to expect that in another fortnight
the whole of the Sebastopol docks will be totally worth-
less for any purpose whatever. The French appeared
to be much pleased at our engineers being so successful
under water. They will have nearly as great an
obstacle to contend with in their centre entrance. As
for the Russians, they took no notice either of the
first or second explosions, not even jumping up on
their parapets. The French and English have been
each taking down one of the large floodgates complete,
to send home as trophies ; either halt of a gate con-
tains 12 iron hollow ribs, each weighing about 2 tons.
The French took down their two halves bodily, and now
that these are at bottom of the dock, they have been
obliged to take the ribs off and drag them across the
basin at an immense cost of labour. We, on the con-
trary, by means of 140 artillerymen, under the charge of
Major Andrews, R.A., and two lieutenants, the whole
wider the superintendence of Lieutenant-Colonel Bent.
R.E., have been lifting the ribs up by pulleys, one by
one, as the halves of the gates stand. Two ribs have
by accident been broken, for they are very brittle, so
that a half of another gate will have to supply them: A
naval officer of the Furious, steamer, with two sailors
and three sa.ppers, has been also employed on this duty,
which is by no means so easy as it may appear.

DARING BURGLARY AT MANCHESTER.—Yesterday
morning information was given at the station of the D
division of police, Manchester, that the house of Mr.
John Doughty, commercial traveller, Horsley-street,
Huline (juot without the city boundary) had beau enterea
about two o'clock in the morning by burglars. Mr.
Doughty was from home, and Mrs. Doughty stated that she
was awoke by some person seizing her by the throat as she
lay in bed and demanding where she kept her money.
The servant girl came running into the room, soon after-
wards, with her hands tied behind her and her
mouth gagged. Mrs. Doughty escaped from the person
who had hold of her after a struggle, and the burglars
made off, but not before they had secured 6/. 9s. Gd. in
money from one of ber dress pockets. She had a watch
and some jewellery in the room, which escaped observa-
tion. Superintendent Taylor, of the D division of police,
examined the premises yeeterday morning, and from cir-
cumstances which came to his knowledge in the course
of his investigation, he was induced to apprehend the
servant girl on suspicion of being an accomplice in the
robbery. The rope with which the girl's hands had been
tied had been taken from the kitchen, and the gag was
fastened in her mouth with two pieces of worsted braid
that had been in the house about a fortnight. The ser-
vant, Ann Coulter, had been in the house about three
months. Since she was apprehended, two pocket hand-
kerchiefs have been discovered at her mother's which are
the property of her mifittelii.

LATEST NEWS.

THE PEACE PROPOSALS.

The Nord publishes the f dlowing telegraphic

despatches :

BERLIN, SUNDAY.

The reply to the proposals of which Count
Valentine Esterhazy was the bearer, addressed
from St. Petersburg to Vienna, accepts, in prin-
ciple, those proposals.
The Imperial Cabinet of Russia does not intro-
duce therein any modifications of significance. It
refuses the territorial cession demanded in Bes-
sarabia ; it consents to the exchange of the ter-
ritories respectively occupied by the belligerents.
M. de Seebach left Berlin yesterday evening
en route for Paris.

BERLIN, SUNDAY EVENING.

Count Buol has rejected tha counter proposals
of the Imperial Cabinet of Russia without diE-

cussion.

At the same time that he made Prince Gorts-
chakoff aware of a probable speedy rupture of
diplomatic relations between the Courts of Russia
and of Austria, Count Buol notified to the Cabi-
nets of Paris and London that Austria would not
take the field (d'entrerait pas en ligne) this year.

FRANCE.
PARIS, MONDAY EVENING.

The Times correspondent (second edition), says :
—lndependently of the treaty of the 2d of Decem-
ber between England, France, and Austria, there
exists, it appears, a convention, memorandum, or
by whatever appellation diplomatic Purists term it,
between the same Powers, to this effect--First, if
within 20 days Russia does not accept the proposi-
tions of Austria, this Power will break off diplomatic
relations with her. This condition will, as my letter
of yesterday mentioned, have been executed by this.
Secondly, relations being broken off, Austria, Eng-
land, and France will forthwith deliberate and con-
cert measures to force Russia to accept peace on the
conditions already agreed on between them, and will
intimate the same to the other States of Europa,
inviting them to co-operate. And, thirdly, a note
fication will be made to Prussia, declaring that she
shall not be admitted to future negotiations of
peace, except on condition that she will accept the
propositions already adopted by the three Powers,
that she will formally announce the same to Russia,
and is the event of Russia still refusing will break
,Iff all diplomatic relations with her, and recall her
Ambassador. I cannot inform you what measures
will be taken with respect to Prussia in case she re-
fuse to accept these conditions, but it is certain that
her position will be of the most critical kind.
Some time since France and England demanded
of Denmark to allow their fleets a station, and
means of procuring provisions in two of her ports.
Denmark positively refused. A note will be trans-
mitted—indeed, I am told it is this day transmitted
to the Danish Government on the subject, and in
terms not,. merely energetic but menacing—with
what effect remains to be seen.

The Council of War held a sitting this day, and
another will take place on Thursday. Two com-
missions, one from the navy, the other from the
army, are named to draw up a report. Admiral
Lyons and General Canrobert are members of one
and Admiral Dundas and General Niel of the other.
The discussion was at first of a general kind, and I
am told included the question of withdrawing the
army from the Crimea, keeping possession of Eupa-
toria, Kamiesch, Balaklava, and one or two other
points. The question of a campaign in the interior
of the southern provinces is said to have been
touched on, and the possibility of ascending the
rivers, but this was opposed by the Admirals. It ap-
pears it would take nearly six months to remove the
materiel. I allude to this subject with some
diffidence, as from the very nature of the delibe-
rations secrecy must be observed, and implicit
confidence can hardly be placed in the reports
out of doors. The absence of Mehemed Bey,
' the Turkish Ambassador in Paris, from the
Council, excites a good deal of surprise, and is
not, so far as I know, satisfactorily accounted for.
One would suppose that, as the protection of Tur-
key is in question, her Ambassador has a claim to
a seat in the Council. It cannot be said that his
exclusion from deliberations which so highly inte-
rests his country and his Sovereign is attrinutable
to his not being a military man, seeing that ther,
are members of the Council who are also civiliaes.
At all events Turkey is our ally, and represants in
military force at least ten times mote than Sar-
dinia. As we can hardly suppose that an offence is
meant against the Sultan, there must be some caut •
for the omission with which 1 am unacquainted.
The Emperor and the Empress yesterday received
a great number of foreigners of distinction.
The Emperor yesterday received Baron Hubner,
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
of the Emperor of Austria, who presented to his
Majesty the reply of the Germanic Diet to the
letters of recall of the Marquis do Tallenay, Envoy
Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the
Emperor at Frankfort.
" The Emperor,"says a Rouen journal, "having
been lately informed that a number of veterans of
the old army were living in the Seine-Inferieure in
very reduced circumstances, had inquiries insti-
tuted concering them, and has lately accorded to 39
of them pensions extending from 801 r. to 100 fr.
a-year.
BOURSE, Jan. 14.—The following are the last
quotations :

Cash. fr. e. End of Mont.
11 per Cents 9l —l. -e.
per Cents 62 75 62 65
New Loan 63 55
Bank Sharers 3120 Roman
Oredit Alobilier 1235 Austrian
Belgian Fives. .... ... 91i Spanish Threes 39
Piedmontese Bl 'Home Debt ........ 34i

RAILWAYS-10H CASH.
fr. e. e
Jr!ausns
s.Torthern -
Lyons
lediterranean ...... 1125 Grand Central 650 --
Lyons Geneva 655 Teste .. ••• _
Cette 652 50 Austrian Com. 716 -5