The Sun.
London, England, 1851-08-08 00:00:00

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.

Last evening Madlle. Alboni appeared in the cha-
racter of Maria in the Figlia del lieggimento, for the
first time in this country. In the course of this spring
she created a great sensation in Paris by her persona-
tion of the Daughter of the Regiment, and from what
we witnessed or her performances last evening, we
are not surprised at her immense success in this cha-
racter in Paris. There is a heartiness about the per-
sonation of this character by Madlle. Alboni which
we seek in vain for in that of any of her predecessors.
She has also learned to beat the drum, and she herself
beats the Rstanplan. Her singing throughout was
delicious, and her Maria will become one of the most
favourite parts in her repertoire. The " Lo dice" was
exquisitely rendered, and was, as a matter of course,
encored. The house was crowded.

ARRIVAL OF INDIAN CHIEFS WITH ARTICLES FOR
TIIE GREAT Exmarriox.— A party of four Indian chiefs
have arrived in the metropolis rid Liverpool, by the steamer
Africa, from New York. They have brought with them
several packages, containing articles worked by themselves
and their families, which, it appears, are intended for the
Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations in
Ilyde-park, when arrangements are made for their reception
into the Exhibition for the desired purpose.

SINGULAR PATALITY.—.OR Wednesday a highly
respectable master butcher, named Varnell, living at 47,
First-street, Wilteri—street, Chelsea, expired in St. George's
Hospital from the injuries caused by an accidental stab,
whioh occurred in a most singular manner. On Saturday
evening Mr. Varnell had been talking with another master
butcher, a neighbour of his, and the latter having sharpened
his knife placed the handle against his stomach, so that the
blade was forward, and in a few seconds afterwards the de-
cease], who probably was not aware of its position, or from
the darkness of the night not seeing it, suddenly turned
round towards the other, and the blade of the knife was in
an instant forced into the stomach. The injured man was
taken directly to St. George's Hospital, where he was placed
under the care of one of the principal surgeons, but he ex-
pired on Wednesday from the effects of the injury.
NEEDLE MAKING.—MT. Abel Morrall, of Stud-
ley, in Warwickshire, has invented a most ingenious machine
for making needles, which isiay be seen at work in the Ex-
hibition, from ten in the morning until five in the afternoon.
By this ingenious process 4,000 needles per hour are now
easily eyed, whilst according to the old system only from 400
to 500 per hour could be completed. Samples of needles in
the principal stages of manufacture are exhibited by Mr.
Morrall. Our readers will many of them be surprised to
learn that the needle goes through no less than seventy dis-
tinct processes before it is completed. Her Majesty, during
her visits to the Exhibition, has minutely examined the
needle-making machine, and has expressed her satisfaction
and delight at the ingenuity of the machinery. Her Majesty
was graciously pleased to accept from the inventor specimens
of needles in the different stages of manufacture.
GRIMSTONE'S EGYPTIAN the month of
May, 1850, we were presented by Mr. Win. Grimstone,
proprietor of the Herbary, Highgate, with a box containing
a few peas. These were a portion of the produce of three
peas, presented to Mr. Grimstone, by Mr. Pettigrew (li-
brarian of the late Duke of Sussex), and were found amongst
the dust on opening the vase (2,844 years old) sent to the
British Museum by Sir Gardiner Wilkinson, the Egyptian
traveller. Having given twelve peas to Thomas Bubb,
Esq., of Windsor-terrace, in this town, who kindly con-
sented to plant them, and, having seen the results of his
experiment, we strongly recommend the cultivation of
this beautiful vegetable. Mr. Babb not being aware of
the prolific properties of this pea was perfectly astonished
at the quantity of seed realised from nine of the peas
( nearly a pint), three of them having been destroyed by blight.
That gentleman being determined this season of giving
them every attention, planted a portion of them in a prepared
soil, in the open air, and succeeded in bringing the majority
of them to maturity. The bloom is strikingly different from
the common pea—white, with green stripes—it does not ex-
pand, but of a bell shape, producing the pod from the centre
of the bloom, leaving the blossom attached to the stem. In
shape they resemble the scimitar or marrowfat pea; they
require no sticks in their growth, being of the dwarf kind, a
string from end to end being all that is required to preserve
them from the winds. Mr. Bubb has our thanks for a small
sample of this vegetable, and we can safely pronounce it
superior to any other table pea in taste and colour. The
flavour is delicious, and combined with its abundant crops,
we have no doubt that ere long "Grimstone's Egyptian
Pea" will be extensively cultivated in all parts of the
world.— Cheltenham Journal.

BALLOONING IN FRANCE.—Large crowds assem-
bled on Sunday in the Champ de Mars and at the Hippo-
drome, to witness two balloon ascents, accompanied by de-
scents in parachutes. M. Poitevin made the ascent from the
Champ de Mars, and Mme. de Poitevin made the parachute
descent. After the balloon had risen to a certain height the
cord of the parachute was cut; the parachute descended ra-
pidly for a few seconds, and then spread open ; when near
the ground it caught in the branches of some trees, but at
last reached the earth in safety at the exterior of the Champ
de Mars, near the railing of Avenue de SulTren. Mme. de
Poitevin, who displayed remarkable sung fi-oid, then entered
her carriage, which had followed her, and drove to the tri-
bune of the President of the Republic, who congratulated her,
and accepted the bouquet which she had taken on starting.
M. Godard, in the Hippodrome balloon, took up his brother
in the parachute; he cut the cord when he was over the
Champ de Mars, but the parachute deviated, and fell into the
river. M. Godard, when near the water, jumped in, and
swam ashore, dragging the parachute after him. The two
balloons proceeded in a southerly direction, and it is not yet
known where they descended. M. Poitevin was accom-
panied by D.I. Petin, the inventor of a system of aerial navi-
gation, which he is preparing to exhibit, and M. Gcdard by
several gentlemen.

The General Steam Navigation Company's new
steam-ship Panther arrived at the St. Katharine's-wharf at
eight o'clock yesterday morning, after a passage of 914 hours
from Ostend, bringing several passengers of distinction, many
of whom have come expressly to inspect the articled at the
(rest Exhibition,