The Sun.
London, England, 1869-02-18 00:00:00

ROYAL STRAND THEATRE.

Sole Lessee and Manageress, Mrs. Swanborough.
THIS EVENING, at 7.30, THE WIDOW HUNT. Messrs. Bel-
ford, Clarke; Miss Bufton. THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH
OF GOLD : Messrs. Thorne, James, Fenton; Ifesdames Maria
Longmore, B. Goodall, Lydia Maitland, Claire, and Hughes. To
Conclude with HUE AND DYE

QUEEN'S THEATRE, LONG-ACRE.
Manager, Mr. W. 11. Liston.
THIS EVENING, A RACE FOR A DINNER. After which,
NOT GUILTY: Messrs. J. L. Toole. L. Brough , IT. Irving, S.
Fmery, Miss Hodson, &c. With THE BIRTHPLACE OF
PODGERS: Mr Toole.

THEATRE-ROYAL, HOLBORN.
THIS EVSNING, AUNT CHARLOTTE'S MAID. Mr. E. Price,
Mesdames Larkin, Weathersby. After which, FETTER ED
Messrs. Cowper. :\ eville, Parselle. Drew, Brunton, W. Arthur,
Bartleman, and George Honey; Mesdames Lydia Foote, Turner,
Marlbro, Hodson, and Fanny Josephs. To conclude with LU-
CRETIA BORGIA, M.D.: Miss Fanny Josephs, George Honey.

THEATRE-ROYAL, OLYMPIC.
Tuts EVENTSG, at 7, SLASHER &CRASHER: Messrs. Atkins,
Zaug,han: G. Vincent, ctc.; Miss Lennox Grey and Mrs Caulfield.
After which_ at 7.45, PAPER WINGS : Messrs. H. Wigan,
H. Ne ville, E. Atkins, H. Vaughan, H. Cooper, and Smithson;
Mesdamas Furtado, Sehavey, N. Harris, and at. Henry.

ROYALTY THEATRE.
Under the Management of Miss M. Oliver.
MB EVENING, at 7.30, A LOVING CUP. Mr. Dewar, Miss
M. Oliver. To be followed by CLAUDE DUVAL; Mr. Dewar,
&c. To conclude with FAMILY JARS.

PRINCE OF - WALES'S ROYAL THEATRE.
Under the Management. of Miss Marie Wilton
THIS EVENING, SCHOOL: Messrs. Hare, 11. J. Montague
Addison, Glover. and Bancroft; Mrs. Puckingbant White. Miss,
C. Addison, and Miss arie Wilton. Afterwhich, A WINNING
HAZARD. And IN TR IG UE.

ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE AND CIRCUS, HOLBORN.
Tim EVENING, the Great Carre Troupe and magnificent Stud
of 50 Horses; also Alfred Bradbury, A. Carre, &c.

ST. GEORGE'S THEATRE, REGENT STREET.
Thrs EvENING, at 8, THE ROYAL ORIGINAL CHRISTY'S
MINSTRELS' Ethiopian Entertainment: and the Burlesque
Extravaganza, THE VERY GRAND DUTCH—S.

CHRISTY MINSTRELS. St. James's Hall, Every Night, at 8
Wednesdays and :.-aturdays, at 3 and 8 all the year round.

ROYAL AL HAUB It A PALACE. THREE BALLET 4,
Promenade Concert. Band of 60. Begin at S. Is. Box-office
open from 11 to 4.

ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, Regerts-balk, OPEN daily (ex-
cept Sundays). Admission, ls.; on Mrndays, 6d.; Children
unler twelve. Al.

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LONDON, THURSDAY, FEB. 18, 18C9

A more striking instance of the uncertainty of
human calculations has seldom been afforded than
that which was witnessed on the opening night of
the new session. Who does not remember the excite-
ment which prevailed when the first notes of. the
election warfare sounded, and the eager anticipations
with which all looked forward to the great political
skirmish? All has been changed, however, and a
more tame commencement to a session has never been
heard of. Perhaps it is all for the best, and so the
country will think when the first disappointment is
over. There has been enough, and to spare, of words
of late, and the whole of last year was wellnigh
wasted in idle recrimination of one kind and another.
Great credit is certainly due to the Opposition leaders
for the tone they assumed, and the Government, to
do them justice, seemed to appreciate their modera-
tion. Mr. DISRAELI has never been a factious politician,
and he showed on Tuesday night that he was quite
at home again at the left hand of the Speaker. To
begin at the beginning, the Royal Speech was care-
fully framed, and thus a good example was set.
Lord CAIRNS commented on this in his
inaug,ura-
tive speech as leader of his party in the Upper
House, and he wiselrdeclared that they had better
not follow the plan of other years, and waste their
time till NVhitsuntide. This was a good reminder,
for what with the delay in commencing the session
and the early arrival of Easter, it seems as if one
interruption after another would intervene. The
only exciting episode of the evening in the House of
Commons was when Mr. GLADSTONE gave notice,
amid much cheering, that on the Ist of March he
would move that the house go into committee on the
acts relating to the Established Church of Ireland.
Mr. DISRAELI came to the point at once, and said that
the absence of controversial topics in the Address was
very fitting in the case of the present Government,
which had come into office from the unmistakeable.
wish of the country to have the,lrish Church question
disposed of. The right hon. gentleman briefly dis-
posed of this part of the subject, by declaring that
the House ought to have the case put before it in an
entire fashion, and not in a partial and incomplete
form. Mr. GLADSTONE'S first speech to the House
as Premier, if not one of his most brilliant
displays, was certainly characterised by great
caution, and exhibited a statesmanlike bearing that
promised well for the future. He exptessed his sense
of the moderation and fairness of the opposition
leader in appropriate term 3, declaring that in his re-
marks on the question of the day the right hon. gen.
tleman had acted in a spirit worthy alike of its in.

ainsic importance and of the high position which he

held,

C cannot rely upon the promises which Mr.
GLADSTONE made at the conclusion of his discourse
being carried out, because circumstances may be
against him, but so far it must be admitted that he
speaks fairly and with a sense of the gravity of the task
before him. He declared that iu prosecuting the work
of dealing with the Irish Church establishment the
Ministry would use every means in their power to
settle it satisfactorily, and not to provoke any hostile
lle hoped that the llouse would treat the
question in a comprehensive spirit, and not so much
with a view to carry out Loy scheme at first proposed
as to conciliate various opinions, and thus let all
parties co-operate in the settlement which had been
declared necessary. Considering the imperious
manner in which in -which Mr. GLADSTONE was
wont to address the Hon ie when ho was last before
it in the capacity of leader, it would seem as if he
had employed the interval -to.some pu.rpose. At any

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