The Sun.
London, England, 1860-01-14 00:00:00

WOODIN IN BRIGHTON.

Three weeks ago we announced "Woodin is coming,"
last week it was " Woodin is come," now it is " Woodin
is going," and next week it will be " 'Woodin is gone."
The fact that crowds nightly throng the Royal Pavilion to
witness the " Oho of Oddities," testifies far more than any
words of our can do to the undying popularity and intrinsic
merit of this really great favourite of the people. Nor is it
the " masses" alone who attend ; the rank, fashion, youth,
and beautyof Brighton are there, especially when he favours
us with a morning performance, as was the case on Satur-
day last, when the stalls were filled by an audiesce from the
families of the richest and noblest in our land.
We have sometimes been surprised at the extraor-
dinary success achieved by Mr. Woodin, both in London
and the provinces —a success which but few artists ob-
tain even in a life-time. He has lately completed a seven
years' apprenticeship before the public :—it was, we find,
on the 23d of October, 18.52, that the unknown Woodin
opened a " Carpet Bag" at the little Marionette Theatre in
the Strand. He gave up a good and lucrative profession
for the study of an art which, as Polygtaphv, he has now
made so popular. His father and his forefathers for many
generations had been connected with the Fine Arts ; the
young Woodin was brought up to the easel, but having a
taste more dramatic, he abandoned it for his present style of
entertainment. There is in this one very great advantage:
Mr. Woodin was, as it were, born an artist, from his earliest
youth he was.imbued with art tendencies, which in a more
mature age are developed, and thus enable him to present
an entertainment at once literary and artistic. The
number of characters in his " Olio" is truly wonderful—
" They have their exits and their entrances" with a
rapidity that causes us to doubt the possibility of their all
being represented by one man, indeed, although a close
and attentive observer must discover that it is so, there are
some sceptics and opponents (the more clever an artist, the
more virulent his opponents), who declare that more than
one person is engaged in the representation. '1 his has been
the case during the last week; a gentleman hazarded this
assertion, and maintained it, but ample proof being given
tim, he acknowledged his error of judgment, and pro-
noTred the performance " wonderful. '

After a short tour through the adjacent southern coun-
ties, he returns to London, there to produce an entirely
new entertainment, the materials for which ho has gathered
while on his professional rambles through England, Wales,
Ireland, and Scotland. Let us hope that this will receive
the stamp of success upon it (for Mr. Woodin's exertions
deserve this); and that we shall then see him in Brighton
for a season much longer than his present flying visit.—
Brighton Ga:ctle.

His Excellency the Prussian Minister and the
Countess de Berustorff will return to town to-day from
visiting Frances Countess -Waldegrave and Mr. Harcourt,
M.P., at Nunoham Park, Oxon.
The Earl and Countess Howe will arrive at
Curzon House on Monday from Gopsall lla 1. .
. The Earl and Countess Stanhope have returned
to Chevening Park from visiting her Majesty at Windsor
Castle.
APOTIIECARIES'-BALL.—The following are the
names of the gentlemen who passed their examination in
the science and practice of medicine, and received certificates
to practise, on Thursday, the 12th of January :—Thomas
Richard Jessop, Brighouse; John Wm. Irvine, Galgate,
Lancaster ; Anthony George Hayden Starke, Honitsn,
Devon ; Walter Trevelyan Thomson, Guisborough, York-
shire; Thomas Jones, Brecon, South Wales; -Alfred Catt,
Brighton ; and John Boniface Collins, Yapton, Sussex.
The following gentlemen also on the same day passed their
first examination :—James Stillwell, London; and John
Waterson, Birmingham.