The Sun.
London, England, 1860-10-19 00:00:00

THEATRE .ROTAL LYCEUM.

Last night there was an entire change of performance at
this theatre, the piece de resistance of the evening being
" The Love Chase," one of the most successful produetions
of Mr. Sheridan Knowles. The part of Constance was
sustained by Miss Gougenheim, who has already achieved
a success in " The Irish Heiress," which has 'been with-
drawn for a time to allow the public to appreciate this
lady's versatility of talent. In "The Love Chase," how-
ever, the same impulsiveness of character distinguishes the
part of Constance, and Miss Gougenheim did not fail to in-
fuse into it all that vivacity which we have before remarked
in her previous performance. But this vivacity and
I force, so essential to the true representation of the
character, is not all that is required to make her
the beau ideal of the Constance of the author. And
we cannot but feel that Miss Gougenheim. sacrifices " too
much" to this idea. Possessed of qualities certainly of
the highest order, Miss Gougenheim suffers herself
occa-
sionally to be led away in a perfect torrent of impetuosity.
As evidence of this we may mention the stirring descrip-
tion of the chase, which the writer has placed in the hands
of Constance. Miss Gougenheim lost almost all the light
and shade of the description. It was delivered with pecu-
liar vigour, and was remarkably well received and ap-
plauded, but the pauses of the charming versification
were so faintly distinguished in the tumultuous
delivery, that the author and the actress alike suffered.
Mr. George Vining disappointed our expectation in
his impersonation of Master Wildrake, and, in
truth, we never remember to have seen him to so
great a disadvantage. This class of semi-Shakaperian
characters is certainly not his forte. Mrs. Keeley (for the
first time) assumed the part of the Widow Green,
and it may safely be affirmed that not one of her
contemporaries could have rendered it with so much
power, humour, and nice discrimination. It was a
most finished study. Miss Kate Saville was the
Lydia of the evening. Her performance was distinguished
by her accustomed ability, feeling, and truly feminine
grace. The representation was decidedly successful, and
the ladies were vociferously applauded when theyreappeared
before the curtain at the call of the house.

The play was followed by Mr. Planche's very pretty
comic drama of " Grist to the Mill," in which Miss Rose
Howard, an American actress, made her first appearance
at this theatre in the part of Francine, in a manner
to leave nothing to be desired. Miss Rose Howard
is a most accomplished actress and a very charming vocalist,
and, by her finished execution of two very delightful bal-
lads, completely won the most enthusiastic applause of the
audience. The reception, certainly well merited, of this
young lady could not well have been more cordial. It
must be acknowledged that Miss Rose Howard is an un-
questionable acquisition to the corps dreonatique of the
Lyceum. The performances terminated with the lively
farce of the " Middy Ashore," in which the charming Miss
Lydia Thompson filled the part of the middy with her
usual ability, and the evening closed amidst the loudest
and heartiest plaudits. It is but just to express our admi-
ration of the exquisite taste evinced by the amiable lady
directress in the mire eri scene of everything produced at
this establishment.

HIDEOUS MURDER OF A SLAVE IN AMERICA.—
The Petersburg Express, a Virginian paper, contains the
account of a trial at the Circuit Court of Mecklenburg
county, of Charles Hudson, for the murder of his slave
woman Jane. The evidence in the case was, that on the
morning of the 4th of July last, at eight o'clock, one of the
hottest -days of the past summer, Hudson stripped the
woman naked as when she came into the world, tied her to
a persimmon tree, and whipped her for three consecutive
hours, with occasional intermissions of a few minutes, until
he had worn out to stumps fifty-two switches, and until
the bark on the body of the tree was rubbed smooth and
greasy by the attrition of the body of the victim. One
witness testified that he heard distinctly, at the distance of
six hundred yards, both the noise of the switches and the
screams and entreaties of the woman. The poor creature
died, and was buried the same afternoon, only some ten
inches beneath the ground, in a rough box, without any
shroud. The body was exhumed two days afterwards, but
was in such a state of decomposition that the external
marks of violence were wellnigh obliterated. The testimony
of the physician, however, who dissected the body, and of
several other physicians who were examined as experts, was
distinct and positive that the violence used was sufficient to
produce death. It was also in evidence that after the pro-
tracted punishment Hudson untied the woman and sent her
to the creek, some 150 yards distant, to wash herself, and
the main argument of the defence was based upon the idea
that the woman went into the creek, remained there fifteen
minutes, and drank to great excess; and that this, in all
probability, brought on a congestion of the vitals and pro-
duced death. The jury hesitated muchbetween a conviction
for murder in the first and murder in the second degree.
But finally they agreed, and ascertained the terra of impri-
sonment in the penitentiary at 18 years—the longest term
known to the law.