The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-31 00:00:00

ROYAL ENGLISH OPERA,
COVENT-GARDEN.
Under the Management of Miss Louisa Fyne and Mr. W.
Harrison, Sole Lessees.
TONIGHT, Dec. 31: MARRIAGE OF GEORGETTE :
Miss Louisa Pyne and Mr. H, Come. To conclude with the
Grand Christmas Pantomime. BLUE BEARD ; or, Harle-
crin and Freedom in her Nand Home. Clowns, Messrs. H.
Bolen°, H. Payne, Hildyard, and Lilliputians. Harlequins.
Messrs. Milano and F. Payne. Pantaloons, Messrs. Barnes
and Tanner. Columbines, Mdme. Bolen° and Clara Moreran.
Sprites, the Zelinski Family. Mr. W. H. Payne, Mlle.
Lamoureux, &c•
Conductor—Mr. Alfred Mellon. Commence at Seven.

rrEATRE-ROYAL, HAYMARKET.
Lessee, Mr. J. B. Baskatone.
THIS EVENING, SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER. Tony,
bumpkin, Mr. Buokstone ; Young Marlow, Mr. Howe; Miss
liardcastle, Miss Fanny Stirling (her sth appearance here).
After which, a new' Pantomime, QUEEN LADYBIRD
AND HER CHILDREN. The Pantomimist, by the un-
Tivalled Leclercqs, Herr Cole, and Fanny Wright.
Commence at 7.

ji OYA T. PRINCE S S'S THEATRE.-
Lessee and ltianat;•er. Mr. A. Harris.
THIS EVENING-, Dec. 29, ERNESTINE. Messrs. J.
G. Shore, R. Cathcart, Basil Potter ; Dlesdames Heath, Car-
lotta Leclercq, Weston, and Murray.
After which, a new Christwis comical pantomime, entitled
ROBINSON CRUSOE ; or, Ilsrlequin Friday, and the Kind
of the Caribbe Islands : in winch Monsieur Espinosa and
Mdlle. Marie Dumilatre, of the principal cantinental theatres,
will appear. Clown, Mr. A. F. FoTrest.

A DELPHI, NEW THEATRE-ROYAL.
.1-7 k Sole Proprietor and Manager. Mr. Bent. Webster.

THIS EVENING, AN UGLY CUSTOMER. Messrs. J.
L. Toole, C. Selby, and Warde ; Miss K. Kelly, and Miss E.
Thorne.

After which, THE COLLEEN BAWN. D. 13oucicault, D.
Fisher, Billington, Falconer, Stephenson. C. J. Smith, Romer.
Miss Agnes Robertson, Miss Woolgar, Mrs. Billington, and
Mrs. Chatterley.
To conclude with a new aurlesque Extravaganza, entitled
BLUE BEARD FROM A NEW POINT OF HUE.
Messrs. J. L. Toole, P. Bedford. C. J. Smith ; Miss Woolgar,
E. Kelly, Laidlaw, and F. Thorne.
Doors open at half-past B—Commence at 7.
Box-office open from 10 till 5.
No charge for booking.
Private boxes, £2 2s. ; Family Boxes, £l.
Orchestra, Stalls, ss. ; Balcony, 4s. ; Front Circle Stalls, Se.;
Pit Stalls, 25.; Pit, Is. 6d. ; Amphitheatre, Is ; Gallery, 6d.
Acting Manager—Mr. Win. Smith.

THEATRE - ROYAL LYCEUM.
Sore Lessee and Directress, Madame CELESTE.
THIS EVENING- THE OMNIBUS. rat Rooney, fir.
John Drew.

- - -
After which, the Lyceum Christmas Comic Extravaganza•
CRYSTABELLE or, The Rose without a Thorn, showinET
THE VISION OF 'A ROSE. ITS FADING AT EVE,
AND THE MAT-BLOOM OF THE WILD BRIAR•
Followed by the comic Drama, entitled HANDY ANDY.
Messrs. Campbell, Johnstone, T. Lyon. Forrester, Villiers,
Butler, and John Drew; Mrs. J. Rouse, Kiss Hudspeth, Miss
M. Ternan, and Miss Neville.

ASTLEY'S ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE._
Proprietor and Manag.er, Mr. War. BATTY.
This Evening, a new spectacle, entitled TFIN LION
CONQUEROR; or, The Death Jungle, expressly for the
introduction of the Wonders of the World, " The Groupe
of Performing Lions." The Lion Conqueror, Mr. J. Crockett.
To be succeeded by Scenes in the Arena, supported by
talented Parisian and Bri`ish Artistes.
Concluding with Batty's Prize Equestian Comic Panto-
mime, for Good Little Boys and Girls, by T. L. Greenwood,
entitled HARLEQUIN AND THE 'WONDERFUL
HORSE ; or. Percinet and Grociosa, the Ugly Duchess and
the Greedy King, produced with Gorgeous Scenery, by Mr.
Cuthbert, new Costumes and Appointments, and introducing
in the comie scenes Batty's Prize Equestrian Harlequinade,
and the celebrated Old Bob Ridley, and Brandon Ledger.

Harlequin Mr. Sylvester.
Columbine Miss Hariet Dalton.
Pantaloon Mr. G. Perks.
Clown Mr. James Cooke.
Sprites—Messrs. Thorne, Lockhart, and Sons.
Doors open at hall-past 6, performance commence at 7.
Box-oiNce open daily from 11 till 4
Stag.e Manager—Mr. W. WEST.
Director of the Arena—Mr. Pearson.

CANTERBURY HALL.
Open Every Evening at seven.
GRAND SELECTIONS (First Time) from LA FIGLIA
DEL REGIMENTO (Donizetti), NORMA, SONNAMBULA,
and MARTHA.
Principal Artistes Miss RUSSELL, Madame MARIA, Miss
TYRRELL, Miss WILLIAMS, Mr. HENRY HERBERT, C.
W. BERNARD, and Signor TIVOLI.

Musical Director...., Mr. F. JONGTIMANS.
The Comic Department comprises Messrs. J. BLANCHARD,
A. B. HOLLINGSWORTH, Master BARRY, G. W. ',ELL,
CHARLEY Fox, and E. MARSHALL.
The Fine Arts Gallery has been enriched by the addition of
the late John Martin's three Grand Pictures—viz., "THE
GREAT DAY of HIS WRATH." " THE PLAINS of
HEAVEN," and "THE LAST JUDGMENT," on view
until 12 o'clock at Night.

TILE WEATHER.—SuNiOnneE, DEC. 30, 1660.
THERMOMETER, IN THE SHAM
33—hie: lest since noon yesterday.
29—lowest this morning and during the night.
39—this day at noon.
BAROMETER-29.45.
WIND—S.-South-Westerly—moderate; with rapid thaw
and rain. It blew very strong and squally last evening,
when a tendency to thaw began.
DE0.91.
THERMOMETER, TN THE SHADS.
43---highest since noon yesterday.
34—lowest this morning and during the night.
37—this day at noon.

BAROMETER-29.68.
WlND—Easterly—rather fresh ; with dull weather and
thaw, but inclining to frost again.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
THIS DAY.—Morning, 311. 54m.—Afternoon, 4h. 14m,

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THE SUN.

LONDON, MONDAY, DEC. 31, 1860.

The importance of 1860 can now, upon this New
Year's Eve, completing the twelvemonth, be fully
appreciated. As we stand upon the threshold be-
tween the two years, as we pause there, not with-
out emotion, to—

"Welcome the coming—speed the going guest,"
we cannot, before looking forward To-morrow (as
we propose to do), anticipatively into the Future,we
cannot but cast a wistful glance To-day into the im-
mediate Past, down the lengthened perspective of the
last twelve anxious months—back, from these closing
hours of December to those fast receding days of
January. Happily, the retrospect for England is
ai,thing rather than fraught with discouragement.
We have had our national disappointments, we
have had our social calamities—work has been oc-
casionally scarce, money at intervals even
scarcer—credit even has occasionally, towards
the close of the year, found itself hampered
again, most vexatiously and injuriously, by the
baneful influence of the old bungling
laws of 1819 and 1844 regulating, upon the mast
absurdly mistaken principles, our complex code of
the currency—but in spite of all these fruitful
sources of solicitude the country has, in 1860, far
more than merely tided over its difficulties. Inso-
much has the good preponderated over the evil that
we do not hesitate to assert of the twelvemonth
now expiring, that it may be borne in the national
remembrance with feelings of peculiar satisfaction.
The Volunteer movement alone would be
justify
suffi-
cient to this last assertion. For, thanks to
that patriotic achievement—the organization of
a National Guard for England 170,000
strong—the real security y of the nation may be
confidently said to date in veritable earnest
from the ever memorable year of grace now
rapidly drawing to its termination.
From
her Most. Gracious MATEsTY and her Royal
Consort downwards through every rank and class
of the community, this glorious movement has
derived the most readily appreciable and the most
easily recognisable encouragement. The s"3.
REIGN'S Levee hr St. James's Palace--the banquet
and ball afterwards—all signalised, as far back as
March last, the rapid enrolment of the British
Riflemen, At midsummer there was that magni-
ficent Review in Hyde Park (by the QUEEN herself
in Person) of this her MAJESTY'S newly-organised
force of loyal and patriotic Volunteers. Hardly
two months afterwards there was that other and
equally resplendent review by the MONARCH on her
way to Balmoral, the review at Edinburgh under
the shadow of the ancient Palace of Holyrood, of
the " pick" of the Scottish Volunteers! Have
we n cat still, toe, in vivid recollection the Shooting-
match, inaugurated by the rifle-shot fired by the
Royia hand, upon the arena chosen for the corn-
Petit ors upon the common at 'Wimbledon ? Was
there, not still later that superb gathering
in Lancashire, at Knowsley Park—a festive eele-
brati km in honour of the Volunteer movement,
evidc !ming the cordial interest taken in its further-