The Sun.
London, England, 1869-08-12 00:00:00

A THEATRICAL DISPUTE.

The Croydon Assizes this sessions seems to be prolific
of important cases. One of some interest was tried ou
Wednesday. It was an action brought by Mr. Calcott,
the well known theatrical scene painter, against Mr.
Barry Sullivan, the lessee of the Holborn Theatre, to
recover damages for a wrongful dismissal and for the breach
of a contract he had entered into with the plaintiff. The
case on the part of the plaintiff was that in the month
of April last, at which time Mr. Sullivan became
the lessee of the Holborn Theatre, he entered into
an agreement with that gentleman, under which the
services of himself and his brother, Mr. Albert Callcott,
were to be retained as scene painters for the establish-
ment at a salary of £l2 a week for one year, Mr. Callcott
to find assistants and materials out of that allowance
at his own expense. The intention of Mr. Sullivan
was only to perform pieces of the high drama, as it is
termed, and the first play he proposed to put on the
stage was Lord Lytton's drama "Money." It was
admitted that the piece was brought out in a hurry,
and as the scenery then in the theatre was only
calculated for a very different class of performances,
and as there was not sufficient time to paint new
scenery, the plaintiff only received instructions to
paint certain new scenes, and the piece was per-
formed and had a successful run. It appeared that
Mr. Sullivan then entertainer; some idea of bringing out
" The Gamester," but he abandoned it, and substi-
tuted Sheridan's comedy of the School for Scandal"
instead, and the plaintiff bad instructions to paint
come fresh scenery fur this play, and it was produced
on the 19th of June, and it also had a good run.
Some disagreement, however, seemedto have taken place,
and on the 23rd of June Arr. Sullivan wrote the following
letter to the plaintiff :—." Your gross neglect, or I may
say laziness, compels me to say I can no longer bear your
conduct, and herewith I inform you that I have made
arrangements to do without you in future." The plaintiff
went to the theatre subsequently, but was refused admis-
sion, and the present action was brought to recover
damages for breach of contract.—Mr. Callcott, the
plaintiff, was examined, and was subjected to a long
cross-examination, with a view to show that he had
used some old scenery that had been employed in a
melodrama called "Blow for Blow," and that some of
the scenes he had painted for the "School for Scandal"
were complained of by the defendant as being totally
inapplicable for that comedy, and he admitted that Mr.
Sullivan did ccmplair► of the scenery, but he declared that
there were no grounds for his complaint. He admitted
that the defendant had sent a message to him requiring
him to paint a handsome drawing room scene,
and that be said he would be if he would
paint such a scene unless he knew what it was
wanted for.—The defence was that the plaintiff had
systematically neglected his duty almost from the com-
mencement of the engagement, and that with regard to
the play of " Money," although he received special in-
structions from Mr. Sullivan to prepare certain new
scenes for that play, be altogether neglected to do so,
and that he was hardly ever at the theatre, and Mr.
Sullivan could never find him when be wanted him.—

Mr. Barry Sullivan was called as a witness, and he
stated that he considered the plaintiff had grossly
neglected his duty, and stated that the scene he first set
up as the library, or screen scene, was so utterly unfit
for the purpose for which it was intended, that the
moment he saw it he insisted upon another scene being
painted. In that second scene he made use of an old
" flat "in which there was a cupboard-door, and this
was placed immediately behind the screen where Lady
Teazle was to be concealed. lie considered that thesuccess
of his undertaking was endangered by the plaintiff's con-
duct.—Oa cross-examination, Mr. Sullivan admitted that
after the plaintiff was dismissed his scenery was used during
the whale run of the comedy, and said he did not have it
altered in any way.—The Lord Chief Baron, in the result,
eft it to the jury to decide whether the defendant had
made cut a resonable ground for breaking his contract, cud
after deliberating for nearly an hour, they found a verdict
for the plaintiff—damages £lOO.

ALMOST BURIED ALIVE.—A Nashville, Tenn.,
negro, supposed to be dead, having received a sun-stroke
and fallen apparently lifeless, a few days ago, was placed
in a coffin and made ready for burial, when s!gus of life
were shown, and he slowly revived. A coroner and jury
had held an inquest, and rendered a verdict of "Death
from sun-stroke."—New Yuri' Times.

AN EXPENSIVE DOLL.—It is said that the
Khedive of Egypt, before leaving Paris, gave an order at
one of the principal toy makers for a doll which is to exceed
in its dress and ornaments any recently heard of. It is
intended as a present for one of the daughters of the
Sultan, and some idea of the style in which it is got up
may be given by stating that in the ears are diamonds
worth £2,080.

The unionist inpsons of Manchester arc still on
strike, but any prrspect they ever ma) have had of forcing
the masters to submit to their terms would seem to have
completely died away. There are now close upon E.OO non-
union men at work in the city. This is an inadequate
supply of labour, tut it enables the employ era to make some
progress in the executh,n of their contracts, and there is no
disposition shown to get rid of the diffieu:ty by conceding
the points upon which the unionists are insisting. The
strike has now lasted 17 weeks.

QUEENSLAND GOLD FIELDS. —The Rockhampton
Bulletin announces that "another great goldfield in the
north has been proclaimed. The testimony of the Govern-
ment geologist, Mr. Daintree, which is given with a freedom
from exaggeration marking his other reports, leaves no room
to doubt the existence of an extensive goldfield on the
Gilbert ranges. A rush from the other goldfields la's
already set in." The :Trar2d,or7le://t Cronick speculates
upoe the proballe consequences of anotlier Cymple half- way
between V e Pacific and the tlerpentaria G nlf, and observe,:
that there is " reason for concluding that the aurife-
rous ,:cpesits in that direction are cortined to the par-
tic:oh:r con-plexus gullies and r:.nges now being worked.
The ascertained exi,tence of the precious metal on the
Upper Cloncurry, far away to the south-west, and on
the same axis of elevation, as well as in the great island
of New Guinea, to the northward, points to the proba-
bility of the whole southern and eastern watershed of the
Gulf eventually turning out auriferous in places. The great
peninsula of Cape York has yet been only superficially
examined, and until its geologu'al structure is more accu-
rately known, it is impossible for anybody to fix definitely
the northern limit of our gold-hearing recl:s. The most
powerfnl stimules to exploration—gold—is now supplied.
end population, the most perfect ag,•ncy for effecting
will not be slow to follow. It scene as though we were
on the eve of one of those great and sudden developments,
necessitating comprehensive political changes, which have
been so common since the era of the first gold diacoveriet
in California."