The Sun.
London, England, 1867-12-24 00:00:00

Charles Dickens at New York.

In the course of a rather vulgar rowdy article
descriptive of Mr. Dickens's second advent in New
York, and his first night in Steinway Hall, the SO"
York _Herald has, among other remarks, the follow'
ing :—" Dickens (' Boz' that was), the graphic de-
lineator of his own fancy sketches, opened his
first course of readings last night at Stein'
way Hall, to one of those extraordinary a•seera'
blages which mark the presence of a veritable
lion and the effervescence of a great sensation.
The seats, some twenty-five hundred, were occupied;
the assemblage was as quiet and hushed as a Fir
mouth church congregation on a Sunday morning!
awaiting the reader, when, punctual to the el'
pointed time, he came in, a neat, dapper
looking little gentleman, slightly sprinkled with
grey, slightly bald, and wearing a sandy moustache
and dusty-looking goatee combed down perPell'
dicularly from the chin. Without ceremooit
after the welcoming applause had subsided/
for there was neither orchestra nor piano 0
fill up the pauses (nothing but Dickens) and in an
easy, self-possessed manner, he proceeded at oece
to business in the reading of the " Christalla
Carol, or Marley's Ghost." In the outset hl;
voice appeared a little weak and husky, but after
a few lines had been recited, and with the enl-
- announcement that " Old Marley was
dead as a door nail," and that " Scrooge knew
„
he was dead," the reader began to warm uPei;
his work, and the house began to realise the fac
that the first comedian of the present generation
s before them, acting the various characters of one
of the prettiest of the domestic dramas of nickel's'
just as Dickens hinist.lf would wish it to be done.
The house first spontaneously responded to the
reading, as Mr. Dickens pictured the character of
Scrooge. And again there was a hearty round
when he repeated the Christmas Eve conversation
between Scrooge and his nephew ; and again
when the incredulous Scrooge was visited by
Marley's ghost. Again there was a round
of approving hands and feet, with the read, ,
ing of old Fezziwig's jolly Christmas festival'
And there were repeated expressions of satisfactie.,
with the happy family of poor Cratchit over thew
Christmas dinner, including Tiny Tim ; and over
the Christmas house warming, and most heartil):
over the joyous conclusion of the story, with the
complete conversion of old Scrooge to human nrili
pathies and good deeds, and the crowning glorf
Tiny Tim, " God bless us, every one." This read..
ing was a beautiful play, and, as done by Dickens'
it is better than a play ; for he not only gives
the voice and character of each individual, but 1"
such fine relief that they all stand before 115;
though only the solitary reader is in reality on the
ground. A blind man would see them all distinctly
The second reading of the evening's bid, the brene:
of promise trial, Bardell v. Pickwick, was the fare
.d
after the trageily or high comedy ; and though it 1;
rather a commonplace sort of a lawsuit, Dickel/
makes of it, by his nice touches of colouring and
lights and shades of English character in come°
life, one of the most elegant and amusing of farce;
He is, in truth, a comedian of the first order,
Charles
s
writer, reader, and actor. Compared with him Charl
Mathews, as we remember him here, was cold, stiff'
.
11
and conventional. In a word, it is almost a pity that:
.coming the popular novelist he was lost to the Stag
Considering h!s genius in painting the living man
ners of the age, we do think that in pre,entil3g
the Anne reading what New Yurk and America 311,
the Americans were as lie left them, and what they
are as he finds them, he would make the greatest
hit and the greatest sensation of any writer, redder'
or actor of modern times. Sothern's "Lord Pua:
dreary" in England would be utterly eclipsed by
Dickens's representations in America of Andy Phil
son, Old Thad Stevens, Ben Butler, Parson Browne
low, Sambo in convention, or Lucy Stone on ta
stump,with Mrs. Cady Stanton, and the tremendous
George Francis Train.

THE CRYSTAL PALACE.

Yesterday there was a public rehearsal of tb°
Christmas festivities at the Crystal Palace, and til",
visitors had an opportunity of seeing the buildin!ob
decked out in such holiday decorations as render :
even more attractive than it was at this time 13-
year. It is no easy matter to hang the interior
so vast a structure with flags, banners, e. 111,0
streamers in such a way as to secure anything 11-or
sufficient variety in design and colour. All °ha
patterns in this mode of ornamentation used to
taken from ships. To the Union Jack the post
honour was assigned ; then came the flags °h ere
nations; while " signals" were thrown in beio
and there by way of filling up at points ft°s,
which nothing more appropriate could he Sti,,
pended. At Sydenham Mr. Wilkinson, the e";
sistant manager, has tried the effect of dePart,ll3r,
from the old practice, and adopting, to a consluvoil
able extent, the French style of arranging fe°o4
draperies. The splendid flags got up for the °C pa
don of the Sultan's visit are again displayed, e.cb
there is no lack of brilliant streamers, some of Ore
are 50ft. long ; but many of the best effects %a
produced by trophies of flags and spears, and in tfe.
designing of the pendant draperies no slavish 'of
gard has been paid to the heraldic tradition° .„,
this or any other nation. The result is very 01,730
factory, both in the daytime and when
e vri,
palace is lighted up after dark. Above, esjo
thing looks bright and warm. Below, there ilo
on all sides a profusion of evergreens ; st3t,ti
arranged in line, and filled with all sorts of Pre;e,
Christmas presents, occupy the centre of the 0300
and a gigantic Christmas tree stands close to the
further end of the building. All round beneath of
tree is an admirably arranged little museum of
natural history. Swans repose iu a 607 laltebia
real water, supplied from a source hidden Wl` •
mossy rocks ; game of various kinds are grouP.e ijjg
accordance with the habits and manners of the lilt of
animals ; rabbits seem to be darting in and °u ore
an imitation warren, and a pair of squirrels the ,
making their observations from above. From Ad
outside of the Palace all unsightly scaffolding boot
tarpaulin have been removed, and, though itis ll4OO
500 feet short of its original dimensions, it pre'oe
a very sightly appearance as it now stands. oed
restoration of " the Alhambra" will be corn °l3
immediately after the holidays.

„ 0!
,d from ;O JO

The hday nments ._
noon tilloli 7 o'clockentertai in the evening,exte and are It
out on the great stage in the centre transePt'don
would not be easy to find a better orchestra it it;
the one provided for the occasion, composed::r ist'
of the orchestral band of the company. A- 'eel
mas performance without a clown would sea it id
be allowable even at the Crystal Palace ; Wit 05
quite clear that the experience of former 9°lo
encouraged Mr. Bowley, the manager, to 00 At'
regular pantomime the great feature of sttoodf
traction at Sydenham. " Little Red Riding 'OO
or Harlequin and Jack Horner, and a FrogtricAl
would a Wooing Go," is a pantomime of th°-,the
pretensions. It is written by Mr. :Nelson Lie'
scenery has been designed and painted 11 cigr•
H. Cracknell, assisted by Mr. F. Johnson and the
Williams, and Mr. J. Burkett has construe,ttyrior
machinery, which includes a very elaborate