The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-04 00:00:00

ROYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE.

Mr. C. Kean's farewell season as a manager commenced
on Saturday evening last, when " The Merchant of Venice"
was presented for the seventy-third time with unabated
effect and attention. The house presented a crowded
appearance in every quarter, and the warm reception with
which Mr. and Mrs. C. Kean were severally honoured
indicated in the most gratifying manner the feeling of the
public towards these distinguished artistes, who have so
nobly won the highest position which any members of the
dramatic art have ever attained. Mr. Kean's Shylock
is a magnificent impersonation ; true to the author's meaning
in every look, gesture, and uttered sentiment. A Shakesperian
portrait as distinct as it is pbwerful, and rendered still more
impressive by the marvellous accuracy of the scenic details
with which it is environed. This grand embodiment alone
suffices to establish his supremacy as the first tragedian of
the day : and when we call to mind his extraordinary
excellence in Hamlet, Richard, Lear, Wolsey, Louis XI.,
Mephistophiles, Macbeth, and many other diversified parts
of equal importance, it would be difficult to select one from
among the celebrated of his predecessors, entitled to
take rank :in a higher line. Versatility and ideality
are amongst the leading qualities which mark
the superior genius of a great actor, and we
cotild not readily hit upon a name and person in the annals
of the stage, in which they have been more strongly deve-
loped than in Mr. C. Kean. Mrs. C. Kean's Portia is equal
to her husband's Shylock, as a dramatic effort in a totally
different class, and gives to the secondary or episodal plot
of the play an equal prominence with the leading incident.
Twelve nights-mtirer will close the long and successful run
of the "Merchant of Venice," when, from foreign history
and scenery, we shall once more find ourselves on English
ground, and in the old feudal times of the Plantagenets—
we allude to the revival of " King John," which is pro-
mised for Monday, the 18th instant, and supplies one of the
finest subjects that Mr. Kean has yet handled.

Mr. Charles J. Mathews, the comedian, with
Mrs. Mathews, sailed by the Asia, from Boston, on the 22d
Sept., for Liverpool. Mr. Mathews has several engage-
ments at Liverpool, Manchester, and Birmingham, and
plays his way up to London.
MADAME CELESTE.—This popular directress of
the old Adelphi Theatre has returned to London, after her
autumnal visit to France, and will commence a short star-
ring engagement at the National Standard Theatre this
evening, in her celebrated character of Miami, in the drama
of " The Green Bushes."- Mr. Paul Bedford, who is also
engaged, sustaining his original character of Jack Gong.
We very much regret Ito say (says the Court
Journal) that the Earl of Derby is suffering from a severe
attack of gout at Knowsley. The gout is a bitter enemy
of the Premier's, for though others may suffer more fre-
quently, none can do so more severely. In Lord Derby's
case it not only seizes the feet but the arms also, and the
present attack, which has now lasted about a week, equals
in virulence that which kept the noble earl so. long con-
fined to his house in St. James's-square' in the height of
the Parliamentary session. Unless his lordship's recovery
is much more rapid than anticipated, the meeting of the
Cabinet, announced for next week, cannot possibly take
place.
The Cabinet Ministers are nearly all out of town.
Lord Derby is at his seat, Knowsley-hall, Lancashire,
where he is suffering from an attack of gout. Mr. Spencer
Walpole is in Ireland. Lord Malmesbury remains at his
residence in Scotland. The Chancellor of the Exchequer
is at Hughenden-manor. General Peel is at Balmoral.
The Marquis of Salisbury and Mr. Henley are at their
respective country seats. Sir Edward B. Lytton, the
Colonial Secretary of State, remains in London.
Mr. Secretary Walpole ended his official attend-
ance at Balmoral on Wednesday last, and took leave of her
Majesty. The right hon. gentleman does not return to
official duty in town, but purposes making a short tour in
Ireland previous to resuming his attendance at the Home
Office. Major-General Peel succeeds Mr. Walpole as
Minister in attendance on the Queen at Balmoral. The
Home Secretary proceeded in the first instance, to Glasgow.
—Court journal, •

LATEST NEWS.

THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

PLYMOUTH, MONDAY MORNING.

The mail steamship Athens, Commander Strudd,
arrived this morning from the Cape of Good Hope.
She left Table Bay Aug. 21st ; St. Helena, 31st ;
Ascension, Sept. 4th; and Madeira, Sept. 21st.
Her cargo consists of 71 pipes, 188 hogsheads, 67
quarter-casks, 111 aums, 6 ankers, 4 kegs, and 6
cases wine, 1 case brandy, 181 elephants' tusks,
2,000 horns, 100 giraffe bones, 7 cases ostrich
feathers, 140 cases arrowroot, 17 bales of wool, 18
bales sheepskins, 18 casks whale oil, 9 bundles
whalebone, 5 tons spelter, 708 slabs copper, 100
bales cotton, 149 bags linseed, six bales rags, 60
cases cowries, 400 cases oranges, and 58 various
packages.

Her intelligence is nine days later than that by
the Indiana.

The markets continue unchanged, and great dul-
ness prevails.
The general election commenced in September.

The Missionary party, consisting of the Ven. Mr.
Moffatt and wife, Mr. Moffatt, jun., and wife, and
the wife of Dr. Livingstone, were to leave shortly
for the interior. The missionaries for the Mako-
lobo and Matabelo will not accompany them, but
leave a month afterwards.

Colonel Von 'Taken, of the British Legion, a
Waterloo hero, who fought under Blucher, died
recently in Kaffraria.
It is expected that the second battalion of the
60th Rifles and the 26th Regiment will leave the
Cape shortly for India.
The steamship Megmra and the East India Com-
pany's war steamer were embarking horses in
Simon's Bay. 'The Hermes was refitting.
The Carpentaria, of , Liverpool, from Bombay,
arrived in Simon's Bay on the 16th of August
leaky.

The crew of the Marion More were in a state of
mutiny.
The Athens was detained at the Cape 24 hours
by orders of the Governor, of whose arrival on the
frontier no intelligence had been received.
She experienced light winds all the way from
the Cape, with only one day north-east trade ; put
into Madiera for fuel ; subsequently strong north-
east winds prevailed, with heavy gales on the 25th
and 26th of September.
A large number of ships had called at St.
Helena for refreshments on 28th and 29th of
August.
At Ascension, the steam-ship Hercula, which
arrived on the 3d from St. Helena, and the store-
ship Buffalo.
A succession of S.S.W. and W. gales had been
experienced at Madeira.
The French brig Horus, Capt. Asemas, from
Cette, with wine, oil, and brandy, for Martinique,
foundered off the east end of the Island on the 20th
September : crew saved.
The Athens spoke Aug. 27, in lat. 20 S., long.
5 W., the ship Sumatra, of Palermo, bound to
Gibraltar, 105 days out : supplied her with pro-
visions. Aug. 30, lat. 10.40 S., long. 5 W., the
barque Wilhelmina Catharina, from Java for Rot-
terdam. Sept. 1, lat. 14.20 S., long. 7.30 W., the
barque Kahlaxabra, 42 days from Algoa Bay. Sept.
24, lat. 37.39 N., long. 12.52 W., .barque William
Edward, for Rio Janeiro. Sept. 25, lat. 39 N.,
long. 13.50 W., ship Trafalgar, of London, steering
S.W, Sept. 27, lat. 39 N., long. 13.50 W., barque
Caledonia, steering S.W. ; and. lat. 39 N., long.
13.50 W., ship Derwentwater, from London for
Hobart Town. Sept. 26, lat. 47 N., long. 15.39 W.,
Park Paragon, steering N.W. Sept. 30, lat.
43.49 N., long. 11.58 W., bark Moultrie, steering
S.W. Oct. 1, lat. 45.4 N., long. 9.51 W., her
Majesty's steamer Terrible, with the gunboats
Growler and Quail in tow, steering S.W.