The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-11 00:00:00

THEATRE ROYAL, LYCEU.3I.

Mr. Drew, whose first appearance before a London audi-
ence we took occasion to notice at some length at the time,
in terms of deserved commendation, last night confirmed
the good opinion which we then expressed, by a very able
impersonation of Sir Patrick O'Plenipo, in Bonney's well-
known comedy of " The Irish Ambassador," so familiar to
theatrical critics and the public, in association with the
memory of the brilliant and lamented Power, whose deli-
neation of this character can never be forgotten by those
whose recollection includes that singularly talented co•
median.

It is more than probable that Mr. Drew's merits as an
actor will be tested by a comparison with Power in this
character of Sir Patrick, as has, indeed, been the case in
this artist's representation of Handy Andy, in the adap-
tation of Lover's story, which has been playing for the
last fortnight at this house. The success of Mr. Drew in
that character is undisputed, but a decision upon his gene-
ral merits has for the most part been reserved for a more
varied exercise of his undoubted ability. It was,
therefore, with no ordinary interest that the play-
going public watched the representation of last
night. In the development of this character, which, as
every one knows, is a strained dramatic effort to realise the
assumed and romantic points of Irish character as we find
it in the chronicles of fifty years since--a curious combi-
nation of imperturbable forgiveness, not to say recklessness,
with an amount of impudence which would not hold the
ground for an hour in society at the present day, Mr.
Drew was perfectly at home. At the same time that the
inevitable scrapes in which he is placed by the force
of this very characteristic were redeemed by that dash
of courage and resolution under difficulties ; a gentlemanly
bearing, and a chivalrous devotion to the fair sex which
have from time immemorial formed, as they continue to
form, the brilliant features of our Celtic brethren. In truth
Mr. Drew was very happy in all the points of this amusing
comedy, and fully entitled himself to the ovation which he •
received. We must observe that the parts of Lady Emily
and Isabella were sustained with great spirit and talent by
Miss Ternan and Miss Hudspeth, and we cannot allow the ,
opportunity to pass of complimenting Miss Ternai upon
her rare appreciation and lady-like impersonation of the
Countess—an impersonation which leads us to hope that
we may have the gratification of welcoming this lady in
higher range of comedy, in which the excellent school in
which she has studied evidently entitles her to claim a
distinguished position.
The rest of the dramatis persowc were well filled, and
the curtain descended amidst the unanimous applause of a
very full house.

EHE ALHAMBRA PALACE HALL.

It,

This gorgeous building opened last night for the per-
formance of varied selections of instrumental and vocal
music. The house was crammed to the topmost galleries,
and any attempt to form an estimate of the numbers who
were present would be futile. The performances com-
menced by an overture played by the band, at the close of
which the National Anthem was sung with great
effect. Great cheering followed, and there was an
immediate call of " Smith I Smith 1" After a few minutes'
delay, during which the enthusiasm of the audience did
not flag, Mr. Smith advanced to the centre of the stage,
and bowed his acknowledgments to the hosts of friends
and patrons who had assembled together to greet him. The
full orchestral band played selections from the most popular
dance music, including Coote's " Robin Hood Quadrille,"
and airs from that popular opera. These were succeeded bl
selections from Flotow's opera of " Martha," in which
Madame Valkener, Miss Emma Heywood, Messrs. W. M.
Parkinson, and E. Rosenthal took part, and acquitted them-
selves in the most creditable manner. The selection of sub-
jects was judiciously made, inasmuch as it was of a charac-
ter to please those who look to enjoy an evening of popular
music at the marvellously cheap rate of sixpence.

ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY.

At the meeting of this society yesterday—Sir
Roderick Murchison in the chair—two papers were
read on the subject of opening communication with
the south-western provinces of China from the Bri-
tish possessions in the East. The first paper was
read by Captain Sprye, who advocated the route
from Rangoon to Eskok, a Chinese frontier town in
the province of Yunnan. The distance was esti-
mated at 600 miles, but a great portion of it would
be through British Pegu and the remaining por-
tion through Burmah. Captain Sprye read quota-
tions from several authors who had written on
China to show that the province of Yunnan and
the adjoining province of Szechuen abound in
mineral wealth of all kinds, that they are particu-
larly fertile, and that by opening commerce with
that part of China all the riches of the country
might be obtained near the places where they are
produced. Captain Sprye especially quoted from
from Mr. Crawford's work on China to show the
commercial advantages that would result from
establishing direct relations with Yunnan.
The second paper was read by Dr. M'Cosh, who
advocated a route from Calcutta through the
mountainous districts of Assam, and thence by
a more northern portion of the Burmese Empire.
He pointed out several routes by which this
communication might be effected, and, judging
by the published accounts of the great riches that
abound in that country, he considered it would be
an important means of communication regarded
commercially, and that the opening of inter-
course with that part of China would be also of
great value geographically, as it would supply
formation respecting a country of which little is at
present known.
A long discussion took place after the reading of
the papers, which was commenced by Mr. Craw-
ford, who protested against being held responsible
for the opinions that had been attributed to him-
He said the book that had been published in his
name had been written by a clerk of his named
Peter Gordon, who had used his name without any
authority. So far was he from assenting to the,
opinion that the province of Yunnan is fertile an
productive, that he believed it to be the most barren
spot in the whole of China, and it was known that
the comparatively thinly scattered population
imported tea and rice from the other provinces. It
is well known, he said, that the fertility of China
increases towards the East, to which there was
direct communication by water, and such minerals
as were extracted from the mountainous province
of Yunnan could be procured more readily by the
river Kiang-tse-Kiang than by an overland route.
Sir John Davis, Captain Sherard Osborne, Capt.
Oliphant, and Mr. Lockhart took part in the dis-
cussion, and contended generally for promoting
communication with the south-western provinces
of China by the route proposed by Captain Spry();
Mr. Lockhart particularly noticed the mineral
riches of those provinces. Though the face of the
country was bare, as it is in most mining districts,
the mineral wealth is great, and if proper means .
mining were introduced there would most probably
be large supplies from thence of the precious metals,.
and of copper.
The copper of Yunnan is at presellb
celebrated throughout China,