The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-28 00:00:00

beautiful Spirit of the Waters, was, whorl a child, 14;1
the banks of a broad lake near an enchanted for g /It
o
kindred, that she might grow up amongst mortals
reaching her eighteenth year; when, if during that ihne'r
could resist the power of love, she should be worthY to
coed to the throne of her mother under the waters- "'o,
discovered by an old fisherman, he brought ber
where she lived with him and his wife until her eight-
birthday, when a young knight, who had brat'ed the dal;
of the enchanted forest to prove his valour and plea 1110
to whom he was betrothed, sought refuge in the '/4
man's cottage. Undine, on beholding the stranger'o
at once in love with him. The water spirits, on Ito '
this, were greatly incensed against Undine, but alldd
their anger by the knowledge that, should the in' I`h
prove untrue to her, it was her doom to destroy hint'
vain Undine sought to conquer her fatal passion'
power of love gave her a soul, and henceforth she Ty
mortal, and subject to all the infirmities of mortality. 6
young knight, for a brief space, returned the passio.
Undine, but on the arrival of the lady betrothed to ir"
Undine discovered his falsehood, and bade him a sad ad's
On his bridal night shesought his chamber, and finding
there alone, flung herself into his arms and gave
kiss of death. This sacrifice atoned for her weakness, 70
she became restored to her high station amongst the SPiritit
of the Waters. The main incidents of this very rentalithe
though somewhat inhuman legend are represented °,./1. t
stage with remarkable fidelity up to the point of the 1_
Peri's restoration, after which the Genius of Pante7j,
takes up the thread of the narrative, and weaves it 0114
ing to her peculiar fashion into a fantastic tissue of to
events and grotesque characters. In the transforinB
scene the lifeless form of Sir Hulbrand is seen reelinifigoe
a rock ; while Undine, on her knees, is weeping over ti/
body in despair. Kuhleborn calmly surveys the Wisoe
Spirit, and Flibinite supports the Lady Bertalda.
appears mounted on a sea-horse, and, addressing th
pronounces with suitable solemnity the judgment °i
ril
converts the knight into Harlequin, the lady into Ce'
bine, and Kuhlel?orn into Pantaloon—with a speeinls
vision as regards Undine, that she shall watch over th
erratic spirits during the period of their earthly Pere
nation, and meantime leave no stone unturneen,
win back her faithless lover. Flibinite is chatgetz
enliven her ennui with his mirthful sallies ; and ty
Clown, who comes tumbling head over heels, after or
ijao
immemorial custom of such behumped personages, is„bie
instructed to display his drolleries for the same lainir
purpose. The term of probation comprised in the Nit
quinade being at length concluded, Coralie again aPPe3r.3
on the scene with the welcome intelligence that Und,tneg
trials are at an end, and that henceforward she maY P(401
to enjoy unalloyed happiness in her gay dwelling ben°
the azure waves—
" Undine, once more your Coralie behold,
Your mission's ended, and your story told ;
The many scenes and
,Fhanges you have viewed
Have all your sorrows and your sighs subdued.
Bid now your knight farewell, and come with me,
To our bright palaces beneath the sea."
The scenery, which has been painted by Mr. Fredeti4
Fenton, assisted by Messrs. Hicks, Hall, and other artistal
has "the freshness and the glory of a dream." The sel;
weed cavern of Kuhlebom, the Fisherman's Hut en_it"i
Bank of the Silver Lake, with a distant view of
mountain scenery, the entrance to the enchanted fered
where the withered trunks and gaunt spectral branches 'ink
gnarled:roots of the trees are made to assume the fantes
features of unearthly beings, the moonlight view of the'
Silver Lake, and the "Abode of the Water NytnPll,
with its pillars of pearl, branches of coral, beautiful
and various forms of submarine vegetation, may be
stanced as scenes in which the poetic fancy and artirrsthi:
skill of the painter, are delightfully conspicuous. 't
transformation scene, representing the translueelt
temple of the bright sea waves, is one of tin)°o
gorgeous spectacles which slowly unfold their cher°,
to the view, and keep gradually and noiselessly I"°''
soming into beauty like is flower, till all their len:ei:
are expanded and all their vivid colours displayed. Then
The
comes the tender effulgence of " the light that never was h 9
sea or land, the consecration, and the Poet's dream."
audience's admiration of this most ingenious and &Ile; h
scene was expressed in a rapturous shout of applause, which
brought Mr. Fenton to the footlights, where he receiced
the enthusiastic congratulation of the spectators, Nvh().,
eyes he had banqueted with such a vision of splencion"
The harlequinade is full of bustle and incident, and 0.5
plenty of the escapes, surprises, droll adventures, and prne.;
tical jokes characteristic of this very exciting description°
entertainment. There are many amusing hits at the .0/
of the day, more particularly at the crinoline craze; the
Clown, Mr. Charles Leclerq, sings a laughable duet with
cod-fish, to the air of " Hoop-de-dooden-do ;" and there';;
some capital dancing by the Harlequin, Mr. Arthy; 0
Leclerq ; and the Columbine, Miss Fanny Wright. ge„l..",
Cole, from the Dublin Theatre, is the Pantaloon, and "
the character very effectively. The comic business is eecf
sionally varied by the introduction of some excellent land.
stapes, among which the views of Valentia Bay and
Alpine village are especially deserving of notice. There
besides a pictorial illustration of the proclamation of Qum
Victoria in India, and the piece concludes with a magn'f
cent scene of a "palace in Delhi and allegorical inaugrm-
tion of the British Empire in Hindostan."