The Sun.
London, England, 1866-10-16 00:00:00

STRAND TEE &TILE.

A one-act comedietta, entitled "In the Wrong
Box," evidently from the French, by Mr. W. H.
Swanborough, was produced last night with perfect
success. It seems very much such a piece as Ravel
would delight in. _ _ _

Harry Radcliff (Mr. Parselle) is employed by a
friend to get back from a danseuse, Madame Du-
vernay, who does not appear, certain fetters he has
written to her ; and now he is courting a rich
young widow, Mrs. Armitage (Miss Maria Simp-
son), with whom he wishes to appear respectable.
The two ladies live next door to each other, and
Radcliff, who is a blunderer, goes to the wrong
house and treats the widow as the danseuse, disclos-
ing the real intentions of his friend. Of course he
mars his fortunes, and produces a great imbroglio ;
which is further added to by the waiting-maid Lucy
(Miss E. Johnstone) who makes him believe over
again that he is right in his wrongdoing. After the
confusion has been kept up long enough the widow
is merciful, and seeing that Radcliff is an honest
agent of a disingenuous fellow, gives him encour-
agement, and the curtain goes down to her saying
he may come again to-morrow evening and try his
fortune.

--
There is not much in this trifle, but the blunder-
ing of the agent is amusing ; and Miss Simpson,
Miss E. Johnstone, and Mr. Parselle sustained the
little piece to a perfectly successful issue. The
actors and the author were called for and enthusias-
tically applauded.
The new burlesque of " Der Freischutz" is run-
ning, and seems to be a great favourite with the
audience.

"ANNALS OF A QUIET NEIGHBOURHOOD." 135"
George Mac Donald, M.A., author of "Alec Forbes," 30'
3 vole.—" This story is one to be read. No skimming of
it will do. There is scarcely a page in the book which ha
O
not an attraction of its own, either in the shape of sonlo
peculiar beauty of expression or of soma thought whiel'
deserves examination. The characters stand out life-like
on the canvas. The book is a charming counterfoil to that
unhealthy sensationalism of most modern novels. Tgat
Mr. Mac Donald has shown us how much of poetry there
is in our everyday life, how much of interest there is in
simple things, proves him to be a story-teller far above the

common order."—STar.
CATHOLICS IN RUSSIA.—A. letter from Novgorod'
in the Monde, says—" Without including the Gras
Duchies of Warsaw and Finland, there are 610,000 heredi-
tary nobles in the Russian empire. Of these thereare232,oo
in the provinces purely Russian, and 377,500 in Lithuaitti°"
Volliynia, and Podolia. The whole of these latter are Giv
tholics. AtWilna, out of 51,078 nobles, onlylo are orthodoP
and at Kowno there is not a single one out of 90,392. Ando°
that population, acquired by treaties stipulating the freedom
of the Catholic faith, has only exiled or dependent priests,
and has not a single journal or an educational establishraeut'
That injustice becomes especially insupportable when the
concessions are considered which are made by the Govere-
merit to the sectarians,who profess doctrines infinitelytu°ll
dangerous than the Catholic, as it places no other bounds
than the Divine law to the submission due to the authori-
ties. Those sectarians have for their chief place a tow°
called Khvalinsk, not far from Saratof. The Golos has jasti
published a description of it. They are there lords and
masters, possessing, in a park eight versts (5-Bths of a
mile each) in extent, monasteries, a bishop, and a cathedral,
and no stranger dares penetrate this oasis. What passes
there ? How many malefactors seek refuge there ?
authorities allow everything to pass over without notice/ •
whereas if a Catholic only suspended a lamp before a Pic-
ture in his own home all the journals would iminetliat°ll
exclaim against the scandal."
SEALS OF OFFICERS WHO PERISHED IN AFFGII`V
NISTAN.—In October, 1852, Mr. Bayley transmitted to 05
from Futtehgurh three seals, supposed to have belonged t°
officers who fell in the Affghan expedition, with a view t°
their being identified and restored to their representatii
We described the seals, and one of them was identified and
restored to the family of its former owner, and was the 0/1
relic of him ever recovered by them. The same gentlerto
has now forwarded from Simla five more seals, with tbe
following letter :—" Simla.—Dear Si,.,—Major-General
Cunningham, C. 8., has placed at my disposal, for transiriis;
sion to you, four more seals collected by him, with e°i%
and gems from Central Asia, and which he believes to 1131,-
belonged to officers of the late Cabul force. I add a fiff.t';
which came similarly into my hands a short time age. Y:0
I ask you to give publicity to the impressions on the 'l'
seals, in the hope that some of them may be recognised
If
and restored to the friends of the original owners ?
not recognised, you can dispose of them as you like•
three with heraldic devices ought to be recognisable'
Yours, Ste., E. C. BAYLEY." The following is a descriPi,°,
of the seals :-1. On a shield, seine with fleur-de-lys, al°d,
rampant. Crest, a demi-savage with club in dexter hlie
Motto, "Fides spectatior auro." 2. Argent, a chevron 3
between three boars' heads, erased gules. Crest, a defile.l,
lady from the girdle, holding in her dexter hand a t°",, 01
and in her sinister a branch of laurel. 3. Crest, a 8o
an oak tree, thereon a buck's bead caboched between
branches sprouting from the sides. Beneath the crest 'ta
letters "W. P.," in old English. 4. A thistle surruouli-15
by the words, " Dinna Forget," and belpw the jaitlia
"T. A.," in old English. 5. The initials "D. 5.," iijio°o
English letters. Nos. 2 and 3 are probably Elphills-
and Pottinger.—Notes and Queries.
THE HUNTERIAN MUSEUM.—From the last a-- it
report of the Council of the Royal College of Surgecitlsli&
appears that Parliament having voted £42,500 for thelk
chase of the extraordinary collection formed by 30111'1, its
ter, and towards the erection of suitable buildings '°
display and preservation, the largo sum of £61,000 jar
been supplied from the college funds up to 1847, when,ori
tlier enlargement of the building having become nece'l
In
by the continued increase of the collection, the Corluci'cier
that year purchased the extensive premises of Ml.
man Copeland, in Portugal .street, formerly the site o
ro,
Jonson's theatre, for the sum of £16,000, and in 1-83,8PeS.'
ceeded to the erection of the Eastern Museum, at t; 110
pens() of £25,000, Parliament granting „£15,000 1,00-
thereof. The re-arrangement of the specimens was ea to
plated, and the additional portion of the building 013efoid
visitors, in 1855, since which time considerable aii,uciotav
valuable specimens have been added by purchase art",,/ the
tion. Mr. Flower, the indefatigable conservator of the
Museum, has for some time past been exploring the
logical stores which have been accumulating for m'eod
years in the subterranean apartments of the College,',. 00:
which are now gradually yielding up the treasures to
rich the Museum. Among the particularly valuable a ill°
tions from this source, which appear to have escaPef time
attention of previous conservators, is the skeleteal°o ige
rare and probably extinct bird the Greek Auk 61 t°
pennis), of which only three other skeletons are ka°: 0e;
exist in Europe, and none so perfect as the 51 08,0
lately added to the collection. Some of the I),°
this valuable Hunterian specimen ware alreauloeco 1°
logued in the collection, but without any refee.4 the
the remainder being in possession of the college be pre;
examination of the boxes in the store-room during
00p1e,,t4
sent year brought tolight all the others requiredtoac,be at:4
the skeleton, with a few unimportant exceptions. "'I.:01,1P A
of this bird at auctions have recently fetched 1113105e0e
£3O each, from their great rarity. The Hunterion•st of tijo
possesses half a dozen. Another rare skeletor. is tit id fro
Awantibo (Areocebus calabarensis), alemuroid allie3-103011,
Old Calabar, and is the only skeleton of the ge°15.1,,, ,stei
to exist. The skeleton of another very rare °int; otij
Aye-Aye, has been added during the past Year, vir
interesting additions, to the Hunterian Museuar.l .1(01;'4,'5
THE CONVICTION OF A SERVANT GIO' flta
—The following is the reply to a memorial W :"niolio,
presented to the Secretary of State on behalf ef
at 9 ;:i
Longhurst, who was lately convicted of lareen),' ae,
Nv a 0
before Mr. Alderman Evers and Mr. Alderman
I
v d° fleet
about whose case some rioting took place a -es
as diret
—" Whitehall, Oct. 10, 1866.—Gentlemen,--1
by the Secretary of State for the Horne popb. etb Luce,
thank you for your report on the case of Eliz
~,,staetto
hurst, andto acquaint you that, under all the cire:-Icith,.eot
he does not propose advising any intorfereiloc:t °var.'
prisoner's sentence. —I am, gentlemen, yours ulT.g., 3itole°
humble servant, BELMORE.—Mr. R. Reeve, b 0 6 lied
Wade, J.P., York." Mr. Lowrie states that the
coos
er,
by his late servant, Elizabeth Longhurst, was 3.t't, i$ la Pia,
Indian box, for which ho paid 10s. in India; .0 itS od,
fectly good condition, and he values it far ber_aido.
trinsic worth. The writing case alluded to
h of
filbef
for, and it had been little used. Dtl It°
THEATRES IN EUROPE.—The total 33i, 00,
theatres in Europe is 1,584, of which Franc°tJJl3fitai°ooo
(including Venetia) 346, Spain 168, Or° 4 44, O,
Austria 150, Germany 191, Russia and Pol3l 14,0:01)0
34, Holland 23, Switzerland 20, Sweden u 4, BOP
Denmark 15, Portugal 16, Turkey 4, Caeca'
3, awl Seryia 1.