The Sun.
London, England, 1859-06-30 00:00:00

HAYMARKET THEATRE.

A new three act comedy by Tom Taylor, Esq., was pro-
duced at this theatre last evening with great success. It is
entitled " The Contested Election," and the object in view
is to saterise the proceedings of both candidates' agents and
electors during a contest for a seat in Parliament in a borough
with not an over pure reputation. Mr. Dodgson, an attor-
ney in a country town, dunned by creditors, is in despair,
for the election is at hand, and neither of the candidates has
made overtures to him to become his agent. An oldfriend,
Mr. Wapshott, c&nes to him to tell him that
a young lady with whom he is in love is kept
from him through the machinations of a step-
mother, a Mrs. Honeybun, a very pretty and im-
perious lady, who rules Mr. Honeybun with a rod of iron.
Wapshott is exiled from the house, but he thinks that the
young lady has some money of her own, and he is come to
ask Dodgson to look over the will, which is in his possession.
While Dodgson is engaged in this business he is visited by
Peckover, the president of a club of venal voters (the Blue
Lambs), who comes to announce that the two candidates
are about to make a "cross" of it--one to retire on the eve
of nomination. The constituency is irate, and wishes that
sharp legal agent, Mr. Dodgson, to find them a candidate
with plenty of money and flexible purse and principles.
Dodgson sees an opportunity for distinguishing himself,
and bethinks him at once of Mr. Honeybun, the hen-
pecked ; he has plenty of money, and he is utterly
under the guidance of his wife, who is to be got over
by flattery. Dodgson effects an introduction, and breaks
his plot to Mrs. Honeybun, who is enchanted at
the prospect of a life in London, and Ministerial
attention. Honeybun is put in nomination, has to send up
to town for £BOO, has to see bands of ruffians on electioneer-
ing matters, and is in agony lest he should be elected.
From this misery he is rescued by Wapshott, who, on con-
dition of receiving his' daughter's hand, volunteers to
oppose him. The money has been sent by the bankers in
notes, which Wapshott cuts in half, making Honey-
bun send half to Dodgson, while he himself keeps the re-
mainder. Wapshott goes to work, and, by judiciously
planting the half •notes, achieves great success, and on the
day of poll heads his opponent, finally retiring after he has
convinced both Mrs. Honeybun and her husband of the
mere flippant nature of Dodgson's attention to hiin, and so
won both their consents to his marriage. Honeybun is also
permitted by his wife to retire from the contest, and one of
the original candidates walks over.
The part of Dodgson, the attorney, was of course sus-
tained with much success by Mr. Charles Mathews,
but he seemed to lack much of his usual spirit. Mr. Comp-
ton, as Honeybun, played with the greatest artistic care.
He must be seen to be appreciated; his bewildered help-
lessness during the election, was inimitable. Buckstone,
as the patriotic butcher, Peckover—the leader of the Blue
Lambs—was irresistibly comic ; and Mr. Rogers, as Toper,
the beerseller—the chief of the Green Lions—excellent.
The Mrs. Honeybun of Mrs. C. Mathews was anextremely
good piece of acting, although we do not think it was quite
the sort of lady meant by the author.
At the fall of the curtain the leading personages had to
bow their acknowledgments, and as Mr. Buckstone was
announcing the piece for repetition every evening, a loud
call arose for the author. The talented lessee, after giving
the audience one of his most comical looks, said :—" Ladies
and gentlemen, I was this morning desired by the author,
Mr. Tom Taylor, to say, if he should be called for, that
he was not in the house." The observation was received
with the loudest laughter, during which Mr. Buckstone
retired.

PROPOSED TESTIMONIAL TO MR. JAMES WILD.
—A committee of the depositors of the Royal British Bank
has been formed with the object of obtaining sub •
scriptions:from their fellow-creditors, for the purpose of
presenting-testimonials of a 'suitable character to Messrs.
J. Wyld and R. Taylor, the assignees, and Mr. J: Link-
later, the solicitor, under the bankruptcy. To the exer-
tions of those gentlemen is ()Wing in a great degree the
comparatively successful result of the winding up of the
the estate of the Royal British Bank, and they have cer-
tainly a claim to the gratitude of their fellow-sufferers for
the assiduity and skill with which they have laboured on
their behalf.
The Russian Government have re-opened their
account with the Bank of England, which was closed at
the commencement of the Crimean war, and an arrival of
£160,000 in half-imperials from St. Petersburg has been
taken to that establishment.
The failure has been announced of Messrs.
Stevens, Brothers, merchants and East India agents, of
Liverpool, shipping chiefly to Bombay, with liabilities
stated to amount to £140,000.
Mr. Justice Blackburn, the new puisne judge of
the Court of Queen's Bench, presided for the first time yes-
terday morning at Guildhall.
We believe it is not intended to oppose the elec-
tion of Mr. Massey as Chairman of Ways and Means.
DREADFUL ACCIDENT.—A terrible accident, by
which three children lost their lives, occurred near Brad-
ford on Tuesday. The children had been playing in a
narrow arched and rapidly descending tunnel, only 'wide
enough to allow a coal train to pass, when a set of waggons
came down at the moment of their play. There was room
enough to allow the train to pass, and the children
F had apparently placed themselves against the wall for that
purpose, but unfortunately the guard had placed a wooden
bar in one of the wheels to act as a "brake," and the
the whole of the children were struck by it and fearfully
mangled. The head of one was struck off, and the bodies
of the others presented a woful spectacle. No blame is
attached to the guard.
ROYAL CALEDONIAN ASYLUM.—Last night the
42d anniversary, of this excellent charity was celebrated at
the Freemasons' Tavern, in the presence of a large assem-
blage Sir C. Forbes, ill.. Wemys, M.P.,
of persons, includingthe Earle? Elgin, who presided ;
'crae, &c., &c. After the usual loyal
Lord Kinnaird, the Hon. F. Dundas Sir J. Maxwell,
,Pita.he Chairman, in an excellent speech,
" Prosperity to the
constitutional3,3,ll
ra j.oAr nCd.reßwructeAolarAs.tls.
evening,a;d alluding
to the fact, that
pßrooypaols ecdaltehdeontioanas
Asylum,"t
the institution originated in the misery which resulted from
the close of the last war, he called upon the company and
the friends of the charity to increased exertions in the pre-
of the
pre-
sent complicated state of European affairs. The asylum
had relieved 550 boys and 130 girls, all of whom belonged
to that class of persons who especially claimed their sym-
pathy and support. The funds collected amounted to over
£7OO.