The Sun.
London, England, 1866-04-10 00:00:00

The Prince Von Teck.

his highness the Prince von Teck, whose ap-
proaching marriage to the Princess Mary of Cam-
bridge we annnounced yesterday, is the only son
of his Royal Highness the Duke Alexander. of
Wurtemberg (uncle of the late King "William of
Wurtemberg), who was married morganatically on
May 2, 1835, to the late Claudine Countess of
Hohenstein, Countess of Kis-Rhede. The Duke
Alexander is a general of cavalry in the Austrian
service, and proprietor of the 11th Regiment of
Austrian hussars. Prince Francis Paul Charles
Louis Alexander, who is about to become allied to
the Princess Mary, was born on August 27, 1837,
and is consequently in his 29th year. his highness
has two sisters, the Princess Claudine, one year his
senior; and the Countess Amelia von Hohenstein,
who was married at Vienna, in 1863, to Paul, Baron
von Kugel, a retired captain of cavalry.
Formerly the eldest son and daughter of the Duke
Alexander of Wurtemberg were styled Count and
Countess of llohenstein, but by a Royal decree,
dated Dec. 1, 1863, they were raised to the dignity
of prince and princess, with the title of highness.

Their Royal and Imperial Highnesses the Duke
and Duchess Philip of Wurtemberg, attended by the
Countess von Auersperg and Count Gronsfeld have left the
Clarendon Hotel for the Continent.
His Excellency the French Ambassador enter-
tained his Excellency the Russian Ambassador and
Baroness Brunnow, his Excellency the Austrian Ambas-
sador and Countess Apponyi, his Excellency the Saxon
Minister, the Earl and Countess of Dudley, the Earl Cow-
per, the Earl of Sefton, the Countess of Airlie, Marquis
Caumont la Force, Viscount de Vire], Baron Baude, Gon.
Sir E. Cust, Sir Ralph and Lady Howard, Mr. and Hon.
Mrs. Petre, &c., at dinner last evening, at the French Em-
bassy, Albert-gate.
The Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch have left
Dalkeith Palace, for Bowhill, Selkirkshiro, for a few weeks.
The Earl and Countess of Dalkeith arrived in
town late last evening from Dalkeith Palace, near Edin-
burgh, for the season.
The Earl and Countess Stanhope arrived at their
residence in Grosvenor-place yesterday from visiting the
Duke and Duchess of Wellington at Strathfieldsaye, Hants.

The Earl and Countess of Verulam are expected
to arrive at their residence in Great Stanhope-street to-
day from Gorhambury, near St. Albans, for the season.

The Earl and Countess Percy are expected to
arrive at Northumberland House either to-day or to-
morrow from Albury Park, Surrey, for the season.

Surrey I heatre.

Last evening Mr. Watts Phillips's new drama,
in five acts, entitled " Theodora, Actress and
Empress," was produced at this theatre in a style of
glittering splendour which speaks highly for the
liberality of the management of Mr. It. Sheppard.
The piece, we are informed, has been written spe-
cially for Miss Avonia Jones ; therefore she is the
brilliant star around which all the lesser planets
cluster. The scene of the drama is laid in Con-
stantinople, in the reign of the Emperor Justinian,
a circumstance which gives full scope for the most
gorgeous scenery and dresses. The plot of the ,
piece, briefly related, is as follows :—" The curtain
rises upon Constantinople in the sixth century, dis-
covering Miriam and her former lover Creon.
Miriam swears vengeance against her lover in con-
sequence of his having deserted her for Theodora,
who at that time was an actress in the circus,
whence she was driven for having assumed the
colour of an adverse faction, to which Creon belongs.
Having a high ambition, and being impressed with
_ .

the idea that she was to become the spouse of a potent
monarch, Theodora consents to fly with Creon as his
wife. An interval of 19 years is supposed to have
elapsed between the first and second acts, during
which time Theodora is divorced from her husband
and marries the Emperor Justinian. The second act
is laid in Carthage, and the scene is the encampment
of the Roman army beneath the walls, where Creon,
by the Empress's command, receives sentence of
banishment, but entreats his son Philip to intercede
with his mother for a remission of the sentence. In

Act IV. Philip meets his mother in Byzantine
Palace, Constantinople ; but Theodora having been
forewarned by Miriam that Philip is an impostor
accordingly refuses to listen to him. Philip, in order
to establish his identity, seeks for certain papers
which had been confided to his care by Creon, but
through the agency of Miriam they have been ab-

stracted, and he is accordingly cast into a dungeon.
Theodora, although believing him to be an impos-
tor, and that her own son had died whilst an infant,
feels the ties of nature, and is unable to give the
order for his execution. Constantinople is subse-
quently besieged, and Creon for a short space of
time is victorious, and releases his son. Philip is
shortly afterwards wounded, and it is whilst hiding
from the troops that he is discovered by Miriam.
Theodora, arriving on the scene about the same mo-
ment, is informed by Miriam that the dying man is
her son, and producing the stolen papers, states that
her vengeance is complete, and upon a grand
tableaux the curtain here falls.
We cannot say the new drama is free from
blemishes, but they are of a description that may
easily be removed. The greatest fault is the ex-
treme length of the drama ; but, although it posi-
tively never hangs fire, yet in the form we saw it
last night it so closely approaches that great cause of

ill success that the sooner compression is effectedthe
better, because it cannot but increase the success
that attended its first representation. Miss Jones,
as Theodora, the Actress-Empress, has a most
effective part, which she performs with all her well-
known power and effect, whilst her dresses are of
the most gorgeous description. Miss Pauncefort
sustained the character of Miriam with great
ability, and Mr. James Bennett and Mr. Fernandez
enact the parts of Creon and Philip with care and
discretion. The applause during the performance
was enthusiastic, and none more deserved the ap-
probation conferred on their exertions than Mr.
Gates, the scene painter, who has produced some
of the most elaborate and splendid scenery ever
witnessed in any theatre in the metropolis. All
the artistes were called for at the termination of the
play, and Mr. Sheppard announced the piece for
repetition every evening until further notice amidst
universal applause.

THE SUPPOSED MURDER ON THE LONDON, CHAT-
HAM, AND DOVER RAlLWAY.—Yesterday evening the
inquiry into the death of Henry Walls, whose body was
found on the above line of railway, was resumed by the
coroner for Westminster. The circumstances of the case
have already appeared. The police had traced the missing
coat to the possession of a labourer, who had picked it up
from under an archway some seventy yards distant from
the place where the deceased was discovered. The surgeon
stated that the injuries received by deceased were such as
might have been caused by a railway carriage passing
over his body. Inspector Williams said that every attempt
had been made to obtain additional evidence, but without
result. The jury's verdict was to the effect that there was
no evidence to show how the injuries causing death had
been produced.
MISSING SHIP.—The Entracht, of Carolinertsiel,
sailed from Hartlepool on the 4th of January for Bremer-
haven, and hap not yet arrived at that port.