The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-21 00:00:00

COVENT-GARDE N THEATRE.

The pantomime which is to be produced at this
theatre on the 26th, under the sole management of
Mr. Alfred Mellon, and which has for several
months past been in active preparation, will be of
a character so original and costly as quite to mark
a new epoch in the annals of this sort of entertain-
ment. The ever-fruitful Arabian Nights supply
the plot, which is nothing less than " Ali Baba and
the Forty Thieves," a subject by the way, which
though often previously handled is still ever fresh,
affording, as it does, such ample scope for new treat-
ment, and possessing those excellent dramatic capa-
bilities so essential to a piece of this class. The
burlesque opening is from the pen of Mr. Gilbert h
Beckett, the scenery from the pencil of Messrs. T.
Grieve, Matt. Morgan, Walford Grieve, Dayes,
Perkins, Caney, and Thompson, the dances ar-
ranged by Mons. Desplaces, and the music by Mr.
Montgomery, while the whole is produced under the
immediate direction of Mr. Harris, a fact that in
itself, no less than the engagement of the Messrs.
Paynes, speaks volumes of promise for the ap-
proaching season at this theatre.

Subjoined is a brief outline of the plot:—
Orchobrand, Mr. Lingham, a disreputable money
lender, who supports joint stock companies and does
a large business at 80 per cent., is discovered in his
cabalistic office wherehe4 visited by Abdallah, Miss
Kate Carson, the object of whose call is the renewal
of a bill. Being a member of the "Forty Thieves
Club," and consequently extremely fast, Orchobraud
refuses, but on the solicitation of Abdallah and a
prospect of making something out of it, he consents
to give three days' grace. About to deposit the do-
cument with others in his strong box he is surprised
by the sudden appearance of the Genius of the Ara-
bian Nights, Miss Bennett, who censures him severely
for the course he is pursuing, threatens him with the
consequences, and warns him of his inevitable doom
at the hands of the Genii, who are watching his evil
career. Abdallah returns delighted with his three
days' grace, which, with a proper disregard of his
financial condition, he celebrates by a magnificent
fete in the cavern. A neighbouring pacha is robbed,
his wealth supplying the table and his Bayaderes and
Circassian Almees the guests. While the Forty
Thieves, however, plunder the forest on the one
hand, Ali Baba the wood cutter, Mr. Payne, de-
stroys it gradually on the other, picking up his bread,
but very little of it, by felling the trees. While be-
wailing his fate withGanem, his son, Mr. F. Payne,
and his donkey, be is seized by the Bagdad Inspec-
tor, Mr. Thompson, who with his police has been
long on the look out for the Forty Thieves, and for
the captain of whom he takes Ali Baba to be. A scuffle
frees Ali Baba, who with his son and donkey finds
himself at the entrance of the Thieves' cavern. In
his flight be has been wiled hither byDryadella,Miss
Graham, and her sister wood nymphs, who, despair-
ing of their lot, harassed by the thieves on the one
hand, and cut down, a sister falling with every tree,
by Ali Baba on the other, determine to play off one
evil against the other, help the wood cutter to dis-
cover wealth to free him from the obligations of
toil, and by his discovery hasten oa the dual de-
struction of the robber horde. He goes home, and
to measure his newly found wealth, sends Morgiana,
Miss Harland, to borrow a sieve of his elder brother
Cassim, Mr. Sanger, who, suspecting something, is
kind enough to come round himself. Cassim soon
discovers the treasure and worms the secret of its
acquisition out of Ali Baba, who, however, refuses
to tell where the cavern is situated. This difficulty
is speedily cleared up by Ganem, who produces a
carrot with which Cassim bribes the donkey. The
latter, spite the efforts of the whole family, tears off
for the cave with Cassim after him. Here the two
arrive just after Abdallah has been seized, at the
expiration of his three days' grace, in the very midst
of his revels. Cassim is of course rapidly disposed
off, but the donkey, evading the Thieves, makes
good his escape, pursued, however, by Hassarac,
Miss Sanger, who has succeeded to the command of
the Forty. The plot now thickens, Hassarac hav-
ing followed the donkey to Ali Baba's door, where
he is met by Orchobrand, who, under the guise of
an old-clothesinan, supplies him with a merchant's
dress, and forty jars labelled " Cod liver oil," with
which he is to introduce himself and thieves into
Ali Baba's confidence and premises. Morgiana,
who makes use of the Inspector's weakness for her,
to set justice on his tract, suspects Hassarac and his
professions. Ali Baba, however, admits the stranger
and his supposed oil, and after a skirmish between
the Inspector and Ganem, who resents the former's
attention to Morgiana, all is going well till night time,
when a series of catastrophes and discoveries take
place in Ali Baba's garden. Ganem serenades
Morgiana on the trombone, a method of declaring
his heart in the right place, which naturally awakes
the whole neighbourhood. Ali Baba is aroused,
and armed with a blunderbuss wreaks his vengeance
on the cats. However, still unquiet in his mind,
he comes out with a ladder to see if any one is on
the other side of the wall. Ganem has also brought
his ladder with a view to a short cut to Morgiana's
chamber. Both father and son grope about in
the dark, finally setting their respective ladders
against each othe. They meet at the top with the
natural denouement and consequences. The In-
spector rushes in at the noise. Cogia rushes out
with the watering pot, and justice is dealt out pretty
freely in the dark in every direction but the right ;
the Inspector being finally drenched and overcome.
When all is again still Morgiana quits the house,
hoping to meet Ganem, whose solo has managed to
arouse her, but her lamp going out, she at once be-
takes herself to the cod liver oil bard by, to make
the discovery that every jar contains a thief. At
this crisis the Inspector revives, and in triumph an-
nounces, that his plan is now to be crowned with
success. He motions to his police, who have
.been
concealed, to approach ; gets Morgiana to give Has-
sarac's signal, when the whole Forty Thieves rise
up to be captured in a body by the Bagdad Police.
Hassarac alone remains, but he has made the most
of his time inside the house, having emptied
the plate basket and robbed everybody he
has come across. Ali Baba, who has
been indulging freely in the bottle, calls for a dance,
and Hassarac endeavours to turn it to account by
stabbing his host, who joins, as well as he can under
the circumstances, in the exhilarating amusement.
At last Hassarac makes his grand coup, but is foiled
by Morgiana, who has parried every thrust. He
shouts for his thieves, but his call is answered by
the Inspector, by whom he is seized. Justice is
vindicated, as Orchobrand rises to meet his doom
and receive his sentence in " the Enchanted Home
of the Genii, on the golden heights of Sunshine."
When it is added that the comic business is sus-
tained by Mr. Fred Payne as Harlequin, Mdlle.
Esta as Columbine, Mr. Paul Herring as Pantaloon,
and Mr. Harry Payne as Clown, and that one of the
features of the after part will be a representation of
Oxford and Cambridge boat race, it may be gathered
that the manager of this great theatre has spared
no pains or expense to maintain its reputation as
the home of colossal spectacle.

THE WITHDRAWAL OF THE FRENCH TROOPS FROM
Mexico. —PARIS, Dec. 19.—The Moniteur de kS'otr, in its
weekly political bulletin, says :—" The expeditionary corps
in Mexico continues its movement of concentration with-
out encountering any serious difficulties. At the same time
the necessary preparations for the return of our troops are
actively prosecuted upon a large scale. The transport Var
has already loft for Vera Cruz. Other vessels will start for
the same port without delay. The squadron destined to
bring back our troops will be promptly assembled, and all
measures are taken that the evacuation en masse may be
accomplished within a brief period.
THE SEWING-MACHINE AND THE BLlND.—Blind-
ness is a calamity which ever excites our deepest sym-
pathies, one reason being the comparative helplessness of
those so afflicted. Any plan, therefore, which places before
them the means of self •support deserves approval, while
commendation is duo to those who suggest or invent it.
This praise is cheerfully accorded to the Grover and Baker
Sewing-machine Company, whose machines we lately saw
in use at the Industrial Classes for the Blind, at 500, New
Oxford-street, and of which the secretary said he could not
speak too highly of its adaptation to the blind, owing to the
simplicity of its construction, the regularity of the tension,
and the saving of time occupied with other machines in
filling of spools and fastening of ends, the latter advantage
being of special benefit to the blind ; so much so that nine
other machides have been replaced by the above. All who
have means should visit these classes, and assist the Chris-
tian efforts to relieve their physical deprivation.