The Sun.
London, England, 1859-09-23 00:00:00

HAYMARKET THEATRE.

Last night Miss Amy Sedgwick personated Miss
Dorillon, in Mrs. Inchbald's comedy of " Wives as
they were, and Maids as they are," for the first
time in the metropolis. Her performance was
throughout characterised by consummate ability.
Carefully seizing on every opportunity, she gave a
most elaborate and effective rendering of the part.
It is a part extremely well suited to Miss Sedg-
wick's mingled and melo-dramatic style, and she
represented alternately the gay and frivolous por-
tion of the character with spirit, and the sadder
part with much pathos. She looked the cha-
racter remarkably well, and obtained much ap-
plause from a very crowded house. The
comedy was followed by a new and original
farce, entitled " The Rifle, and how to use it." The
prevailing passion for forming volunteer corps is
appropriated as the vehicle for an admirably con-
structed farce, which kept the audience in a cease-
less roar of laughter from its commencement to its
termination. The plot turns, as may be supposed,
upon the prevailing taste for the volunteer rifle
corps, and the incidents are neither strong nor new ;
but the poverty of story is amply compensated by
abun dance of smart dialogue and a good deal of
practical fun. Mr. Percival Floff (Mr. Buckstone)
and Mr. Sidney Jubkins (Mr. Rogers) are members
of a rifle corps. On the evening antecedent to the
rising of the curtain they have dined at their mess,
taken too much wine, and are returning home in
the small hours, when Mr. Floff spies outside a
tailor's shop a dummy, which has been placed
there by the workmen whitewashing within. Mili•
tary ardour seizes on the rifleman ; he lets fly at long
range, and knocks the figure over. He is in de-
spair, for he fancies he has killed a man. Home
he cannot go. He flies from suburb to suburb—
from Battersea to Whitechapel—and finally reaches
his Claphamian domicile and his bed at 5.30 a.m.,
and here only to toss and tumble, not to sleep. If
conscience makes cowards of us all, it certainly re•
duces Mr. Floff to the lowest state of poltroon cry,
He prepares for immediate flight to America ; but,
seeing a policeman reconnoitring the house, he calls
him in with a view of bribing him to connive at
his escape. The policeman Mutton (Mr. Compton)
is in reality after the maid-servant, and cannot tin.,
derstand the motive of Floff's hospitality, which
presses on him lunch and unlimited sherry.
Finally, Mutton gets drunk, kisses Mrs. Floff
(Mrs. B. White) and Mrs. Jubkins (Mrs. Wilkins),
and is generally offensive. The mistake is ex-
plained by the foreman of the tailor, who brings
the head of the dummy in a bag, and demands
compensation.
The dialogue is smart and terse, while the situa-
tions are novel and amusing. Mr. Buckstone's
personation of the panic-stricken Floff was one of
the most diverting assumptions of this versatile
actor. To use a very common-place term, the police-
man of Mr. Compton " must be seen to be appre-
ciated." It is worthy to be ranked with the im-
personation of the affected valet, which contributed
so much to the success of the " Unequal Match."
The author is Mr. F. V. Bridgeman, a gentleman
well known in literary circles.

Her Majesty the Queen Marie Amelie, their
Royal Highnesses the Prince de Joinville, the Count d'Eu,
the Duke d'Alencon, and a numerous suite, left Grillon's
Clarendon Hotel yesterday morning for Bournemouth.
The Duke and Duchess of Richmond have a se-
lect circle of friends assembled at Gordon Castle, N.B. His
grace and party continue to have capital sport in the deer
forests in the vicinity of Fochabers.
We have reason to believe that the definitive
treaty of peace will soon be concluded at Zurich. It will,
however, bear the signatures of only two Powers—France
and Austria. The preliminaries of Villafranca will be
strictly maintained. As to the relations between Austria
and Sardinia, we learn from Vienna that the preliminaries
of Villafranca will serve as a guide for the conduct of Aus-
tria.—Morning Herald. _ _

BIRKENHEAD DOCK WORKS.—The Mercey Har-
bour and Docks Board at their meeting on Thursday ac-
cepted tenders for the supply of 300,000 cubic feet of Baltic
timber and lo standards of spruce deals, required in the
construction of the large_ low-water basin at Birkenhead.
THE GALWAY PACKET STATION.—Sir Cusack
Honey has addressed the following letter to the editor of
some Dublin newspaper :—" I pledge myself to the com-
plete accuracy of what lam now about to st'.te to you. It
is the intention of the present Government to endeavour to
set aside the contract with the Lever Company for the con-
veyance of the American mails through Ireland, and the
effort is to be made next session of Parliament, by means of
the re-appointment of the committee on packet contracts,
of which Mr. Cobden was chairman. The probability is
that this statement will, in the usual course, be denic d by
the organs of the Government. If it be, I shall be rcady
to give the proofs upon which I found it. My fellow-coun-
trymen will, I am sure, take prompt measures to repel thie
attempt at repudiating a contract which, if efficiently car-
ried out, will not only confer lasting benefit upon Ireland,
but will, beyond doubt, give to all Europe and to all Ault -
rice the shortest, the quickest, and the safest communica-
tion between the two continents."
THE GREAT EASTERN.—It is understood, says
our Liverpool correspondent, that the directors of the Great
Eastern have given up the idea of sending her to sea durine.
the ensuing twelve months. The delay in her voyage will
enable the directors to exhibit her most profitably in diffe-
rent ports of the kingdom—the principal railway companies
being willing, it is said, to allow the Great Eastern direc-
tors a per centage of the excursion fares to different ports
of the country.—Daily
MUNIFICENT BEQUEST.—The committee of: the
King's College Hospital, Lincoln's Inn, have received in-
timation from the executors of the late Mrs. Mary Anne
Worley of a bequest of 11,000 for the benefit of the hos-
pital.