The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-26 00:00:00

ST. JAMES'S THEATRE.

On Saturday evening after a very pretty little French
vaudeville, entitled the " Household Fairy," adapted by
Mr. Frank Talfourd, from the new pantomime of " Punch
and Judy," was performed for the first time, and the intro-
duction embodies an allegorical war between the Queen of
Mirth (Miss Julia Ashton) and King Humbug (Mr.
Robins), resolved to terminate the reign of the mighty
monarch of imposition, the Queen makes Punch (Mr. J.
Francis) the general of her forces, and at last puts her
enemy completely to the rout. This martial tale, so re-
plete with moral instruction, is told in fashion some-
what loose and disjointed, and may be advantageously
curtailed. However, it is lively and by no means deficient
in humour. Punch rapidly goes through the aacient
tragedy of the streets, knocking through trap-doors the
various personages who habitually descend behind the mys-
terious curtain, and the Court of King Humbug serves
as a vehicle for satirizing the "shams" of the day,
his Majesty being introduced to "Big Ben," and a
long series of unpopular personages, which, to the infinite
mirth of the audience, terminates with the "Four Liver-
pool Merchants," on whose backs are depicted the heads
of those animals which the Hyperboreans once sacrificed
to Apollo. Dancing is always a feature at the St.
James's Theatre. Miss Lydia Thompson, as Terpsichore,
executes one of her most showy pas in conjunction with
the corps de ballet. Punch goes through grotesque evolu-
tions with his wife Judy (Mr. Cockrill) and his dog Toby
(Master Purvis, a clever little fellow), and Miss Ranoe and
Miss Evans dash through a couple of "nigger pas de deux"
with an amount of force and spirit that carries along all
beholders. Particularly felicitous, too, is the manager in
the discovery of a new scene painter named Coventry, who
really elevates the once shabby St. James's into fair com-
petition with rivals of noted splendour. The " Crystal
Caves of the Queen of Mirth," in which the fairies are
sleeping after Troglodyte fashion, beneath a spreading land-
scape, is a good specimen of refined threatrical painting,
and the " transformation scene" is a most effective com-
bination of all those glittering figures and mechanical deve-
lopements which are now 'deemed assential to the success of
a pantomime. At the end of this scene, Mr. Coventry, the
painter, and Mr. Chatterton, the manager, were both called
by the audience.
Tha harlequinade followed. The two clowns are Mr.
Paul Herring, a veteran from tho suburbs, who displays a
great deal of old school humour, and arr. Alfred Glanville.
Among the mechanical tricks is a clever transformation of
a grocer's shop into a tea• gardens.
Morning performances are already announced for four
successive Wednesdays, when the children of different
schools will attend.

MR. ALBERT SMITH.—A rumour was in general
circulation in the metropolis on Saturday evening that this
public favourite had expired at his residence at Fulham.
We have the greatest pleasure in stating that the report is
without foundation. On inquiry this morning at North
End Villa, Fulham, the residence of Mr. Albert Smith, the
reply was that he was progressing favourably to a speedy
convalescence. A change for the better took place yester-
day afternoon, and from that time to the hour of going to
press he was gradually getting better, and all apprehension
of danger from a relapse is removed, in the opinion of Mr.
Rae, his immediate medical attendant, and Dr. Reynolds
and Mr. Oscar Clayton.
Mil. COBDEN AND THE EMPEROR NAPOLEON.—
Mr. Cobden, M.P., had a lengthened audience of the Bm-
peror of the French at the Tuileries on 'Wednesday last.
The Duke do Nemours and his son leave South-
ampton to-morrow in the Lisbon mail packet, on a visit to
the King of Portugal.

The Earl and Countess of Gainsborough and
Lady Victoria Noel have arrived at St. Leonard's-on.-Sea,
from their seat; Exton-park, Rutland.