The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-22 00:00:00

PRINCESS'S THEATRE.

Last evening Mr. Fechter repeated the character of Ruy
Blas, the novelty of the evening, however, being the first
appearance of Mr. Basil Potter in the part of Don Sallust.
The character, it will be remembered, was originally sus-
tained by Mr. Walter Lacy with much success ; and, as it
was supposed he had made the part his own, much curio-
sity was excited as to the manner in which Mr. Potter
would acquit himself of his by no means easy task. On his
first appearance he betrayed a slight nervousness, but as he
warmed in the part he improved in every sentence he uttered.
The whole part was performed with such an artistic finish
as to literally take the audience by surprise, and to leave no
room to regret the absence of Mr. Lacy. Mr. Potter we
only knew, until last night, as the bad genius of transpon-
tine melodrama, but immediately he became possessed of a
fair opportunity of displaying his real talent, he has done so
in such a manner as to advance him instantly to the front
rank of his profession. He, with Mr. Fechter and Miss
Heath, had to bow their acknowledgments at the fall of the
curtain. The house was crowded to excess.

MR. BRIGHT AND CO-OPERATIVE S OCIETIES.—
The Manchester and Salford Co-operative Society held
their annual meeting on Saturday. Mr. Alderman Hey-
wood was in the chair, and delivered an interesting ad-
dress. The Rev. Canon Richson was also present. Apo-
logetic letters for non-attendance were read from Mr. Bright,
Mr. Bazley, and other gentlemen. Mr. Bright's letter was
as follows :—" Rochdale, Dec. 24, 1860.—Dear sir,—l have
to thank you for the kind invitation you have forwarded
me on behalf of your Co-operative Society. lam not able
to accept it and to be present at your approaching annual
meeting, owing to many engagements, and to the fact that
I do not wish to appear to undertake any responsibility
with regard to co-operative societies. I wish them all suc-
cess, and I am anxious they should be managed in all cases
by prudent and honest men ; and I strengthen my argu-
ments in favour of giving the suffrage to working men by
showing what they are doing in co- operative societieg, and
in other directions, to justify their demand for a share of
political power; but, as I can take no part in the manage-
ment of those societies, so I am unwilling to appear upon
their platforms to induce others bo join them. I think you
will understand my position, as I have thus described it ;
and I am, very respectfully yours,—Jonx BRIGHT."
From the report it appears that the profits of this society
have advanced from £67 in December, 1859, to £648 in
December, 1860. The sales receipts were in the same
periods £1,569 and £11,883, and the number of members
respectively 300 and 1,600.
THE DROWNED WALLSEND COALFIELD.--A large
and influential meeting of the coal owners of the north of
England was held on Wednesday last at the Turf Hotel,
Newcastle-on -Tyne, for the purpose of considering the de-
tails of a scheme for the drainage of the coalfield east of
Newcastle, which is now under water. The chair was oc-
cupied, in the absence of Lord Ravensworth, by Mr. M.
Bell, a large colliery owner. Mr. T. J. Taylor, in laying
before the meeting the scheme, stated that the coalfield east
of Newcastle measured about 30 square miles. Tho whole
of which was, in mining language, " drowned." Water
had been permitted to accumulate till it had risen more than
100 fathoms above the high main seam, so that, in point of
fact, there was a lake of 100 fathoms deep under ground,
and the consequence was that the high main seam was en-
tirely submerged, while the lower seam could only be worked
by a system which, though ingenious, was very uncertain.
Cast iron caissons, or tubbing, were used in segments of
20 inches in height and 4or 6 feet long. These were
wedged together, and thus formed a sort of dam, which
was not, however, to be depended upon. At Hebburn a
fracture in the tubbing had occasioned the entire loss of the
colliery, aad might have also occasioned great loss of life.
Cast iron was therefore not to be depended upon. Under
these circumstances it was desirable to adopt some general
plan of drainage. It. was therefore proposed to drain a
district of 22,000 acres, bounded by the main dyke on the
aorth, the sea on the east, and the town of Newcastle on
the west. This might be accomplished by placing drain-
ing engines at Jarrow, Howden, and other places in the
district. They did not need to go to the bottom of the bas
in all cases, but to intercept the feeders would do as well.
He need not go into details, but, considering the vast
amount of mineral wealth which was lying unemployed, he
thought that they were fully justified in adopting a scheme,
however extensive it was, which would utilise that wealth.
In answer to various questions, Mr. Taylor stated that the
quantity of water was so great in the pits that at Percy
Main Colliery, before it was abandoned, 18 times more
water than coal was raised at it. The sum which was re

quired to carry out the proposed scheme was only £60,000,
and the barriers of coal which were now left in the high
main seam only amounted in themselves to more than
double that sum. After several gentlemen had expressed
their opinion respecting the proposed scheme, a committee
of citalowners and others was appointed for the purpose of
considering it and examining the bill to be presented to
parliament in its favour.

A FACTORY 6PERATITE'S LEGACIES. The
Sf'aekport Advertiser says that a factory operative, named
William Smith, late of Wellington-road South, in that
borough, has left by mill, in the shape of legacies, property
to the following amount :—£ll to the Stockport Sunday
School, £lO to the Stockport Infirmary, £lO to the Stock-
port Mechanics' Institution, £lO to the Vernon Park, £lO
to the Temperance United Alliance Association, £l2O each to
two brothers ausi *ter, and over £7OO to his widow. I