The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-21 00:00:00

THE FORTIFICATIONS OF PORTSJIOUTIL

Great damage was occasioned to the outer line of
earth-works now in course of construction along the
shores of Stokes-bay, near Portsmouth, by the ex-
cessively heavy rain-fall which preceded the setting
in of the frosty weather, and which damage it is
feared will be developed to a still greater extent on
a complete thaw taking possession of the ground.
The nature of the soil and its uncoalesced state
naturally allowed the
,water to penetrate into its
very base until it became in many places little
better than mounds of liquid mud, placed to drain
and dry. Much of this was washed out of all form
or shape, but the damage did not end there; the'
more advanced portions of the works have received
the greater injury, and more particularly the square
casemated work in front of Fort Gomer. The con-
crete revetments of this battery, with its berm and
parapet, have slipped out of position in largo masses
on the front face, and are evidently only prevented
from falling bodily into the ditch by their present
frozen state. It must prove a serious loss to the con-
tractor. A good number of men are now employed
upon this line, which extends from Fort Monckton
to the swamp in rear of the Brown down auxi-
liary batteries and in front of Fort Gomer. Pile
driving is being carried on with great vigour in
front of Alverbank, where the principal entrance
to the works will be from the front, and where the
culvert will enter to supply the ditch with water
when needed, or if the construction of the ditch will
bear it. The railway works at the redan in front
of Anglesea are also now being pushed forward.
From the east end of this redan rises a semicircular
plateau in advance of the main plateau, which ex-
tends the whole length of the line of defence on this
face, and on this the formation of the planking
batteries in rear of the line of ditch and parapet
are being commenced. In the centre of this plateau
is about to be commenced one of the strong posi-
tions which will be the real defence of the whole
of the line. The six-gun battery in the gorge of
the redan, for sweeping its ditch and interior, is
completed. The railroad will be effectually com-
manded by the flanking battery at the western end
of the semicircular plateau already referred to, and
the eastern end of which rests on the inland swamp
and ditch in the rear of Fort 31[onckton. The iron
girders have all been fixed to the room ceilings of
the quarters in Fort Elson, aru it is expected they
will in a short time be pronounced fit for re-occupa-
tion. The melting of the snow has disclosed fur-
ther defects in this fort, not ithe least of which is
the evident bulging outwards •of its revetments.

MR. WOODIN S NEW' ENTERTAIN-

M.ENT.

We remember the time—an d though the period
dates some years back, it seems: but as yesterday—
when Mr. Woodin astonished; the town by the
announcement of his Carpet Bag, from the mysteri-
ous recesses of which he was to draw forth a variety
of characters and incidents; types of familiar things
in ordinary life, for the amuse P ',,hi„i
' could mean
—what sort of a carpet bag it could be to accom-
plish results never before assoc 6ated with the idea
of a carpet bag; and no doubt; many strange and
imaginery notions were form (!d of the peculiar
nature, form, and contents of I Cr. Woodin's Carpet
Bag. It was, to be sure, a v.a ry peculiar carpet
bag, for it was the only one of its kind. Mr.
Woodin himself was the maker and contriver of it,
and he did not take the precauf tion of obtaining a
patent to guard his invention. From his brain he
brought forth the design, and it was his creative
fancy that supplied the mu 3 tifarious contents.
When the bag was unlocked, a and its secrets were
unfolded to the public, the fa) sae of it became so
great that the whole town floc Iced to see it, and in
time the desire of other towns 20 see the wonderful
Carpet Bag grew so strong tb .al Mr. Woodin took
it on a provincial tour.
The Carpet Bag having estab l ished the reputation
of Mr. Woodin as one of the greatest humorists and
most accomplished monologists of the day, it was
laid aside. This was done not, because it had lost
its hold on the public, or was " used up," but be-
cause Mr. Woodin, feeling the impulse to achieve
something still greater, thouglid , the time had come
for a development of his Carpet. Bag entertainment,
and this development he called the ." Olio of Od-
dities." The fame of this is li:i sown to everybody
in town and country, and, wi....th the exception of
Mr. Albert Smith's Mont Blanc , no monologue en-
tertainment ever achieved so g-r 'eat a success. This
Olio of Oddities, like its prod ecessor the Carpet
Bag, had lost none of its orii ;inal freshness. It
would live and flourish for yea cs to come, but Mr.
Woodin, who ever rejoices in. new creations, be-
thought of producing a further development ; and
this we have under the very al ?propriate title, the
"Cabinet of Curiosities," whirl i forms the subject
of the present notice.
In our appreciation the ne 1 v entertainment as
far surpasses the Olio of OM ities as that did the
Carpet Bag. The Cabinet of Curiosities is drawn
after a higher dramatic stan d lard, there is a better
grouping of characters and in ll 3idents, and the cha-
racters are more strongly mar ked ; there is a deeper
insight into human nature, a keener perception of
the ludicrous, a finer colon ring, and a more har-
monious blending of details. It is a decided success,
and the critics seem to speal c but one voice in pro-
claiming it to be such. Mr. iNeodin's cabinet does
indeed contain many great curiosities, but the
geatest curiosity connected NI r ith it is how, single-
handed and alone, and with c tut any stage contri-
vances beyond the necessary changes of costume,
he can transform himself al: n lost instantaneously
into so many opposite chars ,c ,ters, giving to each
the distinctive voice, manse. r , habit, and natural
lineaments that distinguish e d the originals in
real life. He stands befol ri 3 the audience one

moment representing Mr. Ca i ddles, an individual
who sees nothing new nude! the sun ; he then
stoops, and in an instant reappears as Mr.
Tom Galloper, the very antitli esis of Griddles, who
thinks everything new. But the next transforma-
tion is a still greater curiosity, for he no sooner
stoops as Tom Galloper, than he rises again in the
person of Mrs. Poppies, the p e w opener, and repre-
sents the character in a mangy a er so true to nature
that it requires some effort to 'persuade oneself that
a real specimen of the class 1., s not present instead
of Mr. Woodin.
The Cabinet of Curiosities i 3omprises characters
I so numerous and diverse that it would be impossible
in a notice of this kind to describe them in detail.
We shall therefore merely call, attention to a few of
those which appear to us to bi the most finished
portraits in Mr. Woodin's Ca: binet. The first of
these is Mr. Halcyon Higgins, one who likes no
" bother" about anything, and • who rejoices in the
pleasures of a yacht for this eery reason. It is
hardly possible to conceive a m ore complete trans-
formation than is effected by 3,1 r. Woodin in this
character. His identity is no longer discernible.
There is nothing in the appeariii ice, manner, voice,
or gesture of Mr. Woodin. He stands before the
audience as unlike himself as ± f the ideal of Mr.
Higgins were to appear before them in the flesh,
and after his own natural fashia m relate the par-
ticular bent of his inclinations ea id his aversion to
bother. This is,one of the gems ,a f the Cabinet. It is
so perfect in its way that any all eration would mar
the effect of it. Another portrt Lit drawn to the life
is that of Thomas Gubbins, te ostler; and the
Widow Whimperley, as the tyl ill of a class, is con-
ceived in the happiest vein. IChere are scores of
others in Mr.Woodin'sCabinet,c olch and all display-
ing his amazing versatility, his e ctraordinary power
of transformation, and unriN tailed command of
voice. Two hours could
Everyone triumpldh.
The Cabinet of Curiosities is
Everyone should go and see it-