The Sun.
London, England, 1850-12-31 00:00:00

SURREY THEATRE.

A romantic drama, from the grand magazine of
modern playwrights, the repertoire of the Theatre
Francais, was produced yesternight at the Surrey,
with such applause as might be expected for its salient
points, in a house crowded from floor to ceiling.
The piece is of the class denomina,ed " powerful, '
which means violent in effect, transition, and situa-
tion, qualities which, upon the principle of Byron,
who considered " wrath and partiality" among the
merits of a writer, make a Surrey melo-drama ear-
nest and effective. The Countess of Tersen is the
title of the play, and when we tell the reader that
she is "the wife of two husbands," he will at once
see that the contrivance is very French. Well, the
Countess Elise (Miss Cooper), has in early life
become the dupe of a thorough-paced Gallic villain of
the "regulation pattern," higbt Isidore Fritz(Mr.Shep -
herd), by him she has a son, Jules (Miss Mandlo-
bert), who passes as an orphan in the household of
the Count de Tersen (Mr. W. Montague), Elise's
second husband. To avoid unpleasant reminiscences
and evince her filial affection, the amiable Countess
has also placed upon her estate her father Maurice
(Mr. T. Mead), who is blind, and has yet an unre-
pealed curse against his daughter for her supposed
elopement with Fritz and her criminal desertion of
himself. The cross-purposes in a scene between the
unknown daughter and ber still-embittered father,
who outpours at once his gratitude fur the Countess
and his hatred for his erring child may be imagined.
Vidore, the forcat, escapes from the bagne, with a
confederate villain Walter (Mr. Raymond). He car-
ries misery into the Count's family by his fearful
disclosures, but is recognised in the moment of his
extortionate triumph as a deserter by old Corporal
Bataille (Mr. H. Widdicombe), a vieux moustache of
the empire, as one sentenced to death for a mili-
tary offence years before. Major de Goltz (Mr. Bruce
Norton) also identifies him, and the tables are turned.
Still, as certain papers requisite to the exculpation of
the Countess are in the possession of Isidore's confe-
derate, the villain puts on a bold front, and the Count,
who devotedly loves his wife, offers the convict
12,000 florins and a safe conduct to Antwerp, thence
to embark for America. The villain accepts the offer,
but only to slake his vengeance on his unoffending
wife. He plots with Walter to meet the Count and
assassinate him, sharing the 12,000 florins, and
keeping his hold on the twice-widowed Countess.
This conspiracy old Corporal Bataille over-
hears, and lays his plan like an old soldier.
He defeats the signal by a manoeuvre, and
Walter, rushing out in the dark, stabs his accomplice
Isidore to the heart. The final tableau is quickly
formed : enter theColonel-Count to his interview, with
the villain who has already " got his gruel ;" the Cor-
poral has collared Walter ; the Countess and Jules,
Islarmed, are there ; the old father, conducted by Ger-
trude (Miss Laporte), '
is led in • the papers clearing
up the innocence of Elise, and showing the horrid
plots of Isidore, are found on Walter; the blind old
fellow gives his blessing, and delivers " a tag ;" Count
and Countess embrace; everybody hugs everybody,
and down goes the curtain amid such a round of ap-
plause as can only be got from a crammed Surrey
audience—so called a non audiendo—at holiday time.
A dance in sabots, and some cooaicalities between old
Bataille and Gertrude, give the sauce piquante to
this well-spiced piece of French cookery.
The pantomime of the Merry Wives of Windsor
followed, elevated the groundlings to the gods, and
set Olympus yet higher in glee and uproariousness.

PASSAGES of the ATLANTIC STEAMERS.
Ocr readers are aware, from our American news in
yesterday's impression, that the Royal Mail steam-ship
Asia, on her homeward To) age. accomplished the dis-
tance in the briefest period of time yet recorded in the
history of steam on the Atlantic. A Liverpool corre-
spondent supplies us with the following resume of its
features:—
Precisely as in the instance cf the Royal Mail steam-
ship Europa, last week, the Asia, from the season and
the nature of the weather, was not expected, on her run
homeward, to effect more than a fair average passage.
Her splendid capabilities, however, have on this occa-
sion enabled her to accomplish a run unquestionably su-
perior to any of those celebrated and unrivalled feats of
steaming which have so often been recorded in our co-
lumns during the current year, in connexion with the
flee fleets of the Royal and United S:ates mail services.
Her run of last summer to the Mersey, on which
occasion she steamed past the Rock Lighthouse at
midnight on the Saturday, had previously stood
unrivalled, being one hour and twenty minutes less
than the finest passage of the United States' mail-
steamer Atlantic ; but the Asia has now beaten
even herself, fully justifying her claim to be con-
sidered the fleetest existing ocean stearn-ship. From
New York, on the 18th instant, she cleared precisely at
midday, but shortly afterwards stopped her engines to
repair damage received by her wheels during a collision
with the wharf. Fifty-five minutes were thus lost; and
she finally started on her voyage shortly before two Pan.
During her subsequent passage she experienced varia-
ble weather, with frequent strong breezes from the west-
ward, and on Friday at ten r at., made Cape Clear, bar-
ing steamed from land to land in little more than nine
days. Holyhead was passed, unobserved by the marine
telegraph, at four P.N. on Saturday, and at half-past
nine o'clock her guns saluted the town, exciting general
surprise and universal gratification as regards the cele-
rity of her passage. From the log it will be observed
that the Asia throughout effected very high average
speed per diem. On two days she steamed a distance
!seldom equalled, hitherto, in the annals of ocean steam-
ing; running on the 25th, 26tb, and 27th instant re-
spectively 328,321, and 300. Her passage, reckoned
according to mean time, and deducting forty-five minutes
lost off New York repairing floats, may be recorded as
ten days four hours and five minutes, or two hours and
fifty-five minutes less than her fastest summer passage,
four hours and fifteen minutes less than the United States
mail steamers' fastest passage eastward, and about five
hours and twenty minutes less than the remarkable sum-
mer run of the Pacific out to New York.

LOG L,F THE ASIA.

December 18—Noon, stt;rted; stopped from 1.10 P.M.
to 1.55 P.M. to repair floats, having been in contact with
the dock ; 2 r.ss. passed Sandy Hook. Moderate breezes.
19—Wind, N. Lat.4o 46, long. 68 24. Morning, light
sirs; r.x., fresh breezes from S.S.E. Distance run, 261
miles.
20—Wind, S. and W. Lat. 42 55, long. 62 50. Strong
breezes, with high sea. Distance run, 279 miles.
21—Wind, N.N.W. Lat. 44 23, long. 56 54. Strong
breezes, with dark gloomy weather. Distance run, 275
miles.
22—Wind, W.S.W. Lst. 46 50, long. 51 24. Strong
breezes, with rain. Distance run, 275 miles.
23—Wind, W. Lat. 48 50, long. 44 55. Strong gales,
with snow and squalls; high sea on. Distance run, 289
a
24—W;
S.W. by W. Lat. 50 41, long. 37 52.
Strong breezes and cloudy. Distance run, 294 miles.
25—Wind, S.W. Lat. 51 22, long. 29 27. Strong
breezes and cloudy; 9 P.M., exchanged signals with a
large steamer bound west. Distance run, 328 miles.
26—Wind, S.W. Lat. 51 34, long. 20 48. Moderate
breezes and cloudy. Distance run, 321 miles.
27—Wind, S.W. Lat. 51 17, long. 12 59. Light,
variable winds; 10 P.M., Cape Clear distant 2 miles.
Distance run, 300 miles.
28—Wind, variable. 9 A.M., abreast Tuskar; 4 P.M.,
abreast Holyhead; and at 9 30 P.M. arrived at Liverpool.

THE THIEVES' NEW DODGE.—On Monday even-
ing last, about five or six minutes before seven o'clock, as
Mr. Barlow, whit resides at Patricroft, was proceeding to the
Victoria Railway Station, Manchester, in order to go by the
seven o'clock train, while proceeding along Todd-street, on
the opposite side of the street, and nearly opposite the Ca-
thedral school, he perceived some one rapidly approach him
from behind, and immediately a right arm was flung around
his neck, and tightly compressed by the thief's other hand
grasping the right wrist. This is described as being most
powerful in producing instaneously the first symptom of stran-
gulation, stopping the breath and inducing speechlessness and
almost utter prostration of strength. Persevered in for
a little time, death would doubtless ensue. In the present
case, no sooner had this human bowstring been
appliel, than two accomplices appeared in front
of Mr. Barlow, one of whom snatched his watch from his
vest pocket, and jerked the guard chain, a silver one, of more
than ordinary strength, with such force as to break it, and
possessed himself of the watch. The other took a sovereign
from some cash in Mr. Barlow's pocket; but fortunately at
this moment, before the robbery had been comp'eted by
rifling other pockets, Mr. M'Clare, who was about to pro-
ceed by the same railway train, came up, and the thieves
hurled Mr. Barlow down, his head and face striking the wall
with great force, and ran off in different directions. As Mr.
brPClure saw them throw Mr. Barlow down, he pursued and
overtook one of them, but was unable to detain hint, and all
three escaped. Mr. Barlow has since been very ill from the
effects of the outrage; he has not yet recovered his voice, his
throat is much swollen, and his head hurt, and he has suf-
fered repeatedly from attacks of spasms, caused by the stran-
gulation to which he was only for a few seconds subjected.
SHIPBUILDING IN NEW YORIL.—AS an example of
the extent to which this branch of industry is carried on in
this city we will give the following statement of one of our
principal shipbuilders, furnished to thej United States Mar-
shal, developing facts in relation to the business conducted
by him, for the year ending June 1, 1850 :—About 385 men
were constantly employed during the year for which the
report was made, at an average of 1.75 dolls. per day. The
monthly payments for work performed amounted to 17,517,
or 210,204 dolls. per annum. During the time mentioned
two steam-ships measuring 3,000 tons, and eight ships of
11,040 tons were launched by him. There were consumed
in the construction of vessels of various descriptions 80,0091 b.
of copper bolts, brass work, &c.; 535,0001 h. of iron bolts,
wrought and cast iron work • 60,000 cubic feet of live
oak ; 6,000 ditto locust ; 4,000 ditto, cedar ; 175,000
white oak; 90,000 pitch dine; 10,000 white pine;
400,000 superficial feet of white oak plank ; 850,000
ditto pitch pine; 720,000 ditto white pine; 300,000 ditto
lumber; 10,000 dollars' worth of spars; 50,000 ponds of
oakum, &c. This is quite an extensive business we should
judge, and appears the larger when we reflect that it is the
business of only one man engaged in shipbuilding. There
are, however, a number of shipbuilders on the East River
from Corlear's Hook and upwards, and also in Brook-
lyn, Williamsburg, Hoboken, &c., whose business will com-
pare favourably with the above. We also learn that several
new ship-yards, both in the city proper and in the neigh-
bourhood, are in contemplation by our enterprising me-
chanics, those now in operation not being sufficient to sup-
ply the demand for vessels, a large portion of which vessels
our merchants are compelled to order from Maine and other
northern'states, for the simple reason that there are not yards
enough
to build them here. We are glad to see, at an evi-
dence of our prosperity, more ship-yards established around
It; and, as our shipwrights now build the best vessels, so we
ope soon to See them build the largest number of any city en
the 44" Of the glebe.---Arew -York .Express.