The Sun.
London, England, 1868-04-16 00:00:00

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HER MAJESTY.

WINDSOR CASTLE, April 15.
The Queen, accompanied by their Royal High-
nesses Princess Louise, Prince Arthur, and Prince
Leopold, went to Aldershot Camp this morning.
Her Majesty honoured Sir James Clark with a
visit at Bagshot Park on her return.

71IE _IMPERIAL JAPANESE.

-..---

The extraordinary performance of the Japanese
troup now engaged at the Lyceum Theatre demands
more than an ordinary passing notice. The troupe
consists of twenty male and female artistes se-
lected from the Imperial Court of the Tycoon at
Yed 10, by Professor Risley, who, it will be remem-
bered, some years ago produced a great sensation in
the metropolis by his graceful and unparalleled
performance. Mr. Risley, during his travels, visited
Japan, and, on witnessing the feats of the troupe,
set about making the necessary preparations for
their visiting the Old and New Countries. Of
course such a step involved innumerable difficulties,
but all having been satisfactorily surmounted, the
troupe left Japan, and during the last year
gave their entertainment both in America
and Paris, in each place creating universal wonder
and surprise. For an Englishman the task of dis-
tinguishing the male from the female performers is
somewhat difficult, the dress of both being seemingly
so nearly similar; each also possesses the remarkable
power of grasp of the foot, the bones of which
seeming to move with the same pliancy and
rapidity as those of the hand. It is some-
what difficult to describe what these Imperial
Japanese really are, because the familiar
terms gymnast, acrobat, or athlete, would fail to
convey a correct idea, and with the one word con-
veying the meaning of the three combined, and
something more, we are yet unacquainted with. Of
this fact we are well convinced, that no troupe of
artistes, remembering very well the Japanese who
gave a series of performances at the Floral
Hall about a year ago, have ever achieved
any thin g like the extraordinary wonders accomplished
by the Imperials of Professor Risley. We rather
hesitate to attempt a description of some of their
feats, because they are of such a surprising nature
that written words can but very faintly convey a
true notion of the actual reality ; but in order to
excite the surprise and curiosity of the lovers Of
the wonderful we will just mention some
of their performances. Dismissing the open-
ing acrobatic evolutions, posturing, and group-
ing by the two juvenile prodigies, Yonekichl
and Shintharo, with silent wonder ; we next come
to the Dancing Drum and Flying Tubs by Hamm-
kiri Denkichi. The performer, lying on his back
with leg erect, receives on his feet a large drum,
which he causes to revolve, turn over from end to
end, and, in fact, doing anything he pleases; some
dozen of small tubs are next handed to him
singly, with which he makes a kind of pyramid,
the large drum being at the top. He
then causes the whole to revolve, and finally
jerks away the whole of the smaller tubs, and catches
the large drum again upon his feet whilst it is spin-
ning round with extraordinary velocity. This per-
formance, of itself a wonder, is exceeded by that of
the chief, Hamaikairi Sadakichi, and his son, Mikiehl
the little wonder, or, as he is more familiarly termed,
" All Right," from the great glee with which the little
fellow makes use of the expression when he seems
to be in the most perilous of positions. The
" act" is called "La Perche from the shoulder
without socket or rest," and the performer
has a large flexible bamboo cane, about
twenty feet long, placed in his hand. This 11
places on his shoulder, and little " All Right'
then mounts by hands and feet to the top, sits
down, grasping very composedly the cane with one
leg, and then suddenly holds himself out by his fee
at right angles from it. He goes through the same
performance with his hands, the cane all this
time being balanced by the chief in the position
e have mentioned. Another wonderful perform'
ante on a suspended bamboo is accomplished by Mat"
zungoro. This young man, while the cane is swinging
about some 20 feet from the stage, twists and twirls
about it with the greatest rapidity, and every nevi
and then he descends " with a run" to within au
inch of the end, and there suddenly stops himself
to receive the applause the daring act calls forth.
The lady slack rope dancer Omatzan is another
wonder, as she performs without a balance pole, and
carries in its place a Japanese umbrella, which, re"
markable as it may appear, does not seem the
slightest incumbrance to her. Her aplomb on die
rope is truly surprising, and altogether she leave:
Blondin quite in the shade. Of course we have
the delicate and beautiful butterfly trick gracefullf
performed by Namingaroo and Komong, and her
little daughter Ozunei perform various acts of top
spinning—..the most striking being that accomplished
by the little lady, viz., spinning the top on the
of what appears to be an artist's camel's hair pencil
Yonekichi and Shintharso then give another illustll,
,
tion of the wonderful lithesomness of limb, by Oilst,
ing their bodies into all manner of shapes and CO
tortions ; the one placing the soles of his feet on 5
shoulders ; the other throwing his body back 110/no,
his hands touch the ground, and his head cones
to his heels. The great closing feat is perform!
by the Chief and little " All Right." Two laddeP,
0,
weighing, we are told, over 3 cwt., are fixed t
gether like the letter L inverted ; the 101,
one is balanced on the soles of the feet of the chief,
whilst his son ascends to the top, and on reachl'ls
the second ladder, which it will be understood 18.,
right angles with the long one, the boy winds hlOOO
self in and out the staves until he reaches the extra ,4
end, and there he goes through another set of anti
which, but for the confidence the little fellovi e
hibits, would be looked upon with great alarm: t
turning by the same perilous way, " All Bight
reaches the top of the long ladder, from wine° 0
seizes a sliding pulley, and finally descends W,
the rapidity of lightning, a thin cord extendi"
from the top of the proscenium down to the dfid,
circle. It is impossible, as we have already said,
adequately to describe all the wonders perforrnect_cif3t
the Imperial Japanese. They are certainly the M
wonderful that have ever been exhibited 'l'
_fa
London, and although some of their feats aProa
very hazardous, yet the calmness, precision!,:bed
confidence with which they are all accomP,us the
takes away any unpleasant feeling, and invests b,
entertainment with an interest altogether aste°
andiug' remarkable which
renders e
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ee oe originstrtnroto!

THE NATIONAL REFORM UNION.—A Ineetio4o:o
the executive committee of the National Reform ljei°°
held last evening, at the offices, 19, Parliament-streeto
Henry Hoare in the chair. The arrangements f°r -01
coming metropolitan meetings in favour of Mr. Gladat°llfr•
resolutions were discussed; and it was mentioned thill j:et'
John Bright, M.P., had consented to preside at the r°„00
ing on Wednesday next, to be held in the Metroe"
Tabernacle.
7,f „.10
CAPTURE OF A ROYAL STURGEON IN THE .0--4: it*
—While a fisherman, named Henry Mellish, Was 1.„-i'tet'
yesterday morning in the river Medway, near Bee'he-Sio
bridge, he caught a "royal" sturgeon, whicb, its
brought to land, was found to measure 7 feet 6 inched
weight being 1301bs. The fish was at once preeensof
the Mayor of Rochester, who forwarded it to W'tlnglit
Castle as a present to her Majesty. The sturgeon
yesterday is believed to be tho largest ever captured
English river. eSti'
THE OXFORD.—We understand that 3 t .;1
monial is to be presented to Mr. Ferdinand JongtviitU
;ate chef d'orchestre at the Orford. When we recollected to
what zeal Mr. Jonghmans has for many years 1.410,e1ia1l
,utroduce the works of the best composers to 3 leti%ootiC
audience, we feel that ho is fully entitled to the '-
about to be conferred on him.
ni o.l°ll
FRENCH MACKEREL FISHERY.--The —aedipg",
,fishery on the French coast is at present elOecne
tbundant. Two smacks have just returned to DiOr 'be#
with 13,060 fish, and the other with 13,525. Iklsn°o°.
,elonging to Boulogne has brought in nearly 18,u—t.bst
All receive with satisfaction the announcement' fie
amsequence of the Reduction in Duty iloritimat:ilorir"
Teas are sold 8d per pound Cheaper. 2,600 A-11' .0 tiO
Agents—Confectioners in Loudon and Chetst:
Provinces—Supplyklorniznan'iToa only F"`""..