The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-22 00:00:00

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SADLER'S WELLS THEATRE.
'1 he legitimate drama, like persons in a decline,
seems to have been quite -renovated by a return to
the locality in which it was nurtured during
the days of its youthful vigour ; and Sitiller's
Wells, under the management of • Phelps and Mrs.
_Warner, in the days of Queen Victoria, bibs fair to
rival what the Fortune Theatre (situated in the.same
district) was in the days of Queen Elizabeth-, under
the management of Philip Henslowe and Edward Al-
leyne. Night after night is Sadler's Wblls crowded
by a most respectable and highly-attentive audience;
to witness the masterpieces of Shalispeare and
our glorious dramatists, performed as they
can now be performed at no other theatre in London.
Since the etommencement of the season the company
has numbered amongst its members Phelps, Mrs.
Warner, Miss Cooper, Marston, and John Webster ;
more recently George Bennett has jointed them, and
Sadler's Wells can now boast of the malt complete
tragedy company that could, by possibility, at the pre-
sent moment be assembled within the walls of any
metropolitan theatre. The audience .part of the thea-
tre has been newly fitted up, and the arrangements
for the accommodation of the visitors to the boxes,
which are under the superintendence of our old
friend Notter, are admirable. The tragedy, of The
Bridal, which was performed some few years since
at Covent-garden, was produced here last evening
with the most brilliant and the most deserved success.
It is an adaptation by Sheridan Knowles of Beau-
mont and Fletcher's Maid's Tragedy. This play, one
of the most powerful and poetical compositions Oft
ever was penned, and which is inferior only to
creations of Shakspeare, was laid aside
at the Restoration, because it was considered
to smack somewhat too strongly of disloyalty,:
and Waller, who adapted it to the stage, attempted
to render it fit for representation by altering the de-
nouement, and making the king repent, instead- of fall-.
ing by the hand of Evadne; but the graceful, but
feeble Waller, was no match for the masculine vigour
of Beaumont, who is generally considered to have the
principal hand in writing this tragedy ; they were as
ill-assorted as Amintor and Evadne. Waller's altera-
tions were soon forgotten, and the tragedy again
ceased to be.an acting play. About four years since it
was revived by Macready, who entrusted %said=
Knowles with the task of adapting it for representa-
tion. The task could not have been confided to fitter
hands. Possessing the same heartiness of fealiwg,
the same vigour of thought, the same vein of poetry
as Beaumont himself, Knowles set about his labnetr-
of love—for to him it must have been a labour of
love—in the true spirit ; lie has cut out a great doe,
which would not be tolerated on the stage in three
days, and has added three scenes, but so thoroughly
has he been imbued with Beaumont's spirit, and to
artistically has he introduced his new matter, that a
spectator who had never read the original would be
puzzled to discover where the alterations had boon
made. The cast last night was very strong. We
had Phelps as Melantius, Marston as Amintor,
G. Bennett as the King, Mrs. Warner as Evadne, •
and Miss Cooper as Aspasia. Phelps, as Melantit
looked anti acted the honourable, high-minde4
courageous, but injured soldier, to the life.
There was an intensity in his acting in the
scene with Amintor, in which the latter discloses
to him the cause of his sorrow, that told : most
effectively; and in the scene with Evadne, in which
he taxes her with her guilt, and makes her swear to
be revenged, he was quite appalling. We know of
no lady on the stage who could have personated the
haughty Evadne so to the life as Mrs. Warner did.
In the scenes with Melantius she was inagficent.
We never saw Marston to greater advantage than in
the character of Amintor. He seems to have made
this line of character completely his own. George
Bennett, in the King, did that which lie has so often
done before —made a second-rzte character of first-
rate importance by his excellent acting. Miss Cooper
had but little to do as Aspasia, but that little wasgper-
formed beautifully. Take it altogether, we kriofr not
when we have seen a tragedy acted so admirably as a
whole—there was not a weak part in it. The cos-
tumes were magnificent and appropriate, and the.play
altogether was put upon the stage with the greatest
attention. The applause was enthusiastic at the fall
of the curtain, and Phelps and Mrs. Warner were
called for and received with the customary honours.
The house was crowded to suffocation in every part.

DESCENT OF THE « MONSTER

BALLOON."
TO THE EDITOR OF THE. SUN.
SlR,—Having been Mr. Hampton's companion on
Monday evening in the car of his " Monster Balloon,"
allow me to particularise the journey and descent.
We left White Conduit. gardens with ease and a
moderate ascending power, and although the car con-
tained three cwt. of ballast, Mr. liampton did not
discharge an ounce of it, for the following reasons :
In the first place the intrepid aeronaut studied to
afford me a good view of the metropolis ; the altitude
the balloon attained, and the course she took, being
calculated to produce the desired gratification. I
was enabled to gaz on this treat city under very
favourable circumstances. Beholding around me so
much that was grand and interesting, my Trip,
although short, was sweet, indeed. The novelties,
entertainments, and beauties of London have fre-
quently afforded me amusement and instruction, but
the enthusiasm and real delight I experienced in
viewing its characteristic features, with their grandeur
and various peculiarities, was a pleasure so great and
impressive, that London has ascended in my estima-
tion through my having ascended from London.
Mr. Hampton's second reason for not exceeding
half a mile was this balloon has very properly
been designated a " Monster," and it being the first
time she has ascended from London, he was desirous
of convincing the thousands who were beneath that
she really merited that appropriate title. As the at
contained three cwt. of ballast, the balloon had sue-
cient power to take up four persons, and an ample
supply of sand. Mr. Hampton, however, determined
to take no stranger with him until after a second trial
had been made of the improvements in his balloon,
which have already been mentioned in the papers.
The reason that I was favoured was owing to in-
timate acquaintance with Mr. Hampton, to the satis-
faction I telt as to the strength and safety of the
machine, having observed its construction, and, more-
over, from a little ambition to be the first to ascend
with the aeronaut in his " Monster Balloon."

The descent of this new and splendid balloon was
effected with perfect safety in a meadow belonging to
Mr. Thomas Rust, of East Ham Hall, East ham.
about twenty minutes after our departure from the
gardens. The valve car, and other improvement:,
acted with satisfaction to Mr. Hampton.
I am, Sir, your obliged servant,
lIENRY WELLS.

AGED OPERATIVE COTTON-SPINNERS.—Mr. Stuart,
factory inspector for Scotland, states that in the New
Lanark factory are two women, whose names are Marion
Train and Margaret Mackenzie, still employed as spin-
ners, and who have been at work there as such since
1793. Of-male spinners there are three, at tie factory
of Cu!creuch, in Stirlingshire, who have been employed
for above forty years as spinners, viz., John limiter,
John Gourlay, and John Maitland. The two last-men-
tioned persons are still a'; work as spinners. hunter has
been in the factory for fifty years, and is now the overseer.
CUSTOM-HOUSE AND BONDING WARBIIOUSES.
Messrs. Dowding and Kerr, the gentlemen sent down to
Manchester by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to con-
fer with the mayor and corporation, respecting the sites
and other requsite arrangements for a custom-house and
bonding warehouses, are still here, and we believe they
meet his Worship the Mayor and the General Purposes
Committee on the subject this day. They will shortly
leave Mancester ; but to return on the 10th September,
by which day applications for approval of premises for
bonding warehouses are to be sent in. The Act will be
in operation about a month after that time, or about
tin 10th October.—Manchester Guardian.
DECREASE OF CRIME IN LI VERPOOL.--PPOIII.
official documents it appears that a considerable decrease
has lately taken place in the number of prisoners con-
fined in the borough prison of Liverpool. The average
revival
v a
dl e c
or decrease
trade
number is now only 540, whilst twelve or eighteen
months ago the number was 680.
mainly to be attributed to the great This
whichi i o pp
has
PlCKlNG.—'this
aKkIeNnG
.place_T hi
is n Lbir;enreh of labour will Liverpool.
mence in a few days, the supernumerary officers oefo-
enix-
else appointed for these occasions having commenced
their duties yesterday, by starting
des-
tinations. For the few weeks t? 1. their different
employment for some thousands
inhabi-
tants of the different towns in lielnoictf, theasi t
well
lasts,
euum humbleroassffotridiesOpDticEiAanFsNEanssd,
metropolis.
—Messrs.
Aurists directly S o Solomon.,
m 0 ns
Albemarle-street,
op-
posite the York Hotel' state that, after thirty years' ex-
tensive practice, they
have invented an Invisible Voice
Conductor, Sound Ma 'fiof Magnifier,, er,. a metal to collect sound,
peculiar to themselves. It is the size of
seven-shilling piece, and, when fixed in the cavity of the
ears, it is not the least perceptible, nor more uncomfort•
able than having a small piece of tine wool in its place.
It enables individuals at an advanced age, and of forty
and fifty years' standing of extreme deafness, as well as
those who are only slightly dull of hearing, instantly to
join in general conversation, and to catch the sound of a
distant, low speaker, at church, theatre, &c. An indi-
vidual, in company, can place it in the car, and remove
it unobserved. It pours the conversation into the ears
to such an extent, that in most severe cases deafness
cannot be observed. The Newly Invented Spectacles,
immediately they are placed before imperfect 'vision,
either by day or candlelight, that mist and dullness
which appears before the eyes is at once removed, every
object becoming clear and distinct, so that the most aged
and defective eye-sight becomes bright
and brilliant,
and is brought to its youthful, natural, and original
state. Achromatic Telescopes, Opera-glasses, Micro-
scopes, &c., &c., of the same kind of lenses, to surpass .
any ever yet invented.—Caution : Messrs. S. and it
Solomons, Opticians and Aurists, are not in any way con-
nected with a person of the same name in their imme-
diate neighbourhood, Igor in any part of the country. To
prevent mistakes, be cautious, and observe—only is be
had at 39, Albemarle-street, Piccadilly, opposite the
York Hotel.

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