The Sun.
London, England, 1844-11-12 00:00:00

OLYMPIC.

The Olympic opened for the season last night under
the management of Miss Davenport, a young lady who,
as a juvenile phenomenon, was some few years ago
" all the rage." Our old friend Rayner spoke an ef-
fective opening address, after which the tragedy of
Romeo and Juliet, with Mr. Hudson Kirby as Romeo,
and the fair manageress as Juliet. Mr. Hudson Kirby
is an energetic and powerful actor, but somewhat
coarse withal. There is stuff about him out of which
to make a great actor, if he will but study hard and
eschew bad models. He has much to learn, and more
to unlearn ; but if he will devote himself to assiduous
study and refine his taste, he will ultimately become a
great—a very great actor. His Romeo was a very
unequal performance—at certain times exceedingly
beautiful—at other it was coarse, almost approaching
.to vulgarity ; but still there was promise about it,
which is more than can be said of the majority of
Romeos at present on the stage. Miss Davenport's
Juliet was a performance of great promise ; her
features are expressive, her person is good, her voice
is beautifully silvery, and in the more level
parts of her character she left nothing to be de-
aired: Her declamation is perfect. She was
evidently suffering from extreme nervousness, and in
the more impassioned parts scarcely did justice to her
Powers ; but when she gets used to her audience this
nervousness will d;sappear, and in young tragedy she
will prove a great acquisition to the London stage. Mr.
Robert Roxby, as Mercutio, although somewhat too
Pircical, was very good; many of his points told most
l'tiv"ly• The tragedy was folio ved by the farce
(..:f it Chip of the Old Block, in which our old friend
admirabley ner
a:e:o‘rthweitchhip was himself. We hail this
hi delight, but cannot help asking
to—` Why did you ever leave us ?" The perform-
ances concluded with Don Ccesar de Bazan, the
tbi:loitous Don being admirably personated by Mr.
Robert Roxby. The house was crowded.

IMPROVEMENTS AT BROMPTON.— Among other
buildings and improvements now in progress in the
Bneighbourhood of Brompton, may be noticed the uew
?pitel for Consumption and Diseases of the Chest. of
which his Royal Highness Prince Albert laid the first
—"lie in June last. The western wing is rapidly pro-
„Orbslaing. and, it is hoped, will be roofed in before the
etmg of winter.
bbSOUTH DEVON RAILWAY.—On Thursday last the
nn of Dawlish presented a very animated appearance,
tg thronged with visitors at an early hour, all anxious
. o be spectatrs of the anticipted blasing of the ciffs
between the town and the Parason and Clerk rocks,l for
the purposes of the South Devon Railway, which, it was
stated, Was fixed
the distin,4uished persons present we noticed Sir T.
to take place at else en o'clock. Among
Aelab& Bart., M.P., Sir R. W. Newman, Bart., Sir J.
buntze Bart., J. B. Swete, and H. B. Swete. Esqs., and
111135 t of the distinguished families of the neighbourhood.
Mr! Tirtinel came down from London, for the expreSs
PurPose of being present at the explosion, and was
accompanied by C. B. Fripp, Esq., one of the Directors,
and NV. PrincPp , Esq., the Secretary. The operations
were conducted under the immediate direction of Mr.
Glennie, the resident engineer, and Mr. Findlater, the
contractor for the work. The first chamber was fired
shortly before two o'clock, and the others, nearly twenty
altogether, were let off in succession, as rapidly as might
be with safety. Nearly three thousand pounds of powder
were expended in these explosions. The result was most
pgtisfactory, immense masses'of rock having been de-
fttobpd from the position which they had occupied with-
out Intereuption for centuries. N
occurred —Davenport Telegraph. o accident of any kind
INCENDIARY Futes.—Considerable sensation has
been created in this county, by four exceedingly destrue..
live tiree which have broken out in such a manner. as. to
lathe 110 'doubt of their being the work of incendiaries.
One of them took place on Monday night last, on the
farm of Mr. Samuel Pridharni at Chorlton Fitzpaine, and
not enly destroyed the whole of the barns, stables, and
out-buildings, but also numerous ricks of old and new
hay, of upwards of three hundred seams. The flames
at one time raged with such fury that it was with the
utmost difficulty they were restrained from spreading in
mph a manner as would have endangered the entire vil-
jage. The second broke out on the premises of Mr.
Hodge, of Bafeptoe, and destroyed twenty-five acres of
wheat and fifteen of oats and heaps, and other property
to a considerable amount. The third fire happened on
Wednesday morning last. at Broadclist, on a farm occu-
pied 14y one of the ttnarits of Sir Thomas Dyke Acland,
Bart., M.P. A rick of wheat, with a quantity of reed-
straw and a number of out-buildings belonging to the
farm, were destroyed. On the very same morning another
fire broke out at a farm a few miles distant, belonging to
a Mr. Calloe, but the flames were extinguished before
Ofty great mischief was effected.—Devonport Independent,
14.EALS (IP THN IRISH PEASANTRY.—But what of
their meals? I say it with sorrow, that in this respect
they are as ill off as in either of the respects to which I
have referred. For ten months in the year their sole, or
almost sole food, is potatoes and a little salt; and as the
summer approaches and their stock of potatoes becomes
nearly exhausted, they are often obliged to content
themselves with a single meal a day. It, the &yen or
eight weeks which intervene betw, en the going out of
the one potato crop and the corning in of another, the
efil:y food on which the Irish peasantry live is what is
firmed .! oif; about," called in Scotland " porridge."
1114 is a simple dish i it 4 milde of a little oatmeal pat
into a vessel with boiling water, lied stirred about with
a piece of wood until it acquires a certain consistency.
It is then eaten with a little milk, if there he th. means
6,c nrocuring any, but it is much oftener made a meal of
qi. 2tif, . trecompanine.nt at all. The meal is gene-
p, y peoenre4 lemit some peasant a degree above the
11
. pifqfp.s who mquiFp 4 A the peasantry have never,
4‘ thia .siteteriqf the year, a farthing of Fpopey, they
, either work in return for the meal, or pay tkise who
were kind enouelt to accommedate them with it with
the fruits of their harvest labours. It is rieht to add,
that the Irish peasantry invariably melte a point of pay-
ing for the meal thus given to them, however great may
be their privations. There is with them a mingled sense
of honour and gratitude in all cases where they have
been thus accommodated by their neighbours.--Impres-
sions of Ireland and the Irish.