The Sun.
London, England, 1850-08-08 00:00:00

ST. JAMES'S THEATRE.

The reading selected last night by Mrs. Fanny Kern-
, ble was Shakspere's Oluch Ado about Nothing. This
charming comedy is peculiarly adapted to elicit this
lady's remarkable histrionic powers; for we know no
one so capable of evolving the subtle wit with which it
is instict, of delivering its exquisite poetry with so Bp-
i preciative a feeling, of giving so sharp an individuality
to the variety of its characterisation, or of so faithfully
expressing the deep pathos of its ruling incident. The
verbal combats of Benedict and Beatrice were delivered
with a ripe relish of their abounding spirit and brilliancy.
Evs•ry line sparkled, arid each word struck home.
The gentleness of Hero, the passionate agony of Leo-
nato, and the holy fervour of the Friar were ri fleeted
gracefully and graphically. Bat the crowninr, glory of
the reading was the portraitures of Dogarry and
Verges. We doubt whether the pompous stolidity of
the chief constable and the senility of his ancient help
were ever so humorously conveyed since they were
acted by the original performers, Kempe and Cowley.
Dogberry seemed positively to be bent double with the
weight of his official functions—his saws and instances
were rolled out vvith irresistible grandioseness and sub-
firmness of humour. He seemed the very genius of the
watch. His legal doubts seemed to stultify, yet with-
out sensible abatement of his parochial potency. The
scenes in which these worthies appeared were rewarded
with shouts of laughter. The theatre was brilliantly
attended.

CREMORNE GARDENS.
MRS. GRAHAM'S AERIAL ASCENT.

Ballooning is now decidedly all the rage: the star of
aerostation is in the ascendant. Notwithstanding the
oft-repeated trips in subilnis that we have had of late, it
seems " as if increase of appetite had grown by what it
fed on," and that public curiosity is not in the smallest
degree abated. Of this the countless thousands that
assembled last night in these gardens bore ample testi-
mony. The Victoria balloon was fully inflated at the
hour of five o'cleck, at the London Gas-works, Lambeth;
but, owing to the united hostility of wind and tide, and
the delays necessarily incurred by its transit over the
Vauxhall and Battersea-bridges, it did not reach its
proper place of destination in the gardens until nearly
eight o'cleck. During its progress from Vauxhall to
Cremorne, Mr. Van Buren was the presiding deity who
•‘ rode on the tempest and directed the storm," and a
very arduous, and we should say uncomfortable, office
he held. Three times was he immersed into the silvery
(alias muddy) bosom of Old Father Thames, and three
times did he rise aloft, like a giant refreshed, from its
oozy and unsavoury bed. Upon reaching the gardens it
was found that Old Aquarius was so diffusely dispensing
his favours, that for some time it was considered doubtful
whether Mrs. Graham would venture on her aerial trip,
but nothing daunted by the inclemency of the weather,
she started (unaccompanied) at precisely twenty minutes
past ten o'clock, when the balloon took a north-easterly
direction. Where the fair aeronaut had landed was not
ascertained at a late hour.
We have just learned that Mr. Van Buren intends
taking his benefit at Cremorne next Friday evening. If
urbanity of manner and indefatigable industry in the
discharge of his arduous duties—whichabave made him
so preeminently a favourite with the public—could en-
sure him a bumper, of a verity we anticipate not a house,
but a garden, even to overflowing.