The Sun.
London, England, 1844-04-09 00:00:00

LYCEUM.

This amusing little theatre opened last night for the
season under the management of Mrs. Keeley. The
house was exceedingly well attended, and the per-
formances, which consisted of three new pieces, ad-
mirably suited to the tastes of an Easter, audience, went
off with great applause. The first piece was, a come-
dietta in two acts, called Hasty Conclusions, and turns
upon the ludicrous mistakes made by a General Mowbray
(Diddear), who is always too apt to ccme to decided
conclusions upon wrong premises. Mrs. Keeley played
the part of an arch servant maid, Nancy, with admi
rable naivite, and by her acting saved the comedy,
which would otherwise have gone off somewhat tamely.
The Post of Honour, which followed, represented Keeley
in one of those parts in which he never fails to
make a hit—namely, in the character of a quiet,
good-humoured, but somewhat over-timid gardener,who,
by some strange ill luck, finds himself metamorphosed
into a soldier of the burgher guard in a Dutch frontier
town, in which the scene is laid. No sooner has he been
persuaded to enlist in this guard, than he is ordered to
do duty at a certain post which the'French are expected
to attack, greatly to the annoyance of his sweetheart,
Trudchen (MissWoolgar), who, finding that he must needs
go, resolves on accompanying him. The scene wherein
the Burgomaster (Turner), endeavours to reconcile him
to the dangerous post, by telling him that it is a post of
honour, and that if by any miraculous chance he
.escapes with his life, he will win an immortal name
in history, was acted with infinite humour, and
nothing could surpass- Keeley's mingled expression
of horror, disgust, and apprehension at the idea
-of his being compelled, against his inclination, to play
the part of a hero and a patriot. When told that be
ought to rejoice rather than grieve at the thought that
he has now an opportunity of " bleeding for his
country," be replies, with a world of dry and shrewd
humour, that—thanks to the tax-gatherer—he has al-
ready bled quite enough for his country —a delicate
allusion to that upright and lenient impost, the income-
tax, which was received with shouts of laughter. The
piece concludes with Cobus Yerks's (the character
played by Keeley) successful maintenance of his post,
against a host of fanciful peril., first from the enemy,
and, secondly, from the more dreaded ghost of a despe-
rate miller, and his ultimate marriage with Trudchen.
Miss Woolgar performed a secondary part with much
archness, and Mr. Turner, as the Burgomaster,
exhibited all the phlegm and self-importan
of a heavy Dutch dignitary. The night's
performances closed with a whimsical parody in rhyme
on the favourite Arabian story of " The Forty Thieves,"
which was got up with uncommon splendour, as regards
scenery and decoration, and bids fair to run through the
season. In this piece Keeley appeared in the cha-
racter of Hassarac, lieutenant of the band of robbers,
and sang an admirable parody, with irrisistibly ludicrous
attitudinizing, of the famous drinking-song in Der
Freischutz. Mrs. Keeley was the maid-servant, Mor-
giana, and displayed infinite spirit and self-possession
in her performance. Miss Fairbrother made a lively
captain of banditti, who entertains the highest
possible opinion of his own personal graces, and was
called on to repeat the dances, which she went through
in a very superior style. The piece was in rhyme
throughout, and abounded in puns and smart hits at'
several passing topics of the day, which seemed to be
particularly acceptable to the Gods. We have rarely
seen an Easter spectacle which created so much amuse-
ment as this quizzical parody on the Forty Thieves,
which will be pretty sure to become a favourite with the
play-going public.

aa5.,„,..;-:_lgaii '-------•2---'--"""e•---- -attersall's yesterday evening, Mien
415rOtigh a7Utillee'l that Lord Lonsdale had beaten Lord
41144te_fa and Sir James Graham in the two Lord Lieu-
41t win-Vaees, was 50 to 1 that Lord Brougham would
livol,tilud
nor
vit_ LrryOrdoirCheiletfheßr arofotTehip and 8 to 1 that he
otiO SLAv M garters.--Chronicle.
1-mq 25th i 4 '-a4l-I:m.--A letter from Havannah,
,114... , 4ravttit., published in the New Orleans Bee, says
~041-e......_11`t oil the coastlast week with upwards of
44e 4,-.7ige- ueS, and it is said that $13,000 was paid to
h Plidn-Ge4, ,
)44 -tog )01, -p.+, so as to allow the landing of thew.
1c MIL.— This officer
`Nit we*, at hi,- M Th.died ASTLEY'S ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE.
t erpd the teat in Dorsetshire at the ale of 79. He
4.' 17 eirt4Y 7tllyeb., 1781; was made Lieut. June Raving recently described the alterations which have
IN. 85; Captain iq ; Zietat...ol, , July 31, 1790 ; Major, Nov. 30,
espe-
take place in the interior of the building, it is quite
hey-, ; Major •G
on of Easter is likely to make the public
, Aug. 24, 1.795; for,
April 29, needless to make any allusion to them at present,
-ii,
,Tu • eneral Oct. 25 1805 • Lieutenant-Ge- cially as the seas
lit d,,_ agedtte4.lB24; and Gen ' 1 Jan.' 10. 1837. The q ainted with them by personal observation. The
-.. tit, ts-'4l_ served at theer:lii; siege of Fort. St. Philip,
isle of M,•„„ig 4 Wider, --..urett, allu was taken prisoner at its - •e so for a considerable time, was a new grand
Acquainted
attraction yesterday evening, and which is likely
41% It • .
to continue
111411:114:p 141:t°Z;ttritT Tim AUTHORESS or " TEE
cou entitled The ln-
historical spectacle,
J.
three parts and fourteen
1441 e`';Vdllardl •• h • A.-more gratifying announce- tableaux, by Mr. J rtenay, -
Of England by William the Conqueror,
the it lib oaries th) -e .11aade
to the patrons of the circu- canon
1,, pet,
of „_ an that of a new work of fiction from or, the Battle of Hastings. A better subject for this
ioN.., et
......„ _ . p_opu ar authoress of " The History of a
.vi ' ei,, ‘t.T":6ot the l best novels (as the Atheneum truly
414 ti ufat has for species of representation could not possibly have been
many years issued from the press chosen, and the attempt was, we must say, eminently
uMiatE4,7\•.the new work (which is to be published kn..
as to
" sucesful. It is not necessary to say anything as to
•iieb "0'9." The -Wilfulness fWo " a theme the plot, further than that -it it was so constructed
mardi,,ftt the clever hands of this° attractive n —writer can fill up all the gaps'n the mental picture of the Norman,
ttatt,‘ ajl of finding:the most vivid and instructive illus.- ' invasion. Nothin was wanting to complete the effect,
!_ti euni7,and at thesame time of affording to her readers ' from the time when William assembled his troops and
Twt-rip4.44zit of arawieraent, combined with that high aetior 'Tose which is to be found in the pro-
Nu, Its,. of this always
by the 1
and established his rule Blaug liter
embarked in the enterprise,
. up to
.the time when, having
" , Is authoress and which has given them a been successful,
liil4-- above any others'
of their class,
' of Harold, he was at length crowned first Norman King.
day
Itetl:l'A'rioN op AMERICAYPROVISIONS.--011 Sun- 1 was which.tended,
teiret ti:!°°ll, at five "o'clock,the A • line t. Everything . pourtra).ed in a manner
h leading features of • the- -history
shi
thltitAttrint,r
,Q,ue,bee, Captain American o
to impress t e'
'llebard, arrived in St.
the audience. With regard
kph, eel
eon
.4-focit, from New York, with a full carp,
alatlng of cheese,
scenery, the tableaux, and all the
WU, pork, and other American to the
on the minds of
raise would
ar-
rangements of the piece,
the utmost p •
-1,