The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-29 00:00:00

SO UTHAMPTON THEATRE.

SATURDAY, AuG. 24.—The play-goers have this week
had a great treat in the engagement of Mr. Webster,
lessee of the Haymarket, and Madlle. Celeste, for four
night.. The engagement commenced on Monday last,
when the pieces forming the bill of fare, were St. Mary's
Eve, a domestic drama, of an interesting plot, and a well-
written dialogue ; the Woman Hater ; and the Trum-
peter's Daughter. In the first piece Mademoiselle
Celeste performed the part of Madeline, a French girl.
Her pretty foreign accent suited the character well, and
her acting in the more serious portions of the piece was
no less feeling and impassioned than it was piquant and
agreeable in the lighter and comic situations. The effect
on the audience fully bears out this remark, for we ob-
served the sympathy of many of the fair sex excited even
to tears. It was a beautiful and touching performance.
The Woman Hater followed, in which both Celeste
and Webster appeared. This is a very slight interlucde
with nothing but the good acting of the two " stars" to
make it attractive. The pith of it consisted merely in
the reformation of the Woman Hater's misanthropic ten-
dency by the irresistible effect of the charms of Madlle.
Celeste, as Leila.—The Trumpeter's Daughter is a lively
and amusing farce from the pen of that prolific author,
Mr. Coyne, written to introduce the Polka, which was
danced by Mr. Webster and Celeste in a very graceful
style. This was loudly and unanimously encored. The
house was crowded.

On Wednesday night the pieces were Victor and Hor-
tense, the Trumpeter's Daughter, and St. Mary's Eve.
The plot of the first piece was interesting and gave full
scope for the abilities of both Madlle. Celeste and Mr.
Webster, who played the two principal characters.
On Thursday the first piece was a lively and well got
up farce, which was very popular at the Haymarket
two or three seasons back—The Pretty Girls of Stilbery.
A number of Cadets, headed by Ernest (Mr. Webster),
who in the part gives an extraordinary personation of
the Emperor Napoleon, play a trick upon the village
girls, of whom Margot (Madlle. Celeste) is the chief.
They discover the plot and revenge themselves by adopt-
ing the uniform of Prussian troops and surprising the
Cadets, in a slumber into which they fall after a riotous
jollification, and make them prisoners. This scene was
excellently got up. The dresses, arms, and accoutrements
of the fair campaigners were complete, and they were
put through their exercise by Mademoiselle Celeste in a
very clever manner. This was loudly and deservedly
applauded. Mr. Webster looked the fac-simile of Napo-
leon, and his personation of the Great Captain excited
the greatest admiration.
. .

Last night Mr. Webster and Madlle. Celeste made their
last appearance, and took their benefit, when the house
was well filled. The pieces were Maria Ducange, The
Pretty Girls of Stitherg, and the Trumpeter's Daughter.
This engagement has given great satisfaction.
They opened at Ryde, Isle of Wight, last evening
(Tuesday) to a most fashionable audience and are re-
engaged for four nights in the ensuing week here.

SUICIDE OF A LADY AT ELTllAM.—Throughout
the whole of Tuesday this little village was in a state of
the greatest excitement in consequence of the following
melancholy affair :—Shortly after twelve o'clock as a
young man named Bently was crossing some fields of his
master's, he discovered a fashionable tuscan bonnet,
trimmed with blue and white satin ribbon, lying amongst
the rushes on the bank of a small but deep pond, which,
on picking up, he found contained a pocket and a number
of letters. These he took to his master, who sent for
Sergeant Osborn, 13 H, of the Ettham police, who pro-
ceeded to the pond, and from a number of female foot-
prints being round it he concluded that some one was in
the water. There being no drags in the village, he was
compelled to wait until a smith had made a brace of
hooks, with which, after a short period, he drew out the
body of a person, apparently a woman about 30 years of
age, but from the circumstance of there being a great
quantity of hair upon the chin he imagined it was a man
in woman's clothes. The body was conveyed to the
Crown Inn, Court-yard, Eltham, when it proved to be
that of a woman, and evidently had not been long in the
water, as a handkerchief in the hand was quite dry in
the palm. She was elegantly attired in a pale green
plaid silk gown, and cape to match, trimmed with black
blonde. Her linen was marked "M. W. J." She had
also a valuable gold watch, name " Harlfriend, 157,
Regent-street." On a subsequent examination of the
pocket, it was found to contain a considerable sum in
gold and silver, a letter addressed to her mother, " Mrs.
Jackson, Hanover-street," several addressed to " Miss
Jackson," and others to her friends at Bath and Ber-
wick, taking a farewell of them. There was also a will
bequeathing property, to which she is entitled, to the
amount of some thousands. Yesterday afternoon Mr.
C. J. Carttar, Coroner for West Kent, held an inquest
on the body of the deceased, Miss Mary Ward Jackson,
aged thirty years. Mr. Isaac Henry Tyas, of 13, Beau-
fort-buildings, Strand, said he was well acquainted with
the deceased. On Sunday three weeks ho dined with
her at Osborne's Hotel, Adeiphi. She was then very
unwell, and had been so since last July. On Monday
witness heard that she was missing. He was satisfied
that her mind was impaired. After some further evi-
dence had been gone into, Mr. Alexander John Suther-
land, physician, of Fludyer-street, Westminster, said
he had seen deceased several times. She was decidedly
of unsound mind. Verdict—" Insanity."
METROPOLITAN IMPROVEMENTS.—BetWEED Hol-
born and Oxford-street the line of the new street is in a
state of considerable forwardness. The vaults for the
houses on either side of the way are completed, and the
width of the thoroughfare is now marked out ; through
the whole distance a sewer about fifteen feet below the
surface is being formed, and is nearly half completed.
When the whole length is finished (which is now ex-
pected to be in the course of three or four weeks), there
will be a direct communication between Holborn and
Oxford-street, for foot passengers. Many now take this
course, avoiding the circuitous way by St. Giles's
Church. While digging the ground for the vault on the
site which was formerly the area of the Rookery the
workmen met with some curious remains. Outside the
walls, where stood the hospital for lepers, was found the
root of a vine, which is stated to have been celebrated
for its fruit, and which was in good condition. Several
pieces of marble slabs were also taken out of the ruins of
tke above hospital, as also a marble slab with the follow-
ing inscription on it:—" Buckeridge-street, 1688." It
is not generally known Ibit this street was built shortly
after the fire of London, and out of some of the materials,
which were publicly sold after that disastrous calamity.
A quantity of wood excavated here (some of which is
oak) was discovered to be in a charred state. Several
of the above articles are in the possession of the landlord
of the Buckeridge Arms, which is the only house re-
maining of that neighbourhood.
HusistiNo-BIRDS.—We found many humming-
birds at Port San Antonio, which we attributed to the
sheltered situation of the place, and the luxuriant growth
of fuschias and other plants, upon the sweets of whose
flowers they feed. Here, hewever, one of the same spe-
cies was seen sporting about in a most exposed place
and during the fall of a snow shower—a proof of the
hardy character of this little bird, which, if it does mi-
grate upon the approach of winter to a warmer clime,
lingers, at least, as long as it possibly can. This was
the middle of April ; the winter had, in fact, already
commenced, and all the mountains around us were
clothed with snow, while the ground was also coated
with the same dazzling covering.— Voyages of the Adven-
.ture and Beagle.