The Sun.
London, England, 1845-03-25 00:00:00

sunREY 771EA7112.

Easter has come o'er us again, and with it the
usual accompaniments of the spirited proprietress of
this theatre—a well set-out table for the amusement
of the holiday folks. For the first course we had the
drama of Margaret Catchpole, founded on the late
work of the Rev. Mr. Cobbold ; for the second,
The Irish Tutor, with Miss Heron, the
Infant Power, as Doctor O'Toole. And, lastly,
a new and magnificent romance, founded on a tale in
Blackwood, and dramatised by Mr. T. Townshend,
entitled the Spirit Jimmied, or the Moor Maiden and
the Demon Sprite of the Golden Spring. Of the first
piece little more need be said than this, that it is
founded on events of a most singular nature,
which took place about the year 1797.
Since the publication of Mr. Cobbold's work most,
if not all, our readers must be aware that the extra-
ordinary heroine of the piece was born of humble
parents, and underwent the most singular vicissitudes
that perhaps ever marked the career of woman. After
meeting with many strange adventures to obtain an
interview with her lover (a celebrated Captain of
smugglers of the last century), she stole a horse, on
which she rode to London i'i about eight hours; for
this she wai tried and condemned to death at the
Bury Assizes, in the year 1797 ; was reprieved, broke
out of prison at Ipswich to join her lover, was re-
taken, sentenced again to death, and her punishment
changed to transportation for life. She retrieved her cha-
racter in Australia, where she distinguished herself in
many extraordinary adventures : obtained a free
pardon, married a wealthy settler, whe left her sole
mistress of an immense fortune; she had one son and
two daughters, who received the best education which
England could afford, and returned to settle in their
native land, to close the eyes of their affectionate
parent, who died September 10th, 1841, in the sixty
eighth year of her age, deeply lamented and revered by
all who knew her. The piece was eminently ef-
fective, and was announced for repetition every night
until further notice, in a house crowded to she
ceiling, amid much cheering. Of Miss Heron in
the Irish Tutor we cannot say too much.
She is certainly a very clever child, imitates the Irish
brogue excellently, and is a most excellent imitator
in miniature of Power. Her acting delighted all
parts of the house, and kept the gods in most excel-
lent humour. The last piece, The Spirit Jimmied;
or, the Moor Maiden, has been got up at great
trouble and expense, and promises to re ray
the spirited lessee with a golden harvest. £he.
scenery is excellent, the dresses in strict keeping with
the time in which the occurrences are represented to
have taken place, and the music reflects great credit
on Loder. The piece was announced for repetition
amid great approbation.

VICTORIA.
The performances at this theatre announced for the
Easter recess, commencing yesterday evening, exhi-
bited no less attraction than usual to the taste of the
audience, and their love of thrilling dramatic and
domestic incident. For some time. past the adven-
tures of Margaret Catchpole, the Female Horse-
stealer, or, as she is more familiarly called, "the Suf-
folk girl," have been before the public in various ways.
If we mistake not, it was a gentleman residing in the
county who first presented the public with the par-
ticulars of her life; and, perhaps, no tale of real life,
certainly none originating in a provincial town, ever
excited a deeper interest, or enjoyed a more extensive
circulation. Besides, however, the original publica-
tion of the tale, it has, as we have intimated, been
presented in various other shapes, though, of
course, a good deal condensed; and it would,
for this reason, be tedious and useless to
give any detailed nceount of the plot in noticing this
livintr representation of it on the appropriate boards of
the Victoria. It is well known that the heroine, for
such, we suppose, she must he called, notwithstand-
ing the horse-stealing affair, first signalised herself by
escaping from Ipswich gaol, and, on being re-taken,
her sentence was commuted to transportation for life;
the only way of accounting for the change being ap-
parently the astonishing behaviour of Margaret
in travellieg to London on horseback. Arrived in
New South \Vales, the conduct of Margaret and the
events that happen to her form a complete climax to
her adventures in England. She is carried into the
interior of the country by some of the coloured
natives ; two of the tribe fight for the possession of
the " white maid," and while they are doing so,
Margaret escapes. The denouement, whether in all
respec's it corresponds to that of the real story we
forget, is at last satisfactory, as most of the ter-
minations
of domestic plays. The principal
feature in it being a " free pardon of the
Suffolk Girl," and her union, after having
gassed through so many vicissitudes, with a gentle.