The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-29 00:00:00

ROYAL. VICTORIA THEATRE,

Another Triumph for the Victoria in the immensely successful Pan-
tomime of " Tippitywitcher—With the Extraordinary Feats of
Professor Hemmings and his Two Surprising Infant Sons.
THIS EVENING.

RICHARD PLANTAGENET, in Three Acts, supported by Messrs.
Osbaldlston, E. F. Saville, T. Fredericks, Higgie, Dale, Herbert,
Searle, and Misses Vincent, Richardson, Eliza Terrey, Mrs. G. Lee.
After which, Professor HEMMINGS and his SONS will give more
unparalleled feats of Classical Gymnasia than ever yet has been ex-
hibited, and surpassing even the celebrated Risley himself.
To conclude with a new gorgefius Pantomime, called TIPPITY-
WITCHET; or, HARLEQUIN TIM BOBBIN and the COMICAL
WI fellF.S of LANCASHIRE. Harlequin. Mr. Chapino ; Colum-
bine, Miss Le Vite ; the Two Clowns, Messrs. E. Blanchard and
141.1)°nald the Two Pantaloons, Mr. Franklin and the veteran Tom
th 'ery King of Pantomime and Prince of Pantaloons.

GORGED LEV:CHES.—Considerable excitement has
of late prevailed amongst the professional and unpro-
fessional public, by the discovery of the fact, that for
the last seven or eight years, the immense majority of
leeches employed in France have been previously gorged
with the blood of animals in order to increase their
weight and ihrir price. M. 'Chevalier. Professor of the
School of Pharmacy, and member of the Academy of
Medicine, has published on this subject an interesting
pimphlet, from which we extract the following passages:
—4. The ponds which formerly furnished, in France, an
abundant supply of leeches, have now been for 'some
time completely exhausted by the avidity of the persons
engaged in the traffic, who sold the youngest leeches
and thus left nc chance of reproduction. France has
been, for the last eighteen years, obliged to obtain from
foreign countries what h er own fens might have given
her ; aid it is from Egypt, Turkey, Wallachia, and
more particularly Hungary and Russia, that she imports
leeches. The extent of the trade may be judged
of by t' e stay-.ment of the fact, thst from the year
1827 to 1844, no les's than 500,000,000 leeches have
been imported into France ; and, at the same time the
price of leeches has increased from 15c. to 40e. a-piece.
Wholesale dealers purchase them by the weight, and in
order to increase their own profits, gorge the leeches
with the blood of manimiferous animals—the sheep, the
calf, the ox—for increase, so that a thousand middle-
sized leeches, weight two pounds and a half, value 75f.,
are changed, by the addition of two pounds of blood,
into large leeches, weighing four pounds and a half, and
sold at 180 f. or 200 f." M. Magendie, Professor Royer
Collard, Dr. Louis Barth and many other distinguished
members of the French faculty, have also investigated
the subject, and fully concur with M. Chevalier in de-
w( eating the fraud, in stating that the, origin of the
blood contained in the bodies of gorged leeches being
unknown, may become the source of contagious diseases
transmitted from animals to man, and in warning the
public against imposition alike injurious to commerce
sad to health.—Medical

FNLARGENIENT OF THE ATHENEUM.
On and from January 3, THE ATHENZU3i will be PER-
MANENTLY ENLARGED to Twenty-Four Large Quarto Pages.
Price Fourpence.

13, Great Marlborough-street.
MARX HOWITT'S NEW NOVEL
THE CITIZEN OF PRIGUE.

A NOVEL,
EDITED BY MARY HOWITT.
Is now ready at all the Libraries. in 3 ♦ols.
Henry Colburn, Publisher, 13, Great Marlborough-street.

Now ready at all the Libraries, in 3 vols.,
pOMFRET. A NOVEL.
By H. F. CHORLEY, Esq.
" One of the most perfectly written novels we have read for many
years, and as such, it is well calculated to please the most fastidious
reader."—Weekly Chronicle.
" A work of extraordinary character. Grace Pomfret, the heroine,
is a beautiful creation, combining deep feeling and strong self-con-
trol, ardent love, and voluntary self-sacrifice. Her story alone
would render the work interesting. The style is free, animated, and
effective, and an air of reality is given to the whole which greatly
increases its attraction."—Sun.