The Sun.
London, England, 1827-04-25 00:00:00

SHAKSPEARIAN JUBILEE.

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...,TRATFORD-lIYON-AVON, MONDAY, APRIL 23.
[Our aceount'of yesterday concluded with the de-
stiption of the pageant; and its` return to the site
e the intended hew theatre; where we shall resume
tie report.] •
The crowds of persons from the neighbouring
towns and villages had by this time much increased,
and many families of rank and eminence had arrived,
and the streets, houses, and elevated positions, pre-
sented an animated display of beauty and fashion. The
populace, in general, were remarkably orderly ; in-
deed, we never witnessed so much decorum on a
similar occasion. This is principally attributable to
the very efficient exertions of Mr. Gwinnett, the se-
cretary to the committee, aided by the active co-
operation of Mr. Ashfield, the head constable, who
had taken the precaution, early in the morning, of
removing all suspicious persons from the town, or
placing them in custody. Many of the houses were
decorated with laurel, or a bust of Shakspeare. At
the theatre, the procession being marshalled around
the arena, and upon the stage, the ceremonial of
laying the first stone commenced. The spot select-
ed was upon the curve of the horse-shoe, in the pit,
the outer walls of the building having been erected
to about 10 feet in height, so as to afford facilities
for the occasion. The coins, medals, and inscrip-
tion plate, having been deposited in the vacuum, the
upper stone was lowered, under the guidance of the
secretary to the theatre; the Mayor officiating.
This done, the band struck up the national anthem :
after which a paltry song was sung to the music of
Macbeth, commencing with " When winds are
warring—Earthquakes and mountains tearing."
The new building is pleasantly situated, and com-
modious. It will be entitled " The Shakspeare
Theatre," and will be opened by Mr. Raymond's
company in the next autumn. The paunels are to be
filled up by illustrations of Shakspeare, and a splen-
did drop-scene will then be exhibited, representing
the bard in the centre of a temple, surrounded by the
kings and heroes of his plays.
Soon after four o'clock, a splendid entertainment
was served up in Shakspeare's Hall, which was de-
corated in the style we have before described. The
Mayor presided, supported by Mr. Canning, of Fox-
cote, the members of the corporation, and upwards
of 200 gentlemen of the first respectability, incll:ding
the members of the club.

The evening was passed with the utmost hilarity.
The front of the Shakspeare-hall was brilliantly
illuminated in the evening, as was the Falcon-inn,
where Shakspeare passed his convivial hours, and
where the sittings of the club are now held. Seve-
ral other places also displayed variegated lamps, and
in the Rothes-market a fair was held, the principal
attraction bein7 the Olympic Equestrian Circur.—
The day was fine, and we never witnessed More hap-
piness and unanimity than were exhibited on this
most interesting festival, nor did we hear of one ac-
cident to mar the general joy. Late at night there
was a grand display of fire-works.

LISBON AND ITS SCENERY-A TRUE

PICTURE.

It is with much pleasure I leave the rumours and
odours of Lisbon, and transport myself to the other
side of the river, to enjoy the freshness of the river
breeze uncontaminated, and inhale the fragrance of
the vines, the pomegranate trees, the roses, laven-
der, balm, and odoriferous plants innumerable, with
which this country abounds. The sky for many
days has mot been obscured by the smallest cloud,
the fields are covered with verdure, such as is to be
seen in England only in the month of July; the
heat, though great, is not oppressive; and every ob-
ject, putting the inhabitants and their houses out of
the question, contributes to raise the mind to that
Suprern Being, who, of his infinite goodness, has
provided so many enjoyments for his creatures. It
is hardly possible to imagine a climate more delight-
ful than is that of Lisbon at the present moment.—
The appearance of the country, too, is enchanting.
Many of the orange trees are still loaded with fruit,
the vines are in full leaf, wheat, and rye, and barley,
are in the ear, some trees are in full blossom, others
have their fruit formed ; the pomegranate tree, is
beginning to open its red, rich, luxuriant blossom ;
convolvuluses, periwinkles, hawthorn, wild rose-
bushes, poppies, and all the different tribes of
shrubs and plants and herbs, are in the hey-day
of summer. What a contrast to turn from these
to the inhabitants and their houses ! In the
country scarcely a house is' to be seen with
a pane of glass in the windows; the apartments
are dirty, the inmates still more so, particu-
larly the women; a crazy-looking black table, a bed
without curtains, and one or two chairs, are the only
articles of furniture. The women are all without
caps, many of the children are half naked : every
thing, in fact, brings one in mind of the scenery in
the south of Italy. In one respect the Portuguese,
however, are superior. In no part of the world,
perhaps, is the linen so white and clean, and when
the men can take the trouble of shaving themselves,
and putting on their holiday clothes, they need not •
be afraid of a comparison with any other people.—
The fields in general are divided with stone walls,
covered over with white hard plaister, and all the
houses have the same white appearance. The roads,
with the exception of the highways, appear to have
been made by the autumn torrents. They are ge-
nerally six feet below the surface of the adjoining
field, and on each side aloes, wild pomegranate trees,
fig-trees, brambles, &c., are growing in great luxuri-
ance. Superstition, if one may judge from the ap-
pearance of some of the churches, is most powerful
here. In the cathedral I saw, at a moderate calcu-
lation, about 10,000 little wafer figures, legs, arms,
eyes, breasts of women, heads, bulls, goats, asses,
&c., which had been hung up as trophies in honour
of the Saint who had granted the prayer of the sup-
plicant. In the same church there are two ravens,
said to be three hundred years old, and renderedim-
mortal by transporting in their beaks to the place of
its destination a shipwrecked vessel in which were
some sacred relics. They have a place allotted to
them on the outside of the cathedral. The entrance
to this church has a most disgusting appearance—
the poor, the sick, the blind, and the maimed, are
ranged on each side, and even in the interior little
ragged, filthy children are nestling together with
dogs, or using them as pillows to sleep on. The ce-
remonies of next week will probably exhibit some
interesting scenes, and I shall, therefore, defer my
visit to the British Army till they are over.