The Sun.
London, England, 1845-06-10 00:00:00

SADLER'S WELLS.

The new tragedy, in five acts, entitled The Florentines,
which is played nightly at this theatre, is witnessed with intense
interest, and promises to be eminently successful. The plot is
as follows :—Lorenzo, Duke of Florence (Mr. H. Marston),
with a companion, in an excursion, are overtaken at night by
a violent storm, and have lost their way. They are hospitably
received in the house of a gentleman named Ferrando (Mr.
Phelps), who has an only child, Brancha (Miss Cooper), and,
at first sight, the Duke, who conceals his rank, assuming to be
an officer in the Duke's service, is smitten with her charms,
and the feeling on her part is reciprocal. It is not long ere the
Duchess (Mrs. Warner) observes a great change in the con-
duct of the Duke towards her, and in a scene where she laments
the loss of his affection her well-known powers are called forth,
and she vows revenge on the, at present, unknown cause of her
unhappine's. Meanwhile Ferrando, who is disposed to think
favourably of the stranger as his son-in-law, and
attributes his hesitation on the subject to his poverty,
questions him on certain points, and observes in his look
and manner causes for suspicion, and expels him the
house. This, in a beautiful scene, he makes known to his daugh-
ter; nevertheless, unconscious of his rank, she appoints a meet-
ing with him, where he makes himself known to her, and in
spite of her prayers and entreaties forcibly carries her off to an
Inn some leagues from his palace. The father, on the loss of
his daughter, flies to the Dukes palace, where, loading him
with reproaches, he draws upon him with the intention to
revenge his loss ; but is borne off by the Duke's guards.
Brancha finds in the Landlord of the Inn, a man of humanity,
who moved by her touching appeals to him, consents to assist
in her escape, and when on the point of effecting it, the
Duchess, who has compelled her page to watch the Duke's
movements, presents herself before Brancha, and notwithstand-
ing her humble entreaties for pardon, is inexorable, and offers
her the alternative of taking poison or suffering by the hands of
her guards in attendance. After fruitless supplications to have
her life spared she swallows the fatal draught, and in her
last agonies, her father enters followed by the Duke.
The scene here between the father and daughter baffles
description, it must be seen to be duly appreciated. The
Duchess, with stern dignity, as an injured wife, turning her
back on the heart-rending spectacle, and the Duke stands
conscience-smitten at the lamentable catastrophe his own mis-
conduct has produced. The acting of Mr. Phelps and Mrs.
Warner was everything we have a right to expect from them.
Mr. H. Marston played with much ability, and, clever as
Miss Cooper is, she has in this character exceeded our most san-
guine expectations. The play is written by Mr. Reynolds, it is
a work et great merit, and we have no doubt will have a long
run. A new farce, called The Card Case, followed; and the
performance concluded with Mr. and Mrs. Pringle. Mrs. H.
Marston played Mrs. Pringle very cleverly, and Mr. A.
Youngc, as Mr. Pringle, the calculating old bachelor, who,
because he hates a family, will marry a woman of fifty, finds
himself unexpectedly the husband of a female who has five
children, but. as the curtain falls, he consoles himself with the
reflection that he must make the best he can of a bad bargain.

COLLISION ON THE NORTH-EASTERN RAILWAY.-
1, bout half-past two o'clock on the morning of Saturday a collision
took place on the North-Eastern Railway, near the junction at Strat-
ford, Essex, which, although of a serious nature, was fortunately
unattended with any loss of life. It appears from inquiries made on
the spot that at that hour the up luggage train from Bishop's Stort-
ford, with two engines attached, had arrived at Lea-bridge, about a
mile front Stratford, when the leading engine was detached (one en-
gine being then only necessary to carry the train into London), and
ran on to the Stratti)rd station to get into the shed there. The driver
of the engine attached to the train was cautioned not to proceed too
fast, to give time for the first engine to accomplish its purpese. Just
as the latter was about to back into the "siding," to get upon the
other line of rail, he perceived the train coming up, and before he
could get off the main line the engine of the train came in collision
with his buffer-board. By the concussion both the engines were
forced off the rails, one falling to the right and the other to the left.
Fortunately none of the carriages were forced off the rails, but the
shock occasioned by the collision caused great terror to the pas-
sengers. The Company's servants were immediately at hand to
render every assistance, and it was found that, beyond receiving a
few contusions, none of them had sustained any material injury.
They were sent on to London by a train from the Eastern Coun-
ties line.
EXTRAORDINARY MONETARY SPECULATION,--FOr
some time past the copper coinage of William the Fourth has been
eagerly purchased up by persons who are stated to be Jews, and a
report has in consequence gained ground that gold is contained in
It. What reason there may be for this it is impossible to say; but
it is a well known fact that agents have been at work for the last
two months buying up those particular coins in Westminster, and
they now fetch double the price of their legal issue. The mania
has extended eastward, and twopence for a penny piece, and
a penny for a halfpenny, &c., is now asked for the "precious
issue.

'e understand that the vacancy occasioned by the
death of Colonel Townsend, late of the 14th Light Dragoons, in the
list of paid aides-de-camp to her Majesty, has been filled by the ap-
pointment of Colonel Clark Kennedy. Our readers will recollect that
this gallant officer distinguished himself when in command of the
cots Greys, by the capture of one of the imperial eagles. He has
lately returned from the Cape of Good Hope, having retired from the
command of the 7th Dragoon Guards, which regiment was ordered
on foreign service after having been thirty years in Englartl.-- trrieed
pertia Q(it(f. •