The Sun.
London, England, 1842-09-30 00:00:00

ADELPHI THEATRE.

It was with a feeling of melancholy that we entered
the Adelphi Theatre last evening. Recollections of
bye-gone times, " when all was-merry as a marriage
bell," and of those who made those times pass so
merrily, came thronging back upon us. We thought
of Terry, of Mathews, of John Reeve, of Yates.
Poor Fred. Yates—twelve months ago we saw him
upon that very stage, delighting and delighted—and
now, with him the last act of the tragi-comedy
of life i; os er, he has made his final exit—the
curtail has fallen. Alas poor Yet*, ! We could
have better spared a better man. Mr. Gladstone, the
present manager, has very judiciously retained all the
old favourites of the Adelphi company, and has added
to itg strength by securing the very efficient services
of Miss Faucit and Miss Murray. The piece chosen
for the opening was a new melodramatic romance in
thrce acts, from the pen of Mr. Fitzball, entitled the Owl
Sisters, or the Haunted Abbey Ruins. The Owl Sisters
being certain Nuns who, having, with their Abbess,
been more addicted during their lifetime to pampering
than to mortifying their appetites, Were by St Mark,
on St. Mark's night, transformed into owls, the Ab-
bess herself being condemned to live on as an old
decrepid miserable beldame. Once a year, however,
'on the anniversary of their transformation, the ruined
abbey is restored to its pristine state of splendour—
the owls become for one hour beautiful Nuns—the
Abbess resumes her youth—their paramours are re-
vivified, and for one hour they renew their unholy
orgies. This scene of the revival of the nuns is the
grand scene of the piece, and was excellently well
executed, as far as the getting up was concerned.
" But," exclaims the reader, if he be an old play-
goer, " surely I have seen something very like that
before ?" To be sure you have, Sir, in Robert the
Devil; but that is nothing to the authors of the Fitz-
ball school, who not content with " adapting," as
they modestly call it, every good situation in every
other play, generally contrive to make it ridiculous
in the adaptation ; and such is the case in the present
instance. In the original, there is something sublime
in the idea of the sheeted spectres of the Nuns arising
from their graves, but Mr.Fitzball has just stepped across
to the ridiculous, and by the introduction of divers
strange-looking figures, with gisggle eyes and flap-
ping wings, which do duty for owls, has rendered his
incantation scene richly farcical. This annual exhi-
bition has, it appears, taken place every St. Mark's
night for a hundred and fifty years, but as the Ab-
bess, who, during the other three hundred and sixty-
four days and twenty-three hours of the year passes
off as Bess of the Woods, takes care frequently to in-
form us, during the course of the piece,

" When the last of the race of Evelyn Hall,
The last of the Glenburns his bride doth call,

Then the doomed Abbess shall burst her thrall;"

which consummation, after a due course of melo-
dramatic adventures takes place at the end of the
third act, and it was hard to say who was the most
delighted—the lovers that they were united—the Ab-
bess that she was dying, or the audience that the piece
was over. This piece in its construction and its dia-
logue is below even the usual average of articles of the
Fitzhall manufacture. Nothing but the powerful
acting of Miss Faucit, as the Abbess, and of Lyon, as
Michael, an old mendicant, who knows her secret,
could have possibly saved the piece, and as it was, its
announcement for repetition was not received without
loud marks of disapprobation. The comic parts of the
piece devolved upon 11. Beverley, Wilkinson, and
Mrs. IL P. Grattan. To Mrs. Grattan the highest
praise is due for the manner in which she per-
formed the part of Maud, an innkeeper's daughter.
She exerted herself to the utmost put the
audience into thorough good-humour whenever she
appeared, and kept them so as long-as she was on the
stage—sang three songs most exquisitely, and gave
one, the " Frightful, spiteful old bachelor" with such
admirable humour, and such excellent taste, that it
was honoured most deservedly with a double encore.
The scenery was splendid, and the'getting up of the
piece admirable. Everything that could be done for
this melodrama, either by the manager or the actors,
has been done, and the author has nothing to com-
plain of on that score. After " God save the Queen"
had been sung by the whole company, the farce of
The Rifle Brigade was performed, in which Wright,
0. Smith, H. 3 y and his lady, and Miss Mur-
ray kept the nce continually on the titter, and
Norma followed, with " Glorious Paul" as the heroine.
The house was crowded.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.
NEWMARKET, WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
CESAREWITeII STAKES.-7 to 1 agst Bellissima-8
to I agst Portrait (taken freely)-9 to I egg Blue
Bonnet (t)-10 to 1 agst Florence-12 to 1 agst Ralph
—l3 to 1 agst Arcanus-20 to 1 each agst Arcanus,
Me Mie, and Pharold, in one bet-400 to 100 agst Blue
Bonnet and Florence.
DERBY.-25 to 1 agst Napier (t)-30 to 1 agst Queen
of Trumps colt (t).
OAKS.-121 to 1 agst each of the following in one
bet—Maria Day, Wee Pet, Macremma f, and Extempore.
Rutland Stakes (to-morrow)—All are scratched ex-
cept Bastile, Testy, and Lord Exeter's two.
Entry fur the Queen's Plate (to-morrow)—Una, An-
tiope colt, Bridegroom, and Woldsman.
Town Plate (to-morrow)—Everilda, f by Bizarre, out
of Flatnbeau's dam, Lasso, Ma Mie, and Rosalind.
WALSALL RACES—WEDNESDAY.
Sweepstakes of 5 sovs. each, with 25 added. Heats, twice
round and a distance. ,
Mr. Fowler's Sunflower, 4 yrs (Denman) 1 1
Captain Crofton's Muleteer, 5 yrs 2 2
Mr. Shepherd's Tresilian, 3 yrs
The Welter Stakes of 5 sovs. each, 20 added. Heats,
once round and a distance.
Mr. Greave's Isabella, 6 yrs (Mr. Friend) 1 I
Mr. Boycott's Donington, 6 yrs
Mr. Evan Davis's Brewood, 4 yrs 2 dr
Mr. Parrock's Jolly Boy, 4 yrs
The Maiden Stakes of 3 sovs. each, and 20 added Heats
as above.
Mr. Woodhouse's Caitiff; 5 yrs (J. Day, jun.) 1 1
Mr. Tempest's Forester, aged 2 2
(RECEIVED THIS MORNING.)
NEWMARKET FIRST OCTOBER MEETING.
THURSDAY.
The Town Plate of 501., for 3 yrs old ; colts, Bst 71b,
and fillies Bst 31b. D. I.
Mr. Combe's Rosalind , --(Rogers) I
Mr. Stephenson's Ma Mie
:Mr. Charlton's Lasso
Duke of Rutland's fby Bizarre Flambeau's dam 4
Mr. Pettit's Everilda
Betting 10 to 6 agst Ma Mie ; 10 to 6 agst Rosalind ;
and 4to 1 agst Bizarre filly. Ma Mie made all the run-
ning, followed by Lasso and Rosalind, the others having
little share in the race ; at the cords Lasso was shaken
off, and Rosalind, passing Ma Mie, won in a canter by a
length.
The Rutland Stakes of 30 sovs. each, 20 ft, for 2 yrs
old colts, fia, 71b ; and fillies, Bst 31b ; the winner of
the July or Chesterfield Stakes 71b extra ; all other
winners 3lb extra. From the turn of the Lands in.
(12 subs.)
Mr. J. Sadler's f Testy, by Venison (Rogers) 1
Lord Exeter's f by Jerry, out of Macremma
Mr. Treen's Bastile, by Defence
Even on Lord Exeter's filly, and 6 to 4 against Testy.
The trio started abreast, and ran so to the cords, where
Testy quitted her companions, and won in a canter, by
two lengths.
The Queen's Plate of 100 guineas ; for 3 yrs, 9st 21b ;
4 yrs, lOst 71b ; 5 yrs, llst ; 6 yrs and aged, lest
41b. R. C.
Lord Albemarle's cby Plenipo, 3 yrs...(E. Edwards) 1
Mr. Rogers's Bridegroom, 3 yrs 2
Mr. Osbaldeston's Woldsman, 3 yrs..— 3
Betting.—Three to 1 on Bridegroom, and 7 to 2 agst
the Antiope colt.
Woldsman cut out the work to the Banbury mile,
where he gave up ; the Antiope colt went on with the
unning, and after a close and distressing struggle with
Bridegroom, from the hill, won by half a length.
Match-200, h ft, A.F., Duke of Bedford's John
o' Gaunt, 4 yrs, Bst 71b, received forfeit from Mr. Os-
baldestone's The Devil among the Tailors, 3 yrs, 7st 41b.
LATEST BETTING.
THE CESAREWITCH STAKES.-6 to 1 agst Mr. Sadler's
Bellisima (t)-8 to 1 agst Mr. Jones's Portrait (0-10
to 1 agst Lord Eglinton's Blue Bonnet-12 to 1 agst
Duke of Grafton's Florence-13 to 1 agst Mr. F. Clarke's
Arcanus-20 to 1 agst Mr. Stephenson's Ma Mie (t be-
fore her race)—Bellissima and Portrait have been backed
to win large stakes.
DERBY —ll to I agst Mr. Blakelock's A British Yeo-
man-25 to 1 agst Colonel Anson's Napier (0-30 to 1
agst Bell's Winesour (t)-33 to 1 agst Mr. Mostyn's
Queen of Trumps colt (t))-40.to I agst Duke of Graf-
ton's Oxygen colt (0-50 to I agst Colonel Peel's
Murat (t).
OAKS.-8 to 1 agst Lord Westminster's Maria Day (t).
Mr. Greville's Canadian was taken ill on Wednesday
evening, and, when we left Newmarket yesterday after-
noon, was said to be in a dangerous state.
TATTERSALL'S—YESTERDAY.
Nothing done.

POSTPONEMENT OP THE QUEEN'S VISIT TO CLARE-
NHIT.—Her Majesty has abandoned the intention of
leaving Windsor Castle, upon a visit to Claremont, as
had been previously arranged, during this week. In-
deed it is now quite uncertain at what period the Court
will proceed from Windsor to that delightful retreat. It
may be observed that it is not expected the Court will
visit Brighton until after Christmas, which her Ma-
jesty will spend at Windsor. The festivities of the
season will be celebrated at the Castle with the usual
magnificence and splendour which have been observed
since her Majesty's aCCeSSIOU to the Throne. A
numerous and distinguished party will be invited to
the Castle to partake of the hospitality of the Soyt,
reign during that festive season,