Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1865-02-23
! , r Esss :i IA sa s You'd esss


we're ready, in return, to offer physical eOhcIeIe
advantages to France aud England. ] know POSI-
lively that such propositions have Deeh me'e' p"U
is vet have not been, and from present alpeu'"1S
| win not be- accepted. France and Ehsahu, "o'n
of whom would gladly see destroyer, arc nv.
prcnared 10 enter into a war with us now III behui
! of the South when II is evidently ON IT'S last esS'
| after refusing its aid when II had mncH greater
| chance for success These propositions Show, now
ever TO what desperate straits the South mas alI'-
ed The news of the fall of Fort Fisher, Just arrv-
ed here, will not add anything to the chances Vi re-
cognition aud foreign aid now evidently tue Iast
hope of the COnederacy."
| According the ihdre de Ia Lore however d
journal Friendly always to your cause ana govern
ment they have succeeded in getting to sea another
pirate vessel The Pddre of the 9th contains the
| following paragraph "A few Gays since large
| iron lad vessel came to anchor at houati near
Belle Isle, sailing under the name oil 'he Vhnde,
and carving the Danish flag. The vessel debal ked
| on the 25th at Quiberon, forty-two men OF the
| crew, and notice was given by telegraph TO the
| Danish Consul ia our city that they would reach
Nantes ON the 3lSt, on their way To theiT hoAe>'
1 The Onde received from vessel which cane
alongside thirty tons of coal and while this vessel
was alongside the Onde an English steamer arrived
| with cannon munitions and crew, winch u placed
/ Immediately ON board the ram. The olnde has
beeu purchased by the ConicderateS"
This is the statement in relation to which, how
/ ever no official information has arrived IN Paris.
I The New York Herald OF the 18th has been stop
ped at the Post office
Paiti', benefit on Friday evening, yielded Is, 900
| francs.
THE sURRY THEATRE pEsTRoYED-rHE PANIC AMONG
| rHE AuDIEScg, ACTORS AND ACTRESSES.
From the London Times, Feb. ~
| Abont midnight on Monday the Surry Theatre
WAS found to be on fire. The danger was trst seen
/ hy Mr. Bowels the clown, Just he about To
| commence a solo the trombone. lie lett the
i stage quietly aud communicated his suspicious to
Mr.. Green, the acting manager. over the chan
delier is the carpenters ship and Mr.. Green at
4 once despatched some of the stage carpenters To
/ see what was the matter; but at the moment
some of the audience were alarmed by II cloud Of
| smoke descending through the aperture named,
and the cry of lire was raised Mr. Green iul-
Inlured the people to remain as quiet possible,
and To- leave the theatre in orderly manner. They
coulI see Tor themselves that il was the ceiling
alone which had at that time caught fire. and there
was ample time for them To leave the building un-
Injured il they only did in a ealni and
| collected manner. The audience, on the whole,
il il said followed this very sensible advice, aud'
were so enabled 10 leave the place unhurt. AT The
time the last few people leaving the flames
hurst with great fury through the ceiling which was
composed OF thin Hath and painted canvass, aud 10
a very short space OF time caught the drapery
ming round the boxes and the proscenum and stage
curtain, from which il at once extended to the
L scenery aud the whole stage BECAME a mass OF
| flame. The scene on the stage aud Ia the dressing
/ rooms of the theatre at this time was terrible
The actors and actresses who had been engaged Ia
the pautomime about in the greatest confusion.
10 add to.the terrifying nature Of he pc tion, the
gas superintendent of the theatre, 10 avoid an ex-
plosOn, turned oil the gas IN the back portion OF
the theatre, which was thus lett m total darkness.
Mr. Green aud others, at the risk of their own
l lives pulled the women and glIls employed in the
lpantomme through the burning scenery the stage
door whence they were conveyed TO their homes
in lightly clothed ana iainting state, in cabs pro
| yided by the Police The last persons brought
| out out of the During building were seve-
raj children, who had been representing the
characters of fairies III the transformation scene
The clown and Sprite having reported to the stage
/ manager that all persons had been safely removed
l from the theatre they made their own escape,
dressed as they had been while playing their
spectiye parts, persons engaged ia the pantomime
having had time to change their dress. So rapid
had been the progress OF the flames that before any
of the engines could he brought into play the whole
inteliur OF the theatre was completely burned out,
the roof galleries and boxes faliing III rapid sue
cessiun aud nothing left staAdn g of the bul-
lug but the pOrtco aud front wall facing Baokriars
road. Among the crowds were the actors in their
i stage dresses, rushing about among the renen and
police. Grimy SuprrS, with tin Toll helmets on,
were seen labOring at the engines, and some hotter
ing soriowuy about Ia che mud while PRINCES aud
generals and sokiiers costumes and uniforms nm
| known To every day lille were picking their way fur
lively over the hose dabbling through the water
which flooded the roads.
/ Tho whole oi the property IN the theatre belong
ing tn both lesseeS and performers has been con
snu,ed aud the salvage will he mere tribe. hcsSts
Anderson Shepherd, the leSSecS, are not@nly SUI
tcrerS by the destruction of the theatre 10 the
amount of some thousands, hut The whole OF their
| valuable theatrical wardrobe and dresses are de
| strOyed; aud Miss PaunceiVrt aud Miss Webster,
| he two pleading lady actresses are also severe
sufferers, the latter lady, wardrobe being Of very
/ extensive and valuable character. The pantOmim-
lists, clown, harlequin. pantaloon, cohuublne, sprte
and the ballet girls lost the whole of their D. yate
dresses having barely time 10 make ther escape
from the burning theatre IN their performing
tune. Mr.. Shepherd estimates the value OF the
theatre and its contents at about twelve Thousand
pounds Ii is supposed 10y some OF the men en-
plOycd abOHt the theatre that the gas with which
the chandelier was lighted having been left dark
| for due effect to the transformation scene in the
lpantomime, was turned again with too great
power, and the upward DRAFT carried the hca
through the apertures in the ceiling, composed of
thin BOARDS and Oil-panted canvas, and set light 10
the edges from which the fre communicated to the
Workshops.
The theatre was situated at the south end OF the
i BackiriarS road. Externally IT was modest, un-
laSsuming structure, and could accommodate plo-
hably from about two thousand to twenty five hun
dred people. 1t was Qrig: " opened on the 18th of
| November 1852, by MeSsI,. Hughes Dibdin, In
opposition To the elder Astiey. 1t was then called
the ROYAL Circus, and was long an unsuccessful
e,ulGtion This theatre was burned TO the ground
| ON August IL, 1905. The new one, now destroyed,
| was built on the same site, aud opened Faster Mon
day, 1906 For many years it fourished under the
successive management ofElliston, Tom Dibdin and
Davidge, as theatre noted for the production OF
the sensational dramas of that period VI theat-
rical history aud here IN 1929, was produced Jer-
rold's Back-eyed Susan, which enjoyed such a
heightened run.
BLoC1ADE RUNNING.
In connection with the closing of the iportsDo
Wilmington, the following statistics of blockade run
| ming are interesting:
IA 1862, 1863 and ls6I no fewer than III swift
Sta anerS were built the Clyde iOr the purpose O
| running the blockade of the Confederate ports U
the whole lll steamers, 20 have been either cap
tared OF destroyed, leaving, at the close OF lsG4
~ still running while III were on their way OUT -