The New York herald., 1872-09-14
THE LONDON STAGE.
All 0ut Of Town-stanley and Livingstone the
Lions ofthe Day-The Music Halls and the Tich-
borne Claimant -Boueicault and His Plans
for National Theatre More
Unfortunate in Bankruptcy
Miscellaneous News

M LONDON, August %, ls72
Such Londoners as stin remain In London have
now abundant opportunity to test the truth Of the
maxim uttered by sarcastic philosopher, that life
would be pleasant enough II it were not for Its
pleasures "Pleasures," in the conventional sense
OF the phrase, there are none in the month OF Au-
gust. The springs Of Amusement" popularity 30
called, are dried up for the present in the great
metropolis Gladstone is eclipsed by Livingstone,
and people have not q word, nor yet thought to
bestow upon anybody, saving only the great Afri-
can explorer and his heroic discoverer. Mr.. Stan
ley, your dauntless correspondents, who, chcered
and applauded feted and caressed on all sides,
must have as happy time OF 1t as though to use
the words OF Milton, he were 'laving his locks with
nectar In the blest kingdoms Of love and JOY"
Meanwhile people seem to have forgotten all about
the drama. which may be said to be in state OF
SUSPENDED ANIMATION
There are but three or four theatres open, and at
no one OF them are the entertainments of such
character as to challenge criticism or awaken in
terest The players walk or rather "moon" lazily
through their parts as though they deemed the
mere recitation of the text an intolerabe griev-
ance, and the few spectators dotted up and down
the house lOll drOwsily in their seats and hardly
deign to pay attention to the anguid proceedings
upon the stage. Indeed, the sparse audiences in
strange air Of conscious humiliation, as though
they had been detected in some shabby, underhand
action, and were, in fact, the "guilty creatures Sit
ting at play' to whom the Lord Hamlet makes
scornful allusion. The explanation Is sufficiently
intclgble. or all crimes against society poverty
Is the most heinous. Wellt0-do persons make 1t q
point to be on the moors on the mountains, or
at oil events by the side, in August Not to be
there or in some rural retreat implies that you
can't afford it-that in fact, you haven't got the
money TO 60; and anything more horrible than this
suspicion it is not in fancy to imagine
or In words to express. This accounts
for the sinister looks which the criminals
cast on one another when they meet under the
roofs OF one or other OF the few theatres whose
doors still remain Enclosed. For fear OF being seen
omnibus, or OF knocking against him while saunter-
Ing through the dusty and desolate streets, Jones
the Strand or the Princess. Horror Of horrOrsl
Whom does he find sitting by his side, chewing
paper this very Bown Rae only paae ar eass
is that SO graphically depicted by Leech in his
WHO'D HAVE THOUGHT OF SEEING your,
and describing the mental confusion Of two
'swels' on meeting in the same pawnshop whittier
81 ' his V s0 TRen @ oow S the o inevitable anes
tions: Brown wants to know where
eHos ar ' "s
regards the movements Of Brown. Jones is a bash
full man. n ana ta bad q hand at e He hens and
up; SO Is mutton; the railway companies ore sSouf
the immature Joneses have big garden to play In,
sS sSsE xEnss Key M SR IKE Rss Rsaaon %Ss: as:
omst Of the truth. He takes to lying ike duck to
water: He has been detained by law busness-a
heart upon the Highlands, and he himself is pas
sionately fond Of Devastating he never saw deer
IN his nIe , except IN Greenwich h PARK 50 u s al
Monday. Each friend is heartily ashamed to have
been seen in town by the other, and neither has
Jones to Peckham and Brown to Camberwel In
this state OF things 1t s not to be expected that the
few managers who still remain at their posts should
be at any great pains to provide novel and attrac-
tive ensersain9s3ts %s siIfH s vas Known as
and any sort OF fare is good enough for the strag
glers who drop in at hap-hazard to XIII the sultry
hours OF an autumnal evening. The play-goers,
properly sO-called, are at Ramsgate, Newgate,
Brighton, Yarmouth or Scarborough, and the critics
are scattered all over the world. SO the play bills,
as Tne sshoe % for Scandal Paa i Pry" % Ha"nsed Ss
House, mot Such Fool as He Looks'' and .'rne
Of continue rom
much alteration until about the middle of next
month"; when the current OF theatrical life will be-
about setting their houses in order. Then there
win be general revival" as the good people are
that in which they use the word ana novelty and
competition will be the order Of the day.
But though the theatres aneuish, the music halls
flourish, for the patrons of these establishments
bestow their favor with perennial constancy, and
are OF that class OF citizens who don't care pOta-
70 whether they are seen in town or not during
the unfashionable month. From the ordinary
harmonic, at Isngton, which, being to all intents
and purposes theatre, remains closed while the
e e s s papsr @
and at times improper for the matter OF that) are
doing capital business, For this pleasant result
due to the 'caimant' In the Tichborne case, that
prodigious psrscnage attended BY his faithful sat
ing dsported himself at the oxford and the Cam
bridge frequently OF late to the INFINITE deectation
6 nn Cs s wonderful TO
working classes stiil believe in ..sir Roger,s and
with what rapture they continue to receive MIN.
THIS MOUNTAIN OF A NAN
is no such uncutivated BGotian as his enemies
delight to paint him. Neither elegance nor elas-
Certain grace Of manner and as for I speech, he
cy M ass e ssns ra Hs q f R"S uene' lis
grammar Is usually without naw, and the letter
"a" receives n no worse treatment at hi ms lips than
to the highly ettered class. He Is easy and self
possessed, and Mr. Onslow assured him to his face,
In the presence OF o numerous audience at the
oxford Music Hall yesterday afternoon, that he
(the claimant Is zone Of the greatest gentlemen
gentleman at all there is certainly no denying him
the quality of greatness" He has found new
known conjuror, who has no dificulty In ideDtify-
ing him with o certain Mr.. De Castro, who
was tried nine years ago at Castlemaine
for horse stealing, and honOrably acquitted, and
who presented him with o walking stick 0f singu
lar beauty. Neither Mr. Onsiow nor Mr.. Whalley is
much ont Of place at music hall where the per-
formances consist, for the most part, OF gymnas-
tics and singing, for the former honorable gentle.
man throws his limbs about like "trapeztst,"
and, as for the latter, he talks In 30 petuafA
fashion, and with so mel0dious cadence, that he
II continually greeted In the House OF Commons
with shouts or "Singp "Singin Be their mutual
friend, the claimant, who he may. he has unques
vsc en csoE nr !" nm, sns n OF me
Agricultural Hall, where he viii doubtless be wei.
coined with unbOundcd enthusiasm by the lsling !
.onians Bets are already running high on the
issue Of bis approaching trial for forgery at the