The Sun. — 1859-08-08 (London, England)

EIP.HI THEATRE.  Mr. Benjamin Webster's benefit took place at the Adelphi Theatre on Saturday evening last, and his charming theatre was rendered doubly attractive on the occasion by the pro. duction, for that night only, of a new drama, entitled " One Touch of Nature." The plot is as follows :—Mr. holder (Mr. B. Webster), a humble tailor, is deserted in early life by his wife, who elopes from him with their only infant child, a daughter. Abandoned in turn by her seducer and dying in misery, scions les reyLs, she writes penitently from her deathbed to her ruined and heartbroken spouse, to inform him of the fact, adding that she has lost all clue to the child, now arrived at adultage, but that ho will recognise her whenever he may find her, by the marvellous resemblance to herself, of course at the period of her girlhood and innocence. Like Dickens's boatman in quest of little Em'ly, he devotes his life to a monomaniacal search after his lost child, whom at last he discovers in the person ofa fashionable young actress, Miss Constance Belmour (Miss H. Sinim). The poor tailor haunts this lively lady like a shadow, but with a strange distant reverence, instead of at once making himself known'to her, till he meets her accidentally at the chamber of a gay dramatic author, Mr. Beaumont Fletcher (Mr. Bfliington), whose propriety she surprised by a visit, hav'ng squeezed his hand the day before, her pretence being instruction as to a part assigned to her in his forth coming play. The wretched llolder, who copies the author's manuscripts, and who knows the piece by heart, is requested to go through the scene with the fair artiste. This scene describes the meeting of a father u,:th a long lost child. The sequel can easily be anticipated, the yearring parent glides imperceptibly from the cold words he is pronouncing by rote, into an impassioned announcement of his actual relationship to the actress.  Mr. B. Webster's admirable delineation of the character of Holder is an artistic petibrmance of the very highest order. We need scarcely add that the piece was well received. Mr. Webster, who was loudly called for at the fall of the curtain, came forward and said :  " Ladies and Gentlemen—l need not tell you that the origin of this piece is French, and that I am merely the reproducer of it to you. I beg at the same time to express my gratitudl for the patronage bestowed on me on the present occasion, and during the time since I have opened this new theatre. Doubtless it has met with your approval ; at least, upon all hands I hear encomiums. It is most gratifying to me ; and I regard the completion and opening of the new theatre as one of the proudest events of my life. Be assured, I shall endeavour, as far as my abilities go, to please you ; and if I succeed in meriting your approbation, I shall achieve all that I have venturedto hope for." (Cheers.)  It is expected that her Majesty will shortly take a cruise for two or three days in the Victoria and Albert. —Court Journal._  Saturday being the birthday of his Royal Highness Prince Alfred Ernest Albert, second son of her Majesty, the bells of various church steeples in the metropolis rang forth merry peals, and the flags were hoisted at Somerset House, the Admiralty, and other Government offices.  We understand a marriage is about to take place between Lord Bingham, eldest son of the Earl of Lucan, and Lady Cecilia Catherine Gordon Lennox, youngest daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Richmond. His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke Constantine, soon after his arrival at Hyde, honoured Mr. C. F. Hancock, the jeweller, of Bruton-street, Bond-street, with an interview, and his Imperial Highness was pleased to favour him with his commands. Lord Brougham, on being asked what he thought of the Face just concluded, replied, " ft is like the peace of God—past all understanding."—Court Journal. The King of Sardinia is said to have been so horror-struck when he heard of the peace concluded between the two Emperors, that he attempted to commit suicide.—Court Journal.  At Lord Northwick's sale a picture by Patrick Nasmyth brought £750., Poor Patrick never made more than .£GO a-year I This picture, full of beauties, was the labour of a fortnight. " Genius and its rewards are briefly told." Patrick sleeps in Lambeth 'Churchyard. A Roman villa has been discovered by Mr. W. Spickerneli, at Carisbrooke, in the Isle of Wight. It is in the valley which extends to Bowcombe, below the castle, and near the valley of Carisbrooke. We understand that the Royal Commission will speedily be issued for the amendment of the law and evidence in courts of equity. It will be presided over by the Lord Chancellor, and will comprise the leading law lords, and other high legal functionaries. Mr. Labouchere's title will be Baron Taunton, of Taunton, which place he represented in the House of Commons for more than 30 years. We are enabled to state that there is not the slightest foundation for the statement put forward by a high Church paper, that the Bishop of Exeter intends resigning his bishopric. His lordship, who is 82 years of age, is in perfect health, and has lately been discharging his duties as a canon residentiary of Durham Cathedral. Harald .  papers that lin'ol\lt,eNwEW' ZealandZ EAL theAN D.—lt country,atappears theSparticularfrom seasons,. is invaded by armies of caterpillars, which clear off the gram crops as completely as if mowed down by a scythe. With the view of counteracting this plague a novel importation haA been made. It is thus noticed by the Southern Cro.NN—" Mr. Brodie has shipped 300 sP arrcws on board the Swordfish, carefully selected from the best hedgerows in England. The food alone, he informs us, put on board for them cost in :US. This sparrow question has been a long-. stambng joke Auckland ; but the necessity to farmers of small birds to keep down the ,grubs is admitted on all sides. There is no security in New Zealand against the invasion of myriads of catterpillars which devastate the crops.' Mr. Brodie lira acclimatised the -leas.an t which is abundant . in the north. The descent from the pheasant to sparrow is somewhat of an anti-climax; but should the latter multiply, the greatest benefit will have been conferred on the country."—Au,traiian COLl,liti-E