The Sun. — 1844-08-29 (London, England)

UTHAMPTON THEATRE.  SATURDAY, AuG. 24.—The play-goers have this week had a great treat in the engagement of Mr. Webster, lessee of the Haymarket, and Madlle. Celeste, for four night.. The engagement commenced on Monday last, when the pieces forming the bill of fare, were St. Mary's Eve, a domestic drama, of an interesting plot, and a wellwritten dialogue ; the Woman Hater ; and the Trumpeter's Daughter. In the first piece Mademoiselle Celeste performed the part of Madeline, a French girl. Her pretty foreign accent suited the character well, and her acting in the more serious portions of the piece was no less feeling and impassioned than it was piquant and agreeable in the lighter and comic situations. The effect on the audience fully bears out this remark, for we observed the sympathy of many of the fair sex excited even to tears. It was a beautiful and touching performance. The Woman Hater followed, in which both Celeste and Webster appeared. This is a very slight interlucde with nothing but the good acting of the two " stars" to make it attractive. The pith of it consisted merely in the reformation of the Woman Hater's misanthropic tendency by the irresistible effect of the charms of Madlle. Celeste, as Leila.—The Trumpeter's Daughter is a lively and amusing farce from the pen of that prolific author, Mr. Coyne, written to introduce the Polka, which was danced by Mr. Webster and Celeste in a very graceful style. This was loudly and unanimously encored. The house was crowded.  On Wednesday night the pieces were Victor and Hortense, the Trumpeter's Daughter, and St. Mary's Eve. The plot of the first piece was interesting and gave full scope for the abilities of both Madlle. Celeste and Mr. Webster, who played the two principal characters. On Thursday the first piece was a lively and well got up farce, which was very popular at the Haymarket two or three seasons back—The Pretty Girls of Stilbery. A number of Cadets, headed by Ernest (Mr. Webster), who in the part gives an extraordinary personation of the Emperor Napoleon, play a trick upon the village girls, of whom Margot (Madlle. Celeste) is the chief. They discover the plot and revenge themselves by adopting the uniform of Prussian troops and surprising the Cadets, in a slumber into which they fall after a riotous jollification, and make them prisoners. This scene was excellently got up. The dresses, arms, and accoutrements of the fair campaigners were complete, and they were put through their exercise by Mademoiselle Celeste in a very clever manner. This was loudly and deservedly applauded. Mr. Webster looked the fac-simile of Napoleon, and his personation of the Great Captain excited the greatest admiration. . .  Last night Mr. Webster and Madlle. Celeste made their last appearance, and took their benefit, when the house was well filled. The pieces were Maria Ducange, The Pretty Girls of Stitherg, and the Trumpeter's Daughter. This engagement has given great satisfaction. They opened at Ryde, Isle of Wight, last evening (Tuesday) to a most fashionable audience and are reengaged for four nights in the ensuing week here.  SUICIDE OF A LADY AT ELTllAM.—Throughout the whole of Tuesday this little village was in a state of the greatest excitement in consequence of the following melancholy affair :—Shortly after twelve o'clock as a young man named Bently was crossing some fields of his master's, he discovered a fashionable tuscan bonnet, trimmed with blue and white satin ribbon, lying amongst the rushes on the bank of a small but deep pond, which, on picking up, he found contained a pocket and a number of letters. These he took to his master, who sent for Sergeant Osborn, 13 H, of the Ettham police, who proceeded to the pond, and from a number of female footprints being round it he concluded that some one was in the water. There being no drags in the village, he was compelled to wait until a smith had made a brace of hooks, with which, after a short period, he drew out the body of a person, apparently a woman about 30 years of age, but from the circumstance of there being a great quantity of hair upon the chin he imagined it was a man in woman's clothes. The body was conveyed to the Crown Inn, Court-yard, Eltham, when it proved to be that of a woman, and evidently had not been long in the water, as a handkerchief in the hand was quite dry in the palm. She was elegantly attired in a pale green plaid silk gown, and cape to match, trimmed with black blonde. Her linen was marked "M. W. J." She had also a valuable gold watch, name " Harlfriend, 157, Regent-street." On a subsequent examination of the pocket, it was found to contain a considerable sum in gold and silver, a letter addressed to her mother, " Mrs. Jackson, Hanover-street," several addressed to " Miss Jackson," and others to her friends at Bath and Berwick, taking a farewell of them. There was also a will bequeathing property, to which she is entitled, to the amount of some thousands. Yesterday afternoon Mr. C. J. Carttar, Coroner for West Kent, held an inquest on the body of the deceased, Miss Mary Ward Jackson, aged thirty years. Mr. Isaac Henry Tyas, of 13, Beaufort-buildings, Strand, said he was well acquainted with the deceased. On Sunday three weeks ho dined with her at Osborne's Hotel, Adeiphi. She was then very unwell, and had been so since last July. On Monday witness heard that she was missing. He was satisfied that her mind was impaired. After some further evidence had been gone into, Mr. Alexander John Sutherland, physician, of Fludyer-street, Westminster, said he had seen deceased several times. She was decidedly of unsound mind. Verdict—" Insanity."