The Sun. — 1844-12-19 (London, England)

ADELPHI THEATRE. The Adelphi, under the new management, maintains its old character of being the first in the field with novelties. It has fairly distanced its competitors in the production of Charles Dickens's Chimes. The Adelphi chimes rang for the first time last evening, and a bumper house was collected to see a beautiful series of tableaux vivans, illustrative of the goblin story bells Markth hat Lemrang aannd oGI idl bye re ta rxoßu et canntdt aar en tehwe Maclise, Stanfield, Leech, and Doyle, have been admirably transferred to canvass by Messrs. T. Pitt and Johnstone. A beautiful copy of Maclise's exquisite illustrated title-page to the work is used as the drop•scene between the four quarters into which the piece is divided. After a prologue spoken by Miss E. Chapin as a spirit of the chimes, we are introduced to Trotty Veck (Mr. 0. Smith) and his daughter, Meg (Miss Fortescue), and see Trotty's memorable tripe dinner in front of the house of Alderman Cute (Mr. Wright). We are next introduced to Sir Joseph Bowley (Mr. Paul Bedford), the poor man's friend, who plays at skittles once a year with his labourers, that is to say, with those who pay their rent, and tyrannises over his toady, Secretary Fish, and sends poachers to prison, and to his philanthropic lady (Miss E. Harding), who subscribes to charities which give more than two votes for five guineas. We then meet with Will Fern (Mr. Hudson), the English labourer—not the English labourer of former days, but the English labourer whom neglect and penury have driven to misery, and misery to crime; and then we have Trotty's dream _of the chimes, and see Meg, a miserable sempstress, driven to suicide by want; the gloomy parts of the picture being enlivened by the kindheartedness of Mrs. Chickenstalker (Mrs. F. Mathews), and her quarrels with the hard-hearted, well to do, Mr. Tugby (Mr. Wilkinson), umquhile hall porter to Sir Joseph Bowley, but now the husband of the ci-devant Mrs. Chickenstalker, and the landlord of poor Meg. In the last scene Trotty awakes from his dream, determining, henceforth, to eschew tripe, and all ends happily with the marriage of Meg and Richard (Mr. Selby). 0. Smith's Trotty Veck is one of the most artistical pieces of acting we have ever witnessed. It is quite equal to his old Scrooge. Miss Fortescue, who has, we are glad to see, returned to the theatre where she first made for herself her fame, supported him admirably, and made a most interesting character of Meggy Veck. Wright, as the dogmatical Alderman, who is " up to everything" and is determined to put down "everything, convulsed the audience with laughter by his quaint and ignorant self-sufficiency. The sketch is evidently one from nature, and Wright had the good taste not to " make up" the character so as to bear any personal resemblance to the original; the satire, therefore, does not degenerate into lampoon. Hudson's Will Fern was full of power, and the home truths which he uttered were taken up by the audience and applauded to the echo. Paul Bedford made the most of the " poor man's friend," and Miss lE. Harding, as his lady, was an admirable representative of the fashionable female philanthropist, while Wilkinson, as the fat, red-faced hall porter, was the very beau ideal of the class of men who ask " Wot is taxes ?" The piece has been put upon the stage with the greatest care and attention, and, with a little judicious curtailment, will run pleasantly through the Christmas season. The house was crammed to excess long before the rising of the curtain.  The incendiary, we are sorry to say, has been again at work in Mildenhall. About half-past one on Thursday morning, a fire broke out in a straw stack adjoining the homestall belonging to Mr. Edward Peachey, of Holmsey-green, which in a short time communicated to the barn, stables, and other buildings, the whole of which, with a quantity of corn thrashed and unthrashed, farming implements, &c., were totally destroyed. The house, which is built of stone and tiled, was saved. The scene of this fire was within 100 yards of the spot where Mr. Childerstone's stacks were burnt last winter. An old man who worked upon the premises nearly lost his life in his endeavour to save some property in a barn, and was rescued by persons outside breaking a hole through and dragging him out. Mr. P. is insured in the Norwich Union. A reward of 1001. is offered on conviction of the incendiary.--Cambridge Advertiser.