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    w > Edmired of the charitable baronet ' s illustrious company . But many of its supporters , who had followedL theijr set into the ' . matter , abandoned it , on reflecting that thus to banish poor old men of talent and fancy from the scenes of their work and the co mpanions of their labours , would be false charity . There are few old literary men , and , we think , no old actors who care to be ' forgotten in these scenes and by that company—in fact , to be dead to their profession . But this collegiate sequestration would be profesHional death ; and thus , in our opinion , would be at best a cruel kindness . A dozen annuities of SOl each to pensioners , living where and as they like , will make , we engine for it * as many happy old souls . But an equal expenditure in almshouse relief will make , we engage for it , at least half a dozen unhappy and unthankful .

    UAYHAJaKET . Mr . Buckstone ' s cleverly planned spectacle of Undine , with its judicious compound of fun and faerie , its pretty ballet , and its well-filled pendent pantomime , continues to draw , as it deserves , good houses . Miss Fanny Wright , as the silver-clad Translucia , and Miss Louise Leclercq , as the lovelorn Spirit of the Waters , still share the enthusiasm of the public with the gorgeous scenery of the " subaqueous hall" and the " Palace of Delhi . " But it were surely better to invert the order of performance than to make the complaisant frequenters of this charming theatre , who often come far , to enjoy the capital entertainment above mentioned , go through of ThSoldier

    the preliminary purgatory e ' s Daughter , which was revived on Tuesday evening ; . " Croakers , lie down ! " we were disposed to cry when this comedy of the much-belauded old times came to an undeplored end- ^ You ever-present faction , who sigh for the old high and dry , be nailed here for one night only , and ever after be silent . Here , at least , is a work written by a good old actor of the good old school , popular in its day >—a stock piece apparently , in American—and thought worthy of a temporary resuscitation at the temple of legitimate comedy . But were this the work : of Bulwer , Bayle , Bernard , or Coyne , the town would hiss , and you would scoff as one man . " The . kindest of kindnesses to the

    memory of Cherry , the . author-actor , would be to suppress once and for all this loud claim of his to be immortalised in the next Duneiad . As we cannot predicate a . week ' s run lor the piece , we need not trouble the reader with its \ apid plot . Suffice it to say that Mr . Chippendale ; as the gentlemanly old Governor Ifearlall , was thie geni of the historical portrait gallery . Messrs . W . Farren and Villiers did the young men with spirit . The heroine , XYidow Cheerfy—a part sacred , when Cherry , and volunteering were extant , and the scarlet fever raged terribly

    in England , to the fascinating Mrs . Jordan—was represented by an American actress , Mrs . W . C . Forbes . Dignified and intelligent though this lady appeared to be , and amiable though the audience undoubtedly were , the native insipidity and dulness of the play almost bore her down . The military and patriotic talk , which , while a French invasion was imminent , ensured the success of The Soldier ' s Daughter , fell upon even duller ears than seemed to have been calculated , and the interminable epilogue , in five stories , fy ttes , or acts , grievously imperilled not alone the credit of the revival but even the

    reception of the fair debutante . But the kind feeling of the audience towards the latter saved the former from censure , and the usual honours were awarded jw n . dis .

    JCYC 13 UM . We hope that Mr . Falconer will at length reap the fruit of his enterprise and exertions , and that the Lyceum , which has somewhat drooped since Christmas , will not merely resume the position it occupied in public favour during the long run of his comedy of Extremes , but will attain to something like the popularity once «» joyed by the Adelpbf . A new drama was produced on Thursday , entitled Tho Sister ' s Sacrjive , or the Orphans of Valncige , wilh the view of bringing prominently forward the unrivalled talents of Madame Celeste , and was received , as it well deserved , -with ovqry possible mark of favour . The orphans of Valnejge aro Gdneviove , a sempstress and shopkeeper ( Madame Colosto ) , and her young half-sister Josette ( Mias Julia St . George ) . The former 01

    tnose , a high-pnncipled and refloctivo but most amiable character , has , at her mother ' s doath-bedaidc , undertaken tho aolo charge and support of tho latter who is thoughtless and giddy . Consequently , when her good qualities have procuredGdnevidve an excellent oQov of marriage from Cypvien Girunl , a mountain farmer ( Mr . ISmufyj , sho finds hor « olf compelled to refuse lb at tho eleventh hour because his paronta will not receive her siator aa woll as horaolf under tnoir roof . This is the sister ' s flrat sacrifice , and wl&h it conclude * tho flrat act . But ihoru is yet wore sorrow in . atoro for GJnovidve , A fow months otq aupposod to olapae bofcweon the wrsfc and second aefcei . diimoiiHxs has paused them at •? i ¦ a' ftnc * ro * wr 8 thonqo In time to bo present flt *« o funeral of Josotta . who has dlod somewhat

    suddenly . She at the same time receives a . letter , fzonx which she gathers that , during her absence , Joattte had become affianced to a young soldier . Allusions in the letter to the possible birth of a child convince her that poor Josette had also surrendered her honour . At this intelligence she swoons . A village busybody and social detective , named Catherine ( Mxs . Keeley ) , who has become engaged in the interim to Cyprien , and happens to be present , unluckily reads the fatal letter . She has ' soon occasion to use her Genevieve

    information , for the obstacle presented by s devotion to Josette being how removed , Cyprlen proposes a return to his first love . She reaccepts him while her tears are yet flowing ; but the jealous busybody at once disparages the connexion by telling all she knows . To save harmless the fame of her departed sister a second sacrifice is now demanded of Genevieve She at once declares that the revelation in the letter applies to herself , and is thrown scorned and deserted upon the world . broken

    In the third act we find that a wearyj - hearted traveller has sought shelter from a storm in the outhouse of a mountain farm . It is the stricken Genevieve , whose footsteps chance has led to the abode of the Girards on the very morning appointed for the marriage—again arranged ^ -of Cyprien and Catherine . She conceals herself , but is discovered by the latter and the comic servant of the establishment , Pierre ( Mr . Rogers ) . Here incidents of strongly tragic east would have been afforded by the death of the heroine and perhaps the suicide of her lover ; . but the penchant of both authors and audiences for happy endings carries the story to another conclusion . A scene of no great power follows the discovery of Genevieve , in which the better nature of the shrew and the simple

    benevolence of the peasants lead them to house the wanderer . At the sight of bee the heart of Cyprien again pants for freedomj but honour and filial duty prescribe instant slavery to the unloved Ca < Aer »» e The bidden guests now arrive ,, and with them a Madame Belan ( Mrs . Westpn ) who had been sole depositary of the secret . She now determines to hold it no longer- and at oiwe clears the character of the heroine . The news of her innocence is received with acclamation , but the sufferings of Cyprijsn are of course intense . AH difficulties are , however ,.. removed -by a sacrifice scarcely less noble than those we have seen before . When all is ready , Catherine appears in simple peasant dress . She leads by . the hand Genevieve , w . hon ' i she has clad in the bridal robes , and in whose favour she wisely has resolved to resign all claims upon Cyprien .

    With the exception ot this third act , which has something about it weak and awkward , the Sister ' s Sacrifice is a powerful melodrama . The first scene in Geneieves little village shop is acted with delightful freshness by Madame Celeste and Mias St . George , the sudden termination of whose part at the first act ' s end was regretted by all who observed her intelligence during its progress . In the various situations we have indicated as giving scope for the exercise of her peculiar gift of expression , Madame Celeste was quite herself and was rapturously applauded by great . and small , young and old , critical and uncritical . The parts of Girprd , the . Provencal farmer , and his

    son Cyprien were thoroughly well sustained by Messrs . Barrett and Emery . The latter artist , whose costume exhibited that excellent sense of the picturesque for which he is so remarkable , rendered excellently the gauchvrie and bn ' shfulness of the peasant lover . Mrs , Keeley applied all her talent to make the best of a part necessarily am up-hill one ; ami Mr . Rogers was , of course , amusing in his delivery of tho most uneoinioal " bks" of comic interpolation . Wo shall ) doubtless , have further opportunities of noticing the Sister ' s Sacrifice , which , if it have the success wo wish' it , will hold the stage for some time . It bears the impress , we should add , of almost literal translation from the French . GREAT OLO 1112 , LEICKSTEK-StiUAnE , This rotund establishment of Mr . Wyld ' s continues to pile up atnuaeincnt and instruction aandwichfasliion , until it may almost bo said to " play round the clock . " Here , from ten a . m ., in fact , to ton p . m .. Paterfamiliasi may indulge , if ho bo so' winded , his young barbarians with a continual feast of reasonable and seasonable quality ¦*—geographical , topographical , ethnological , and historical . Twice each day are exhibited very fairly painted dioramas of Japanese , Chinese , and Upper Indian and Lower ImUnu scenery ,

    with the usual ruu-aud-rcad descriptive obligiito — to wiseacres , rubbiah—but to plain folks like ourselves , why liko our memories freshened up when wo have any , ami can bo thankful for even a grain of new knowledge , very aixtiafactory . The Chiucso diorama , of twenty-six paintings , wo noticed on a former occasion . The Japanese ,. ' to , tell tho , truth , wo have not yet aeon . About the Lower Indian , wo are in the same position s bub during tho week we have aeon all tho pictorial illustrations of our late operations \ ii Upper- India . Wo arc justified in

    speaking ; highly of them ; , but for the moment , have not space to travel over the ground . At a future opportunity we may do so ; but at present will do no more than commend them for the entertainment of young people especially . .. ¦ ., PKOFESSOK BAttNUM . ST . JAMES ' S HAXL .. That Regius professor of worldly wisdom and humbug , Mr . P . T . Barnum , continues his entertaining course of lectures to very large classes of undergraduates in those faculties ., Humbuggees in thousands—possible humbugs all—attend his soirees , and leave them intent upon putting in practice at least the sagacious maxims upon money-making , which our genial Yankee philosopher so

    entertainingly sets forth and illustrates . As a reader , Mr . Barnum is above the average . His voice is sonorous , his delivery clear . His subject is of course interesting almost beyond compare , and his treat ment of it , while seemingly artless , rough , and ready , is , nevertheless , well-studied and elaborate . His views on " making money" are so clearly correct that , if it were not too great humbug , we should like , in some future course , to be favoured with some ideas about " keeping it . ' * Something original in this way would be a boon to the world and the worthy inventor top ; but failing absolute novelty , the author of the Barnum lectures has such a felicitous mode of dealing with the oldest saws and stories and the most modern axioms that we doubt not that he would also handle very pleasantly the important

    topic we suggest . For the benefit of the curioiis , we may mention , that this Mr . Barnum is a person of unassuming manners , and has a clear , bright eye . His age is doubtful ; but his lectures present internal evidence of his birth some time since Solomon . Na one yet , we believe , has questioned his genuineness ; but at the feet of such a Gamaliel an apt pupil may be pardoned the somewhat heretical query Whether even a sham Barnum may not exist , and , that granted , whether this one must of necessity be the original . The simultaneous operations in the two hemispheres of duplicate humbug-prophets would be an excellent and , no doubt , profitable joke . We are onfy taking a leaf put of our pundit ' s book when we suggest that he should fortify himself with certificates from his legation , properly attested , that he is in truth the P . T . Barnum , or another .

    ST . JAMES SHAtL POPDLAR CONCERTS . We are glad to observe that the ' value of this establishment as a home for permanent entertainments and a perehing-spot for casual lectures , meetings , concerts , " and- balls ; is beginning to be appreciated by professionals and public alike . The Monday popular concerts are now looked for , and though London can hardly be called full , are frequented by the best company . At that on . Monday last , the most novel feature was' the appearance , pursuant to announcement , of Mr . Sims Reeves . This gentleman , whose " indispositions" have been often and much derided ,

    has in truth been incapacitated from vocal , though not from other exertions . It is right the public should bo informed that in the case of this celebrated tenor , the malady is of the throat not of the temper . His execution of Balfe ' s ' Let me whisper in thine ear , " •' My pretty Jane , " and " The Bay ol Biscay , " magnificent and duly appreciated . Miss Arabella GoJdard ' s pianoforte playing was the other great feature of the evening , and he who would demand more than three performances by each of these artists for one evening ' s amusement may almost be called a musical glutton .,

    At a more convenient season we may perhaps enlarge upon the time , temper , money , and quality sacrificed by entrepreneurs , and the public in giving and getting"long entertainments . Long plays , long balls ( long bills ) , long concerts , are all mistakes . But to return to Miss Gbildard : she gave an air with variations by Mozart , u Tho Harmonious Blacksmith , " "A Fantasia by Benedict , " and Thalberg ' s " arrangement" ( query disarrangement ) of " llome , sweet Home . " The Swedish melodists contributed some German part-songs to the entertainment of a goodly company , whose satisfaction was too often and loudly expressed to leave any doubt of its genuineness . MB , AND MRS . UOWAUD PAUL . —ST . JAMISS ' d-UAbL .

    Wo have been gratified to observe the excellent progress this clover couple are making in public estimation . "Wo wore among tho flrat to cheer and encourage thorn while as yet they wore , aa "drawingroom entertainers , " comparatively unknown to fame . We wero confident that with a little of that assistance , which our frnturnity are seldom baokward in , landing to marked talent , tho bonolies of the little suite in Piccadilly , at firat rather bare , would be soon butter occupied ; and we had the pleasure before tho season closed there of seeing our predictions vended . "Wo now Und that tho same outertainment ulla a much larger room and with a more fashionable elass of company . They have taken rank in fact among tho « praiaeables . " Folk a of tho faintest tasto or talent can now von lure to be loud upon Mrs . Howard Paul ' s versatility aa an nctross and tho admirable quality of her voice . The " Patchwork " is now as

    Untitled Article

    No . 461 , January 22 I 850 Q J ^ M 3 . J ^^^ M ^' -- ~ — W _

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 22, 1859, page 111, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2278/page/15/