PERSONAL AND GENERAL.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 218, 15 September 1888, Page 5

PERSONAL AND GENERAL.

Mr Philip Mennell baa,, severed his connection with the "Anglo-New Zealander,' and rp.turncd to his old position aa cablegraphic correspondent for tho Melbourne " Ago." '_, Sir Charles Warren, speaking at St. Leonard's School on prize day, ( created some surprise by drawinff " ddorbU3 comparisons" between English and colonial boys, greatly to the" latter's advantage. He contrasted, amongst other things, the objective dullness of the English youth with the feftdy observation of- the colonial ■boy;:-' ... ■' '■ . ■ ■-'■,: .-'■" ■-'•',-' ■!_, ■" '-1' ■ At aluncheon given last week at Cannonstreet'Hotels to 'test the-irieriis of- the ■■■ V Wanzer IJ Cobker (a novel and expensive apparatus which' promises to come into general use), the master of St. Paricras workhouse fold -the, company that' New, Zealand mutton came out of a" Wanzer. j perfectly ;co6ked and of greater weight than , .when it was put in.; '_, . One result of the Pan-Anglican Confer-1 enco is' that henceforward the Primate a \ Australia will be known ; as Archbishop^in- j Stead of as heretofore Metropolitan, i-«e | change does riot, I gather, come into force i tit once.1 The Conference merely recommended^the alteration. i;lt will have'to be, approver! by Congi'ess first.■„.■ q .."■;'!.-' t AttioriK's't'tho New Zealatidera gallivant-! ing in London this, last fortnight may be mentioned Mr Jno. A. Laiog of Aucbl # amj. Mr"A; E.'Exley and Mr W. H. Knight. The two last named are at the First Avenue Hotel. ' , , Mr and Mrs JW.-A. Allen will retunv to Auckland by the Valetta, sailinpr on the. 23rd ihsV Mr Daniel Drake will.be a passenger for Wellington and Mr^ v °j -■' Maclaren for Port. Chalmers by tho same steamer.. " .... ~ -..,Vr-^-*.»Tv 't'-V Lord Hastings, who sails for your part of the.wbrld af.tho"end;of this month on a tour of the Australias.must, BOt,be comuaoci ■with' the last'Marqu'is of .that' ilk, to^whom Ho: was no relation. Lord Hastings, hW> tho " plunging peer/ is a sportsman (indeed he visits Australia mainly to witness a MolboarneOup) but nofcii better, ;Hp, nf been fairly lucky during the fewypara ho

has beon on the turf; won the Derby ami other great races witb/Meiton and generally has a goedish horse or two in training.. The Duke of Portland is Lord Hastings oolleague . and adviser in all sporting matters, and their horses are trained,together by young Dawson at Heath Hpuae. ; When the Auckland Stud Company were looking out for a sire to replace Musket! ventured to suggest a horse that had recently retired from the turf, and was.then in the market—Lord Bradford's Retreat. Eventually, Major Walmsley came Co England, and bought the defunct Sword Dance, who proved, I should imagine, a somewhat expansive investment. Retreat's progeny are now" coming to the~ front. One of the smartest two-year-olds this year is St Serge, by Retreat, out of White Lily—an animal that can both go faat and stay, I believe in proved stayers as sires, and they are getting more and more difficult to find every year, 'i Only four; animals could be found last Thursday to compete for the timqhonoured Goodwood Cup of 2i miles. ' Mr 6. W. Taylor, who recently returned home after making a fortune in your part! of the world, has been accented as the Liberal candidate for Denbigh at nestelection. He is one of the subscribers of £500 towards founding' a Welsh University j mostly about actors you ■;: %, -know.' >! !> ■? .-

Mr Terriss and Miss Miliward are going to P star" the colonies together next year. ', Frank 'Thornton!' starts vbir; his'second colonial tour almost immediately. "The Private Secretary" will, as before be his piece de resistance,, but he bas also acquired the Australasian rights of " Sweet Laven r der."

Poor old Barry Sullivan has at length broken down completely. He will never act again.-, . ; '~, ......... .. f ' The dramatic version of Fergus Bumes's " Madame Midas" will probably be tried shortly at a matinee at. the Princess's Theatre. -" '■ \

John R. Rodgers and "My Sweetheart" are in Paris hunting for novelties and renovating Mrs R.'e wardrobe. ~, ;■■;■' , ;. !

Horace Lingardi who has grown rich on the proceeds "of "Falka" and " Pepita,'" will shortly exploit the latter at a London theatre. . ,

Mr Alfred Collier, who arrived home on Tuesday last to superintend the production of his new opera at the Prince of Wales's; Theatre, is full of the success of the Gaiety Company in Melbourne. He says Nellie Farren and Sylvia Grey had, when he left,already begun to speculate on the relative merits of the London and colonial " masher," and to express partiality for the latter. ! !tf ; \

I Miss Florence Mayer, the young Austra- | Han pianiste, who ventured on a series of ! " recitals " at St. James's Hall, did not, I ; fear, gain much beyond experience by the : move. She hopes, however, to do bettor ;on the Continent. Miss Mayer has written an opera called " Victorine." Mdme. Melbas's success at Covent Gardens during the season just closed was unmistakeable arid conclusive. Mr" Harris has re-engaged her for next year. .•; . HEIIR BANMANN REDIVIVUS.

; Your old acquaintance Herr Bandmann; is over here, making ; a silly spectacle of himself in a wretchedly feeble version of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde." The years, have not improved Bandmarin. He is more eccentric, and more irascible, and more conceited than ever. Although Monday was a bank holiday, and other houses were full to over-flowing only a handful of curious people assembled at the Opera ComiqueV to >vitnes'3 this once able actor's ■ill-natured attempt to euchre Mr Richard Mansfield. It was, ofj course, a complete failure. The audience' were too good natured to hiss, but theyj shouted with laughter. Poor Bandmann" alone seemed iinaware there was anything^ wrong. Wearing a scratch wig, and pro-j videdTwith a disgusting set of->false tooth,:] he bent his tall figure low, and hopped i aboutthestage gibbering like a galvanised frog. This was Mr Hyde. The critics sat speechless. " American companies," fe-ii marked Mr Clement Scott subsequently, j " have offered many insults to the intel-j ligence of London, but this beats: j all." The oddest feature of the evening^ was, perhaps,: that the audience having;, resolved to accept the performance asj : a burlesque, seemed sjenuinely amused. At!! the end, Bandmann actually came' on.! (though without being called) and made a' pompous speech in which (ye gods and little fishes!) he thanked the audience for "the ; grandr * reception him on his return«to the capital of the; Empire." All the way home; we discussed whether the man really understood what; had occurred that evening, pr whether! overweening vanity blinded him to every- j thing sayo what. he wished to seo. I hoar | now the foolish old man accused the critics! of having been " bribed by Mans Geld to j run him down." ,

Mansfield's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde "is a thin, invetebrate, deadly-dull arid darklygloomy melodrama rendered possible only, by, the young stars'; acting; as Hyde. A worse company than supports him never trod the Ljceum stage. . Morti, than' once they imperilled the success of the play last Saturday evening, even after iMansfield had scored heavily. When in tho .4th act the leading lady pointed a convulsive finger at Dr. Jekyll, and bawled in the preciso shrill tone of Nelly Farren, playing Tilburniain :'S The .Critic "r-il I dv not leove me fearthur's myiu^derer " — I, thought it was all up. Fortunately, Mansfield had a few minutes previously congealed the house with horror. ■; ' ' -<' ';■ A striking and effective, if ghastly scene, will draw; ail London to ithe Lyceum this autumn. The first is the murder, of Sir Danver's Gavew in the mobnlit: drawingrooin by. Hyde..' The second is the crisis, when in full sight 'of the audience arid with6ut even a handkerchief to help hiniMansfield changes from 'Hyde loathsome, deformed, glassy-eyed,^ arid unspeakably horrible to lobk at, to the dignified yonrig doctor 'in 'correct professional costume. And tho third is when Jekyll retrogrades (against his will) into Hyde; This last catas: tropheaffords opportunity for onejreally original 'situation,; JekyU detormines to take poison and die as Jekyll rather than be caught and bung as Hyde.. Before proceeding; to ex-, ti'emes, however, he desires to look once again on" his beloved fiancee's face. : Dr.. Lanyoris^ therefore, brings her to the street below, and Jekell cornea out on the balcony arid kisses his hand ; but even as ha does so the' ghastly change fil pm Jokyll to Hydo takes place, and tho girl, looking up, recognises her father's murderer. , Hydeturns with a.shriek to the laboratory,'drinks the pbiaori; arid falls dead as the .dpof is;br6keri open. ~'./ '.":".'..' .-J-- - ■■.'• ' - -- -►—-