MAIL BUDGET.

Evening Star, Issue 6624, 21 June 1884, Page 1 (Supplement)

MAIL BUDGET.

[Compiled bv our London Cokrespon--1 DENT.] NEWS OF THE WEEK. London, May 2. The east wind has left us, and the weather is now delightfully warm and summer-like. All the “swells” of society are in town, and with the opening of the Health Exhibition at South Kensington the season of 84 will commence in r«al eaine. t. The few days which have elapsed since the departure of the ’Frisco mail do not seem to have been specially eventful. Glancing over the files of clai’y papers I cannot find many items worth dilating upon at length. The royal marriage at Darmstadt, t~e uyna-mita-d plot, and the fire at Whitelcy’s you shall ot course hear all about, but when these have been dealt with my budget will be at an end. The most notable, departure _ for the “silent land ” I have to chronicle is that of Sir Michael Costa, the famous musician, who died rather suddenly at Brighton on Tuesday last. Costa was emphatically a self-made man, and his life story is one from which much may be learnt. It would be hard to match the career oi the Neapolitan artist, v-ho came to this country fifty years ago, unrecoimHe l and almost unknown, who t'.ea took up a totally false position -.vnci was made the butt of cruel criticism, yet who has just gone from amongst us rich, honored, and Costa began bis mnsic.v career in Italy, and would probably have remained there always but n r the fact that the managers of the Birmingham Musical Festival in 1829 selected a work of hi - master, Zin. nreili, for performance in the Midlands. Zingarelli was too old to make the (at that time) long and difficult journey to Birmingham, so he sem Jiia clever young pupil, Costa, to look after and conduct the cantata. The English performers, however, were rampantly jealous of the poor young Italian, who was not allowed to conduct ZingarelVs work, but made to sin;/ (he tenor mmic. Like many of his countrymen, Costa had a mediocre tenor, but to ask him to perform at Birmingham was cruel, and of course he failed utterly and disastrously. In fact the whole affair proved a fiasco. The great musical paper of the day pronounced Zingarolli’s cantata “a heap of commonplace trash,” and declared that Costa was very nearly being mobbed by the audience, who justly resented having a feeble voice and feebler music foisted upon them. Costa never sang again in public, but accepted the position of pianist at the Kings Theatre in London, then conducted by Laporto. Thus began a connection with Italian opera in London which lasted upwards of fifty years. From this- period Costa’s career was uniformly successful He became in time the most renowned chef d orchestra in Europe; indeed there arc many who declare that he was the first to bring an English orchestra into a condition of order and discipline. As a composer Costa will probably he remembered best by his oratorios “Eli” and “Naaman,” which are even more popular jn America than in England, The sums up au obituary notice of the deceased musician thus ; “Better composers have lived and still live, but as a chef d'orche.fire Costa stood, like .Saul the son of Kish, head and shoulders above his fellows. We shall both miss him and whnt him in the years to come, as we mark the absence of the devotedness with which he did his work, the personal ascendancy which made each cf his subordinates a reflex of himself, the high-mindednesa which stooped to notning mean and vulgar, but was consecrated to the elevation of ins proiession.’ WniTKDEY'S DIKE. A portion of the. Queen’s road Bayswater premises of the great Whiteley (thenmversal provider) were burnt down on Friday morning, and goods to the value of L 500,000 ■destroyed. There was nothing special about the conflagration, v/Hoh broke out in the * arly morning and raged for abou" five hours; indeed, the most remarkable feature of the affair seems to be tnat despite the vast extent .of the damage, only the merest fractional portion of Wiffteley’s establishment has been interfered with. I was_ perfectly amazed when I passed the building the nay before yesterday. Prior to the fire you walked alon° r about a qua r ter of a mile of shopwindows, all inscribed with the name of White!-y, but this gave you no idea of the depth of the building. Now you can see wL<it an iinmen-e of ground the block covers. Even the Magasiu de Louvre _in Park? and the Army and Navy Co-operative Store* in London are nowhere beside it. No wonder Whitelcy declares it takes a lull day to penetrate all the mysteries of his establishment. I certainly shouldn’t care to undertake the job without a guide. _ Tnose who care to know the autobiography of one of the most remarkable self-made men jaf the age should cerfcav ly rtad whac Whiteley says about himself and his shop in the ‘Pall Mai Gazette.’ The whole business has been built up in twenty years, or during the Prince of Wales’s married life. On the day after the Princoaß Alexandra ot Denmark hecaruo Vvifc of the heir to the throne Mr William Whiteley. then an energetic linen-draper’s assistant, set up for himself in what had hitherto been a most cnlucky little shop in WcHbourne Grove. M«3 had only a LlO note in his pocket, but he bad limitless pluck and enterprise, and now he is a tradesman millionaire, au uni versa provider Give him the order, and he will within twenty-four hours supply you with a wife, a newly-furnished house, servants, horses, carriages —in fact, a complete ■mcnar/c. Once upon a time a joker wrote to Whiteley and ordered him to deliver a “‘second-hand coffin” at his (tne jokers) club next evening at seven. W hen the time came the coffin was duly announced, together wifca the bill and a messenger from Whiteley. “ This is not a second-hand coffin,” observed the aghast funny man. “ Oh, yes, it is,” said the messenger. “We made the article for Mrs -, but when we tried to vei her husband in he wouldn’t fit, go we were obliged to take it back. On my word of honor, sir, the coffin has contained a corpse—or, at least, the best part of one. The joker paid for the second-hand coffin, ■and then resold it to Whiteley at half-price. He now looks glum whenever the “universal provider’s” name s mentioned.

‘■DKBAoIXI! THE COINAGE.' This is the heading one sees everywhere just now. The proposal of the Chancellor of the Exchequer re making the half-sovereign a token has raised a perfect hurricane of objections. Liberals and Tories alike agree in pronouncing the alteration objectionable. Indeed, if the Government insist on trying to carry the point, I shall not be at all surprised ‘if they get well beaten, THE PICTURE (IALLERIES. The Groavenor Gallery opened its doors for the season yesterday, and this afternoon the private view of the Royal Academy takes place. In ray next I hope to be able 4o give you an idea of what will be the leading pictures of the year At present Fildt s is the name on everyone’s lips. THE DYNAMITE PLOTS. j On Good Friday last the Birmingham j detectives apprehended a Fenian named j Egan ; and on*the same day a man known as j Daley or Denman wan arrested at Birkenhead on suspisiou of having been connected with the recent explosion at Victoria Station. The former of these prisoners was examined at Birmingham on Saturday, the 26th April, and now stands charged with treason felony. The ‘Morning Post,’ commenting on the trial, remarks :—“ The revelations made at the Birmingham Police Court on Saturday do something more than revive our recollections of the treasonable conspiracy which existed some fifteen or sixteen years ago, having for its object the separation of Ireland from the United Kingdom by means of civil war. They unmistak-ably indicate that this conspiracy has never been crushed ; that its vitality, though perhaps not its energy, has remained unaffected; and th*t it has only found new means of evincing its subversive and destructive instincts by utilising powers of mischief which were formerly denied to it, since what has ,een termed the dynamite ‘ policy ’ has become an active and terrible engine directed against society. Doubts have been entertained whether the conspirators were actuated oy a desire to (secure the independence of Ireland, or by the far more comprehensive motive of shaking the foundations of all forms of established government and substituting anarchy and hiihilism throughout the civilised world. In Russia, and even in Germany, this latter doctrine was

unequivocally taught, and it was placed beyond doubt that eager disciples were only ! awaiting the opportunity of carrying these ' precepts into practice in France, in Italy, ; and in Spain. When, therefore, from time ; to time the English public were alarmed by dynamite explosions in their midst and by ' the seizure of explosive substances, which it ■ was proved were intended to be used for the I purpose of destroying life and property, it • wns not easy to determine with certainty : whether those were the of some special conspiracy having for its object the ; severance of Ireland from Englann, or were | merely evidence of that geneial socialistic | epidemic from which Europe has suffered for some years past. When Gallagher and i his companions were convicted oi treasonfelony a twelvemonth since, the origin of their conspiracy was clearly traced to the Fenian organisation in Anv-ricd. When a couple of months since a most destructive explosion took place afc\ ictovia station, and inftrnal machines were discovered in three of the ot her metropolitan railway stations, the. cakes of dynamite were found to be of a description manufactured in United States, the importation or which into this country is forbidden. Indirectly, therofoie, the eviden.e in these instances equally pointed to an exclusively Fenian conspiracy. Wc have now disclosures made in reference to criminal transactions of a similar nature v. Inch necessarily turn Duration* ion in the same direction, i( It will be recollected that when a man known as Daley or Denman was arrested at Birkenhead on Good Friday, having m hi? possession several explosive machines. _ an arrest was simultaneously made at Birmingham of a man named Egan, with whom it was km i that Daley had for some time lodged. When Egan was first brought before • magistrates there seemed little to connec;, Mm witn the enmo imputed to Daley, save that the latter had staved in the house, and been on terms of intimacy with him. But the time that has elapsed since two successive remands has enabled the police to obtain evidence, which, unless satisfactorily s xpiained away, raises a strong, presumption of Egan’s guilt. W nen questioned about Daley, Egan denied having known him bv that name, declaring that Be was only acquainted with him as a lodger hy the name of Denman. A letter has, however, been discovered in Daley s handwriting addressed to Egan in familial, r ,ay, affectionate terms, ana the counsel fm : the Crown stated on Saturday he was in a position to prove that they had been on terms of the greatest intimacy for years, But during Egnu’s incarceration his garden had been car, fully dug up by the police, and under the roots of an elder tree was found a tin containing do; unseats of a very extraordinary character. One of these was printed, and set forth in great detail what was termed ‘ The Constitution of the Irish Republic.’ It bears da e August, 1869. All the machinery of centres and circles is exp’ained with great care, and provision is made for entering on a ‘ black list ’ those who prove faithless to the cause, or in the management of the finances of the ‘ Republic ’ betrar the trust reposed in them. There was also found in the tin canister a number of letters which it is alleged on the part of the Crown were addressed to, or written by, Egan, connecting him with treasonable designs against the Government, and. from seme of which it is state ! the close and long-standing intimacy between Daley and Egan may be inferred. Seme of these papers come down to the year 1877. On the strength of this evidence Egan is now charged with treason-felony, and a few days hence will be taken to Birmingham and called upon to answer to a

similar accusation. “It will no doubt be said that the machinery for the constitution of an Irish Republic is many years old, and that it , "would be equally illogical and unjust to assume a connection between any ol tho-e' who took r»art in that most wicked aud insensate scheme aim the dynamiters of the present day. And it might further he urged with great plausibility that no good purpose would be served by, both physically ; ml metaphorical]',’, unearthing evidence against men of having been engaged in the Fenian conspiracy several years ago, if they have since then acted t; e part of loyal and law-abiding citizens. There must be some connecting link between trio present and the past to satisfy the demands of justice as well as of law, aud whether this connecting link can be sap plied by the Crown in the case?, of Daley ami Egan we naturally forbear to express any opinion. Rut totally irrespective of the evidence now adduced on half of the Crown, and of the guilt or innocence of the prisoners, wo have from a variety of sources conclusive proofs that the Fenian organisation still .exists, that it was ‘scotched,'* not killed, in 18G9, and that the old machinery has, with very few modifications, been tamed to account for off.rctimg bv other means the objects which the conspirators have in view. This was shown by t e evidence of the informers, Carey and Lamm, on the trials of the murdererj of Lord Frederick Cavendish and Mr Burke, when the organisation of the Irish luvincibles was exposed. These gentlemen declared that it was the object of the association to ‘ make history ’ by the removal of obnoxious statesmen and others, : with the ultimate oral of terrorising the British Government into concessions to the Irish people. o‘Donovan Rosso, and his fob . lowers direct their efforts towards the iadis- | criminate destruction of inoffensive inoi- | viduals and of their property with the same I (Ejects ; and there can be no doubt that they ; avail themselves of similar machinery for the j organisation of the society which they direck ’ But there is this to bo noted, that in the < same degree as the action, of the Government j is nnccesgful in crushing the insurrection in . Ireland are the activity and the virulence j cf the Irish-American faction intensified and j increased. It is in the United States that the present head quarters of Fcnianism are to be found, it is from there that loth the agents and the instruments of mischief arc supplied ; and it is only by the friendly cooperation of the American Government that we can hope to deal successfully with the j new dangers by which we are threatened, j That co-operation shou d not be refused.” j THE TWO THOUSAND GUINEAS. London, May *2. Despite the fine weather and the exciting race for the City and Suburban, few people were sorry to turn their hacks on the unprofitable Downs of Epsorn and seek “ fresh fields and pastures nev» ” at Sundown Park. Fourteen events were brought to an issue during the two days of the Epsom spring meeting, and out of these one only fell to a favorite, viz , the Maiden Plate, when 11 to 8 was laid on Novitiate. Backers consequently visited Esher in a state of what may be called “ stone-broken-ness,” and the “plunging ” during the vest of the week was melancholy to witness. The racing at Sandown Park does not call for lengthy description. The principal events were the Walton Two-Year-Old Plate, of 1,000 sovs, the Esher Stakes Handicap, of ■3OO sovs, and the Grand International Steeplechase, of 500 sovs. In the former a good-looking unnamed colt by Kisber out of North WTnd, belonging to Lord Downe, who ; started at 10 to 1 in a field of a dozen, beat ! the highly-fancied Burgundy aud Sir G. ’ Chetwynd’s Strathend easily; and the | Esher Stakes fell to The Lambkin, who in : the hands of Archer greatly improved on his ! City and Suburban performance. Acrostic, i supposed by the Northerners to be a dead “ snip ” for this race, was second, and Mr ■ Walton’s Hopeful third. The former started i favorite at 2 to 1, 4 to 1 being laid against Lambkin, and 100 to 8 Hopeful. Eight ran. The steeplechase brought out the Grand National favorites Cortolvin. Satellite, and Roquefort; also Jolly Sir John, Kilworth, and Saville (by Cremorne—Vertumna). The latter Delongs to Tom Cannon the jockey. He was fairly smart on the flit, and his pace served him at Sandown, for he always held S a good place, and won at last easily from ! Roquefort and Cortolvin, who were second land third re3p"ctively. Betting:? to 2 j Cortolvin, 4 to 1 Roquefort, 5 to 1 Saville. I The sale of Lord Falmouth’s horses in ; training on Monday afternoon was a most ; sensational affair, the twenty-five lots reali- : sing the unheard-of grand total of L 86,420. Tom Cannon, the jockey (acting for a Mr Baird), secured the crack three-year-old filly : Baaybody (by Petrarch—Spinaway) for LB,BOO, and Sir John Willoughby (owner of the' Derby favorite Queen Adelaide) gave L 8 600 for Harvester, This, in the opinion of good judses, was just L 4.000 too much. Of the two-year-olds (all untried), Louis-

bourg (by Hampton out of Cheviaaunce) fetched L 4,000; Armida, a half-sister to Galliard (by Childeric —Mavis), L 3,200 ; Esther Faa, a filly by Skylark—Wheel ot Fortune, L 2.200; and the superbly bred Jael (by Silvio out of Jannette), LI, 150. The other lots went comparatively reasonably. For breeding purposes alone Grandmaster, 4 yrs (by Kingcraft—Queen Bertha) was fully worth L 550, and the same remark applies to Prince Maurice, 4 yrs, an own brother to Dutch Oven, who realised LSOO. Betting on the Two Thousand was not materially altered by Harvester’s sale. During Monday and Tuesday Scot Free remained a good favorite at 3 to 1, 4 to 1 being tendered against Royal hcm and 9 to 2 Harvester. Robert Peck tried Supcrba on Sunday morning, but the result cannot have been favorable, as after touching 7 to 1 she receded to 100 to 9. Of the others, St. Medard had most friends, and the Departure’s dam colt and Beauchamp were occasionally' nibbled at wnen 20 to 1 could be obtained. 'Walton, the Yankee backer, laid 6.000 to 4.000 and 7,000 to 4,000 on the three favorites beating the field. There is always a rare crowd at Newmarket on the Two Thousand afternoon, and the present anniversary was no exception to the I rule. The animals liked best in the paddock were the favorite and Royal Fern, m -uy backing the former because of his likeness to his fire Macgrogor.

Two Thousand Guineas Stakes, a subscription ot 100 Bovs each, hj ft, for three-year-olds ; colts. Oat; (illies, Sat 91b. Eighty-one subs. Mr Roy’s Scot Free (late Donald II.), by Macgrogor —Celibacy, Oat (W. Platt) 1 Mr Gerard’s St. Medard (late Crusader II.), 9st (F. Archer) 2 Sir J. Willoughby’s Harvester, Oat .. (F. Webb) 3

Doncaster Cup (9st), colt by HermitSister to Adelaide (Oat), Prince Rudolph (Oat), Royal Fern (Oat), Beauchamp (9st), Hermitage (9st), Superba (Sat Off)) also ran. Betting : 3 to 1 against Scot Free, 7 to 2 Royal Fern, 4 to 1 Supcrba, 11 to 2 St. Medard, 100 to 9 Sister to Adelaide colt; 20 to 1 Harvester, 25 to 1 Beauchamp, 100 to 1 Doncaster Cup, Prince Rudolph, Hermitage. The story of this race can be told in a dozen words. Before half the distance had been covered the favorite took a commanding lead, and though as they neared home he was challenged both by Harvester and St. Medard, neither held him for a moment, and he romped home five lengths in front of St. Medard, who beat Harvester by a head for the second place. Time, Imin 4Ssec, which is the fastest for many years. The winner is a very handsome bay colt by Macgrcgor out of Celibacy. Last year he ran three times, scoring only one win, which wag when ho carried oft the Great Sapling Plate at Sandown from the Sister to Adelaide colt, Cumlet, and five others. At Newmarket the week before last Scot Free won the Craven Stakes from a good field, and at ouce became favorite for tbs Guineas.

Superba ran fast for half-a-mile, and then broke clown for want of condition. Harvester, having been badly beaten in a trial the previous morning, was not fancied, but performed fairly well. He is now as good a tavrrite as anything for the Derby. TITS DRAMA IN LONDON. London, May 2. Twenty-eight theatres are now open in the West End of London, most of them doing really good business. The latest addition to the band, the Empire, in Leicester square,, is an extraordinarily gorgeous house, and bids fair to prove a very serious rival indeed to the Alhambra. A few weeks ago people were gush ng over the glories of the Ik luce’s; now the question all well-regulated “mashers” put to one another is “Have you been to the Empire, old chappie ? ” I looked in there about nine last Thursday, and was simply amazed, Such a comforta'olylitvcd and spacious auditorum, such a magnificent J'o;/er, such regal staircases, and such a ger.or-ii effect of brilliancy and glitter, have certaimy never been seen in a metropolitan theatre before. Moreover, the performance accords web. with.the house, Mr Farnie has taken Herve’s “Chilperic,” which offers oppo tunity for spectacular effect, ami, retiming only the liveliest aud most popular airs, mounted it regardless of expense. Processions, ballets, and merry choruses (none of them too long) follow each other in quick Hiccrasioj), and a novel comic element has hern introduced in the shape of a famous French drok or clown, who. although unable to speak a word of English, keeps lh;\ audience in fits of laughter. The c imax of He Empire show, however, is the electric hallet, than which few things more weird mid strange have been seen on the stage. At one moment Chilperic’s army stands apparently lost in the gloomy distance of the dark forest; the next the whole scone is tilled with a blazing mass of silver-clad Amazons, upon whoso helmets, spears, and shields glitter countless tiny el ctric lamps of many colors. The shield effect struck me as specially good. The lamps arc arranged in the centre in the form of a bouquet of gems, and the glamor when they suddenly s ring from the deepest darkness to the most; brilliant, incandescent light almost blinds one. The acting and solo singing in a spectacular show like the one at the Empire do not naturally go for much. Nevertheless, Mr Herbert Standing makes a good Cbilperic, and Mies Madge Shirley a pretty Spanish Princess. Mdile Camille D’Arville is Fmlegonda; and Harry Paulton and Miss Sallie Turner supply the comic element.

“ The Ironmaster,” a literal translation by Mr Pinero of Oh net’s popular Five oh drama i: 'Lc Maitrs tie Forges,” was produced at the St. James’s Theatre in Easter week, and scored a success. Like many other pieces brought out at this house, 1 do not believe I it will succeed anywhere else. Take Mrs ! Kendal and her marvellous acting away, and I the intercut would collapse. She supports j the whole weight of the drama. It is so i French as to be almost incomprehensible to | the majority of English theatre • goers ; indeed, but for Mrs Kendal’s art, they would timply laugh at tire story. In the first act we learn how the Marquise do Beaurepaire, a proud and wealthy but very kind-hearted old lady, loses a fortune, and how her daughter Claire do Bcauprd (Mrs Kendal) is jilted iu consequence by the lover she adores, a certain Due dc Bligny. De Bligny is a poor man, and a gambler. In an evil moment ha puts himself in the power of Moulinet, a money-lender, who prevails upon him to accept a fortune iu conjunction with the hand of his beautiful bat ambitious daughter, Athenais. The latter has long hated Claire for her high breeding, her grace, and her popularity ; ;.o, when De Bligny absolutely becomes betrothed to her, she resolves to go over and inform her rival that she has been jilted. The part of Athenais is splendidly acted by Miss Vane, The mock affection, the artificial smile, the hard laugh, and the bitter vindictiveness underlying all are admirably indicated. She does not, however, get much satisfaction from gloating over Claire’sdiscomfiture, for, though we can see the poor girl is struck to the heart, she preserves a tone of polite indifference. When, however, Athenais goes out for a moment the veil is cast asunder. Outraged pride overcomes mere sorrow. She bethinks herself of a certain rich young ironmaster who adores her blindly and wi.uld consider himself the happiest of men if she accepted him. He is sent for. Claire tells him of the Due’s defection, and adds that she will now marry him if he chooses. At this crisis De Bligny himself arrives to apologise for the intrusion of Moulinet and Athenais, and is introduced to Philip Derblay (the ironmaster) as Claire’s fmncL When the second act opens it is the night of Claire’s marriage with Derblay, and all her relatives are assembled in the latter’s castle. One by one, however, they leave, and Claire, upon whom a terrible dread and fear have been settling, at last finds herself alone with her husband. At first, Philip attributes his wife’s icy coldness and stony silence to fatigue; but when, upon his offering her a caress, she half shrieks and shrinks away with ill-concealed loathing and aversion, light begins to dawn upon him. An affianced couple arc never left alone together in France, so he has not had a chance of speaking to Claire since the betrothal. Now in a moment he sees it all. She has simply made a tool of Win and married him to spite De Bligny. At first the injured man's wrath is awful to see, and he raises his hands- to kill Claire. By-and-by, however, he sett’es down into a determined cold anger that we can see will continue, Claire shall be free. They will be husband and wife in name only. Presently, perhaps, she may change her mind and wish to regain her husband, but he (Philip) swears a great oath that when that time comes she shall sue in

vain. Six mouths pass. Claire has been very ill, and with her illness the penchant for" !'o B'igny (who is now married to Athenais) seems to have disappeared. She is, indeed, beginning to love Philip passionately and to be very jealous of his persistent attentions to Athenais. The latter makes as much mischief as she dare, but eventually goes too far, for Claire publicly requests her to leave the house, and, to the surprise of everyone, Philip supports his wife’s decision. After this there is, of course, nothin" for it but a dud. The Due challenges Philip, ami they meet in the forest close by ; but Claire arrives in time to throw herself before Philip and receive the bullet intended for him. She is not, however, kil’ed, and a reconciliation brings down the curtain. The Criterion Theatre, entirely renovated and reconstructed, has been rc-opened by Mr Charles Wyudham, whose world-famous performance of the irrepressible Bob Sackett in “Brighton” is as screamingly funny as ever. Some peop’e say Toole makes them laugh more than any other living comedian, but I always find Wyndharn much more amusing. “The Beggar Student,” the comic opera by Millocker, is merely a Germanised version of the “Lady of Lyons.” Some noblc- . men, to revenge themselves on a lady who has refused them, dress up a beggar-student as a prince, etc., etc., etc. The music is dc'ightfully catching and sure to be popular. I have not seen the performance at the Alhambra yet, hut the papers speak In high terms of the mounting and ballets. “ Dan’i Druce,” after a not very lengthy revival, will be withdrawn from the Court Theatre to-night, and “Devotion,” a new comedy by Dot Boucicault (eldest son of the great Dion), substituted. Little Boucicault is one of the most boyish actors on the stage, but he inherits the faculty of “ playmongexing,” and has already produced several fairly successful comediettas. I have not heard whether “ Devotion ” is the dramatised version of Besant’s “Chaplain of the Fleet,” which. b« was said to be preparing for the stage some time ago, Lawrence Barrett, the American actor, does not look like becoming a success in England. His opening piece, “Yorick’s Love,” was withdrawn from the stage of the Lyceum last Saturday to make way for “ Richelieu,” and on Monday next “Francesca di Rimini ” will bo produced. These frequent changes are ominous, Mr Bland Holt, of Melbourne, has secured the colonial rights of a new Irish melodrama called “The Donagh,” now being played at the Islington Grand Theatre, and you are sure to see it in New Zealand ere long. It is as full of ghastly sensationalisms es the most blood-thirsty theatre-goer could desire ; but the great attraction of the piece is a beautiful panorama of the Lakes of Killnrncy, painted by Beverly. This in itself would pull a much worse play through. Since the cheap prices were inaugurated, Her Majesty’s Theatre has been a sight. Night after' night the vast auditorium is crammed to excess, and “ The Ticket-of-Leave Man” goes with even greater verve and spirit than at the Olympic. The Gaiety Theatre is going rapidly clown hill. “ Our Helen ” was a dead failure, and Byron’s “Uncle” and “The Bohemian G’yarl” have been revived. These are both amusing, and may perhaps answer as a stopgap, but the sooner Mr Hollingsheacl can underline something really novel the better. Old. burlesques re-lushed almost invariably j turn out deadly dull. j Joe Eldred, who I tec died out in Sydney I the other day, was a great favorite with our i English sporting fraternity, and for many i years leased the York and Doncaster Theatres for the race-weeks. Ho ployed Mmawber iu “Little Emily” admirably; also Quilp in the “Old Curiosity Shop”; but the piece I used, to think him most effective in was a two-act melodrama by | Dion Boucicault called “Hunted Down.” i Madame Taglioni, the great jrrernkre l dan sense of Italian --pera in the palmiest i days of the ballet, died in Paris last week, | aged eighty. Only recently she was living I in London, and after the loss of her fortune j by the Franco- Prussian war earned her living j by teaching deportment -n connection with I Court ceremonials. I Mary Anderson’s treasurer, a sm'oth- ; tongued young person named Abnd, says ! that L 97,600 passed through his hands during ; thrir recent reason at the Lyceum. The ex- ; ponses were, comparatively speaking, small, I so you can imagine what a lot of money j “ Our Mary” and her father-in-law divided. ; No wonder the latter looks with an evil eye j on all eligible bachelors, and does his best to | keep them out of his house. Miss Anderi son’s husband, whoever he may be, is ; scarcely likely- to permit Dr Griffin to go on I absorbing half his daughter-in-law’s earnings, i I have not said anything about “Dick,” j the new comic opera at the Globe, because I | know nothing save that it is declared to be j a great success. It is in Gi bert and. SulI Hvan’s style. Before next mail I hope to see, the piece and form my own opinion. Gome of the lyrics published are unquestionably funny. •