LONDON TABLE TALK.

Evening Star, Issue 8770, 10 March 1892, Page 4

LONDON TABLE TALK.

[From Our Special Correspondent.] London, January 23. AMUSEMENTS.

I see it stated that before Mr Irving ta'aed tha ourtain on * Henry VIII. 1 last Tuesday he had expended L 15,000 on scenery and costumes, the latter alono coming to a prodigious sum. In every instance the finest silks, brocades, and furs were used, and altogether the revival required several hundred dresses. The Lyoeum salary list and general expenses amount to LBOO a week, and the house crammed to its fullest holds L4OO. It will consequently take quite three months of first-class business even to p*y expenses. Personally, I think 'Henry V 11.,' though a wretohed play, is likely to run through the year. Even in these days of sumptuous spectacles we have had nothing quite so piotorloally and gtfjhffiologically perfect. Irving looks and acts Wolaey admirably, but his mannerisms spoil an otherwise faultless performance, tillen Terry is picturesque, of course, but Queen Katherine does not suit her like Lady Macbeth. The hit of the piece was made by Forbes Robertson as the betrayed Buckingham. lam almost forgetting, by-the-way, Terrias'a Henry VIII. He is excellently got up, after Halbein's famous picture, with short red hair, but plays rather too melodramatically. The King's bluff manner and disconcerting "Ha 1" could, one feels sure, be made much more effective. Miss Violet Vanbrngh is a pretty Anne Bojeyn, and amongst the crowd of oourtiers are Wenman and Gordon Craig, the latter, as Thomas Cromwell, making a distinot advance in his profession. Mr George Alexander's next production at St. James's will be a ntey by Oscar Wilde, in whioh the author believeß so firmly that he refused an offer of LI.OOO down for all rights. • The Nautoh Girl' disappears from the Savoy bill to-morrow, and the following Saturday a revised version of Grundy and Solomon's ' Vicar of Bray, 1 produoed at a matinee with but moderate suooess some time ago, will replace it. A long career is evidently not anticipated for this work, an Sir Arthur Sullivan ia busy on the Continent scoring a libretto written some time ago by Sydney Grundy. Should the * Vicar ' fail totally, as seems not impossible, ' lolanthe' will he given for a few w,eeks. Miss Catherine Rodgers, wh# died in America recently, will be remembered principally as the ureator of the beroipe of Tjfonoicault's ' Formosa' at Prnry Lane in 1869. The part was intended for the lovely and talented Adelaide Neiison, but when she realised its character she declined it, and for some time tho management were in a serious difficulty. Finally, Miss Rodgrrs (the wife of a Birmingham manager) undertook the role, and played it with a robust dash whioh shocked everyone delightfully Henry Irving was in the oast acting one of the insignificant villains. His day had not yet dawned. Recently Augustus Harris revived * Formosa' at Drury Lane, but it was voted thoroughly old-fashioned and not a bit naughly So no one went to see it The ' Late Lamented' has disappeared from the Strand bill at last, and 'The New Wing,' by H. A, Kennedy, replaoaa it. Mr D'Oyley Carte has abandoned the attempt to make 'The Basoche' catch on at his big theatre in Cambridge Circue, and on Saturday night the opera was fiually withdrawn. It's failure to attract, d'espito an enthusiastic reception and growing Preps notices, would be inexplicable -f one didn't know that feathers the scale against a piece very often, My potions of fcheleajtherß which hftuenced this particular production are (1) a bad name, and (2) lack of advertising. Mr Carte, with Gilbert and Sullivan at his back, didn't advertise the Savoy successes much, and thought he could carry out the same policy at the Rnyal Eoglißh Opera. But the majority of playgoers had never hea*4 pf Messager, and the name ' Basoeue. , 'ooay i oye ! J. ftQthiug to them. Here, surely, was a case for libaral copious, off,repeated expiation;. Gilbert, realising that Cellier was not Sullivan, saw the neoo->sity for this sort of thing at tho Lyric, and permitted himself to be freely interviewed before the production of' The Mountebanks.' All London was in oonse.cueuos soon talking of the comical idea of the clockwork Hamlet and Ophelia, and now Mr Sedger's ftieata- fci doing tremendous business eight times a week, this public mourning notwithstanding. Big successes like 'Henry VIII." and .' Humpty Dumpty' will not be affected so much by the public mourning as the lesser shows. entertainments like .Maakelyne and Cook,"German Eeeds, and the Christy Minstrels usually fate worpt, To them this time must he added f Venioein London,' the proprietors of whjch at p already beginning to look extreiaeiy blue. LITERARY NOTES, An American author named George Haptings has made a big hit in the States with a cleverly written "shocker" called • Philip Henson, M.O ,' which, affording to the »Bookman,' is selling even quicker there than 'Three Men jn a Boat' did. Ward, Lock have just brought put a poorly and unattractively gol.-ap, English eaifcion, at ft shilling. Philip flensop, a pleyer capable young New York doctor, eugaged to a charming girl, remorsileaaly cuts the throat of a villainous old money lender in order to obtain a sum of which he is seriously in need. Henaon's precautious have been so admirably taken that he is never even suspected of the murder, but the police and circumstances make out a strong case against hhjlajicei's brother. The dootor does all he can toeitrioate this youth, till it transpires ,that an invalid lady witnessed the murder from a window at the'opposite side of the street, find can swear' to' the assassin's identity. The one question' theriis: the old lady bp velf enough to give her evidenae at the jtriai in person. Ijlenßon'e innocent fiarxts naturally gets he? plpyer lover called in to attend her brother's saviour. He angrily refuse* to go ; till he fears suspicion may be excited. At last, one murky evening, after shaving off his beard, the dector faces the ordeal of meeting tho invalid. All goes well till aooident throws a blage of light on his face. Thtn the old lady shrieks, aud Henson feels she has recognised him. Ultimately, »<i iia leaves the room threatened with immediate denunciation, the doctor stretches a hand o er madame's gru.el, and fiom his na 1 drips in a poisoned bean. She dies, and the accused youth, after a lengthy trial, is sentenced to penal servitude for life. Henson, now a successful man, marries, and for a time is happy. Sleep, however, soon deserts him, Ho takes to morphia and lose;) his nerve. Above all, the miserable man dreads talking in his sleep. He frightens bis wife by tryi/jg to hypnotise her, and I altogether behavis ia sy£h a way that finally she does esspect something like the truth. Not, howeve*, till Henson blurts out a terrible sentence in a nightmare does the poor woman realise all. She leaves her wixiked husband for ever, and the curtain falls on Philip Henson, M.D., outwardly a brilliant specialist, inwardly a moral and physloal wreck, haunted by fearsome speotres and deserted by the one person in the world he purely and devotedly loves. The story throughout is written with a rough vigor not ineffective. Mr Hastings stands quite a head and shoulders above the Fergus Hume school." ' Mrs Burnett baa endowed a cot at the St. Mopwas Home for invalid' children, and presented a reading room to tjne' Newsboys' Club in Drury lane ip memory of her .ejdesj; ( boy Lionel (the original of 'Little Lord Fauntleroy'), who died in Paris last ye*r. Rumor says great things of Misa Mary E. Wilkipu's first novel, which will commence to run in »Harper'*' forthwith. The result of Mr Henry tforman's speoial visit in the Interests of the »Pa|l Ma|l Gazette' to the East appears in the shape of a handsome volnme of chatty information entitled 'The Real Japan.' All who take an interest in this ourious country and people should read it, and (like Keanan'fl ' Siberia.') the book is one which should find a place on the shelves of all public libraries and inatiijutjions.

DEATH 0* DUTCH SKATEB. The death of' Patch' Skater at the advanced age of twenty.-sif recalls perhaps the most sensational Goodwood C§P ever ran—viz., the raoe of 1871. Theri were five starters, the Frenoh craok Mortemer (6 yrs, 9.7), the Derby winner Favonins (3 yrs, 8.0), the Hunt Cup winner Rlpponden (3 yrs, 7.7), Mr MarshaH's unknown jßlly Shannon (3 yrs, 7.4), and Dntch Skater

(5 yrs, 9.0). Betting stood evens on Mortemer, 55 to 40 Favonius, 100 to 7 Ripponden, 50 to 1 Shannon, and 100 to 1 Dutoh Skater. Fordham and Ohaluner were on the favorites, and they were watohing each other so closely they lost sight of the outsiders. The race was run at a muddling pace, whioh favored the lightly-weighted Shannon. Opposite the stand it seemed good odds on either the filly or Dutoh Skater. Favonius managed to head the latter, but Shannon, amidst the delighted roars of the Ring, won by half a length. Eleven years later Fordham again muddled away this same race, when the hurdle racer Friday (5 yrs, 7.11), starting at 20 to 1 in a field of fonr, beat Tristan (4 yrs, 8.10), upon whom 7 to 2 and often 4 to 1 was freely laid. On this occasion I was present, and happened to be olose to a reporter, who, mounted on a chair, described the race to a colleague standing by note-book in hand, The gentleman in question had with great difficulty persuaded Andy Anderson (the bookmaker) to take a " ready " wager of L4O to LlO about the field, and I had watched him jubilantly deposit four oraokling tenners. Evidently he felt quite certain of getting them back a few minutes later with another added thereto. Fordham let Friday get a long way in front, and as they neared the turn for home it began to look doubtful whether even Tristan, with his fine turn of speed, oould make up the distance in time. '< Good old Fordham; kidding 'em as uf>ual," jocularly observed the speculator on the chair, in whose tones, nevertheless, a shade of anxiety might be noticed. " Why, it's a 'undred to one on Tristan. (Then sqlto voce;) Com on, - you. (Aloud:) Come on, my beauty, Give him the whip, ye fool, He'll catch him yet, No he won't. Come on, can't you. By -=— he'll just get up. Yes. No. NO. Done, by ——," and overoomeby hia feelings the poor man toppled over backwards, chair and all, Dutoh Skater was not a great sucoess at the Btud, most of his progeny proving more platers. Insnlaire, Dutoh Oven, and Yellow were, perhaps, his best-known ohildren. On the turf Dutch Skater won over twenty-three racea, including the Great Metropolitan at Epsom in 1872 (carrying top weight) and the Warwiok Cup. He was a grand stayer, and beat both Corisande and Agility at weight for age.

Despite Kiogsolere's apparently invincible team—Orme, Qrville, Goldfinoh, and La Fleche—in the Derby, there promises to be betting presently on the raoe. Colonel North's pair—El Diablo and Lady Hermithave grown into splendid animals, and the touts are enthusiastic concerning Mr Douglas Baird's " dark ,; Bnduranoe, by Energy out of Siluria, whioh might turn out another Common, There are also Goesoon, Galeopsis, St. Angelo, Rueil, Dunure, and Flyaway to be reckoned with. Odds of 6 to 4 are offered at present on the Kiogsclere four, THE PIOUS POHOER. In the Russell square diatriot few men were, till recently, more respeoted than Dr Charles Augustus Bynoe, of 8 Endsleigh Gardens. A pillar of the ohuroh, Bible teacher at the Sunday school, and vicar's right-hand man—who more earnest in good works than he. Dr Bynoe's mamma keeps a boarding-house at No. 8, and 'twas the son's proud privilege to Bit at the head of the table and dispense to ravenous guests limited portions of the good things provided. One evening nit long ago, as Dr Charles was ditß=!Ct ng t>r the family party a segment of the aged cod indigenous to boardio'g-hoilses, a stranger looked in. Be aaid fre" was a detective, and that he "wapted PJWles Augustus Bynoe for forgery and theft Bynoe murmured some%ipa about ai abaqrd mistake, but eventually went away with the stranger in a cab. Gcarles Augustus, it seems, had been doing Easiness in stocks n,nd dividend warrants in the name of a lady who had once upon a timo formed one of the complement of boarders at Endsleigh Gardens, and had left No. 8 without notifying the companies in whioh she was interested of her change of address. The poor woman, indeed, seems to have been too ill to care 'niacb about these things, and it was not Jopg ere she djed. The dividend warrants §onUo»e<J to arrivp regularly at Endsleigh Gardens, and physician Bynoe collected and annexed the moneys. The law having taken charge of his person, the dootor endeavored to extricate himself—first by a preposterous alibi, and then by attempting to implicate parson. Both plans failed. The oharge was sheeted home to him in such a manner as to leave no possible doubt of the justice of the nine years' incarceration allotted to him.