TOWN AND COUNTRY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1188, 26 January 1864, Page 4

TOWN AND COUNTRY.

Princess' Theatre.—On Saturday evening the comedy of " Used Up" was presented to a crowded house. The principal character is a Sir Charles Coldstream, an English baronet, who has used up all the excitement to be met with in idle life; he had done Rome, the Rhine, Naples, had looked down the crater of Vesuvius, —but there was "nothing in it;" and he was dying of ennui and was thoroughly blase in consequence. A Roman emperor once offered a reward for the discovery of a new pleasure, and Sir Charles languidly entertains the possibility of a new excitment being derived from the happy expedient suggested by his friends—marriage. A supposed widow (who afterwards turns out to be the wife of Ironbrace, a blacksmith) introduces herself to Sir Charles for the purpose of obtaining a charitable subscription, and Sir Charles, in a characteristic style, and to the no small surprise of the lady, offers his hand. Ironbrace, who has been some time in search of his missing bride, discovers the happy pair just at the moment she has accepted the offer of Sir Charles, who, touching his pulse, finds he is at length enjoying a new sensation, on the strength of which he fights Ironbrace, and bundling him through the window they both fall into the river which flows beneath. Now conies the ludicrous part of the story; each believes he has drowned his opponent, and both seek a forced seclusion. Sir Charles next appears disguised as the son of one of his tenants, and Ironbrace arrives at the same house and begs the farmer to conceal him, which he does in a vault. In the meantime the will of the supposed defunct Sir Charles is read, leaving all his property to his two friends; but, being present at the reading of the will, he takes advantage of an opportunity to add a codicil leaving all in favor of the farmer's niece, Mary Wurzel. After this, fearing apprehension for the murder of Ironbrace, he remembers the existence of vaults in the manorhouse, and, discovering one, he conceals himself therein, but presently re-appears the picture of terror, having seen, as he imagined, the perturbed spirit of Ironbrace, who has the same opinion of him, and a succession of laughable incidents occurs, which finally end in the discovery that each is flesh and blood, and the comedy terminates with the reconciliation of Ironbrace and wife, the agreement for a marriage between Sir Charles and Mary Wurzel, and the discomfiture of his quondam friends. Sir Charles, under the combined influence of love and hard fare, recovers the zest for life which he had lost, and finds the world worth enjoying. Mr. George Fawcett played Sir Charles Coldstream, and as he came before the Christchurch public with a wide spread reputation as a first-rate actor, something more than ordinary was expected from liim, and certainly anticipations were never better realised, as he sustained the part from first to last with an ease and finish high creditable, and pleasantly recalled the exquisite delineation of this character by Charles Matthews, who created the part. Some little delay took place in consequence of the part written for Fennel the lawyer with reference to the will being incomplete, which was looked upon by the audience with indulgence. The acting of Mr. Manly as Ironbrace was extremely good, and the passion he exhibited was as strong as if he had lost a wife in reality. Mary Wurzel and Mrs. Clutterbuck were cleverly represented by Miss Merton and Miss Ansted respectively. Mr. Batson, as the baronet's valet, deserves a word of commendation for the excellent imitation he gave of the manners of his master—a propensity observable in the valets of real life. Katherinaand Petruchio has been mutilated more than any other of Shakespeare's plays. The original is more fitted for the closet than the stage; this is so well understood that no less than four or five adaptations have been produced at intervals to suit the exigencies of different managers. The version given on this occasion is Garrick's, the one most generally in use at present. The wager scene is omitted, making the conclusion too abrupt; but the advantage gained by retaining that and other portions would be more than counterbalanced by the extraordinary length of time demanded for their representation. Nothing, we apprehend, has ever been claimed for Katherina and Petruchio more than that it is a very superior farce, as good as there is in the language perhaps, full of humour and sparkling with witty and beautiful language it is true, but still it is a farce, and as such should amuse and not fatigue; besides which the play intact requires a far more powerful cast than is often at the disposal of metropolitan much less provincial, or colonial managements, whereas in the abridged editions the whole work of the play is in the hands of the three principal characters, and by consequence more likely of success. There is a certain standard in theatricals, as for everything else, by which, however vicious the practice may be, we are accustomed to judge succeeding performances. We have had the pleasure of seeing the piece in question brought out under very distinguished auspices, and, in comparing results, we can safely say that the people of Christchurch have had an opportunity cf seeing it done in a manner that would be considered creditable in first-class theatres in England. Miss Aitken, as Katherina, is certainly not Desdemona nor Pauline— if so Irish a way of putting it may be allowed,—but every justice was done by her to a delightfully piquant character, the appreciation of which may be best estimated by the applause with which it was received. Petruchio (Mr. Fawcett) was perfect; his reception in this character must have fully obliterated his feeling of annoyance at the unfortunate occurence at an earlier part of the evening. Mr. Hall, as Grumio, excelled himself; it was by far the best performance of his that we have ever seen. The play gives numerous opportunities for tableaux, in some of which Mr. Fawcett and Miss Aitken were perfect pictures. It has been said that the events in this play are improbable and extravagant, if this dictum be accepted as an objection, the same will apply to the ghost in Hamlet, the witches in Macbeth, and in fact to all of Shakespeare's tragedies, which are without exception in the highest degree sensational. However this may be, we hope that, notwithstanding the advertisement, Mr. Fawcett may be induced, in conjunction with Miss Aitken, to favor us with one more representation of Katherina and Petruchio before the end of his engagement. Last night was performed Much A-do About Nothing, of which wc will give a more extended notice in our next.

Lyttelton Regatta.—We have been requested to correct an error which accidentally crept in to a letter from a correspondent, signed " A Steward," which appeared in our columns of Tuesday, the 18th inst. The words "it is time," should have been " it is true."

M. Bilijbmin's Lecture.—This gentleman, who is a tutor at the College, gave a lecture on Friday evening last, for the Christchnrch Young Men's Christian Association, at the schoolroom High street. The subject was " France, and its Revolutions." and it was the first of a series which is intended to extend over a considerable portion of French history, embracing the most memorable events in the annals of that country. It is a task of considerable difficulty to give in a few short addresses even a resume of the important circumstances which have taken place in what Macaulay so truly and so poetically calls, " the pleasant land of France." We are bound to say that M. Billemin treated the subject with much ability, and it must be borne in mind that the difficulty alluded to is much increased by the fact that the lecturer was addressing his audience in a foreign language. He managed however to overcome this obstacle with great skill, and appeared to be almost a thorough master of our language. The Rev. C. Fraser occupied the chair, and in a few prefatory remarks introduced M. Billemin to the meeting. He observed that France had always taken a leading part in the history of European nations, and, indeed, in that of the whole world. A country which had been so eminently distinguished in commerce, arts, and arms, which had produced so many illustrious men in every department of them— which had been the birthplace of Pascal, Bossnet, Voltaire, Corneille, and Napoleon the First—would necessarily present features of no common interest to the historical student. M. Billemin then commenced his lecture, tracing the history of France from the first settlement of the country, observing that the French nation was composed (like our own) of so many different races, that it was almost impossible to say which was the original or even the predominating one. The first possessors of the soil were in all probability the Celts, on which stock wore engrafted the lioinan, and subsequently the Teutonic races. This opinion was confirmed by the ruins of ancient edifices, and by the buildings still remaining, which bore traces of tiieir respective founders, and it is also strengthened by the French language which testifies as to the amalgamation which it has undergone. The lecturer continued his subject until the reign of Charlemagne, a monarch who swayed perhaps one of the most extended empires on record, with the exception of Charles V. of Spain, and in more modem times, of Napoleon. He is one of the few historical personages with whose name the epithet " Great " is indissolubly connected. In the cases of Alexander, Pompey, and Frederick of Prussia, the appellation is merely additional, whereas in that of Charlemagne, it is a component part of his very name. An unanimous vote of thanks to the lecturier was passed, and after singing the Doxology, the meeting separated. We understand that the lectures will be resumed every Friday evening until

the course is completed, and we hope that they will be well attended, as much useful and intellectual gratification may be derived from them.

Cantkrbijjiy Acclimatisation Society.—We are glad to be able to announce that acclimatisation at last stands a chance of being vigorously prosecuted in this province. Mr. Weld and a few gentlemen have undertaken to form a society and so commence the good work. About fifty persons have already put their names down as subscribers, and as soon as the public are aware of the object, we have no doubt the list will be largely increased. The first year's subscription is £5, and the annual subscription afterwards will be £2 2s. Every one who looks upon Canterbury as a home, is deeply interested in the success of this movement. We trust the public will respond liberally to the call, both by money subscriptions and by assistance in other ways. Accident. —A man named Holmes was carting goods from the wreck of the schooner Herald to Timaru on Wednesday last, when, owing to the uneven state of the track, he was throwh off his dray, and one wheel passed over both his legs. He was immediately sent into Timaru, and we hear is progressing very favourably.

Road Board.—A meeting was held at the Timaru Hotel, on Wednesday evening last, over which Mr. R. Simpson presided, to consider the proper representation of the tradesmen in the Road Board. After several resolutions, &c., from Messrs. Perriman, Levien, Taylor, and others, the meeting was adjourned for a week. Road Board, West Lincoln District.—A meeting was held yesterday at Weeden's Hotel, Great South road, for the purpose of electing five members for the purpose of forming a Road Board for this district, in compliance with the Ordinance recently passed. George Gould, Esq., occupied the chair. The following gentlemen were elected:—Messrs. Richard Bethell, George Efitch, Thomas Pannett, W. J. Walters, and Jatnes Robarts.

Sporting Items. — The following well-known race-horses were disposed of on Saturday last, at the following prices:—Lady Bird (bought in) £900; Victor Lee (purchased by Mr. Money) £180; Golden Cloud (purchased by Mr. Redwood) £450; The Peer (purchased by Mr. Shand) £875.

Election Intelligence.—We understand that Mr. Rowland Davis, long time member for Lyttelton, has resigned his seat, and that Mr. Murray-Aynsley is in the field to represent the town. Mr. Aynsley has evidently learnt the value of dispatch in electioneering tactics, and means to merit success by activity. No other candidate has yet appeared but it is not improbable that the seat will be contested.

A Valuable Bird.—At a sale of furniture, &c., held yesterday by Mr. Ollivier at Mr. Wyatt's residence, a canary bird realised the extraordinary price of seventeen guineas. This is surely paying rather dearly for your whistle.

Another New Paper.—An addition has been made to the already numerous colonial branches of the "fourth estate," by the establishment of the ' Dunedin Daily News.' It is published at the price of one penny, and is a very creditable specimen of composition and typography.

The ' Provincial Gazette ' of January the 21st contains a notice that the Kaiapoi Bridge had been opened for public traffic. Mr. William Horton Revell is appointed officer in charge of the Provincial Government Depot on the West Coast. Mr. John David Frankish having submitted his diploma and license to the Resident Magistrate, in compliance with the provisions of the Medical Practitioner's Ordinance of New Munster, has been allowed to commence practice. The gazette also contains a notification from his Honor the Superintendent that he has made certain reserves on the Rakaia temporarily (until the meeting of the Provincial Council), for railway purposes.

The General Government Gazette of the 12th January, contains the following notification:—" The Christchurch Hospital Ordinance, 1863, and the Fencing Ordinance, 1863," having been laid before the Governor, his Excellency has been pleased to leave the same to their operation. It is also announced that the " Bush Fires Ordinance, 1863, and the Sheep Ordinance, 1863," had been disallowed. The following persons, residing in Canterbury, have been naturalized as British subjects:—Frederick Schmidt (German) Rangiora; Charles Morland (Prussian) Lyttelton; Heinrich Liidemann (Hanoverian) Lower Lincoln road; Charles Henry Lunt (American) Lyttelton; and Heinrich Ratbgan (Hanoverian) Lower Lincoln road.