BLONDIN AT BRISBANE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 3917, 5 September 1874, Page 5 (Supplement)

BLONDIN AT BRISBANE.

(From the Brisbane Chw'kr, 27th July.} The firsfc performance of this most W derful man, which took place on Saturday afternoon, was as greafca success in every re. specfc as even the performer himaelf cW have hoped for The number who leS Sn Tfl tlle P^wimce was close : upon doOO, but there waa fully aa i ar „„ ° number oa the heights of RaLaroo # oi nfc and other coigues. of vantage, ft Ts by elt * dence of^tho ey es a lon e ; & at a per 2iStt"' realise the extraordinary and hSrS : character oTthe feats wltich^BlonS fe through with alltheease of a daSS . ter performing tbe evolutions of alet " quadrilles^ Itis not till yo u actually sS "' him come dancingforwardoatbe rope SOft. above the ground, that the: truth reMA' flashes upon you that the slightest acoidil -one .moment's nervous hesitation; Sa ;" slightest unpremeditated false step or S cilculafcion-and. fche being whom you S "' gazing at would be numbered with the tS :" that :were. v The performance of Saturday: ' afternoon Tasted - fully an hour and thr^W ' quarters, during which timo the perioral '- went through: a very large uumblr bfS5 '' feats that have-made him famous. He fiS '! appeared as a. Knight of the Middle /W " clad, m armour, and danced across th^S *? f air played by the bahd^ *In hfo* : t»ghfc-htfcmg costume Blondin ap«^ M maS * of really^ue proportions, HtJrandS : cularbut. with a lithe*** TO d aStyX ; parenfcin every step. . Sis appearance wS, of course the oocasion of grelt applause te which he bowed fcVthaukl to ev^SS the ayd,ence, A few minutes suffioS tl cshauge his costume, when he next aftseared' 3* an acrobat, and performed as wo^brfui "'' gymnastic exercises on the rope a* any pn 0 .; twsorot the science could do on hU mcSe* earth, fh^ most astonishing of these *«* standing on his head on thi *S fo?v space of what wag really about W seconds, ; but what «x the spectators appeared th« same number of inin^w s He also lav down at full stretch, asd assumed SioS other attitudes of a most ;aiSngSd! - However extraordinary this may h? xo seemed, it Was evideSt that: he was ™W ' workmgup the feeUngsof his audie^ceiS snil greater wonders. As a preparation S the next act (as it may be iormi^t 1?1 openly blindfolded hiinselfSJK^kJ assurance doubly sure, mt a heavy* fca "ck 1 righfc over his head mk shoulders. All these preparations, were made in full view of the spectator an a little platform at on« end of the rape "The rope is raised abaut dtt. ahovethis jjlatform, and the perfume* had next in his blindfolded Sin. dUionto make his way ou it as best ho could.; This was, however, successfully accomplished, and then commenced $s f^ST 30 fUrney' How he can aec-omplish : ifc safely of course no one but Mr BloK himselt knows ; but it ia altogether Se our comprehension. Afc the very outset he W ade what appeared to be tX 95*S fa se. steps, but whafc were, in reality S .ftmta emulated to show hi!'wSdenS confidence m his powers. The two fir.t were plain enough, and caused no great excitement; but the last one, when his foot altoge herlosttherope and he came doS at iu^ length, caused a sensation tanm through the assemblage that they 4? S sow *o ? get. In a moment, however, he was again on his legs, balancing: hia im!. mense pole, and started at almost aW" * keeping however/ strict time to the mn&fe On reaching the apposite end, and mxt moving his covering, he received a - of applause; which, however .aecn^owecf The vftr- Dr none tbe iesa '«»aSS The»ext ieat was one .no less wonderful, ThK ' -PfJ a? s ' '**■ <&to so hazardous This consisted in strapping oh Ms back a small iron stove with all its utensils and appliances, whyjh he carried to aboufc mid. way on tho rope. After carefully placinoife^ portion he went through the usualXJ r £ tions far commencing to cook. ff 6 carefully swept his stove with the bwom attSS washed his dishes, lit & 3 fo e> and his omelettes m a most busings-like way; He then put them ea a pan, cooked theta and sent theift down below to b*^rtK of by any visitor desirous of fes^hS cuhnary powers As my he stip^sed, th ft applause of the spectators was imS ße liie succeeding performance, however was ■' the most wonderful, m ifc certainly was The * most dangerona _of any he attempted! A Taking u« au oTdmary (ihair, he carried jt to the centre of the yope and balanced it. He then sat dowo on that chair and haued m each aide. Next he balanced the chair on one leg, and deliberately got u P and stood upon ifc Our readers can Sajae the extreme difficulty of balancing a chair m such a position but the feat of standing on it afc a he.ght of 80 feot from the ground! I ntl*\m?St a -IrQD?1 rQD? Puff wind would I upset ifc is a risk which none bufc a man ; who had completely subdued his nerves could undertake. Blondin, however, appearecbto go through it with the utmoS .xcmtolaiwe. After descending, he places : the chair a few le ©fc further forward, and : calmly chmoing over the hack, again stands on the seat. AU. this time, it J" be remembered, he carries with a fiOlbs.^ The feat was reward^lwith prolonged applause as, altho\^h . perhaps *#i the most showy, it was $tfsf recogn^V W the spectators as the. mos^fc danger^^ the performance Th% carrying of* s»an across onhisshoula^iaonepf th% things which has perb^pa, as. mu,s\ as anything else, creat^i fams, and of course it waa lopked out for-with eager expectation. In j <lWs tims. ¥s secretary, M. IS'iand, waswindjlasscd; up, and took his position on the [back oi the performer. Bis living freight i seemed to be no serious inconvenience, lor he walked to the end of the rope and back with as much unconcern aa if he were unencumbered, going through several funny tricks at the time. The last, and perhapV the most picturesque of his feats, was that of the bicycle. This he wheeled over the rope two or three times, going slowly, quickly, and laat of all backwards, the people cheering .most vehemently all the time.

At a meeting of the Southland Acclimatisation Society, held on the 28th of August, the Secretary reported that the trout, having commenced to spawn, there were indications of a successful season, md thatthe process of stripping the fish recommended by the Curator had Tieen tried with good re. t,wi 11? meutl°ned al»o thafc an apnlication had been made by the Nelson Society for ova and that the Curator was of opinion dS™ + r ge be available during the season for disposal. The Curator s report stated that a trout had been taken out of the ponds weighing 81b*