GENERAL AND MRS. MITE AND PROFESSOR CANARIS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume I, Issue 34, 21 March 1891, Page 2

GENERAL AND MRS. MITE AND PROFESSOR CANARIS.

On Tuesday evening I attended the first levee of the Liliputian pair. They are not dwarfs, for that term implies deformity, whereas the General and his tiny consort are a perfect man and

woman in miniature. The General sings seriocomic songs in a voice which strongly me of the Phonograph. To enable the entire? audience to have a close view, the interesting little pair occasionally make the tour of the house, visiting stalls, dress circle and pit;.. They also dance a schottische with a freedom and energy which betoken the possession of perfect grace and activity. Their respective ages are 26 and 23, the lady being the younger of the pair. The General’s title is genuine. It was conferred upon him by President Hayes, and the little warrior declares himself ready, as was “ The Minstrel Boy,” to gird on his sword and do battle for Fatherland should the United > States be involved in war and require his setvices. Miss Beaumont is a decided . vocal * curiosity, possessing a low tenor voice as well as a mezzo-soprano; the former is the most ~ pleasing of the two. Ido not think she was in her best voices on Tuesday evening, as she whs manifestly suffering from a relaxed throat, and .. _ I hope to hear her again to better advantage. Nevertheless she did very well. Professor Canaris is an adept in conjuring and sleightof hand dexterities. His quaint foreign accent , and phrases add to the amusement of the audience. All his illusions are very neatly executed, and he generously revealed to the audience the modus operandi or one of the tricks, which doubtless some of our amateur conjurors will take advantage of. But incomparably the best, thing of the evening was the Davenport Cabinet business, of which I have never seen a cleverer exhibition. As a finale he took into the cabinet one of the audience, who was certainly not a confederate. Mesmerising this gentleman, he practised various comical indignities upon his person while concealed in the cabinet, and actually elicited from his victim groans of horror. All this was done while the Professor to all appearance was securely bound to a kitchen chair —the usual tambourine and bellringing business going on the while. The victim’s blank and vacuous appearance on being released from the mesmeric spell caused roars, of laughter. I venture to prophesy large audiences as soon as the Professor’s cleverness becomes more generally known. Orpheus.

“Nemo” writes to us as follows:—“Sir,- — On perusal of the Sporting Review of Feb. 14th your article in reference to breeding of racehorses has one or two allusions to horses of the past which I must disagree with. As to Vedette not being within fourteen pounds of Voltigeur must be an erroneous estimate of his form. I think Vidette almost the best horse ever in England ; and in confirmation of the 1 fact, Skirmisher, in the same stable, winning many of the principal handicaps with weight, i and sixteen pounds would not bring Vidette and him together, but Vidette was troubled with rheumatism, when of course he could not move. Pocahontas was only moderate on the turf, and Seclusion, Hermit’s dam, speedy but not first-class. Your remarks as to breeding being a precarious game must be endorsed by everyone connected with racehorse breeding, for it is indeed fitful and uncertain, and no fixed law can be laid down regarding it, although certain points must be taken into consideration.” | 44 Nemo ” appears to know a great deal about Vidette and horses of that period. I did not know there was any person in Auckland whose racing experience dates so far back. Let me ask him did he ever see Vidette run, and how does he come to the decision that he was sixteen pounds better than . Skirmisher? What was said regarding Voltigeur and Vidette was in unison with the opinion of some of the best judges in England, who as well as myself had seen both sire and son race. How does he know that Vidette had rheumatism ? I knew owner, trainer, and horse well, and never knew it. He certainly never had it when he upset a big coup out of our stable. With regard to Pocahontas, lam quite sure “ Nemo ” never saw her run, or he must be a very old man. As regards Seclusion, we said she was a very fast mare, nothing about her class. We are perfectly sure “ Nemo” never owned one half as good, and would like to have one now, as all the sprint races would be at her mercy. We are afraid “ Nemo’s ” knowledge of racing is more theoretical than practical. —Ed. S. R.J