opposite of that we have lauded above. The unfortunate demise of poor Clara Webster shed, no doubt, a gloom over the atmosphere of that somewhat gloomy house; but, we imagine, with other operas than those of Mr. Balfe, and with an extended list of first-rate performers, things might not terminate as they seem likely. The HAYMARKET THEATRE, withal in a more healthy condition than most of our minors, has suffered somewhat from its sudden deprivation of Strickland, one of its most excellent company of comedians. Its repertoire is, however, so good and so varied, and of so amusing a character, that its audiences ever seem amused to the top of their bent, and return again and again to their accustomed seats with the certainty that their expectations of amusement will not be disappointed. "The King and [I," "Time works Wonders," the "Sheriff of the County" and "A School for Grown Children," are still the staple pieces of this convenient resort of the laughter-loving. The LYCEUM's principal novelty of the month was "Mrs. Caudle" -a most faint and flimsy echo of Punch's strictures on the fair sex. The piece "To persons about to marry," is not worth the simple advice given in the same paper, and laconically emphatic in its earnestness "Advice to persons about to marry.-Don't." "An object of Interest" is, however, a little farce not only well conceived but thoroughly well acted throughout. Mrs. Keeley is the heroine, a mere serving-maid of a romantic disposition, whose ambition it has long been to find herself the interesting victim of a persecuting fate. Thus she takes advantage of a lucky accident to allow herself to be accused of theft. The result is very entertaining. The début of a new vocalist at the PRINCESS'S THEATRE has proved a successful one. The young lady-Miss G. Smithson-appeared in "The Syren," and to much advantage, while Miss Cushman continues her most industrious career, to the real satisfaction of the more discerning portion of the audiences of this little but wellarranged house. The repertoire at the ADELPHI is varied as ever. The serious, the comic, and the serio-comic drama are all to be met with there any and every evening between the sabbaths. "Marie Ducange" is one of Celeste's best roles. "Peg Woffington" gives ample room for the display of the fun of the irresistibles in the laughter-provoking styles such as Paul Bedford the Great, etc., etc., while the different Irish castes are well cast by Hudson, who is a capital Irishman. After its brief cessation, the SURREY THEATRE has opened anew to crowded houses with Madame Eugenia Garcia as its prima donna. Will she prove as popular with the Surrey folk as erstwhile Miss Romer? that is the question. At any rate Mrs. Davidge in the items of her nightly entertainments caters most sedulously for the patronage of her public. The equine performances at ASTLEY'S ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE are so marvellously good that we must speak of them in the first place, and of the human artists only in the second. There is no doubt Mr. Barry has discovered that hitherto unknown region whence Swift drew his Honyhums, and that from thence he has selected his admirable stud. As for Monsieur Tournaire's courteous horse, Regent, a whole volume might be written of his doings, and an interesting one too. The perfection of Madame Klatt's equestrianism is something quite difficult to conceive without witnessing: "Such ease, such pace, must prove a subject for many an artist's pencil to fix on canvas. The present grand entertainment is an Italian embodiment of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, called "Il Diavolo di Abruzzi," some what unluckily paraphrased, as it were, and made clear to vulgar comprehension, by the second title of "The Brigand Chief, or the Dog of the Château," this same canine quadruped being the marplot of the piece by his non-intelligence. "Il Diavolo" is as full of battle and murder, noise and dénouement, as the greatest lover of excitement can desire; while the intelligent creatures called horses, whom we deem fairies, leap over and under bridges and torrents and arches, and avoid trampling upon all the et cetera of interesting confusion let loose upon the stage, in so admirable a style as to convince every spectator of their positive pretensions to man's arrogated gift of reason. We can only express further our honest opinion that Astley's circle is one of the best of London entertainments. While concerts of every grade of excellence are daily and nightly going forward in the metropolis, we must fain counsel our readers not to neglect those of Musard at Vauxhall, while yet the season permits. An al fresco affair, to be sure, is seldom select when easily attainable; but these concerts are, no doubt, the growth of the present age, and the symptomatic sign of a musical reform in our nation. The vocal concert has an admirable effect amid the lamps of earth and heaven; and the entertainments attempted are successfully and agreeably affected. MONTHLY MISCELLANY. MORALITY OF THE FRENCH TURF.-A Prince de B— (Why not give us the name in full, considering princes are rather more common abroad than peers here?) has just been committed to prison for a most heinous attempt at doing the Jockey Club. Some of the customs of this sporting community, it appears, are founded upon the real hell-house or hazard-table system; counters passing each for a hundred pounds-francs we should say-passing continually from one member to the other, as more convenient if not so safe as the money itself. Now, a happy thought came into the brain of that inventive genius the Prince de B- that these red-stained bits of ivory might be imitated, a conception that he was not slow in putting into execution. Alas! his highness's handiwork was not only passed but traced; and the ill-starred Prince de B, who is not twentytwo years of age, who has not been married twelve months, and who is not only immensely wealthy, but has been brought up most religiously, bursts into tears, makes first a confession, and then a most dramatic exit in close custody. "Gentlemen of France, it was a forgery!" and gentlemen of France, gentlemen of the Jockey Club, if you do wish now and then to have a turn at the turf, try for the moment to forget the joys of pure table-play. Banish the counters forthwith; it will look better, and act better. CURIOUS ACCIDENT ON A RACE COURSE.-The edict pronounced against thimble-rigs would seem to have introduced a rather more dangerous substitute as an amusement for the million. An unfortunate fellow during the late meeting of the Down Royal Corporation, received a ball in the abdomen, which was fired from a temporary shooting gallery just as he chanced to pass by. Happening in Ireland, where these sort of things are not unusual, the accident has not created the sensation such a piece of culpable neglect, or something worse, would have caused in England. Should the poor man die, an event which appears likely enough, perhaps a little more attention may be bestowed on the matter: if otherwise, no doubt the renowned" Sandpit Gallery," where gentlemen can fire at the target or each other if they choose, will be blazing away in full force next meeting. THE DOG BILL.-Thanks to the Bishop of Bond Street, the fellow now who steals a dog will find he doesn't exactly steal trashnot even in the eye of his old patron the law of the land. Eighteen months' hard labour, instead of a small fine or a few days in quod, is in future to be the reward for any clever canine seductions; while the "receiver-general" will have to tender his resignation forthwith, or continue to hold office on very different and far less agreeable terms. The Bishop and his backers held out strongly for seven years' transportation, but were in the end compelled to draw it mild. in accordance with the wishes of some humanity members. cient, however, has been done to put the trade upon the fret, and the victims on the quiet; the threats and howlings of the former making a not unpleasant variation to the more lively airs at present performing in Bond Street. Suffi THE EAST INDIA COMPANY have just established an Australian dépôt for the future supply of horses suitable for their country and artillery service. Their maximum price is far from high, but the inhabitants still think much mutual good may be derived from the experiment. Captain Apperley, second son of our old friend Nimrod, assisted by Lieut. Parry, has the command of this branch station; and if, as we hear, he has something of the same taste and abilities as his father, singularly well qualified to fill the post to which he is appointed. The local press, in noticing the arrival of the son in Van Diemen's Land, pay some well deserved compliments to the memory of the parent, which have been transferred to the greater part of the London press. STATE OF THE ODDS, &c. The following are John Scott's lots for the three great races of next season, as they stand at present : THE DERBY-1846. Col. Anson's Shelford, by Colwick, out of Marchesina Tago, by Don John, out of Scandal Turpin, by Hetman Platoff, out of Black Bess Mr. Bowes's Hoorah, by Hetman Platoff, out of Mickleton Maid Lord Chesterfield's The Herald, by Melbourne or Hetman Platoff, out of Cara Tom Tulloch, by Hetman Platoff, out of Cyprian Constantia Ada, by Gladiator, out of Frailty Mr. Jaques's Spur, by The Saddler, out of Red Tape The Headsman, by Hetman Platoff, out of Marten Cat's dam Mr. R. G. Lumley's br. c., by Cardinal Puff, dam by Figaro Mr. Bowes's Mowerina, by Touchstone, out of Emma Ukraine, by Hetman Platoff, out of Maid of Lune Lord Chesterfield's Constantia Ada Flash of Lightning, by Velocipede, out of Meteor's dam The Derby for 1847 has closed with one hundred and ninety-three nominations; the Oaks for the same year with one hundred and fiftythree. Lord George Bentinck has eighteen colts named for the Derby and eight fillies for the Oaks. The following are the number of subscribers for the last three years sent in : : We are sorry to say that another piece of bad business is now in course of investigation before that most secret of all secret tribunalsthe Jockey Club. The story connected with this, which we suppose will come before the world as "the Idas affair," tells of a certain sporting man bribing a tradesman, at Newmarket, to give a poisonpowder, that he would give him, to one of the lads in Lord Strad broke's stable, and the lad give it to the horse just before his starting for Epsom; how that the man of business had the desire to do but not "the soul to dare," and that still on the crack losing the race and his friend winning his money, he yet put in a claim for shares, and, on being refused, made a split of the whole transaction. This is the extent to which the public hitherto have been admitted; but no doubt their worships will proclaim the sentence, &c., in due timeat a more liberal length we trust, however, than they have lately disposed of such evil communications. Mr. Collet has sold his horse, Coranna, to Mr. G. N. Moore for eight hundred; a thousand being the figure at which he came in about this time last year. The rapid succession of Newmarket, Liverpool, Goodwood, and other meetings have been of such great temporary interest to the influentials, as to make the quotations we give on the only two races the disposition of events will justify us in drawing up, nearly as much a record of single or fancy bets as general market prices. Mentor's late running and winning again and again could not be overlooked, no more than the very unassuming performances of the Baron and other Irish pretenders on this side of the water; the whole host of them since Liverpool have scarcely been backed for a sixpence. The heavy week's work now running off at Goodwood will of course, in its consequences, materially increase the speculation on both Leger and Derby; for the latter indeed, looking at the past month as it stands at present, we have not a word to offer in the way of comment; while of Goodwood itself, we judged it-considering the Stake, Cup, and nearly everything else, will be disposed of by the time our magazine appears-a mere waste of time, trouble, and space to recapitulate even the state of the odds. |