THE THEATRES.

THE NEW ORATORIO CONCERTS.

Now, we have above described an actual incident in convict life, and we have brought it Our Feuilleton for March left off with a re- forward through our belief that it is precisely ference to the production of another sensation the incident that would be considered valuable drama of Mr. Watts Phillips', at the HOLBORN to the dramatist in constructing some great senunder the title." Fettered," by which, we sup-sational scene. But we doubt whether the propose, was meant a sequential work, and corfessional dramatist would make the right use of relative to the "Not Guilty" of the Queen's. the "situation" we have found for him, after We heard such an unsatisfactory account of all. He would not write a drama to lead up to "Fettered," that made us in no hurry to wit- the catastrophe, but he would more likely use ness an apparently hurried and imperfect play; the catastrophe to heighten the scenes of some and, indeed, after a very short run, we find that drama which had nothing to do with the quarry the piece has been withdrawn. The fate of Mr. scene, and the impending fate of the warder. Watts Phillips's last hasty production recalls We believe that those dramas (now of short duan anecdote, by which we merely desire to show ration), attempting to realize prison-life, convictwhat a real sensation incident is, in contrast life, &c., owe their occasionally untimely fate to with a stage sensation one. Not long ago we the haste with which they are concocted, the were present at a criminal trial, held at Maid- artificiality of their incidents, and their general stone Assizes. The culprit, a short, stout, bull- | unfaithfulness to truth and nature. necked, coarse-visaged fellow stood in the dock, charged with a ferocious and murderous assault on one of the warders or guards, placed over a gang of convicts at work in a quarry, near Chatham. The prisoner had diligently nursed a supposed injury he had received at the warder's hands. The latter had reported him for some misconduct, and had thus temporally increased the vigour of the punishment the man was undergoing as a felon. Shortly after this, on a certain day at the quarry, the prisoner with others was removing débris from the side of the excavation at a very elevated spot. While the warder was standing near the edge of the precipice, giving some directions, the prisoner passed with his barrow, and, as if by accident, tilted the barrow against the legs of the unsuspecting officer, who made a quick movement to escape the load of chalk covering him. At the same moment the convict was seen staggering against the officer, and the latter, thus losing his equilibrium, overbalanced himself, and rolled over into the yawning gulf. In the man's descent he caught at a beam projecting from the perpendicular side of the quarry, a few feet below, and succeeded in making good his hold of this precarious safeguard. Thus he swung from the beam until assistance came, which it fortunately did promptly. It was a moment of great suspense while his rescuers attempted to pass the noose of arope over the head and round the body of the warder. But it was done, and the man soon drawn up to terra firma. The convict who had caused the accident had been already removed into custody, and charged with the attempt to murder the warder in the atrocious manner stated. At the trial for his new offence the malefactor was sentenced only to two years' additional penal servitude beyond some five years he had yet to serve as an already condemned convict,

We resume our usual record of theatrical events during the month, by noticing that a novelty of "mark and likelihood" has been produced by Mr. E. T. Smith and Dr. Marston at the LYCEUM, now under the direction of the former enterprising manager. On March 6th was produced a poetical play, by Dr. Westland Marston, entitled "Life for Life." This production has proved to be a literary work of high character, containing much fine poetry; but the test of acting has also shown that "Life for Life" is a play deficient in action and overlaid with diffuse dialogue. It is a more elaborate sort of "Douglas," that old Scotch play which has kept the stage so long, on account of the spirited and ingenuous part of Young Norval. The experience of a first night's representation of "Life for Life" showed that the time has gone by when audiences would listen patiently to soliloquies longer than those in the tragedy of "Hamlet," without being either anything like so poetical or philosophic-soliloquies such as Joanna Baillie introduced into her "Plays on the Passions." The tiresome and verbose "reflections" of the Scottish chief, Murdoch, the hero of "Life for Life," annoyed the audience, the more so since it was to be reasonably expected that such a warlike character would at least "give the name of action" to his thoughts. Mr. Vezin performs the part of the Murdoch unexceptionally well. Mr. Coghlan as Oscar, the lover of Lillian, showed to advantage. Mr. Jordan was excellent as an old Highlander, and Miss Minnie Sidney gave a thorough artistic rendering to the part of Kenelm, an important feature in the drama.

"OLD DRURY" has completed its short month's interregnum devoted to the Shakesperian drama, triumphantly. The répertoire was the old familiar one; but Mr. Phelps has

THE GIPSIES OF ART.

(Translated from Henry Murger's "Scenes de la Boheme.")

BY CHARLES ASTOR BRISTED.

THE CROWN OF CHARLEMAGNE.

Toward the end of the month of December, the porters of the Bidault Express distributed a hundred copies, or thereabout, of an invitation of which the following is an exact transcript:

"Mr.

Messrs. Rodolphe and Marcel request the honour of your company on Saturday evening next (Christmas eve), to hear a little laughter. "P.S.-We have but one life to live."

And enclosed was the following

PROGRAMME OF THE ENTERTAINMENT:

PART I.

"At seven, doors open. Lively and animated conversation.

"At eight, the talented author of the 'Mountain in Labour,' a comedy refused at the Odeon, will enter and walk about.

"At eight and a-half, Mr. Alexander Schaunard, a distinguished virtuoso, will execute on the piano "The Influence of Blue in the Arts:' an onomatopoeic symphony.

"At nine, reading of a Report on the Abolition of Capital Punishment by Tragedy.

PART II.

"At twelve, Mr. Marcel, historical painter, will suffer his eyes to be bandaged, and extemporize in crayon the meeting of Napoleon and Voltaire in the Elysian Fields. Mr. Rodolphe will simultaneously extemporize a poetic parallel between the author of Zaire and the author of the Battle of Austerlitz. deshabille, will imitate the athletic sports of the Fourth "At twelve and a-half, Mr. Colline, in a modest

Olympiad.

"At one in the morning, reading of the Report on the Abolition of Capital Punishment, by Tragedy (re-continued), and subscription for the benefit of the tragic authors, whose occupation is to be gone.

"At two, quadrilles will be organized and continued till morning.

"At six, sunrise and final chorus.

'During the whole continuance of the performance all the ventillators will be in play.

"N.B.-Any person attempting to read or write verses will be immediately handed over to the police. "N.B. 2nd.-Gentlemen are requested not to pocket the candle-ends."

Two days after, copies of this invitation were circulating in the third storeys of art and literature, and creating a profound sensation. Nevertheless, there were some of the guests who "At nine and a-half, Mr. Gustave Colline, hyper-doubted the splendours announced by our two physic philosopher, will open a discussion with Mr. Schaunard, on the Comparative Merits of Philosophy and Metapolitics.* To prevent any collision between the disputants, they will be tied together.

"At ten, Mr. Tristan, a literary man, will recount the story of his first love, accompanied on the piano by Mr. Schaunard.

"At ten and a-half, reading a Report on the Abolition of Capital Punishment, by Tragedy (continued). At eleven, Account of a Cassowary Hunt by an Eastern Prince.†

friends.

"I have grave suspicions," said one of the sceptical. "I was at Rodolphe's Wednesdays sometimes, when he lived at Rue de la Tour d'Auvergne. You could only sit down metaphorically, and had nothing but water to drink, and not filtered at that."

Now, a word as to the origin of this party, which was causing so much astonishment in the Transpontine world of art. For about a year, Marcel and Rodolphe had been talking of this sumptuous gala, which was always to come off next Baturday, but disagreeable circumstances had forced their promise to run the round of fifty-two weeks; so that they were in the condition of not being able to move without encountering some ironical remark from their acquaintances, some of whom were even rash enough to demand its fulfilment! The thing was beginning to take the character of a standing joke against them; the two friends resolved to put an end to this by liquidating their engagement. Accordingly they sent out the above invitation.

"Now," said Rodolphe, "there is no retreat. We have burned our ships. Eight days are left us to procure the hundred francs indispensable to doing the thing properly."

R

to come, come as you choose-in your shirt-lighted in the stove; a canvas-frame garnished sleeves-you can pass for a faithful domestic." with candles was hung from the ceiling by way "No," rejoined Colline, blushing, "I will of chandelier; a desk placed in the centre to wear my hazel over-coat-but it's a great bore, serve the orators for tribune; and before it the all this." And as he perceived that Rodolphe only arm-chair, destined to be occupied by the had already laid hands on the famous black influential critic. On a table were arranged coat, he called out, "Wait a bit; there's some- all the essays, articles, poems, and novels, whose thing in the pockets." authors were to honour the party with their presence. To avoid any collision between the different departments of literature, the four sides of the apartment were hastily labelled:

Colline's coat deserves particular mention. In the first place, it was of a very positive blue, so that its owner used to say "My black coat,' merely from a way he had. And as his was the only dress-coat belonging to the association, his friends had also fallen into the way of saying, when they spoke of the philosopher's official garment, "Colline's black coat." Moreover, this garment had a peculiar cut, the most bizarre possible; its very long skirts, attached to a very short waist, were furnished with two pockets, perfect abysses, in which he used to stow a score of volumes which he always carried about with him; so that his friends said that when the public libraries were closed, the literary public might apply to Colline's skirts, where a library was always open.

That day, for a wonder, the coat contained only a quarto volume of Bayle, a three-volume treatise on the Hyperphysic Faculties, one volume of Condillac, two of Swedenborg, and Pope's Essay on Man. Having emptied his portable library of these, Colline allowed Rodolphe to put it on.

"Eh!" said the latter, "this left pocket is very heavy still; you have left something in it." "True," said Colline, "I have forgotten to empty the foreign-languages pocket." He drew out two Arab grammars, a Malay dictionary, and a Chinese guide, one of his pet books.

When Rodolphe returned, he found Marcel playing at pitch-and-toss with five-franc pieces to the number of three. At first he was ready to reject his friend's offered hand, thinking he must have committed a crime to get the money.

The ladies were to sit in the middle. "Ah, but we are short of chairs!" said Rodolphe.

"Oh," said Marcel, "there are some along the wall on the landing. Let's borrow some.' "Certainly we will," quoth Rodolphe, going out to appropriate the neighbours' chairs.

The clock struck six; the friends made a rapid dinner, and hastened to light up their rooms. The effect astonished themselves. At seven, Schaunard arrived with three ladies, who had forgotten to bring their jewelry on their bonnets. One of them wore a red shawl with black spots. Schaunard commended her particularly to Rodolphe.

"She is a very respectable person," he said; "an English lady driven into exile by the fall of the Stuarts. She supports a modest existence by giving lessons in her language. Her grandfather was Chancellor under Cromwell, she says; so you must not be too familar with her."

Several steps were heard on the staircase. It was the guests arriving. They seemed much astonished to see fire in the stove. As soon as there was a score of people assembled, Schaunard asked if it was not time to take a drink of something.

By eight, all the guests had arrived, and the programme began to be executed. After each entertainment the company took a drink of something, nobody could tell exactly what.

"In a minute," said Marcel. "We are wait"Make haste! make haste!" cried Marcel.ing for the arrival of the influential critic to kin"We have the fifteen francs requisite-even dle the punch." thus: I found an antiquary at the Jew's. When he saw my coin, he all but fainted; it was the only one wanting in his collection. He had sent all over the globe to fill the gap, and had lost all hope. So, after carefully examining my crown of Charlemagne, he did not hesitate to offer me five francs for it. Medicis pushed my elbow, and completed his explanation by a look, as much as to say, "Share the proceeds, and I'll bid against him." We went up to thirty francs; I gave the Jew fifteen; here is the rest! Now let out guests come! We are in a condition to astonish them. Hallo! you've got a dress coat!"

About ten, the white waistcoat of the influential critic made its appearance. He only staid an hour, and was exceedingly temperate in his libations.

At twelve, as the wood was all gone, and it began to be very cold, such of the guests who possessed chairs, drew lots for who should throw his into the fire. By one o'clock everybody was standing.

An amiable gaiety reigned throughout this "Collin's coat," said Rodolphe. He felt for memorable evening, which was a nine-days' his handkerchief, and brought out a little wonder in the neighbourhood. Schaunard's volume of "Manchou," which had been for-friend Phemy, who had been the queen of the gotten in the foreign-languages' pocket. The party, used to say to her friends, "It was real two friends proceeded to their preparations im- splendid, my dear: they had lots of waxmediately. The room was put in order; a fire candles."