... T1IE THALIA Amateur DraMatic Club. The Thalia Amateurs gave a porsriusuace, on Monday evening at St. George's Hall, for the benefit of the Home for Little Boys at Farning-ham. It was the opinion of' one of the Club, expressed to a lady who formed one of the audience, that the perlormance went down, and, adopting his words without the meaning he intended to convey, there is no question ...

... 6 THE story of Hannibal has exercised the pens of few poets beyond Silius Italicus, who has covered it with a mythologic and gladiatorial garnish which could only have suited a prehistoric period. He has proved, however, that the theme is impressive in many features, but, at the same time, inordinately complex for even the epic form of poetry. A still greater difficulty must, we deem, have ...

... T- E TRE RECENT METEOR SHWEEB. - | Much interest has been excited by the recent occurrence of a fine display of shooting stars. It has been supposed by many that the falling stars seen on the evening of Wednesday, November 27, belong to the so-called November system, and that the display had simply been delayed 'ak;fortuight owing to some displacement 1 lthe syste ofl meteors, and it is quite ...

... 5fUSIC THERE seems to be a revival of interest in Mendelssohn's first oratorio, St. Paul. It was performed last week at Oxford, last Saturday at the Crystal Palace, and next Friday it will be heard in Exeter Hall. On every account this is matter for congratula- tion. Less dramatic than Elfiah, and, therefore less adapted to excite popular interest, St. Paul is, even morethan Elijak, an ...

... YUBI3JO AmOINTS, THE THEATRES, &C. r We should remind our readers that the ergagement of . Mr. C. Mathews at the Gaiety is drawing to a close, and , hiat the time for enjoying the interesting performances of this most nccomplieheo comedian is brief. Dnring the week the theatre has 1 eeu crowded to witness sho repre. lentation of A Gname of Speculation, whersin, as 611r. Afable Hawk, Mr. ...

... REVIEWS OF BOOS.e LM IdFE OF CHAisiS DiCayNs, By J. FoR- m Clitpnzan and Hall,-This is the second w~eno of The Uife of Charles Diohens, by Piritaed, Mr. Forster. It comprises the period ?? life from 1842 to 1852. A large pordon of 'ime was spent abroad, for economy's sake; iw, notwithstanding the enormous sale of his weuks, somehow or another he appe rs always t bhave been oppressed by ...

... I -v.: :! From the dayp of therenowne4 fi>ico6rboal'or to those of the no lese famous Hans Breitmann, Dutch cn'd German types of character have furnished American writers with opportunities for a kind of humour whilch is strictly of Transatldntio origin; and, in rcent years, these types havo been transferred from-the novel ahd the humorous poem to the stage, where they have enjoyed a ...

... LONDON: A Pilgrimage, by Gustave Dor6 and Blanchard Jerrold (Grant and Co.). In this work M. Gustave Dord has given us a collection of drawings, good always, or nearly always -for some few of them show signs of that over-haste and quast carelessness which occasionally mar his workmanship-and often of marked excellence and beauty ; and the accompanying letter- press of Mr. Blanchard Jerrold, ...

... I _ * ?? The twenty-fourth annual show of fat cattle,l sheep, and pigs, and of poultry, roots, corn, and implements, held under the auspices of the Bir- Iningham and Midland Counties Society, com- menced on Saturday with the judging, and to-day is thrown open to the general public. The collec- tion of fat oattle in Bingley Hall this year is slightly weaker in quantity and considerably poorer ...

... THE D RANEA IN FARIB. (Le'ROJ OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) PARIS, THuRSDAY NIG 11T. -There is a style of theatrical enter- tainment, denominated revue, which is essentially Parisian, but which is rapidly going out of fashion in France. A revue is a local extravaganlza, and is intended to give a retrospective representation of the events of a past year. The title is usually formed out of come ...

... THE GAIETY THIeEATRE , ,rforniance. .. . . .1 - .- 1-tS~iavuda A large audience assembled at the Gaiety 'Theatre ast oaturuay morning to witness the production of two new pieces, one a comedy in two acts, the other a two act comic opera. A new tenor also made his first appearance, so that novelty was the order of the day. The comedy was first on the list, and is entitled Debt, and is written ...

... GREAT Battles of the British Navy, by Lieut. C. R. Low, R.N. (R'outledge). This interesting work will be especially valuable to all young students of naval history, to whom more ponderous books on the subject are unattainable. Though the volume bristles throughout wvitls minute statistical particulars, and such politico-historical information as will enable the reader to understand the cause ...