... THE BIRMINGHAM MUSICAL . FESTIVAL. ?? IDPORTANT NEW WORKS. The first meeting of the General Committee of the Birmingham Musical Festival, 1891, was held yesterday in the small theatre of the Birmingham and Midland Institute. Dr. Wade presided ; and among those present were the Hoon. A. C. G. Calthorpe, Alderman Sir T. Martineau, the Rev. Canon Bowiby; Councillors Beale, Lawley Parker, Stringer ...

... PRNCE OFYWALES DANUBE MR ALEXANDER AND THE ST. JAMS'S THEATRE COMPANY, IN THE IDLER. Mr. George Alexander long ago won his spurs on the Birmingham boards, and his many local friends and admirers are glad to give him right cordial welcome in his appearance at the head of the admirable London company that he now so worthily oontrols. Mr Alexander is, indeed, a very valuable addition to the ...

... NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE HIJN PUPPY SHOW. EVILS OF WIRE FENCING. The annual show of puppies bred for the purposes Of the North StaYordshire Hunt was held at the kennels, Trentham, yesterday. The Marquis of Stafford a abroad. but Mr. Ralph Sneyd, joint-master, was preept, as were the Marchioness of Stafford, Lord Bagot; Sir Ml. E. M. Buller, Bart., Messrs. B. T. Fitzberlert, J, W. Phillips, G. J. ...

... THEATRE ROYAL CARL ROSA OPERA COMPANY. A very large house was booked for last bight's opera, which was announced to be Verdi's La Traviata, and upon arriving at the theatre the only notice of any change in the performance was that found on the programme, which stated that in consequence of the temporary hoarseness of Madame Burns the opera would be Bizet's Carmen. It should be indeed ...

... ITHE WARWI°XSHIE AGRICUTURAiL I I . I~ SHOW. . I Yesterday,.the second day of the Warwickshire Show at Alcester, proved as pleasant as the first. The weather was even more brilliant, and, as the priees of admission were lower, the attendance'of the first day (which was about 2,500) was very greatly exceeded. The jumping in the horse-ring, of course, was a great feature of the second day Soce ...

... MR. J. J. BLOOD'S NEW MELODRA- Mr. J.. -. -Blood's new melodrama, Fate and Fortune; or, the Junior Partner, was produced at the fo Princess's Theatre, London, on Monday night. WOe h appenda few extractsfrom the criticisms in the London papess:- se The Times calls it a melodrama of the popular 'type; s and'proceeds:' Mr. Blood bas pieced together a number of stirring incidents, into- which ...

... Nf,-y BOOOS AN)D NEW EDITIONS. s hae ?? copies of the following new boolm ,A cc^ editiGOnS- lTO a ~FRiCTION. W a West Indeed: or, The Adventures of Peter b: the late W H. G.- Kilgston (George Cauld- *.ve the w'esr,'rn Sea: A Snmmber Idyll, by James. Grten, and Co.) New edition. ?? ce and the lage: A Story of the Last Cen-a 'The - bV u 21Yonge I'sacmillan and Co.) Pp. 259. t -T h 2tb .1cl. ...

... ,,;Waterspouts are nasty things to come in contact Ith, though if not fully formed-that is, con- nected with the clouds -they are not so dan- gerous as may be supposed, which the following story will show as related by the captain of a steamer:- Homeward bound from India,we had left Port Said some three days and were nestig Malta, the weather at the time being unsettled, dull, and cloudy, ...

... There was a very large attendance at the Dog Show at Curzon Hall yesterday, the total showing a gratifying increase over last year. The number admitted during the day was 3,891, or 232 more than on the corresponding day twelve months ago, and 49 atove the total in the previous-year. The amount received at the doors for admission was £222. 9s., or £1. 9s. higher than last year, but £12. Us. ...

... ?? ?? 7' TM*EA PI.Es ~ I LINDA GREY AT THE PRINCESS'S MRS. LANGTRY'S bold adventure in the domain of melodrama has not been attended with the happy results which would be desired by the friends of that clever and fascinating lady. Linda Grey, by the late Sir Charles Young, author of Yim the Penman, awakens too many visions of suburban drama-too many remini- scences of penny novelettes, to be ...

... rv -- ?? -~ TFeAk-kES C U ~~ -~ I I - A THE CLOSE OF THE SIASON WITH the exception of the French plays, which are, by long custom, a summer entertainment, the theatrical season is visibly drawing to a close. As is usual, however, its declining days are marked by a certain restlessness-a tendency to substitute revival for revival, and, above all, by a kind of shower of nmatinces. Some of these ...

... RECENT POETRY AN7D VERSE A NARRATIVE poem, quite free from pretence and affectation, and yet not unlikely to achieve considerable popularity, is Dora (Elliot Stock), by K. Fenton. The story is the old one of the deception of a village maiden, with its outcome in a life-long sorrow bravely borne. There is no particular brilliancy of phrase ; but the author succeeds by aid of a natural art in ...