NOTICES.

With No. 5 of THE IDLER will be presented FOUR LARGE AND SUPERB ENGRAVINGS BY CRUIKSHANK, on a highly popular subject. THE IDLER is published EVERY FRIDAY AFTERNOON at 3 o'Clock, at the office, 7, TAVISTOCK STREET. PART 1, of THE IDLER, containing the numbers for May, is now ready. Also a New Edition of No. 1. "POLITICS OF ANOTHER WORLD, by MORDECAI," is

received, and will be noticed in our next. It is a book that requires much careful perusal.

The THAMES TUNNEL will be noticed under the head of" EXHIBITIONS," next week.

Our COUNTRY CORRESPONDENTS will greatly oblige us

by forwarding their LOCAL NEWSPAPERS,-intelligence of Country Theatricals being always acceptable to our London Readers.

All Books, &c. intended for EARLY Review, should be

sent in, not later than WEDNESDAY. ADVERTISEMENTS will be received till TWELVE O'Clock on Thursday, and only a LIMITED number taken. The Public are hereby informed, that the 'AMUSEMENT GUIDE' is NO LONGER published at the office of THIS PAPER.

THE THEATRES.

"See that the Players be well used."-Hamlet. Nothing extenuate, nor set down aught in malice." -Othello.

Of all the dull weeks, as far as relates to theatrical affairs, the past has been the dullest that we have for a long time experienced; but this may be mainly attributable to the alluring gaieties, which marked the attainment of her majority by the Princess Victoria; the attractions of which were too powerful, to admit of a reasonable hope that any dramatic production would weigh against them. Our readers will not be surprised, in consequence, if our report this week does not make much noise the attack of Thespis upon ennui proved a flash in the pan, therefore we cannot be expected to deal in anything but smoke.

DRURY LANE.-Alfred the little has "o'ercapp'd" most of his former blunders. The critics have been advising him to sustain the attractions of TAGLIONI, by bringing her forward in a new ballet; and accordingly he caused a petite pantomime to be produced, on Monday, under the imposing title of A Day at the Carnival. With what dreams of Italian witcheries, of Venetian splendor, did we pay our seven shillings for admission ! but, alas, the spell was too soon dissolved, and, "like the baseless fabric of a vision, left not a wreck behind!" The ballet was absolutely one of the worst productions of the kind, that we ever witnessed; and much did we feel for the humiliation which the fair danseuse must have experienced, in being thrust into a concoction wherein there was not a single opening for the display of her great powers as an actress. All she had to do was to execute a dance or two in front of the corps de ballet, and then down fell the curtain; without our having understood one tittle of the whole affair! This is surely worse than bad taste. The repetition of Fidelio by Madame DEVRIENT calls for no remark; she improves in her pronunciation of our language, and sings as celestially as ever.

COVENT GARDEN.-The Winter's Tale was most effectively got up, on Monday, for the benefit of Miss VINCENT, who played Perdita with great sweetness. Our list of perfor

mances will be a sufficient notice of what took place during the rest of the week.

ST. JAMES'S.-No change here, save on Tuesday, when Guy Mannering was well produced for the benefit of a Philanthropic Society: the house was one mass of spectators.

OLYMPIC.-Nothing new here either! this is enough to make a critic commit felo de se.

ASTLEY'S. The new Whitsun-piece, founded on the present disturbances in Spain, is full of splendor, bustle, and interest. It is hardly necessary to advise our readers to witness it, for all the world seems to go without giving us that trouble; nor can we wonder at it, when even the brutes of this establishment enact their respective parts with a precision and spirit lacked by many a biped at the other houses. The scenes in the circle are superb to a degree.

NEW STRAND.-The amusements here, during the week, have been of the most attractive class:-Nell Gwynne; Venus in Arms; Hercules, the King of Clubs; and Romeo and Juliet, as the law directs. Of Nell Gwynne, and the actors engaged in it, it is impossible to speak but in the highest terms of praise. The acting of Mrs. STIRLING throughout this piece, is perfection itself; (and, ye Gods! what a leg and foot she has!). The contrast between her and Orange Moll (her rival) tells well; more particularly when the latter tosses off the four glasses of wine, one after another, to the astonishment of the old Counsellor. The by-play, too, of Mrs. STIRLING, is admirable; she never lets a single point escape her observation. In the popular burletta of Venus in Arms, she shines with, if possible, still greater lustre. What a handsome officer she makes! How genteel her bearing! How amiable her little failings! How enchanting the symmetry of her person! The interview between her (as the supposed Commanding Officer of the 17th regiment) and Captain Dashall, one of the said officers, is rich in the extreme, and deserves what it nightly elicits,— thunders of applause. Of Mr. HAMMOND, too, we must not omit to speak. His Orange Moll (in Nell Gwynne) is a fine piece of acting; but not equal to his personation of Hercules. The performance of this pantomimic burletta keeps the audience in one continued roar of laughter, From what enters his stomach, we should conceive Mr. HAMMOND to be elastic. In Romeo and Juliet, which closes the bill of fare, he enacts the hero with such intense fervor, that cold indeed must be the heart that could fail to "own the soft impeachment." By the way, Hercules is no misnomer for Mr. HAMMOND: he labors hard to please his patrons; himself appearing in, at least, three pieces every evening!

VICTORIA.-Yorick, the King's Jester requires a more lengthened notice than we can, this week, give it. We shall make further mention of it next week, if possible; in the mean time, we may observe that it was quite successful.

but we trust they will never be permitted to leave this country. We have little doubt that a bargain might be concluded with their proprietor, to the mutual advantage both of himself and the country at large. Our readers should pay an early visit to this exhibition.

THE ENORMOUS HEAD is to be seen in the room adjoining the above. It is an astonishing fossil relic, no less than eighteen feet in length. The extreme breadth is seven feet. The sockets of the eyes are four feet five inches long, and three feet wide. Its weight is seventeen hundred pounds. It was discovered by Mr. Tancred Payfer, on his estate at Louisiana, while excavating for a railway. The spot on which it was found, is seventy-five feet below the surface of the earth, and one hundred and sixty miles from the sea. The head is generally supposed to have belonged to an animal of the lizard species, but as the lower portion of the jaw is wanting, considerable difficulty arises in ascertaining the class correctly. It is, however, a very great curiosity, and well worth inspection. A lithographic drawing has been made of the head; it is well executed, and sold at the rooms for a trifle.

CHIT-CHAT.

"Crescit Amor Nummi.”—PAGANINI is about to visit New York. If he can gull the Yankees to as fine a tune as he did the English, he will have no cause to regret his visit. We think, however, he will find "Brother Jonathan" wide awake,'—and not so easily to be done, as he may imagine.

The Zoological Gardens are now to be seen to great advantage; the various animals and birds having been removed from their winter-quarters into the open air.

The exceeding heat of the Exhibition-rooms, at that wretched architectural toy, the National (!) Gallery, is much complained of. The rooms ought to be ventilated.

MASQUERADE. -The masquerade, held on Monday last, at the Egyptian Hall, Piccadilly, to commemorate the majority of H. R. H. the Princess Victoria, was the best thing of its kind ever got up in this country. The masques were numerous, and many of the characters admirably sustained. The illumination of the rooms was under the direction of the proprietors of Vauxhall; this greatly added to the brilliance of the various performances.

All the greatest singers in the world are now in London. We have Pasta, Devrient, and Grisi, among the women; and Lablache, Tamburini, Ivanoff, and Rubini among the men. This looks as if the English were a musical people; for the sum they pay for their whistle is no trifle.

Great preparations are making to open VAUXHALL with eclat. The monster balloon,' will of course be the principal feature in the entertainments; but a variety of other novelties are in

progress. The fireworks, we understand, are to surpass in grandeur, every thing of the kind yet witnessed. The worthy proprietors deserve, what they can hardly fail to obtain, an overflow of visitors, and a handsome return for the capital they have invested for the public benefit.

Mr. POPE, late of the Royal Amphitheatre, has taken unto herself a Shepherd for her future condolence in this world, and as a suitable guide to the next. The happy couple, we hear, have something comfortable to begin life's voyage with; of which we are right glad.

WARDE, we understand, has selected some of the "talents at C. G. Theatre for the Princess's, in Oxford Street, the opening of which, however, is somewhat retarded, for the want of a " philosopher's stone." We certainly anticipated more solid results at the hands of Mr. Hamlet, who, "he of Denthough not quite so philosophic as mark,' is certainly a man of metal!

ADELPHI.-The management, we understand, intend reverting to the old system of gew-gaw and spectacle next season, with a view to make up for the deficiencies of last. The caterers of the gorgeous, it seems, are already making extensive preparations, and, among them, the author of Lurline.

COLOSSEUM.-Some splendid novelties, we hear, are in a state of forwardness against the opening of the COLOSSEUM. Loder is engaged

as musical director; and BRAHAM, who may now be considered the eighth wonder of the world, is a Colossus of the right sort.

A BENEFIT is announced, at the New City of London Theatre, for the children of the late MR. JOHN ISAACS, of the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden. It is to take place on the 3rd of services on the occasion, are, Charles Mathews, June. Among those who have tendered their Morris Barnet, Oxberry, Mrs. F. Mathews, and a host of other public favorites. Independently of the attractive bill of fare, we trust the peculiar claims of the children themselves will procure them a 'bumper.' Miss R. Isaacs (who is now only eight years of age) has long since distinguished herself as the best Mother Bunch on the stage.

Mr. Liston, we regret to say, takes his final leave of the stage, on Wednesday next. His admirers, therefore, must rush to the poll,' to get a farewell laugh. upon his like again.”

"We shall ne'er look

BAD NEWS.-We regret to announce, that the "Pickwick Papers" will not appear as usual, on Thursday next; Mr. Dickens (Boz) being prevented, by a severe domestic calamity, from entering, at present, on his "public" duties.

EXCELLENT NEWS,-IF TRUE.-It is said that some warm admirers of MADAME VESTRIS, on the Stock Exchange, raised in a few hours the sum of £5,000; which will be presented to the fascinating and charming actress, when she is safely out of the clutches of the Bankruptcy Court.

VARIETIES.

A PARTRIDGE IN BOOTS!-The Sheffield Iris has the following curious bit of information :-"On Thursday evening, a brace of Partridges were seen flying about the streets in Barnsley. One of them was caught by the boots, at the King's Head Inn; but the other made its escape into the fields again."

A MAN-DRAKE!-A curious circumstance occurred at Eton Wick. A shoemaker had broken his leg and was confined to his bed. During his confinement, a duck, that had been sitting on some eggs, died, but the good wife, unwilling to let the hope of having a progeny of ducklings escape her, placed the eggs in the bed with her sick spouse, and the man has actually hatched three eggs, and the brood is doing well.-Windsor Express.

VARIETIES OF SHAKES OF THE HAND.-Some people dangle their hands into yours like the unwilling paw of a peaceable poodle; others stiffen the hand and thrust four fingers into your palm, all smooth and wooden like a glover's last. Mr. Doddle appears to have but one finger produceable; hard and bony it feels, like the handle of your tooth brush on a frosty morning. Mr. Trumpeter always holds out two fingers; I do the same; and it perplexes him not a little when the tips meet, and he fingers out the da capo of his own two to two too. Armstrong evades the hand, and welcomes his friends or acquaintances by a slight pressure above the elbow, as he sniggles out, "how d'ye do." Mr. Love who takes pleasure in a tight fit, can never comply with the usual mode of withdrawing the kid, so is hand and glove with every one he meets. A schoolmaster has a habit of offering the left hand; and who but remembers the reluctance with which it was accepted in those days of early delinquency, when caneology was practised to such an extent in all well-disciplined schools? Mr. Chatterly, a loquacious lounger, secures you, as it were, by interception; and, seizing both your hands, proceeds to suck your brains, and, as he approaches the crisis of that particular piece of information he is in search of, you may perceive by the motion of his digits, that he is busy at some performance on the organ of inquisitiveness.-Fraser.

IMPROVISATION.-We know not whether our readers are aware of it, but Mr. Theodore Hook is accustomed to accompany himself on the piano-forte, and to extemporise upon every member of his company with felicitous humor. Several years ago, upon such an occasion, one of his hosts (two brothers), happened to be absent from the room; and, upon his return, regretting the treat he had lost, Mr. Hook, immediately to indemnify him, proceeded through a series of a dozen or fourteen verses, each ending with a pun upon his name, D. Kay. In another instance, the following, among other verses on the whole company present, was made upon the spur of the moment. The name of the party was Winter, and one of his occupations, that of Taxcollector:

Next comes Mr. Winter, collector of taxes,
To whom you must pay whatever he axes;
And immediately, too-without any flummery:
For tho' he's called Winter, his acts are all sUMMERY."
Musical World.

"A TWIST.'-There was a very handsome young lady of my acquaintance, who was asked in marriage by a very worthy young clergyman, ('for we do take such freedoms in Ireland with handsome young ladies, now and again.') But the young lady went to consult her old nurse, and was advised not to have any thing to do with the young man; for though he was a most excellent character, and every thing in his favor, yet, 'you know, my jewel,' says the nurse, he is what they call religious; he's got a bit of a twist about him, and you'll never be able to take it out of him.""

[The above is a verbatim report of an anecdote, related by the Dean of Armagh, at the recent "displays" at Exeter Hall. The cloven foot appeared more than once, be it observed, during the Reverend Orator's speech.]

ADVICE TO ALL KINDS OF GENTLEMEN.-At a late meeting, on the health of Mrs. Haydon being given, Mr. Haydon said, "if, to sooth the affliction, and increase the rapture of triumph, if to find the love of a

lovely woman doubly tender in adversity, and ever alive to, and even anticipating, with the fondest parental care, the wishes of her children, were claims for such a woman, then his dearest Mary was fully entitled. Perhaps the gentlemen about to be married, those who hope to be married, and bachelors who mean to be married some day, may receive a hint from an old married man not altogether as impertinence. When I was a boy, I saw two prints-one before, and the other after, marriage; before, the lover, with the accustomed attention, was handing his sweetheart over a stile ; but in the one after, the lover, having won the prize, at the same stile, was marching off, and leaving his lady to herself. Now," said Mr. Haydon, amidst great laughter "let every lover, when he marries, keep up those elegant and minor attentions he paid before, and I will answer," continued he, turning to the gallery of ladies, "for the fidelity of that beautiful sex." (Immense cheering.)

PRIMROSE HILL.

There is a talk of enclosing Primrose hill, and converting it into a cemetery !-Primrose hill! the first green step, north-westward, for the pavement-andshop-tired foot of this great metropolis; the first pleasant sounding_word one meets with, that way, better even than "Regent's Park;" a place that once had primroses, and doubtless trees, of which latter there are some three or four remaining, or were lately; a hill that plays the part of footstool and introducer to the beautiful hill of Hampstead, first bit of the country outside the town; a spot, in short, beloved by all cockneys, illustrious and obscure, from the times of Geoffry Chaucer, (whose field and daisy-loving eye of course it could not escape), to those of Charles Lamb, who to our knowledge did lie down and bask upon it, noting withal, that the pedestrians who came thither from London, did invariably turn round and stand looking toward said London, as if they had only come into the country to contemplate themselves in that looking-glass of home.

Pleasant indeed was it, and is, for those retrospectors, not only thus to contemplate themselves, but to feel that in this green altitude of Primrose hill, higher than Ludgate, they can enjoy, as it were, home and country together, the sight of their great hive, full of action at least, if not of greater sweets, and at the same time the consciousness of the Sabbath flower, from which they may bear back to it a little sweeter sweet, something like the honey of health, or the notion of it; or at least a passing breath of it; a glimpse of the country, if they can go no further; a hovering on the borders of a sensation of ease and retirement. Many of them being too tired, go no further than to this place, and to Chalk Farm at the foot of it,-no farm, we believe now, nor unthreatened with neighborhood, but still having the name; which is a refreshing sound; besides divers recreations to the eating and drinking man in the shape of "cakes and ale," which heaven has permitted to be refreshing, even on Sundays, though Sir Andrew Agnew thinks they ought to be otherwise! LEIGH HUNT.

COLLECTIVE WISDOM.

HOW TO BE CHEATED.-The certain way to be cheated, is to fancy oneself more cunning than others.-Charron.

A BAD SPECULATION.-They that marry ancient people, merely in expectation to bury them, hang themselves, in hope that one will come and cut the halter.-Fuller.

A DISTINCTION WITH A DIFFERENCE.-The best born and the first born, are oftimes the worst, and the last to be borne.-Zimmerman.

A LITERAL TRUTH.-He whose first emotion, on the view of an excellent work, is to undervalue it, will never have one of his own to show.-Aikin.

BALLOONS.

As we prognosticated, so it has turned out. Poor Mrs. Graham has fallen a victim to her lamentable ignorance of how to manage a balloon; and now lies at her residence in Poland Street, greatly indisposed, and under the care of a surgeon. She was thrown from her seat in the car, while vainly endeavoring to effect a descent, on Thursday evening last, at Reigate, in Surrey. Fortunately, her fall was in some measure broken, by her alighting on, or rather rolling down, a steep bank. Her head, however, was sadly lacerated, and bled profusely. On Friday morning, she was conveyed to town, and is now an object of pity (we hope an example of terror) to all females, who foolishly venture out of their proper sphere of action.

OUR NOTE-BOOK.

London Effingham Wilson, Junr., King William Street, London Bridge; and sold by all Booksellers.

Religion without Gloom.

In a handsome Volume, price only 4s., cloth,

1st of May; and between the hours of ten and seven, from the 7th of May to the 1st of September. Persons applying for the purpose of study or research, are admitted to the reading rooms every day, from nine o'clock in the morning until four in the afternoon, between the 7th of September and the 1st of May; and until seven in the evening, between the 7th of May and the 1st of September. Artists are admitted to study in the galleries of sculpture every day, between the hours of nine and four, except Saturday. The Museum is closed between the 1st and 7th of September, and on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and Christmas Day, and also on any special fast or thanksgiving days ordered by authority. The number of persons admitted to view the British Museum was, in 1831, 99,912; in 1836, 383,157. The number of visits made to the reading rooms, for the purpose of study or research, was about 1,950 in 1810; 62,360 in 1836. By artists and students to the galleries of sculpture, for the purpose of study, 4,938 in 1831; 7,052 in 1836. To the print room, about 4,400 in 1832; 2,216 in 1836.

PRINTING IN FRANCE.-In the course of the

Series of SACRED LESSONS, with Occasional Sermons and Hymns, Original and Selected. The whole adapted to the use of Private Families, Schools, and all admirers of Devotional Reading. To which are added, Prayers for every day in the week.

London: J. EAMES, 7, Tavistock Street.

The People's Newspaper. THE GUIDE, Price Three Pence Half-penny. The Cheapest and best Family Newspaper in London, permanently doubled in size and shape; and consisting of 40 COLUMNS, LARGE FOLIO-Contains all the week's

News to Saturday morning, including Friday Night's Parliamentary Debates. This Paper may be received within 200 miles of the Metropolis on Sunday. Orders received by all News-Agents.

MISCELLANEOUS,

Pegwell Bay Essence of Shrimps.

CRA

RAMP'S ROYAL EPICUREAN ESSENCE OF SHRIMPS, for Turbot, Salmon, Soles, Trout and other fish; and PRESERVED POTTED SHRIMPS, for Breakfasts, Luncheons, Sandwiches &c. Manufactured by appointment, and introduced under the patronage of their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Kent and Princess Victoria. These esteemed articles, long celebrated in the Isle of Thanet, are prepared on the spot-Belle Vue Tavern, Pegwell Bay, and sold wholesale and retail in London, at C. W. Lopresti's Sauce and Condiment Warehouse, 199 Piccadilly.

Agid Hassan's Circassian Hair Dye. WITHOUT INJURING the HAIR or SOILING the

Paris, written in French, English, German, Greek, Latin, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, &c., besides 1,154 works of engravings, and lithographs.

experience is AGID HASSAN'S CIRCASSIAN HAIR DYE, which will in a few hours change light hair, or gray hair to a rich auburn, or jet black, or any shade between, with a fine glossy appearance, without injuring the roots. It will also be found invaluable to Cavalry Officers and gentlemen of the turf, in removing "white stockings." Sold by the sole Agents, W. Day & Co., at their Italian Warehouse, 95, Gracechurch Street; Hannay & Co., 63 Oxford Street; in bottles, at 5s. 10. and 15s. each, with a fac-simile of the signature of Agid Hassan; also that of W. Day & Co. All others are counterfeits.

Printed by J. Eames, 7, Tavistock St., Covent Garden.

Published for the Proprietor by GEORGE DENNEY, at the Office, 7, Tavistock St. Covent Garden: sold also by Hetherington, 126, Strand; Strange, 21, and Steill, 20, Paternoster Row; Purkiss, Compton Street; and Clements, Pulteney Street.