ACADEMY OF MUSIC.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2049, 17 September 1880, Page 3

ACADEMY OF MUSIC.

Mr J. P. Armstrong, otherwise the Irish Pilgrim, ma-ie his debut as a lecturer in Christohuroh last night as above. The subjeot was his wanderings in America. Artemus Ward in one of his books has a chapter on what he called " forts," and, judging from the lecture last evening, Mr Armstrong's "fort" is not this olass of entertainment. It partook far too much of a personal history of the gentleman who was lecturing, interspersed with a running commentary on the rieving propensities of his ancestors. This, however interesting to the person most concerned, scarcely could be expected to possess the same amount of mild excitement for his audience. Mr Armstrong truly said that the greater part of his lecture had no relevancy whatever to the subjeot in hand, whioh was it may be remembered a favorite plan of the great humorist to whom allusion has been made, but as the moßt enthusiastic admirer of Mr Armstrong cannot claim for him that he in any way resembles the gonial showman, the experiment was somewhat a hazardous one. There was one very great merit about the lecture, viz., that it was short, whioh, under the circumstances, was a matter deserving the highest praise. So far it was a success. To-night Mr Armstrong will again appear and discourse anent the Australian Ooldfields in 1851.