ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES. (FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.)

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 357, 6 April 1889, Page 5

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES. (FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.)

London, March.

Bariy Sullivan continues in the same moribund condition. He cannot recover oven paitinlly. His son Amory Sullivan lnib inauguiated a new " Barry Sullivan " Company and is travelling in the provinces, play in tr poor Barry's parts. He opened afc Cork in '' Hamlet," and seems to have pulled through fairly, judging by the notices in the "Era '

BOUCICAULT. The fail Australian, Miss Thorndyke's, connection with the evergreen Boucicault, cropped up again at the Law Courts on Monday. Samuel French, the theatrical publisher, collects Boucy's tees for him in England. These amount to a considerable sum, and Mrs Agnes Boucicault (Dion's first )\\ ishcb to impound them, as the alimony ordeied her by the Divorce Court has never been paid her. Boucy has by deed (duly signed and sealed) consigned his plays and all interest therein to his " beloved wile, Louise Thorndyke Boucicault. ' This deed Mrs A. B. now asked the Court to set aside. The C- urfc taid it would think about it, but meanwhile wanted to know a number of things about Mrs Louise Thorndyke Boucicauli. \Ya*. she legally married to Boucy, and if so, where were her marriage lines, etc.? Cace adjourned for inquiry.

MR CHAMBERLAIN AT BIRMINGHAM. Mr Chamberlain made a felicitous speech on Imperial Federation at Glasgow on Monday evening The discussion, he said, may be summed up in a phi'ase : Should tne Britinh Empire be governed for the benefit of England, or should England be governed for the benefit of the Empire? Jn «ny approach to federation England, as an integial part of the Empire, would have to abandon, or rather fehare with the colonies, certain rights, as Virginia and the old i>ew England states were conioelled to do when they formed the American Federation. A question of practical statesmanship would at once arise, namely, would England gain in the strengthening of the Empire which would undoubtedly come trom federation what she might lose in the abandonment of those ancient rights and privileges ?

WESTERN AUSTRALIA. At the Colonial Institute on Tuesday evening, there was a fair audience to hear Mr Alfred Hensman dilate on the manifold advantages and glorious prospect" of " Western Australia." Mr Hensman is an advocate of the single Legislative Cha Tiber Government, and de\oted a large portion of his paper to pointing out its stiong points. Sir George Bowen and Sir Frederick Weld in poke in the after-discussion, and objected to Mr Hensman's views, opining that the dual chamber system worked well, and would answer best in \\ est Australia. Sir George Bowen thought that Northern Australia should be retained a- a Ciown colon y.

IMPERIAL INSTITUTE. The a eoums of the Imperial Institute for the iast 12 months have been published, and show ,m excels of expemhtuie over income or -C 12.335. The salaries of Sir F. Abel and s>tulF, although there is nothing doing* yet come up to X' 5,236, and keeping up a temporary office, £9,134.

THEATRICAL NOTES. The scene ot four oub ot the live acbs of Mr Hull Cdine's now play, "The Good Old Times," are laid in Tasmania about the same period as Marcus Clarkes "His Natural Life," and a feature of the piece is a panorama of scenery on the Derwent, which passes the fugitives frcm justice as they are being punted down the river by an aboriginal in his canoe. The illusion was not perfect on the tiist night, as the machinery worked jeikily r but the painting ot the panorama (taken from sketches made on the spot) is really very fine. The plor of the play seemed strangely taniiliar. Surely 1 have once betoie teen Mr Wilson Barrett taking upon himself the burden of a murder accidentally committed by Miss Eastlake and going into penal ser\itude for that fair lady's sake. The Tasm-.nian scenes are good, certainly, especially the one in which Miss Eastlake, who has followed Wilson Banetb to Van Diemen's Land, gets that sbul wait conwet (her husband ot cour&e) assigned to her as bailin", and he defends t e up-country station again«t bushrangers. The Australian rights of this piece ought to be worth something. It i^- not a " Silver King " or a " Claudian," but the colonial scenes are freshly tieated, and the dialogue i? brisk and amusing. Charlie Warner would revel in the adventures ot the muchwronged hero. To the gieafc regret of London play -goers, Mis-Lingaidisnot in the cist of the " Merry Wives ut Windsor" now it has been pub in the night bill at the Hay market. Mr Tree ottered her splendid term's to abandon or at least postpone her provincial starring tour, but the engagements were unfortunately all signed and sealed. Mr Garner has found tiim- bo communicate various items of Anglo - colonial bheatrical gossip to the " Topical Times." Y"ou may know them. If not, it would in terept some of your readers to learn that the 105 performances of the Gaiety Company in Australia reali.-ed close on £27,000, and that Charlie Wat nor played " Hands Across the Sea " for seven weeks in Melbourne, to an average of £1,200 a week. The " Silver Falls Company," now on its way out to Adelaide, includes J. H. Clynde, A. Buckland, Clara Covvper, Miss Edith Blande, and Miss Maude Williamson. Edith Blande is the wife of Austin Brereton, the theatrical critic who recently came to such grief with " The Red Lamp." Gurner has arranged with both the Kendals and Wilson Barrett to visit Australia next year. He considers the new Lyric Theatre the only one approaching in comfort the new Princess's at Melbourne. Mr Stuart Cumberland has started on another " bhought-reading" tour of Europe.