Christmas Holiday Railway Arrangements.

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY RAILWAY ARRANGEMENTS .

THE London and North Western Company announce that tbe ticket offices at Euston , Broad Stret , Kensington , nnd Willesden Junction will be open throughout the day from Monday , 19 th December , to Saturday , 24 th December ( Sunday excepted ) , so that passengers wishing to obtain tickets for any destination on the London and North Western Railway can do so at any time of the day prior to the starting of the trains . The tickets will be dated to suit the

convenience of passengers . Tickets for all the principal stationa on the London and North Western system and its connections can be obtained at any time—Sundays and Bank Holidays excepted—at the following Town Receiving offices of the Company : —15 Queen Street , E . C . ; Spread Eagle , 3 Whittington Avenue , Leadenhall Market , E . C . ; Swan-with-two-Neoks , 65 Gresham Street , E . C . ; 13 Eastoheap ;

Cross Keys , 1 Wood Street , Cheapside , E . C . ; 22 Aldersgate Street , E . C . ; 65 Aldgate , E . j 30 West Smithfield , E . C . j 8 and 9 Clerkenwell Green , E . G . ; Bolt-in-Tun , 64 Fleet Sireet , E . C . ; 116 Holborn , E . C .-George and Blue Boar , 285 High Holborn , W . C . ; 43 New Oxford Street , W . C . , * Universal Office , Spread Eagle , Piccadilly Circus , W . ; 34 Parliament Street , Westminster ; Golden Cros ? , Charing Cross ,

W . C ; Hotel Windsor , Victoria Street , S . W . ; 231 Edgware Koad , W . ; Atlas Office , 167 Tottenham Court Road , W . C . j 70 St . Martin ' s Lane , W . C . ; 3 James Street , Covent Garden , W . C . ; Lion , 108 New Bond Street , W . ; 496 Oxford Street , W . ; Griffin ' s Green Man and Still , 241 Oxford Street , W . ; 33 Hereford Road , Bayswater , W . ; Knightsbridge , 34 Albert Gat » , S . W . ; Kensington , 33 High Street , W . ;

117 High Street , Borough , S . E . ; 233 and 234 Blackfriars Road , S . E . ; Surrey Railway Office , 138 Newington Causeway , S . E . ; 194 Westminster Bridge Road , S . B . ; Islington , " Angel , " 5 Pentonville Road , N . ; London , Brighton , and South Coast Company ' s Offices , 8 Grand Hotel Buildings , Charing Cross ; at Messrs . Gaze and Son's Offices , 142 Strand , W . C .: 4 Northumberland Avenne , W ., and 18

Westbourne Grove , W . ; and at tho Army and Navy Co-operative Society ' s Store . " , 105 Victoria Street , Westminster S . W . The ordinary service of express and mail trains will be supplemented by additional express trains as named below : —On Christmas Eve , Saturday , 24 th December , a special train will leave Willesden Junction at 2 * 45 p . m . for Bletohley , Wolverton Northampton , Rugby , principal stations on the

Trent Valley Line , and Stafford , in advance of the 2 ' 45 p . m . ordinary train from London ( Euston ) . The 4 " 30 p . m . Euston to Birmingham will be divided—tbe first portion , which will run express to Coventry and Birmingham , will leave Euston at 4 * 25 p . m . ; the second portion of the train will leave Euston at 4 * 30 p . m . as usual , and convey passengers for Northampton , Market Harboro' , Wellingboro' , Rugby ,

Coventry , Birmingham , Walsall , Dudley , and Wolverhampton . Tha 7 ' 0 p . m . Enston to Birmingham , will ba divided , the first portion , which will run express to Coventry and Birmingham , will leave Euston at 6 ' 55 p . m . ; the second portion of the train will leave Euston at 7 * 0 p . m ., and convey passengers for Bletchley , Northampton , Rugby , Coventry , Birmingham , Dudley , Wolverhampton , nnd Walsall ,

The night Irish mail , due to leave Euston at 8-20 p . m . will not leave until 9 * 5 p . m . Passengers from Birmingham , Liverpool , aud Man . Chester , for Holyhead and Ireland , will leave at the usual hours , aud will be taken forward to Holyhead in advance of tbe London train . The mail packet for Kingstown will not leave Holyhead until the passengers from London are on board . The 12 * 0 night train from

London ( Euston ) , due at Warrington at 5 ' 15 a . m . on Christmas Day , will be extended from Warrington to Carlisle as on week days , and will , by special arrangement , take passengers to Kendal and Windermere . On Christmas Day the usual Sunday service of trains will be run . On Bank Holiday , Monday , 26 th December , the express trains leaving London ( Euston ) nt 120 noon and 4 * 0 p . m . will not be

run , passengers will be conveyed by the 12 * 10 p . m . and 410 p . m . trains respectively . The 4 30 p . m ., London ( Euston ) to Birmingham and Wolverhampton , will also be discontinued , and passengers will he conveyed by tbe 50 p . m . train , except those for Market Harboro ' , Melton Mowbray , Nottingham , the G . N . line , Wellingboro ' ,

Thrapston , & c , who will travel by the 3 * 15 p . m . train from Euston . Numerous residential trains will not run , particulars of whioh can be ascertained on reference to the Company ' s local notices . The Up and Down Dining Saloons between London , Liverpool , and Manobester , will not be ran on Bank Holiday , but those between London and Glasgow will be run as nsual .

rpHE Great Western Railway Company issue tickets of all classes X at the following City and West End offices : —193 and 407 Oxford Street ; 23 New Oxford Street ; Holborn Circus ; 29 Charing Cross ; 17 Brompton Road ; 5 Arthur Street East , London Bridge ; 82 Queen Victoria Street ; 269 Strand ; 43 and 44 Cratohe'd Friars ; 26 Regent Street ; 67 Gresham Street ; 4 Cheapside ; aud the L . B .

and S . O . Company's Booking Office , ( under Grand Hotel ) , Trafalgar Square . This arrangement cannot fail to be a boon to those travellers who desire to avoid the trouble of obtaining a ticket at a crowded Railway Station . Tho Booking Officoat the Paddington Station will also be open for the issue of tickets the wholo of each day during the week preceding

Christmas day . Ordinary tickets obtained in London between 19 th and 24 th December will be available for use on any day between and including those days . Cheap third class tickets at reduced fares will be issued from London to the Yeovil and Woymouth districts , to stations in the West of England , and to Guernsey and Jersey ; similar

tickets will also be issued from those districts to London , ( except tbe Channel Islands ) . In order to meet the extraordinary demands upon tho Company ' s resources occasioned by the enormous parcels traffic dosp-tcbed both from iind 11 London at Christmas timo , special fast trains carrying parcels only , and calling at tho principal intermediate stytioim will

Christmas Holiday Railway Arrangements.

run between London and Plymouth , Birkenhead , Worcester and New Milford . On Saturday , 24 th December , the 1 * 15 and 5 ' 0 p . m . trains from Paddington to Plymouth will be extended to Falmouth and Penzance ; and tho 6-20 p . m . train from Paddington to Bristol will run to Exeter . A special train will leave Paddington nt 10 ' 0 p . m . for New Milford , and will call at the same stations as the 9 * 15 ordinary train , and a special express to the West of England will depart at 11 * 50 p . m .

( midnight ) . The usual Sunday service of trains will be run on Christmas day , bnt for the convenience of persons who are unable to leave town before the morning of Chriatmas day , the 5 - 30 a . m . train from Paddington will run as on week days to Oxford , Bristol , Weston-Super-Mare , Worcester , Banbury , Leamington , Birmingham , Dudley and Wolverhampton .

The Theatres, &C.

THE THEATRES , & c .

—* . o : — Teiiy ' s . —There i <* a fine old fashioned Chiistmas-Carol . like flavour about Miss Florence Waiden's new play " Uncle Mike " that renders its production nt the present season singularly appropriate , aud there is moreover a great similarity to Old Sere -go in tho principal character that causes the likeness to be more apparent . Yet there is little of the pathos or sentiment of Dickens in the story ,

whioh is better designed than carried out . Michael Ventriss is a dual personage : we first see him as " Quaife and Co ., " a miserly and extortionate money lender , squeezing bis clients to the utmost farthing , and cheating a cabmen out of hia legal fare , though it seems somewhat strange that the miserly old hunk ' s should take a cab at all . Yet again he appears as the kindly hearted " Uncle

Mike , " bringing toys and sweets to tbe two little daughters of a distant relative who snubs him , making up Christmas parcels for the village poor , and returning hundreds of pounds t > his debtors at the request of a pretty girl with whom he thinks himself iu love . This is Gwendolen , the daughter of Sir Rioh & rd Ingleby , upon whose estates Michael has foreclosed , and she comes to Quaife to ask

clemency for her mother s sake . He immediately restores them to their position , and foregoes bis contemplated vengeance against the Stapleton Turners , to whose son tbe yonng lady is engaged . Neville Turner , finding that Sir Richard is ruined , coolly throws over the daughter ; and a very interesting scene occurs where Michael , mistaking his feeling of gratitnde for lore , is on the point of proposing

to Gwendolen , ascertains that she is fond of another . He therefore brings the young people together and finds consolation in the affeotion of his two little playmates above mentioned . The interest throughout centres in Uncle Mike , who is represented by Mr . Edward Terry with his well known quaint and pathetic humour , though we find it difficult to realise the Quaife side of his disposition .

Gwendolen is prettily pjrtrayed by Miss Helen Forsyth ; the two little girls Madge and Midge are amu-j-ngly rendered by Misses Annie Hill and Lucy Webling ; whilo the small part of Lady Ingleby is diguitied by the noting of Miss Carlotta Addison . There is not muoh chance for Mr . Fred Thorne as Quaife's clerk to distinguish

himself , nor do Messrs . Henry V . Esmond and W . T . Lovell havo better opportunities , but they make the most of their respective chtraoters , while adequate assistance is given by Miss Alexis Leighton , Mr . C . Fulton , aud M <* . C . M . Ha ' . lard T n the supplementary parts .

Criteiion . —In spite of being admirably acted and exquisitely mounted , Mr . Isaac Henderson ' s play , " The Silent Battle , " hardly appeals to the sympathies of a British audience , who are nob accustomed to the sight of a married woman and a mother making violent love to another woman ' s husband , or of a weak spirited wife who allows her spouse to carry on an intrigue under her own roof

without remonstrance . The scene is however laid in Italy , whioh may account for the peculiar position of affairs . Meroede de Vigno is desperately in love with Filippo , Marquis Loreno , who does not appear to reciprocate her passion very keenly , though quite willing to have a platouic attachment with a handsome woman . This is not sufficient for the lady , who causes Filippo to be seen under

•ompromising circumstances by his wife and her own husband . No results ensue from this , however , as Colonel da Vigno owes his life to Filippo ; and a reconciliation is ultimately brought about by Mr . John Dow , a kind hearted Yankee , who finds his reward iu the person of Gaeta Faviola , a very sensible . and up-to-date young lady . Miss Olga Nethersole is somewhat hampered in her efforts by the

tlabbiness of Filippo , but gives due effect to the intense passion whicb consumes tbe impetuous Mercede , though it is hard work to represent such an unsympathetic character . The character of Agatha , trusting to the loyalty of her husband to conquer his infatuation , forms a startling contrast , and is touohingly portrayed by Miss Winifred Emery . It is not Mr . F . Worthing's

fault that his Filippo is unsatisfactory , for the author has utterly failed to depict the struggle between virtue and vice in his person . Mr . Herbert Waring is well placed as Da Viguo and Miss Minnie Terry , as thc boy Leo , speaks her lines with emphasis and distinctness . The two most interesting characters are John Dow and Gaeta , and their appearance is always a relief . Here wo havo

Miss Mary Moore and Mr . Charles Wyndham in scenes of real comedy , that in the second act , where John proposes , eliciting groat applause . Miss Moore has never appeared to greater advantage-Miss Rose Laoleroq , Mr . C . W . Somerset and Mr . Aynesworth effectively sustain the remaining parts . As several members of the oast have other en ^' -gaments the piece can only be played for a ' ' mited < d-n <\