The Theatres.

THE THEATRES .

ADELPHI . " "VX ^ HEN is G . lt . Sims' new play to appear ? " wo asked the » » acting manager of the Adelphi tho other night , and like Christopher Wren ' s epitaph , ho replied , " circumspico . " Looking around there were stalls , boxes , pit and gallery—all full . Tho people ' s Charles , after moro than four hundred nights , plays with the

same vigour and sincerity as when ho first put his uniform on . Mr . Beveridge , as the villain , is no less cynical and incisive , and seems to enjoy the vigorous hissing the immortal gods bestow upon him so liberally . That ancient aud honourable sympathy with virtue and detestation of wickedness which onco always distinguished Olympus

now is sadly fading out . West of the Griffin it is only at tho dear old Adelphi the noble tradition is still honoured . " In tho Ranks " is a thoroughly honest , wholesome play , and may Adelphi audiences long enjoy such good reason for their ready laughter and sympathetic handkerchiefs .

PRINCE'S HALL . FOR us of "la vicille garde" who cherish among onr pleasantest memories the mystic wonders wrought of old by the great necromancers Phillippe and Robert Houdin thero has seemed little chance of again enjoying such hours of delicious bewilderment . Monsieur Verbecke , who , like so many of his confraternity , is a Frenchman , has ' come to ns with snch wonder-working powers that

he brings his spectators to dumb amazement , until , having recovered from the astonishment of each successive trick , they relieve tho mental tension by loud applause . M . Verbeck has a fine presence , a most expressive physiognomy , and hands so mobile and delicate of touch one could imagine him unwinding a spider's web without

breaking it . He is gifted with ready epigrammatic wit , which adds much to tho charm of his performance . A high-bred homme tfo monde , tho performance of M . Verbeck seems given , as it were , by a delightful friend , not by a professional prestidigitateur . It is difficult to recount his miracles—how an ordinary pack of cards held spread

out in tbe left hand is gently patted by the right forefinger and immediately the cards shrink to one-third their size . The patting is repeated , they shrink again and again and again until they are no bigger than a postage-stamp . Then a ring lent by one of the audience is entrusted to a volunteer assistant to wrap np in a pro .

gramme . He puts it inside , folds np the-paper , and crushes it into a tight ball . In this form it is given to M . "Verbeck , who , with coat and shirt cuffs turned back , receives the packet , and holds it in one hand whilst the other is motionless by his side . He unclasps his fingers , and , lo ! they hold a sealed envelope . It is opened . There

is another , also sealed ; within this a third , and so on until the tiny fifth , which is given to the owner of the ring , and she finds her property safe inside . M . Verbeck gathers up the torn envelopes , crushes them in his hand , ancl produces from them the perfect piece of paper out of which they had been evolved . Two slates of the

commonest description , apparently qnite blank , and most innocentlooking , are tied together ; questions aro written on cards by the audience ; one of these is chosen , not by M . Verbeck , the slate is untied , and the reply , filling the whole side , is found written in slatepencil on it . Watches are borrowed and conjured into the pockets or

nnder the waistcoats of innocent members of the audience who have not been approached by the Wizard . Coins appear and vanish , no matter how securely held , till , in the utter bewilderment M . Verbeck reduces ns to , we begin to have an uneasy suspicion that perhaps ho has exercised his mesmeric powers upon his confiding audience and

made them think they see " such things as dreams aro made of . " The second part of the entertainment illustrates M . Verbeck ' s powers of animal magnetism over his comely subject , Mdlle . de Marguerit . Complete rigidity of limb was produced at will , her eyes so affected that the eyelids remained motionless for ten minntes , whilst a strong

ilameheld near them caused no contraction of the pupil . The phenomena would have been called miraculous by our simple-minded forefathers , and indeed they had a certain weirdness " not just canny , " as an old Scotch lady who sat near us said . We believe we saw a gold pin stuck into the arm of the young lady , whilst no sign

of discomfort was shown by her ; but once having entered that en chanted hall we can only report the things it pleases the arch en chanter to make us accept as realities . We have no doubt the Lon

don pnblic will enjoy these mystifications no less than the Lord and Lady of Sandringham , but we hope , in the interest of the public , M . Verbeck may consent to modify the prices of the reserved seats , which are fixed at a scale somewhat high for these hard times .

Bro . J . Greenfield ( of the firm of Greenfield and Abbott ) , solicitor , 37 Queen Victoria Street , ancl Kingston-on-Thames , has been appointed by Sir William Foster Stawell , Chief Justice of tlie Supreme Court at Melbourne , a commissioner for taking affidavits , & c , for the said Supreme Court , Colony of Victoria .

Bro . John Armstrong died at Guernsey , on Thursday morning ; he had attained the age of ninety-five ; he wns initiated in the Mariners Lodge , No . 168 , ir . the year 1815 , though , singular to relate , he only received his certificate from Grand Lodge a few months since .

The Theatres.

RANDOM NOTES ON FREEMASONRY . LAST week Bro . Emra Holmes , Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and Honorary Provincial Prior to the Knight Templars of Canada , delivered a lecture with the above title , before the members of tho Mariners' Lodgo of Freemasons here . In the conrse of his remarks , after enlarging on the antiquity of the Order and its

connection with the Ancient Mysteries and the Travelling Freemasons of the Middle Ages , themselves descended from the Collegium Artificium of Roman times , tho lecturer said : —In these days of Utilitarianism it is often asked what is tho use of Freemasonry ? What good docs it do ? It is useless for us to answer : —

We have our great Masonic Charities , because the reply is , so have other Bodies with not half the pretensions of the Freemasons . What nobler work than tho fostering and study of Architecture and Archaeology , tho restoration of the churches built by our ancestors t The Masons of Bristol , under thoir esteemed Provincial Grand

Master , the Earl of Limerick , have set a noble example . They have restored tho Lady Chapel of tho St . Mary Redoliffe , the grandest Parish Church in England , at a very great cost , and they took part in laying the foundation stone of the new nave of their Cathedral . We can all do something in this way to show the world we are not

degenerate scions of the MediaBval Masons , for we can always help with onr money , if not with our hands , in the restoration of those beautiful and historic fanes reared by the wisdom and piety of onr ancestors . Wherever a Masonic Lodge is situated near to some grand old church going to decay , as in the case of your Church of

St . Peter-Port , its members should be tho first to help with loving hands to rebuild the sacred edifice , if thoy believe in the history of their Order . Did timo permit I could enlarge npon the science of symbolism , portrayed as it is in our sacred edifices , specially interesting to us Masons , and upon the curious Masons' Marks found

scattered over tho Cathedrals and Temples in Enrope and Asia . Many of these marks in countries most remote are almost identical , pointing to a solidarity and community whose purpose , aims , history and origin were one . The lecture took an hoar and a quarter in its delivery and was listened to throughout with great interest and

attention . A cordial vote of thanks was given to Bro . Emra Holmea at its conclusion , and the brethren afterwards adjourned to the banqueting room , where the usual collation was served , and a very agreeable evening , enlivened with speech , song , and recitation , was spent . —Guernsey Advertiser , Uth February .

Obituary.

Obituary .

BROTHER D . W . CABLE . THE death of this respected brother , a most promising member of the staff of tho London and South Western Railway , took place on Sunday , tho 8 th inst . It is about three and a-halfyears since Bio . Cable , who joined the service in 1869 , was promoted from chief clerk ab Addison-rond Station , Kensington , to the charge of Norbiton Station . He at onco displayed abilities of no mean order ,

and has always discharged hia dnties efficiently , courteously , and yet firmly . Last autumn fever broke out in the residence attached to the station , bnt happily all who were attacked recovered . Bro . Cable himself escaped the contagion . A second outbreak occurred about a month since , and Bro . Cable was relieved from duty . Just when ifc

was hoped that the worst had passed , he was struck down , and in less than a fortnight death had claimed its victim . A general feeling of regret was expressed by all who had been associated with Bro . Cable , either in his pnblic or private capacity . Ho was Secretary of the Brownrigg Lodge , No . 1638 , an office he had hold with marked

ability . Amongst his brethren he was very popular , and it can be said of him most truly that he acted up to the principles of the body to which he belonged . The interment took place on Wednesday , afc Kingston Cemetery , in tho presence of a large number of the Brown . rigg Lodge , and other members of the Order . These led the

procession from the entrance gates to the chapel , with the following of the Railway Company ' s service : —Mr . Petit , Mr . Damen , Mr . Brooks and Inspector Townsend ( Kingston station ) ; Chief Inspector Rumbelow ( Waterloo ) , Mr . S . Fay ( Traffic Superintendent's office ) , Mr . White ( Manager ' s office ) ; Mr . Jebbitt ( relieving agent ) , Mr . Barnard ,

Signalmen Baker and Vincent , Head Porter Longhursfc , Porters Papjoy , French and Whatman , and Outside Porter Papworth , of Norbiton ; Porters Baker and Warland , of Hampton Wick , and Mr .

Goodson , station master of Putney ; in all thero were about ninety assembled , to pay a last token of regard for a departed friend . Bro . Cable , who was but thirty years old , leaves a wife and four children , a number expected to be increased daily . % ^» £ Upl * nWW > i FUi : ^ SZZ ? ZralJ ± lL ^ Xr . p . l Llu . ! - r . v , ^ rjnF . m ^ LL ij . i . ;* .. rr--3 a ; jw 3 gyi ,. w . i .. jr ^ s ? T . Trca-g ? r < :-.-r . Jia » a ^; . * . B

lhe regular meeting of the Board of Masters and Lodge of Benevolence took place at Freemasons' Hall , on Wednesday . Bro , Joshua Nunn , President of tho Lodge of Benevolence , presided , supported by Bro . Cottebrune ,

Vice President . The agenda for the Grand Lodge of the 4 th March having been agreed to , the Lodge of Benevolence proceeded to the consideration of the petitions before them , having first confirmed the business

transacted at the last meeting . The new cases were forty in number , and of these four were dismissed , and six were deferred . To the remainder , sums varying from £ 100 to

£ 5 were recommended or voted , the total amount granted being £ 710 , made up of one £ 100 , one £ 50 , three of £ 40 each , four of £ 80 each , one £ 25 , nine of £ 20 , four of £ 15 each , four of £ 10 each , and three of £ 5 each ,