Public Amusements. Her Majesty's Theatre.

genuineness of its pathos and for the raciness of its droll conceits . It is very rarely that a piece of this class possesses all these elements of excellence in such harmonious combination , and both as a literary and as a dramatic work , " Arrah-na-Pogue " appears to us to be decidedly superior to " The Colleen Bawn . " It was brought out at the Theatre Royal , Dublin , in November ,

1864 , but has been since then materially modified by tho author , especially in tho last act , and so far as we can judge from the account which we received of it in its original form , the changes made seem to have largely increased the merits of the play . The principal characters in the drama were impersonated with rare excellence . Arrah Meelish is just one of

those delightful creations which Mrs . Dion Boucicault can embody with a simple grace ancl delicate emotional beauty which set all rivalry at defiance . She portrayed the heroine of the interesting tale with that perfection of genuine art which involves ' absolute fidelity to nature ; her guileless tenderness , her lighthearted gaiety , her innocent coquetryher intense but unexaggerated pathos

, , and her womanly heroism iu forming and adhering to a noble resolve , were all equally inimitable , and she held complete control over tho smiles and the tears of her audience . Mr . Dion Boucicault has succeeded in fitting himself with a character in which his peculiar and very great abilities find ample scope for their survey . Shaunilic-Post is closely akin to Mles-na-Coppxlcenhe has

y ; the same whole-souled earnestness , the same simple integrity of purpose , the same faculty of self-sacrifice , the same depth of honest affection , the same rich humour , coloured with a pleasant tinge of natural poetic feeling . Bnt the dramatic action of " Arrah-na-Pogue V exhibits the workings of this typo of character under

circumstances very different from those which operate upon it in " The Colleen Bawn , " and Mr . Dion Boucicault deserves very cordial praise for the artistic skill with which he brought out these new phases of the character in bright relief , and at the same time in perfect harmony with its familiar developments . Sir . Dominick Murray has raised himself greatly in critical estimation by his admirable

impersonation of Fecney , which was one of the best conceived and most carefully elaborated pieces of character acting wc have for a long time seen upon the stage , and Mr . John Brougham filled up the genial and sympathetic sketch of 0 'Grady with infinite tact and most pleasing effect . Miss M . Oliver , an established favourite , who has been too long absent from the London boardsi ^ layed

, Fanny Power with abundant vivacity and grace ; and while Mr . David Fisher gave full prominence to tho official peculiarities of the Secretary of State , Mr . Seyton earned a word of warm commendation by his capital performance of tho little part of the Sergeant , who is a prey to an incessant struggle between the dictates of discipline ancl good feeling .

The scenery is throughout beautiful , and in some instances deserves even warmer praise : " Glendalough by Moonlight" and "The Devil ' s Glen" — -the latter with a lovely bit of water painting in itself worth a journey to look at—must be counted among the most brilliant of the many triumphs achieved by Mr . AV . Telbin ' s genius , and the last scene of " The Watch Tower" bMrF

, y . . Lloyds , is eminently effective . Mr . W . 0 . Levey has arranged some very pretty incidental music , and this was capitally played by the band , under the able direction of Mr . C . Hall . There can bo no question whatever that the success of "Arrah-na-Pogue" is one of the most brilliant ancl genuine achieved in our time upon the London stage .

STRAND THEATRE . The misadventures of two young jieople who love each other devotedly , bub are kept asunder by mutual misconceptions which are dispelled when a new suitor seeks the lady's hand , have so often served as material for the dramatist that it is extremely difficult to impart to them

a novel aspect . Mr . Parselie has certainly succeeded to a considerable extent in doing so in his new comedietta , "Cross Purposes , " which has been produced , and received with very hearty applause and laughter ; but at the same time he has wandered so far out of the domain of real life that the piece would be more properly styled a farce . The abruptness and peculiarity of the

matrimonial arrangements which enter prominently into the plot indicite a French origin ; but the social usages pourtrayed are certainly neither French nor English . "Cross Purposes" was completely successful , and when the curtain fell Miss Milly Palmer , Mr . Parselie , and Mr . H . J . Turner were loudly called for and received with warm applause .

MR . AND MRS . GERMAN REED . The new entertainment , "A Peculiar Family , " which Mr . and Mrs . German Reed have just offered to their patrons , is to all intents and purposes a farce . Much as the avowal may shock the tender sensibilities of tho inhabitants of Clapham , we must nevertheless confess that

there is nothing to distinguish the harmless entertainment in question from an Adelphi farce . All the various characteristics which the eager theatrical witnesses in a recent trial declared to be essential to dramatic performance , and any one of which should suffice , in their opinion , to bring it within the laws , are found united in the Gallery of Illustration . Proscenium , footlights ,

curtain , stage , scenery , all tho minor adjuncts of a theatre on which such undue stress has of late been laid , are here . Nor are tho higher essentials of a dramatic performance wanting , for in "A Peculiar Family we have a story told in a regularly constructed plot , which works in orthodox fashion up to a climax , and in which no less than ten dramatis persoiue take part . We have seen

many farces—nay , tragedies and comedies too , that have less incident than Mr . William Brough's entertainment . Bub the reader shall judge for himself . When the cm-tain rises we find ourselves at a watering-place on the French coast , the name of which is not disclosed to us . The omission is tho more regrettable as the doorway of tho Hotel rneubio that overlooks the sea wo observed to be festooned with grapes—practicable

grapes—that invito tho touch , ancl that rarely grow in tho open air on the coast that faces England . The British packet that is now entering the harbour appears to bo an object of great attention to Jlerr von Doppellicht , a German detective , who is on the look-out for a dangerous political character , to bo recognised by a hat of peculiar shape . His preliminary inquiries of Madame

Groslot , the landlady , prove abortive , chiefly on account of tho difficulty of communication in the English language experienced by the interlocutors , who are each ignorant of the other ' s tongue . The German is speedily rewarded by the arrival of Mr . Bamdby Bounce , an innocent Briton , who , having changed hats with a fellow becomes an object of suspicion to the police

passenger , agent . His hat is also recognised by an anonymous countess , who , seizing ib , abstracts a paper , which she replaces by a bundle of bank notes . Bounce , ignorant of bhe contents of his strange hat , and displeased with its shape , leaves ib about , and it passes iu turn into the possession of vai-ious members of his " peculiar family , " one of whoma spendthrift hewdiscovers the

, nep , money , and , supposing ib to bo a delicately conveyed gift from his uncle , pockets it withoub hesitation . The rightful owner of the hat , an emissary of tho proscribed family , ultimately appears to reclaim his property , and two shots fired from the departing steamer indicate thafc the refugee has again escaped the clutches of the inoicchard .

Tho parts in this little drama are nob only doubled but trebled by Mr . and Mrs . German Reed and Mr . John Parry . Two of the characters assumed by the lady , a voluble French landlady and a dismal poor relation ,