cease of his
brother, and the termination of the law proceedings, which had
been pending thirty years; but in the absence of the proprietor
of the watch, the hotel-keeper could not dispose of it. To
satisfy, however, the obstinacy of the Englishman he called in
the commissary of police, who consented to take it as a
deposit. The same day the Englishman set out for Marseilles to
seek for Mr. R----."

* * * * *

The London _Spectator_ has the following just observations on a
scandalous exhibition in the theatres:

"There is a certain degree of elevation, especially in the
course of human events, which foretells a speedy downfall.
Tyrannies, before their decline, become more and more
abominable; and probably the last tyrant is the one who deems
his position most secure and his impunity best established. We
are forced to this reflection by a burlesque on Auber's _Enfant
Prodigue_, brought out this week at the Olympic. Here we have
the most affecting story of sin and repentance, derived
moreover from the lips of One whom almost every inhabitant of
this island esteems as sacred, made the peg whereon to hang the
ordinary jokes which we hear _usque ad nauseam_, every
Christmas and Easter. There must be an overweening confidence
in the safety of burlesque to make such an experiment possible.
We are by no means anxious to assume the Puritanical tone, or
to lay down the doctrine that certain subjects are to be
excluded from any department of art. The most sacred themes are
worked into oratorio-books, and the most straitlaced portion of
the community applauds their combination with music. But when a
subject is in itself solemn, let it be solemnly treated.
Opinions may be divided as to whether the story of the Prodigal
Son can with propriety be represented in the form of serious
opera or spectacle, but that it is an improper theme for
burlesque there cannot be the shadow of a doubt. Our dramatic
authors have too long been in the habit of trying to raise a
laugh about every thing, and we have too long been inundated
with a species of drama in which the chief wit is anachronism
and the chief wisdom a Cockney familiarity with the
disreputable works of the Metropolis. We trust that the _debut_
of the _Prodigal Son_ at Vauxha