soon filled them up entirely. The audience, perhaps, was not more noisy than was reasonable to expect, but some of its members devoted themselves to the senseless pastime of scattering crackers, or perhaps minute crystals of nitro-glycerine over the floor. We trust they are thoroughly ashamed of themselves. The parts on this rehearsal were not quite perfect, and there were one or two other small points which were amended next night, so we will not go into a detailed account of this evening's performance.

For Friday, the actors had the gratification of knowing that 750 tickets were sold, and the additional gratification of seeing that very few of the 750 failed to appear. As it rained hard every one had to come in a fly, and the inadequate number of flys, coupled with the tediousness of the operation of getting down people fly by fly at one entrance, made many unavoidably late; in fact, for the first half-hour after the comedy had begun, there was a nearly continuous influx.

The following was the cast of Colman's comedy of the 'Heir at Law':

The point of the play, as doubtless many of our readers know, lies in the sudden elevation of Daniel Dowlas, a chandler, to the peerage, and subsequent deposition by the appearance of the lawful heir.

The great character in the play is that of Doctor Pangloss, L.LD., A S.S., tutor to Lord Duberly, Lady Duberly, and Dick Dowlas. On Doctor Pangloss the success of the play chiefly hangs, and Wildig was quite equal to the occasion. The part seemed to suit him even better than his last year's Justice Credulous, and he played it to perfection. His polish was set off admirably by E. A. Young's admirable rendering of the chandler-baron. F. A. Beauclerk had quite the correct 'Bond Street roll' on most of the time. C. R. Filgate, as Kenrick, presented a most truly lamentable appearance, and succeeded in really making something good out of an insignificant part. Durham and Phipps looked well enough, but could hardly be said to have thrown much passion or sentiment into

their acting' shall we say? Phipps, in fact, devoted most of his time on the stage to making out his friends among the audience. The spectators were somewhat slow at catching the jokes, but their applause when it came was hearty.

Then came an interval of about a quarter of an hour, while the dresses and scenes were changed, during which the audience stood up, looked at one another and gossipped, and not till about halfpast ten did the farce begin. The characters were:-

The plot is this: a cousin of Mr. Nicodemus, who was engaged to Georgiana, daughter of Squire Aldwinkle, dies suddenly. Mr. Nicodemus is the image of his deceased cousin, and when he comes to Squire Aldwinkle to announce his death, he is mistaken for him and finds no fit opportunity to correct his mistake. Squire Aldwinkle, when he hears that the intended bridegroom is dead, immediately assumes that this Mr. Nicodemus is his unquiet ghost. Everyone flies before him-generally behind screens or under tables-giving occasion for several effective situations. At length his corporeity is acknowledged by Lavinia, and his proposal accepted with much readiness, and all ends as it should. C. R. Filgate made a most effective Mr. Nicodemus, but his speeches were occasionally a little too long-winded to suit the audience. In his own line, E. F. Cuppage is unrivalled, but he can only represent the very broadest humour in the very broadest manner. Both as Diggory last year, and Dickory this, he was greeted with roars of laughter, chiefly from the College boy part of the audience, but we cannot help thinking that, in one or two places, he overdid his part. E. A. Brice made a good Captain, Badgley a good Squire, both shewing to greater advantage in this piece than in the former. Paul's grief was a hard part, but well done by A. A. Garstin. P. Pakenham made an excellent girl, though rather too small, and combined a certain naïveté with his acting which was very taking. H. B. Phipp's dress, perhaps, was more effective in this piece, and he looked well, but it was really too hard to expect him to learn his part.

Many of the audience took the opportunity of the end of the first act of the farce to leave, and doubtless they did well for themselves—considering that afterwards, it was only possible to advance

outwards at the rate of a foot per minute-but they rather spoiled the second act for those who did their duty and remained.

We should not omit to thank Messrs. Brice, Young, Wildig, and Filgate, and some others who acted as their deputies, for the efficient way in which they performed the somewhat arduous duties of stewards, which involved the arranging, numbering, &c., of 750 chairs, which had to be done on very short notice, and which any one who has had any experience in such things will know is no light task.

Successes of Old Cheltonians.

A. de la Poer Beresford passed first by 1,300 marks, in the examination for direct commissions in the Royal Marines.

G. Cary, of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, was first in the 1st class of the Moral Sciences Tripos.

T. S. Goodlake, scholar of Balliol College, Oxon, took a first class in the last examination for Moderations.

In the Freshmen's Races, Trinity College, Cambridge, Nov. 20th, Kinloch won the Mile Race, with 10 yards to spare in 5 min. 6 sec. Naylor came in second in the 120 yds. Hurdle Race.

In the open Gymnastic Competition at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, C. H. Johnston gained the first prize.

R. J. Wilson, of Merton College, Oxon, has been elected to a Clerical Fellowship at Merton.

C.C.B.C.

CHELTENHAM SCRATCH FOURS.

Conticuere omnes intentique ora tenebant.-Virg.

These races came off at Cambridge, on Thursday, the 20th. Hopes had been expressed that there would be this year a larger entry than usual; these hopes were doomed to be disappointed. The near approach of University examinations, which with a singular perversity won't wait even for Scratch Fours, deterred many from joining, at the expense of a lost morning. As will be seen below, not more than five boats could be got together, and even one of these minus a cox. The following are the crews:—

As the boats put out, there were many conjectures as to who the cox. of the 4th boat was; it was universally acknowledged that in general appearance he didn't quite come up to the received idea of a Cheltonian accustomed to walk down the 'Prom.,' his garments being anything but faultless in the way of perfect fit or cleanliness. 'A happy thought' struck some one 'that in days gone by he had been the Turnbullite 'boot-boy,' and in virtue of that office laid claim to the honourable name of Old Cheltonian. This was a base fiction; in reality he was only a juvenile Charon, substitute for Batten, who (Batten not the Charon) through some mistake didn't appear on the scene of action. In the other two races Hamilton kindly officiated as cox., with what success

will be shown hereafter. We may mention here, that the day, in a weather point of view, was not all that could be wished, Jupiter at times inclining to the pluvius.

After some preliminary spurts, the boats were at last ready to start. All went away pretty well for the first two hundred yards or so; at this point Inverarity becoming conscious of the dangerous proximity of Bryans and Co., in vain endeavoured to get away, put on one of his terrific strokes, some say 70 a minute-for the truth of this latter statement we cannot vouch however. The fates decreed he should be bumped. Perhaps the fact that his crew, not accustomed to such frantic proceedings, did not pick up his stroke as readily as might have been wished, had something to do with this misfortune-of course this is merely a suggestion. Be it fate or anything else that brought it about, the truth still remains that they were bumped, and that too within three hundred yards of the starting post. We must not omit noticing the playful disposition of (3)'s cox., who ran his boat hard into the bank, and thus facilitated the bump. While the above exciting scene was being enacted in one quarter of the river, in another, the second boat, or rather bow of it, went through the pleasing pantomime of breaking an oar, a habit, which by the bye, we should recommend the gentleman in question to break himself of as soon as possible, as after two or three representations, there is a certain sameness in it coupled with expense. This freak, as might be expected, put an end to all hopes his boat might have entertained previously of catching the boat in front of them. Debarred from boats, they went in for catching crabs, to a limited extent we must confess. They were quite free of any fear of being bumped themselves, as by this time the third and fourth boats were out of the race, and the fifth boat was a long way in the distance paddling along quietly, reserving themselves as they said for the time race. Mellor's boat made its way to the winning post quietly, no startling incident interrupting its course. The first race ended, lots were drawn for stations in the second. This was also obliged to be a bumping race, as there were still four boats left in. The stations were-Cautley's boat (1), Mellor's boat (2), Bryans' (3), J. Reid's (4). Much amusement was afforded the spectators on the bank by the eccentricities of the second and third boats. Allow us to describe them.

Three-quarters of the course had been rowed over, and yet no bump had been made. Bryans and his crew conceived the intense desire of winning everlasting renown, and to this end spurted with the intention of running No. 2 down. It so chanced, that at this part of the course a barge was moored: from some unassigned