The success of the Blackbirds at their first performance, a few months ago, was great that all Shanghai crowded into the lay night to witness their nent, Every seat in the house was vecupied, and every available neb of standing room was also taken up. Wo are sorry, however, that we cannot chronicle so brilliant a success as that of the firat concert. There was plenty that wasamusing in the programme, and the audience were treated to many x hearty laugh, but it cannot be denied that the performance dragged somewhat at times, that some of the jukes fell flat, and that the singing ght have been' a great deal better.
place of the pompous individual who sils in the contre of the line of "Blacks" and exchanges riddles with the corner mon was filled by our old favourite of the A.D.C., Mr. Jules Mumm; but for some reason, he seemed to have lost a little of the yo" which usually characterises his performances on the stage, and, like one or other singers, he was evidently snfforing froma cold, which considerably marred the effect of hi ing. Me. Frank wielded the tambourine with great spirit, and both his songs were loudly encored, Mr. Henry rattled the bones in the oppo site corner and went through some aunsriy ennic business; but his fun was scarce-spontaneous as his brother's, and unfortunately some of the jokes to which he had to vive utterance wore a little bit dismal, Mr, Miles and Mr. Concordia both sang well; but the grins of the first part of the programme were two quartets, well rendered by Messrs, Miles, Smarty, Jules 1 and Chonfleur, The local hits too jouk the form of obvious puns on nown ames in Shanghai, but which nearly all the brokers of Shanghai received a whipping from the tongue of Me, Frank was so. cleverly put horthatit provoked one of theheartiest Thebest appreciated—because the most deverved—lashing delivered, was one bestowed upon the Customs. Itappears that Mr. Frank recently imported a wife, but she carried ea much wool on her head that the Customs authorities refused to allow hor to be lik ithout a po delays and which he experienced in passing his wife through the Customs was followed with almost painful interest by the audience, many of whom could, from their own experience, sympathise heartily with Mr. Frank in his troubles. the first part of the programme emelnded with a local ver sion of the song "Rowing on the Creek, into which the names of the more famous oarsmen of the Shanghai Rowing Club were skilfully introduced. An ex-issitely ridiculous ' tragedy," entitled the Wont," went with great spirit, Meswrs. Smarty and Henry's wooden postures in the characters of two mechanical figures being deliciously laugh. able. "Herr Professor Waitland Frank next delivered a stump oration on the the Electric Light. The usual mess which is supposed to accompany the delivery of a speech by a nigyer was laughably performed; but although there was plenty of fun in the speech, and it was comically delivered, yot it was not uniformly excellent, and some of the audience had had about of it by the time it was finished. The entertainment concluded witha ''Trathful Representation of the Doleful Condition of the Shanghai Bobby," to the tune of the Policeman's Chorus in the Pirates of Pen zaneo Me. Jules Mumm appeared as the Captain-Superintenden', and trolled forth rear spirit and distinctness: a song in which the chiot points of th new police scheme were cleverly hit off But amusi gh it was, it naturally suggested a comparison with the volunteer chorus with which the first performance of the Blackbirds concluded, and although certainly the policeman's song had the merit of being Jess personal than the other, it was also Is laughable, Many people were doubtless attracted to the theatre by the hope of seeing some of their fellow townsman receive a tow hard hits from the niggers, and on the whole they had no reason to be disappointed, altho; the Blackbirds were certainly more merciful than at the previous entertainment,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.