Part of the music preceded and part followed a representation of "the most lamentable comedy, and most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisbo," as Peter Quince calls it, from 'A Midsummer Night's Dream." The intention was to have the play in an arbour in the garden, in surroundings that Shakspeare himself would have approved, to say nothing of Titania and the fairies. But Sunday's rain made it impossible. It is Hawthorne who says that 'a bower of roses on a wet day is a very uncomfortable plice," and even the tough constitution of Bottom the weaver and the towering athletic frame of Lysander might "have suffered from the damp grass. Dramatics might have ended in rheumatics and it_makes one wonder what did happen to the fairies in wet weather? This is, however, no time to enter into that. The piece was given in Mrs. Seaman's drawing-room, and had to be given. twice. The whole performance was delightful. The characters were yot up in what we are to presume was old English workingman's style, while the duke and Lysander looked *majestical " in what appeared much like firemen's helmets: they were either that, or had been borrowed from some ancient statue of Minerva. The ladies' costumes may fairly be described as dreams while the whole company did splendidly. Where all did so well it is invidious to mention names, but the heaviest burden falling on Quince the carpenter, Bottom, and Thisbe it is only fair to state that these parts were splendidly sustained. Shanghai is rich in dramatic talent. We can only refer to the solidity of the "Wall," the luminosity of the pale empress of the night, ' Moonshine the terrible roar of the lion and the dignity of the ducal party.. The characters were Duke, Mr. F. Fowler: Duchess, Miss Richard; Lysander, Mr. G. M. Bil Hermia ' Miss. Cardwell; Thisbe, Miss. Belbin; Quince the Carpenter, Rev. W.N.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.