Christmas Railway Arrangements

24 th December , will be extended from Warrington to Kendal and Carlisle as on we ? k days . Oa ChrUtmas Day , a special train will leavo Euston at fi" 15 a . m . for Northampton , Rugby , Birmingham , Stafford , Crewe , Manchester , Liverpool , Carlisle , Edinburgh , Glasgow , & 0 . Tho ordinary Snndav service of trains will be run . On Rank Holiday , Tuesday , 26 th December the express trains usually leaving

London ( Euston ) at 120 noon and 4 0 p . m . will not . be rnr , passengers will he conveyed by the 12 ' 10 p . m . and 4 . 10 p . m . trains respectively . The 4 . 30 p . m ., London ( Enston ) to Birmingham and Wolverhampton , will also be discontinued , and passengers will be conveyed by theS'Op . m . train , except those- for Market Harboro ' , Melton Mowbray , Nottingham , Wellinhoro ' , & -., who will travel by the 3-15

p . m . tram from Enston . Numerous residential trains will not run , particulars of which can be ascertained on reference to the Company ' s local notices . The up and down dining saloons between London , Liverpool , and Manchestev , will not run on Bank Holiday , but tho corridor dining car trains between London aad Edinburgh and Glasgow will be run as usual .

THE MIDLAND RAILWAY COMPANY , rpO prevent inconvenience and crowding , havo arranged for the J- bonking offices at St . Pancras and Monrerafcn Street stations tn be open for the issue of tickets all day on Thursday , Friday , and Saturday , 21 st , 22 nd ,. and 23 rd December , and tickets to all principal stations on the Midland Rnilway can be- obtained beforehand at any of their offices , a list of which is given in onr advertisement columns .

The tickets obtained nt these offices will be available from St . Panoras Station , and will be issued at the samo fares as charged at that station , and dated to suit the convenience of passengers . Cheap excursion trains will be run from London ( St . Pancras ) fo Carlisle , Edinburgh , Glasgow , Greenock , Dundee , Aberdeen , & e ., and from principal provincial stations to Carlisle , Edinburgh , Glasgow , Ac ,

on Fridays , 22 nd December , for fonr or eight days , and 29 th December for five or seven days , by whioh return tickets will be issued at a single fare for the double journey . The single fare tickets issued on 22 nd December will be available for returning on any day np to and including 30 th December , and single fare tickets taken on 29 th December will be available for retarning any day np to and

ineluding 5 th Jannary 1894 . Cheap excursion tickets will be issued from London ( St . Pancrn *) and principal provincial stations on Wednesday , 20 th December , to Dublin , via Morecambe , available for returning on 23 rd , 28 th , 30 th December , 2 nd or 4 th Jannary ; on Thursday , 21 st December , to Dublin , via Liverpool , available for 16 days ; on Friday , 22 nd

Decernber , to Belfast , Londonderry , and Portrnsh , via Barrow , available for 16 days , and on Saturday , 23 rd December , to Londonderry , via Morooambe , available for returning 28 th December , or 1 st or 4 th January . On Christmas Eve the pressure of traffic will be relieved by the running of duplicate trains from St . Pancrrs as circumstances may require .

The Theatres, &C.

THE THEATRES , & c .

Empire . —The programme offered nt this theatre is as nsnal of a highly interesting character and leaves nothing to be desired . The management are never behindhand in novelties , and amongst tbo latest attractions ia the dance " Farfnlln , " or " Butterfly , " which ia performed by Miss Clara Wielnnd . This is an exquisitely pretty

dance , very similar to tho " Serpentine " with which Miss Fuller ao fascinated our neighbours on the other side of tho Channel . Tbe Rreafc novelty , however , in tbo "Farfalla" dance is that mirrors forma semicircle or horseshoe on the stage , aud whilst Miss Wielaud goes throngh her various evolutions sho is reflected many times .

The effect is most charming and is a decided hit . Wo think there is little doubt that it will meet with continued success . The einginc and dancing by tho "Diez ' s French Quartette "—two ladies and two gentlemen—is also exceedingly clever and deserving of praise . Mr . Charles Morritt ' s latest illusion , "Tho Flying Lady and Convicts '

Escape , " Miss Marie Lloyd , Lavater ' a performing dogs , the Frantz Family ( acrobats ) , Tacchi brothers ( vocal eccentrics ) , and Mr . Charles Tilbury ( vocalist ) are all worthy of favourable comment , and together with the two ballets "Katrina" and "Tha Girl I left behind

me , " which are both good and deservedly coutinue to meet with public favour , form an evening ' s entertainment which of its kind it would be hard to excel . Tbe mnsic throughout ia excellent , and we must congratulate the management on tho perfect way in which all their arrangements for the public ' s comfort and amusement are carried out .

The pantomime at Drury Lane will bo entitled " Robinson Crusoe " with libretto by Sir A . Harris aud Harry Nicholls , tho music , & o being arranged and composed by Mr . James M . Glover ; scenic artists Messrs . Caooy , Perkins , Ryan nnd Harker ; stage manager Sir A . Harris ( assisted by Mr . Arthur Collins ) ; ballot master , Mr . D'Auban

principal boy , Miss Ada Blanche ; principal girl , Miss Marie Lloyd ; dame , Mr . Dan Leno ; king , Mr . Herbert Campbell . Tho members of the company already engaged are as follows : —Little Tich , Arthur Alexander , Brown , Newland and LeClercq , the Poluske . 7 , tbe Gees Signor Albertieri , Mr . John D'Anbannnd Miss Emma D'Auban '

, principal dancer , Mdlle . Zucchi ; clown , Mr . Harry Payne .

At the Lyceum Theatre tho subject of the pantomime will bo " Cinderella , " with libretto by Mr . Horace Lennard and music composed and arranged by Oscar Barrett ; scenic artists , Messrs . floury Emden , J . Pritchard , Barrett and Hawoa Craven ; stage managers ,

The Theatres, &C.

Messrs . Arthur Bruntcu arid J . II . Cran ford ; musical conductor , Mr . Jan \ "s Weaver ; tallpfc mi-tress , Madame Katti Lanner ; principal girl . jfiM Jvlnline Terriss ( Cinderella ) . The other artistes already engager ! r . ro : —Messrs . Victor Stevens and Fred Emery ( uglv sisters ) , Harry I'rrU-er , Deimo Brawl , William Lug . ' , Charles W « ll » ce and

Charles Anr , Miss Kut » Charl ( Prince ) , Miss Clara Jock » ( Baroness ) , Hiss Alice B'onk s ( Jardini ) , Miss Minnie Terry , Miss Florrie H rrmon , Mdlle . Zinfret a , Miss B-rssio Rignold , and Miss Susie Vunghrin . Principal dancer , Miss Louie Loveday . Harlequinade by

Charles Lanri aud troi !;> . \ The pantomimo will ba a fairy performa ' ce in two parts , with on int-erral nnd without a procession . It will Inn produced en the 2 lMi in . if ., uud-.-r the direction of Mr . Oscar B-irretf . '

At the pretty and popular Parkhurst , which is conveniently sitnatr'd in the Holloway Road , there will bo produced on Saturday evening , 23 rd inst ., afc 7 ' 45 , by arrangement wifch Mr . St . John Denton and Mr . Fred Storey , an original pantomime , entitled " Aladdin in Lock , or the Patent Safety Lamp . " Libretto by Mr .

Tom Cravan , anthor of the "Ballad Singer , " & c „ music by Mr . Thos . P . Fish , the popular chef d ' orehesrtre . Tbo company engaged is a strong irrd ' ! ' roughly attractive one , and includes Messrs . Fred Storey II p ., Brayne J . B . Montague , Sydney Vincent , Goo . Moolie ,

and Birtin Whito , Mesrlunoi Louie Cleveland , Madge Lewis , Susie All- \ v " , Hilda Corral , Maude Bowden and Louise Brandon . The b . irlequini da by Messrs . Spink ami Spink and George Moodie . Tbe scenery has been invented , designed , aud paintr'd by Mr . Fred Storev , and will be on un elaborate scale .

A copyright performance nf " Gnbriella , tbe new one-act opera composed by Signor Ernilis Pizzi for Madamo Adelina Patti , toot place at St . Goorge ' s Hall , on the 25 th ult ., the date corresponding

with that of tho first performance in America ( at Boston ) by Madame Patti and her company . Wo may mention that tho principal parts were sustained by Mrs . Avon Saxon , Madame Brazzi , Mr . Avon Saxon , Mr . Hirwen Jones , Mr . Franklin Clive .

It wis on the 1 st of June 1861 that Monsieur Blondin , then in the prime of life , first visited England and electrified the visitors to the Crystal Palace by his daring and wonderful feats on the high rope . Two years previously he had conceived and executed the bold idea of crossing tho Niagara Falls on a rope 170 feet above the

waterlevel , the distance traversed being 1 , 100 feet . Ho afterwards performed the still more wonderful feat of walking the rope across the Falls on stilts , carrying a man on his back . This was witnessed by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales , who was then on his American tour . At tho Crystal Palace tbe rope was stretched from

end fco end of the Great Central Transept , afc a height of 100 feet from the ground floor . So successful and attractive were these performances that over one million eight hundred thousand people witnessed them , there being on two occasions an asssmblage of over 84 , 900 . It is not easy to forgefc tho wonderful sight of the sea of

upturned faces gczing upon the solitary figure which dared not only to cross but even to disport itself upon the frail bridge stretched at so vasfc a height , above them . The veteran hero , who will complete his 70 th year on tho last day of February next , will return to the Crvstal Palace—the scene of his first

British triumphs—on Boxing D . ny next , and will repeat tvery evening dnring Ihe Christmas holidays his thrilling exploits , proving to tiro p'lblic that advancing years have iu no way diminished hid intrepidity and doxteritv . In 1 S 81 viiifcora willingly paid half a

guinea each for tods , the price of admission to tne Palace ) buiug also increased on tho daya Blondin appeared . Dnring his forthcoming visit , however , the charge for admission will remain at one shilling , no charge whatever being made for seats .

An Incident Of Napoleon's Campaign In Russia, 1812.

AN INCIDENT OF NAPOLEON'S CAMPAIGN IN RUSSIA , 1812 .

" TN traversing that wretched town Orschimiana wo saw about one J- hundred officers , prisoner ? , crammed in tho goal of the place , behind windows guarded by iron bars . These poor fellows were in their shirt sleevos , having been plundered by tho Cossacks of their coats , trousers , &< -. On seeing ua these unfortunates called to na through their bars , begging for something to eat , and fire , and

accompanying their heart-breaking cries with impressive gestures . Equally sad spectacles presented themselves afc each step . I was therefore greatly surprised at seeing my comrades approach , cause to be distributed among them onr remaining provisions and somo clothes , and then repair to the Starotz , a slave name given to tho mayor or head

of the village . Thoy exacted from him that the stove of the prison shonld be heated ; finally they left money in order that clothes , bread and meat might bo purchased , threatening severe punishment if their orders wore not attended to . I asked Wlodeck tlio motive of this extraordinary interest . He replied : 'Thoso aro Freemasons ; they made us tho sign of distress ; being Freemasons ourselves , we wore

bound to succour our brothers , since it was iu our power to do so . ' " —Memoirx of General Ilockcckrjiuirt .

Tho Accident Insurance Company ( Limited ) , of 10 Sfc . Swithin ' s Lane , London , has just paid , ou tho prodiierion of Probate , £ 1000 for curious fatal claim . Mr . W . B . Laws , n , Stockbroker , of Belfast , was for many y ^ ura nn agent of the Company , and in 1875 ho affected a

policy for the above amount . In September hv . t , while tnking a ivalk iu G ' arrs Glen , Upper BillysilUn , ho was acoidorrtly drowned in nino inches of water , lie must have stumbled down an emb . uikmcnfc as several stones had been dislolged by the fall , and being stunned , droupod into a small stream aud therein suffocated .