17 DECEMBER 1853, Page 10

4t Chtatirs.

The stagnation in theatrical productiveness, which usually precedes the Christmas holydays, is the characteristic of the past week. However, those who have seen Mr. Robson at the Olympic, Thirst of Gold at the Adelphi, the current comic entertainments at the Haymarket and the Lyceum, the long-lived curiosities at the Princess's and Sadler's Wells, and the wonders of Mr. Smith's equestrian troop of Drury Lane, may, if they are in search for a sensation, stray to Astley's, and witness the really wonderful performances of two highly-trained elephants. Hitherto the performances of elephants have merely shown the docility of the animal ; this new exhibition exhibits a power of assuming difficult postures, which stands in singular contrast to the unwieldy bulk of the performer. Our modern Clowns, who abandon humour and devote themselves to posturemaking only, may look with apprehension on this instance of animal dexterity. When elephants turn posturemasters, bipeds may be outdone by quadrupeds in the noble art of contortion.