The Press. — London, England, 1853-10-01 00:00:00

PALACE THEATRICALS. [EXCLUSIVE.] THE Palace Theatricals will, it is understood, be given this season with unusual magnificence. Mr. CHARLES KEAN has already received the Royal sanction for his programme, and several of the finest plays of SHAKSPEARE and other writers are in rehearsal. Among the more remarkable features of the series will be an original drama from the pen of the Right Hon. Lord JOHN RVSIELL, whose Don Carlos has obtained for him a celebrity in the theatrical world only paralleled by that which his Reform Act and " Durham Letter " have gained for him in the stormier arena of politics. We have not, of course, been favoured with a copy of the play ; which, indeed, will not be printed until after it has received the approbation of the illustrious audience fin• whom it is designed, but the director has kindly allowed us to glance over the prompt-book, and to make a few selections from some of the scenes. lVe are sure that our readers will be interested in perusing them. The drama is founded on an Elizabethan model, and is called The Premier ; or, Aye before Honesty. We will not attempt an outline of the plot, beyond saying that it is modern, and has a l►ulitical significance, and that the characters, whose names are slightly, and we might ahnost say clumsily, disguised, will easily be recognised. The following dialogue gives a good idea of the author's style : Cia.tino : Resign! said'st thou? My gentle Stoneypalm, Thou know'st our comrade well, nor art thyself What vulgar men (like jesting Ralpho yonder) Call verdant, or, in meaner lingo, green. And yet thou askest if he will resign. Where are thy u ual keen and lucid wits? Thou art no lawyer, and you sack which bears ►ur Cranny (he's not much of one, men say) Can have no charm for thee, or I might deem Those wits were gone wool-gathering. SU/EMMA : Burly James, Waste not thy mocks on me, or thou may'st find Abu (which is Latin, James, for presently) The game is one at which two men can play. I tell thee, Griemio, that on Wednesday last The rumour spread through every part of town That he was out; ay, that the Earl was out. Gizmo : How fell the news upon the hearts of men? STONETTALM : How on the thirst• tongue descends the gush Of a long draught of bright and sparkling water? I do not take the liquid ; but I take Thy meaning. In the next act there is a very fine scene in which three of the Premier's colleagues urge him to go out. They represent his unpopu lurity thr►ughout the country, his unfitness for office, his known leaning to Russian views. and the dtuu►tge which his adherence to place causes to the Cabinet. He finely replies : I bear you ; yes ; but though, sirs, I say hear, "l'is not the " hear" of appr►bat' , sound So dear to all of you, so seldom raised For you, my Jonnio, you, my glazing ;lames, Or you, my Lignum, save when faithful I )%nr, With whip in band, stirs up the dozing nun, t'ompelling cheers by virtue of his office. Itosign! And why ? Hut few brief months have past Sine'. all of ye came crouching to my door, And in most urgent and resistless terms I►id pray me head you. True, I sin no boy But still my memory serves " Honoured Thane, " Our vessel is but frail, an awkward tub ; " But, so that. thou wilt be her figure-head, " She'll ride, a tub which 'twill ha' safe to throw "(Mt to that whale, the million ! 110 ye dare " Deny your won's ? " They admit that they were glad to have a head about whom people knew and eared but very little, but they urge that they mould not have expected he would have proved so utterly useless at first, and latterly so actively mischievous. But the old Iiu•l is resolute, and prophesies in at magnificent poetic burst : Away ! "fill driven from hence Ido not stir, 1 swear it ! Well, I see my time is come, And all men's eyes desire that I should fade Into a distance they would hid me keep. Hut, till by force eject►d, 1 remain. The hour is come ; but 0, my colleagues, list ! List to your Premier. Jimmie, bold in tongue But weak in act. List. helium. who didst wrong soft India worse than ever she was wronged, In thy five 1 rs of dreary balderdash. And then big lirn•mio. list, who twistest round, For all thy size, as quickly as the toy Walled a teetot►nn, whose alternative Threatened the Senate that, unless they pissed Law vote, our gallant troops .eutiny—who things't foul scorn Sovereign, and in briefest time • pie named from humility. • lease hath long sun ivorship Scotia, and by all the thistles 'A ye deem) are but your brothers I am your arch's key, your tumble is not distant. GRA.:allo : room for many other extracts. but our however, man ge to afford place for a brict but a most effective bit which cannot fail to produce a sensation. JOSNIO has, it seems, pledged the Earl's Cabinet to bring forward a certain large measure affecting parliamentary representation. To SvoNyveatm, who demands why he is so anxious to get rid of the Premier, he replies, in confidence A dodge, a dodge, my friend ! Hast thou forgot That I am called the Artful Dodger? STONEYPALM : JONNIO : \o: Thou tak'st good care all +.hall remember it, By frequent re-deserving of the name. Why, so. 'Tis well. Ifackens, and gramercy, So please ye we'll &sole it once again. We've promised a Reform Bill. Is't not so? ST(INFATAIN : JONNIO : Or else my memory and my Hansard lie. Well, but who promi s ed it ? STONEII'ALM : Why, we. JOSSIO : Who's " we " ? tiroxr.vr.u.m : What needs this catechising ? "We " implies The Cabinet of which that ancient Earl Is now the head—to which he gives his name. JON I 0 (poking him): Why, so. Thou always had'st a ready tongue At making up an answer, but did'st never Answer more tidy. True, you say, we promised The Cabinet of ancient Aberdonio Should issue its Reform Bill. But, my friend, If Aberdonio's gone, there is no Cabinet Of Aberdonio. Who to keep the promise Another Cabinet exists, unbound By Aberdonian promises—dos't twig ? STONEVPAI.3I (with contempt) : The dodge is all unworthy of thee. No. I do retract—'tis worthy of thee, just, And I despise thee, et jr coupe neon triton. 1 - Exit, angrily. From the above passages, with which we have been. so kindly Etvoured, our readers will be enabled to judge of the character of the interesting dramatic production which is shortly to occupy an important share of attention. The catastrophe is calculated to be exceedingly popular, and we believe that the only difficulty is, to induce any person who acts with ordinary decency to take the part of the Premier. LORD PALMERSTON'S FIRST BUSHEL OF CHAFF. It k phiin that the range of observation of a thwernment must always be, to a certain degree, limited : and that they must derive the greatest poss►ble assistance from sugges tions 11111111 t to them, 111111 1 know thud among a gnat number of 11/1111111 kkk t %dons there may be many which ant founded in el ror—in mistake of facts, or in a miseoneept . of the power to remedy them. There may be a great deal of chaff in that which is ►eceived—bit if in a bushel of chaff sent he shall find a pint of good corn, that bushel of chaff will be well worth winnowing, and ho Cllll hint that pint of con► to good purposes. —l,un Pabacralaa'm Speeches al Giaxgair and ATM. WE believe we are justified in stating that the following " sugges tions " will be found (in his Lordship's waste-paper basket) amongst the first instalments of "advice gratis " sent in to him : " A Member of the Peace Society " suggests that, now that the Sultan has refused to sign the Vienna note, our army, navy, marine, militia, and all our other warlike preparations, should at once be set aside. He does not see that we have anything more to do with it. If people want to tight, why, let them. The Danubian Principalities are many hundred miles away from Manchester, and therefore why should we pay taxes to keep the peace so far from home? Peace is a good thing of course, but so m cotton-spinning. Even if the Russians conquered the whole of Europe, they would want clean shirts; so why should Manchester care who employs her looms ? " The Hermit of Vauxhall would respectfully suggest that, if Lord PALm macros wishes to know the future destiny of England, he is ready to tbretel it, for the small charge of one shilling, in the form of an acrostic. " A Man about Town " would be happy to put the Ministry up to s good thing or two for next year's Derby. A Literal Individual suggests that, as the British ships oft Con stantinople are under a French Admiral, Lord CLARENDON should in the same undisguised way put himself directly under the orders of Baron Barxow, to make the subordination complete. " A Descendant of the original Irish Undertaker" suggests to Lord P. that. in his general closing of graveyards, he should keep a spacious cemetery open against the impending demise of the Porte ; and that, in his projected crw,ade against " smoke," he should begin with certain mists that envelop the " Eastern Question." Wide-awake " thinks that a London " Detective " might with advantage be sent down to a certain seat in Wilts, as he understands that there is a social gathering there of Russian connections of the War Minister. • " Anti-Gallivan" suggests that Talleyntnd's maxim, " language •' was given man to conceal his thoughts." should be banished from the mind of a Minister when making Hll after-dinner speech. A gentleman who signs himself " Latimer " says that. am the Eeclesiastical Titles Bill has become a dead letter, he shall be particu larly obliged by being informed in what department of the Post-office it is to be found. An Anti-Corn Ls iitht rise in mu ArmrsPA • itancteta Sovi ir. ...., ~ iii: j o, l e e st y t t h m e r . c i i . e i ll* Ati• .., 0 ',4 . • ... Ity Si , ...-/ 4 ;V. i,; - t• • • liciprk. ho (if so rg.Cgt."V-1 . -‘4"%_.t. Ott , of so. 1 • • ig: , And en I goy( w M e -• • e could find s *ye n It s i , We must, THE PRESS. SATURDAY, 516