The National Register. — London, England, 1808-01-17 00:00:00

JAN. 17. The perform MONDAY,... 'FrESOAV..... NV r t SDA Y, TiItASHA V I .. Fltpit , , ti•TURDA In these pies TUESDAY,... WEDNESDAY, T t: alio A V,., I{4 DAY ,.... SATUSID V" Th , if male' qnk .e:11 mom Th•s piece v cn a tuieign ltl Paris, and w h of Charles Ed Kemble haw new-model led dianuitic histc was ite•tantly Chzunlierlain, every new pi excite, in the and popery, re Tlie Pepe a midable persol Pope is in , w gerent of Le:. Though Bona; Catholics the over them, yl year ago west mention of the liberties awn: been dead for family, the pi very memory vulture who that he is deist stuffed and stt as effectually lain and his co loyalty of wl tor in every dangers decem dangers that e After all, 1 bis Lordship, the play of t with interest, he could not alarm of the 1 Mr. C. Ket piece, and of iii a few circ with some rei characters and Prim Prim CI un, Coup, Colon Ram Conn, Chris Sigismund, 1 in several am. the reigning n he took refuge of hunger and who was cape TIIE NATIONAL REGISTER. ARUM' LANK, ,Ormanees of the last week have been t+- ....Pizarro, with the new pantomime of Funibond. . Fotsc tams, with the pantomime. AY, Much Ado About Nothing, with the pantomime. • The Duenna, ‘vith the pantomime. The Busy Body, with the pantomime. • All in the Wrung, with the pantomime. pieces there is nothing to be particularly noticed. COVENT ILI The 41,16untaineers, ith the ncn• pantomime of Harlequin in his Element. Never acted, The Wanderer, or, The Rights of Hospitatitg, ith the pantomime. A Th c 4 lt a rb! re r, with the pantomime. . The Wanderer, with the pantomime. ...., The Wandere, , with the pantomime. v,.. The Wanderer, with the pantomime. iderer Is a play, which must amply merits our une mmendation. e was f,anded, by Mr. C. Kemble, two years ago,. I play, which had been acted with great success at. which painted, in striking colours, the misfortuner; Edward, commonly called the Pretender. Mr. C. Lying, by many alterations, *ensures, and additions,• led it, so as to suit the Luglish theatre, presented his ; Listory o: the Pretender at Covent-garden, where it y accepted. But when it was laid before the Lori bin, whree licence is necessary for the performance of piece, his Lordship, apprehensive that it might :he ateasts of the Luglish people, a spirit of rebellion refused to stamp it with his indispensable sanction ! or and the Pretender arc certainly the two most for lions in this whole world. W hat matters it that the nc a temporal Fitice without dominions, and a v ice- Leaven without believers in his celestial power? utparte has subdued his territory, and though our themselves deny his infallibility and his jurisdiction yet the Pope is so tremendous a bring, that half a esaw the English people resign their liberties at the 'the Pope, merely forfear the Pope should take those ,way. What does it signify that the Pretender has for half a century ? nay, tbat the last branch of his le pour old Cardinal of York, is now no more ? The ►ry of the Pretender is dreadful: he was a hovering ho threatened the small birds while he lived,—now lead, he serves for a scarecrow, and when he is neatly stuck up in the field, he frightens the flutterers just Ily as ever. What do the Lord Licensing Chamber is colleagues conceive of that Lnglish constancy and which they talk so much, when they suspect a trai :ry man of feeling, and conjure up the ghosts of •ceased, to distract us from the contemplation of the at exist? , we cannot but consider this refusal on the part of ip, as the highest compliment that lie could pay to if the Wanderer. For if it had not been pregnant . est, if it had not abounded in the strongest feelin:r,- lot have Nand even a pretence for keeping up the. he Pope - and the Pretender. Kemble then changed the names of the agents in his of the country where the scene was laid : amid utter circumstances, eontrived to make his plot correspond remarkable events in the Sys edish history. The and the fable as they now stand, are as follows : 'rime Gusiavus Mr. Claremont. rince . .. Mr. C. linable. , tost Valdenstan.... ....... Mr. Pope. , unt Sparre Mr. Brunton. dowel Rayner Ram5ay......... Mr. Fawcett. `,unless Valskustein Miss Smith. Aristina Miss Norton. Id, the grandson of Gnitanus Vasa,. had been defeated attempts to recover the crown, of his ancestor trout ig monarch of Sweden. • Deserted by his followers. voge in the isle of Deland, and in the last extremity Lod despair, entered the castle of ('ount Valdenstein, xpecteti shortly to arrive from Fieitted. Tlic Ceun- , teas, tonched by his misfortunes, provided him with apparel, and concerted means fur his escape ; but her scheme was foiled by the vigilance of the guard, under the command of Siparre and .iloyner. We forbear to explain the manner in which these mea sures were frustrated, because we are unwilling to anticipate the pleasure which our readers will feel from the representation itself. Again, Prince Sigismund, assisted by the Countess, by Christina, and by Ramsay ' attempted to escape on board the Danish fl eet, which was hovering on the coast; and again he was prevented from accomplishing his purpose, by the inter vention of Count l'aidenstein, A very interesting scene then en cued, in which Valdeststein himself, though firmly attached to ihe crown, was induced to connive at the Prince's est : , Sparre and the guards were fniled in their turn ; and a letter written with pencil, arrived to inform the Countess that Sigis mond had safely joined the Danish fleet. Prince Gustavus, the son of the reigning monarch, t heti appeared ; in consideration of the interesting circumstances of the case, he pardoned the Valden steins for aiding the unfortunate enemy of the king, and the piece concluded n ith the union of Coma Sparrs and Christina. Pram this outline our readers will perceive, that the Wan d(teer, like the modern melodronas, is, in its fable, founded on heroic situation : hitt in no other respect does it bear the least affinity to these fashionable afterpieces. For the iYandsrer pos sesses character as w ell :is incideet, and while it interests by the strength of its situations, it charms by the elegance of its dialogue. We noticed, indeed, some passages of popular pa triotism, which, though not violently introduced, are still un worthy to assort wielt the chaste simplicity of the language in general. But in every one of the tireat requisites ha- dramatic composition, Mr. C. Kembh• has most honourably succeeded ; nd we have declared our objection to the two or three strag. gliag clap-straps which are found in the first act, not for the sake of picking out a petty fault, but because where a piece approaches so nearly to perfection, we cannot but be vexed to see its claims obstructed by so slight an impediment. It con tinues to attract crowded audiences. The author is himself the ropresentative of Si eismund. It is a character of various passion ; and both in its deeper and in its lighter it is admirably coloured by the acting of Mr. C. liemble. We should give equal praise to Mr. Fawcetes perform, duce of the trifling character of Ramsay, if he would but talk i►t a Scotch dialect ; but, perhaps, he considers that as none of the party would in reality be speaking English, it is not necessary for Ramsay to mark his country by his accent. Mr. Pope im aldt nstein, is loud, but not interesting; and Miss Smith, as the Countess, is too cold and declamatory. She has the habit of giving a great appearance of sentimental importance to passages which ought to be simply spoken. The other pt•t:h►rmers do little which demands either praise or censure. There are clot cusses, and anexcellent overture to the play ; these are the work of Mr. Russell and Mr. Davy. The Prologue is spoken by Mr. Brunton, and the Epilogue by Miss Norton. THEITRE. The Comic opera of La Frasr•atana, was revived on Satur day the 9th, for the purpose of di , play log the admirable powers of Madame Catalani. One of her sinp received applAtse so loud and so reiterated, that she sail!: it three times. 'fhe opera has since been repeated, with the Ballet of La Belle In this piece 111iss Crantield has succeeded to the character for merly occupied by Mademoiselle Parisot, who ib lately married to Mr. Hughes of Co!den Square. COMMERCIAL SPECULATION. T11.11)1? TO 111M7.ILS. CIRCUL 4,R LETTUR FROM TIII3 PORTVGUF.SI; A NBA SSA non TQ THE GOVERNOR OF THE ISLAND OF ST. CATHERINE. Agreeably to the letter which I had the honour of addressing you, under date of the 4th January of the presentyear, in which; explained at large to your Excellency the motives which in duced t♦e to sanction the sending out of British Merchantmen to the Island of St. Catheritte, provided that their cargoes con sist of articles hitherto received into the Custom Houses of I have pow to request that you will be pleased to order that the ship should be admitted into the Custom House of that Island, the Captain or Master of which, (who is the hearer of this letter), you will permit to unload and sell his cargo, and give directions that no more duties shall be required of her, than were paid in Portugal fur the same nrticies ; and also that those duties should not be deapoodetl Mil lee Ilan told and dispatehp4 , -