The National Register. — London, England, 1818-04-26 00:00:00

A r7).lr, THE P.W NC E EGEST%4 BIRTH-DAY. The Prince Regent does not complete his 56th near t - 3i the :sth cf August next ; but us that month falls too laze ier fashiotiable scason, it was thought ex plient to anticipate the celehratim% of the birth-day, and St. Game's day was fixed upon, in imitation or the forehtm practice, being what is abroad termed the :tf his Royal Ilii;lmass. The weather was inauspicioas, a 3 as east wind, accompanied with rain,' prevailed daring the whole day: but the la lies ware not to be Lterrel, even by the danger of spoiling their otAgniiicent dresses. 'racy flocked to the Court iu ;treat numbers, and the assemblage was altogether the most tittratn - ous since the marriage of the latactned Princess C'w.rlotte. i'ark and Tower guns fired a double salute at one delml, but the company begp.n to' arrive at the Q.l,2?ies l'Aince so early as 1!.2, and coutinuA coming ti.l oast five o'clock. &r or t:41.: carriages were kept in the ranks three hours; and- thou,;it the Queen re iaLlied in the Jrawing-rcoat tivat till 5 tided:, yet 6 ladies, among wholn was Lady Nugent, expe icuA!,l the mortifying disappointment of bear wo :Ate, Mli . ..;sty haring left the drawing-room IL.:ror.: Ltlius arrived. The 11p:2:trance of the Cuart very IL). and the prevalotea of white ta%%;;;ICS • g' s•Vt: a re!':;:sl..hig liveliness to the r?ene. The Viint•es , cf; acelrnpanieti the Queen into the Sc!a• opar!-.lcnt at two o'cloaul ; the Prince of Ik:in-lir:a -hour,. with his usual actec4tin3, soon •r:.~ Regent, the Duke tanil Duchess at' York, the Enke of Clarence, the Duke and Du.:l:c..ss of Glou:scs ter, and the Princess Sophia of Clauce- ter, went in into. The Foreign Aaibassiktlnrs and Ministers, with their Ladies, the Cabinet Nlinisters, with theirs, the Justices, the principal Officers of State, the Lord and I Mayoress, the Sheriffs, and Law Officers of the Crown, were in attendance. The nobility and gen tly were present in great numbers : hut we did not perceive any except those who are used to attend an finch oe=sions. Scarcely any of the Opposition fami lies were present, except the Marchioness of Invistock, the. Countess of Jersey, • the Countess al Essex, Earl Grosvenc•tr, and Lord Nugent. In honour of the e.ay the Qecen gave a dinner to tl.-e Prince Regent. and the lioyal Family : the Earl of Liverpool, and most al the Cabinet Ministers enter-- ta'ned their friends: Lird Sidmouth had among his gl:ests the Lord rjayor and Sherilik : while tha diite rent persons connected with the household, foiin the Lord Steward down to tha tradesmen, had :Liar E:a rtcc parties of convivial festivity. Wednesday the Frilax Regent held aCourt at Carl ton-11611w- His Royal Highness afterwards held a Privy Council, at which, as we are informed, the con sent, ea' Like Rogeet u Couned,i was passed to the mar riage of the faire of•Cambridg , e. His Royal Highness gave :audience to tl c Earl of Harrowby, the Earl of Liverpool and Mr. Canning. Sovvral papers have given a statement of the ac quaisitauce between the Princess Elizabeth and the Prince of Hesse Hombourg having connuenced two years since, his Serene Hig!iness having l•era then in Eng-haul The tict is, that he never was in England Irdine. the present 'visit, • nor ever saw-the Ptincets till he was introduced as her saitor. Prince Leopold will set out on his intended visit to the -Continent,- in • the course of a few weeks. His Royal Highness has-offercd the occupation of Claremont, during his absence, to the Duke and. Duchess of Cam bcrland. But we understand that their Royal High nesses arc also about to leave England for some time. t is rumoured that the Duke of Clarence has re solved to persevere in his determination of marriage with the Irincess of Saxe-Mein en, notwithstanding the vote of the House of Commons, if' her Serene Highness • shall continue her consent. He cent still make her a Duchess ; and he will avail himself of the alternative given by the Royal Marriage Act, by re cording hi 3 union on the books of the Privy-Council, and therchy will take .his chance of-a vote of emu lation, and of dower, &c. by the new Parliament, within the twelvenienth•—Chro4thk E t The Dukc of dare - ite --- c has disposed of the e;glit Line • coach horses, with which his stables were furnished about three weeks ago. . A new arrangement has been made, by the royal in mates of the Queen's Palace, iu 'consequence of which the Prince and Prin c ess of Hesse Ramberg will not leave England before the :29th of the ensuing month : by which time it is expected, the duke of Cambridge and his illustrious bride will have arrived, and reciprocal cdaglatulations mss take place. In the .main time, her Alijescy retire to the Castle nt Windsor, tier a wea er two, accompanied by the Princess Augusta, a:ld the - Prilice and Princess of ilerse Homberk. They will most probably leave the Palace one of the first days at the beginning of the week. His Serene Iligh ni;ss is purchasing s:y.eral fine homes both fir the car riage and the saddle. Mr. Edward Orate's system for preventin; the forgery of Bank of England notes is now under the consideration of the Bank Directors. .10Netwi T:TaP. N.\ TTONAT. 11171",T;'T171 211 E DRAMA. •-•••- DRURY LANE. The historical play of Deaf and Dttint was revived on Tuesday, at this Theatre, when the part of Jsdio was performed by Mrs. Bartley, with considerable }lndio& • The play was succeeded be a new interlude, iTthe bur lesque, or liombastie species, called Amoroso, King of illle Britain. The author of this dramatic trifle, which in the style bean; stem: resemblance to Depe,rters furitno, has shown much ivenuity in its cotnposition, and has car:Alin.: avoided, in his mock representation of ! royalty, every thing that.eauld bo interpreted into of fence; it is written in rhyme, and is interspersed much too thickly with songs: a serious song, from its nature, scarcely alnits of burlesque, and, unless the words are distinctly heard, produces no effect. We decidedly object, too, to any burlesques on Shakespeare. If the author wtll omit these entirely, which were the worst executed parts of his interlude, and curtail the number . of his saugs, the piece will prave, we think, one of th, most successful of its kind. 1-lark,y, who played ihno rovo, was irreistibly ludicrous. The characters in ge m:: al wc . ce well dressed, in the style of the irmie heroic drama, and were pertlirmcd with much spirit. tile scene i:; the best. 'Tice new interlude: was an -19:1n,x:1 for repetition universal npprobation, from one oi . the fuilest audiences of the season. The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and the Princess Augusta, were prent One of the most sing-Id:wand hazardous experiments within our theatileal recollective was male on Friday, en 64:se hoards, in reviving, after 4 total neglect of two centuries. the tragotly of . the Jcn of Malta.— ChristaTher Marlow, its author, is one of the few in the department of literature who wrote before -Shake speare. and was esteemed, in his age, one of the great est ornaments of the drama. He has left only five plays: of all the nu:nber the Jen , qf Malta is, perhaps, that which exhibits more of his limits and less of his beauties than any other ; the principal character, in common with the S kylock of ShuLespeare, was drawn to second and to stimulate the popular hatred against the Jews; on this character ( Barabas) the interest almost exclusively rests. His actions, which originate in revenge for having been made to contribute all his wealth to the payment of the Turkish tribute, are .a tissue of unmingled horror, a climax of atrocity and malignity, till he becomes the victim, in the end, of one of his own hellish devices. Nothing can more strongly show the power and popularity of Mr. Kean, than his having been able to illumine and render tole rable so dark a portrait as that of Burubcs. por formance is full of striking passages, though not in the highest oriler of his talent. His best abets were his execration; when he finds that his goods are confiscated, and a scone where he recovers some geld and jewels which had bee.: secreted in his house, and-which en abled hint to -.Taunt° his thriller splendour, and means of mischief: Ile introduced a song in the li:oaf' act, but though it was encored,. we cannot help thinking it a perversion of talent. _ _ e have -112.1rIoni known a more indalvnt audience than Oat of Friday evening : with a.I the faults and revolting incidents of the Jer• cf'3lltha, it has been received, and was given out for repetition, with uaivers.d approbation. COVENT GARDEN. A new Tragedy was produced at this Thcatre, on Wednesday, entitled, &Zhu/2;ra ; or aw l <disci' Tunis. It is attributed to Mr. tilsi•:l, the author of the Apos tate. The fcnlowing is an outline of the plot:— The scene is laid in at the pctit.ctof it:: capture :,y the En. Perm., Charles V. ' rk . 01111g.) Ve Noweinan, is persecuted by a factien. at i!.2 :wad of whi,:li is Lis own lize.tier, Sdi...rdo, arid is - ,ohircl!erl to fioin I.aving his a if. and child, az he ..upr,eses, deftrayed hy an infuriated populace. Ile ab. jttres his religion, enters into the scnice of 01.! Poi .of Tunis, awl L:comes (lover-nor of the City. The play opens with the exultadon eN.pressed by C. ltt tit 41 fa nil od; Keatibie.4 and outer Christian sit at Cue proepect of linere.tioa in the. enterprileaf Charles.. In a scene a some len4,'.li, avows himself to ..114.P . 7'redi,r.11s the stcry of his wrongs, and voinis,4 the slaves his assistance. conference is interrupted by the arrival. of fresh .vic:inis, among ev....c10 are .5.r.1e.in0, (I'e:try.; and .8. - fieuire, (Miss O'Neill,) the wife of 3/ , : , 1 , ,i;, with her chill. ffiderno haS hitherto passed for her fatter, now, in a state of exhaustion and decay, del.ktres to het. that h.; is not, and then faints, without eleclarim; her father's name. Her child is sr.:etc:led :rein her, and while she is seeking it, she meets ar.d recoutzes r hustand, .Itagf, Montalto partakes of their joy at-met:nig, but is equally distressed witlL itaty'r. diet theelsngers which surround her --in Tuna. It is then arsonged that she shall return to Italy in a vessel shin bas brought ransom for sonic slaves ; buritti,!fral remembers that lie has sworn not to leave hie fellow captives in slavery; and .Ifoureito,intiuenced by remorse and com passion. is to favour their insurrection at the critical moment. In the mean time, Antarat, (.11aervady,) another renciade arrives front the Bey's camp . . without the (lily, with the tyrant s orilers to biros sess M0.1t..i/to, and assume the governinent of the town himself. Au agonizing scene takes place between .sfatit'redi and Relttyni;re, at tie hour appointed for her departure-If.myeedi pleading tle.t , Ito. unur is aledged to remcitt wren tile slaves till the eppwatinity•of ,•! ser'...e.all4l Bet t Ur i.;ing him bi every tie Of 141 . .', )1 . i) The str.ygle, however. is ended be the c. enters to he borne.ort and dmgs Ii 37:!111`. 14+4 yr..., we ~,. . forn,rly, when in Itaiv, been Use rejected admirer of firgam;.-.1, and a hen disappointed. had seized and ear. tied her otf—that Mott' dt had resceed her and brought the viLain to 'medic punislittic.a. This resat: wduud hull to become u renegade. and milkle , el to Lis breast until this moraent, when having Bellantira in his power, hr determines to satiate his revenge. In a struggle. Brilantira snatches a dagger flora his vest, and aeries him. until he orci.:rs her husband to he brought forth. Meantime, Sslone obtains an interview with Ar.;:taltn, notes himself' as his guilty, but 1, , ui tent brother, awl declares .Bellamire to It 4tloatalto's dittigatu, ..~s~i.~ 133 whom he has jtut seen in the power of A t nurat. Ilfo:zralto hastensal the Hamm, in t,:e heigil of Agony, and crriecs b the midst of the scent' b;:t , :cen and Lis lure. After a short contest. A:a:.),,t find the rcst arc etrowytd 'll , e Act pros-nts to w:th n dunge,in vilizre. the Christians k eon 11 hill itai.e . " ,- ) are disputing fur the. paint of wretehednes 4 inted*ence is broa.,lit of the suocess of Charles, an 4 that the ercered their immedi:ate txecution. Monte , - a:ere is left. &Ilan::: .: haring eseaped from A in:lret. enters M sea:„-h of her hushoutl. lint is f. - d:owed by A who stabs and then is summoned to the fight without. if chitiras wounded. and exa,pczittd with hlry er.deavours to mutter f..oin which he is only prevented by Cie dying .Ifo .la/to, 141'.0 crawls towards Itini,st ibs him with a da : ;gcr. end then exvirev. .4f.triftedi having been rel,.:Lizd, rtolies in 1; :,,r;ois, mid curtain falls. It must bu confessed that there is tev.eh complexity in this plot, and we are tlisix,sed to think tia..• klevdop. anent by tv) means natural. in the first it is very improbable that so many persons eemleeted with caeh otiwr,mbould corn; from ditferent anti be all assembled in Tunis—which gives t . ..e !Jay on arti. firiai ciaracter, aat a s!diful dramatist t.:l:auld ways avoid, and the ineilents themselves arc oludi stage!! as been accustomed to fin. years. The r.atnesituaw tioas are produced by means of tile chill (generaliy an important actor in modern tragedies)—the wleJle the •i.th Act' is without the least novelty, and the dia. ra.ters are very :moll of th satiny stamp. Tharp is a ludicrous effect-produced in the last scene, by all the persons on the stage Lying on all four; and crawling like so many.eaterpillars. Mr. Shia se.:.is fond of re_ negtiles, but we cannot think Min suc..essfill in the present instanze ; ws have here two of them, but they ir:e neither in unison, nor in opposition. Montalto itt grandly conceived, but there is little originality about him ; and .4avirat is on AA.lstgge Is-Ansa. Motifredi is also a well -known hero of the tragedy corps, but'there is much flue yet natural -I'.!elings in his composition. Bellontira is certainly the tir.est character of the whole, uniting delicacy, a2Lction and fortitude with great suc cess. have no doubt but that it was written fur Miss O'Neill, and having said this, to praise her, is unnec;:zsary—she is identified with the part ; she tc Beilarsira, and prai,e can say co more. The whole play, is, in our judgment, much indebted to the actors, whose peculiar casts sent all to have been consulted. There is -t to mud' occasion for rant throughont, ant Young is not always so happy in that line. It rims very Weil for Mr. Macready, who not unfregtientlY•put r.s in iniLd of .that worthy member of the Nightin. ~a le Club. whom Mr. Mathews clescr.'l:et: as sim-ir , e, treble and bass with equal facility., -'l'he acting was, however, generally excellent, and the.wlrcle went off nith all img.ginable 'success, bcimt ant minced forrere.• titiontritheut a dissonting vs:e:„ he playbills say it was received " with tears rte. to Le rtstrained," which we mention fur the sake of expressing Dar disgust that a national theatre should descend to put firth srch absurd and ridiculous announcements; it is really an in sult apt) common sense to suppose this farrago will .persuade any one to add to the number of the woc.pers. The Prologue and Epilogue (neither of any interest) were spoken by Mr. Connor and Miss Brunton. Ell:stork has taken a lease of the , Noithanmton Theatre fur three years, which hr is now puttin.4 into a state of complete repair, and-re-painting and orna menting with much taste. i)u:ing Mr. liears'a late trip to the north, he played Sir Giles Ocerr e uch itr.l Sir &beard 3krl,aer at Dumfries. The latter perfurutance was given at 12 o'clock at •nwon. A gentleman, who takes the leading part in the ma nag-mu-at of New Drury, is said to be purchasing every share cf that Th.:litre, which is offered for sale. by the Proprietors, at o'2 prcsc.nt atiprevscd prices. Mathews 's surcesi at the • English -t)pera House, it seems, has ci:ci.ed no small rie , tc ! iof envy, and ie. rfrtHi, that Lime appliLations have been tnele to a certain gnartt:r, in the hop of preventing a maim:. rice of roirillar,e:itcrtainment. Poor Minden still continues on the invalid list cf New Drury ; and though his spirits arc good, the repotzed rc:urr4 of the gout have rendered hint es.. tremely weak. Miss L. Kelly is now the favourite female vocalist of the Cork amiteur performances of tlie Apollo Su. eiety. Miss Walstein, who has some time past retired from the stage, has returned to the Dublin theatry, to play fir the belteEt of the perthrmers. Mr.. Betty is co t ra;;;ed. for flur nights at the Bath theatre ; idler whieli, it is said, l e iiiknas to try his .fortune on the -kinetic:4n .stafz,:. 111 health has Air. 11:i,./ Ailj.ingiGn to rctile from Lis situati,w ny L'otkr Soetv.,.v of State for the Home lierartilient. Lie 'is to Ir.! succeeded by Mr. llenry Clive, M.P. for Ludlow. A ta'A.:ing lits !ken e a;L,I at Livorpnol, as well ns at lliraiinghlm, to pi.l;f:ti:i P lian,eat t h, ca•.e with w!..ch t.tas ca I notes citit ut uresintt be imitated. • _ Tile Bishop of London's • visitation and confirmation throughout his diocese, is to take place this summer. The Grand• Duke Michael, the brother of the Fm. percr of Russia, is expected in London in about three weeks. The large house in Stratford-place, occuvied by his brother Nicholas, is preparing for his rt,seeptiou. A... 4 -.4: