The National Register. — London, England, 1813-10-17 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL ItECISTER. DRAMATIC REGIS] El?. DRURY LANE. GODOLPHIN, THE LION OF THE NORTH. This Play which was produced on Tuesday night, and after three representations, has been withdrawn from - the Stage in .compliance with the ssishes of the Public, affinds an addi tional proof, that splendour alone is not sufficient to ensure success. Supported by all the magnificence of dress and I scenery which the liheralit) of the Nlanagerss could supply, it owed, out . ," tonately, little beside to the genius of its ,; Author, that after a few inetfectnal struggles to rise, it sunk, as it deserved, in the midst of its gaudy trappings. To exult over the dead would be useless and ungracious; to obey the ancient precept, de morluis nil nisi bonum would be a dere liction, and to be silent, a neglect of our duty. " The Lion," it is true, " preys not upon carcases, and the Critic might be spared the odious task, but justice requires that a 'verdict should be passed to explain the causes of so sudden a death. After collecting the evidence of the two senses which chiefly witnessed the merits of this performance and its catastrophe, viz. sight and hearing, we are therefore of opinion, that the new Operatic Drama of Godolphin, the Lion of the North, died of inherent stupidity. Others might have brought it, perhaps, Feb de Sc; but for fear the moderation • of our verdict should be misrepresented, we subjoin the fol lowing evidence in elucidation. Baldwin, Earl of Nottingham (Mr. BELLA MY). a nobleman of die s lute habits, being captivated by the beauty of Mamie (Miss Suety), , the wife of another Peer, and a wealthy heiress in her own right, causes the husband to be secretly assassieated ; but is defeated in his purpose of securing the widow, who obtains protection from i g hert, Baron ,f Bestwood (Mr Piller irs) The Earl immediaiely besieges the Castle of this less powerful neighbour, which for six weeks resists his assault. During this interval I gbert contrives to seed notice 01 his situation - to his triend Godolphin, Earl of Berwick (Mr. 11A VHOND). a hero of the highest renown, and surnamed The Lion of the North, from his distinguished conduct dui ing the Scottish wars.—Godoiphie • Obey's the call of filen&hip, and at th.s period the piece commences. Guy (Mr. BANNISTER), an artful vassal of Earl Bobtail; ,undertakes to surprise the Castle, by obtaining admission in the disguise of a pi!grini.—The project seeeeeds, and Victoria is carried off to Notting ham, which occurs just as Go./ufehin has reached Sherwood Forest with his troops; and he now learns that the widow, in whose cause he. has been surunioned, is Victoria.—This Lady's marriage to her late LOW Vas by compulsion; and, before that event, there had existed between her and Godolphin a mutual attachment, ton deeply fixed to he eradi cated by time and absence.--He flies to her rescue, but is made pri teller by an ambuscade, and his friend the Baron left in the fore•t, -wounded, and oppsrently lifeless.—The lovers now meet, and their of fection being discovered by Baldwin, he offers liberty to tiodoiphin em coniVion of l.is own band being accepted by Victoria, threatening death to and force to her, if ills proposal be rejected. Godolphin - encourages defiance of these threats, which she maintains, till her lover is exhibited her view in the o.idst of six archers, who arc on the point of discharging their arrows at hint ; when, overpowered with horror, she pledges a vow to hccuine Baidifin"s wile on the proposed condition. A wile g scene of great distress ensues, while new ma chinations are formed against Godolphin by Baldwin ; when Fghelt discovers a subterrunemis passnge, by which he and his troops enter Nottingham Cattle. Baldaiin is attacked at the moment he is dragging Nis victim to the altar, sled the piece cundudes with the marriage of • Godolphin and Victoria. The subordinate parts of this Drainn consist of unsuccessful attempts, on the part of Guy, to win the affections of I•largarct (Miss KELLY), an honest servant girl, who is attached to a young, wood-cutter, and fiiielly united to him. From this account, 'it might be supposed that the Dr....eia was not entirely void of interest, though but little sprinkled With novelty. Yet the contrary is the case. More general, unvarying dullness never was infused in any performance. The music itself, except in a few chorusses and songs, seemed to partake of that character. Yet eminent abilities were marshalled in its repretientation, and no expense bad been . l7, spared. The scenery was beautiful, the dresses new, ele gant, and splendid, and the stage filled with well organised multitudes, which produced the semblance of mat armies. Yet some radical vice appeared to render all this display un availing. it may be paatly traced to the poverty of the dia • logue, the total absence of energy and elegance in the styl e and the expressions, and partly to the trial made of Mr. I:Ice l./1:4Y as a tyrant, a character which requires some force of action and powerful declamation, but which, in this Gentle mati's hands, became a complete nonentity. A part of such importance in the piece, being as it were ohliterated, the vacuum was felt throup,hout, and the effect was most chilling. We do rot mean, notwithstanding this failure, to tax Mr. BELLAMY with want of abilities. We only regret, that when Ws talents lie in a line so totally different from that which he was so unfortunately thrust on Tuesday night, he should have„been exposed to fail where he had no chance of success, As a singer, he will always fill a rank of consider able eminence ; but as a performer, who joins expressive action to scientific melody, hesan never hope to be admired. It was evidently in • consequence of his apprehended deficiency that the character of Sir Afaivice was introduced. Always at hand to save his patron the trouble of speaking, and leaving him little more than the bare prerogative of tit tering his thoughts in song, he destroyed the effect which the part, had it not been split between two, might otherwise have produced. had the Earl qi Nottingham been modeled less mu sical, and entrusted to Mr. RAYMOND, whose powers are so well calculated to till such characters with adequate etiergv, and the lover and hero Godoipiia been personated by Mr. EL LIsTOI4, we have no doubt but the languid dullness which pervaded this Drama would have in a great nTasure !seared. and that instead of being driven hy public disappro bation from the stage, it would have met with a kinder re ception, though it was too radically defective ever to prove a favourite. The music by Mr. lltsastis unequal. The Pil grims anthem to the morn, aLtv's song with the l!avp accompaniment, and two or three more in the second and third act, with the distant chorus Vk h!•11 GOdolphas friends come to his rescue, were entitled to the highest !praise. The overture was not without merit, but the rcbt -displa)cd neither of finality nor taste. SII lITI 14i G. RAls I.:rt.—This celebrated Pedestrian lost his match of 109 miles in 13 hours on Friday, on Tenterden Race Course, near Ashford, in Kent. The accounts received state, that Rainer did ti 9 miles iii 11 hours anti nine minetes, and could primed nu fiirther. The 1 - weather was much against the performance, and the Pedestrian was match exhausted. PrnasTnt Lincolnshire Yeoman, who undertook on Saturday, id inst. for a wager of 100 tznineas, to go 48 miles in 12 hours. tur 1-2 successive days, completed his herculean task on Wed nesday evening, about six wiles from Melton blow-bray. Two boxing matches between Marten (the Jew) and Lancaster, and Coyan and Davis, took place Wednesday, on Coombe-1V ar► en, near Kingston, in the presence of 10,000 spectators. The first bat tle, between Marten and Lancaster, lasted three hours and thirty- Inv minutes, and in which one hundred and nincly fire rounds were fought— a circumstance unprecedented in the a►maln of prize fight ing. They were ►matched for a stake of twenty guineas, and a sub scription purse. 11. Harmer anti J. Clarke seconded Lancaster, and Jacobs and Puss seconded Marten. It would till many columns to describe this battle in detail. Bitting at setting•to was 3 and 4 to lon Lancaster. In the test round ilikrten made play, and planted dexterous hits, left and right, on his adversary's head, which :►early closed one of his eye.. A smart return was made by Lan caster, and a rally followed, when Marten was hit down. This round produced first blood from the head of Lancaster. The sub sequent rounds were manfully contested for half an hour, when Laucaster's presented a frightful spectacle, but he had the best 01