The National Register. — London, England, 1817-12-08 00:00:00

DEC. R. THE DRAMA. DRURY-LANE.. The castle Spectre was played on Monday night for 'the purpose of introducing a Mrs. Robinson in the part of An , , , eln. This lady has an agreeable deports meat and tolerable figure, but is quite unpractised in her profession : w'.at she hereafter may become by the aid of time and experience we cannot discover; we must at present in charity decline saying any thing. Rae, as Osmond, was the chief character of the piece, which he sustained in some passages with considerable energy. but the general effect was injured by his in correct manner of placing his emphasis. The favourite comedy of the !fogey Moon was per formed on Tuesday; the part of the Duke by Mr. Johnston, Elliston who was the first Duke A-anra, excelled all those who have succeeded hint. " Plautus was too light, Seneca was too heavy for him." I-fe just aspired to something above comedy, he just fell short of tragedy ; but he hit the stage between wind and vniter. Mr. H. Johnson's energy is most fierce, his irony more virulent : but still he moved, and looked, and'spoke, if not like a lord, like a very lordly husband, and gave the essential interest to the part He danced much at his case, and recited the speech in which the Duke describes his idea of what his wife's dress should be, with propriety and feeling . Knight's countryman - was admirable : his hysteric laughter at the dispute between his host and hostess, and his sheepish confu sion when discovered, were equally perfect. His won der at the manner in which Johnson rates his wife was -ecstatic : " And near him sat ecstatic watolnr. ".Listening the hoarse applauding thunder." }lis jaws relaxed to their utmost expansion, and his nose " grew sharp as a pen." Miss Kelly was too pert and forward, and too much like my lady's chamber luaid Nor can we speak in praise of Mrs. Davison's Juliana. She pouts, flounces, and lumbers about the stage strangely. Mr. Harley did the Mod.: Duke well; be seemed like Sancho .Panza in his government. The lionry Moon is a very pleasing drama : it is a cento of passages from old plays modernized ; it is an ingeni ous plagiarism from beginning to end. The author was a most incorrigible pilferer, but so expert in his .art, that we would say to other authors, " Go thou and do likewise !" Wednesday, a young 'Gentleman, es the bills of the -day announced him, made his first appearance before a London audience in the arduous character of Macbeth. The attempt was a hold one, and it is with regret we feel ourselves obliged to say was not eminently success lid. He does not appear a novice to the business of the stage, or to want confidence in his own powers. The same gentleman, whose name is Fisher, and it, the son of the proprietor of the Norfolk and Sufiblk aheatres, on Friday night, undertook the character of Richard M. and his perfbrmance of it, with all its de fects, certainly surpassed the measure of expectation to which his first appearanze had .restricted us. It was, considered in the whole, a very skilful representation, indicating an accurate conception of the text, a full ac quaintance with the technical forms of acting, and oc casionally manifesting considerable powers of varied and forcible expreasit n. With regard, however, to the Latter point, we regret the necessity of qualifying this admission by noticing, at the same time, that he entire ly failed in several passages of the utmost importance to the distinctness and integrity of the part. ,His man ner is often cold and unimpressive ; approaching more nearly to the familiar ease of modern comedy, than to the dignity which should surround every wearer of the buskin. His voice is clear and musical, but like his manner, seems ill adapted to gave the true colouring to those features of turbulence and ferocity which con stitute the character of Wake. We shall not be sur prised to see him present a more faultless exhibition in parts very different from those in which he has yet ap peared —parts which seem to condemn him to the use of an artificial intonation, and to demand from him a strain of uncongenial exertion. Much praise is due to him for the correctness of his pauses, and the general truth of his emphasis. His success in the first rank of his profession cannot be reckoned decisive. His per formance of the two characters which he has already Sustained was very unequal ; but the hazard was great t+hich attended the assumption of such (difficult stations, occupied for many years by actors of the most undoubt ed talents. Much will depend upon his developement of other passions than those with which he has had hi therto, and we think injudiciously, to deal ; much, also, on his adopting a bolder and more unfettered style of action. As the misgivings of splicer an undertaking ware to operate, we expect to •see him abandon himself fearlessly to the immediate suggestions and impulses of his sensibility, Then, and not till then, will his pro bation be at au end. He received much applause. COVENT-GARDEN. Tuesday afforded an unettnivocvl roof of the great degree of favour with which Brahma is regarded by the public, when the play of Gay Manneriog, wit'a no other novel feature Elan his performance of Henry Bertram, drew one of the inJa crowded audiences of the. season.. - a THE NATIONAL itzarsTrn. The singer, who on his first appearance in this conntty, though quite a youth, not only eclipsed all his rivals, but absolutely threw them into the shade ; who, sub sequently, during his visit to Italr., extorted the univer sal applause of a people, of ail others the most refined in musical taste, and the most inclined to dispute that of foreigners, and who has been for near 20 vearsthegreat - ornament of his profession, gave on Tuesday even ing a new cast to the general character of his talent. All the evolutions of' the .art, those displays of rapid ex ecution which used to dazsle and astonish us, were en tirely laid aside Of all the songs which were assigned to the part, net one contained the slightest ornament ; and two of the numbers were sung entirely unac companied by the orchestra, and gave us, what we do not recollect to have heard before, the delightfhl effect of his unassisted voice, which completely filled the the atre The most striking of all was the noble b a ll a d of " Scots trka kae wi IVallace bled." This was given in a high strain of martial fi..eling, assuming, as the sub ject requires, an occasional deep tinge of melancholy ; then again borne away and animated by the full ar dour of patriotism. We Lave never head any thing of the kind more impressive; and such was the sentiment caused by it in the audience, that not contented with one, they call fur a second encore, We arc happy to record, both for the sake of the singer and his hearers, this instance of' success, but we would by no means have him lay aside his florid style altogether: there are occasions when it may be used with the greatest pro priety—the art is to select them. The admirers of Miss Stephens had also ample cause fin' gratification : she gave us some beautiful instances of the sottovocesw piano, which hushed the audience, and sounded " Silver sweet, as lovers' tongues by night." This piece it admirably filled. Mrs. Egerton, as ffie mysterious Gipaei, gives us u striking portraiture of a very difficult character, and Liston, in Dominie Sampson, with his exclamation " Prodigious J" twenty times repeated, at every repetition excites our risible faculties. We trust the theatres will see there own interest, and that good pieces, and actors of first-rate talent, are equally necessary to till their benches, and to preserve unsullied the high character of the British drama. Kean, we are sorry to hear, still continues in a very precarious state.; and is rendered by his indisposition so weak, that, when he recovers, he will require some time to regain his strength, before resuming his pro fessional labours. BA RBA DO BS, JUNE 1 7.—Lord Combennere, the new Governor, in his address to -the house of Assembly, said, " I cannot refrain from drawing your attention to another important measure for securing our political happiness, by diffusing religiousinstruction more gener ally among the lower classes of the people. Late oc currences have powerfully shewn the wisdom and ne cessity of imposing moral restraints on the passions of uneducated persons ; and I have no doubt of your con tributing, some portion of the revenue fora general plan of instruction, by the clergy of the established church, when the finances of the colony will admit of it." NAVIGATION Or TIM RHINE.-•-A cutiousdispute is said to have sprung up between the German and Dutch politicians as to the meaning of a clause in an article of the Congress of Vienna declaring the Rhine free. The Germans, it is said, demand the free navigation into the sea, which the Dutch resist. Those who say that the Rhine flows into the sea have, we fear, never, even in a translation, read the sermons of an English divine, and who is likewise, we believe., a very estimable man, though on the occasion on which we are going to speak, somewhat given to plagiarism. He compares the specu lations of the Heathen philosophers, on subjects of mo , ruls and nature—so juA, so profound, so eloquent in themselves, but terminating in no assurance of eternity —to the Rhine, that magnificent and noble river, whidt, after flowing through and enriching the finest .countries in Europe, loses itself in the lx‘cs of Holland without reaching the sea. The comparison is just, grand, and appropriate ; hut was stokn by the living divine out of Hooker. The gentleman statesman have, there fore, .neither re.la Hooker nor his fidlower : or, perhaps, they did not, as we are doing, seek for geography in theology. To return, therefore, to our proper province —the Germans cannot seriously think that the Congress of Vicuna entitled them to traverse the kingdom of Holland, on the pretence of the free navigation of time Rhine ! ‘Ve should be glad if such an intercourse as this prevailed among other nations; fin- it would indi cate a much more pure state of society than any with which we are acqu:inteil, either from experience or reading. Mc Ply:north , Tel "We have beard with deep regret—indeed with horror, that on Wednesday, the 9th ult. a Sermon was 'preached at Millbr(x)k, in • this neighbourhood, bye young man, a local Preacher of a dissenting chapel, from the 9th chapter of the se cond book of Kings, verse 34.—A text evidently se- . lected .with some bad and malici s mention. Such an act cannot b viewed with too h „II a dgree of reproba tion, and we devoutly hope the individual will soon be noticed from azoper quarter." DUTCH COLONIES IN INDIA A brie/ sketchof some of the Indian Colonies retamal tothe Dutch in 1814, extracted from the recent work of Sir Stamford Raffles. will, perhaps, be interesting to the Public:— ' Javaeciatains a population of more than five millions of people, who have in a few years acquired a taste for our manufactures, and who, 43 they are devoid of the prejudice of the Hi n d ostan i s , ung l are more exclusively an agricultural people, consume them in a ratio beyond any other Asiatic people. Its revenue arising from land and rent, customs and excise on opium and spirits, is a million sterling, well inartag , ed. With our navy and our neighbourhood to India, a garrison of 3000 men was found sufficient for this great colony. The Dutch, under their circumstances, will not defend it with 2o,000:.-- Its exports are IS millions of oaffee, 10 of sugar, a prodigious quan tity of rice, half a milli on o f d o ll ars wort h o f birds nests, and teak wood of the finest quality in inexha isti:de quantity, and at low prico, besides a vast variety of minor articles.' Banes, an acquisition of our arms, upon which the Dat.At could have no claim of prior oceupation, producing, aocording wSir S:11111. foul Raffles, near five millions of pounds of the purest tin, was .sur rendered for Cochin, an useless spot on the Malabar roost, the valua of which meg be estimated by a proposal CIO the retort!; of the Dutch Government • to abandon it as usehms." Of the sacrifices in Sumatra, the Moluccas. and Borneo, we shelf only say, that Sumatra produces the best part of the pepper which is consumed by mankind ; the Itiluccas die whole of the finer spiceria ; and Borneo perhaps as much gold as the whole of the rest of Asia put together. These islands arc valuable on their own account, from the value of their natural productions, their singularity, and the riehes of their soil; circumstances which connect them at once with all the surround ing nations, if not with all the world. But to this nation they hate another commercial claim. They are the only countries in the whole world, the commerce of which it; allowed by the Chinese to be meal setry to them. These countries supply them with tin, with gold, wits bees-wax, with birds' pests, and with bach-de-nser articles. all of them rendered by utility and habit indispensable. These islands I , e within. a few days sail of China, and tho most valuable of them lies on the direct and inevitable road fraum Europe, India, and Anieriea to that country. To conclude, it is remarkable, that the island of Banza forms with Sumatra, the narrow strrits which constitute the only se cure route Imm all these countries, as well as back again. In coming to the principle ports of the Archipelago, or in leaving them, this route cannot be deviated from with safety. In making up our ac counts with the Dutch in Java, we are informed that there is a balin* against them of a trillion skirling. How is this sum to be paid ? • AGRICULTURAL REPORT FOR NOVEMBER. Wheat.sowing in the southern counties, and upon turns soils, will continue through great part of the next month : in the northern counties, it leas been chit fly finished in the pre. sent, excepting upon some impoverished farm.•, which did not produce earn enough for seed, from the badness of last year's crop, has greatly contributed to keep up the market price. 'Flue seed season, too dry in the comineticement, has been, fur the greater part, the finest possible. Of this the improving distrirts to the nortli-wcst have. in the present year. made the most expeditious use—sowing with wheat, their beans, potatne, and turnip grounds: the turnips being drawn and stored, their harvest has been well secured, as hat been fortunately tic case in most parts, when not to.. e arly begun, excepting in the most exposed northern situations, where oats were still standing and green, hi the middle of this mouth, and which must be cult in that state. Meetings have been held in various parts of the counm try for the purpose of preparing Addresses of Condo. knee on the late lamented event at Claremont. With one exception, they have been carried with great unanimity, and that exception has been caused, MI might be expected, by one of the siea4y friends of re form. Mr. Hallet of Berkshire, who has tl - e supreme happiness of being recotded by Cobbett, as an immaculate patriot, aided by a man named Harris, succeeded tin. some time in creating a tumult, at the Heading meeting, but the good sense of the meeting ultimately prevail., ed, and the Address was carried. ECORDE R'S REPORT.—Friday the Recorder made a Report to his Royal Highness the Prince Regent of the Convicts under Sentence of Death, when George Pearson, John Vartie, and Thomas Daltry, were order ed fi,r execution on Thursday nett. The others were respited (luring pleasure. The Ellice transport, sailed from Cowes on the 25th 'of October, with troops fir Gibraltar. The ship struck on a reef of rocks off Pont de Bares on the coast of Gal. licia, on the Bth inst. She had 10 officers and 143 men, women, and children on board; of whom Lieut. Wallis. of the 60th regiment, .and about $O, people, were drowned. The ship and cargo were totally lost, with all the personal baggage of en!) individual. A statue of the late Right Hon. Spencer Pcrceval was placed last week, on the North side of the chancel in All Saints Church, Northampton. It represents the late Member in his Robes, as Chancellor of the Ex.. chequer, with a roll of paper in his hand. The figure stands on a pedestal of marble highly ormituentect, on which is the simple-inscription—Spen cer Perceval. The increase of the trade from Liverpool to India far exceeds the expectation of the persons who Were most sanguine, upwards of 30 sail of drips from that port being now engaged in it. It appears from the Dublin papers of the la instant, which arrived yesterday, that the typhus fever increases in certain parts of Ireland. !n the space of 26 days, 246 patieats were received into the fever 11(.6pital of Limerick, which considerably exceeds the number dis.. charged in that interval. AVFN A AT CAI Al'. -•.A %Cr% serious atria, 1,001 place on the 14th tilt. at Ltonlrettnnt, a village in the department of the Pas dit Cislak. Two non eentinis.ion o d otfircrs, diseo n i elat ,„ rd itli the be:mown, they receked Itom %tr. Climja c t, w h ere they were lodged, engaged in so .lively an altero abase. that bloWssoon followed. when the schooitioototter ut Noe village had the impudence to sown! the torsi*. Mlle inha50 4 , 1 1,. , tattiiv as-enebled ; several soldiers Utln :liial. rootr les, whelk Ow)* recriw 1.1 a volley•froon t h e m1111104%5 and ,oufut V.Cll , .quirt, which woujoj ei tih, of +Almon, one muttony. The ue.ur will, lelminated by the .11115.11 i.t a Niiperiiii officer; and the day after. the Age do Pai.r alailt his report, when nine individuals were appro. houdidand ecuiduci‘d tott. °user's.