The National Register. — London, England, 1821-01-15 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER 7 NEW TRAGEDY. 'NEATEN ROYAL, COVENT GARDEN—We know few things so likely to lead to the condemnation of a new Play as the raising public expectation very high on the score of its merits; and petimps in no instance, for many years, has the auticipation of success heen so great as it was with respect to the new Tragedy of MIRAN NOLA, which was produced for tile first time on Tuesday last; but the ability and genius of the Aulititr, (Mr. Proctor, under the assumed title of 8.11 r) Cornwall) rose superior to all the dangers of rittrenie prepossession.— Whether we look to the force of dramatic propriety preserved from first to last, to the exquisite power riser the ideas which is exercised throughout, or to the beau tiful and poetical turn of the language, we hesitate not to declare it, in our opinion, one of the finest elDirts of the Muse that has been submitted for a length of years to the judgment of the public. The story is founded on the marriage of the Duke of Afrandola (Macready) with Isidore (Miss Foote), site having previously been betrothed to the Duke's son, Guido (C. Kenible.) That son had gone to the wars, and was reported to have died in battle ; but be reco vered from the wounds which he had received, and wrote to his father, and to his loved hidoia. These letters were intercepted by Isabella (Mrs. Fawcett) the Duke's sister, she plotting to set aside the Duke's son, that her own might obtain the Dukedom. The Duke, in the interim, selected Isidore for his snood wile, not knowing, how ever, that she had been the beloved of his son. Guido returns, and he then learns, for the first time, the mar riage f his father. C. Kenible's character here was uncommonly interesting, on the news being imparted by a false Alonk, Girratsli (Egerton), who lends himself to promote Isabella's schemes. The interview Willi the father also most i;npressive. The whole scene is narrated with great lince. The son charges the father with having wronged his offspring; and the Duke checks his indignant denunciations by remarking that he is a prince as well as a lather—that Guido is a sub j:vt as well as a son. He happily retools upon Mirandola, thanking him for being reminded that a prince was spo ken to,—for that one word often made duties to be remembered that would be forgotten, if the 111:11I only were thought of. lit the subsequent scenes Isabella pro motes her schemes by forcing a ring (the Dukes gift) from Isidore, and giving it to Guido as a token of friend. ship. The I)tike espies it on his Mlll'll finger, and thinks the von and the Duchess are playing false with him. Isabella prevents explo110111)11. The son determines to leave the kiogdoiii—but Isabella blings about a secret meeting between Guido and the Duchess, and then itt forms the Duke, who surprises the 'writes together. They had not sought the interview, o oil the son had old the Duke that lie would not see Isidurs before his epai tore. His jealousy, his fears, are coutiraied. He maddens wi.ls rage, and tows vengeance. He condemns his S o l i to be shot—but while this is taking place, the treachery of Isabella and the Monk is discovered. The letters are found—the conspirators are tracked ; but /is balls still has means to delay the intelligetsce—and it only arrives at the crisis which terminates the suit's life, as tne tiring of the gulls followed the exposition of the plot which had been carrying on to promote the Duke's and the Sou's ruin. The lathe:, overwhelmed with agony, foils, and the curtain drops. If we cannot compliment the Author on the tendency of the mails spring of his plot, or on the desirability of the denouement, still he may plead, in answer to any object toils Oil these points, that historical facts have furnished hini with his outlines in the Ines of Poilip 11. of Spain, and D'Este, one of the Dukes of Ferrara. No praise of ours can do justice to the efforts so stiecessful , y made by Mr. Charles Kemble and by Mr. M'Creatly, to carry into effect every w ish oldie Author—they each tit them exhibited " A Genies, *bleb the l'•et ten behind, Created ezerileacc it did eat lad " To particularise any one scene, may perhaps be offering violeoce it/ die 00111011 of our readers, where every one deserved unqoaltheil pram, yet we cannot refrain from applauding, especially the scene in which Guido is told of the marriage of his lather...lns assumption that he bad 116 , 1111 vii tile sister of his bethrotlird, and the ;Hamlet in which he evaded the explanation, when the dreadful light began to break a pou him, defy description, and must be zero to be properly estimated. 'All the other Pei -Imams exerted themselves very creditably. and the Piece has been repeated (under con siderable curtailment) every evening, to en ertiowing and delighted audiences. AGRICULTURAL MEZTLWG. -410- A meeting of owners and occupiers of land in East Kent was tr.ld at the Fountain lon, Canterisury, on Saturday last, at *hick a petition to the legislature. praying fur relief in the present distressed Mole of swiculture, was agreed to s Sir lidwaid Kaatchhull, Bart. one of the nsemhers for the county. attended the meeting, and promised his ►upport of the petition he the (louse of Coine..us. W e believe that the loot of the evil is excessive taxation, nun this opinion is cloud. toed by a high authority, which we low gave , in the follooing extract of a letter from Lord Nu,ent to Mr. tiaker, of Ailstock, Bucks, he answer to a formal applica tion from the Buckingham Agricultural Association to sup port ther petition:— '' I agree with you, says his Lordship, to the full extent in the deer ipt ion you give, at the outset of your letter, of the distressing difficulties under w 'tick the agriculturists of this kingd are non labouring ; but I direr from you wises you state that those difficulties arise out of s the melancholy de preciated state of their productions.' The petitioners up• pear to me to contemplate the ceases of their distress at the wrong end. Farmers are suffering, not because their pro ductiosis are too cheap. but because the means of producing them are too dear. The more cheaply the food of MU can be supplied surely the better, if It is raised at n rate which will alined a fair prod' to him who raises it. This leads at once to w hot I consider the flat causes of agrieultaral di►tress, which must be abated before any substantial relief can be hoped for—l mean over-taxation, and Cite ruinous pressure of our system of poor laws." ADMIRALTY SESZIONS: MONDAY, JAN. 8. These Sessions were held this morning, for the pur pose u, taking cognizance of all ofleaces committed on the High Seas. The Commission for holding the Sessions having been read, the Grand Jury was called over: a great number were fined lOU shillings for non-attendance.— Twmty-three gehtlemen having at length been rworn, Sit William Scott delivered his charge. The Jury then retired to the Grand Jury Room le deliberate on such business as may be brought before them. Charles Stewart and William Goodwin were tried mum an indictment, charging them with being seamen on board the ship Good Czar, and feloniously and ;ma. tically making a revolt on board the said ship. A second count charged them with endeavouring to estate a revolt. Mr. Adolphus and Mr. Dowling conducted the pro secution. Munro stated, that on the 20th of October last, he was master of the Good Czar, a merchant vessel, anti on that day he anchored ahout three miles from Bornholm, on their way to Elsinore. She was bound on a voyage from Antwei p to St. Petersburgh, and back to Loudon. While on the voyage he took the two prisoners on hoard as able seamen, but in a short time their conduct was such as to render it necessary to place them in confinement. After a lapse of two ur three days they were released, on a promise of behaving better. The allowances of provisions to the crew were very ample, each man being allowed two pounds--one pound and a half of fresh and half a pound of .salt meat per day, with a proportionate quantity of bread, potatoes, Ste. besides coffee and molasses. On the morning of the day stated in the indictment, the primner Stewart came abaft on the quarter deck, and demanded front the witness more meat for breakfast. He told the prisoner that the allowance was aufficient, and that he had as much as any ether man on board. The prisoner then went forward, and witness went below to breakfast. When he returned upon leek, the prisoner Stewart came again to hint, and said, " ll—n ye, you are near a port, get some fresh supplies." Wit ness took Witt 4y the arm, and led him lot ward to the starboard gangway, desiring hint to go to his proper station in the ship. Instead of doing so, however, he turned upon witness, and putting hinne f in an attitude in fight, said, " D—n ye, are ye upr Welshing, is witness understontl, was he ready to fight.—Witness succeeded with sonic dit6culti Ise quieting him, &Wise went forward again. Witness being desirous of ha ring the conduct of, Stewart investigated, sent for the Cap tains of 'Wei whet ships lying near bins, and they tame on board. About three °clock in the afternoon, while. he and the other Captains were dining below, a noise was heard upset deck, and witness hastening up to learn 4he cause, month the prisoner Stewart fighting, near the forecastle, with another man, and Goodwin acting as his second. He desired them todesist, and etuleaemired to separate them, but Gootht its aimed a blow at hint, The address from the exclusively loyal of Tar- and said, " I)—n your eyes, what is it to you 1" Find. mi g t impossible to 'educe them to obedience by mild town and its vicinity has been presented to his Ma. niCalla. he went to his cabin, and armed himself with jcsty. After having been open for signature for nsl musket and a pair of pistols; but, upon Ins return upon longer than a fortnight, it obtained not less than deck, lie hound the tini three hundred and ninety signatures. If the half-pay a handspike and a i t , officer who hatched this up supposed that by it a clasp-knife open. ! would be represented the LOYALTY of this town, and t ook . up a carpet which eontains nearly 20,000 persons, we can assure (,I‘,7,;',wd:ii,likr4,„:l at him, I'De pit him (what we doubt not he has discovered) that lie his arm, and a sciiMe is much mistaken. The poorest radical who petitions fi rst mate and t h e two fur the dismissal of Ministers is equally as loyal as witness and Stewart ' he is; the one may think the country flourishing, scuffle of some durai and the Ministers immaculate—the other wens ordered the mate to Cu and drive them furwarts. that trade is depressed, and assigns for its cause the rived to get possession misconduct of Ministers; and we leave the country lent t i the musket, and to decide whose judgment is correct. We trust this calling out that they we gentleman will no longer be gratuitously busy, nor they were overpowered, meddle again with such things as loyal addresses, they renewed tile threat! since he must have found that his anticipations on Pistol. a tuttbkt:l. 4 ir a this one have so grossly misled bins. you, you b—y On Thursday last a publican was fined 40s. by c prisoner r ,, ew, hint anti des they itt t the sitting Alderman at Guildhall, fig suffering p 1 aul iuterfcn, bagatelle to be played in his house, and informations The prisoner:, howt, have been laid against others on similar charges, on shore, at darns to and fur permitting dominos to be played. I Consists they were bit. r 7. • • . • ots- . • • . . 7 lie--714?' Captain Anderson, of the Bilastesh Amy, one of the Captains called on board by the last witness, was .out called, and corroborated his statement as to the latter part of the transaction. The prisoners, in their defence, complained of being kept upon short allowance, and of general ill.treatment, and Stewart complained of having been severely wound. ed by Captain Munro in the affray. The Jury, afer half an hour s consultation, found both the prisoners Not Guilty. An the motion of Mr. Dowling, they were ordered to be detained far trial for the assault. Alexander Wood and William Lill, two seaman who were convicted at the last Admiralty Sessions of plunder ing a wreck on the coast of Kent, were then put to the bar to receive the awful sentence of death. Sir W.Scott addressed the prisoners in his usual ins. pressive manner. Tney hat:, he said, been convicted of plundering a ship ii distress cn the shores of thiseountry, and it was much to be lamented that there were En. glishmen to be found so lost to the feelings of humanity as to make to themselves a harvest upon the distresses of their fellow-creatures. The magnitude of the offence was much increased, when it was considered that the prisoners, if they had acted as men and as Christ ians, would have assisted in the preservation of the lives and property of the individuals, whom they had thus basely plundered. At the time that the offence was committed, it was by the law a capital felony, but a subsequent Act of Parliament it was no longer punishable with death. The Act, however, could not operate retrospectively. and the sentence of death must be passed upon them. He felt some degree of pleasure in stating, that there were circumstances in the case of the prisoners of a fa. rourable character, which would, in all probability, operate in mitigation of the punishment which the law awarded. It appeared that they were not the leaders in the plun. der, but the followers of others who were more guilty. It these had been taken, the law must have had its course, but in the case of the prisoners the favourable circumstances he alluded to would be represented its the proper quarter, and he had little doubt that their lives would be spared. As, however, they had been convict. ed, he must perform the duty, unpleasant as it was, of passing the sentence of the law upon them, The Judge then passed the sentence of death in the usual form, and the prisoners were removed. The Sessions then ad journed. Tuesday night a lady had her pocket picked in the pit of Drury Lane theatre, in a remarkable man. nor: her tipper petticoat was cut through, and both corners of her pocket cut off. She felt something about 'he: feet in the time of the performance, which she took to be a dog, but now supposes it to base been a little boy under the bench, who cut her pocket, and stole two half-crowns, three shillings, • silver thimble, and other articles. r The last year was remarkable for number of the deaths of distinguished personages, particularly of royal houses, but not so when compared with those of the fifteen months between October, 15/8, and January, 1560—in which period an Emperor, a Pope, two Kings of France, a King of England , King of Portugal, a King of Denmark, a Do Queen of Poland, a Queen of England, two Q • of Hungary, the Doge and Patriarch of V . +V Duke of Perara, thirteen Cardinals, 14 W i‘ti. t% E 4 n* eminent personages paid the jl ' „ .*, o s On Wednesday wre 4 1- roma at 4 , ,6 . 4 . .. • •• .% young man of rather gent or v'"‘' • , ,ot , s „ the house of Mr. Wal, No. 3, ' 0 1 ~,..i• %" with a note signed Jane Clark, .610.! %.*X ....., vent Garden, addressed Mrs. Spencer, red' . . . the servant was gone up stairs to del it, ba• . went off with three peat mats bich beep , ing up - in the passage • two of were blue slush - ..4 '' lined with silk, lard Week vel . i the oho ....t . was blue cloth whit collie of • and‘linsi r t ra. with silk. • , . We are happy to learn, that 1,1(4 A view to the relief of the liop planters, the Lii.uf the Trea sury hare taken into consideration the propriety of granting a drawback of the duty' upon the exami nation of hops to foreign countries, and that the Board of Excise have likin instructed to take into their immediate consideration such regulations as may be best adapted for the security of the revenue, of the drawback izkj - r mistiness coining abaft, armed with ", r " . " . ' . " 1. "" "" " ,u, ~t . .... " I " n the payment Of the drawback. - • serving mallet each, and S:esvart oat' We have not, for many years lust witnessed such a , • lie then la d down his. file-arms heavy fall of SHOW attended with boistemus winds, as ' .. . 'Venter's adze , and at that moment within the last two days at Weymouth un the bib lusts ' IX : ),I. •- ins, and aimed a blow at his heath whit In consequence of the difitli of show la:,..tween this town .4. ... . • e male of the ship caught the blow on a nd the Mails and Urandon'roadtott twO Union coaches ; ~1••••• • . •.- . . ••14 . .„„ aMe ensued between witness and his the Wellingtotyand Jahn Bull, together with the Royal . -•••• :.' • ' ".• . •.'i r :; s oii , tro Prisoners. in the course of which Mail Coach, are detained . here, the mad being dia. •.`• - ••7. .la F•''• i t I/ . i • i • et fell together on the deck. Mier a patched oil horseback. . The . ellington coach. from ' --' •••‘' . 't" .a / 1 0. A . , ' 1 1, luration they sep a rated, and wittier, Bath, arrived last evening, being the greatest part id the • - • 1 , . ' n charge the prisoners with die ba l unet day travelling from Revel's Inn, a distance of 26 miles. • • a, ..e f Ar r '.; . .• • • • sward. The orate did so, but S t ewart The high road being impassable, Mr. Toms was obliged ., • •• I ; rs. 1 '4:1 -, -, •ssession of the bayonet by twisting it to t ak e a circui t ous rout e by the way of Cernt'. Misterne. ...... ' 4 •••• 4 ' : .. 3 ‘,..isgssill and lie, and the other prisoner, kept and 4.: places; driving the' coatis with six horses, and • .:.. - , ~, ..' r...,„,, .. ~ . sy would have their lives. Ai leugili tell men employed with ropes to guard aping its op. .• .. • ' . ••••.•. 5.n. ••a :; . a eal, and drivela for*ard, but tinge 'wilily.. It Was full of passengers, and heat ily Weis • - at. • Liirems, and Stewart ,sill, "Gn a ws 3 with rtipage, old nothing blot the gre • cannon mid • • • ir al cutlass a piece, and we wall fight perattrance ono 'part of 1 Me T Tot . ': ''' ' 1 •-••••••!" WitneSS then finned nib alie ger ,,,,s cease - :fi, • h, tar• • • lesirad them to assi s t in securing ihe t o s h e Ree ls .p . 6, y thing back, and our or them said , were tilsP•ur •,„ eon. ir , ft.',, liar lam for pea ee it iciness." warts ti•e codcherials of the John lilt r. . . ' --, . ..", . sea -r, were finally P•clircil aken ati the roads, and they have not beets beard sips, ~, :• .., ... # . t ./ .. ma• • •". ''s l:-.. r 1' lorr, witilice, hy (mkt. hi toe. courts from 1/-srcliester the sans,: d.. „arr r: -• ..i. * r.,.. —,t• w , -al ' v bifiliVit tOltis cutistry for ti .."... — .41••••• . 4 ..... - ....." ... ..." ' : :.. l l ' • 7 ...• .7 , ‘l, 7 .. 7 ,:' .. . 5‘ . .. , .., 3. IS •, :"..." 6, ' / . 4" ' 4'. ":.• ‘'Z' : . ~-. "". .1. , . ..V.t l ' c, 7 . '."-• :‘ ' ,°' ~s. !",', $ • i 1,7 ... 4: 4b ....! .• ... . '"?. ?- 7 41. ... s.- - ' .. -5:*• = 1 " 5 1; !Pk. - V:' .`' V, -:` , / 4. - 12; 4 . .# .4 .;„; ••. 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