The National Register. — London, England, 1808-05-15 00:00:00

WPM r~; MAY 15. . , COUUT ANI) WON,LWI 57,7774M1 ..••••...1111•• f sl . Ills N4JIiSTIeB LAWNS. Wednesday the King held a Private Levee at the Queen's Palace, when the following were pree leted upon their pro .y.. . motion : Admiral Nugent. Bear- A dints-Ws—Mark Robinson and G. Losack. Genernt.—Sir J. Pulteney, Campbell, Gwyune, Lord Heath field, and Sianwi x. Liroicuant-Generals—Thornton, Phipps, Benson, Finch, Sir A. Wellesley, and Brownrigg. Major General the lion. Alexander Hope. ~ ill 4 oifit Colonel Brown, of the 12th Light Dragoons. ...orti Cape ai ns—W . Losack and Cramer. ilis Majesty held a Privy Council, and gave audiences to the Duke of Portland, and the other Cabinet Ministers. -• HBR .11.1.16 STY'S DRAWING ROOM. On Thursday her Majesty held a Drawing Room at St. James's Palace, which was most numerously attended.— The following were among the numerous presentations : Earl of Mayo, Miss Burrell, Earl of O'Neil, Lady Augusta Greville, Sir Thomas and Lady Ackland, Earl and Countess of Scarborough, Colonel and Airs. Dorieu, Lady C. Strangeways, Lord Lowther, Sir John Bailey, Capt. Peter Rainier. Major Ximenes ' Lady Andover, Capt. Digby, Lord and Lady Selsea, Earl and Countess of Shannon, Miss Carew', Mr. Pinckney, Greville Howard and Miss Howard, Earl and Countess of Craven, George Rose, jun. Mr. and the Hon. Mrs. Cockerel, Marqui. of Tweedale, Sir John and Lady Shelly, Mr. and Mrs. March Phillips, Miss Magens, Marquis of Huffily, Lord and Lady Henry Petty, Miss Murray, Ladies Loathers, General' and Mr. Campbell, Lady Louisa Vane, Viscount Falmouth, Miss Elizabeth Burgoyne, Lieut.-Col. Stevenson Barns, lion. Miss St. John, Countess of Ormond, Miss Harvey, the lion. Charles Tow nshend, and Miss Needham. The same ()Ulcers were presented upon their promotion as were at the Levee on the preceding day. 'The Countess of Craven's appearance at Court on Thurs... day, excited much curiosity. She went in a new chair, attended by two footmen in new white liveries. Her Ma jesty received her in the most condescending manlier. The whole of the Noble Earl's relatives were present upon the occasion. CIT Y. Monday a Court of Common Council was held at Guildhall, when a Report was presented from the Committee of City Lands. in relation to Smithfield Market, upon w kids it was moved that the Court do approve thereof, and that they be directed to ex pedite the passing of the Bill in Parliament far the carrying the same into execution, which caused a lomr, debate.—T he motion was carried with an understanding that the Committee would not proceed therein without reporting to the Court. A Report was received from the General Purpose Committee, in relation to the bill before Parliament, for extending. the powers of the Court of Requests to 101. Finding that the Law Lords were not favourable to it, they had recuatinended it to the Court to withdraw the Bill for the present Sessions, till a vonfereuee could be had with them, and their objections re uo►ved. The Court thought it advisable to wait till next Sessions, when there might he a probability of the Bill re ceiving the concurrence of the Judges. The Lord Mayor laid before the Court, the Bill for establish tog a Local Militia, which, thou4h it did not affect the City, he thought it adviahle to refer it to a Committee, to watch the pro gress of it, which was done accordingly.—Adjourned. The Lord Mayor on Tuesday ()Meted the price of bread to be raised !aan assize, ur a peony in the peck loaf. EAST INDIA AFFAIRS. Wednesday a Court of Directors was held at the East India Doom., when Captain Collins, of the Tra‘ers, took leave pre riou: to departing for Madeira, Madras, and Bengal. A. Cun ningham, Eq. was appointed the Company's Agent at the Bra sib. The Court adjourned at sir o'clock till Vie.lnesday neat. The outward-hound East India fleet, under convoy of the Le . .y.ird, w e r e o il f a l mout t i ou t h e lie u i s nu t, with a fair u ...100$ 1 1NONS: 'REGISTER. 31' ~; , ,.x , ,; . .01 4 111641RAMATIC DETECTOR. , , t.. t ria.sfl Inc No. V. . .. ear*lll, I ..1.100.■...• id n alawsliks open to all, infitionced by none. • I b : 4 1,..4.f I ormiew — If the t which iioraca brings against his own in con temporaries- r attemptias4o trade as authors without having served au apprenticeship, was general in the age of Augustus, when printing bad not yet begun to facilitate the diffusion of dui awes, what must be the lamentation of a Critic in our days, who .. . _ . _ not only finds a press teeming with the absurdities of would-be poets, but alt , o sees two great and classical Theatres bestowing their patronage and opening their stores to a set of authors un worthy of any place more noble than a butter-shop ? We know that it is impossible for any power to prevent bad authors from a riling; but it is not impossible fur any power to prevent bad plays from appearing on the Stage. We are nut among the number of those who conceive that no dramatic genius, except in the instances of Mr. Sheridan and Mr. Cumberland, exists iu the present day. We acknowledge our.elves to have admired Mr. Colman, and laughed with Air. ite)nolds ; we have been interested by Mr. Morton, and pleased by Mr. Kenney. But if we possess good authors, it is the more disgraceful that those who are bad should so often be obtruded upon the town. It has been found in all ages, that genius has become abun dant in proportion to the encouragement bestowed upon it. It is absurd to imagine that human nature, from century to century, materially varies in point of native ability : the difference that we behold arises from circumstances, not from nature. It' hi the (line of Augustus there arose an unprecedented number of great writers, was it because human genius was improved ? No; it was because the exertion of genius led to reward. Did the soul of mankind go to sleep from the close of that period to the Pope dom of Leo the Tenth ? No : but Leo the Tenth promised patronage to genius, and genius came forward to claim that patronage. Were the intellects of all Europe paralysed fruit that time till the reign of Louis the Fourteenth ? No: it became the fashion for the great to encourage genius, and genius imme diately began to flourish. The philosophy of the vulgar, indeed, declares that De non apparentisws et non existentilins, cadent est ratio; hut a reasoning mind goes a little deeper than the surface, and acknowledges it to hr possible that mice way exist, although no gold dust glitter user the ground. If these positions be true (and they seem ("deniable), the quantity of dramatic genius might probably be much increased in this country by due encouragement. And the persons who must give this encouragenteut arc out Emperors, Popes, nor Princes : but the Managers of the two winter theatres. For at long time past it has been almost impossible for any - man, not possessing a very powerful interest, to proeure the representa tion of any piece in either play-house : se n d of courseit is not to be expected that authors of real genius w ill waste their time in writing plays. Suppose an author has sent a play to Drury Lane, if his name be unknown, it is likely that the product iota will never he read : which is a very encouraging prospect. — But even that is not the worst ; for w hen he applies to recover his copy, he very probably has the mortification of heating, nut only that his play is not te. be acted, but that it has unfor tunately been mislaid, and that the Managers have no hope of finding it. At ('event Garden the case is somewhat less annoy ing to the anon sous author : for though his piece is pretty sure not to he read, or it' read, to lee rejected, yet hr may, per haps, get his copy :gain in a month or six weeks, and puhlish his play, it' he can persuade any bookseller to buy what the theatres have refused. Let us now suppose that an author wha has some private acquaintance with one of the. Managers of Drury Lane, sends his piece to that house. Pei haps Mr. Cra- . ham, the reading Nlanager, likes it, and wishes to have it pot ia rehearsal ; but perhaps Mr. Wroughtiin, the acting Manager, does not choose to strengthen Mr. Graham's power in the thea tre, and impedes the progress of the affair. 1 f the phis he ore g inally presented to Mr. Wrimehion, Mr. Graham may feel the saute sort of jealousy, and Ott , equally the author suffers. if iv ever. it is said, that Mr. T. Sheridan is in future to hate the authority of the theatre, in the acceptance or rejection of dra matic works, :aid then, perhaps, less imam% enience will result to the public. For Mr. T. Sheridan, as far as w e have hum able to collect, is a gentleman of natural parts aid great ac quirements, an able critic, and a good-natured man. Under such a director, we may hope to see the theatre better conduri ; rind we shall he most happy. it' we find that a pauegrit Iwhich we have given from ,;et,etal oniwi, is est-oh,heal to, the evideuce of :.tit. .. I • i_ rw , :!' Y