The National Register. — London, England, 1813-10-31 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGPSTER. . 0C~.~~1.~ DRURY-LANE THEATRE. • Last night a new Comedy was performed for the first time under the title of First impressions ; or, Trade in the WM. The lateness of the hour prevents our entering at any length on the merits and demo rits of this Play, which we are informed in the Prologue is the lii,t comic attempt of a youthful Author. Its detects are too many to give it much chance of becoming a stock piece ; but at the same time it n u - t be admitted, it deveopes talents which, matored, may • produce something worthy to keep the Stage. In plot and incident, First Impressions is very defective, but iu the dialogue it frequently puts forth strong claims to approbation. The absence of all interest caused the audience to manifest much hostility towards gay close of the last act, and when the curtain fell, the shouts of the friends to the piece and the hisses of its foes were so loud, that it was difficult to determine which predominated. It was announced for a second representation in the midst of the most deakning uproar. The actors did their best for the Author. I.I.ISTON, MUNDEN, • Mrs. GeovEtt, and Mrs. EDW IN, made their characters particularly prominent. The Epilogue, which, as usual, turned on the reigning follies of the day, was well spoken by Mrs. EDW IN, under circum stances which would have obliged massy to retire in dismay. Her efforts could not entirely reconcile the audience to the Play, hut for the moment they extorted applause from all parties. LOOSE TEETH. .#,e•.4ok [From the Satirist for Norenther.] eg Ti; E cause, Ruspini, pr'ythee say, Why my teeth loosen every day, While yet I am so young r" " Dear Madam, 'tis the many knocks, And violent repeated SHOCKS, They sutler—from your tongue!' MISCELLANIES. Bank-notes, to the amount of 10s. each, so long talked of, it is said, are to he issut d for circulation very speedily. It is reported in the legal circles, that Sir A. Macdonald is about to retire from the Chief Barony of the Court of Exchequer ; to be suc ceeded by Sir V. Gibbs ; and Mr Parke, to be the new Judge.—Othee reports assign the Woolsack to Sir Vicary, but this speculation is be lieved to arise merely from the absence of the Chancellor from the three last Cabinet Councils. The first stone of a building designed for the instruction - of one thou• sand poor children of Whitechapel, and some surrounding parishes, was laid, with much impressive ceremony on Wednesday. The Duke of Cambridge (who laid the stone), the Bishop of London, the Lord Mayor, end:Sheriffs, &c. were present on the occasion. The first stone of a New Custom House, to be built near Billings gate, was laid by the Earl of Liverp col on Monday ; there were ulso present, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Earl of Claucarty (Pre sident of the Board of Trade), the Right Hon. C. Yorke, &c. After the ceremony, they partook of a cold collation at the Custom-House. The building is contracted for at 200,0001. The appeal of Mr. Cundy, who, with his performers, had been con. vic:ed of acting of plays, without proper authority, at the Pantheon Theatre, has been beard at the Westminster Quarter Sessions; when. by the successful arguments of Mr. Scarlet, in answer to Mr. Gurney and others, the Bench was induced to suspend its decision. and this principally on the varying import of the tvra Acts of Parliament of the 10th and 17th of Geo. II: The Drury-lane Managers, and the under. snappers of the Lord Chamberlain's Office, are Cundy's opponents. A melancholy accident happened on Wednesday last to Mr. Fer rier, nephew to Mr. Sandeman, a respectable merchant in the city. Tne young gentleman having some business to transact at the Lon• don docks, unfortunately fell between two vessels, whilst in the act of stepping from one ship to another : he sunk and rose again stye : ral times, and in the space of about eight minutes he was got into boat by some waterman who witnessed the accident ; but even in this blior t period it was too late to save his life. A surgeon was sent for, and, on examination, it appeared that he had received various contusions on the head and body by coming in contact with the mooring-chains of one of the ships in his fall. lint it was the opinion of the surgeon, that even had the bntises not taken place, the youth could not have survived, since it has been proved in numerous cases, that from the pernicious copperas quality of the London Docks water, it never fails to prove natal to such persons as have the misfortune to be immersed in it. MELANCHOLY ACC! N T.—A melancholy accident happened on Wednesday last, in one of the stoneinarries of Swanage, Dorset. shire Two men, of the names of Samuel Phippard and James Summers, went to the quarry in the morning to work as usual ; and at the hour of dinner, a boy, that was accustomed to inform them of the time, went in, and seeing no light, nor bearing any one an swer to his call, returned and procured a light for himself; when. upon his re-entering, the first object that presented itself, was Phippard dead, with his head and one hand jammed between one of the pillars 4.f the quarry and a l u nge block of stone that had fallen from the ceiling. At that time the boy heard Summers, from under a quantity of stone and rubbish, exclaim, 64 Is that a light from heaven ?" The boy was struck almost senseless with fright, and instantly ran out to procure assistance. On some of the neigh bours entoin4, they found Phippard as before described. and. Summers confined under two large blocks of stone, that had formed a kind of arch over him. The poor fellow was soon released from his awful situation, with two of his fingers nearly steered from his hand, and one of his legs broke. He recovered his senses in molt time, but died after about thirty-six hours. He said, that al 4 1 4 e of folk in, they both tried to escape, th4:4l“' us TRENCH POLICE. When Madame de Stacl was in Germany, she wrote a letter to Mr. de Sabran, at Paris, in which she expressed her opinion on Bnonaparte's Government in a manner eursistent with the well. known republican sentiments of this Lady so justly celebrated 1 1 throughout the literary world. Her letter was enclosed in a packet sent to the Duke of Bassano. The dispatches were of an important natme, and that Minister was su eager to receive them, that he sent a courier from Paris to meet their bearer and hasten 1 . his arrival. On finding amongst them a letter directed to Mr. de &bran, the Duke of Bassano forwarded it to the Minister of Police ' who read it, sealed it up again, and sent it to its direction by a courier who annunneed its immediate arrival from Vienna in a mys terious manner, and stated that he had orders to give it into Mr. de Sabran's own bands and to call the next day for au answer, re commending, at the same time, the greatest seem ey, and intimating, that if he should be seen by any one in the house, he would not take charge of the reply. The next day, he returned as he had promised, and the answer was given him with all the preeallt ions he had pi escribed. A quar ter of an hour ;therm arils Mr. de Sabran was arrested ai.d taki n to Vincennes, where it is thought he was tiled by a military commis sion and privately shot. Hr mentioned in his answer, that the Dowager Duchess of Duras, and several other persons of the most ancient houses in Bourbon France, had been delighted with the information conveyed to thin, and the hopes Madame de Stael gave them, that the calatni ties of France should at last have an end. They were sent for by the Police all at the same time,and introduced to the Minister Savary, who received them, holding in his hand Mr. de &Arran's letter, and accosted them thus: " Infamous rabble ! Is it then impossible eser to rely on your fidelits• ? Do you ever intend to conspire addressitip,r each by his name—you, to whom the Emperor has restored au immense fortune, you long for his downfall ! Von, to whom be has granted a lucrative employment, you still regret the old regime! Yen, old idiot, to wholli he gives a pension, you also undertake to col:spire !—You, who Rage been allowed to return, only beealie your cowardi« , made you appear not to be dreaded, :sou are then come here only to endeavour to poison public opi nion ! 'uu me all contemptible beings, au ungrateful and low rab ble, whom I should ouder to be shot, wet e not the Duchess of Duras, whose virtues and religions principles I reipect, compromised in this affair. Leave my presence, and be well assured that I shall watch your conduct closely." The friend who supplied its with this fact, had it from one of the persons who bad been called up-by Savary, and who wears a name well known in France. • Our readers will feel the reasons which pre vent our naming any but the Duchess of Duras. Thursday was the annual day appointed for granting time of the quarry falling in, they both tried to escape, tuf; ,,,,, licenses to places of public amusement, at the Middlesex different directions, but neither was succesdid ; and whenl gas Session: • when Mr. Cundy, the proprietor of the Pantheon under the stones, h , e called seoeral times to Phippaid , .nt ' eeeiving any answer, be eettcluded he Was dead. Phif- Theatre, carried his licence with a- high band although • left a wife and a very hale fussily, and Summers a wile • ..1 1 trongly opposed. The Chairman even spoke against it. churn, to tango their eatimety end, I