The National Register. — London, England, 1809-01-15 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.' Elliston, or rather nature, by passing his hand over his e . ) es, in order to ascertain whether they did not deceive him. His re nforseful indecision whilst expecting the signal to murder the :Ring, and when it is given, the anxious care with which he locks every door, and listens to fancied sounds, gave a more striking picture of an assassin stealing to the pillow of his victim that bas - been displayed by some of the most eminent performers. `l l 4' hen the bloody deed is committed, and he complains to Lad; -Macbeth that he could not pronounce " Amen," he was not, however, so plaintively sublime as Mr. Kemble. The scene in which he shone with almost unrivalled lustre was that of the banquet, especially at the moment n hen he seems by his threats to drive Banqua s ghost from the singe, and on its disap pearance exclaims, " I am a man again." In the two la a acts his spirit rose to the highest pitch of passion. lie fought at the close of his guilty career as Macbeth ought to • tight, but seldom does, with the wild energy of despair, which derives strength from its very hopelessness, and resolves since life must he lust, to sell it dearly to its conqueror. When falling wounded to the ground, with a burst of rage congenial with the temper of the tyrant, he hurls his SWOIII, which he can no longer wield, at his foe, and expires in the strongly and justly expressed agoniss of remorse and terror. On Friday night, Mr. Young made his first appearance in the character. of Beverley, in The Gamester, supported by Mrs. Sid dons and Mr. C. Kenible, in Mrs. Beverley and Lawson ; and ra ther encumbered with Mrs. St. Leger, as aharliAtte. Cooke as usual excelled in the part of Stakaey ; and Mr. Thompson, who sve strongly suspect possesses more talent than he has till now revealed, in the humble character of • Dawson, deli vered his account of Beoerley's arrest, with so much feeling and spirit, as to receive a round of applause, and what is more, as to deserve it. For reasons which we have already explained, we forbear descanting on Mrs. Siddons' excellence. She seems doomed ne ver to feel the blighting hand of age, and we only point out the beauties and defects of withering and perishable beings like our- • selves. Mr. Young equalled our expectations. His grief, his tender ness, his remorse, his weakness and his despair, were highly na tural, nod affecting. fly his skill, we never lost sight. of the nobleness of tleverley's disposition, which ought free neatly to shine through the veil of vice that overshadows his perfections; and which burst forth in his warm defence of Stukeley, the sacri fice he makes of the weak remains of his fortune to relieve that false-hearted friend; and his dignified refusal of borrowing money from his old servant Jarvis. Mr. Young not only possesses the faculty of expressing the loudest intonations of passion with proper effect, but his voice ill s ,fter, though not perhaps less affecting passages, sinks into a reeling plaintiveness that steals to the heart. His picture of mental and bodily sufferings in the last scene was dreadful, but chastely just, and in every part of his performance in .11 arbeth and Beverley, be proved himself worthy to act by the side of the British Melpomene. The recaptite; which the public granted him, and which he so highly deserved cannot fail to awaken all the energies of his genius. Emulation is the nurse of excellence. Were we to place him now at the head of our tragic performers, we should be guilty of flattery and would deprive him of a stimulus for fu ture exertions. We know his cowers, and judge him according to their extent, and not to those of others. We will not there fore foolishly exclaim, that he has reached perfection, although he may have surpassed some or even all his competitors, but when experience and study shall have enabled him to exert the full force, and display the real excellence of his genius. His spirit has sometimes betrayed him into something not very un )ike ranting. Let him beware of this; the disease which if taken in time, may be easily removed, if suffered to proceed un checked, will at last prove incurable and mortal. lAN. 15. lie prisoner wai one of them. Anoth-r witness, of the nalLe of :Pe Cams, ho gate informatioti to the above officer of the, proposed burglary, could not swear that the prisoner Ras one of the rol&ers. The Jury, after some deliberation, found the Prisoner Not G witty. OLD BAILEY. Wednesday, the SeFsion of Oyer and Terminer, and of gaol de livery, for the City of London and County of Middlesex, com menced at Justice Hall, Old Bailey, before Mr. Justice Lt Blanc, Mr. Justice Chambre, and Mr. Baron Thompsoe. John Baker was indicted for burglarionsly breaking and en tering the dwelling-house of Catharine, Dowager Countess of Morton, with intent to commit a burglary therein. The Pri soner was arraigned as being one of the gang NV ho were tried for he same offence at the last sessions, and upon the same evidence. Fov, the officer, who apprehended the gang, could not say that TTIVILSDA V', JAN. 12. HIGHWAY Rottrrn.Y.—William Hatchman, a boy of 16, was capitally indicted for feloniously assaulting Anne, the wife of J. Ficldhouse, on the highway, putting her in fear and danger of her life, and stealing from her person a straw bon net and veil. It appeared that the prisoner struck the prose eutrix a blow a-; she was walking to Pancras, and pulled the canard and veil off h-r head. The robbery was dearly proved, and the Jury found the prisoner Guiltv—Death. lie was re commended to mercy, in consequence of a good character w hick he had received from several witnesses, liyaGt.ARV. Daniel Ilenion was indicted for burglarinudy stealing a bear muff, in the shop of John Schaeider, a Furrier, ► Holborn. It appeared that some depredator opened the pro •,•eutor's shop door about six o'clock on the evening of the of January last, and carried off a hark bear muff, which stout; in the wind.sw. A cry of stop thief was instantly raised, and the prisoner was seen to run past the door. Mr. Ellin, a Cheese monger, in Holborn, who happened to be going past at the time, seized the pi isoner, and gave him in charge to an officer. It did not appear that the propert v was fonnd upon him after it had heenstolen, awl the le:lined Judge, Chambre, was of opinion that the evidence had not proved the identity of the prisoner. The Jury instantly acquitted, the prisoner. Daniel Geary was found guilty of stealing a cbesnut gelding, the property of William Cockhill. FRIDAY, JAN. 13. BAIM FORGERY.-3olin Nicholls was indicted for attiring. a forged ail, note, with intent to defraud the Governor and Company of the Bank of England. The detail of the neces sary evidence occupied the Court the whole morning, but the facts of 'the case may he detailed in a short compass. On the 10th December last, Vincent Alessi, an Italian offered a bank note . in payment for two bottles of wine, to a perdu of the name of Taylor, resident in Holborn. The note on enquiry turned out a bad one, and Alessi was immediately taken into custody. He then disclosed, that he purchased the note in question from the prisoner Nicholls, who resided at Birmingham ; and the account he gave of the transaction was, that being at Birmingham, to buy plated goods, to carry with him to Spain, the person with whom he dealt produced a 1/. note, and asked him if he would buy any of those articles, and said he would introduce him to the Maker. Accordingly in the evening he was introduced to the Prisoner Nicholls, and he bought some notes of him. It was then agreed, if he wanted any more he was to write for them under the name of candlesticks. He ad ded that the Prisoner had been in town, and sold him the note which he fr.d tendered at his lodgings, at the Lemon Tree in the Hay-market. In order to confirm the truth of this story, it was settled between the officers and him, that he was to write to the Prisoner for a fresh supply, and to invite the Prisoner to come to town with them, for which he offered him two guineas as the expellee of his jour ney. He accordingly wrote for 20 candlesticks, No. 5, meaning 5/. notes, and two dozen ditto, No. 1, meaning one pounds. To this.letier he received an answer that the Prisoner was. to be in town on a certain day. It was then further concerted that the offiurs should be in an adjoining room in waiting, from which then conld see through a hole in the partition, and as soon as • Alessi had ascertained that the prisoner had got the notes about him, he was to put on his hat, as a signal to the officers. The pri soner arrived at the Lemon Tree as appointed, and Alessi met hi;» in the club-room, Foy, the officer, and three of his com :%.des were ready planted in the adjoining room : Alessi and the i •risnner entered into conversation, and on the appointed signal the officers rushed into the room and seized the prisoner. 'they F mired him, and found 20 five-pound notes, 24 of one ditto, and 4 of two, all of which proved to he forged, and front the sante plate. The whole of these facts were probed by Alessi, and , confirmed by the officers and the other witnesses. The Jury found the Prisoner Guilty. Alessi was himself indicted, but the Bank offered no evidence against hini, for the purpose of making him a witness against. the Prisoner. •,~