The National Register. — London, England, 1818-09-20 00:00:00

I . %/ PT. xO BANK OF ENGLAND. Ageseml meeting of proprietors was held on Thurs day, conformably to the provisions of the charter, for the purpose of declaring the half-yearly dividend, and the transacting of such business as might be depend ing. The resolution for dividing 5 ,per cent. on the Company's stock, for the half-year ending the iOth of October next, was unanimously agreed to, and notice given that the warrants would be distributed on the 12th of the same month. On the motion of adjournment, Mr. R. Jacks rose, in order to put one or two questions to the Chair, which appeared to him very materially .to affect both the character and the interests of their: body. They related to that alarming increase in the number of eases of forgery, which had soi powerfully.and naturally en gaged the consideration of the public The sensation, indeed, which it had excited had some time since led to.the appointment of a commission, containing names of high authority, and the object of which •was to de• vise the means of more effectually preventing thisof feoce. Although its proceedings .had in some degree incurred the reproach of tardinesc o be trusted that the persons of whom it was composed had not been deficient either in vigilance or activity, and that the delay which had taken place was attributed solely.to the difficulties of their task. He doubted not that they,were deeply impressed -with the consciousness, that. the .lite .of a fellow-ereature hung on every. hour of their delibera tions. It could not be concealed that those who were defrauded by offences of .this tleseription, were Jeltiony persons in the humbler classes of society4ersous whose want of education and of ability to prosecuto rendered• them the casy,subject of depredation. :No .man who looked at the public newspapers could avoid seeing how imports :t itevas that.,the, conduct of the Bank. should he fairiy -untlerstood, , as it respected the mode of •con ducting their prosecutions 'forthe forgery of their inttes. •It was well known that a practice had been recently -adopted of eatteutling.a comparative rochiuion of pueish ment in particular cases, by indicting for felony within the.benefit of clergy, and subjecting .the offender to l 4 years' transpor at ion. This was a Change of .pcieciple, anti it was desirable that the puhl..._ should be atisfied es to the manner in which that change operated, .and tke nature of the dirtretion front whieh it origi nated. His object, 411crefure, in now addtosing hint self to their uotice. was to call .for explanation, on two points : tilt: first of which was, whether thesletermina tion relative to prosecuting •capitaliy wasdeft in the b,e ist °lane in- iv lual, or exercised upon the joint de. liberation of the wholo body of Directors. The resix,n. sibility attending such a trust was one of trembliag anxiety, for it had b ea declared even from the bench, on a late occasion, that capital punishment did not ap inar to have dintinished the number of offences The other point to which he wished to draw their attention wasone on which it was also necessary that no misunder standing should prevail. •He was aware that the agency of those who wore employed in the work of discover ing and tracing these offences was indispensible. The 'An r mat ions he desired was, whether the distribution and apportionment of the rewards bestowed on them was intrusted to the direction of an individual, or.ad ministered by the. delikerate judgment of the Board. The Governor; ti. Dorrien, Esq. observed, Abet it lad been publicly stated in another place, that the dis cretion with regard to oth the, Nines urged by the 'learned gentletnan, was exercised 'won the -fullezt de liberation by a committee of directors specially appointed I,r that purpose. ?'Jr. R.. Jacksoo declared .himself perfectly satisfied .with lifts etyma thttn icat inn. His only object was to yrs 'vent the public mind from being misled ; for tb4re were those, who, lx:ing unfriendly to their whole-system and institution, were disposed to avail themselves of this partioularsubject,in order to raise a general prejudice again* them. • 'there existed out of doors a belief "hot the increased circulation uf Bank-notes had been pro.. .ductive of a great increase of the crime of forging and --counterfeiting money. .He bud no.knowledge whether . --this was or was not the i case; -but. the only-way of -caking a correct view of the question was by examining the .catalogue of pro.secutions fur coining counterfeit money, when. a metalic currency w as the circulating • naettium. it -he might offer a word of advice, he should ft commend it strongly to.the Directors to act in eon eert with the time Department, in every case of this nature 'to obtain Ai previous, knowledge of -its opinion, ind thus 'relieve .theniselvetof .too weighty a responsi bility •If he had.theahonoua of a seat among-thean, be abotdd.conataatly urge she. necessity of demanding the interference of the Home Department, so that every • prosecution nvight..havc the double sanction of the ,llank and the Government, am! might sot appear, as 41,0%17 too many were inclined to think ,it, , .tbe vindictive .act of a partialpand intecert.:d body. Whatever elum e .abould take place in, desks, policy., it wasincumbent on ! them to be firm weed uurelexed in their adherence to am uniform sy:Acie. science tkf frit was. perhaps , yet in its infancy, and tpight, t ene d dsy ha considered to be-,of l ob comb ittignity at 1 0 1 i mpir s 4 p, c e ... 60 any .Cher. brantb, of : political or legi4sitive study.'* Till that time. should,Aunvc,.. they wete , ottax tit toxellity of staidiug INAL REG TSTEP. steadily by one set of principles, in order to avoid the hazard of seeing London converted into a vast academy of crimeatrul a deluge of offences and frauds committed which no?law and no exertions would be sufficient to control. Mr. Young observed, abut he was anxious to press upon the ,attention of the Directors, in whose honour and humanity he placed the fullest confidence, the pro priety, with a view to the diminution of forgery, of withdrawing from circulation the one and the two,pound notes. The Governor remarkel, that this was a subject for the consideration of the Legislature, and tpuat depend on the renewal or expiration of the Restriction Act : at the same time he saljtht,say, that if any obiection existed against the resumption of cash-payments, it was not among the Bank Directors that such objection originated or was entertained. quesion of adjournment was thetyp t and 421irried. 'AWE DRAMA. DRURY LAM. 'This theatre is fruitful in novelty at least. The eonsetly of A Cure jar the Heart-dehe was performed on Tuesday ' night, when two pertitsmers made their first appearance on there boards; Mr...Wathinson in the part of Old Rqpid, and, Mr. Weston.in that of Frank Out lands. The first gentlesnitn; it not unknown to the public, having snored in ,a, subordinate sphere at the Haymarket theatre ; he olitime therefore but a brief no tice, and jhat principally sm acceent of the atew rank he has teken. Idis best poise is that of looking . and dressing ;the chancier of#49ld Rapid very well: she strutted,and fidgetted through some ofAhe scenes with tolerable success; Isis consternation pt the discovery of Young.Bapid in the act of meneAng his coat e mas hu morous „and natural The ottanwter, ,however, in general, was feeble and wanted point of the fa therly affection which we hove seen so strongly,excited in his predeeesser, Nlunden, in the affair of the duel with Yoate, e.,,Vienley. he could give no idea. Mr.AVere ton played .the sturdy,neasunt, Frank Oatland, with .some skill and diseninsinstiioo, ,and. we think we discern a degree of prornisa in hits-,with respect to the future ; be is very interior, however, to Isis predecessors and to the notions of excellence generally formed by a London audience. elle also performed 3liii:torh Delaney, in the Irislanan ,n Lcndon, and was more successful than in the coriedy. He gave the songs with tolerable voice and humour, and caught some portion of the dry caustic humour we expect to find in. this character. His brogue it neither very perftiet, nor unifies* well preserved. Both the play and the farce , were cent in a outrage far below mediocrity. The tragedy of !Othello was performed on Thursday night at this theatre : the part of Othello by a " gentle man, /Aging his first appearance on any strge." This geneleman has certaitsiy soared too high in venturing at once on such a character, where, independently of the common difficulties of realising the notions every treader must form of this victim of passion, and masterly icseation of poetical genius, he has to contend with the recollection, still fresh in our minds, of the greatest ! Othello, probably, that the,stage has ever produced. His performance was principally deficient in dignity and a' general want of power to sustain the higher impulses of passion ; le seemed, therefore, to sink niele.r the effort, and perhaps too ter want of that experience wLell should euable him to husbautl . ..his resources to the hest adviestage, became gradually mow feeble after the close of the third act, and instead of rising, as a judicious actor must do, Dla the approach of, the cents : . treele, rendered the whole, of thz. sth act comps. e asel; tame and unimpressive. His delivery, allowing fi>r some trifling defected'. ensmeiatioe,is of a superior order ; in general very slow and distinct, in excellent keeping with the sense of the passage, and his thoughts evidently accompanying his utterance—a cardinal quality and the heels of all good acting. His by-play is unusually good,..and the business of the scene seldom escapes him. His gestures and nation were those of performer trained to the stage, and, occasionally .were. of that _superior kind which seem to.obey the heart rather than the head. The part of De:den:ma was performed ' by Mrs. West, from the Bath theatre, who made, we believe, her first. appearance on this occasion before a i London audience. This lady is a very pleasing actress, end, will prove, if .we mistake nut, sorr.ethirsg. snore than anacquisitiou,..nn .ornament la the stage. Her DeAdennona it; a very natural, unaffected piece of a4ing, and as livelyea representation of the tender, innocent being...who saw - " Othello's visage is his mind:' as we have ever witnessed. , Her face., withextremely regular sfeatures, is, not emmsrltable for eipsiostion, but the tones of her voice are peculiarly soft And pleasing. The scene where the dreadful nature of Otheas swspicions -first revealed to Iv, was peculiarly happy ; the _Unlace into which its first etfcct to threw her, and her recovery from thee to the most ecu'e anguish, :could scarcely have been hettter e expresred. , The yetede of the lastseesuewas. verylittle- inferior to, it both in .conception andesseoution. .:Mrst Glover, whom we gee glad to see in her place vain, sustained the part of &taste with the beat oxen* ,of her powers, and WI with complete sueeess. The play was received with very great applause ; and when Mr. Barnard appeared to announce the performances for Saturday evening, there was a very general call for the repetition of Othello. COVENT-GARDEN, Mr. W. - Farren, the actor who has made so success. ful a debut in SirPeter.Teaele, appeared en Friday night as Lord Oglef t y is the Clandestine Marriage. This is one of the most difficult characters in our drama ; the qualities of which it is composed are so extremely sub tile and confined, and the whole portrait is made up of touches solelicate, that the performer is in constant danger of distortion on one hand, and of tameness and insipidity on the ,other. With all the feebleness of age, and more. than the vanity of youth, he hats to practice an unfailing pordeness and urbanity ; and is compelled, in the end, to sacrifice his vanity to his ge nerosity. With all his follies and all his infirmities, he must constantly excite respect, and occasionally esteem, in the breast of the spectator.' Mr.f:arrea has suc ceeded in byfar. the greater Part, and .his Lord Ogleky deserves on the whole the praise of a masterly per formance. He was most fortunate in expressing the rising impulses of vanity caused by the.passion believed to be excited in his favourite.Miss Fowl", and in the last scene where he is called upon for so noble an effort of generosity. His attempts to conceal the reluctance he felt at the painful civilities of the old eitizen were ludicrous and.natutal.:, the scene where he proposed to Old 1 14erling to marry his daughter Fanny,. was given in .the best„style ; and his burst of surprise. svli,en the citizen affects to believe that the object of his affections wits his sister fieidelloerg,was . quite irresistible.,, Many other passages might, be quoted equally worthy of praise. The only deduction. that occurs to us is, that Mr. Farren might have drawn Lord . gglnbil something more of the.gentleman and Jess of the .baffitou ; we wife not faith entitled to so much laughing at iiistssiship's ex pense as he afforded us :with all its defects,hoWever gidly scanned, i . is-a performance of no common order, and cannot fail to increase his reputation. He received the most flattering aoplausein nearly every scene, frcm a very numerous audience, and is to repeat the character to-morrow evening. TIM NA' ENGLISH OPER 1 HOUSE. The entertainments at, this the..ttru have, throughout the week, honoured by the unqualified approba thin cf full audiences. Mr. Arr,old s mei() drarratic priers of the 111;arti has been revive(' with a con siderable degree of success, and with an eviti.mt im provement in the_east. Carcw perf war( the pan of Glyrce .Irmstrong .wiL4 a chaste The SA mgs allotted to her were also giver, with an elaal good taste. Apeatecrs. -Ictorx still retains its trtriaikm, and will no dunbt keep its ground until the thesis" closest. Midas has also.baen repeated with inervased cA;Ct. FAnew et t DI NNER.—On Sunday evening the male performers of the I...nglish I)rerallouse gave a farewell dinner to Mr. Bartley, on his taking leave of the corn• piny, preparatory to his intended departure for America_ Mr. Arnold. took the Chair —Nlessrs. Harley and Nuke, jun. were the Stewards. The scene, by all accounts, •was highly interesting, and was marked by good humour without any convivial excess. Mr. Arnold took the opportunity of testifying, in the. name of the company and himself, the regret which .they all tilt in parting with a gentleman who, in his public and private cha racter, and in his capacity id: Manager, had otatducted himself. in such a wanner as to deserve their respect awl esteem. This speech, which we understand was well conceived, and delivered with affecting Anergy, excited .the warm acclamations of the company,. and made such an impressiog on Mr. Bartley himself, as for some.minutes to prevent him from giving any an swer. At length he subdned his feelings, and expressed his acknowie4meots with interesting fervour. This amicable. festival must be deemed highly, honeurable to these wlm.premoted it„,as well. as to Mr. Bartley, who, from all that we have-lieurd.of his character .and con duct, appears to be fully enti'led to such a testimony of brother!! respect , and attachment We heartily wish him and. his wife a prosperous voyage, and we doubt not that their united talents will insure them a liberal patronage in the scene of their future destination. the harvest in the East Highlands of Perthshire is one of the most abundant e. er remembered in that d4ttiet. The alternations of wet and dry weather have been such as to bring both the grain and fodder to the fullest perfection. In this particular season the moor. taint have given the fanner an advantage which has been denied „to tli inhabitants of the southern plains where, although lib quality of the grain is gond, the prevalence of tiert,glit to said to have rendered the grain, and espeeiallynhe fodder, .rather scan.y. ~..Appi h as this season doubled its former highest price: this has been. in this quarter, 4scritted to.s,suddenita I eaten. sive demand for . articles of woollen aorms f actore. f roni Russia and the'F.a.st .Indies; elthotigh it is, no doubt, part ly.awing to, the. great . mortality among the sheep ii' nn the severity of,,the preceding:winter. t , if there be any fitogdatien for the rumour that it arisef . from a new ' l e mma fur.sach articles in the East Indies, it furnishes a notable comment on the arguments that were used is &your of the monopoly, 1.