The National Register. — London, England, 1817-09-15 00:00:00

AP:PT. IK. THE D.R.DIA. COVENT-GARDEN THE ‘TRE. This Theatre opened on Monday evening for the season. Great alterations have taken place—a mild but abundant flood of light has been di' used over the whole of the interior which presents the coup d' (Jed in all its component parts, tinders° new an aspect that it would appear as if there had been a general change—yet the only material change is the arm mode of illumination. The whole of the magnificent segment of the interior which receives the audience is lighted by a grand, cen tral, and elevated light, sustained front the ceiling, and five infCrior but still magnificent brancehes, destined particularly to illumine the lower circles and the pit. The former is litterally an orb of light, produced by se veral circles of gas lamps s.) closely and unithrmly placed as to preserve its singleness of appearance, and so mild, with all it* richness and radiance, as never to of fend the eye by excessive brilliancy or glare. Its ele gance is of the simple kind in spite of the pendant fringes of glass ornaments which descend from the canopy by which it is surmounted. It was remarked, however, that objects in the back seats of the upper boxes were somewhat indistinctly seen—that they become " dark fram excessive brightness."-01 the five interior lustres containing five lights each, two are placed one on each side of the stage, and the remaining three disposed at equal distances, so as to illumine the lower circles and tile pit. The semicircle of dress boxes is terminated on each side by two mirrors which reflect a large section of the house and the audience, and by this illusory multi plication of objects and space, give much additional grandeur andbeatity. Theunpleasant propertiesof burn ing gas are carried away by glass tubes. The only doubt that could arise was, whether there was or not an excessive strength of light.—The opening performances were Shakespeat's tragedy of Model, and Mr. Pocock's inelo-drama of The Miller and his 11en. The house was crowded at an early hour. Mr. Young sustained the character of Hamlet with much ability. Polonius was chastely represented by Mr. Blanchard. Mr. Bon ne' Thornton appeared, for the first time, as Horatio, but his eflOrts were scarcely mediocre. Prior to the tra gedy, " God sa»e the King" was executed by such of the vocal corps as are at present in town. The principal per formers were warmly greeted by the audience. Wednesday,Guy Mannering was performed with some slight change in the cast of the parts. Tokely was Em ery's substitute in Dinmont, and Comer supplied the place of Tokely in Iluittriek, by which means both these interesting characters were spoiled. Miss Stephens sustained her own part of Luce, and looked as lovely, and sang as sweetly us ever. A 'Pastoral dance followed, in which Noble, Luppino, and the Miss Dennetts ac spitted themselves with their accustomed agility. Friday night The Belles Stratagem was performed, when Miss Brunton, daughter of Mr. Brunton, for merly of this theatre, and niece to the Countess of ('raven, made her appearance in the character of Letitia Hardy. Her figure is rather short, but her face is peculiarly expressive, and she posesses a good deal of grace and flexibility. Her voice is powerful, but not sweet, but her extreme youth gives reason to hope that fault may in some measure be amended. In the hoyden scene she ran to the very verge of vulgarity, without being disgusting to any except her intended husband, and in the Masquerade her elegance captiva ted every heart. Her reception was of the most flat tering kind And the announcement of a repetition on Monday was received with shouts of applause. It is some time over three weeks since a carriage drove up to an inn in the town of Ennistymon. It was abour eleven o'clock at night, and a lady with a female attendant, who were in the carriage agreed with the proprietor of the house fir a certain portion of it, to which no access should be had, during their stay but by themselves. The preliminaries being agreed upon. the unknown liar ones took possession of their apartments, and the carriage immediately drove off In a tinv days after the lady was delivered of a male child. The landlord was applied to, and a healthy nurse pro cured, to whom the child was handed with five guineas, and an assurance of being attended to once a-month. About ten days after the accouchement the carriage returned at night, when the lady discharged her bill and requested to add a guinea titr the strict adherence to the original agreement. She then stepped into the carri ige with her attendant, and directly drove off. On entering and departing front the inn, as well as during their stay, they both appeared masked, and the door of their chamber was never opened wids:r than to admit a hand with whatever might be necessary from time to time.—(Ennis Chronicle.) The celebrated picture by Coreg,gio, presented to the Duke of Wellington by the King of Spain, is one of a great number, captured at the battle of Vittoria, many of which have become the property of his Grace by the same approi•riate donation.— Amongst these are the..4qa dor an early picture by Val:mines; Departure of Adonis, by Titian; Virgin and Child, by Raphael ; //4 Family aid Jan, by Mengs; and by Triflers there are about twenty pictures of the first quality, by Leonardo da Vinci, one ; by Wenvermaus, Spagnoletto, Claude and Dora i nichluo, several. NATII AT. REGISTER. THE PRINCE REGEN r's ACQUATIC TRIP. The Prince Re.rent left Carlton House late on Fri day se'nnight, tUr Brighton. On Monday morning, about ten o'clock, his Royal Highness, accompanied. by the two Admirals, Sir George Campbell and Sir Edmund Nagle, left the Pavilion, passing down the Steyne to the water's edge, and embarked on board the six-oared cutter of the Tigris frigate, where the Royal standard was immediately hoisted. At this instant Royal sa lutes were fired from the Tigris, the Grecian, a brig of war, and the sloop yacht of Sir William Curtis, which, with Sir William, came in the day before. The cutter proceeded to the Royal George yacht, on boarding which the Royal standard wits again hoisted ut the main, and the yacht, with the whole of the vessels of war, then stool to the westward. At halt' past eight in the evening, the Regent disembarked amidst the ac clamations of the populace, whose greetings he re turned by bowing as he passed.—On Wednesday the Tiber frigate, Captain Dacres, arrived in Brighton roads. At eleven o'clock the Prince Regent, accom panied by the whole retinue of the nubility at the Pa fur the second time went on board the Royal George yacht, which was lying at the distance of about three miles from the shore. As his Royal High ness stepped into the barge, discharges of cannon t(xik place from the Inconstant and the 'f iber frigates, and the several gun-brigs in the roads. These salutes were renewed when the Prince Regent arrived on board the yacht. After his Royal Highness had stepped into the barge, he condescendingly waved his hat to the numerous assemblage that lined the beach and cliffs. The whole of the vessels sailed to the eastward of the town, and at half past one the frigates and sloops were ranged in line of battle and exhibited all the manoeuvres of an engagement, which were visible from the shore. By two o'clock the firing had ceased, and a general chase commenced to the west ward. Sir NV illia in Curtis embarked on board his yacht, which had been previously provisioned for a voyage to Portsmouth. As the worthy Alderman was in the secret of the intended sham-fight, he dauntlessly approached the sc.aie ()f action, and nobly resigning him s,:lf to his flue was captured, and sent as a prisoner on board the Royal yacht. THE POPE AND BUONAPJIITE. A short time since, the public were presented with a pretended Manifesto of Maria Louisa, in behalf of her son ; delivered in, as was said, to the Congress of Vienna. Although it bore the stamp of a forgery on the face of it, and was received as such, yet the Morn ing Chronicle stoutly maintained its authenticity. In the same spirit, that paper published on Tuesday last, a letter putwrting to have been written in March last, by the Pope, to the Emperor of Russia, censuring the conduct of the Allies, and, of course, England in parti cular, towards Buonaparte. We will not lend our columns to the for:her propagation of this vile produc tion, it is a tissue of falsehood and sophistry, and we hardly know which is the more deserving of reprobatinn, the writer of it, or the Morning Chronicle which first published it in this country. The latter, indeed, now modestly culls it a political pleasantry ! We should be glad to learn front the egregious Editor, in what its pleasantry consists, We will characterize it in differ ent terms ; it is a succession of lies, an insult on common sense, and a deliberate libel on the govern ment of his country.—But this, in all probability, is a trifle compared with what we may in future look for in the Morning Chronicle, it has boldly declared, that it will strenuously endeavour to defeat, as it is pleased to phrase it, the present attempts of other journalists, to suppress the expressions of public opinion on the conti nent, with regard to this and other countries. The hint will doubtless be taken by the disaffected in dif- ti:rent parts of Europe, who now, restrained by the laws of the countries in which they reside, from giving vent to their malice or their hatred, will hencethrth transmit to the Morning Chronicle their abuse of the ' present order of things, and their spiteful tirades against England anti her government.—But to return to the fiaged letter in question, it is, like the Manifesto alluded to, and many other equally authentic and vera cious documents, one of those artifices which are daily practised by tle adherents or the admirers of Buona parte, whether hero or abroad, to keep alive the name of that hated and sanguinary tyrant, and to excite pity and! commiseration fiir him—fire him who never knew pity, and iu whose bosom commiseration held no place. The Bedfordshire Magistrates have directed all pub licans within the county, to of in their houses a printed abstract of the penalties against tippling, drunk enness, gaming, and profane swearing; and as often as it is defaced, to apply to the Clerk el the Petty Ses sions for a new copy. The Dublin paper► of the Bth instant, are silent upon the subject of the infectious fever that has prov ed fatal in so many cases, and excited alarm through every part of Ireland. The private letters state that it has begun to subside, and that dircase is not more prevalent LIS Qtten I,,,ctiat this season of the yor. IRELAND. IRISH FINANCES. The Dublin Correspondwit contains the following article, relative to the object of Mr. Vansittart's visit to Ireland : " Fur the purpose of accomplishing any arrangement which meditated a reduction of taxes most complained of, it was necessary that the Chancellor of the Excliever should he. come acquainted with the entire system, in all its details, which provides the revenue of Ireland. This could not be effected by a col sort' or hasty glance of what is, in of so complicated a nature; and it received, therefore, the attention front Mr. Vausittart, which it was necessary to ben ow upon it. His quickness of conception, in t vet y thing that relates to financial calculation, very hllOl . 6y put him in possession of what he hail applied himself to lest 11 sod, when lie bad reached this state of information—and, as e slow presume, not until then—be entered npon the pi ojeeted sore of diminishing the taxes, to which his :menthol Gad been must particularly called. In bringing manete to this point, he had able and intelligent assistants, who entered into the spirit of his design, and made preparatory arrangements for the completion of it. The result was, as we are inform ed. that different Taxes were marked out as being capable of reduction. The Tax on Jaunting Cars—it class of %chicle so very necessary to the recreation of the great body of our in. dustrions citizens—was at once an object of diminution, and to such a degree, as would Cillie it to be scarcely felt. W• believe the reduction resolved upon was, f its present ainunnt,to two guineas annually. The Tax on Carriages, on Horses, and on 'Servants, as bearing inconveniently on a great portion of the public, was included in the list of those thus prescribedfor retrenchment, in which we understand Ohms were also stated, but of which we have uo particular speci fication. 'tine Window Tax, that source of dissatisfaction and clamour, engaged the anxious and inquisitive mind of Vansittat t ; and we have reason to think that some mea sure is in progress, by which that Tax will he, at a future period, regulated by the value of a home, instead of being rated solely, as at present, by the number of windows which it may contain.—This plan will, we think, remove every thing that appears oppressive in the tax. According to the existing mode, a house in Met rion-square, and a house in Midi -street, or Francis-street, having an equal number of windous, would pay an equal tax, though the value of the house in Merrion.squnre should greatly extet d that of the bons io either of the streets mentioned. On the modified the payment will be but in the proportion that one bears to the other ; and the occupant of a house in a pri vate street will have mach less to contribute than the occu pant of a house, of a similar size, would have in a public .tree!, should the number at windows in both he the same. This measatre is founded upon an &lin able principle—be cause houses of very modern construction have been bnilr with a view to evade as much as possible, the operation of the Window Tax ; while those of longer standing, and which, from the great mass of all our private streets, have been erect ed without any necessity to keep iu view this principle of frugality, and are lighted upon plans of convenience. Th e old system of architecture gave a house a great number of small windows—the new system, a small number of large windows. The stopping of windows, where they are nu merous as to make the tax high, in old houses especially, has been sometimes resorted to, as a mode of reducing the tats but the uniformity of the building, and a great portion of its convenience, are generally sacrificed to such a pro.. feeding. " We have been rather elaborate in what may be said in a mach shorter space, in order that we may combine, di far as we are able to di) il, reasons with measures—and we imagine we have skew') the public, that Mr. Vansittart has just done, what an able, considerate, and conscientious servant of the crown ought to do, in what relates to this country. He has resolved upon abating taxation in Ireland to as great an ex , tent as it can he done, without depriving the state of its ne. cessary resources, should time propisitions he has to make to that etfeet meet the coneuirence of Parliameut. Beyond this lie could not go. Clamour may be loud against him, be cause he has mot done fifty things that lie has no business with ; but the rational and unprejudiced portion of the pub lie will give him credit for having fulfilled i,s much as be could, with good policy perform, or as emild he conceded, without affecting prejudicially the public income." COMMON COUNCIL—After being foiled in former attempts, Mr. Hartley, of New Bridge -street, Attorney at Law, has been elected a member of the Cowl: of Common Council for the Ward c' Farringdon tbr the remainder of the year, in the room of the late Mr. Blackett. Without pretending to know any thing of Mr. Hartley's character, either public or private, we cannot but lament that he is elected, and simply be. cause he is an attorney. These men of the law have no business in the Common Council—they are a set of troublesome fellows in all public bodies, from the country club up to the House of Commons, and it should be every man's business to limit them to their own practice in the courts, wherei" dog may eat dog" with... out offence to the quietly dispo ;etc part of the comma.. nity. In looking to the duties which Sweden chooses to put on goods imported from England, we must also in fairness advert to the duties winch England imposes on Swedish articles: for instance, 100 deals, worth about 101. arc made to pay, on entering this country, about 221. or upwards of .200 per cent. on the value, a rate of duty much higher than is imposed in Sweden on any article of British manufacture or produce. We are not now arraigning the polky of a tax, which was pro. bably laid on with a view to favour our Canaklian.sub jects ; but if we have motives of national policy peculiar to ourselves, we must allow a fair latitude of the Mme kind to the policy of ihreign nations. Notwithstand ing the existing restrictive duties on both 6 . des, the open and legitimate trade betwe.•n England and Swe den is still a very brisk one. Only one soi.t ry vessel has, up to this clay, been seized under nay of :tie new Decrees ; and her owners entertain no doubt of ob. taining hex relcas:, without difficulty and at little cost. IN 1