The National Register. — London, England, 1815-05-28 00:00:00

437. The Pel,gge.—Bv Pocock.—lt was -rather the dig nity of the attempt which drew our attention to this picture than the mann....r in which it has been executed. Weare aware that this subject can never be so well treated as In a limitcd. and, if we may use the term, an isolated degree. It is not therefore for Gifting so small a range, or for intro du: ing so few objects that we blame Mr. Pocock, but for not flaying inure fully developed them. In prance, Girodet has produced within the last ten years a painting representing a • see ne, rather, we believe, of a particular inundation than of the general deluge, which is ranked in that country among the greatest efforts (rf modern art. l'ut it is from the horror struck expression of the different countenances that the 'French artist has principally derived his effect. In ?Tr. Pocock's picture every thing is indistinct ; no faces arc even seen, Pnd the chief attempt to interest seems to lie in two arms (we suppose of a person in the water) which are convulsively stretched towards as rock on which the other figures are placed. After all it is impcissible to look at this picture without being struck by the force of the subject, and feeling much the same emotion that we do at reading a wild •and obscure, but sublime passage of Ossian. The foregoing are the pictures which we considered Worthy of particular mention. We do not pretend to say that some such have not been passed over, (tve are indeed ourselves aware of several omissions) but we must pronounce . it to be our opinion That the number of productions caku- lated to reflect lustre upon the British School of Painting, and to secure immortality to their authors; in the present year's Exhibition, is indeed lamentably small. In the higher • walks of Historical Painting there is no work of merit, and we could scarcely observe even an attempt. The truth is, that one half of the pictures.exhibited are portraits. That Sir . Thomas Lawlence's fine likenesses of men of public interest • —of his Royal highness the Prince Regent, of the Duke of Wellington, of Blucher and of Plata; or the rich and cha lacterestic works of Owen, Phillips, Radium and Sir William Beechy, should find a distingnished place on the walls of the Royal Academy, is what, far from blaming, we highly corn mend ; but that every obscure limner should find admission for the portraits of the various " Ladies" and " Gentlemen" who have sat to him, to the exclusion of many productions of distinguished mer it in the more noble and difficult branches ()fart (far such is the fact), is an abuse of this Royal and na tional Es!ablishinent, which nothing can excuse and which calls mubt loudly for a remedy. (I he Sculpture Room in our next.) .DRdMAT I C REGISTE R. TTIE NATPONAL REGISTER: DRURY LANE. On Wednesday, Mr. Kean, played for his benefit, Zan ow, in Dr. Young's Tragedy of the Rt%•enge, and on Friday we had the good fortune to witness his repetition of the cha- I It is impossible not to consider this play as a duplicate of Othello. Jn both, the catastrophe is founded upon the mis taken j , alousv of a noble-hearted but credulous soldier—in both the suspicions ate conceived of a wife entirely his, and with whom he has but recently been united—in both their stiliicions are ini.tigated by a dependant loaded with his layouts and on whom he thinks he can entirely rely; and if in one, he attempts Ow life of his ft lend, and takes that of his wife, in the other, he t .kes his wife's, and attempts that of his ft lend- In each too the hero is a Moor, although 'placed, it is true, in a ditnient situation in the two plays • as in one `MAY QS. he is the victim, which in the other he snakes. Zamiza, in. deed, seems a compound bull of Uthello and /ergo, uniting to the ardent and noble mottle of :he furmer, and the thirst fnr revenge of the latter. Even in the conduct of the plot the similarity continues to exist, and more particularly in the means by which the jealousy of the abused husband Is named. In short it is no injustice to the author of the Night Vioughts to say, that whatever merit his Tragedy may have he owes to Shakespear, and that then only he fads where Le could not imitate him—in the beauty of his sentiment and tire sweet. ness of his lines. Although in appearing in r'anga, Mr. Kean has not stepped out of his proper line ; it is not a part which, like Nhyluck and lap, offer the advantage of possessing no other ade quate representative. In this charatter Mr. Kethl,le and Mi. Young are truly great, and possessing, as these gentlemen do, so many natural advantages for the part, it is a strong proof of the potency of genius that Mr. Kean's performance has no reason to shrink from a comparison with theirs, With him the fiery soul flashing forth in every look and ' gesture communicate a corresponding dignity to the person, and the warmth and passion of the voice lend an interest to its tones which do not allow the spectator to •be sensible of their hoarseness and occasional want of pov er. Miele ,he pourtrays the smothered - hatred Of the vindictive African--in his workings upon the confident natUre' oY 'the 'moments where he despairs of revenge, and in those where he savagely exults at having partially attained it, the actor was equally successful. We have not'space to particularize all the passages in which he most deserved, or matt obtained applause; hut his masterpiece. appeared to us - to he the scene in which, throwing off his maA, - .tranp.a - strikes Alonzo to the earth by the full convieticn of his guilt and - wretchedness. The taunting and triumphant 'elation of his villainy was particularly striking, and when he utteas tht • 0 my den countrymen ! look clown, and see How•I bestride your prostrate conqueror ! I tread on liauglay Spain and all her kiegi." there was something its the attitude and manner of the acts that was terrible almost to sublimity. After so much praise, we can with a better grace venture to censure. The frequent use by precisely the same action. sometimes mean, and of the same tone, frequently a disagree able one, stamp him somewhat of a manncriq. In searching after poiuts too we think that he occasionally makeS, rather t han finds them, and that if he seldom altogether mistake" t he meaning of his author, be frequently does it great We have seldom seen Mr. Rae more effective than in his performaece of il/onzo. It always appeared to us that this actor shone more in moments of passion and in bursts of agony than on any other occasions, and with such this part abotinds. In Lconora. Mis.s.L. Kelly was sadly wisplacedi she wales an infinitely better Rosiner. PROVINCIAa, LANcrIOT.V OCCU rt R EN( E.—A mint distressing occident (recurred off Sidmouth on Thursday se'onigla. A party, consisting of fifteen per guns, were returuitur, Iron) the ( ~ ruler place to Ottertun by water when, having sailed but a slot u:stanee, the hat of one of the melt fell over. board, who, in his haste to recover it, upset the boat, and the whole weto plunged into tke sea. Three boats immediately went otrlo their ass4tance, but only succeeded in saving five'persuns; the other ten (nine of them females) were totally lust, two of whom were married iu the morning, and, with their cumin:nth had spent the da,,y Mt biclumoutii,