The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1804-12-31 00:00:00

MA. a ge. A a. LI 4t luir t;te 'ge . Af.f, th: hr -.. VI ❑t Se!. Oa, :te. ..:An ti e r of ;on, ray. ter., 3tC. 112 - iise. lies, and Is nt her, eer. AkiC nal 1111e1 01J- Lel ter• tl.e THEATRE. DRURY-L A new Comedy was performed at this Theatre, on Saturday night, entitled " The Land we Live in." The principal clarafters were thus represented. Sr ROWlaall English, . . Mr. Wroil:hton. Sir Edw.tril Metall*, . . Mr. Powell. Sir Harry Lovelace, . . Mr. Barrymore. Young Melville, . Mr. Elliston. Harcourt . . . . Mr De Camp. Dexter, . . . Mr. Bannister. Peter, . . . . Mr. W.•%,itz , r. Mr. Roger, . . . 11Ir M Larry Machoof . . . Mr. J. Johuhtone. . . . . Mr. Purer. Rightley, • . . . Mr. Raymond. Laly Lovelace, . . . Mrs Jordan. Mi.s Betty, . . Miss De Camp. Liddy, • . Miss Pope. Mrs. Doublecharga, . . Mrs. Sparks. Polly, , . . Miss Mellon• Susan. . . . . In the execution of this task, the Author has not consulted historic trirh, n r Had the author of this piece submitted with pa tience and resignation to the just sentence of con demnation pronounced upon him by a humane and merciful Jury, we should have let it pass like all other abortions of its kind, which never can become the subje& of interest or discussion, and may there fore, in charity to the author, as well as justice to the reader, be suffered to steal unperceived away along the stream of oblivion. But when, after a fair trial, a most patient hearing, and a decided verdift against it, we are assured by the author's friends, that this is " a play so admirable as to command unqualified approbation ;" when he has the bold ness to state, in an advertisement in this Paper, that " his piece did not receive a candid hearC and that he has, therefore, determined to publish it with a preface," to shame the audience and critics, no doubt," we depart with reluflance from our usual course, and, without the least disposition to slay the slain, are forced by necessity into an ungrateful de tail. The Play opens with the arm ival of Young vide, in obedience to his father's command, at Lynn in Norfolk, to marry Miss Betty, daughter of Sir Rowland Eniclith. The parties here, as in the case of Miss Hardenstle and Mr. Marlow in " Th, Mistahes 4 ! ) - a Night," have never seen each other, and of course Young Melville, who is enamoured of another, has an opportunity of substituting. in his place his cousin Harecort, a young officer; who agrees to personate him, and extricate himself from his pecuniary embar rassments, by accepting the hand of the wealthy daughter of Sir Hanolanal English. Lady Lovelace ar rives at the same inn in pursuit of a husband whom she loves, but between whom and her, caprice aid the follies of the day, without any crime or disho. flour on either side, have produced a separation. Here she meets Young Meleille, whe had been formerly her admirer, and is ignorant of her marriage with Sw Harry Lovelace, whom chince has brought to the same place in pursuit of his wife, to whom he is still attached by santiinent and af fection. His jealousy is. however, :thorned by a discovery of the passim of You..g Melville, and the ninon which he sought is on the eve of being de- feated for ever, when the et n r is expiiined, and a perfect reconciliation ensues. In the mean tiny: Harcourt becomes as much in love with the beauty of Miss Betty as he had bef ie been with her fortune. At this moment things are thrown into confusion by the arrival of S;r Edward Melville; but, after some j assionate effusions, Sir Row.land resolves to put to the test the real honour and sen sibilfty of Harcourt. fhis test succeeds to the wish of all parties, and the piece conclioles with the union of M/. Bitty English and 31e. Hail-our!. The name of this piece imports a picture of England, and, to make it more striking, its man ners, as it now is, ate contrasted with those in times of old. pitality, loyalty, above all, a pride in the naval glory of his c,•antr y, are the r tiling passion; of Sir Rowianil a::d the prominent features by which the present are contradistingnished from the past times. All those, however, who remember the enthusiiism excited by Bail Howes victory of the first of .lune, and the still more glorious battle of Aboukir, are competent to say, that at no period of its existence, has Faiglamt attained a high.:r degree of nay ii glory thau it now does ; and that it never displayed more loyalty and patriotism than it has done since the commencement of the pre sent war. All selfishness and egoism apart, it was drawing too much upon the generosity of the pre sent age, to sari'lion so much compliment to the past, at its own expence. The declamatory address of Sir Roila,id English, to the old oak tree in his. domain, and the praises bestowed through a whole scene, upon the Terrible of 74 , guns, for taking a French vessel, which, for any thing that appza:-s, may have been a fishing-smack, were all heard with indifference, it nut disgust. This, however, is only in the elm., of secondary obje9ions. It may seem strange, it not incredible, that a Play should have gone through the process of managerial perusal - , private rehearsal, and green-room criti cism ; that it should come forward with as fair a promise and brilliant expeaation as ever ush ered in the works of Seminar; or of Kommut, and yet be in fall destitute of plot, incident, or cha laaer. A plot supposes difficulties to be overcome, mysteries to be unravelled. Here is neither difficulty -r mystery. Of course, the great source of in terest in every good and legitimate piece is absent. The necessary consequence of this want of a well constructed plot is a total deficiency of all the cha r.' rteristic features that belong to it. In every play in which the rules of the art are coa suited ; a mystery is excited in the begin ning, and the story is unfolded in the progress of the piece. Recital is introduced only cf necessity, to explain and elucidate the passing sceue. But in this. Comedy nine-tenths of the business is recital. The play stands still from beginning to end; and the second a.'t might as well be the third, without disturbing any alive tot order or harmony. Among the defeats in the struElure may be noticed the introduSion of char:tarts in no respell conneEted with the pi-ce. Of this description is an honest moralising lawyer and an Irish waiter in the first after which they totally disappear, and we see n more of tt:Lrn. A few sham/kers not necessarily . inward with inc; main story are allowed in every .ree, ac es , ential to the formation of a ccmplete vale ; but then they ought to be treated as such. hese tv:o chart its, how:vcr, thus isolated, and suddenly withdrawr, are intrednced as objeels of im portance, and are coloured and set off with a de gree of care and study, that induce the audi ence to tegard them as principals in the piece. It would be at ungrateful task to detail the vari ous points in which the aut h or (a gentleman, we be lieve, of the name of Hour) has betrayed his ig norance or contempt of stage cited, and the rules for the construCtion of modern comedy. With all these &teas, however, he may lay fair claim in many points to good writing. The Irish waiter, although so ignorant and illiterate as not to know that 9 and 7 make 16, makes several hits upcn the taxes and parish rates, with an epigrammatic tersenessand point not unworthy of the hest ,cenes in The School firSeon -41. Deafer is also a principal vehicle of the sane ' in which the piece abounds, and details the various occupations of a Grub-street author, with ranch whim and variety. The language is also good, and, as to sentiment, it possesses sufficient really pure, exclusive of the many instances in which it is coarse, and of an immoral tendency. We mean the passages where, alluding to a bridegroom going to be married, Yew,: Mel. 'le says, ‘. there it no Snorl of the gallows until the thief rst-r;ces:" where Miss Betty says, she is frightened "at t he Devi! and the Ten COnnllandlnenes, " and several others of this description. These impelfeEtions, however, might be easily expunged, and the piece brought forward with a chance of success, if it were not radi cally defative, and totally destitute of interest.— The customary mode of introduCtion, a Prologue, was on this occasion laid aside, asd a Preluds. per formed, in which the Author, reduced to penury, and driven almost to madness by his numerous cre ditors, calls them together, and engages to pay th ni by drawing, at three dap sight, on the old es tablished house in Drury-lane, where ." Apollo and the limes hare so long tern slerning partners. " 'nisi little piece had a good effect, and the instruc tions to the creditors how to ad, so as to secure the success of the Play, were whimsical and entertain ing. The indireft censure, however, upon Drury lane, with which it concluded, was too great a hu miliation to the house, and bespoke no great mo desty on the part of the Gentleman, who fancied him self able to awake them. 1-Low far he kept his pro mise the result has shewa. The first and second aets were heard with patient iadnlgence, but in the third the audience became soured and disgusted, and the disapprobation increased with the progress of the piece to the last scene, when the noise and eon'tision became so great, the aetors could no longer be heard. The only moment in which the tumult subsided, was in the fourth all, which exhibited some charming dancing, by Its. Sat A IIPE, (late Miss B. Mi.sAc..E), Mr. I;vusr, and his most interesting little son. At the end of the Play, Mr. NVROC , II ros came for ward, made an apology for Mrs. JORD•N, who was taken iii, and unable to speak the 1 7il Tue. We be kre he also attempted to announce the piece for iuttore representation, and that the Mana ger had it in contemplation to bring it forward again, in an improved state, on this bight week. 111;s determination has, we understands been since over-ruled, and it is never more to make its ap pearance upon the stage. As it contains, how ever, some good writing, it may prove amusing in the closet, and there compensate in sonic mea sure for the public disappointment. The piece was very strongly cast, and got up with great libe -1 tality on the part of the Proprietors. Report had stated, that Mr. Streit inaN had contrihnted largely to the piece, but we could trace no mark of his aid, except a picture scene, which is borrowed from The • Scandal. We have already sa;J, that there are some epigrammatic points in the early scenes, not unworthy of his pen. The house overflowed lung before the rising of tile curtain. The King has been graciously pleased to grant to Sir Richard Bickerton, Bart. Rear Admiral of the lted Squadron of His Majesty's fleet, his royal licence and permission to accept and wear the in signia of the Ottoman Imperial Order of the Cres cent (of the superior degree), transmitted to him by the Grand Signior. And the Order of the Cres cent having been instituted by Flis Majesty's ally, the Grand Signior, in commemoration of the signal and important services rendered to the Ottoman Empire, by the glorious atchievements of the Bri tish arms in Egypt; the King has further been pleased by warrant, under his Royal signet and sign-manual, to grant unto the said Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Bickerton, His Royal licence and p:r mission to bear, in allusion thereto, a crescent, and certain other appropriate honourable augmentations to his family arms, together with supporters ; the same being first duly exemplified according to the laws of arms, and recorded in the Heralds' Office ; and also to order that this His Majesty's said con cession and es i secisl mark of his Royal favour be re gistered in his College of Arms. Sir GILICKT HILATIICOIII is particnl'r!y find of hunting, and is now at his seat at Normanton, in Rutland:hire, enjoying that sport daily, when the weather will permit. Sir Gmatar has thirty-xis fine hunting horses, and three packs of hounds. He always has five in his suite: two huntsmen, two whippers-in, and a groom. His chace is fre quently joined by seventy or eighty gentlemen of that country, and the whole groupe are dressed in scarlet, according to the rules of the hunt, which, when the weather proves favourable, has a most delightful die& The Christchurch and Lambeth Volunteer As sociation will be inspedeJ, on Thursday next, in Vauxhall Gardens. A letter from Stamford, of the 44th, says— " With the return of Christmas has recurred to us the pleasing ditty of noticing the charitable munifi cence of the nobility in this neighbourhood, and of affording expression to the gratitude of those who have partaken of their bounty. On Friday and Monday last his Grace site Duke of A ncaster's an nual donation of three large fat oxen, with a pro portionate quantity of bread. was distributed to the poor inhabitants of the parish of Edenham and Swinstead, in this county. On Monday a bullock and a Luse quantity of potatoes, the gift of the Lady Noels, %tete distributed to the poor of North L.lffenham. At Stapleford, Whissendine, Teigh, Staitiby, and Cunby, the Countess of Harborongh has liberally dispensed stockings, flannel petticoats, and linen, and has contributed in many other re sped, to the comfort of her Ladyship's indigent neighbours." BARB4DOE4 Sm. 2d; [ATM FROM AN EMINENT MERCANTILE HOME. We deem it our duty to our correspondents, and the mother country, to make known some transac tions that hare taken place here, and generally through these blind. and Colonies. Th; Governors have been instructed from home in time of war, to allow of the importation of bread, flour, corn, rice, limber, and other articles of the first necessity (which the mother country cannot supply) from America, in American bottoms; and harasalso, in times of scarcity, admitted beef, pork, butter; soap, candies, and dried and pickled fish, &c. which the mother country and the colonies have been in the habit of suppls big us with, and, in gene ral, furnish in as great quantities as we nced.— In of aelital scarcity, sound policy would dictate that we should be supplied from wherever we could, and that the interest of the mother country should give way to the necessity ; but this pradice of admitting American provisions has been carried to an alarming length of late, insomuch, that every thing. that came into port, has been admitted to be landed, when the merch ints' stores were at the same time full of the like articles, imported from the mother country and its depen dencies ; and not only the articles before-mentioned, but gin, brandy, and other liquors, which we had never before been in the habit of receiving ft ont America, were poured in upon us in great quantities. The importers from America being always able to undersell the importers from Europe, it is plain, that while these importations are allowed to take place without limitation, there must he a very tri fling demand for such articles as are before mention ed from Europe ; and, iu the end, the British or Irish importer must he entirelf excluded from the market. In addition to what is openly admitted, it fre quently happens, that great quantities of these articles are landed clandestinely from American vessels ; and even nankeens, inuslins, and other Indian goods ; but whether this may mt be con nived at by those whose duty it is to prevent it, we will nut pretend to say. We need hardly ob. serve to you, that it is unfair that Britain should be at the expence of ptoteding, and America reap the advantage of these Colonies. We think that it becomes the duty as well as the interest of the merchants of the United Kingdom, con cerned in this trade, to adopt measures to het instrudions sent to the Governors of these Colonies, not to admit, from the United States of America, such articles as can be supplied from the Mother Country, unless an actual scarcity of these articles exist ; and if something of this kind be not d, ne, you need hardly send any more of the articles we have mentioned to this mat kat. The Custom-house OtEcers ought also to be in struded to use more vigilance in preventing India goods and other commodities from being lauded clandestinely. The India Company is much in terested in this, and should make It representation to Government on the subject. Its justice to our present Governor, Lord Sea forth, we must mention, that a petition has been presented to him, complaining of the importa tion herein alluded to, which he graciously re ceived, and has not since admitted any of the articles stated from America ; nevertheless, we have been surf - cling, and the home trade is likely to suffer materially, through all the British Colonies, by un due and impolitic indulgence granted to American hottoms. N e conceive we could not properly acquit out wives to our CotresponJents in the United King dom, or to our own country, did we remain silent on the present occasion. Having done our part, it remains for the re speetable Merchants of Great Britain and Ireland to take such measures as may be best calculated to get these growing evils cm: efted. We would not have troubled our Correspondents upon this head, had not these evils arrived at an alarming height ; and we beg leave to add, that any fads we have advanced can, if necessary, be fully proved. Ou F:iday night disp itches were sent from tie Admiralty to Sir JAMES SAGIAAREZ, at Jersey. Several privateers have been fitted oat at Liver pool, and other of our ports, and arc now in per. feet readiness for sea, waiting only the licence of Government for their sailing. The Tirwasend packet, whose arrival is now so anxiously looked for, has been due a fortnight. The Royal Commission about to be appointed to examine and report upon the improvements .ug gested by the Commissioners of Naval Inquiry, w,ll consist of Sir CHARLES MIDDLETON, Bari. Admiral Sir ROGER CCRTIS, Harr. Rear- A Jmiral DOll ET r. Mr. Foals t.E. of the Land Revenue Office, and Mr. SEARCE, 11l the Transport Board. The Secre tar; to the Commission will be Mr. l'uollPiON, the Naval Ofheer at Leith. 'lbis day, the 2cl and 5d Companies of the "ea Regiment of Loyal London Velumeets will mu.tet at their alarm•post : from thence they will march to Canonbury lI ,use, Islington, to lire ball, for two silver medals, to be given by Major PRATT, after which they will partake of a dinner provided by the Officers. An emi:tent Speculator, on Saturday last, gave two hundred guineas to receive a thousand, if the market price of Lottery Tickets is 251. or upwards, before the drawing commences. On Friday, one hundred and forty Irish recruits joined the Colds:ream Regiment of Guards, lying in Knights'tridge LATTACkS. We, last, as Miss FLowts, cf Chancery lane, was standing by the fire, her muslin dress caught the Hame., and, in extinguishiag it, her hands were much burned. Private letters from Paris state, that a treaty has been adually signed by the French Government on the one part, and by ARTMETR O'Connor; on the other, in the name of the people of Ireland, stipu. lat , ng for the independence of that country, in etteaing which, France engages to employ a force of '25,u00 men. With the articles of this treaty, ssisich is modelled after the celebrated convention Co Ichided with Louts XVI. by Doan, FRANKLIN, His Majesty's Ministers, w• have strong grounds to believe, are fully acquainted. EMMETT, who was a Member of the Executive Union with Aartiva O'Cori ri o a, and whose arrival in America was lately s tated, refused to give his acquiescence to the treaty, a nd remonstrate d very strongly against the condi tion; which it contains POLICE. On Saturday, the apprentice s nent silversmith, in Bridgwater-square, a long examination before and Alderman He,: eta, ci on suspicion of being concerned robbing his house on Frida; turd ,y morning, of a quantity.. value of more than 501. The the prisoner had been lately/ conduct ; that on the boring f had staid out the whole night, of associating with persons of was a part of his duty, as well apprentice, to carry up all ' before they went to bed, chamber. On Ftiday night, afterwards stolen, htd been left shop door was found open iv was the prisoner's business to the grounds of suspicion agau soc.er deaied all knowledge said, lie thought his fellcsc , up the remainder of the pl count of the different persons sociat'J with, and he WAS suf promising to assist i:1 finding of the itibliely. A Mrs. Stone was summoned MA if Co a by some Custom-house' to recover from her a penalty possession sever al India and and other contraband gauds, siace been condemned. The ri.rt brought forward,and the . could not convict the woman goods ; as, he i.bserved, the have been manufactured in ' India. He had known man' manufactures in Guernsey. fore discharged. On Saturday Edward Ev J:,hn Brown, the three other m board the Spanish Galleons, above office from Tothilttields amination, when, there being torn: coacerried in the mutit Share transpott, bou , rdike P d•scharg,,d. They agreed Wales Corps, to which the; and they expect to recover t their absence from the regiment, . of seven years, as their absen:e •as own consent, hut occasioned by An Colonel Groves, of the N. attended, and gave them a two promised to join the corps: - The mutiny above afla.ierl collect. Major Semple, And were prr. on board an open ' tering the dangers of the scra hundred leagues, providential) Saturday morning a recruiting brought before the Magistrate; • street, charged Wall having - ;only cut an intlortunitte woman severely with a images - . 'f he r the centre of St. Giles's, and ,• intoxicated at the time. some trifling eircurasmace. _ of the Whine's, he wan committed procure hail. On Sourday morning, between as Mr. WORK A L, shopkeeper in was going to Nesegate.market he was accosted by two mcn struck him with a large sti. blow on the head, which sn loins rifled his p ickets, and watch and nt A rly twenty pounds, made their escape. On Friday, EowA RDS, the ed the two men who are in cu• and robbing I ler M AJ EST from Wind,or to Reading at the ensuing Assizes for offence. A pedlar named Cassese. Fite, lately mach: several attempts libs. lie first pierced himself - not having sufficient resolution body, he withdrew it, • razor. Still, however, the s and the Magistrrtes had him booth, where he languished pain, and expired. His ately under the town clock. rgit ited his nerves to such ills most agonising shrieks. A female vagrant, who, while tieing , last week through Doncaster, ptetendad ;:r be el with canine madness, and thus excited passion of the people of thakjair, caw. seems, considerable consternatter list posture had been deteeted, and her person sei:ti.ei;: and sent on, several individuals who h : a Ast... h..r, conceived themselves to be attacked • • • • phobia, aad one nEtn, who fancied some of ti.e . bad dropped es hi, hand, set oaf post for Cairns, . procure proper medicines. The following observation, contained in the pro ceedings of a General Court Martial, lately pto mulgated, tending to reprobate and discourage praftice at one time but too prevalent in the Britisl Army, though, for the credit of the service, excel, in a solitary instance, long since discontinued t w think, for the sake of example, and with a view t deter Officers in future from that once unmanly cut torn, cannot be made too public : " The Court is of opinion, tint the tight did strike soldier on the ,iarade,gt mode of c irrection, in the opinion r the Court, highly reprehensible ; bet it appears that the Prison was ornmediatels ?emoted for it by the Lieutenc.t.Co!onel„ the parade; when he expressed his regret or what be K done, vartig h., inexperience she dtwipline of the army Greet having lately returned Sr. n foreign service India, with which explanatiuu the Lietiteiiatit Culowet e pressed himself :visited " Such condua has occasionally and deserved called lord' the severest animadversions of oor Kr: cirrus Sovereign, who, to the lionone of his lea !im be it spok. , u. never fails to stigmatise aggressors this description with his most marked sired Sir• -• censure and djsapoobation. CZ. 1 MANSION-MOM. entice boy of an ensi.• ;t• water-square, underwent - re the Loao Mayors, *. charged by his master 4 ncerned with others in day night, or early Sa.- its. of silver plate, of the . The master stated k that :ely very irregular ik hie r (Wednesday) night, he ;lit, and was in the habit •,. ; of bad character. It well as that of his fellow Il the silver every night, to his master's bed- thr, the plate *at was left behind by him. The its the morning ; and it to fasten it. These were n v against him. The pri- -- f of the 11)5b.9 y, ••••1 apprentice had Car' i d pl tie. He gave AI, at. • -4! 'sons he had lately as. ' • ;offered to be at large, OM ing out the perpetrators ;•if mooed before the Loao ouse Officers, who sought Icy fan having had in her d French handkerchiefs, Aaj Is, which had sonic time he goo Is, however, were , ie. LOKI) MAYOa said he man without seeing . the - the handkerchiefs ought Spitai-fields instead of my such to pass for: India • • Ihe woman was there.. t • COW-ereEIT Eules, Rim It art, and r mess who were found on tins, were brou-ht to the ads Bridewell, for r:-ex. wing no proof that they .rif amity on board the Lady " Botany Bay, they were I to join ate New south hey originally beLnged, 7 their pay for the time of giment, which is np.wards )sen:e eras not bi their 4 J be an unlawfel force. New Sou.h Wales C;.rps, s two plqn.l note. They .4 s on M ed to ..ur readers Mltre- Ind a allinhn cf others, bolt, am), after enemies- raves fir uptsards two tially go - safe to land. • recruiting serjeant WMI istrate• at Marlborough- = on the night Let. re wan- woman in the head my fhe patties all resided iri nd the serjeant was The dispute arose r. Alter tit investlgse unsmitted until should letween five and six &elm see in St. George's r ielJs arkut to purchase pouf 4 len shabbily dres;e•l, w a sudden and vinl•nt 'conned him, when the vii. r•ihhed him of his silver pounds, with which they the Police officer, convey. cu,tody for breaking open v's premises at Fr Tmore, gaol, to take their trials or Berkshire, for the said BELL, residing in Cupar, attempts to terminate his nself with his sword, but ition to push it through his :ind cut his throat with a he wounds were not fatal, him confined is the et! several days In gi apartment was '7l 1 • • ck, the striking of w h a degree, that he Ltteieti s. ho, while beini conveys... 4 ter, pretended t aitct.