The Sun. — London, England, 1825-02-10 00:00:00

FOR THE S UN. MR. EDITOR—A paragraph has appeared in most of the Papers lately, in which it is affirmed that " Sir BENJAMIN BLOOMFIELD iS to be created a SCOTCH Peer !" (doubtless instead of an Irish one), a strange mistake, which could only have arisen through a temporary forgetful ness of the articles of the Scotch Union, by which it was provided, that 'no new creations, Nether of 'Peers or .Baronets, should be made after that time, a stamp of antiquity which the possessors of those titles have no little reason to value. You will oblige a constant Reader by inserting this in your valuable Paper; and I am, Mr. Editor, Your obedient humble servant, Bath, Feb. i 3, 1325. D. PAR LIAMEFT. HOUSE OF LORDS, WEDNESDAY, FEB 9. .Iftcr hearing appeals, Lord GIFFORD, in the absence of t'fe ',Joni Chancellor, occupied the Woolsack during the other bosiness of the house. (In the motion of the Earl of SHAFTESBURY, it was order ed, t..at no petitions for private bills be received after Thurs d,iy, the •34th of March, and no reports from the Judges on private bills, after Monday, April 25. :I report of the state of the convicts on board of ships was presented.—Adjourned. ROUSE OF COMMONS. Only 35 Members being present at 4 o'clock, the SPEAKER declared the House adjourned to to-morrow. FRENCH PAPERS. ( From the Etoile, dated Tuesday. ) PARIS, FEB. 7. A Journal yesterday pretended that a Congress was going to meet at Paris. We do not know whence it derived its news, which has no foundation whatever. The Constitutionnel and the Courier Franeuise have immediately laid hold of this piece of intelligence; they consider it as certain, and both of them speak of war. " Two parties are formed in Europe, one of them must yield to the other, or this division will necessarily produce hostilities." We refer those Journals to the speeches of Lord Liverpool and Mr. Canning, and to the English Jour nals. 'They say there is nothing in the step just taken by Eng land beyond a'iegislative protection of existing interests. (Tram-the -Journal des Debats of Monday.) MADE ID, JAN. 27. Our Government, after great labour, have perfected a plan of Representative Government, suited, , it is said, to the state of knowledge in the Peninsula, and to the extensive Aristocratical elements which exist there. I can tell you nothing of my own . knowledge of .the contents of this project, but once more I assure you of its existence:, and d can equally assure you copies of it. have been given to the French, Russian, Austrian, and Prussian Ministers, that they may transmit them to their respective Courts, to be examined. I can add to what I have just told you, that persons who are intimate with our Ministers, and who are in the habitof reading their thoughts, pretend that the new plan is nothing more than the renewal of a project of the Aulic Council, which was agitated six months ago, with, how ever, a few insignificant modifirations, which, in adding another .step to begone through jn the march of our political and admi r,:strative affairs, will not materially alter the form of the Go t4,rnment as it at present exists, because the new body being only composed of persons chosen by the Government itself, though irremoveable, the nation would not be in the least repre .sented. If these conjectures be well-founded, the Ministerial combination would produce, at most, a well-regulated Council Hof State, which, besides its ordinary sections, would have one appointed for legislation. PAINS, FEB. 3. The Speech of the King of England, on the opening of Par liament, is what it ought to be. It is astonishing that there ere Journals who endeavour to find in it what is not there, and that other Journals (these are Ministerial) should pre .Lend to see nothing in it, as if they in fact feared to find something. The Representative Government is real in „England, and the nation is a power. If the Speech of the -King of England can be attacked by the English as being the •work of the Ministry, it is not unknown in this country, that 'wth respect to Europe, and in the forms of diplomacy, this 4nf....nen is to be considered as being the expression of the King's ti nights. A double usage is established on this double truth. .The English have every facility of dicussion on the Royal and it is so maturely weighed as never directly to :commit the Royal Speech with foreign governments. But as qast as foreign diplomacy demands explanations, the power •of the nation is put forward ; and whilst notes and counter . notes are interchanged, the national opinion is expressed with such strength, that the English Cabinet sustains the resistance which it had prepared, on .the will of a people who know their own interests, and which it would not be in the power • of Ministers to deceive, even if they should so intend, to en tleavoar to Iced them to other opinions. The real secret of a ..R.apresentative Government consists, deprived of all faction, in always opposing the strength of a whole nation to wishes, which, •in Absolute Governments are only expressed by the Cabinet. Without doubt English diplomacy is strong in men and talents; but to know all her power, her point d'appui must never be forgotten. A French Minister may think that he has as great talents as Mr. Canning, and not be deceived in that re spect; bat if he enters the lists with Mr. Canning, he will be under the inevitable disadvantge of only looking in himself for Lis resources, against a man who knows how to make use of the tinnmgth of a nation which possesses opinions of it own, and who are not in want of any instigation to make them known. In England it is known that nothing can resist a nation truly free, when it agrees with itself and with its King on the prin ciples of its prosperity, and on the means of maintaining it.— Their measures arc taken accordingly. The King's Speech at the opening of Parliament only opens the scene. If it be true, as the Ministerial Journals say in France, that the personal opinion of the. Monarch, and of some n,2nd)ers of the Cabinet, is not quite conformable to the last measures adopted, the question will be agitated in the House, and the .differences will be effaced in conciliating each ocher; because the great merit of a Representative Government is to produce unity of opinion as a natural consequence of public de nberations. In absolute Governments, on the contrary, unity of opinion is often deranged by weakness and intrigue, even • after the proclamation of the adopted measures. Certainly, it cannot be said that absolute power in Spain produces there unity of opinion. The discussions in Parliament must then be waited for to appreciate what ought to take place in England ; for there is nothing done in that country till the nation has publicly pledged itself. All that can be said of the King's Speech is, that it does not belie any thing that has been done in the absence of the Houses, and that it will not oppose any thing that remains —to be done. Here, we are willing that every thing should flow from the Crown. In England it seems that the Crown sometimes avoids using the initiative part which belongs to it. Each people ha r g its system. The essential is to arrive at a conclusion with the institutions, that is to say, with all the power of one's country. [From the Courier Francais of 4 11 - onday;) * LISBON, JAN. 23. Nothing can at present be said of the coarse, a Ministry hardly fiamed, means to pursue ; but it is to be hoped that it will he as satisfactory as our intestine divisions, and the situation of our finances will permit. The acknowledgment of the indepen dence of Brazil is already spoken of ; it is a measure which-would' draw into our coffers considerable sums. A decree of amnesty which will contain no exceptions, and,-will grant favour to po litical opinions of all sorts, is also spoken of as having been sent to the Royal printing press, and that it is to be published all over the kingdom. In short, another decree is spoken of, whose object is to guarantee an asylum to those Spaniards who are obliged to exile themselves from their native country. If this news turns out to 'be ccrrect, we shall be obliged to the in tercession of England fur having become indulgent one to ano ther, and hospitable to our neighbours. MADRID, JAN. 27. The acknowledgment of the empire of Brazil, to which Sub serra and Palmella were opposed, will naturally follow the fall of the Portuguese Ministry. It is ackled, that this acknowledg— ment of Brazilian independence is prepared by a most artful - train of policy, in order to preserve the unity of the Colonies, some of which endeavour to separate themselves, and erect inde pendent Republics ; but this acknowledgment•will not take place during the life of the reignir4.; King ; because at his death his eldest son, the Emperor of Brazil, will become legitimate heir to the Throne. It is added, that England will guarantee the integrity of the Brazilian. Empire. ( Fron t the Constitutionnel of Monday.) LISBON, JAN. 23. It was on board the ship Ocean, where his Majesty dinedyes terday, that the change of Ministry was decided upon, though the dates of the DeCrees are of the 14th,..15th, and 20th of this naohth. SEAMEN'S lIOSPIT NJ, SOCIETY. Yesterday the Anniversary Dinner of the above Institution took place at the City of London Tavern. It was expected that the President, Viscount Melville, would have presided on the occasion ; but an apology was made for 'his Lordship's absence, in consequence of his Parliamentary duties requiring his attendance at the House of Lords. At six o'clock a company of about 200 Gentlemen, chiefly composed of Officers of high rank and experience in the Royal Navy, the Honourable East India Company's Service, &c. was assembled ; amongst whom we recognised Vice-Admiral Sir R. King, Rear-Admiral Douglas, Captains Sir G. W. Welt phall, R.N. Sir C. Sullivan, R, N. Fowler, F. Digby, Dundas, Richard N. Willoughby, Bowles, Young, Lines;- Sir Wm. Key, Bart. the Rev. Si r S. C. J erv oise, SUThomas Tyrwhitt, Sir F. Ommanney, 31. P. Sir James Little • Captains Clarke, Locke, Larkins, Lachner, and Ripley, of the Hon. East India Company's Service, Thomas Snodgrass, Esq. J. W. Buckle, Esq. &c. &c. At the solicitation of the company, WILLIAM MANNING, Esq. 31. P: one of the Vice-Presidents of this Society, took the Chair. The usual loyal toasts were given, ar•.d drank with universal applause. Upon the health of the " Duke of Clarence (one of the Vice-Patrons) and the Navy" being drank with three times three, Vice-Admiral Sir R. KING; as a member of that honourable profession with which the Society was so immediately connect ed, and of which he was a member, begged leave to return his sincere thanks. The health of the other Vice-Patron, Prince Leopold, fol lowed with similar marks of respect. Mr. MANNING, in proposing " Success to the Seamen's Hospital Society," adverted to the great benefit arising from this new but estimable Institution, which had for its object the affording of relief to a class of beings, to whom, above all others, this country was indebted for the great prosperity and enjoy ments of the present day. The health of the President, Lord Melville, then followed, with unbounded applause. Upon the health of the Vice-Presidents being drank, Mr. BUCKLE retnrned thanks, and congratulated the friends of the Society upon seeing so numerous and respectable a com pany. " - The Committee of Management" was then given, upon which Captain BOWLES, R.N. in the name of the Committee, ex pressed his sincere thanks for the honour shewn them. It was most satisfactory to assure the company that this Institution had, after a trial of four years, most fully answered the ex pectations of those by whom it was established, and that it bad beyond all doubt relieved a greater proportion of human misery than almost any other similar institution possessing the like means. The zeal and assiduity of officers, in their several de partments, were highly gratifying and creditable to them. The good order and regularity which prevailed on board the Gram pus was to be attributed to the unceasing exertions and exem plary conduct of Lieut. M'Crevy, the Superiaendant, and he could not too strongly express the obligations Which he consider ed the Society was under to their whole Medical Department, as well as to their visiting Physicians, Drs. M`Kinnon and Ro berts, whose valuable and gratuitous attendance had been of such infinite service on all occasions, as also to their Surgeon, Mr. Cornott, whose skill, humanity, and constant attention, ren dered him a most invaluable member of this Society. Before he sat down, he begged to say a few words on the state of the funds of the Society, a subject upon which he thought their friends ought to be most fully informed, because, although the Committee could not entertain a doubt that in this rich and prosperous metropolis a charity like the present would ever fall to the ground from want of support, and attributing the confined support hitherto experienced purely to the circum stances of the Institution not being sufficiently known, yet the certain income from annual' subscriptions did not exceed 1,000/. per annum, not the third part of the necessary expendi ture. He trusted that none of those who had hitherto supported the Charity would relax in their exertions until their finances were placed upon a secure and permanent footing, which could not be said to be the case until the annual subscriptions nearly equalled the annual expences. They were under the greatest possible obligations to his Majesty's Government. and espe cially to that department over which the Noble herd (whose absence they all regretted) presided, to whom they were in debted for the most liberal and constant support. He confi dently trusted that at this period of general prosperity the suf ferings of so valuable a class of our fellow-countrymen would not be overlooked by those whom Providence had blessed with the means of relieving them.—(Loud applause.) The TREASURE a (Wm. 'Williams. Esq. M. P.) then pro ceeded to read the Report, he pointed out in very animated terms the great benefits arising from this valuable Institution —the privations the objects of this Charity, from the nature of their cailing, were subjected to, as well as from the change of climate and disease; and he urged with considerable force that there was no place of a description to afford that relief which was the primary object of this Society. Ile regretted that they did not meet with that aid from the British merchants which might reasonably he expected ; he attributed this not to a want of liberality, but to the imperfect knowledge they possess ed at present of the benefits arising from this Society—a So ciety which had arisen, not from any practical experiment, but from absolute necessity, when the severity of the winter of 1817-18 rendered extraordinary measures necessary for the protection of the homeless poor—when, for the first time, it was known that the worne-out British tar formed so considerable a portion of their unfortunate class. Nor were the benefits of this Society confined to British sub jects alone ; for it would be perceived by the printed Report that assistance was given to persons of all nations re quiring it; besides Europeans,.there were Africans, Americans Turks, Chinese, and even those born a t sea , w h o had partici pated of their bounties. The Hon. Gentleman concluded by saying, that a sense of the 'Value of this Institution had extended to the East Indies, and, through the medium of Mr. Buckle, he had the honour of presenting a list of contributions from Calcutta, the gross amount of which was 255/. 103. ( Loud ap probation.) He fervently hoped to see a considerable increase in the friends of the Society, so that it might be enabled to af ford, upon an extended scale, those blessings to the afflicted (which it had so happily commenced doing), until time should be no more.—(General applause.) It was announced, amidst much approbation, that the Eclipse Margate Steam Packet Company had offered the use of their vessels on any stipulated day for the purpose of a trip to sea, the profits arising from which were to be added to the funds of this Society. The same parties had on two several previous oc casions afforded the same liberal assistance, the amount of which in the first instance was 00/. and the second 60/. The general subscription in the course of the evening amount ed to upwards of 1,0001. Amongst the principal donations we noticed—The Elder Brethren of the Trinity House, 200 guineas ; the Hon. East India Company, 100 guineas ; John Wool more, Esq. 501. ; J. C. Clark, Esq. 20/. ; Wm. Manning, Esq. a third donation, 10/. 10s. besides numerous donations of 5/. and 101. each. Messrs. Broadhurst, C. Taylor, J. Smith, Leate, Master Smith, &c. occasionally afforded much gratification to the com pany by their professional exertions. The company did not se parate until a late hour. A Statement of the Number of Patients received on board the Seamen's Hospital Ship, Grampus, .from the 24th of October, 1821, to the 2d February, 1825, spewing the different Na tions to which they belong, and the Service in which they have been employed : Englishmen - 1,940 Scotchmen - 431 Irishmen - 351 Frenchmen Germans - Russians - Prussians . `Dutchmen - Danes and Norwegians Swedes - 'ltalians - Portuguese Spaniards - East Indians West Indians • .- British Americans United States South Americans - Africans Turks - New Zealanders - New South Walcs . South Sea Islanders Chinese - Born at Sea Total -3,19 i; IN WHAT SERV] His Majesty's Navy Honourable East India Compai -Merchant. vessels of different N :CE EMPLOYED. .ny's Service ations - - 298 - 307 - . - 293 Relieved at the Establishmdri the ships being -ready - 3,198 at Stepney, previous to Total - - 3,369 A Mechanics' Institute is about to be formed upon liberal prindpks at Sunderland, in the county of Durham. WATERLOO ERTOGE.—ft is in contemplation to apply to Parliament for powers to dispose of Waterloo Bridge by lottery. The entire receipts of this magnificent structure arestill scarcely sufficient to pay interest to the an. nuitants ; and the original shares have been sold lately, in many instances, at nearly 94 per cer.t. below par—that is to say, shares which cost ‘lOO/., are selling for 6/. 10s. * Edinburgh Review, No. 78. Article, Periodical Press. It has become so extremely rare to catch the critics in 6' saffron and blue," spinnhg any other than their eternal political wheel, that I am here right glad to bear humble testimony to the merit of their criticisms, or rather essays, on the subject of Drama. Their opinions on this topic, (thinly scattered over the pages of their Journal), are sound and free from lies; and their observations, for the most part, strikingly just. Too broad, excursive, and dreamy, perhaps, to be grasp ed for use by the dramatist, they are yet, as abstract theoFic essays--leautiful ! t - See Letter ht of this Series, Sun, Nov. 12, 1324: and Edinburgh Review, No. 73, Art Periodical Press. + 4 ' Reader ! smile not ; for, by the trident of Neptune !—" it • is come to this. „ --The Manager for the time (a player !) is, to the dramatic poet, the Meewnas of the day !—lf British taste and - feeling continue to permit this deep degradation of Mel pomene and Thalia, they, at least, ought to be silent or ap plaud, when the "quadrupeds, German Pandemoniums,"ond other witrts to the " dull'd and pampered" dramatic appetite, are exhibited. mean to include sentiment, imaii,oery, measure, cadence, as well " By language," says Mr. Lacy, in hi s Fou r th Letter, "'I as choice of words.'"—To this definition of the word my °loser vations are equally applicable. FOR THE SUN. THE DRAMA-(LETTER Ma. EDlTon—Very different, Sir, from Air. LACY'S are the sentiments and opinions of the critics of oppo sition on the subject of our Drama. Whilst the one demands (and denounces the dramatists of his day for not producing them) more plays like Macbeth or Othello, Julius Cmsar or Venice Preserved; the other, with equal admiration of Shaks peare, deprecates all imitation of, or interference with, the poets of the Elizbethan age. " The demand," say they, " for works " of original genius, the craving after them, the capacity for " inventing them, naturally decay, when we have models of " almost every species of excellence already produced to our " hands. When this is the case, why call out for more? When " we have Shakspeare, we do not want more Shakspeares : one " Milton, one Pope or Dryden, is enough."—Again, " Instead of striving to revive the spirit doh} English lite rature, which is impossible, unless we could restore the same state of things, and push the world back two centuries in its " course, let us add the last polish and fine finish to the " modern belles-lettres. Instead of imitating the poets or prose " writers of the age of Elizabeth, let us admire them at a dis " tance. Let us remember, that there is a great gulph be " tween them and us—the gulph . of ever-rolling years. Let " them be something sacred, and venerable to the imagination. " But let us be contented to serve as priests at the shrine of " ancient genius, and not attempt to mount the pedestal our " selves, or disturb the sanctuary with our unwarranted pre " tensions." a When authorities disagree, what daring individual shall pre tend to decide ? lam not sanguine enough to expect that the masterly delineation of the passions of ambition and jealously, embodied in Macbeth or Othello,will be easily copied or rivalled by any dramatist of this, or of a future day. Neither am I altogether willing to relinquish " all imitation of the poets or prose writers of the age of Elizabeth," or rest contented, with " admiring them at a distance." To the first, therefore, (under favour,) I should feel dispose 4 to say—" Beware, sir, of de " manding to much." To the second,—" Pray, gentlemen, " do not despair." " The " tragic vein," I hope, is neither wrought out, nor exhausted ; and the " wit of man," may yet discover an occa sional subject, on which to exercise its original powers. Our Dramatists, too, may safely enough be permitted a familiar in tercourse with the works of those writers who, "depicted jea lousy, rage, ambition, love, madness, in their most striking forms of picturesque contrasts." For, if they (our pramatists ) are prohibited from this intercourse, and follow the injunctions of the Critic—the " last polish" will, I am afraid, he the " last finies," to that which is already over-polished—their dr.tmas A considerable time has now elapsed, since our play-bills and advertisements, ceased to announce to the public, that, on Mon day next, his Majesty's servants, would perform the play of Faiistus—or, 77se Witch—'Tis pity she's a whore —or, The Parliament of Love. With the exception (to speak practically), of some twenty-five Plays, three-fourths of which are Shak speare's, and none of them acted as they were written ; the volu minous remainder of the labours of the fathers of the English Stage, are as . pdpetually banished from the boards of the modern Theatre, as the tragedies of Sophocles or Seneca, or the Come dies of Aristophanes or Plautus. Then, if they are thus pre cluded, if the Dramatists of the age of Elizabeth and her suc cessor, with a few exceptions, be to the living theatre a dead letter, and to our writers—" unless to admire at a distance," a sealed book, ourselves, had better become " another Osmyn to burn and spare not," assured that the law (of logic) is on our side, and that by the issue of the conflagration, we are morally certain of corning off gainers, because, " the work of extenua tion, and thelvotie of regeneration would then go on kindly to gether." 1- It must yet be admitted, that amidst the various and cnntend ing opinions and decisions of Critics, the Dramatist, has an un certain and perplexing course to steer. I marvel, after all, for what reward it is, that he yields to the inspirations of Melpo mene, and gives " his days and his nights to the volumes of Shakspeare." is it to be judged and rewarded by the Manager "'berattied" by -the Critics, or neglected (if no worse treatment befall him) by the public ? The nice and intricate discrimination and delineaCon of cha racter, and the command of language in the phraseology of the stage, is a study distinct from the art of ode-writing ; from epic, didactic, descriptive, amatory, logical, or Spenserian poetry. Indeed, the talent for both is seldom possessed by the same individual. Shakspeare was but a very sorry rhymer. Lee and Otway aspired not to the name. Sampson Agonistes, reminds us of the uniform and severe tones of the Paradise . Lost—not of the observer and painter of Nature. On the stage, Thompson was puerile and cold ; whilst the sweetness and im provisttorial facility of Byron's verse, served only, by contrast, to sink him as a dramatist in public estimation. Much is demanded of, much is expected from, the Dramatist of the day. But until Managers, Critics, and the Public are agreed as to what they want, know their own minds, and some of them change their plans of procedure, we may demand and expect in vain. Let the Dramatist write for the Manager—his bantling dies with the season. If for the world and posterity— it cannot (ten to one) be introduced to the Public through' the medium of the Theatre. Public taste, in its treatment of works for the Stage, is not unfrequently fickle, capricious, and unjust. But, let some 44 mighty master" appear, .and the medal is quickly reversed. Taste then 'becomes docile, submissive, yielding, approving, and applauding. Like a spoilt child, Taste must be com manded and led, or it turns wayward, imperious, and tyrannous. At present, ivewant the " master," and by consequence suffer from the tyranny of the pupil. "Virginitis is a modern . drama ; and, upon the whole, en titled to co, - ntilendation. It shows us what can be done by a Dramatist, who is not a poet. Ilere we have something of the bold delineation of the passions, brit nothi n g o f t h e fl ow i ng line of the elder writers. We look for, hut find not, even the smooth versification—the elevated soliloquies of Cato, or the measured tones of the lost Calista. Thdugh the dialogue is spirited and better than the speeches, it is not by its language that this Tragedy has succeeded upon the stage, and pleases in , the closet. Of all the difficulties that cross t h e path of the dramatic ptableangday§: laygua g e (as I h a ve a l rea d y she wn) tic is aspirant t It is for thi s reason , t h at the rllaia moat of ap faults of style in the play of Virgiaius, should b e p asse d over with gentle correction. With more of the political tempera ment, had the Author sounded his tuning-hammer, and pitch ed his style on a higher key—had he imitated the diction of the Shaksperian, Rhetoric, or Poetic school, he would have to tally and irretrivably failed. Mr. Knowles, however, with better judgment, studied the living wage:--the mechanical part of his art; and, by adapting the character of his hero to the style of acting of a certain po pular performer, became, in a degree, and to a certain extent, a successful dramatist. The scho o l of acting alluded to is, in deed, different from that in which our Garricks and our Kern_ files won their laurels. Nevertheless, such is the merit of Vie ginius, that the character most now descend from one perfor_ mer to another, while Tragedy is represented on the British Theatre. Mr. Knowles owes much of the success he has obtained, to his not attempting too much, by stretching and straining his powers beyond their natural play ; but walking easily forward, without stepping asic!.?.. and floundering to the right and left by the assistar, Ceaa pair of unmanageable stilt:4. His scenes are trimmed, dressed, and contracted for stage purposes, with in genuity and effect; and, in this respect, illy. Knowles, has " set a copy" to his brother dramatists, they would do well and wisely to follow. The plot of Virginias is faulty in this respect—the main in terest of the piece ceases after the sacrifice of the heroine. The fifth act, therefore, becomes rather a postscript to the others than a part " one and indivisible" of the whole. Julius, the lover, and the rest of flue characters, appear only as a company of mourners at a funeral, after the death of Virginia. This defect of plot might have been remedied, had the sacrifice of the daughter been made the climax to the last act. Appius might then have died as well by the knife, as the fingers of Vir ginias. Neither is in accordance with the facts of history ; but either were allowable to the dramatic poet. The style of this play is, no doubt, imperfect and incorrect : yet, if it is not lofty or poetical, it is, on that account, more the language of real life. It is not, however, low and without dignity. On the contrary, if " well mouthed" on patent boards, (and accompanied by a judicious sprinkling of starts and pauses, of Edmund Kean's invention), it will pass current with an audience for unadulterated sterling ore. The dialogue is easy and spirited, and free from the faults of affectation and pretension. The following is rather a favourable specimen of the language of Virginias. Dentatus having been treacherously slain near the Roman camp, Virginius is mourning over the body, and breathing revenge, when Lucius enters, to inform the latter that his daughter at Rome is claimed as a slave in his absence by Claudius:— Luc. Virginius ! . Vir. I did not mind thee, Lucius ! Uncommon things make common things forgot. Hast thou a message for me, Lucius ? Well ! I'll stay and hear it—hut be brief ; my heart Follows my poor Dentants. Lee. You are wanted In Rome. Vir. On what account ? - Luc. On your arrival You'll learn. Vir. How ! is it something can't be told At once? Speak out, boy ! Ha ! your looks are loaded With matter—ls't so heavy that your tongue Cannot unburthen them ? Your brother left The camp on duty yesterday,,-hath aught Happen'd to him ? Did he arrive in safety ? Is he safe ? Is he well ? Lae. He is both safe and well. Vir. What then ? What then ? Tell me the matter, Lucius. Luc. I have said It shall be told you. Vir. Shall ! I stay not for • That shall, unless it be so close at hand It stop me not a moment.—"ris too loaf; A coming: Fare you well, my,Lucius. (Going.) Luc. Stay, Virginius.—Bear me then with patience. Vir. (Returns.) Well, I am patient. • Luc. Your Virginia—. Vir. Stop, my Lucius ! • I am cold in every member of my frame ! if 'tis prophetic, Lucius, of thy news, Give me such token as her tomb would, Lucius— I'll bear it better.—Silence. Luc. You are still Vir. I thank thee, Jupiter !—I am still a father . Luc. You are, Virginius, yet. Vir. What, is she sick ? Luc. No. Vir. Neither dead not sick ! All well ! No harm ! Nothing amiss ! each guarded quarter safe, That fear may lay him down and sleep, and yet This sounding the alarm ! I swear thou tell'st A story strangely.—Out with't ! I have patience , For any thing, since my Virginia lives, And lives in health ! Luc. You are requir'd in Rome, To answer a most novel suit. Vir. IVhose suit ? ( Virginius, Act. 3, Scene 5.) In this selection of style (and throughout the Play it is simi lar), two of Mr. Lacy's essentials of dramatic language, are observable. It is " accommodated to action"—and "common dialogue appears on its surface." Here; nothing resembling the "mellifluouss purling of ultra-poesy," •or the " hollow heroics of the rhetoric school" can be discerned." Reduce the capital letters at the commencement of each line to the common size, read the sentences according to the punct ua ti on ; an d t hi s uyould-be poetry will become something very like " honest un pretending prosc.t . With imperfections of style, indisputably, and though written for the stage rather than the closet, Virginius, yet pos sesses a share of .merit of high, order. .Action, bustle, and bu siness prevail from the commencement of the first act to the termination of the fifth. There is much pathos interwoven with the composition of the story : and the interest to the end of the fourth act, when Virginhis stabs his daughter to pre vent her being dishonoured by the Decemvir, progressively in creases : Lo ! Appius ! with this innocent blood, I do devote thee to th' infernal gods ! is the frantic exclamation of the father, as he withdraws the fatal knife from the bosom of the murdered Virginia. This Play powerfully excites the passion of pity—if not the paSsion of _terror—in the human breast. This is the touch stone of tragedy : and higher praise than this, if justly me rited and bestowed, no dramatist need seek to obtain. •Of 0 - this Gracchus, a tragedy by the same Author, I had rather not speak. John Home, wrote one play—Douglas—and wisely put an end to his intercourse with Melpomene. James Sheridan Knowles wrote Virginius: and after that, in imi tation of Home, ought to have forsworn the embraces of the embraces of the Muse. Mr. Knowles's genius, is not akin to that of the Scotts and Byrons. His is not the creative prolific imagination of the poet. In one instance (by contrast as it were), he proved successful. But one Roman story is enough. Should he again be tempted by the " nightly visitings of Melpomene, let him resist the allurement— a nd remember the fate of the son of Daylalus. I must now, Mr. Editor, bid you farewell. I have but slight ly touched, in the course of my observations, on many of the topics that connect the history of the Drama. I wished to have summed up the remarks I have made, generally ; to have ex plained several of them, and to have added one or two to the number. But this (my last) letter, has already run to an in convenient length, and—l must hastily conclude. Perhaps some Dramatist, or Critic " of the day," may find leisure to read, and answer, the following queries :- Ist, Have we in this country (in France they have) a stand ard by which we can judge of a perfect Tragedy ! 2d, Mr. Lacy has said, that Richard 111. is what may be called a perfect Tragedy. What Richard 111. does Mr. Lacy allude to ? To Richard 111. as written by Shakspeare: or to Richard 111. as altered, transposed, and interpolated by Cib ber ? The latter, has possession of the Stage. In nice discri mination and contrast of character, and brilliancy of execution throughout, Richard 111. is what may be called a perfect Tra gedy—but in nothing else. 3d, Have the writings of Shakspeare improved or injured our national dramatic taste ? Shakspeare has taught us to despise the Drama of other countries--Shakspeare is, in every sense of the word, inimitable !—A dilemma! 4th, Can Theatrical Management, chiefly in regard to the productions of authors, be assisted or controuled by the medium of a Committee—( suc h as I have ventured to suggest in my Fourth Letter)—or otherwise ? Until this reform, in one shape or other, is accomplish e d, t h e Drama cannot recover from its present state. sth,. Is there any probability of removing the stigm a f rom the age true • toneve its, dramaticghin g l t n o n i g t n a ag legitimate The desideratum is now de fined ; the ob ject is in view the T rage y written in the field is open : and the " c hivalry of England," are invited to shiver a lance on that ground where defeat is not dishonour. PROTE US. G to rac ci c i 1 8 2;j7, alndde panttlte ts tfrthis experienced trag a a n iy d , practised o r fr, c c r a t ; ten lines, that will identify them, by any possibility, as be longing. to the school of drama, denominated by Air. Lacy— th e e , poet teaic p oure.— the in Thi disvidual shews the wisdom- of stigmatizin g t h e f g insd . Applicable, of course, to the Speeches. • a • The series of letters which termini:N-(1 with the above c , • i n ce so much dramatic taste and judgment that we hope they will v he collected by the Author and published together. They h ave justly been admired by the read ers of the Slur and w ill be a valuable guide for dramatic writ ers. We beg leave to set the author right respecting the author of Douglas, who, he seems to think wrote that tragedy only. ROME also wrote the following tragedies : —viz. Agis, The Siege of Acquileia, The Fatal` Discovery, Alonzo, and Alfred. 111 r. G ray, in a letter to Dr. Warton (See Mason's Memoirs) has the followin re mark on the tra ge d y o f A g i s :—" I cry to think that it should he by the author of Douglas : why it is all modern Greek ; the story is an • antique statue, painted white and red, frized and dressed in a negligee made by a maker."—ED. Yorkshire mantua. THE SUN. SOLEAI QUIS DICERE F.4LSU.7I AUDFAT LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, FEB. 10, 1825. The Paris Papers of Monday do not contain any fresh intelligence from the Continent. The attention of the French. Journalists is chiefly oc cupied with the policy and proceedings of the English Cabinet; and from the tone of the Ministerial Paper we •may infer that the resolu tion adopted by our Government with respect to the South American States will not lead to the interruption of general peace. The private letters from Lisbon received in the French Capital concur in representing the chapge in the Portu guese Mi n i stry a 5 a complete y`_,e9 titr v „ 4 - r. J\., MASONIC NOTICES FOR NEXT WEEK. ENGLAND. Monday, Feb. 14, LONDON. Nos. 40, 143, 241, 319, 329, 335. COUNTRY. Nos. 131, 243, 320, 378, 433, 473, 517, 536, 546, 570, 574, 578, 701. Tuesday, - 15, LONDON. Nos. 33, 42, 266, 281, 309. COUNTRY. Nos. 127, 151, 167, 170, 184, 199, 385, 532, 544, 551. Wednesday, - 16, LONDON. Grand Steward's Lodge. Nos. 36, 56, 91, 92, 134, 225, 296, 321. COUNTRY. Nos. 95, 105. 124, 146, 229, 297, 339, 342, 465, 480, 487, 529, 581, 67 8 , 711. Thursday, - 17, LONDON. Nos. 65, 152, 274, 383. House Corn. Fern. Sch. at 11. COUNTRY. Nos. 113, 171, 208, 416, 451, 453, 466, 469, 511, 561. - 18, LONDON. No. 493. COUNTRY. Nos. 28, 39, 55, 193, 470, 646, 690. - 19, LONDON. * • COUNTRY. No. 64. Friday, Saturday, PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS. ROUSE OF COMMONS. Mercurii, 9 0 die Fcbruarii, 1825. The House met, and Forty Members not being present at four o'clock, Mr. Speaker adjourned the House. NOTICE OF MOTION FOR THIS DAY. Mr. Goulburn—Bill to amend certain Acts relating to Un lawful Societies in Ireland. Dropped Notices of Motions of Yesterday. 1. Mr. Spring Rice—Motion, That the Evidence taken before the Select Committee, appointed in the last Session, for in quiring into the di s t ur b ances i n I re l and, be laid before the House. 2. Mr. Spring Rice—Copy of any Dispatches received from the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, concerning Associations in Ireland. Dropped Order of the Day of Yesterday. _ Supply—Report on Motion for a Supply. COLOMBIAN MINING ASSOCIATION. TILE _PROPRIETORS of this ASSOCIA TION arc hereby required to take Notice, That the DEED OF ASSOCT A TION has been approved by the Directors, and is READYfor SIGNATURE, and that it will remain at our Office for that purpose, from To-morrow, the 11th stant, for twenty-one days, within which period the Deed must be signed by the Proprietors on penalty of the forfeiture of the first instalment ; the hours for signature will be from ten to four each day. Proprietors residing at a distance may sign by Power of Attorney, the form of which may be had at out Office. SWAIN, STEVENS, MAPLES, PEARSE, and HURST, Solicitors for the Association. 6, Fredttick Place, Old Jewry, London, Feb. JO, 1821. PRICE OF STOCKS THIS [Luck Stock 3 per Cent. Red. 9.1 y 3 per Cent. Cons. O 3 B -3 3 per Cent. Ditto Red. 4 per Cent. f Dissd. . New ...104 106 Bank Long:lnn. 23 3-16ths Imp. 3 per Cents. India Stock Ditto Bonds South Sea Stock 105 DAY AT ONE O'CLOCK. Old Annuities New Ditto Ex. Bills 10001. 2d. Ditto 14d....65 63 6✓ Ditto 501)1.211....... Ditto Hd. 66 64 Ditto Small 2d. Ditto lAd. ...... -- Ditto CoMmercfal Bank fir Act. India for Acct. Cons ; for Feb. 25. 93a I PRICES OF FOREIGN FUNDS, AT ONE O'CLOCK. Austrian Bds, 5 per ct. ... 971 Neapolitan, 5 per cent -- Brazilian Bds • Neapolitan Scrip -- •- Peruvian Bonds ... 841 4 ii 4. Portuguese Bonds - --- Prussian, 5 per ct. - Ditto New Russian, New, 5 per ct 'V7i Spanish 1821, 5 per ct. 223 1 4- ---- 1023, ditto — '`French Rentes - - Exchange ... —f —C. - Scrip Scrip 1825 ...4i1.3 pm. Buenos A yres 13ds Chilian 13ds, 6 per ct. Colombian 13(i5.6 per ct — Do. do. 1824 9liil Danish, 5 percent. lO2 Greek Bds S9A 58i Mexican Bds ...814 80,i 1/ 1 Do. Scrip 1825...3 2i 3i pm. PRICES OF SHARES AT ONE O'CLOCK. Protector Fire Assurance ( impany Anglo-Mexican Mining C)i - npany Anglo-Chilian Mining Comp an y . 11 i 11 Bolanos Mining Company - Brazilian Mining Company Chilian Mining Company . l6 Colombian Mining Company General Mining Ass oc i at i on Pasco Peruvian Mi n i ng C ompany .34 1 2 3 51 4 3 : 4 4 124 34 12 3 31 Rio de la Plat a Mining Company United Mexic an Mi ning C Ompany 2 100 Welch Iron and Coal Mining Company Provincial Portabl e G as C ompany Birmingham and Liverpool Railway London anti Northern R a il way C ompany Australian Company British Iron Company Equitable Loan B an k C o m pany 2 Gold Coast Association Metropolitan Alderney Dair:- Company New Corn Exchange Pearl Fishery Company, Yea.w Receipt • 18 I Ditto IVnit e Provincial Bank of Ireland - • lltt FOLtEIGN MAILS. ARRIVED. nut. Guernsey and Jersey Lisbon Gottenburgh llamburgh - France - America - II IGII WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE TO-MORROW. Morning, 19 minutes after 8.1 Evening, - 54 minutes after B.