The Press.
London, England, 1856-12-20 00:00:00

Letts's Diaries for 1857.

THE benefits resulting from division of labour
everywhere meet our view. The firm of 'Messrs.
Letts has specially devoted itself to the production
of diaries ; it has produced these useful volumes in
every variety of form, fi oin a thumb•book ti, for the
waistcoat•pocket to the bulky volume proper com-
panion to the massive ledger on the merchant's.
desk. In all these varieties of form there is the
nicest adaptation of matter and arrangement to the
use and character of the diary. An admirable size
for general convenience is that marked No. 8. It is
of an octavo form, and about as thick as an ordinary
volume. It opens with a comprehensive almanack,
containing such information as persons engaged in
commercial pursuits are most likely to want. Then
follow a number of blank pages for general
memoranda. In the diary an entire page is devoted
to each day of the year, an ample space for noting
engagements, and for a brief record of facts. At the
end of the diary, two pages ruled for cash accoant
are given to each month. The diary is in stout.
convenient binding, and opens wide with facility.
Leather covers are provided for persons who wish
for some additional protection. The whole of the
diaries issued by this house are got up with equal
care; the convenience of all classes of the commu-
nity has been sedulously studied ; every person
wishing to cultivate habits of regularity, and to keep
matters in hand, so that he may always know
his position, cannot do better than select from the
number of "Letts's Diaries " offered to his choice,
one best suited to his wants and means. It is a sure
way to commence the new year well, if only resolve
be made to regularly use it for the record of facts,
and particularly of such as are of a business and
pecuniary nature.

The Old Monastery. By the Author of " Clara."
From the Original. By Lady Wallace. Two
Vols. London : Bentley.

WE must confess this book has 'puzzled us not a
little. We cannot, we think, be mistaken in suppos-
ing that. we have recently read a great part of it in
" Clara," which came recommended to the public by
a preface from the pen of Sir Archibald Alison. We
have not leisure to unravel the mystery. Our im-
pression is that a story has been made up by con-
necting together parts of separate fictions. Lady
Wallace favours us with not a word of preface, and
we are disposed to think the words " From the
Original " must be loosely interpreted. The merit of
the book is of a sketchy character, many of the
scenes being full of truth and humour. The story
itself savours of the literary cookery which we sus-
pect to pervade the whole book.

E4t gram a.
HAYMARKET THEATRE.
REVIVAL OF " THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL."

FOR the last many weeks the playbills might be
stereotyped. At the Princess's Theatre, the Lyceum,
the Olympic, and Adelphi, the same pieces have
figured on the stage and in the public advertise-
ments. During one entire month The School for
Scandal has been played at the Haymarket, and
even still it is made to fill the house for half the
week. The fact is worth chronicling in the barren
theatrical events of the current season, and it will
justify some notice.

We do not concur with those who have said that" the
success of Sheridan under the circumstances was a
triumph under difficulties." That large and fashion-
able
audiences heartily approve of The School for
Scandal, as now acted at the Haymarket, cannot be
denied. The piece is fairly acted on the whole, and
although there is no excellence in any one part, still
there is no flagrant failure anywhere. Miss
Reynolds plays Lady Teazle with great vivacity,
which would be more brilliant if it were less
"stagey." The half-smothered rusticity of the
country girl suddenly blooming into a lady of fashion,
is not represented by the actress. Her performance
of Lady Teazle is too confident and noisy. Yet
there are many parts of the portraiture well
brought out. The clear, sharp-cutting wit of
Lady Teazle is delivered with much intellectual
power by Miss Reynolds. The difficult speech
after the screen falls, is delivered by this clever
actress with much natural pathos and ladylike
grace; and, ou the whole, the Lady Teazle of Miss
Reynolds is as good as can now be seen on the stage.
Mr. Chippendale's Sir Peter, though too hard and
wooden, has, in some parts, many etrective touches.

~.

DECEMBER 20, 1856.

Tt wants the courtly grace and refinement which
Farren used so elaborately to work into the part.
The Sir Peter of Mr. Chippendale is too like a
suburban " cit," yet it has merit; and this actor
seems gradually working his way into the favour of
the Haymarket audience. We name these two parts
first because they are best performed. The Charlet
Surface of Mr. Murdoch is one of that actor's least
successful impersonations. He gets through the
whole of the screen scene very well, but in the auction
scene (which is Charles's principal one) the actor was
not "up " in the manner in which that part is
usually rendered. Several good points were missed,
especially in the dialogue with Rowley. The Mrs.
Candour of Miss Talbot is well spoken ; but the
subtle irony is not given, and in place of it we have a
Mrs. Candour, broadly humorous, hurling out
inuendoes from behind a fan. Miss Talbot is too
erushing in her Mrs. Candour, and should learn how
to tickle the victims of the scandal club. Buckstone
is joyous in Sir Benjamin, and Mr. Compton is as
dry as chips in Crabtree. The Joseph of Mr. Howe
is in many respects a meritorious performance. It
is not disgustingly hypocritical, nor too sentimentalyl
whining. As ordinarily played, Joseph suggests the
idea of a gentleman turned Methodist. Mr. Howe
cants but little in the part. On the whole, the
revival of this brilliant comedy has been one of the
most successful of Mr. Buckstone's undertakings at
the Haymarket.
One of the pleasures in seeing The School for
Scandal acted is, to witness the pleasure of the
audience. The piece has every merit a play can have,
except originality of character, which, however, is
amply atoned for by its profusion of wit. It has con•
struetion, neatness, finish, a strong plot with powerful
contrast, and it fulfils the end of comedy in its
satirical portraiture of scandalmongers. There is
only one stage "blot " in it,—" Why did Joseph leave
The room while Lady Teazle was behind the screen,
and Sir Peter and Charles in the same apartment
with her ?" But Sheridan is fairly entitled to plead
the licence of stage invention, and Joseph had reason
to fear lest Lady Sneerwell would have come up, had
he not gone down to her. Never, probably (with the
exception of the letters of Junius), was any English
composition so elaborated as The School for Scandal.
When its final revisions were effected, the author
wrote at the end of the copy, " Finished, thank
God—R. B. Sheridan ;" and the prompter, who
had been plagued with such numerous altera-
tions, added, " Amen—W. Hopkins." The original
copy was burnt in the late conflagration at Covent
Garden, but the blaze of wit in the comedy itself
will ever live with the fire of genius.

M. durLiEN's BENEFIT, 011 Wednesday last,
attracted one of the most fashionable and numerous
audience% of the series of concerts. Miss Vining,
who made so successful a debut at a moment's
notice at the Sacred Harmonic Society's concert on
Friday week, was rapturously applauded in both
her songs. Unless we are much mistaken, she will
.attain a high rank among English vocalists.
THE BAL MASQUE of Monday evening next, with
which the concArts will close, will surpass, it is said,
any performance of the kind hitherto given in Eng-
land.