The Press.
London, England, 1857-01-31 00:00:00

PANICHLETS.

The Trawler of Land. Hodges and Co.—Life in Algeria.
Smith and Elder—Hardwicke's Pretage. Hardwiclie
—The Army and the Militia. Murray—sir Robert Peel's
Art of 1544 !"indicated. Longmans--Where must ire Look
for the Farther Prevention of Crime Smith and Elder.

EIZe pram a.

SADLER'S WELLS.

Is his conception of Malrolio, as in most of his
comic inpers.mations from Shakespeare, Mr. Phelps
owes little to tradition. Setting aside both the
critical vagaries which would elevate the pompous
steward into a high-bred and accomplished gentle-
man, driven to reserve as the natural defence against
uncongenial associates, and the stage convention
mhieh, by universal consent, has degraded him to a
mere idiot, like Sir Andrew Agueeheek, Mr. Phelps
presents us with an embodiment approximating more
nearly than either to the truth ; and his Malvolio is
as evidently a being superior to the rest of that noisy
household, as he evidently overrates his superiority.
Though we feel it is no inconsistency that so superb
a personage should " think nobly of the soul," and
"in no wise approve the opinion of Pythagcras," yet
we agree with Sir Toby and Maria in regarding his
matrimonial views as a little too ambitious, and
share their triumph when the respectable steward,
the professed enemy of everything low, is fairly
caught in the trap which they lay for him. This
is as it should be. .?%Ir. Phelps's makeup is very
picturesque, and the stateliness of his carriage, the
measured slowness of his gait, the deliberate and
monotonous utterance, are in admirable keeping with

114

what a phrenologist would call the diseased self-
esteorn of Malvolio. He is truly " sick of self-love,"
as Olivia tells him. The earlier scenes are the hest.
In the famous garden soliloquy there is too much
evict-ince of study, and a redundance of ungraceful
gesticulation, bad in itself, and inconsistent with the
s-M.containnierit of the character. The calmness with
which the actor accepts the concheion to which Olivia's
letter assists Malvolio in arriving, as if the discovery
were not so much to be wondered at after all, though
it has a strange etfoct at first, proves on reflection
to be more truthful than the fantastic exuberance of
delight usually displayed on the occasion. The pre-
veiling blemish of this otherwise excellent bit of
comic acting is the constant reference made by the
actor to the understanding between him and his
au Hence, which disturbs the perfectness of the Ma-
si to. Mr. Phelps acts at his audience too much,
not enough to them. In farce, this is excusable and
amusing enough. Of the rest of the characters in
Twelfth Night there is not much to he said. Mr.
Marston's Aguecheek is a wonder of foolishness; but
Sir Toby sutlers sadly in the hands of Mr. Itay, who
deerades the jovial knight into • very vulgar toper
indeed. The fine drinking scene becomes a mere
pAbouse brawl ; and so far from taking part with
the revellers against Malvolio, we feel very much
obliged to him for putting an end to such inhar-
monious riot. Viola is gracefully and unpretend-
ingly played by Miss Eburne.

TENNESSEE SLAVEOWNERS AND THEIR
SLAVES.
THE Clarksville (Tennessee) Jeffersonian publishes
the following resolutions, adopted by the Committee
of Safety appointed in that place by the slaveowners,
to investigate the causes of the recent negro troubles,
and to suggest a remedy.
"The committee appointed by the citizens of Clarks-
ville to investigate the truth of the threatened insur-
rection of the negroes in this vicinity, to allay
improper excitement, and to guard the community
against danger, deem it appropriate to the occasion
that we should give publicity to the following resolu-
tions, which have met our unanimous approval, and
we rtemmend them as precautionary measures,
which, if fol!owed, will, in our opinion, avert every
danger and give perfect security to the citizens :

Resolved,—That we recommend to our city and county
authorities to suppress for the future all assemblages of
negroes. under any pretext whatever, at frolics, bans, bene-
volent societies, or at public worships where negro
preachers officiate; and that our ministers of the Gospel be
requested to suspend absolutely their habit of preaching to
the negroes on occasions separate from their ordinary
preaching as ministers of the Gospel. Our churches are
large enough for our whole poinlation, white and black.
We deem all such meetings for ne.tro preaching alone
proper; that they degenerate into un'awful assemblies, and
are otherwise productive of inc:•iculable mischief.
That the owners of negroes ought not to give orders for
their negroes to get buggies and carriages for pleasure on
the Sabbath, or on any occasion whatever, and that it is
the sense of this committee that the owners of livery stables
in Clarksville ought not to hire horses and buggies to
negroes, even when their masters permit it, for the reason
that such indulgence to neiroes promotes insubordination
among the slaves, and stimulates feelings wholly incon-
sistent with their duty to their masters and the subordi-
nate position the should occupy in reference to white
people. It is further the sense of this committee that our
mereharts and traders ought to abstain absolutely from
dealing with the negroes, unless by the express permission
of their masters; and on no account ought they to sell
them firearms, ammunition, or other weapons, with or
without their owners' consent, if any should be so iudiscreet
as to grant it.
That, in the opinion of this committee, the present evils
that affect us are mainly to be attributed to the late presi-
dential canvass, not meaning to cast more blame on this
than on that political party; we condemn the public dis-
cussion of all questions touching negro slavery before
crowds of people, in the hearing of vast multitudes of
negroes. We further think slaveholdera are guilty of gross
folly when they permit their negroes to go to barbecues
and other public gatherings, where public speakers of the
one party or the other discuss those delicate subjects of
negro slavery, the true bearing of which they do nut com-
prehend, and where they imbibe crude and disjointed no-
tions of freedom, winch only imperil the safety of the white
and the certain destruction of the black race.

That we call upon our city authorities to take strong
measures to prevent negroes passing to and from the iron-
works, from spending Christmas holidays in our town,
and especially from staying a single night in the corpora-
tion, unless their masters reside here. In case, however,
a negro's wife lives in town, he will be permitted to stay
here, provided he has a pass from his master, which is
recognised or endorsed by the owner of his wife, and that
they increase the day and night watch in each ward in the
city during this period, at the expense of the corporation.
We further earnestly recommend to our whole population
in the town and c'.untry to abalish the usage of giving to
their servants Christmas holidays. It is a usage more
hononroil in the breach than the observance, for the. reason
Vitt it breeds idleness ani encourages dissipation among
the negroes, impairs their health. and corrupts their
mold he a blessing to them to be kept con•
as a protection against the evils engen-
and a decided comfort to us, as afford-

rttorals. It smilld
scantly employed,
tiered by idleness;