The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1804-05-28 00:00:00

T:1 1.-rIE, HAYNI% KR r.

On Satiirclty night. a new Caiin.l.l7 In fie.: Afts,
ktifed. G tiff tr.• ,or Gr.,407 f win performed :it this
T:textre, for the first tirnt ; principal cliaraftzrs
of which were thus reprtnented:

N'44.1 Mr. Flamm.
DI .for Cowie Mr. P.l.nor.
TrOvee . Mr. Mathevn.
Mr. lia,ovre.. Mr. Chapman.
ClArtes Balanre
Sr Harm Painter. Mr. D • t amp.
Waliarn
Yaßeg Mn. Gibbs.
Nee. Itednere
Sawn.
Rigid Mn T. lVoodiall.
Japhia M,m Grimani.
This Comedy is the produCtinn of Mr. T. Dian's.
The story is taken from the Reprobate, one of the
hest Novels of that pnpuler writer, .4,(olsent hi Foe.
Edneand R%4.1, in the Play, is placed in simi-
-lit circurnitances with the Repro "ale in the novel.
At the opening of the piece, he bears a charafter,
almost universally abhorred. It is in the mouth of
thewhnle country, that he had attempted to seduce
his mother-in-law, and had drawn his sword on
his own father ; he is represented as the object
which all men shun; and to place his charalter as low
ZS public opinion e:en reduce it, he is contemned as
a coward, one prevalent report respeCting him being,
flat he had retired from the army because he would
not fight a duel. This man, hcw-ever, is of a noble.
generous, elevated temper. The ch of bar to ex-
planation on his part, is occasioned by his generous
regard to his father's peace of mind. His mother-
in-law he had once loved, and she had been be-
trothed to him ; hot, in his absence on his travels,
she had heed induced, by the attriltinns of superior
rank and fortune, to marry Lord RiCid. l!e re.

turns; meets his mother in law; and_ (from peen.
liar circumstances), not knowing his new relation
to her, and supposing her still faithful, clasps her
in his arms. In this situation he is surprised by
Lis father, who draws upon him, and he (from re-
gard for his father, as much as in his own defence),
wrests the sword from Lord .12r,cid's hand ; and,
being found in these circumstance; by some of that
nobleman's servants, hence arose the grand calumny,
which served as a foundation and authority for ail
the rest. His mother in law did not explain, from
shame of her breach of faith to Et/mm.4; he was
silent for his father's sake; and Lord Ri-,il, though
sensible of the misake of part of the report, was
silent, from a sullen though unfounded jealousy.—
AU the equivocal circumstances of Elats.hrs life
are at length explained. in a manner equ II v to his
honour ; but this, which we have seloeted, will
scree as a snecirnen of the embarrassments and di-
settroment of the plot.
It must be acknowledged, that the charaeter and
situation of Edmund are capable of producing scenes
of great interest ; but. it also will be at once per-
ceived, that they border very ne..rly on the mura-
lragant, and demanded great nicety of feeling and
judgment. to conduct them through a prc,bable
course to a natural and fortunate issue. The au-

thor has not entirely succeeded in this. The faCis

art too extravagant ; the snspence does not beget
much anxiety ; and the explanation is lame and in-
sufficient This it said of the fable, considered as a
whole. Parts of the story are pleasing and affect-
ing. The situation of Sasrire is most interc'ting.
Edivend is married to her, under a feigned name ;
and she has to receive from him the explanation. that
the man she has been taught to detest, and whose
name is her terror, is her husband. Yet this expla-
nation, so fraught with occasion for passion, is
crowded into the throng of explanations, and thus
loses much of that power it might have derived
from being singled out, and made to Swett in
same happy and eventful moment. The situation
of Swath with her father (Major Carattle), who sup-
poses her to have lost her honour (the marriage
being a secret one), is well imagined, and produces
a fine effelt. The Major's chandler is well drawn
as a sketch, but it is not fully made out, nor is it
touched with sufficiently glowing colours. This is,
is some degree, the case with most of the promi-
nent charafters. They only want to filled up
to deserve a permanent station on the boards of the
theatre. This may be more particularly said of
the charafter of Edeismet An underplot is very well
thrown into this play, to relieve the serious part
of the scene; in which the principal personages
are, Triangle, who keeps a school, a circulating
library, and a room for reading the newspapers;
and Sir Harry Pointer, a dashing Baronet and jockey.
The charalters were generally well sustained. Mr.
Eurstom's ?domed is a bold, rich, and masterly
performance. In the tender scenes with the ami-
able Sasctee, and in those scenes in which the grander
passions are called forth, he was equally happy.
Mr. MATHEWS gave the charafter of Trienrk with a
good deal of vivacity. In the charafter of the lovely
&tote, Miss Wools r A LL was all that the author has
painted, and he has touched that cliaradler with pe-
culiar delicacy and success. This play very early
interested the audience. and Was received with very
great and general applause. Ore instance only cc-
cnrred of disapprobation. The Mr! jor fires at Ed-
mund as he wires after declining to fight hint; and
Stunk, rushing in to prevent the duel, is, for the mi.
meat, supposed to have received the hall from her
frher's hand. There is certainly something harsh
in this, which it would be well to alter. When the
curtain dropped the applause was unanimous. The
two last lines of the Epilogue gave out, in WI, the
repettion of the plav, and were received with the
loudest plaudits. lire Epilreztie (which has min li
merit) was admirably deliyr,o..l by Mr. Ei usrom.
- Prologue was spoken by Mr. PA L mut, jun.

'or torne time past a middle-aged man, respecta-
drew,d, has been calling at the Queen's Those,
eking inquiries if the KING hid let .17iy messages
him, and if the Pa ilaciasts had left any I.:ttcr.
Wm, in answer to .071/C scut thcni Un Fri
morning asrilie.l at the ti.' r ot tht•
:Pi, and b:virri,- el evrrawly tNinhlesnr:te, th it
Atr ait once: :hc gcarkii.ca portur; .1 in: •
"I him, ald ennveved him into the c:ismiy rf
"%enj. t r officer, who I:,,[:,ed hint in Fot:till.
Is Bridcwell (In Saturday hr was examined
Sir ll:Cif A Tt!) Frith, VICII he i roved to b.: 2
l WllO is derangtcl, and hAs-hern custody 5...
a t.orra. r•xorderrl to b: ci:t.utzd. Ifis
It. T..: NI AS L' ww.