The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-10-11 00:00:00

DRURY-L/INR TREATRF.

Item evening the tragedy of Romeo and Joliet was re-
peated at this theatre ; upou which occasion Mr Sontiswell
appeared for the second time in Romeo, and went through
the part with, if possible, increased effect. O his first
appearance there were several errors observant in pronun-1
elation and emphasis, which we were happy to find cor-
rected on this occasion, and the whole perrormanc., was of
the most impassioned description. Mr. flooper's Mee.
cute), also, has gaited greatly by repetition, tutu iris voice,
as he becomes more used to the capacity of the theatre,
loses Much of the harshness which was obsei runt on his
earlier efforts. qieen Mob's nightly tiay. Is were given
with the most spirited effect; his quarrel with Tyintiteand
the " Plague ore both your houses, ' and death, were just
what imagination leads us to suppose to have been intended
by our immortal bard. In the masquerade scene his by-
play was particularly good ; and there is to nerally such a
portion of gentlemanly manner and carriage about Mr.
Hooper, that we feel cotifiiient he has oily tii apply him-
self diligently, to attain the top of the tree in that depart-
ment of the art which he has chosen. An able retresen-
tative of the characters performed by Mr. Jones at the
other house has long been a desideratmn here. and we
hail this gentleman as being the fittest individual that
we have seen to supply the deficiency. In order to
satisfy ourselves as to whether cur opinion is or is not
justly founded, we hope to ace him shortly in some other
character played by his contemporary—Toting Contrast, for
instance, in the Lord of tie Manor—anti upon that, or
indeed any similar test, we feel fully prerared to risk the
correctness of our opinion. Mrs. West's Juliet it is im-
possible to pass over without the highest c tmmendation
there may he some Jolicts equal to hees, but very few sit-'
perior. The lady of Avenel followed, and has received
some curtailment since last night : the k life n'er ht be
yet, however, forth; r applied, without clanger to the piece,
either as regards the plot or dialogue. Mr. Beasley is said
to be anther ; if so he has not :Oiled much to the stock of
his dramatic fame, for it certainly is not the best structure
of the sort which he has raised. The Oi telt Centigee of
M. Scribe supplied hitn with better materials than those
which he has chosen in the erection of this romance. There
is little of point in the dialogue beyond some breed double
enteNdrcs, about three pulls, and one common-place obser-
vation of, " 1i you wuuld but take my advice., but you
won't," which Harley, of course, does not omit to let off
with the greatest effect of which it is susceptible. A sped.'
melt of the puns may be had in the following, where
Harley begs of Horn, that if he is disposed to set up for a
teacher of love, he will net take his (Hark y's) wile's eyes for
his pupil. Having expressed our opinion of the prose part
of this composition, it is but fair to advert to the poetic.
In doing so we select two specimens, which afford a fair
sample of the rest. The first is the recitative and air so
beautifully given by Miss I. Paton, as the Spirit, the air
being that of " Robin Adair."
Youth of die dark eye, wherefore call me here ?
Wherefore art thou here, if terrors can appal thee ?
What I am, I must not show ;
What I am, tho:i rould.t not know :
S.mething that thy wit or will
NI ay work thee good—may work thee ill.
That which thou wouldst aisli to know,
That my knowledge oily not show ;
Spirit of the haunted well
Bids thee fly to Avenel :
Within its lowers thou inapt know
That which my knowledge must not show ;
Away ! away ! to Avenel.
My time is past—my hour is come;
The night.breeze culls my spirit home ;
It ells me where I dare not tell—
Away ! to seek thy fire at Avenel.
Away! Away! Away!
The next is the words of a chorus sung by the peasants'
wives, on their decoying Father Philip down the mill-
stream.

Merrily swim we—the moon shines bright,
lioth current and ripple are dancing in light.—
We have rotted the nightnven and heard him croak,
As ere plasli'd along beneath the oak ;
flood luck to your fishing,
And merrily swim.
Merrily swim ye—the moon shines bright,
There's a golden gleam on the distant height
There's a silver stain on the alder's dank,
And the drooping willows that wave on the bank ;
Good luck, &c.
Merrily swim ye—the moon shines bright,—
Downward ye drift, through shadow and light ;
Under yon rock the eddies sleep,
Calm and silent, and dark and deep;
Good luck, &c.
With these specimens, the latter of which is certainly
very creditable to Mr. Beazley, we shall take our have.
The house filled at second price, and the applause was
greater at the conclusion than on the preceding evening.

LIVERTOOI. Tettarsz.--This Theatre was filled to
excess on Monday evening. Early In the forenoon persona
were in attendance to secure places in the boxes. One
gentleman wished to take five boxes for the whole week,
but could not be allowed. Liston played reef Pry.
The Steadfast Society, a political association established
at Bristol about eighty years ago, in support of Tory prin-
ciples, has just been dissolved by a resolution of its own
members.
COUCH TO PIIHiSHYT SCA SICZNYSL—MT. Pratt, serf
New Bond.street, is aolieiting a patent for a swinging elastic couch,
to be used on ship-board, for the prevention of sea sickness. The
contrivance is partly his awn, and partly the invention of a gentle.
man in Paris. Two elastic seats upnn the French plan have been
lately brought into England by the Baroness de Gavedall ()vines.,
who has satisfactorily proved by her own experience, and that of
her maidservant, the effective operation of the contrivance, having,
in her voyage, encountered a turbulent sea, without feeling, while
seated upon the cushion, any of those unpleasant sensations of
nausea which are attendant upon the peculiar agitation of a rolling
and pitching vessel. The French plan, which has been incorpo-
rated with Ale Pratt's previously cmcerteil contrivances, has pro.
duced a simple pieve of furnitnre, which, on ship-fr.:l.d, will be
found to be extrentelv desirable for the use of invalids, and all per-
sons who are susceptible of being affected with that distressing ma.
lady, sea-sickness. The invention appears also to be capable of
very extensive use on land, by adapting it to the seats of chairs,
sofas, couches, mattresses, and particularly as beds for sick persons,
the elasticity of every part of the cushion affording the greatest ease
to the persons reclining upon it, by returning to its distended figure
the moment that the partial pressure is removed, or shifted front
place to place, which is not the ease with feather beds, or any de.
scription of mattresses or elastic cushions that we have heretofore
used. The interior of these cushions are furnished with springs
of a peculiar construction, covved on the top with a bed of horse.
hair, and the space necessarily left unoccupied within may he con. '
veniently adapted to receive led-clothes ; by which means a bed or
mattress upon this plan may be constructed so that with all its rip.
panda ges it may be parked up in the dimensions and form of a
travelling portmanteau. The materials of which these couches are
made being of themselves so simple and cheap, it is probable that
they may be furnished to the public in a complete state at one-third
the price of any ordinary bed and bed.stead.—London Johrnal of
drat and Scieucu.