The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-01-07 00:00:00

DRURY-LANE THEATRE.

List night, after the Marriage rd. Figaro, in which Miss
Stephens's performance of Susanna merits more rommen-
(lotion than we have at present time to bestow upon it. a
new farce, called Won'..Tathering, was produced at this
theatre. When we say a farce, we do hut speak by the
card," anti follow the phrate:ology of the bilk, for, truth to
say, the humour of the thing was to be found in the face of
that greatest of farce anti face makers, Liston, rather
titan in the devic-s of the auther of the produc-
tion in question. I-fe is the only man to WI; a comedy.
Authors have discovered this, and the sole comedy they
are now in the habit of favouring us with consists in the
aforesaid looks. Unlike the ghost in our great poet, there
i.e " speculation," and a right good speculation too, " in
his eyes." Accordingly it is the practice to send him for-
ward in pieces where everything is empty but the per-'
former's head, anti yet, aided by the never-failing ".nods
and becks" which he holds in command, not merely
" wreathed smiles," hut genuine " broad grins," are the
consequence, and the play succeeds. Does a writer wish
to make assurance doubly sure, he invents a new pair of
inexpressibles, or a broader brimmed hat titan his predeces-
sor, anti so, assisted by Liston and the tailor, both ends are
made to meet. Talk of French apes and human monkeys
—they are nought. Give us the man :who can do with
his features what Masurier can only effect with his feet—
roll his eyes about as easily as gooseberries—anti pick the
pursed mouth of the veriest crying philosopher of a grin.
Such a one art thou, Liston. Would we could print thy
physiognomy, for the edification of distant readers and ages
unborn !

In Waal gathering the artist has measured the actor for
a character, which, if it is not very newZin the conception,
or happy in the execution, at least fits him to a hair. This
is much. On the present occasion Ligon is what we call
an absent man (esprit distrait), who commits innumera- 1
ble blunders. His name, we think, is Wander. He is in
love with one girl, and writes a letter declaratory of his
passion, which he misdirects to another. Intending to
visit his mistress, he steps into the Brighton diligence—in
changing horses on the way, stumbles upon the return
coach—rolls back incontinently to London—and never
wakes from his reverie till he finds himself at the Serpen-
tine instead of the Steyne. He talks to a retired grocer of
his hatred for sugar-plums, to a dandy expresses his abhor-
rence of puppies, and compliments a lady on the circum-
stance of her being middle-aged. Does he desire to snuff
the candle, lie claps on the extinguisher, and when left in
the dark complains of the villany of the Brighton chand-
lers in passing off an infamous commodity. Hat ing strayed
into the wrong bedchamber, Wander peruses a page of
Little, and is edified, mistaking it for Bacon—pope upon his
intended mother-in-law in her night-gear, and when she
faints in his arms, tells her not to be alarmed, " for he
will bring her off and excuse the circumstance of her being
found in his apartment"—the tidy protests " it is he who
is in hers," and be coolly turns round and and asks " if
the house is on fire r Does he write an epistle to his
mistress, he flips the pen in the sand-box--dries the paper
with ink—and mixes up the items of a grocery bill with
the protestations of his aftlction. .

Brut enough—we pretend not to give the plot of
what is almost too slight in its construction to pos-
sess one. Such are some of the moving accidents
that •befal the hero, and of which Liston snakes good
use to convulse . the sides of his audience. Finally
the absent man is united, without mistake, to the woman
of his choice, who is advised to keep a strict eye on him
lest he should
.fbrget he was married ! At the close Mr.
Liston remembeis to forget to address the audience in be-
half of the piece and the author, but comes back for the
purpose, like Paid Pry for his umbrella, and makes an
effectual supplication. Who, indeed, that had eyes to
see or eats to hear could resist him? The farce was ac-
cordingly forgiven. Ilowever, to make use of a puss in
the style of the piece itself (there are puns in it, and bad
enough, in all conscience), we doubt if to play-goers in
general it would be very acceptable that Liston should long
continue the• character of " the ahsent man," for to them
his present.: must be at all times preferable to his
absence.

On Thursday evening the Duchess of Kent and the Prin-
cess Feodor, with their attendants, hcnoured Covent-garden
theatre with their presence.
Yesterday Prince Esterhazy transacted business at the
Foreign Office in Downing-street.

Don J. Hurtatlo, the C;iombian Minister, also transacted
business at the Foreign Office.
Thursday evening, soon after the breaking up of the
Cabinet Council, Mr. Hill, the King's messenger, was
sent off by 3lr. Secretary Peel with despatches to Ireland.
On Thursday Mr. Latchford, the King's messenger, ar-
rived at the Secretary of State's office for Foreign Affairs,
with despatches from Madrid.

On Thursday Mr. Crotch, the King's Messenger, arrived
in Downing-street with despatches from Turin.
Yesterday being the anniversary of what is called
Twelfth-day, the domestics, their friends, and the trades-
people of the Duke of York, had their annual entertain-
ment at the Royal Dukes house in South Audley-street.
Yesterday, being the anniversary of the Epiphany, or
the Manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ to the Gentiles'
the same was observed as usual at the Chapel Royal.
After the Rev. Mr. Barham, who officiated for the Sub-
Dean (who was absent from indisposition) had read the
Epistle and Gospel for the day at the altar' Mr. Mash, the
Gentleman Usher in waiting, approached the altar, and
presented three boxes, according to ancient custom, con-
taining gold, frankincense, and myrrh, which were received
by the Rev. Mr. Barham, in a large gold dish belonging to
the communion plate, In imitation of the offering of the
Wise Men of the East, on their first discovery of our
Saviour after his birth. The other part of the church ser-
vice was read by the Rev. Mr. Packmau. An anthem ap-
propriate to the day was sung by Mr. Ilawes and Mr.
Salmon—" 0 God, who, by the leading of a star," com-
posed by Mr. Attwood. Mr. Cooper presided at the organ.
Ltirnooaarutedeservesto be re-
corded, as a proof of the extraordinary despatch with which
this ingenious style of engraving can be executed, that a
very exact and spirited print of the fire at the shot manu-
factory on Thursday evening, as seen from Waterloo-
bridge, was drawn, printed, and published on the night
of the fire—a rapidity of production unequalled in the an-
nals of the art.