The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-04-09 00:00:00

COVENT-GARDEN THEATRE.

Last night was produced, for the first time at this theatre,
a play in three acts, intersperserl with music, entitled The
Hebrew Family; or a Traveller's Adventure. The plot
of the piece is as follows :
Frank Forester (Mr. Jones). the English Traveller, has been
condemned to the flames by the Inquisition, for the crime of as-
sisting in the abduction of a nun from a convent in Valencia. Ile
escapes at the critical moment appointed toe the execution of the
sentence, in the confusion occasioned by the falling of the acatfold-
ing, and is harboured and protered by Issachar (Mr. Fawcett).
The Jaw has a pretty daughter, with whom, as in duty bound,
Frank thinks it necessary to fall in love, principally perhaps rue
passer lc temps, and because there is no other petticoat in sight.
Miriam (Miss M. Tree), who is a second edition of Rebecca, in
" Ivanhoe," rejects his marital addresses on the ground of
dif-
ference of religious opinion, but is content to tender all that cir-
cumstances admit of sisterly affection to " her Christian brother."
This is accepted. and exertions male to deliver Forester from the
dangers surrounding him, and the ettbrts still making for his ap.
prehension by Father Sereno (Bartley). Arrangements are accord-
ingly made to ship him off to England, but no better meats sug-
gests itself for arriving at the sea-coast, than by passirg through
the house of the Governor (Farren), who has been tr-offich) a party
in the efforts made to re-capture the heretic. But passing by this
improbability, our Englishman is conveyed into the Governor's
garden, accompanied by Reuben (Miss Cawse). There unfortu-
nately Leonella (Miss Gibbs) makes a slight mistake in the dark-
nen, and stumbling upon Jaime and Vasco, two " brothnis and
bandits," as the bills have it, entrusts to them the key and direc-
tions intended to facilitate air escape of Prank Forester. Now, it
is to be observed, that these .• brothers and bandits" aforesaid enter-
tain a slight grudge against the Governor of Valencia, for haviti",
been instrumental in bringing to justice their father, who was a
the same trade as themselves, and have accordingly posted them.
selves in Des Gomm: garden, for the purpose of watching their
opportunity of vengeance. By the mistake already mentioned they
gain access to our friend the Governor's bedchamber, whom they
find soliloquizing upon sleep, in a red night-gown and slipper:,
somewhat after the fashion of our own Harry VI. They have cotn-
pelled Frank to accompany them to the scene of their intended
violence, and are on the point of putting tkir bloodthirsty inten-
tions into execution, when they are interrupted by the appearance
of butcher (who has of course received timely information of what
is going on), armed with a brace of pistols. The alarum is rung,
guards enter, and LlOn Gomez, the Catholic Governor, finds him-
self rescued by a heretic and a Jew. All seems now to go on
swimmingly till Father Serene. steps in and asserts his right to dis-
pose of the person of Forester, under a royal mandate to that edict.
The parties look exceedingly blank, till Sereno relieves them by
saying, that though he will not consent to an escape, he is disposed
to set Frank at liberty openly, having obtained the King's cutlet
for that very purpose. The piece accordingly concludes. lssachar
expressing his determination to set sail for England with Forester,
and Miriam likewise consenting to accompany " her Christian
brother" to lioundsditch.

The cognoscenti will instantly perceive the defects and
improbabilities of this plot, some of which we have at-
tempted to point out in the course of our analysis. One
more absurdity is observable in the conduct of Father Se-
rena, who has the Royal pardon in his pocket from the
first, and yet permits our hero to he led in the auto des fe
to the foot of the scaffold ; and afterwards to undergo all
the difficulties and concealments which constitute the piece,
without producing it till the critical moment when he has
saved the life of the Governor in the last scene of the last
act. This is sufficiently French and out of nature ; but
to be sure the piece could not have existed without it ; and
that constitutes at once its only apology, and the radical
absurdity of the play. So much for the plot. With re-
gard to the next point for consideration, the dialogue, we
shall be more brief in our remarks. There is rather a
pretty vein of imaginative and practical expression, which
predominated a good deal in the commencement of the
piece, and together with the bustle and interest of the first
act, excited hopes not realised by the sequel of the per-
formance. The attempts at humour fell still-born as soon
as uttered. The principal and almost only joke in the
piece was one which the complacency of the author put
some dozen times into the mouth of Farren. We cannot
at this moment charge our memory with it, but it was very
appropriate to a silly piece of work, inasmuch as it related
to All-Fools Day and the First of April. The two last
acts were extremely tedious, and encountered some disap-
probation, and we think the hissing would have been more
had the yawning been less. The music is a melange from
Cisochillini, Shield, Rossini, and Viotti; and where the
works of these composers could not be made available, the
deficiency is supplied by Messrs. Whittaker and Watson.
The overture from Rossini possesses much of the force and
brilliancy which are the usual characteristics of that master.
The selection is indeed throughout of a very pleasing na-
ture, and the new music possesses no inconsiderable degree
of merit. The performers exerted themselves with equal
credit to themselves and advantage to the author. What
little Farren has to do in the doting old Gosernor he did,
as usual, well. Mr. Jones, as Frank Forester, bad still
less to do, but fluttered through it with his customary
airiness, and gave it the support of his fine person.
Mr. Fawcett had the most effective and telling cha-
racter in the piece, and it lost stone of its effect
in his bands. Iu the character of Issachar, " the
Hebrew dealer," or, as the vulgar call it, a Jew ped-
lar, the author seems to have desired to do for the con-
temned people of Israel what Cumberland attempted iu
his character of Sherri. We have no quarrel with this,
but must say, there is a vast deal of mock heroics and
threadbare sentimentality, which we hoped Joseph Surli:ce
had ere now banished from our stage. However, Fawcett,
whose mane is identified with the pathetic and heroic in
comedy, did his utmost, and the people of Duke's-place
should be thankful. Mr. Sinclair sang one song (we think
it was in the second act) delightfully, and two others very
indifferently. Miss H. Cawse, who made her debut in the
character of Reuben, is, we understand, a pupil of Sir
George Smart. She is very young and very clever—she
will of course grow older, and we hope cleverer. Indeed
we have little doubts of the latter, if her friends do not
spoil her, which we fear they arc much disposed to do.
She sang one song delightfully, and with wonderful pre-
cision and power, and was deservedly encored by the whole
house ; as she was in another, in the third act (and which
scarcely deserved that distinction), by persons who no doubt
thought themselves her friends : notwithstanding, she is
under the care of an able instructor, and we entertain great
hopes of her success. What can we say of the delightful
Miss Tree that has not been said a thousand times? In
everything that is modest, retiring, and penscroso---in giv-
ing utterance to the very soul of song, which predominates
in the ballad style—and in warbling out the very spirit of
tenderness and truth, in notes that seem borrowed from the
untaught and melancholy strains of the nightingale, Miss
Tree is unequalled ; we know not where we could find a
successor for her on our stage ; we trust it will be long
ere it is necessary to seas ore. We have remarked already
that Miriam is imitated from Rebecca, a water-colour
sketch from the strong tints of the great original. Miss
Tree supported the character, and sang the songs belong-
ing to it exquisitely; and whatever were its deficiencies,
she supplied by her delightful personation. That Hue of
character is indeed well adapted to her powers, and she
looked the daughter of the poor and despised people who
have thriven while trampled upon by the haughty of the
earth, with all the fragile and lowly loveliness that could
be desired. This was the more meritorious and difficult,
on account of the unnatural and. Germanized sentiments
put into her mouth towards the conclusion of the piece.
lye have nothing further to say, than that the scenery and
decorations were (as is customary at this Theatre) good.
The piece was given out for repetition amid sufficiently
loud, but by no means unanimous, applause ; and we pro-
phecy, that if the pruning-knife is not liberally used, how-•
ever it may flourish in appearance for a few nights in the
remainder of the summer season, it will never face the
blasts of winter. Indeed we have considerable doubts
whether any mode of treatment will enable it to live so long.

Sadler's Wells Theatre, which has opened this season
with great spirit, is likely to reward the proprietors most
amply, as the house is nightly well attended.
The celebrated Goethe has presented an address to the
German Diet, to obtain from it a license to print his works,
so that he may have a guarantee against pirated editions.
It does not appear how the Diet will be able to hinder the
practice of literary piracy, which is so common in Ger-
many.
A King's Messenger left town last night with despatches
for Paris.

It is in contemplation to establish a Mechanics' Institu-
tion at Chichester.

The present lambing season of the Southdowns flocks,
which has now about concluded, is said to have bceu pro-
ductive of an unusually great number of twin lambs.
Most of the Hock masters prefer one great lamb to two
little ones.