The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-12-19 00:00:00

DRURY-LANE THEATRE.

0 fora joint-stock company that would insure ears ! We
might then venture ours within the walls of a theatre,
ey, on the occasion of a " first night"—a new piece or
rnormer—and hope to carry them home unwounded by
oone and nonsense. Alas I these is no inch thing. Actors
r„?,,ys transtnute dulness into wit:—there be no means of
idling a precious seeing to the eve" of the public
Then there is nothing to look at—and, still worse, there
ono no Letheais draught capable of " steeping the Ecri-
(Al senses in foreetfulness" and " purging our bo-
or, of the perilous rerff;" for wo are we, we must
ite our article, and are occasionally bound to re-
:lra absurdities twenty-four hours after every other
ieon,,ot being on the face of the earth has forgotten them.
snot is exactly our present situation with respect to the
▪ tperstic drama produced at this house on Saturday.
/4,:xice is or was its name : we would willingly 'Feels of
it in the put tense, albeit it was no pail-lime to witness
ih hal the audience been less indulgent, or its fate more
odintive and accordant with its deserts. As it is, we con-
sider it as good'as deal, and shall therefore play sexton to
the piece, and resurrection-men to the plot. The latter,
shim is by no means a cleanly subject, we will endeavour
otatelle in a manner as delicate as possible.
podippe ; Horn) is a cadet of a good family, the misfortunes of
oil, compel him to enter the Portuguese service as a private wi-
ck% in the rgiment of which Don Carlos (Mercer) is Colonel.
psdippo save* his Commanding Officer's life in battle, and on that
nment. added to the recommendAtien of having a pretty sister, is
ekvated to the dignity of a halberd. The sergeant's sister, beoca.
,ita (Mies Kelly), is the heroine, and. as we have intimnted, the
twat of the regiment. She has more favours hestiwed on her due.
i,g & march, and a greater number of cups intinrt to her health in
limonites. than any other female in the corps. Notwithstanding
elect. marks of high consideration, Ccoesdea is pensive, and well
de may. having met with a most disagreeable adventure sonic four
no precious to the commencement of the play. It is unneeesaary
rilifularise the nature of hecmisfortune farther than to obserse,
ilia; the towequenee of it is a little lad, named Felix, who is much
amehed to his mamma, and about the interesting age of three
rears when the curtain rires. As it regards the little Fells no
order 0! affiliation has been made, because Lenewles is in too
misstate of uncertainty to be able to pitch upon the person
guided its s claim of paternity. By some means or other Fhillipo
n kept in ignorance of all this, and it Is not till his Colonel, Don
caws, prmen:s him with a Lieutenant's eommisaion, and proffers
blown hand in marriage to Leocadca, that the fatal discovery is
aide. Immense difEzolty and distress are the eonseluences cf
this malapropos disel,sure, and Phillipo's intended union with
Banda Olio Posey). niece to the Alrada of Megrim,. is indeli.
surly postponed. Dun Fernando (Brown), a Captain in the re.
poem, who is on the point of marriage with a sister of Don
Carlor, is at first x i.pected as the secret offender, but finally it
tams out that Don Carlos himself has been unconsciously the M-
ro, anti all breaches are heeled and grievances appeased by his
r.e. la-endues union. Mancha is also joined in holy bands to her
lerer. the nice scruples of her unclu Crespo (Tayleure) being
fad: Don Fernando gives his hand to the Colonel's sister, a sort
lady, who, like a ghost, is much talked or, but never
even; dad every th;vg ends to the satisfaction of all parties except
damsel,/ and audi:ncr.
The dialogue of tlus production is one of the most
pointlos and lealeti affairs that can well be imagined.
Utterly innocent of wit or characteristic humour as it is,
the actors appeared to consider themselves relieved from
to responsibility as it regarded a strict adherence to the
words of the author, and substituted their own readings for
Lis writings, being shamefully incorrect throughout, a
thing the less to be deplored from the general stupidity of
fy test. The musie,which is originally Auber's, and adapt-
al to the Eng'ish stage by Mr. Livius, is extremely delight-
fel, and was on the whole well given by the vocal and in-
etrumental performers. Looking to the titter deficiency of
this opera in merit of a literary or dramatic nature, and to
de excellence of the music, the couplet may with great jus-
tice be applied to it
The opera, like the pillory, may be said
To nail the ears down, and expose the head."
However, it possesses one merit—brevity ; belt it was by no
wins that brevity which is " the soul of wit." Porto-
weir the piece was concluded before the arrival of the
kaiirice, a circumstance which, in our mind, contributed
toes partial escape from the fate that would otherwise
Lot attended it. The extreme thinness of the house may
Weals° conduces! to produce the same effect.
&the performers. Mr. Horn's singing was thick, and
Mr. Brown's acting thin. Blercer played a dandy Colonel,
tiredly of " the tenth," and Tayleure, • conceited Magis-
trate of " our village," who considered himself the head of
a rising family," and appeared extremely anxious to be
quite correct" Miss Povey's Mancha was pretty and
is it ought; and .liss Kelly's Leman: power-
ful and natural in the extreme. The piece owed much to
ket acting, and the character of Lencadea, an performed,
en more Md. bted to the actress than the author. _ _

In R word, the opera, aidtul by good acing and delightful
went. soy obtain a short-laved existence, as an after-pit:co,
but cannot Owe long u a leading entertainment.

TIM ruUliefi.

On Tuesday last the Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells
I.:a his primary Visitation of the Dean, Dignitaries, Ca-
s-ficsiilentilry, Prebendaries, and officers of the Cadre-
,!••ll, in the Chapter-house which is the first Visitation
cf the kind that 119/ been held for more than a century.
The Rev. Temple Chevallier, late Fellow and Tutor of
Catharine-hall, Cambridge, was on Tuesday last instituted
the vicarage of St. Andrew the Great, in this town, on
nepresenation of the Dain.and Chapter of Ely.
The Rev. Isham Case, M.A. of Jesus College. Cam-
bridge, was last week instituted by the Lord Bishop of
Lir.coln to the vicarage of Metheringham, in the county of
I.inaln, on the presentation of the Right Hon. Frederick
Earl of Bristol.

The Rev. Wm. Greenhill, B.D. Fellow of Trinity Col-
";', Oxford, has been presented by the President and Fel-
ort of that Society to the Rectory of Farnham, in the
nuuty of Essex, void by the death of the Rev. T.
Moine.
The Rev. Robert Vanbrugh Law, M.A. has been col-
had by the Lord Bishop of Bath and IVells to the pre-
boil or Canonry of Easton in Gortlano, founded in the
eatiwaral church of Wells, void by the death of the Rev.
Barter.

Amongst the extensive arrangements fur the opening of
the oma, which is fixed for the last day of the year, en-
gagements have been made with the following principal
Fences, who are en route:—Mesdames Brocartl, Evelina,
flearot, Pauline, Rosalie, Delatrc, Genevaux, and Levee-
:ur; Messieurs Coulon, Gosselin, and Theodore.
tl'e understand that Liston is sufficiently recovered to
numence his engagement at Drury-lane on Wednesday
cee, in the play of the Hypocrite.
A gentleman of the name of Perkins, we understand,
Ai trade a most successful debut at the Bath theatre as a
::I;saian. Ile appeared there on Monday last in the cha-
,,,kr of Oetarinn, and made, we are informed, so decided
se impression, that It is his Intention shortly to meet the
'1,441 of a winter theatre in the metropolis. He makes
he second appearance on the same hoards as Macbeth.
AIRICAN EIPLOITION.—The following, we under-
is the latest intelligence respecting the African ex-
Mddea Captain Clapperton, contained in letters
ITtnn Sierra Leone to the Slat October. They mention
tint Capt. Ctapperton and Dr. Dickson, with their party,
sad visited Sierra Leore in passing. They started thence,
0 excellent health and spirits, for the Benin River, at the
atom paint on the coast of Sucattoo. It was considered
""tY questionable whether the route which the expedition
hts now pursued from Sierra Leone by the Benin River, or
thst through the Fonlals country, was the best. By the
i'ltft, from the recent rapid increase of British influence,
"Ire conduct could now be obtained to within a short dis-
b:iee of Timbuctoo. But, by the Benin River, though
*c is no British influence on that part of the coast, or
try ir. the length of the journey is greatly diminished.
14e officers and men who composed the expedition anti-
nothing but a prosperous termination of their la-

Si.??IItiSION GF MCNDICITY IN THE NFTHERLANDS.
The &tuft', Parors of %Veilrissilay last state, that Inca-
'l'r% hare just he. ii resolves! upon for the extirpation of
"31icity throughout that kingdom. It is said, among
`'`tat
Ll'iwi;s• that the mendicants will be divided into three
"Is.t.:', the h• :dilly, the sick. and the foreigner& 'f he
6"t will be immediately removed to the Colonies of the
110 Benevolent Societies; the second placed in establish-
111ffill where they will be maintained at the expense of the
• 7 provinces; and the third brou"ht before the
WI, to be proceeded sesiir:t VC"./rdirtZ to the law
• •• ,77x1-.ad.