The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-08-22 00:00:00

FROM OUR PAMIR CORRESPDXDENT.

P 411114, Ave. is,
There is very little business doing here. Ilankrupteise
are frequent, and a check is felt in every branch of trade;
the greatest losses, however, are in the hook trade • and
books, it must be remember4id, are the staple manufacture
of Paris. The printing establishments here are the first iu
the world, and employ workmen from every country is
Europe ; it is not surprising, therefore, that the ohmic
total suspension of orders from the London houses, which
has already existed for several months, should exsite the
liveliest apprehensions in the minds of those who have
large capitals embarked in this branch of business. Such
a state of things would elsewhere excite the greatest alarm ;
hitt, happily, Paris, notwithstanding its numerous mans•
factories of books, is not really a commercial city; its con.
merce in every other branch is destined, for the most
part, merely to the support of its inhabitants ; and as to
the revenue by which these are ultimately supported, we
may trace it to a great body of idle proprietaries, alio
scarcely ever quit the capital and ice amusements, to lace
the variety of a rural life ; hence it is that in Parisian sa.
ciety nothing is more de 771(111mi* ton than to talk amide,
except theoretically ; and, as to printers and publisher!,
they are considered beneath the notice of any, except the
Police. It then becomes the duty of the journalist, who
aspires to something better than to circulate through the
dirty fingers of the cunaile, to consult the temper of the
times, and to take but slight notice of things, at once SO
vile and melancholy. as the misfortunes of trade. Thus it
is that the Paris journals are quite silent on this subject.
In the drama and theatrical critiques they find a subject
more consenta•teous to the taste and disposition of then
readers; and, certainly, it must be confessed, they find
also a very fertile topic. It is quite extraordinary what a
multitude of dramatic pieces are launched forth in Parts
in the course of a year, and what a considerable peanut/ea
of them obtain a more than moderate success. The French,
indeed, do not require so much action and intrigue, nor
such vigorous delineation of character in the drama, as we
do, but they are not on that account less hard to be pleased;
on the contrary, they are an quick to perceive any deficien-
eies of wit, vivacity, and elegance, that a negligent writer
has no chance of success among them ; we must therefore
suppose that their superior productiveness in this depart.
ment of literature proceeds from the genius of the mine,
and, perhaps, also, from the greater degree of encourage-
ment bestowed on it amongst a play-going people. What-
ever may be the cause, the patronage bestowed on this city
by the Comic Muse is an incontestable fact. Within the
last month, a new comedy, Ariotage, has been brotkcbr
out at the Theatre Francais, with complete success; the
Odeon, in the same time, has producea a comic opera and
a tragedy ; and the Feydeau a musical piece—all equally
successful. As to the minor theatres, two Vaudevilles per
week is their average produce. Yet, notwithstanding the
prolific genius of the Parisian play-writers, and their faci-
lity in manufacturing couplets, a sort of gloom has for
sotne time been spread here over the dramatic world. This
was perhaps principally owing to the illness of Talma, the
absence of the principal actresses, who were making their
' accustomed professional tours, and more recently to the de-
parture of Madlle. Sontag. The return, however, of Madlle.
Mars, and the appearance of Mad. Pasta, has somewhat
cheered our drooping spirits. Respecting the latter,who made
her entre in Oldie, somesniall critics ventured to pronounce
that her taste, as well as her voice, were injured by het
residence in England ; but an overpowering majority have
the candour to declare that, while her voice and style
of singing remain as pure as ever, she has acquired,
from her visit to the native land of Shakspeare, ad-
ditional pathos and tragic energy. Madame Pasta hn
brought with her the Opera Seria, which is not exactly
suited to the taste of a Parisian audience ; and it is evident,
that whatever admiration her talents tray command, she
will never excite an enthusiasm like that produced by the
young and beauteous Sontag ; indeed,this lady seems to have
• possessed the true powers of enchantment ; but as she is
. now gone, and her fascination begin to die away, the cri-
, tics (who never sacrifice truth to gallantry) begins to nisi-
' nuate that she stands much in need of instruction, that
' her taste is immature and style florid. The critics are un-
doubtedly in the right ; but, whatever they may determine
now, respecting her merit as a vocalist, the extraordinary
impression she made here will not be easily effaced,
particularly as a romantic story begins to circu-
late, which throws no inconsiderable interest over her cha-
racter, and which, at the same time that it cutsoff all hopes
• of her re-appearance on the Parisian boards, explains the
singular circamstances which led her to this capital. Rote
sini is enthroned Director of the Italian Opera, and con-
trives to enjoy here, as completely as lie did in London, the
sublime pleasure, "di fare niente," of doing nothing. To
the charge of indolence he replies by an appeal to the 30
operas lie has already composed ; but the administration of
the theatre has been so negligent, and the company so
weak, that there are but few operas which oan be brought
out here.

BIRISSFT.S, Aeo. Is.—The enthusiasm for the Greek
cause, "aids some of the inhabitants here had embraced
with much ardour, has entirely subsided. It seems, that
since the departure of Lord Cochrane for the Archipelago,
they think they have done enough, and that Lord Coch-
rane may do the rest. There arc no more subscriptions,
concerts, or balls, in favcur of the Greeks. Notwith-
standing this apparent apathy, the news which the cuarie,
nave on the I‘2tla instant, from a Morning Paper, concern.
ing the detention of the steam-boats fitted out in aid of the
Greeks, produced a great st nsation here, as it was looked
upon as a had omen of the manner in which the squadron
of Lord Cochrane will be treated by the English ships of
war in the Levant. We are to have here a new political
Journal, the title of which will be Le Publiciste. It is ta
be conducted by Frenchmen, one of whom is, as it is sair!,
an ex-writer in the Courrier Francais at Paris; so that it
is easy to anticipate what will be the tone of this new
Paper. The accounts of the harvest are in general fa-
vourable; the corn that has been gathered is of a scia.tior
quality. _ _

EDI NDURG H Rev I E W.—Wit h reference to a paragraph
which has recently been copied into several Papers from
the Leeds Intelligence', we are authorized to state, that
there is no foundation whatever for the report of there
being any change intended in the Editorship of the journal
above named —The questions which arose between the
Editor and Messrs. Longman and Co. upon the failure of
the Edinburgh publisher, have been for some time settled,
to the perfect satisfaction cf both parties. There has been
no recent falling oft' in the circulation of the wotk, the
extent of the present impression being double what the
Intelligeneer has represented. The general accuracy of
his information on the subject may be guessed at from bis
having announced, among the contents of the new number,
a paper which is neither contained iu it, nor indeed wo
ever in contemplation.