The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-03-29 00:00:00

FzE fl lON ABLE INTELLIGENCE.

twit, Mart-Moneys of Londonderry, will give a rout this even-
• , at her house iu St. James'a-aquare.
The Marehione‘a of Lanadown will era a grand rout this even-
ing, Si Itatonlott Iterkeiryompiatv.
Lady little Pinker will have a party this evening, at bee house in
tired Climb( ricntl-1
Lad t Alvaiili.v will have a nmaiwil patty this evening, at het
la home !lams( r-squarr.
The Bishop ti Lin don entertained Emily, Marehirmeas of Lon.
donderry, and a cli.tinguislind party, at dinner, on Saturday, at his
Rouse in sr..larinta%•stptate.
J. G. Lembinn, Esq. M.P. had a grand dinner party, on Satur-
day. at his house in Clereland-wpare.
an Thomas Lethbridge. Hart. entertained a distinguished party
at dinner on Saturdav, at his house in \l'hiteliall-plate.
The Marquis. of Hertford will have a musical party on Wednes-
dap at which Slone Km.ini will preside.
The lion. Mrs. Agar Ellis will give a root on Thursday, at her
home in Spring-gardens.
Alrs Tape will have a rout this evening, at her house in
;It.janies
!Or J.. 1.41 and Lady Copier will have a grard dinner party on
Thursday. at their house in George-street. ilanover-square.
The Lariat' Limerick grand cr.tertainnunt to the Duke
of Gloueesttr, at hi, house in Mansfield-street.
Viscount Ci.rleron will have • grand dinner party on Wednesday,
at his house in Gtmge-street, Hanover.square.
The Earl and Countess of Horeberry. will entertain a distin-
gei.bed party on Friday, at their house in Piccadilly.
Siv C. Viewer. Bart. will give a grand entertainment to the Duke
of York and a distingui.hed party on Saturday.
Mr. and Alm. Hope will give a grat.d dinner party on Friday, at
their house in Alarslielil-,.tweet.
The of Lincoln had a grand party dinner on Saturday,
his house in l:ticoanglit-place.
The Duchess of Kent hail a grand dinner party yesterday at
Kensington I'alace.
The Duke of Norfolk eatertained a distinguished party at dinner
yesterday, t house in St. James'ii-synare.
e .1. Aliensomby, Al. P. entertained the Marquis
and Ai ambient.% of Lansdown and • large party at dinner yestcr-
slapat his house is New .street,Spring-gx.elens.
Abe Countess of Sandwich entertaintd his Excellency Count
Liven and a largo party of distinction at dinner yesterday, at her
house in Denrrt-street.
Godfrey Wentworth, Esq. had a grand dinner-party,) sterday,
at hit ate in George-street. Hanover-square-
John ltlackhurne. Esq., AI.P.„ will have a large party at dinner
on Saturday next, at his house in Patk-street, IVro estinsier.
The Duke and Duchess of Northumberland ant family arrived
OD Saturday • - . .

, Saturday at Northumberland House, from Alnwick
::.owager Countess de Grey left town on Saturday far her scat,
'ulteney Heath.
Lord Lynetloch arrived on Saturday at Warren's Hotel, Regent.
erect, from his seat at Bury St. Edmund's.
The Honourable arid Her. F. North has left Warren's Hotel, fur
hi. seat in Hants.
The Earl of Bristol, Lady Augusta Hervey and Lord Hervey,
who arrived in town on Friday from Brighton, left on Saturday lug
Windsor Camle. nn a vi.it to his Mojeotr.
Lord Chatica 'rovinshend arrived on Saturday at Gould's Hotel,
iermyn.stret t, from hi. seat in Norfolk.
Colonel Thornhill, 7th Hussars, has arrived at Stephen's Hotel,
Clifford-outer.
Arrivals at the St. Petersburgh Hotel, Dover-street:—His Ex.
saliency De Strogennfi; from Vienna. —General Bmwclow, from
Cheltenham, and Captain and Ain. ft. Campbell and fanlia-;uia
Departures : Patrick WV.: am Sbeddon, Esq., mid Mrs. St
and family, fur India.

MASCO ;
A TRAOEDV; IN FIVE ACTS.
DE DISSTIN ARCHIE SUET, ESQ. D.A.

Excluded from the Stage by the authority of the Lord Chamberlain
" The art of printing." says RIC•UT, " is absolutely
prohibited among the Turks, because it may give a subtilty
of learning, which is dang.erous to their government.'
At far as the policy of despotism goes, this is right etioigh;
bitt in Eliglan.l, and it. this enlightened era, to find the
erne spirit acted upon—to find the power of the Lord
Chamberlain exercised in a manner at once so arbitrary
and so uneourteous—this is really what we were not pre-
pared to expect, and arc grieved .to witness. A power in
itself unconstitutional ought never to be applied but with
extreme caution ; in no case Might it to be resorted to but
where the utility an in; from the exercise of it is obvious,
and ever then, the remedy may be considered as the worse
evil of the two. We are really inclined to consider the
suppression of this tragedy of " ALAICO" as a libel on the
administration. Under a corrupt government it is not diffi-
cult to account for that jealous anxiety to suppress every
public representation that might excite a sympathy in fa-
vour of freedom, or that might beget an impatience of
oppression ; but why throw this oditim tau his present Ms-
jesty's Government? Why raise this unworthy presuinp-
non against his Ministers Why make them r.:ipear thus
anxious to decry every liberal sentiment, and to stifle every
honest feeling ? We really cannot ace the fairness of all
this in the Deal or Moxvitose, tor the fidelity of it in
his. representative. In the reign of the firs/ CH•aLls,
such a proceeding would have been in character. Playa
and other public diversions were stopped in his reign fur
half u year. Sev..ral Lords protested, because it was not
for perpetuity. This was 1641. The year following
was the last of his reign. Ile died a Martyr, but he left
a valuable iesson of instruction behind Aim ; he left behind
him an example n. vex to be forgotten, that the truest po-
licy is to patronise. the public spirit of a nation, not to ex-
tinguish it. The btaieticeut Ruler of a tree p-op'm has
nothing to fear; a government well administered may defy
the most patriotic tragedy that ever was penned. The
sappreesion of it by a licencer an serve no other purpose
than to bring the views of men in potter into suspicion,
and their character into disrepute.
The author of " ALAsco appeals from the prohibitory
sentence of Mr. Colman, to the deliberate judgment of the
public, and he makes his appeal in a tone of Manly indig-
nation, which, we think, the wrong he has suffered fully
justifies. •
I am not unaware that a strong sense of the injustice which I
think I have rwprrieneed--an honest indignation, on finding my.
self forced before the bar of the public, us answer for my production
and my principles—may possibly give to my remarks the tone of
resentment. I have been shut out from a fair field of honourable
antifition—obstructed in the honest exertion of my feeble powers
—to sustain my character and station in society, with such little
credit and consideration as may be attainable in my humble
sphere. Thus circumstanced, when the official stigma which has
been cast on my womb is considered in all its bearings—in its origin,
its object, and its eff..-et—l feel confident that no generous spirit
trill be surprised at a warmth of exculpation, which time coosciuus-
sem of that uprightness of intention which has been acknowledged,
and that innocence of offence which I assert, might be reasonably
expected to produce.
" The office of Licencer of Plays had been, for many yew.. ad.
InillillaTed by its late possessor with great gond sense and divert.
bon. Its powets, at all times obnoxious to a free people, were
Lather arrogantly displayed, nor vexatiously exercised. No cont.
Plaints were sawed by their severity, and no evils resulted from
their relation. All, in short, was harmony and peace.

, .
•go mild he swayed the dom i s pleased domains,
• That bards and actors ha- dly felt their chaos.'
" Bet s sew era was in preparstun for the Thmpian tribe; and
when the reepeetable functionary here alluded to was gathered to
his fathers, tie semie soon felt the infitlence of a busier, if oot a better,
spirit. The new Licencer, it seems. felt it his duty to tuns over a
new lesfa be resteved to shame the sinecure sway of his predereasor,
andAadafge in all the luxury of active molestation. He disdains
to be a theatrical Kiss Log ; and, to the terror of us pone dramatic
tad-poles. he sets about to stir up the puddle around him, with
stork-like vigour and devouring effect.
" A more effectke dramatic police has been established ; a new
committee ef public safety hao been organized in the Chamberlain's j
taco t thezeuntry has been declared in danger, and a dictate( ell
unquestioned qualification appointed to watch over the welfare of
the State.

" Unfortunately I have been the first victim to this new vigour—
the first offender under the new axle which it hwi been determined
to enforea—ctinvicted without trial, and condemned without ap.

There ars some cases of suflizing iu which a self-ap-
proving sonscienec does not always bring with it a su
cient cussolatioo. Mr. Sate, whose talents justified him
is looking forward to fame and profit as the reward of his
tamers, could not be intimated likely to acquiesce without
remonstrance in this unexpected disappointment of his
hopes. fie svordingly addressed a letter at some length to
the Duke of Montrose, on the conduct of his deputy, in
refusing to permit the 'representation of 11:112:11, a copy of
he inserts in his preface, and to which letter the
following answer was returned:—
. 'l' " arusvaner..4 wire, Feb. 19, 1934.
" 51k-71A:thing ffie,Cittleitan a very sueleient judge of hie duty,
tml_oll I ameba his (from the account be has given me
4foireoj. I do conclude, that at this dri.e,
without onlissibn, the tragedy should nut be acted
lad whilst 1 am pssonadad that your intentions are upright, I con-
'lee that it is penowelyairtbis reason (though it may not strike
riot!) that it ,at bow usswisdes of the Legislature to have an
ueouler appointed, and poems given to the Chsmberlain of the
n"l"alikti to I:l=betber aandla plays should be acted at all,
u* sod times.
" 14s sot nassn'ts ewer low an argument with you. Sir, on the
111hioe4 but think that yaw latter, conceived in polite terms to
n•
cub upon ma io smuts an weer, showing that your tragedy
Kara well convidired,
" I remain; Sir, sub stow, your obedient servant,
II" Ott TAO S&
Harder Melee, See, 11A. asevitsAat." •
We deem this epistolary document, rem vo the Kw* et

cornpo"itient, to be much more open to criticism than it ought
to have been; but cur concern is with the reasoning, which,
we think, is illogical and ineonclosive, even beyond the
licence included in the privilege of the Li. encer. If a dramatic
writer, known to possess a strong republican taint—like the
present POET LAUREATE, for instance, when he warmed us
with the transports of VV ATTv us s—if such lone, wishing
" to saves venal state against its will," should embody the
I ..
.celings of faction and disloyalty in the 'noel impressive
sentiment and speeches of his drama, it is not unnatural
that the public 'icenerr should forbid its representation,
and thus crush all his hod intentions in the bud. Such
proceeding is intelligible, but we are really at an utter loss
to comps. hind how his Grace of VON TROSE should be
I rees,,,,d,d that the intentions or the writer are apt igld, and
cone ire that it is precisely, ji,r this ct town that the Legisla-
lure, in lls /Ciao/NAM` power to thCCO A Mllt. It LA I N Or TO
110 t LOOI n to judge whether his play should be acted or
not. The intentions of a dramatic writer, as such, can only
be collected ferm the drama itself. There can be no other
interyr, ter. ItlattitrAto (probation( non link:ens ; and how,
with live proof of Mr. ,/:re's ',pi:At intentions then before
him, he could sanction the suppression of the very tragedy
that had hecot in him this good itnprestion, is to us a
mystery. That it should be pre..iselyihr this reason, and
to fit itself to such a case as this, that the Legislature en-
dowed him with this stretch of prerogative, is equally in-
explicable. The force of this reasoning will certainly
"not "trite nathots," u the parenthesis in his Grace's letter
censcientiously str=ests: we arc not ours Ives blessed with
the gift of authors'. ip, hut we are satisfied that no individual,
either in the dramatic world or out of it, can reconcile this
'oppression to ally maxim of justice, or the reusun
_tir it to
any rule of common sense.
There is an end to the inspitations of all dramatic genius
if a writer cannot put into the mouth of 11;s characters
those feelings and u• pr. ssiens without which they cannot
he drawn. What would have become of the fine Odin. a
tions of Shakricare's historic fancy, if his fervid isnagina-
' don had been fit, red by the ',to of Mr. Cot MA N , or sub-
jected to the dominion of the Duke of Mo nose ? If
the impulse and emotion to be given to an audience by the
emanations of his 'nighty mind had been first calculated
by a Chamberlain of the Household, before they could have
got a permit, where would the great treasure of his works
have been ? nu- act is quite preposterous ; it is as if the
soaring pinions of the eagle were to be clipped and cut by
the owl.

It is an insult to the Enrlielt public thnt they are not to be
trusts d with the hearing of such passages as it has pleased
Hr. Cons •s; to run his pen through. IVhat foundation
has he for thus insinuating that the springs of loyalty are
so dry that every sentiment of freedom is a spur to fac-
tion ? Mr. Stine has marked in italics the lines upon
which Mr. Colman paned his sentence of condemnation.
We really could not have suspected, till this tragedy came
before us, that such a distrust of popular feeling prevailed
in any part of the t :owe rnenent. e consider this marked
manifestation of it mire as injurious as it is unjust. Of all
the passages marked by dot. Licenser for e.miteion, we do
not Red ore that can in the slightest degree authorise it.
There are none throughout that might not, we should
think, have li.en uttered without danger to the Day at
any private theatricals in A Lot Las.
In act three, scene one, for example, is the following
passage :
Iralsineurse. " Dangernws, A mantha ?
Grant me paornee ! What! have 1 held my lila
On war's I'7:ail tenure, still, and undisniay'd,
In eve- face of larger look'd on death--
Now to be scared by this mock majesty !
Am I au lightly held—no low in estimate,
Tn h?ouk dill/amour from a kuate to Asa,
And crouch nil, likr a pliant underling,
As if a thunder-chord discharged its wrath.
In his official frown ! By !leaven, not so! ,
• The skive shall answer me I will avenge
This outrage on my child."
The line lwre marked in italics is struck out as inadmis-
sible. There is nothing in it, that we can perceive. at
which even the Viceroy of Tests need to have taken
alarm. The Council of Janiessies, we are quite sure,
would have disregarded it. In truth, that Government, be
it what it may, meat be a very barley-sugar fabric which
can be shaken by any allusion to knaves in place. Abuses
in Government would be of very short duration, if they
hail any thing to fear from so slight a shot as this.
We were surprised to find the following short speech of
Alsseo's expunge .1 :
"'Tie not rebellion to re,i.t oppression ;
virtue to °rev; oar country's wrongs,
Ablit acti.lcietire re r:rike at as scarper."
It has cost Great Britain a war of well nigh half a cen-
tury to teach the- doctrine, and seller having preached it at
an expense of nearly eight hundred millions sterling, the
cost at which we at last chained NA POL EON to the rock of
St. Helena, behold this passage, which sums up the
whole in three lines, is struck out, as if such language
ought never to be heard! To what purpose' have the
apostles of /tritium/7/ spent their breath, if they are to be
I thus warmly disavowed? Besides, the spectator is to sup-1
pose himself in POLAND, where the scene is laid, anti the
sentiments, however patriotic, want no other defence.
Cr as k, with whose writings Mr. Colman must be fa-
miliar, says-
- " Plays should let y'u see,
Not only what you are, but ought to be."

The Deputy Licenc•r appears to set his face against
both ; he acts as if he were the agent of a Government,
*Conscious of guilt, and fearful of the light"
For this the Government owe him no thanks. His objec-
tions have nothing of conscience or honesty about them;
they are the r!roples of a sycophant and a time-server,
and can have no other result than to bring discredit upon
his principal, and contempt upon himself.
Lpon the tragedy of ..-1/aseo we have no room left to offer
any remarks. It is now before the public, and the cu-
riosity which its suppression is calcolocd to excite, will
place it in the hands of judges infinitely more competent
to appreciate it at its true value, than either Mr. Colman
or the Lord Chamberlain.

FVNEIAL or Sur Gr oac a Cuzi.tia.—The remains of
this lamented officer will be interred in a vault prepared
for the family in the New Church at St. Pancras, on Wed-
nesday next. The funeral procession will have his brother's
house in Fitzroy-stn et precisely at one o'clock.
The Sarearang, 2s, Captain Sir William Wiseman,
Bart. is ordered to be fitted for the North American
s:atior. Major-General Sir Howard Douglas, appointed
to a command in North America, and suite, will go out
by her.
We stated in a former paper, that the North Pole Ex-
, petition, under Captain Parry, will be accompanied by
the Harris transport. Lieut. J. W. Pritchard,
for the purpose of carrying out propelling wheels, to be
used on the ships among the ice. It is now intended, that
another transport shall proceed at once with canoes and
various necessaries lOr Captain Franklin's part of the ser-
vice, which canoes are to be forwarded to the mouth of
Mackenzie's River, to which spot Captain Franklin will
proceed early in the ensuing year, to endeavour to penetrate
from that spot westward to Behring's Straits—i. c. making.
the North Pole passage. The canoes are of a light de-
wription, but as they are to he carried over the projected
headlands and proinuntor ics, they are to be inflated when
used. Captain Lyon will endeavour, by the use of similar
canoes, to trace the cost from Repulse Bay to Copper-
Mine
River: whilst Captain Parry will again pass inta
Lancaster's Sound, and. in the neighbourhood of Melville
Island renew his endeavour to make a successful passage
thence to Bebring's Straits, and thus accomplish the great
object of the expedition. Every care will he taken to
prevent similar privations to those experiencel by the for-
liter land expedition.—Hampshire Telegrapa.
WiNcHasTra, Mmicli 27.—A Court Martial will be
held on Monday nest, in this city, on Brevet
Mitchell, of the 9.1t11 Regiment (of which General Wul-
drington will he President), on a charge which originated
in his appearing in un-regimental attire. Fifteen officers
.are to compose the Court.
WOOL Ti•Dr.—We are happy to find that an arrange..
ment is likely to be made with regard to the export of wool
and yarn, calculated to operate in some tolerable degree as
a protection to the British manufacturer. The arrange.
meats on this head arc not finally concluded, but it is pro-
bable that a duty of two-pence per lb. will be imposed on
wool exported, which is equal to about 17 per cent. upon
its value, and that an ad valuren. duty to the same amount
will attach to the exportation of yarn. Parsons interested
is the worsted trade, of whom it is said there are not fewer
than 700,090, ‘re much- indebted to the Yorkshire dtle-
pilots for their devotion to the public intrrest.—Lerds
Mercury.