The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-03-27 00:00:00

IZSEJOYABLE INTELLIGENCE.

The Duke tif Gloucester will have • grand dialler party this day,
at Illouceriter ;Pose. Park lane.
Liviy Smith trill give a grand entertainment this day, to a dis-
tinguisliel arty, at her house in Piccadilly.
Earl Bathurst entertained a large party at dinner yesterday, at
his house in (treat Stanhope-street, May-fair.
Lady Farquhar entertained a large party of fashionable' yeater-
day cvelling. at her 110,14 C in St. datives'a-street.
The lianourable Mrs. Philips had an elegant assemblage of
distinguished fashionables yesterday evening, at her house in If ill-
street, llerkeley-square.
The Archbishop of York entertained the Directors of the Annette
Music, and a large party, at dinner on Wednesday, at his house in
timsvenor-square.
Mrs. Agar Ellis has insuel cards of invitation for a rout on the
Ist of April. at her lionse in Spting-gardenti.
The Countess of Arran had a card party yesterday evening, at
her house in Dover-street.

The 31artptis and ifsrchioness of Tavistock are expected in
town on Alonday, from their Seat, ()alacy Mime, Bedfordshire.
Lord bliilyneux has left town, on a visit to Lord and Lady
Anson.,at *heir seat in Staffordshire.

The Earl and Countess 31orton left town yelterday, for DilhomE
Stafibedshire.

Lady Bloomfield has left the Stud House, Kingston, for 31alvern
Wells.

Departures from Fenton's Hotel, St. Jamey's-street t—Sir Edw.
Price IJoyd, Bart, for his seat, Pengwern, Flintshire; and Abra-
ham Nunts, Est. for his scat, Alton Dime, Hants.
Departures from Read's HOWL Lower Grosvenor-street :—Mr:
and Mrs. Archdraum Demers, for their seat in Suffolk ; Hon.
Andrew iVindsot, for Bath ; and Hobert Aberdeen, Esq. for
Brighton.
Captain Holford has arrivel at Kirkham's Hotel, Lower Brook-
street, from a tour. %ICa. Williams has left ditto for Brighton.
Arrivals at 3livaris Hotel, Loiter Brook-street —Vire-Admi.
rat Sir Graham and Lady Moore and family from the Mediterra-
I new t_ J. Si. George. Esq. from a totir ; and 'the Rev. J. Jackson,
fro. Kent.

114Y31.11a--EFTHEATRE.

DIR. THELWALIA LECTUIM

The lit;rary productions of this age are, perhaps, more
favourable to criticism than any that can be chosen from
the times gone by. For as Time, the great corrector and
best critic in all seasons, preserves from out the past the
Works of genius and intellect alone, and suffers the
ephemeral abortions of dulness to sink into oblivious re-
' pose, the retrospective critic has little else to do than to
announce the name of his author, in Getter to excite a kind
of anticipating rehearsal of all the strictures and eulogiums
which he is about to make; so just and true is that silent
species of judgment which results front the unprejudiced
and uninfluenced operation* of time. Not that we would
deny the possibility ci discovering new beauties, or detect-
' ing any hitherto latent incongruities in the works which
we rank among the classics of our country : doubtless there
are many yet undiscovered claims in the deep recesses of
our Great Bard, whose works are as profound as nature
itself ; but our argument is, that the works of former
days which are transmitted to us, deriving this transmission
from their recognized merits, do not offer such diversified
and original materials for criticism, as the varied and
mixed productions of the present age—the latter having
all the alloy of a transitory, and, perhaps, vitiated taste,
formed from no established canons of critical discrimination,
but resulting, it may be, from mere fashion or caprice,
sometimes mingled with partialities and dislikes; while
the former, too remote from us in their creation for any of
these causes to operate, owe their existence solely to the
intrinsic intellectual spirit that pet vades them, and which
has long since been felt and acknowledged. Probably it
was in consequence of some such feeling as this, that we
were more pleased with the latter part of Mr. Thelwall's
Lecture last night than with the beginning. Thete was
something of novelty and interest in the very announce-
ment of his intention to make " critical animadversions on
the poetry of Sir Walter Scott, and the historical novels of
the ad-disant Crest Unknown." It came home to our near-
est sympalkies--ao to speak—for the continuous intimacy
we have enjoyed with Sir Walter and the author of
Waverley (the names are synonimous) has as it were iden-
tified us with his works, and matte their very names as
familiar to us as household words. It was an appeal,
therefore, to our most interested feelings, and it for a
moment made us almost forget the unapproachable senti-
ment of respect and veneration that is eternally due to our
immortal Shakspeare. As we shall, however, have other
opportunities of speaking of the Lecturer's notices of the
great dramatist, we will now shortly advert to his very
severe, but we believe just, strictures on Sir Writer Scott.
Mr. Thelwall first noticed the poetry of Sir Walter., and
observed that he certainly had applied the peculiar specks;
of ballad writing to a purpose of which it had hitherto
been considered scarcely capable without tediousness; but
still his did not partake of the spirit of the old English
ballad, which was full of deep feeling, and spoke to the
heart ; whereas Sir Walter was descriptive, narrative, and
superficial. The only poem that could be at all con-
sidered epic was the Laelp W.the leekr. " When I read
this poem," said Mr. T. " I exclaimed, Now, Sir Walter,
you have written enough of the kind ; you have attained
the very height of which this species of writing is capable,
and here let your fame rest, But no; he went on, and
Marmion and Rokelty followed ; both of which verified
the prophecy, that any further attempt after the Lady
Me Lake must be a failure." Mr. Thelwall particularly
dwelt upon the exquisitely-poetical catastrophe of the
last-mentioned poem : it is too familiar to quote. In his
animadversions upon the Novels, the lecturer urged the
obvious reasons that have been assigned for adjudging
Sir Walter to be their author: we should suppose there
can now be no doubt upon the subject. Ile strongly
dwelt upon the war" of the true epic in all Sir ‘Valter s
works : there was no hero or heroine ; no beginning,
middle, and ending; in short, no principal personage in any
of the novels or the poems, which is the true characteristic
of an epic poem. It' what Mr. Thelwall said be correct,
that many of Sir Walter's friends have declared it to be
his (Sir Walter's) intention, as soon as he has written him-
self to exhaustion in the novel line, to write for the
stage, we cannot help agreeing with Mr. l'helwall, that
such a circumstance argues melt pitifully for the drama.
The wasted powers and faculties °fa loan, who, front very
exhaustion, has dropped the pen of a novelist, to commence
writing for the English drama! If this is not a pretty home
thrust at our managers, and theatrical lovers, and professed I
admirers of Shakspeare, why then the Reynoldses, and the
Cherries, and the Dilxlins have all been treated scandal-
ously, and their comedies are Hot farces, nor their fine'
(gentlemen mere merryandrews and mimics. But the thing
Itself is too ridiculous. Sir Walter, himself a poet, is much
abused by his friends. "And yet," says Mr. T. " I know
that one of the acts in a tragedy recently performed, was
altered again and again, to please the fancy, and to indulge
the paltry vanity of a particular actor, who forsooth would
fain be the hero, the soul and body of the play, and all the
other characters mere satellites to attend about him. And
after all, the author was to receive 1001. if the play was
performed three nights ; 2001. if performed six, and 3001.
if performed nine nights; it was represented only eight
nights, and the author had 2001. !" Who then would write
for the drama, even if he had all the faculties requisite to
the undertaking, when to be the author of Waverley you
might realize 60,0001. a year ? This fact speaks volumes.
The preliminary observations made by Mr. Thelwall in
the third ;part of his Lecture were very just, and called
ferth the approbation of a genteel but thin audience. His
talents are unquestionable, and his critical acumen very
considerable. We should be happy to pay more attention
to many of his opinions, did not the limited space of a daily
paper prevent us.
The applause was general at the close of the Lecture.

On the 10th inst. the Consiatory Court of York pro-
nounced a sentence of divorce and separation between John
IVorrall, Esq. of Leeds, and Sophia Mariner, his wife, who
had committed adultery with Mr. William Sanderson, of
Aberford.

Mutat. a a BA a.—We have heard of some very extra-
ordinary occurrences which have just taken place in Lime-
tick. The parties mentioned are Sergeant Lefroy, the
Going Judge, Sergeant Goold, and Mr. O'Connell. For
the present we decline stating particulars, especially u we
undetstand that, in consequence of a requisition addreesed
to the Father of the Bar, there will be a meeting of this
body at Cork, for the purpose of taking the matter into
consideration, and adopting some Resolutions thereon.—,
Da din Emoting Post.
Probert was seen on Thursday morning passing down
Tooley-street, in the Borough, dressed in shabby black,
with a crape round his hat. On meeting a gentleman who
formerly had dealings with him u a wine-merchant, he
made a full stop, and attempted to accost him, but was
prevented by the gentleman turning aside in disgust.