The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-05-22 00:00:00

COVENT-GARDEN .Tll EATRE.

saturdly niitht a new piece, in five acts, entitled
weddeek, was produced at Ode Theatre. It is, of course,
founded upon the novel of tit et name, from the pen of the
„mat magician of the age," and Mr. %%relive, therefore, will
(1°,006 feel some consolation that to the manic of his
wand alone dope that of Oberon give way. Like the good
c„,„;; of the East, each exercises his necromantic power
fa the happineas of use poor mortals and the receding
patty ran feel no displeasure • towards'his rival ; for genii
sre sufficiently intimate with the hutnan heart to know
get their retirement is owing more to our inveterate love
of mace, even from pleasure to pain, rather than have
none, than to any incapacity upon their part to nfford us
exquisite entertainment. Be this as it may, Work/ /ark
pule its appearance, pen. tied by a prologue, Spoke!, by
gr. Comer, in which the audience were told that whatever
excess bight attend the representation, all their piattilita
would be due to the " Great Unknown." This was per-
kily correct, for the play is nothing more than a series of
le:nes taken from the novel, without the slightest alters-
' eon in the dialogue ; and produced in such a way as to
supply the portion of the narrative contained in those
gems, which they were necessarily obliged to omit.
bery one of Sir Walter Scott's novels are decidedly dra-
matic., and but little credit is therefore doe to the person
to whose lot it falls to cut them up—we will not say to
alter them—for representation.
The characters were cast as follows :
Leiria Keneguy. Mr. C. Ramble.
Clout wen, Ale. Wattle.
Sir Hairy Lee, Air. W. Farrell.
Albert Lee, Ate Serle.
Wilitrake, Mr. Jones.
Markham Everard, Al r. Cooper.
Tomitins, Air. Elatteltald.
Doctor Rochelltre, Air. Egerton.
Pearson, Al r. Chapman.
JoceUne Mr. Evans.
Young Spitfire, Mast/ botighost.
Mice Lee, Airs. Chatterley.
Ph& Alayllurer, Ali,s Jones.
Croy nelPs daughter, - Miss J. Scott.
Dams Jellieor, Mrs. Hudson.
The first scene represents the gardens and lodge of
Woodstock, and the story commences st the moment when
Sir Ilenry Lee, while in company with his daughter Alice,
meets Tomkins, who presents to him his authority from
the Parliament to take patsession of Woodstock. It will
be unnecessary to detail the incidents of the piece here.
The navel has, of course, been read by everybody, and it
is therefore quite sufficient to observe, that the most pro-
minent incidents of the novel have been retained in the
play, which terminates with the escape of Chat le.: from
%feedstock, and the marriage (that of course) °flier/diem
I verord and Alice Lee, by the express command of his
Majesty, which Sir !teary Lee is touch too loyal a cavalier
to gainsay or refuse.
Having thus disposed of the narrative, we will proceed
to notice those scenes which are most and leant effective in
the representation. Amongst the latter is that between
Cromwell and Wildruke, when Wildroke presents to Crom-
well the packet teem Markham Ever urcl. The Cromwell of
the play gives us no conception of him of the romance;
:Ind this does not appear to be the fault of Mr. Wattle,
who played his part very respectably, but that of the
" cutter-up," if we me, so di signate him, who has totally
omitted that portion of the dialogue which conveys to the
mind the idea which the Great Unknown seems desirous
to impress upon his readers of that remarkable chnracter.
Even if the dialogue were preserved entire in the play, we
are not sure that we should be enabled to form the same
cone ption of his character that we receive from the novel,
because the descriptive passages which accompany it in the
latter must necessarily he omitted in the former. As it
was, however, the scene was weak and ineffective. The
best scenes were those in which Markham Esemrd meets
Keorguy, and the rtubsequent one, in which the
latter, to prevent the separation of Everard from Alice,
acknowledges himself to be the King—Charles Stuart.
This latter scene is highly wrought, the characters were
well sustained, and the plaudits were in proportion to its
excellence.

ith respect to the performers, it is scarcely necessary
to say that Mr. C. li mble was an able representative of the
gay, gay even in big misfortunes, but-Inconsiderate Charles.
Mr. Farrcn's Sir L nrj Lee was an excellent perform-
ance, and Mr. Cooper was, in tru:h, the plain, steady,
though honourable and high-minded puritan ("aloud, to
whom we have been introduced in the navel. Illy. Jones,
as Wildrake, was the very life and soul of the piece—a
Fpitited, gay, dbsipred , and boisterous cavalier, as remark-
able for attachment to his bottle as for fidelity to his so-
vereign ; the former yielding in potency to nothing but
the latter, and bis lofty nations of the honour of his party.
Verily we marvel how even a puritanical Roundhead cocid
have refrained from enjoying his mirth, po infectious was
it, when he ever and anon roared out, in the fulness of his
ht art—

We'll drink and we'll sing
Till we bring back the King.
And make Oliver quake for fear.

A curious method, by the way, of bringing him back again.
Mrs. Chatterley played Alice Lee very prettily, and Mr.
Serle, as might have been expected, did the little he had
to do, as Albert Lee, well. We cannot say the same of
Mr. Blanchard, who totally misconceived the character of
Tomkins. We are aware that a great deal of the cant of
the time was rank hypocrisy, and it may be also that there
are hypocrites amongst the Quakers ; but it dots not fol.
low that the cant of Quakerism, when it exists, should
necessary correspond with the cant of the puritanism of
the time of Cromwell. Mr. Blanchard made a Quaker of
Tumkiss, as far as it was possible for him to do so, and of
course violated all our notions of the manners and characters
of the Roundheads. The other chatacters were very re-
tp'.•etably sustained.
At the conclusion of the play a very silly sort of an
Epilogue was very well delivered by Mrs. Chatterley. In
the course of it she said, very truly, that epilogues were out
of fashion ; and it is only for us to regret that, in obe-
dience to higher powers, she should have been compelled to
render herself so very unfashionable as to deliver one. It
b.tr a custom more honoured in the breach than in the ob-
servance, and therefore must we unequivocally condemn its
revival.

PROLOGUE TO WOODSTOCK..
'SPOKEN BY ma. coneta.l
Ladies and Gentlemen,—nay do not rut
Each Ache's ready—perfect in his part,—.
No one is Ciseni—no one taken ill ;
But sit are I ere, forthcoming as per bill,.
It' Ith 'Apt l Cillting air, sod tonna! guise
Ye' crones the Prologue, to apologise.
"fts for the Author—No; he bode ma saps
The Dramatise only—of the Ploy.
All barrow'd plumes he proudly scorns to wear,
Your "need of przise net e'ee attempt" to share—
Sive far the efor—to select, 'umbrae,
Ant imitate with cars, the spirit of his the
Whose fancy revels in exhaustion store—
To give the Stage one pleasing drama more.
No easy task, amid poc:ic bower',
To choose, where 01 are fair, the fairest flowers.
Ile getheed many—evuld oat gather 41—
And e'en from these some precious leaves must fall.
Ye , if with taste as I skill the garland's wove,
A Illay.day offering to the shrine we :11Ve :
If to his teak your festering ears be lent,
Thz object's gained—the Dramatist's content.
Thy all his aim—to strut a pigmy elf,
W here the Enchanter will not more himself
Rut *e'er presume to claim that magic wand
With which the Master Spirit charms the land.
If their this Wondstoek trd e, in three "OW,: space,
Cull'd from three volumes, briefly he can trace,
Let your Indulgence to his toil he shown—
Girt all your plaudits to the GREAT UNKNOWN.

EPIWOITE.
[SPOKEN BY airier.]
( Enters as in ,altercation :with the Prompter.)
Don't talk to me, Sir—l will have my way; .
I know there was a Prologue to the Play;
And I insist a Prologue's but a clog
To any Play without an Epilogue.
hear the blame. The Prompter's In a passion,
Tells me that Enilogues are out of fashion :
That ladies talk too much, and only chatter
[imitating man*, voi:el
" Of things quite foreign to the subject matter."
What !—after five long acts—all spoke by rule,
As little misses say their tasks at school
Still to be tongue-tied ?—:llonstrous I—un my life,
That mars must have a special talbtng wife.
Talk I—to be sure.—are women to be tlombien ?
Mere things to look at, like Egyptian mummies—
Curious and rare; sad, 1 kl a silent woman,
Valued, forsooth, becaute she's so uncommon ?

Ladies,—but no—the Gentlemen may nay
Your judgmem's partial—they have lair play :
Pli be your (buns')—here I take row station 1
And, now stand forth. `•uu Lords ".a (•reation.
First—fhsebonds.—So ! We've plenty of them here;
They start and tremble, at sl turn pale with fear.
You. Sir, will do —nay, I'll take no denial ;
Come into Cohn. and you shall take your trial
Pray, hold your head tip—let me sec your face:
Now, pay attention while I state the ease :
A tender husband and a loving wife
Have (we'll nopposo a matrimonial strife:
He Inn and raves, and wishes, cre he had wed,
He had been hanged. The lady nods her head.
Wordn follow words—the 'dorm in loud and long,
Till, all at once, he Hods he's its the wrong.
Then, quite abashed, confused, obliged to atop,
He'd give his can to kiss and make it up :
Iltst rut a word she speaks of praise or blame—
His smiln or frowns to her are just :he same.
And whose the fault ?—The husband's, to be sure,
That takes a wioe, whose tongue's a 'Mecum
NVell, Sir, your answer ?-oottel—uprin nn Ilfe
Judgment's' neottlet,—Verdict—for the Wife.
Now Lurees.—nh ! 'hose modest blushes prove
•
Some here can think es well as talk of love:
When at your feet a faithful suitor kneels,
And all his hope and all hie fear reveals,
In it not cruel the poor man to baulk,
Because you will not, or you cannot talk ?
What, though a side-long glance your love implies,
I ipa, after all, ►peak plainer titan the eyes—
Then do pray talk—speak what those Oen confess_
Only one little wonl--one single—•' Yes."
Do not then wish to make, mistaken man,
Your dearest joy. a mere automaton ;
You'll but tininess, if nature you control,
A lifeless form—a clod without a soul !

But hold !—Dear•hean I wind will the Prompter say ?
I've not been talking much ahem the Play.
Yet, if the Dramatist's apprisrd by me
That you approve sod praise his induwry,
Bs to hie pea returns with new delight,
And I shall talk again another night.

LIVERPOOL COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

LIVERPOOL, SATURDAY, MAY 20,
.1828.

This week we have had a very limited demand indeed for
British Plantation Sugar; only 400 Ws. have been sold, and at
nearly Is. per cwt. reduction in price. seo bags white Bengal
Sugar have also been cold at 70s. W. to 721. per cwt. For Foreign
Sager no inquiry. About 150 puncheons of Molasses have been
disposed of at 235. to 245. per eat. In Coffee the transactions have
been by auction ; 80 trs. and 50 brls. Jamaics brought 705., and
be middling 82s. to 83s. 61, being a decline in price of 2A. to 3s.
on the former, and 4s. to 6s. on the latter. In (linger 40 brls. Bar-
bados forced off by auction at 725. to 925. duty paid, which is 104.
a 12s. lower. A small lot of fine Jamaica wos taken in at 160 s.
only 10Is, being offered. Ia Cocoa 345. has been offered for fair
Brazil, but refused. Pimento, no inquiry for it. In Rice. the'
sales are limited, 50 era. good new at 17s. and 103 bags Bengal at
17a. 61 in bond. Ram offers on lower terms, but little done.
Ashes continue dull; 259 bets. Montreal Pot sold at 225.
a 225. Gd. ; 80 brls. Pearl at 21s. for old, and 255. for new ;
50 brie. New York Pot (182. i) cold at 21s. Dyewonds arc
steady. 170 tons Brazil Fustic sold at 51. 174. fid. a 61. ;15
tons Spanish at 51. 15e., and a small lot of Cuba at 81. 15s
60 tons ordinary Campeachr Logwood. sold at 51. 12e. 6d., and
good at Gl. 23. fa a 6/. sso, and 60 tons Jamaica at 51.101. per ton.
In Hides there has been considerably more business done than for
some time past : 500 dry Buenos Ayres Ox an. Cow, at 83d. ; 181)0
Monte Video at ad. to Bid. ; 6,500 Salted Buenos Ayres at 3id. to
did.; 730 dry Salted Brazil at tiid.; and 13.000 Horse Hides, a little
wormed, at 4s. als. 50. each ; besides which, some large sales in m-
end hands, prices not known. Olive Oil is dull ; Gallipoli Is rather
more firm, three tuns have been sold at 33/. a 391., but other sorts are
lower ; Altssina 30/., and %ante 321. Brimstone is lower ;30 tons
sold at 5/. duty paid. Indigo atilt dull and lower ; Bengal at ss. 911.
• 7s. 64. in %cry small lots ; a few scrons of Curacca at fis. tbr
middling, and 7s. 3d. for good. Nothing doing in Cochineal.
Madder Roots dull; GO bales Turkey sold at 375. Gd. which is
much lower than last week. Saltpetre in fair demand; IWO bags
sold at 231. a 265. Nothing done in Velonie, and Gulls, Safflower,
and Lime Juice, no inquiry.. In Tobacco the sales of the week are
limited, and confined to small lots of stemmed to the trade at
former prices. In Tar there is a little improvement ; 330 brls. of
good quality have been sold at 13. t., in other sorts not any altera-
tion. Turpentine Is In fair demand, 2.7110 bele. sold to the trade
at Bs. 90. a 9.. for loso4 toothy. • rondo Wheat in bond has been
*old at fis. 6d. In the Cotton 31arket there has been increased
activity; prises are about iL higher. The sales consist in 7.900 bales
Georgia &Ibid. a 41. 2,500 New Orleans at bad. to 00. 2,000
Alabsmas at 6d. a lid. 100 See Islands at I3d. a 161 d. 30
Strained Sea Islands at fid. a fkl. 1.240 Maranhani at flid. a 90.
750 Bahia at 80. a !lid. 900 Pernambuco at 90. a lOid. 50
P.rra at NI 1.1100 lieyptian at 63d. a Old. 10 Novas at Rid.
40 Demerara at 90. a 111.1. 100 Bengal at Sal., and 550 Surat at
4id. to 5151.. making about 18.000 bags of which about 3,000
American, 1,009 Egyptian, and 500 Brasil bags have been taken on
speculation.

SIIIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

LIVERPOOL., SATURDAY, MAT 20.

Arrived the Dubow.* Cartle, Walton, from New York, relied 23d
April; Bengal, Garwood. from Savannah, sidled l(th April; Eugene.
Dickinson, from Charle,ton ; Sir JJho ICrane, from Jamaica. sailed ad
Aprit ; Ann, from Charleston; All'ynsier Dale, twin St. Michael'.
Soiled the Julian, Martindale, for Demerara; Endeavour, Samuel, for
Memel ; Artrea, Dradenahl, for Pernau ; Peter and Marla, Eggers, for
Antwerp ; Dolton, 1341 and, for Newfoundland; Julius Crew, West, fur
Philadelphia; Edsabeth, Armstrong, fur at. Thomals.

PALMOCTII, AV IN.—Arrived the Sister.. Leverlck, from Traparle, In
46 day.. Salted the Rope. racket. for Jamaica. Wind S.
PLTMOVTR, AIAT 'S.—Arrived the bletoria, transport, from London
for Quebec. Wind S.W. .

..... _
CUMI:4. MAT ll—Arrived the Tartar, Geary, from Manilla.
PORTS. 10e re, MAT 19.—N0 arrivals.—Sailed the Finsbury, transport,
for Halifax; lila Majesty's ship Lively for Plymouth, and his Majesty's
ship Coated on a cruise. Wind S.S.E.
InAl., M4l ie.—Arrived and sailed for the River, the Royal George,
R^ynolcit, from Bengali the New IPlitenix, White, from Trinidad the
Juno, Stuff, from Attract, and the Britomart, White, from Liverpool.
The Seger and the Ajax turned away twahe westward on the ebb. Fir,
p.m. two ships and a boat, front the River, are coming through the Gas.
Wind

(MAVIS' vl3, Mar 19.—Arrired the Ruth, Hone, from Jamaica ; Water
Lilley, Bruce, from ditto; Cambrian, Clarkson, from Bombay ;
Cole, from Calcutta; John and Nancy, Mihea, from Charente; Lady
Dundm, White, from Tenerife; Hope, Love, from St. Michael's.; Presi-
dent Martin, Saxon, from ditto; Saltoune Dalrymple. from Dominica;
Elizabeth, Orierson, from Sierra Leone ; Harriet. from ditto ;
garret Hall, Davison, from Demerara; /learner, Baker, from Bahia; Ctrs-
tear, Strachan, from Bordeaux; Roysit,t, Cook, from the South Seas;
Laura, Backfite, from the Tale cf France; Telemaph, Gremlin, from
Havre. Sailed Virginia, Knight, for New Tork i Regular packet, &Mb•
bon, for SL Peter4burab.

Ms Majesty's ship Dryad. which sailed from Portemouth,lth inst. with
soppily, fee the homeward bound trade, put Into Plymouth, on Thursday.
Ai 80111* fears hare been entertained for the safety of the Crisis, Van
Dyke, from London to New York, which vessel sailed from Cowes the 11th
January, and had nut arrived at New York on the llith April, they may In
some measure be tr.xpirilcd, by the circumstance cf the Finchett, Williams,
from Liverpool to New York, having been rpoken with on the 7!d March,
in lat.r.. 21). lons. $7. 40. out lifty-two days, which is about half way
across the Atlantic.