The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1803-04-12 00:00:00

PUBLIC "IMUSEMEINTS.

SADLER'S •\V ELLS.
This place, from its antiquity, being the oldest
priviledged Theatre in the environs of the Metropo-
lis, seems to be resorted to with a degree of venera-
tion, and something bordering on duty, which en-
sures it always a full house at the commencement of
the season. It has never, within our recollection,
been negligently conduEted ; but the present Mana-
gers have certainly surpassed their predecessors, and
made such improvements as must recommend
to the favour of the public.
TOViNSEND and KING are certainly great acquisi-
tions to this scene of festivity. They both sung ad-
mirably.
Signior GIOVENNI BAPTISTA BELZONA, called in
the bills of the day, the PATAGONIAN SAMPSON,
exhibited feats of most extraordinary strength. He
with apparent ease balanced seven men, who could
not have weighed less than half a ton, and carried
them round the stage without any appearance of
distress ; he is a fine figure.
Miss GA irrEN, in the dance with the skipping-
rope, displayed a degree of agility with which every
beholder must be highly pleased.
In the after piece of the Caere! Mr. Cie MANI,
as the clown, appeared to very great advantage, and
displayed talents which the public, no doubt, will
properly appreciate.
The new managers have certainly used very me-
ritorious and liberal exertions: the scenery was new

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and elegant, well devised; kid created with un-
comfnim taste.
The audience were trcrybighly pleased throughout,
arid, lifter reiterated plaudits, went away in the
utmost good (tumour.
ROYAL. CIRCt'S.
In our range of the public diversions, which have
hailed the approach of Easter, we were next led by
curiosity to visit the Royal Circus, a place which,
during many of the former seasons, has been the
scene of infinite amusement. It is expected that at
spetlecles of this description novelty should be the
foundation of the representations offered to the pub-
lic, for they are in general of so unsubstantial a
texture, that without such recommendation very
little can be said in their favour. We cannot re-
port that the Managers of this amphitheatre have
given themselves much trouble in producing new
subjeas for the gratification of their holiday midi-
tars. Somethiu:.; more than an hour and a half
was occupied in the performance of a Grand Ballet
called the Fatal PraliNion, announced in the bills as
the 99th representation. Banquets and battels, love
scenes and murders, damsels and assassins, palaces
and prisons, are blended together in such hasty
confusion, that the spatator scarce knows to what
to direEt his attention.

This was followed by feats of horsemanship per-
formed by an equestrian described as the youthful
Highlander, and certainly the agility he displayed
is entitled to every praise ; both the horse and the
rid,:r received all the applause they were entitled to.
To give a regular account of the remainder of the
rrtormances, wouiti be a vain attempt, they con-
sisted of a lyrical addrel, from Paddy Bnll in his
potatoe garden. We could Lot but remark the very
uncommon dearth of genius and originality in the
music of the different drama's (if they arc worthy
of that name) which in the coarse of the evening
were successively brought forward. We were sur-
prised to hear music announced as new which had
been familiar to us for years; and passages out of
the overture to the Lady of the Manor and the Battle
of Prague, supplied the deled of the Composer's ge-
nius The whole concluded with a Pantomime
called the Rival Statues, a title most truly de-
scriptive of the rerfOrmers in general. In the
course of it the author, or inventor, has, we
think, very injudiciously thought proper to satyrize
these discoveries of science, which ought to be held
too sacred for the application of such buffoonery.—
Elearicity and Galvanism are by no means pro-
per subjeds for the absurd ridicule of a minor
theatre ; and however the coarse satire exhibited at
the Circus last night with reference to those sub-
jects, may draw down the applause of those who
filled the benches of the gallery, it cannot but ex-
cite the contempt of men of sense, and bring the
place altogether into disrepute.
The House and Amphitheatre has undergone
little or no alteration, further than having been
newly painted. The Pit and Galleries were crouded
to excess; but the Boxes, till half price, were not
filled in the same proportion.