The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-11-23 00:00:00

COVENT-GARWLV THE.4TRE.

Southern's tragedy of' Isabella was last night pssr„,
at this theatre, Mrs. &on:an app,aring for the ths:
the suffering heroine, in whom the interest of the p.u:,
meant by the author to lie concentrated. A% a
Synth:Tit ranks next to Otway, in Dryden's
both are r minert ter peculiar force in the ileser•i•:.--.
deep-felt grief. To 'ploy-goers oho delight in the rm.;
I cences of other days, the performance of /v/6:flu Lust;
ford many charms, inasmuch as 1111:y must associate yr. 4
:
it the first appearance of Mrs. Siddons on the Loll:qtrs.. •
Mrs. Siddons was then in the prim: of youth and Vats':
teauty, and withal neglected: but yet, some ytars stn;
when she re-appeared, and brought with her a greater
turity of judgment, she became almost an oljt:t
Tarry. These associations, however, bring with the::: te,
responding disadvantages to Mrs. Sloman, et ant
candidate in the first walk of tragsrly. To sneers...if is !!g;
tepreientation of Isabella, the heart must be (I,.ep'v
hued with gratitude, which is not sPowed to sr:A 5...
amiable "still small voice," but must le dtpictett is.,
of the bitterest description. Since the departure of as
Siddons and Miss O'Neill from the stage, the atu'arss
have been prevented from beholding, these tietith es
rows; whereas, clueing their re:pi, the town WAS trlalr
with their " w 11-pa Mtn( passion,” and they fulls me.
lishcal in the dramatic world the long-lost prerogatit,
rghs and tears. The other characters which suncesi
/aoheila are nn re auxiliaries to give her rills t. ot
and the ear are lied upon her as the sole object of eflbsa4
attention. The individual insignificance of even
and Filierey, and Carlos, does not still present them, W:ai.
combined, from produaing an interesting tragedy; at:,
taking the whole of its p.rrormance last cep r, try n.tc (11
estimate, WO must proneunce it to be singulsily tSc"irs
The grief of Isulpella calls forth our 1 est synTatlar;
but the sacrifices the makes to gratitude are still ncre
notching and irresistible. The triumph of Sautlnrn, a
this play, is when he almost wrings the harts of IL:
truly setisitivz., by exhibiting the Ivor widow so or.
come with as to render herrlf tehliticr.o
wretched rather than be ungrateful. " This cen,resity
will ruin me"—"l am cant,..tittd to be tat
trot this way:" these are cap: e- sions coat"( y 1:%:4
of pathos to permits who feel acitt.dy the w.idit
tions, than any which Isobel'; pronounces. The Cc:7
scenes re nut to he commended ; but then, more of
Isabella would rtoducc:ativty, an.i tLis no skilful ilraGsf.:t
simuld risk. tia v ing indulged in these ft w general n.
marks, we can fairly say, that Mrs. Sloman's pe:fasra-rt
of Isabella was equal to her exyrticits in ay.! lfri-
a•blera—perl:r.:), not equal to her Mrs. /.'a/hr. Sue..ra
has made the let lin,: of gratitude outwei,..ll the paniaa of
love in his portraiture of Isabella, and so tar cur Imas'..slcs
of human nature is violat.d. and conseqm Hely tln:i';u:i•-a of
the scene weakened in its effect. The passion of Le..., ith,t
net based upon a,tiutal appetite, reigns p aramoura to even
other; and when we find any ether peinciple or feeinzAey•
ev,r honourable, ina.ie to lessen its admitted superioriv:
can only with ditlit ulty r.coneile ourselves t." it.
principle is whet: iy.ine—that its wise dissemination ougita
prove vastly us. ht!, no riilit-minded individual can de:iy;s..
though we touch fear, is the present Macadainiz:a a:du .
society', that rite prevalence of so high and adorning a tee,.
ing cannot be expect«l. Mrs. Sleman, thtou:Lcut tkt
whole of her performanc,‘, evinced a just concept': n of la:
author, and nev, r once lost sight of h.r '4l.c
played and looked like a love-worn w:acw, strueg:i:g tc-
tween her love for that Moil who tempted her fr,.lu
of devotion, and her gratitude to
from the passing nee sautes of savenous
meeting with ~,:'s ':atlier was well give::. He
her of sacrilege, in t,ar:n,.; herself freni a nunnuy, et.o Lt.+
replies in the se movitt4 ace:,nts—

" There. there rt7i.gan my woes.
Oh ! had I never to an r.. v Diraa's face.
'.el he not tempted ILO hai mot Glen,
But still contimicel innocent and fire
Of a bud wonld, whirl; only he Lad power
To reconcile, and make me try pgain. '
Again, when Chant Baldwin, in the same scene, threv.rt
to take her child, her appeal to the heut—the
tendertuaa of lot into-once—the burst of material fechi;
with la ich she says—

" What ! iakc him from me ?
No. we must reser part, %is the last bold
(it cm...fort I has., left.
• • • • •
I live but in my child.
No. It: me pny in vain, and bq n y bread
k;.en door ioil to !veil Lis daily wash.
Rather Man always lose hin:."
Nothing could be more naturally delivered than this. Het
meeting of rilirmy in the aectnul act, and her reluetat.:
prottlisc to love Lim htr heart if ever it should return ftvia
the grave of her departed husband, drew down some, ad
deserved much more, applause. Her contempt if the
threats of her credirors was amongtt her best a Errors, rO.
her enunciation of thtse lines breathed thc loaies;
let the tUITOI: rear :
It cart tint overwhelm me in ;
And life and death arc now alike to me"

The interview with Biros in the Imirib act had that nu
niacal force about it, which abused hive, howtr:r inn:-
eel:ay abused, will ever betray, upon the reoun of L.
object—that object ban,. abstracted from its eminaces, e"
without any dishonourable knowledge upon the part 6f 1:O7
who fills his place. Every heart properly attuntd, 3:d
every feeling guided as it ought to b.., conrniaent.d
her fate, and offered her th,ir rynipatlics and two..
The Management, we think, Call 1:1) r keep 11;4
in abeyance; her merits are oF no cow mom order: tat S'
must do all 'be can to aid indul!ing is that
drawl, which. has so long found its lig v into sentimel.Ll
parts. Mrs. Sloman has not yet an ;dap d :my Oho;
elevated cenius : she does tact take ycu by corm, ai,d a
the whitlwind of IL-r powa carry yeti whev! she please';
but she captivates your lhart—sae engages yo-r :cosi' i;

ties—she prompts your sigh and forces your tees, std
sends you from the theatre v !at an imptession
ca ;not easily or sp .t lily forget. There were many 0...cr
these
passages than w.t have gootel which were gist:ti o i.e.
gnat effat ; hut at sue!, an hour as we are it.,tta.ly c...”-
paled to write thestri.T.l notices. at.y mere dlzthe:x.i
communtary cannot Le expected. We her we slit::1 Ictig
and omen :lave the plea.ore of tneetitil this clever !ad:,
and for the pre.:ent we shall take our leave. 8,-fore the c.st:-
elusion of the play tic house was full. Chat.
t'.o little with Birur, and Cooper made all he could of
Prot/. 1Iefor? ecting this notice we should say, that !tic!
the death of Biro'', a.nl the very natural position it:
Isabella is ',lac:J. the play should finish. We hale os
interest in all that follows; but we suppesc theatah:r d t
his wo-k would have been incomplete, had he rot 1
poetical justice cu Corhs, through wh.tse treachery. aid
and at whose procurinz, Birin was murdered. Th'.sihould
in some way or odic r le retreated. A vary becoming all
a very necessary alteration was bestowed on the costume,
which appeared to us to be wholly n, w. It was really r;.:-
rufous to End, in forma times, a poverty-struck widow,
and a lasing, escaped from captivity, all at once, and against
all probability, appear in full court dreasea. It app:.dis4
formed any criterion of merit, the opinion of the pubhc os
that score was most unequivocally demonstrated last night.
In mercy to the p.rson who played Carlos, we shall ca-
eca! his Dame from the public.

1111011
CHELSEA PETTY SESSIONS.

There is no existing grievance mere serious, as affecting
111 clamor the community, than the condition of the poor
god the amount of the poor-rotes. The sums levied upon
the different parishes and to.rnshi throughout the king
dom, the expettiliture of wlt!eh is. toe the most part, chid:et(
oaly by (lose trio prqfit by a, and controlled only by tl.ose
who bare an interest in increasing it, is so enormous in its
amount, and so offensive in its asst asment. as to have long
willed forth the loudest complaints from ail quartets, with-
out leading to any specific or general rein( Ely. It is with a
view to the general adoption of such au iustnutii n, that we
aro &alms to semen the attention of the public to the
riaripk, as well as to the practical restrlts of the Petty
S-ssiom estab'ishid about tweve months since in the parish
of St. Luke's. Clulsea, arat which bas been attended with
the most important benefits to that parish, both as to the
efficient amendment of the system, nail t the dution of
the previous rates, whit h had been levied untre ler cexactly
that cart cf delusive check and control ;which we have
just described. It was originally recommended by the
inhabitants at large, for the
. purpoist of giving greater ell-
esey to the geutunu principles and just administration of
*iv poor laws within their district, and its reult within
that short period lirs been to reduce their poor-rates from
an assessment of 4s. 10d. to 2s. Oil., while the pJor then,
selr‘s are at prey t nt better provided for in every way than
they were when tite rates were twice as burthensome. The
fectle.aien who constitute the Session, aid who, much to
their honour, perform the important and effective ditties
of the situation, gratis, are, T. lloblyn, Esq. T. Bryan,
En. and Capt. G. Aekloni, of the Royal Navy, to whom
a 3 unanimous vote of thanks has been recently conveyed
fox die Parochial Committee, for the able and exemylary
swain which they have exerted themselves in promoting
ex permanent ititer.sts of the parish, and for their disinte,
mod discharge of the duties by which those interests are
▪ erreLve'y superintended.