The National Register.
London, England, 1815-09-24 00:00:00

SEPT.

DEATH OF MRS. CLARKE.

A passenger arrived at Brighton in the Lord 'Welling-
ton says, that the celebrated Mrs. Mary Ann Clarke,
after a severe illness, and great agony, expired at Morel's
.Marine Rotel, at Rouen, on Tuesday last.

DRAMATIC REGISTER.

COVENT GARDEN.

The arduous and interesting character of Hamlet, was,
on Monday evening represented by Mr. Charles Kemble ;
this gentleman's personal appearance is admirably adapted
to convey to the imagination of the audience a faithful pic-
ture of the young and elegant Danish prince, aird, although
we cannot consider his performance entitled to ra'nk as a
first rate, we may safely affirm that it was almost uniformly
good, and sometimes approached even to excellence. A
determination to revenge the death of his father, whose me-
mory he cherishes with the most enthusiastic affection,forms
the leading trait. in the character of Hamlet, and of this
Mr. K. never lost sight. His speech to the Ghost was judi-
ciously delivered, and impressed us with the idea, that, al-
though he was determined to follow it, in order to clear
up, if possible, his suspicions relative to his father's death,
lie was not destitute of that awe and fear which such a
sight must necessarily occasion; this was certainly the in-
tention of Shakespeare, and our transcendent bard would
doubtless have been much astonished and mortified, to have
witnessed, as we have, on Provincial Boards, the Ghost
of the departee! King driven as it were from the stage by
the pugilistic attitude and appearance of his son. When
Horatio informs hamlet that he has beheld the ghost of
his departed sir-e, there was a coolness, and a want of emo-
tion in the mjnner in which the reply of
" Saw ! Who ?"

was delivered, which we should Kish to see rectified; such
information must produce astonishment amounting even to
amazement, and should not be received as the recital of an
ordinary and uninteresting occurrence. In the closet scene
he was eminently successful, his countenance and manner
in the passage of

`' This was your Husband,"

was admirably expressive of the veneration he is supposed
to feel for the memory of his father; his delivery, and
corresponding action when uttering

"T 6 is is your Husband,"&c.
justly marked his abhorrence of his uncle's depravity,
heightened as. it were by being contrasted with the de-
scription of his murdered and virtuous parent. in the
grave scene when flamlet discoiers accidentally from the
words of Laertes that Ophelia is no more, we think there
was an appearance of frigid indifference in Mr. K. which
should be avoided, for although in the first act llu►nlet
declares he will

" Wipe away all trivial fond records"
from his memory, it is not possible he could behold the
funeral of the lovely Ophelia without feeling at the mo-
ment, the most poignant anguish. In the more empas-
sioned parts of this scene, he was particularly felicitous;
and, in the dying scene, in the last act, he deservedly re-
ceived loud and continued applause. Upon the whole, we
are of opinion, that Mr. C. Kern!)le's hamlet is eha-
.4:qerised, generally; by a just couceptioa of aohor;

...T"..l.esnorwer.EP..••