The National Register.
London, England, 1816-03-18 00:00:00

I)RURY-LANE.

The lateness of the hour at which the revisal of Mas-
singer's play of The Duke of Milan finished on Saturday,
prevented us giving but a brief account of the perforn-
ance in our last. The Play has been repeated this week
with increased success, and may be considered as another
specimen of the great talents of the ancient dramatists.
From the zeal. with which the Managers of Drury-lane
Theatre have la:toured in this respect, it may be inferred,
that there is no intention to abandon this rich and bril-
liant mine. Some of the characters of this play, present
objects in whose situation and fate we are deeply inte-
reted, and of these none strike so feelingly upon the at-
tention as SJbrza himself; if we except the much-injured
and virtuous Maredia. The latter character was sus-
tained •hy Mrs. Bartley with an effect equal to any of
those excellent perfbrmances which have already raised
ILr so deservedly high in her profeashm; but on Mr.
Kean the attention of the audience was principally fixed,
and the genius which he displayed drew down the plau-
dits of the audience. His scene with Francisco, previous
to his departing to surrender bimwlf to the Emperor

Charles, where, from excess of love to his Duchess, lie
fear of not returning to her embraces, and the dread of'
her becoming the partner of an9ther, he suggests her mur-
der, was a most arduous and extraordinary exertion. The
scene upon his return, when from the treacherous plots of
Francisco, to whose care the Duchess had been confided
in his absence, and when rushing anxiously to her arms,
she receives him coldly, was very alleging. His con-
cluding scenes, however, when forced by strong circum-
stances to believe Marcella fidse—the frenzied heat of

jealousy, which urges hint to her assassination—the sub-
sequent conviction of her innocence, and the picture of
hope and despair exhibited over the body of his murdered
partner—finally, his own death ;, were pourtruyed with
superior force and effect. —The other characters were
adequately sustained. The piece has been got up in a
most splendid style.

P1101.0(;I:E TO THE HPKF. OF MILAN.
Still in the Drams's ancient round we
And Messinger is master of the :Tell—
Whdst Shukspeare. rising, midst the sculptur'd dad,
Beams like the genius of the sacred shade;
Whilst we have seen where Johnson's ashes lie,
And point the moral of mortality;
Nor monumental urn, nor irnagr thews,
Where the lest rilies. of Our repose—
Yet shall he rest secure of fame to come--
Your praise his Epitaph—this vault his Tomb.
Here Fleasr too, and Farquhar ova behold,
Those smiles reviv'd that wad d their wiz of
In its own shrine each honour's' burst rtplac'd,
And British Genius crivir'd by British Taste.
But not your smile returning life impara
To one alone of all the sister arts;
here too (for Gratitude may bout her zeal),
The living warmth our glowing bosoms
feti-
7'hen let your kindness still improve our skill,
And lead from triumph on to triumph still.
Ye that have thrill'd beneath the smile or frown,
When Richard courts a (4:PAIL or wins a crown;
Yc that 'rive thrabb'd st a'l Othello's woo',
His jealous madness, and repentant throes;
And ye who nightly swell the throng, to share
The villain's dario.; guilt, and last &Tarr—
l'rtake our mimic transports note, anti veva
The double t :army of hrae And love:
And if the BALI, in every look cipress'cl,
kiralle all the passions of the breast;
If C rities, kindly 'radial, feel they slew
'f he portrahs Massinger's own pencil drew, .
Oh! let your favour teen divide the raist,
And blend the Artois with the Poet a hays.

Messrs. Briekdale and Co. of the Taunton bank I•.pve •
likewise stopped payment.
Gibbons and Co.'s Wolverhampton Bank stopped pay-
ment on Monday last. _ _ .

The Bank have agreed to ._xtentl the redemption of
30 per cent on the Onmium, from the 26th April to the
17th May ; and the 40 per cent. redemption from the
10th May to the 12th July.
On Saturday se'nnight, Captain Manby exhibited to
the Commisioners for the Affairs of Barracks au efficaci-
ous method for the extinction of tire in storehouses and
other buildings, in which its progress is always-rapidly
destructive. It enables the person who discovors the
fire to proceed at once to extinguish it, by a maeltit.e,
which he may easily carry by hand, charged with a- fit id
so stmngiy impregnated with antiphiogistic ingredients,
as insuuttly to quench, wherever it falls, the fiercest
combustion. The quantity of fluid thus impregnated,
contained in the machine, will, Ixfore. the force with
which it is projected is at all diminished, effect as much
towards extinction as I<o gallons of simple water, how-
ever well directed by any other means. A cam contain-
ing two more such machines, rerely charged, and resor-
. voirs of the fluid for .-recharging all three, constitute the..
complete apparatus.. Its merits are, that it is always
ready for ir.stentaneous application; that it may be car-
ried by only one person to any part of the building, anti.
directed to the most intricate revesses of. the incipient
fire; and that it offers, in a box 1 foot deep, t! wide, and
less than 3 long, means of- extinguishment equal to a
quantity of 7t20 gallons of water applied by any other
mode at present in use.
The. French Budget presents a total expenditure, ordi-
nary and exttaordinary, of nearly 826 millions of francs.
about 34 ir.illions and a half sterling, for the current
year, and a total receipt of nearly 827, rather more than
34 nullirms and a half sterling. rne ways and means.
consist of the ordinary- direct taxes upon land, personal
and raoveable propmy, doors and windows, and vents,
-to the amount of nearly nine millions sterling.; duties (41
registers, wood, salt,.tobacco, customs, and indirect air&
tratutions to the amount of 13 millions and a half ster-
' ling ; the extraordinary taxes arc 50 per cent. additional
upon the tax on landed property, about 3,690,0001. stee-
ling ; 75 per cent. addition to the tax on moveable and
personal pryperty, about 900,0001. sterling; 60 per cent.
addition to-the tax on windows and doors ; 125 per rent.
addition to the duty on patents, amounting to about
800,0001. The ordinary expences are the Funded Debt,
Annuities, and Pensions, between five and six millions
sterling; Foreign Affitirs 300,0001. sterling ; Minister
of' the Interior, 690..0001. \Vat-, nearly nine millions
sterling ; Marine, two millions; Negociations, 500,0001.;
the King's Civil List, 1,040,0001. sterling ; and the.
Rovnl Family, near :340,0001. The King of France's
Civil List dbcs not include the payment of the Judges,
• Foreign Antbassaelorse&s. It is entirely for the 3naint,e-
fiance of the personal splendear of the King,. who bas,
besides a large revenue in domains, &c. The• King's
brother, his two nephews, aud niece, have each
85,0001. steeling a year.