The National Register.
London, England, 1812-11-29 00:00:00

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NATION

DRAMATIC It EGI ST ER.

. COVENT G R DEN. •
Mr. BETTY, in Tuncied. on Thursday last, perhaps dis•
pla cd mare abilities than in any character in which he bad
yet appeared. He is now become more master of the stage
and of himself. !Li grareftduess is no longer that of att,
but of na'ure. His e: se increases with hi., popularity, for
ir3ntwithstancEng the affected sewn %vie% which some of our
daily critics endeavour to overpower his eNel tiow, the over-
flowing fulness of the house before ice, he per
forms, clearly manifests that he is rapidly gaining ground
in the public opinion. Ilis revived confidence has-
brought io light all his skill, and the judicious manner in
which he now manages his voice disguises its harshness,
avd eaus's it to be forgotten. Ills spirit, no longer tamed
by avrel'eHTion when he first appears before the audience,
bursts nth all at once, and caries him with animation
shi'onp,ll I'VerV pint of the lei formance. In Alexander, on
Tue-d 2v lava, he seemed much improved. In the s.“tne
in which he kips Ciyinv, his impatient ind;gnation, vainly
checked by he .enlezy.brance of past friend hip and services,
hi enometalon of his maitial exploit,, and his regrets over
his murder, d soldiers were debvered with a force and car-
recto,ss expiess•on, •which no iiecran on the stage could
have Enipas-ed Flis hysteric laugh nt cbse, .was a!so
me e elle• tine than before, and his exerti..ns were rewarded
by ap: 1. a e, unmixed. with the le.ist Sign (f disapprobrvion.
A• ~u,t 11 0. BETTY will apin arpear in Tancred, we
!ba d fer f•ut fu; ..her lemarks tilt then, only adding, that
n his I ye sce 1-s he was mo,e suceessfol that we had et
Teen Jinn. lie was greeted alina,t throughout in this cha-
fiatter with gene' al shouis of approbaion.

On Thursday, the new farce went off as usual, till the
pet fn wance of that scene. which Ficrli lc Al A THEWS)
gives an acciaint of what I-a ,ed i,, r'cui I. Here he merely
repe.,tech what he, as C'oun,el, 4ated, and o.“ltted the
atinos f the Judge. This vas done so adioiiiy that it
was ,ot a fist !.e eel, c d hut w•,en the scene clo.-ed wi,hrut
futn.sla,ng that which wa, cx cctrd, much disaprroba7Ln
was Insmifested. The his,es, ht fit ,t weak a!iii partial, so n
becamr, loud and general, and the succeeding scene was not
atteodel to :'t Cric; of " ds;" " Ma' hews," "Is
itmcot," c• Imitations," gic.) were heard from all parts
of the house. tilt r'cxibic ag made nis appea:ance The
tumult now he.2..iti louder than befo, e, and MA 'Mews at length
came ff,rwaid, and addressed the audience in the followini,

: •
6' L I Dll 111 ANn GUNTLENVN—I am desired by the Managers mo:4
respec,:oll‘ to as;, 1, V') r pkastef• ?•1
A raul..itude of answeis wee here given, which it was n, t
easy, uref.i ely to collect. They generally caled for that
which had been omitted —.NI AT HEWS replied—
.. I. 1)*18A•kaGI1VILIMI-N—I under•twol wii,tt you mean A•
an actor it is my toteremt and only to d•• every thing in my power t
cunt i ihtre to the enteriainsucet ,lie 1111611 c. Tile imitation , Inch
is
Called (fir, which It t‘ been rained by a iteintentan jiist untivr e it,
Was ii.tradtteed 'try e.rtilly Killion:li to Ltive offrile tip au
pgisim it was talitri by die 01111101 We, and applied iu a partiotihe
manner, din not ea tetly und7ostand. t not ceit:an
CU intention On the part of ri!her author or actor to give 'deuce to an.%
o,•c I teel ell placed WI a very a%tkvrarti situation, but a circum-
stance ha. occurred, in consequence I,f wisica, f,r particular masons,
Can sa tliat l am pogitiv ly obli rd to omit it."
This spcech was seceived with great applause, and the
farce went on wi!hout farther interruption. •

On Friday night, Mr. M ATHEWS having been requested
from the pit, to state the re-'sous which obliged him to leave
out tLe. imitation iu question, and the whole house having

t. ISTER.

NOV. 2P.

1 jqined -in the rquest, he stated, after some preliminaiv
observations, that witlaout the least intention to offend '
persons for whom he had the highest respect, he had been
so unfortunate as to give offence to a nobleman high in rank
and in office. Of this he had received' an intimation, and
although he was ready, for the entertainment of the public,
to repeat the same passage in six different voices every
night if they pleased (aid he went through it in three
di6rent tones). yet he - wished positively to state, with ail
' due respect, that he neither could, nor Would ever give it
*ails in the manner which had occasioned the offence.
This explanation was followed by rapturoui app!ause,
which was repeated every titne Mr. MATH Ews entered the

stage.

MR. MATHEIVS's

TO VIE EDITOR OF THE NATION 11. REGIsTLII.

SIR--An idea has gone abroad that the interruption -iven
to the new farce, was occasioned by a certain learned lord,
whose peculiarities 11 aTnEWS was supposed to imitate, in
the character of Flexible, when rei.cating thy speech of the
Judge. This opinion, 1 am confident, is not well founded,
I have it on good authority, tint the Noble Lord alluded to,
when informed of what was passing.at the Theatre, far from
being incensed at the liberty taken with him, seemed to
enjoy the joke, almost as much as it had been previously
enjoyed by the audience. [lie Lordship observed, that he
was not aware that be bad any striking peculiarities that
might be expected to subject him to this waggery; but
added, he should much like to witness it himself, if he could
attend the Theatre without being known. This was said
without atOangry feeling ; and had be not thought the laugh
would have been rather too loud at his expence, if it had
been known that he was in the Theatre, attending to an
imitation of himself, I have no doubt his Lordship would
have been among the nun her who listened to, who laughed
, and who applauded the ludicrous, but not des, ailing,
as-umpt ion of *the Judge, which gave eclat for the first five
nights to " Love, Law, and Physic."
Hoping this explanation will not be unacceptable, and
that Mr. LA RP ENT and the Lord Chamberlain may, if it is
,tue to them, have all the credit of the alteration now made
' in the farce. I remain, Sir,
Yours, most respectfully,

CANDOUR.

The account which has been given of the last days of
COIKE, the actor, is probably without foundation, as Mr.
HOLMAN, who was upon the spot when he died, far from
representing him to have been in the forlorn and destitute
situation described in that account, states, that Coma, by
his marriage in America, had procured very respectable con•
nections, and that his wife's family admini,tered all the crin-
forts which his illness required, till it terminatedin his death'.
From Mr. flocm.itv's account, it appears also that Como
seemed to be duly sensible of his errors, and of the con•
dition to which they, bad educed. him.
BOX ERS.—Thete are four other boxing matches in agita
tion. CART ER, the Lancashire man, challenges any body; and
tz,u LL ER, another of the beaten men, challenges any thin, of
twelve stone. There are two matches already made, and the
cognoscenti are anxiously searching 'matches for te two for-
mer champions.
It has been determined to appoint a Special
for the trial, of the persous accused of the murder of
Mr.
El() RSF A LL,. and of the Luddites now confined in York Castle,
to the number of between 40 and 50. The trials will take place
in about three weeks. Commissiou
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