The National Register.
London, England, 1819-02-15 00:00:00

DREW/ LANE.

On Thursday night was presented a new farce, ew
titled Ikh Notions; or, A Trip to Exmouth. The•
plot may be told in a few words :—Sir PrederickAu-
gustus Pageant, Baronet (Munden), having, in con.-
sequence of the sudden death of an elder brother, sue-.
ceetled to the title and a large estate, escapes from the
thraldom of a cheese-shop in the Borough, with a more
than ordinary share of vulgarity, and becomes,passion•
ately enamoured of high titles and ancient Nobility.
The old Gentleman has a niece (Miss. Cubitt), hand-
some and accomplished, by whom he is resolved to ob-
tain an alliance with the Peerage; but the young Lady
has most perversely, though without her uncle's
knowlenge admitted a plain Commoner (T. Cooke) to
the undisputed possession of her heart. Sir Frederick,
accompanied by his niece, her maid .\1 artha (Mrs. Alsop,)
and his man Tim (Knight), as the Baronet expresses it,
"all in the family way," takes a summer " trip to Ex-
mouth," in the !•e;.e of the; e meeting with some orpor.
twiny of gratifying his High Notions; thit bar Frank-
lin the lover, with kip hisservant (RossA), follow them.
Skip, to obtain an introduction in; o the Baronet's house
disguises himself us Master of the Ceremonies; and
whi:e he delights the ear of the Baronet with the pro-
mise of introducing him to some foreign. Duke, of
rmnience wealth and consevence, he contrives to
etnr:ey a letter to the nice from Franklin, apprising
her of the plot. The Alaster of the Ceremonies re-
tires, and Sip soon after returns disguised as the
promised Duke, and by droppin; a letter, which the
Baronet- picks up, cad reads, he makes him believe
that he purposes to have the Baronet's name insrstel
in " the new batch of Peers," and that Franklin is a
Lord of ancient family in divuise. The trick succeeds
and the lovers are happy.

This outline is completed by nn ei. y and sprightlf
dialogue, amusing incidents, and some v,ry I):Lasitig
singing. Munden and Knight sang a very good 4,
on the charms of a substantial Oinner, wa4
loudly encored , and even called foe a third time. l'l e
popular actors exerted themselves miss. mhly aml
successfully, and k..pt the tutus:: in roars ol'
Miss Cubitt and Mr. T. Cooke were highly api, d
in several songs, some of which tvere 'enrol, d. Iho
part of Martha WAS much toti wiling for such an
tress as Mrs. Alsip ; she, however, helped to cooceal i
insignificance.. Russel rendered the Master of the
Ceremonies, and the Spanish Grandee, very amusing
personages.
Both the music and the dialogue arc the prokhictii re
of Mr. Parry. It was remit ed in a IV on; fkurriiiti
msnner, and is likely to bec.ane .v.th six;
Public.

(For Me rentaii•rer of Me Draw.: sec ti; ks! Fie.),

.r;
a.. a

CL:IIWEN'S SPEECH ON THE
DOOR LAWS.
'Mr. Cr HWEN said, the Hon. Gentleman -who had
*tee sat dimes was entitlota net only to the individual
thanks of every lslember et; that Hottee..hat to the ap-
probation of the keoutitry at large, for the ability and
perseverenee nntli which he applied himself to this suit-
e-feet. It was, therefore, with some pain that be rose to
creme The motion fir a Committee. For, thmigh he
thought that, in the first instenee, the appointment of
a Committee was tile hest coiner -that teeuld = c resorted
to, in order to briug, ffic:ent evidence Mitre the House,
yet, es there now appeared to be a compleat detail on
this most i=tcy.-tat-1. and alarming subject. he con-
etsi ved -finer' ought at once to meet the question fairly.
Nettling could he done in tlicCommittee to remedy the
wails complain d of; they credit linty be removed by a
•eveat.zed comprehensive view of the subject, taken by
;hose whose situation in the state gave them an oppor-
tunity of investigeting the question, with a reference to
all the various relations of the country, and who were
able to take upon themselves the responsibility of such
measures as appeared to them calculated to effect this
object. Out of the vest inherent 11.nciplesurf the Poor's
Laws erote auto of the evil of which the exemtey cern-
plinned—fin certainly, when it hey took out of the hands
oftindisruleals fee trouble of providing fir themselves,
they rendered them mere careless of their own personal
evelfare- This was evident front the commencement of
eherystem, when meirris were taken to check the growth
.ef-patiperiem—in the first instance, by the operation of
shame, and ultimately by the assistance o4' terror. Poor
/teases were erected, and individuult, tele) were torn
from their homes, were immured in those places. From
the great tramber of paupers, this measure was found
raeffielest,.anti the evil continued to increase. This de-
tente...Wring system, cost the country 2,000,00 n/. per
aorartm 25 years ego—but since that period, the ex-
pense was more Chan quadrupled. The evil was of such
a stature, that temporizing measures could do no good.
To cointeracted, its true sources must be explored.
To tit eeegreat causes tie attributed the present situation
of the country, with referecee to the Peor's Laws. First,
execs/live taxation-2d, the deen-eciation of money—and
.31y, the great rise in the price of the necessaries of life.
Those were the causes of the exirting distms—and
those who imaginedthey would conic oat of the Com-
mittee with a revaedy for any but the minor abuses, at-
t.:lea theroselvee, he was afraid, to a hope, that, in
the.ead, would not be realized. Tile lion. Gentleman
himself admitted that his hopes weie very feeble. For
kis own part, he cherished no hope whatever front the
adoption &any measure, except the removal of the
causes by which the present state of things was sera-
/ions:4. That could only be done by those who had it
4 their paxior to take 'effectual means for putting Sri
CALICO the system to which the actual evil could be
traced. la Ste course of 25 yeart, the increase of wages
Lad been one.fourth ; and, in the same time, the rise
ierthe. price of provision.; wasone-third. Salt. leather,
slap, and coals, were articles of primary importance to
workirg matt. Now upon a fair calculation, it would
appear that, to emotive these, onr.ninifi of the whole
of his income was swallowed up. If this country were
to 'be preserved in that proud situation, which, from the
nature of her free Constitution, she ought always to Le
`placed in, it teuld only be done by meliorating the
situation of the working classes of the people.—( Hear. )
He could not join in praising the Noble Lord for the
statement he had made, on a former et-miser, relative,
to the situation of eietii try. It was, he believed, in a
deli erate state, and could only be relieved by guarding
against every attempt at an undue or unnecessary ex-
penditure of the public moucv, from the Crown 'down
to the bunt lest officer in time state.—( !fear, hear ).
Ltsnking throughout the country, he believed it would
be found that the money paid fur the maintenance of
the poor had increased and not diminished in the last
year. That branch of taxation, exacted by the l'oor's
Laws, though nominally paid by the teeeple at large,
tame in reality from the Latidholders. Whatever was
pail by the farmer was only nominally peid If a far-
rier laid Ma a veer rent mid 2.i1. for Piedsllutes, the
intrinsic value of his farm may lie e.onsidereil to be 1251.
se that though nominally the Pot'sliates were paid by
the Tenant, they were aettrirly paid by the Land-
would it out then be better 14 al vaults at once
to meet and take this harden on themselves and exoner-
ate the week ing tiger; from the degradation of partici-
pating in it ? However str -norms in my opposition to
omtitluaniv el the Property Tee, which I eonsidered
as etrabine the Government to continue a scale of ex-
penditure calculated to exhaust the resources of the
country—yet for the purpose of removing home dig.
tractive of the happiness and comfort of the great mass
of the people, I should not hesitate in supporting a
FeepertyTax, so ely arid exclusively confined to the re-
moval of burdens which paralise the industry and des-
troy the indepsedence of the laboring community.—Our
n,ational pre-etnii ence depends me our preserving the
iudependent— of our natietial character—That once
slestroyed and we shall wirdy descend into the scale of
other nations. Ha did tort wis to take the burden
wholly from the shoulders of th- Larelhohler—•he was
nay desirous that it should be fairly and equally harm.