The National Register.
London, England, 1818-01-18 00:00:00

KING'S THEATRE.

This elegant house opened for the season on Satur-
day week, with Piar's Opera of Griselda, to which sue-
. ceeled a new ballet called ./Etius el Fu!vie. Several
changes have taken place in the corps de ballet, but not
of a nature to demand particular notice. The new me-
thod of lighting the house by gas has greatly added to
its beauty. Every part is illuminated with such bril-
liancy as to vie with the brightest sunshine. A beauti-
ful cut-glass lustre, in the form of a bell, is suspended
from the ceiling, which produces an effulgence exceeling
every thing yet witnessed. By the removal of the chan-
delier from the boxes, the elegant form of the interior
is more distinctly seen, whilst, unless we look upward,
we are unconscious from whence the additional lustre
proceeds.

COVENT-GARDEN.

A one act piece called Three miles from Paris was
. .

produced here on Thursday. The plot turns on the
delivering of a letter, by the servant of an English
Colonel, who is in love with a niece of a poor widow,
who keeps an Inn three miles from the French capital.
The servant to effect this purpose, assumes successively
the dress of a French Courier, an English Grenadier, a
Tourist, and a Sailor. This part was very respectfully
played by Denning, a provincial actor of some celebrity,
who is engaged in the room of Mathews. Money
saved, in the case of such actors as Matthews, is not
always money got. Denning would have been to him
a valuable second, but to stand in his place, is a bold
and even hazardous attempt —The reception. of the
farce was not the most favourable.
SURREY THEATRE.

There are not many things in which we could wish
to become imitators of our neighbours, the French;
neither their laws their religion, nor their politics
are much to our taste ; but in some things con-
nected with literature, the arts, and those public amuse-
ments which, if not abused, refine Society, they are our
superiors. We will not say they have more brilliant
scholars than we have, or that their artists in any de-
gree excel us, but we mean that there is a general feel-
ing in a French public, that the illustrious scholar, or
the skilful artist is a sort of public man,—an object of
national patronage and protection. Their public amuse-
merits, too, derive a consequence from the countenance
of.the government, which has a material influence with
the public. That which the Academy meets gravely
to deliberate upon, cannot but obtain a consequence in
the eyes of the people, and whether it be the Theatre
Francais, or humble Vaudeville, the applauding voice of
the public, awl the critical pen of the Journalist, pre-
serves them from obscurity. The perichatil of our neigh-
bours for the care-killing occupations of life, may be
assigned as the cause of the high estimation in which
every species of scenic representation is held; but there
is another, and, if the minor theatres of this city would
wish to prosper, they must take a lesson from the French,
not partially, as they now do, but learn to the very let.
ter. Every theatre in Paris has its peculiar feature—
its peculiar description of performances ; regulated in-
deed, by law, but not contrary to the taste of the peo-
ple. The performances at the Opera are strictly ope-
ratic; the Theatre Francais presents what its name im-
ports—the ligitimate productions of the French Drama;
the Cirque Olympiquc confines itself to feats of agility;
and the Vaudeville gives its " little pieces interspersed
with little songs." They never, as in this country,
violate each others territory, and every man, therefore
knows where to gratify his peculiar taste. Something
like an attention to his plan is, at length, beginning to
male its appearance among our minor theatres. Un-
happily, those which we call Royal, are slow to set the
example. Tragedy, Comedy, Farce, and Opera, take
their turn ; horsemanship, slack rope, and tight rope,
real fire, and real water, all are impressed into their
service; so that a man, unused to the stage, would
sometimes be at a loss to know whether he had found
his way to Covent Garden, or Astley's Amphitheatre.
Among the first to break down the system, we are hap-
py to observe Mr. T. Dibdin, who, in his performances
at the Surrey Theatre, is endeavouring to canine him-
self to that class of performances which, cramped as a
minor theatre is by law, is best calculated to please.
At this theatre, we find a strict attention paid to the
pantomimic and btudesque species of performance ;
we are not disgusted by Macbeth in dumb-shew, nor
Jilamlet without the soliliquks ; we know, when we visit
this house what entertainment we are to expect, and if
the vends be net of the most costly sort, we are plewed
to feed them so well cooked. Added to a correct taste,
the manager appears to possess all those business-like
habits which eminently fit a man for the regulation of I
a dramatic estAlishmert : indeed a talent fur theatrical I
manaement appear to be the characteristic of all the
Dibdin

r

We can now state that Mr. Sergeant Best has been
appointed Chief Justice of Cluster, and has resigned the
appointment of Attorney-General of the Prince as Duke
of Cornwall, in consequence of the Lord Chancellor
baying declared that the two situations were incompati-
ble. Our readers cannot forget that Mr. Justice Gar-
row held the place along with that of Attorney-Gene-
s • 41, King.

TIIE NATIO:1;71, REGISTER,

UNITILD STATLIi SHIP FRANKLIN.—The arrival of
this vessel has excited much attention and curiosity in
our shipwrights and woolen, some of whom embraced
the opportunity, while she lay at Spithead, of inspecting
her construction and equipment. Nothing, we have
been credibly assured, can exceed the manner in which
the Franklin is fitted out, both below and aline the
gun-whale. Her rigging is neat, an,d adroitly managed
by one of the finest crews that ever navigated a ship.
Her hull is a perfect model of ship-building, and the
interior combines every possible accommodation and com-
fort, with the most excellent arrangements for the
deposit of stores ; in which respect she is stated to be
decidedly superior to any one of our ships of war. Her
means of annoyance are on a similar scale of perfection.
On all her decks she carries 32-pounders ; a wise pre-
caution, by which the possibility only of a single mis-
take in the quantum of powder and shot is avoided.—
The guns, however, of the different decks, although
of the same calibre, vary in length, and the uppermost
tier, or those on the quarter deck and timectistle, are car-
rnnadcs, the whole bein:, evidently planned for power-
ful and decisive close combat. Arotuul the masts are
hung sharpened axes, ready fi►r cutting away in cases of
emergency. At sea, the Americans constantly habi-
tuate their crews to sailing round a barrel, and firing
at it with heavy shot, or to practising with musketry at
a bottle suspended from one of the yard arms. The
men fire by turns, and to him who strikes either the
barrel or the bottle, a double allowance of grog is
awarded.—The crews are likewise employed, at every
opportunity, in exercising the great guns ; and in con-
sequence of all these preparatory measures, they natu-
rally go into action, not only devoid of fear, but with
that ardour which is the almost certain presage of
victory. _ _

ELOPEMENT.—A letter from Boulogne states, tha
on Tuesday se'nnight, between the hours of 10 and
11 in the forenoon, notwithstanding the vigilance of
the French police, who, it was understood, were directed
to be on the alert, to prevent the circumstance being
carried into eflivt, a gallant young officer of Dragoon
Guards, cantoned in the vicinity of Calais, eloped with
a lovely and accomplished young lady, niece to a worthy
Baronet well known in the west of England, both in
the disguise of domestics, to some friends who aoompa-
nied them. On the following morning they were seen
prosecuting their journey to the north of England, and
probably ere this the indisoluble knot is tied.
ITALIAN B.tNDlTTt.—Lieutenant Colonel Herries
and Captain Gordon, R.N. were attacked on their way
to Naples, between Terracina and Fondi, by a banditti,
on the evening of the 12th pecetaber. The first act
of the villains was to fire upon the postilion without
previous warning. He fell mortally wounded. They
then proceeded to rifle the travellers, and took from
them their watches, money, &c. The banditti were
divided into two parties, one of which was immediately
active in the attack and robbery, while the other re-
mained in reserve at a short distance ; and their number
was so considerable, that Lieutenant Colonel Herries
and his companion must be considered as owing their
lives to their being unprepared to offer any resistance.
They suffered little personal violence, and were allowed
when the plunder was finished, to proceed on their
journey ; their servant taking the place of the postilion,
who was conveyed to Fondi in the carriage. Lieute-
nant Colonel Herries was on his way to join the Bri-
tish head quarters in the Mediterranean as Deputy
Quarter Master General.
KFonuenir.—At the Old Bailey yesterday, %Vasil
elly, only 15 years of age, was indicted capitally, for
fergileie, and uttering a 51. note, knowing it to be forg-
ed with intend to defraud the Governor and Company
of the Bank of England. The prisoner was brought
up to plead on Friday, and he persisted in pleading
Guilty, although told it could not in the remotest de-
gree avail him. He was accordingly put by and brought
up this morning to amend his pica. Still, however, he
persisted in his former plea, by observing, " how can
I plead not guilty when I know myself to be guilty."
Ile was then put to the bar, and charged, with another
boy, aged 17, named Thomas Spencer, with having
forged and uttered a 61. note, knowing it to have been
forged.
The short circumstances of the case were these :
On the evening of the 26th November, the prisoner
Kelly, dressed as a plasterer, went to the shop of Mr
Braidley, a pork-butcher of St. Martin's-lane, and say-
ing he came from his master, Mr. Crece, a plaisterer in
Long-acre, asked for change of a SL note ; he obtained
the change in four one pound notes, and the remainder
in silver. Both prisoners were shortly afterwards ap-
prehended, and upon the person of Spencer were found
four one pound notes, two of which Mr. 13raidlev iden-
tified to be those he gave Kelly in change, and upon
Kelly were found 18s. in silver. The .51. note was
proved to have been thrged, and Mr. Crece proved that
he never authorized the prisoner to get hint change of
the 31 note.
Mr. Justice Abhot summed up, and the Jury found
both the prisouers IKath.
The Earl of Dalhousie is appointed Governor and
Commander in Chief of Canada, in the room of Sir
John Sherbroke, who retires. Sir James Kelvin, it is
said, is to succeed Lord Dalhousie at Hain:.

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