The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-04-23 00:00:00

tOVENt-6..IRIiEN THEATPE.

A new Tragedy was produced here last night.
It is entitled. Belbonito, or The full fl Tunis :
and is, we believe, the composition of Mr. Sin ELL,
already well known by his successful efforts in the
drama. The scene, as the title impoits, is laid
at Tunis. dud opens with Magfredf, a Christian
slave, planning, in ronceit with his plower, in
misery, the overthrow of the State, to the comple-
tion of which he binds I • self by a solemn oath.
Montalto, the Governor of Tools, feels au interest in
the lute of Manfredi; and the latter, presuming
upon it, endeavours to win him to the cause.
Montalto is also a Christian, who had been most
cruelly driven from Venice, his native city, leav-
ing his only child Bellawira, whom he supposes
dead, and had so greatly revenged Isis wrongs,
by his services in the field in the cause of
its enemy, as to be elevated to the rank of Governor
of T s. A new set of slaves now arrives, including
Bellainira, her infant son. sad Salerno, her reputed
father.—lii the meals time the loyalty of Montalto
being suspected, Armand toilers with authority to
supersede him. In the group of slaves MuVredi
recognizes his wife, liellanrira; but in the same
instant they are torn from each other by the order
of Anourra, and the men are sent to prison.—ln the
succeeding scene Amoral recognizes in Bellentira
the subject of his early love, whom he had at-
tempted to carry off by force, of which crime he
had beets found guilty, and punished by branding
on the forehead and banishment. His feelings are
farther excifril by the recollection that her husband,
Manfredi, is die man who rescued her from his
gripe, and to whom lie owes all his disgrace and
disappointment. He therefore resolves to avail
I self of his office to wreak his vengeance upon
him, and from Isis exertions to effect his purpose the
principal interest of the piece arises. To forte the
wile to comply with his brutal desires, he intro-
duces the husband, in chains, for immediate execu-
ti . lie hest thteatens her with the destruction of
her child, but all without effect. The plan for the
overthrow of the State is now matured, and Anrarut,
defeated in die field, comes to the prison, where he
slabs Notior/in in the presence of his daughter
Bellanrira sod her child. Burning with revenge and
ths.ippoisiteil love, he next attempts to stab the
child, lint in this attempt he fails. and Muniaho
has just remotion% strength enough to plunge a
'bigger in his heart. Manfredi rushes in at the
head of his conquering troops, and the curtain falls,
lensing him in the embraces of his wile and child.
hirgot to flirtation that the reputed father of
litlhonira, and her companion in captivity, proves
to he the brother of Montalto, her real father, who
owed to him all his displace amid misfortwies.—
This is a very brief outline of a plot which,
although of not deep pathos, is full of interest,
slid meta the attention f the opening to the
concluding scene. Nits* O'NEILL is the only
female character in the piece, in which she tills a
mighty space. She comes on so early as the close
of the first act, and she advances to the end
of the last with increasing spirit nod enemy.
The smite in which she repulses the base ad-
vances of Aluturat, deserve* particular notice : the
passage ib which she treats him us unworthy of
the name of man, was very beutitiful and effective.
All the other characters were admirably sustained.
ludeed, the piece could not have been cast or play-
ed to more advantage. The house was crowded to
excess with a splendid audience, and the piece re-
ceived the wust militant and decided applause.

(.121M. CON.—Yeorrilay, in the Sheriff's. Court,
Bedfold.row, a proceeding was instituted to usoess
damage% in the mot of SIMON FUAZER, Eoq.
against W. BRITTI.EBANK, E. 741. for csimilial eon-
vssissatiosi with SINIAN. the wife of the Plaintiff.—
The plaintiff, Mr. I:ItAZER, was a gentleman who
had enjoyed an estate of conoidershle value in the
island of Berince, in the %Arcot Indio, and had mar-
ried the daughter of the Governor of Disike, who
was the oilisj.ct of the action., 'Flue Defendant was
also a resident of Berbice, and possessed of au
rotate situate some distance front that of the Plain-
tiff'. The Defendant had suffered judgment to go
by default, uud the damages were laid at 10,000/.
—Verdict for the Plaintiff, damages 1450/.
In aid of the LONSDALE interest against Mr.
BROUGHA)t, the really pen of Mr. SOUTHEY, the
Poet Laureat, has been hiought forward in various
squib.; and Widths. The hills there, which had
hero accustomed to a different strain from that
Bard, know not how to acknowlealge him again—