The National Register.
London, England, 1809-12-24 00:00:00

82

ward. ebe, and the scenery, which are execrable in them-
selves; and more glaringly so, either from the ignorance
or indolence of those entrusted with their arrangement.—
They have at length condescended to offer us what they call
46 a new Comedy," and it is so long since any thing like a
new o,matedy, or even the old ones, has been produced,'
that we are not surprised at their imagining it possible to
pass this thing off, as ans%% ering to its name.
An intelligent dramatic Critic asks, " is it not surprising,'
that in a nation which abounds with original characters,
more than any other in the world, there should be so few
good Comedies?" The question is casi!y auswered.—As
long as it is easier to copy plays, than to copy characters,
so long will plagiarism's take the lead of originality ! But
to revert to this new Comedy, which on Tuesday evening
made its appearance under the name of "Sudden drrivals,
ur too Busy by Hay."

DRAMATIS PERSON.II.
•
Old Transient 11r. Dowton.
Young Transient Mr. Matthews.
Baron Brandenberg .Mr. Raymond.
Captain Alford Mr. W rough ton.
Harry Torringham Mr. Wrench.
Lord John Bauble Mr. Palmer.
Patrick Ballymoony
Mr. Johnstone.
Countess Itw11ha....
Miss Torringham .Miss Ray.
Katty M'Cleverty
The Hon. Major Torringham and his friend Capt. .4lford,
• pass over to flamburgh, dine together, get drunk together,
quarrel and. light together; the Major falls, and .fjord
supposing him dead, flies front the fatal spot. Afraid of
. ~_ returning to England, he endeavours to evade detection bj
changing his name to Sidney, and to evade reflection by
rambling over the Continent. Still unable to quiet his
conscience, and he,iring that the Major had left in Ireland
an infa'it son and daughter unprotected, he remits large
sums for their education and support, to his friend AI r.
William Transient, a shopkeeper, at Wapping, who adding
this to many of his other lucky hits, converts the greatest part
of the remittances to his own purposes, but fulfils Capt. Al-
ford's wishes, so far as to send for the Young Torringhams and
to place them in a cheap country retirement under the
care of Patrick Ballymooney, and Katty M'Cleverty, two
old and faithful dependants of the Torringham family.
Young Torrio:cham having obtained a commission in the
marines, has the good fortune, at Lisbon, to save the life
of the Coantesi iiosalba, a young lady born in England,
but the daughter of a Portuguese nobleman; and Patr:ck
being presented by Mr. Transient with a situation ,in the
• = excise, becomes Patrick Ballymoney, Eseuinr. In this
stage of the business, the curtain rises, and transports the
audience to an Inn at Hamburgh ; there, by the assistance
of a Dutchman, a dinner, an English landlady, and the
confessional questions of Mr. Sidney, we, are told, though
in a very clumsy manner, such parts of the plot, as are
necessary to be known; in fact, the first act drawls through
a kind of business; which in SITAKESPE.',ZS time, was per-
formed by the chorusscs, and though much is done, such
as .S'idne.y tossing and tumbling half asleep on a sofa, and
afterwards, weeping and kneeling on the spot where he left
Torringham for dead, yet asall this was done off the stage,
but very obligingly tolit it; US by the landlady and thki Dutch-
man, ve would recommend to the author in his next pieces
in order to save time and trouble, TO li.kirE IT rat N mu IN
Ins PLAY srue ! 41r. Sidney set.s sail for England, and the
act closes. EL; this time our readers may suspect that the
author of this piece, is one who considers the unities of
time and place, as nothing Inure than the vagaries of
antiquity—SHAKESPCARE despised these rules—true—but
SItAKESPEARE raised nature above art, as much as he him-
self sometimes soared above nature—the brilliancy and ra-
pidity of the electric coruscations of heaven, prevent the
spectator from noticing the erratic motiims of :he o'er-
whehning flash, whilst the humbler sky-rocket way he
trawl through all the meanders of its devious worse.