The National Register.
London, England, 1817-04-21 00:00:00

KING'S THEA i•Rr.

The King's Theatre is assumiag its true rank and
character ; it is beco.ning, nut only the most elegant
place of pablic resort, but the scene of the most attrac-
tive and perfective musical perf,wmanc, in the kingdom.
We cannot, indeed, imagine a higher enjoyment, either
to the lovers of the art, or those who are possessed of
strong natural sensibiliity, than the representation of
such an Opera as the Dog Giocaani of Mozart, seconded
by the talent, both vocal and instrumental, which is
required to bring out the effect intended by its compo-
ser.

It has been urged as a defect in the Works of this ex-
traordinary man, by the admirers anol,-,..irtisans of the
Italian school, that he frapiently overalielms the voice
with a mass of accompaniment, which either renders it
inefficient altogether, or makes it of seondary import-
ance. This objection is ill-finnuled. It is true that his
accompaniments are generally of the richest and fullest
kind ; but we venture to assert, it is the fault of the or-
chestra. The admirable discipline and precision of the
present baud not only secure us against this, but show
us the true effect arising out of the rich and full support
of the instruments. We point out, as a particular in-
stance, the manner in which they accompanied the fine
impassioned song of "Or sai chi Amore," in the first
act, which was so ably executed on Saturday night by
Madame Camporese. A perfect cloud of notes, moving
in rapid succession, is here given to the instruments;
yet so judicously were they played, that they produced
all the effect that depth of colour does in the haek-ground
of a fine painting, by bringing out and supporting the
principal figure. Pbther instances may easily be adduced,
but one is sufficient : we awe perfectly satisfied of the
general truth of the observation.
Among the features which distinguished last Satur-
day's representation of It Don Giovanni, we have to
mention, and to commend, an increased seal in all the
performers to do the composer justice. They appear to
enter fully into his merits, and to be aware of the high
estimation in which he is held by the people of this
country.

We observe, too, that some of the more refined move-
ments are growing into public favour. The pathetic
duet " cradele, juggr in the second scene, ap-
peared to make a deeper impression and to be under-
stod in a much greater Jegree, than on former occasions.
A beautifully serious song, also, which we confess had
at first partly escaped our notice, is becoming attractive:
we mean the air of " Dela sun pace," sung by Crivclli
in the first act. It is composed thmughout in a plain
unornamented style, and breathes a dciicious tranqui,-
iity and resignation. With its melody is connected a
harmony, rich, original, and profoua.l. Tai movement
is not only capable of gratifying any car at all trained
to musical sounds, it is at the same time a perfect study
for those who apply themselves to the principles of cum-
uNition. _ _

•
‘Ve are also gratified by on intpmval dreet io the
stionte scene. The instrola iits which tk-71,1npanie.1 the
speaking of this mysterous hving were at the tirst per-
fqrotin a too loud—the voice wn overpowered. 'they
n 'v • lye the notes 1,, a s rr of sabitte ,stifte.3, ton
• 1.).e 1, at the ,;ttne tsna !ha• it alp ..vs le voice to G.
• ,tinnent, ;.;•reatly iner....ltstm the effect of tte pus..age.
The h. u.a was fille.l at an earlier :liar than
,f ti! prey, • ',ing evenin.,,s: long bet' re the rising
of the curtain. every seat in the pit WAS uctnpietl.

N-L %NE THEATRE.

A new piece, in three acts, mixed up, according t•
the modern fashion, of dialogue and music, was pro-
duced at this theatre, on Thursday night, called £lpdi
Bey; or, The Arab's Faith. •

According to the story, Elphi ('iVallack) was heir to tte
government of Egypt, which is seized in his absence by oe-
my ti 'Dirk ( Horn), who resolves to destroy him on his reams
front Englsnii. Our readers will recollect Elphi Bey's em-
bassy here. He is
%Mined by Chedid (Rae), an Arab Sheik,
who hates F.lphi for killing Abdalla, his wife's father, in
battle. Elphi's wile, Grimaba (Miss Boyce), is Cher
capti...e, but escapes, disguises herself as a male Arab, and
with her servant Hyder (Harley), joins Elphi on his lauding :
withont revealing herself to , she induces him to Ay to the
desart for his Manialukes. Exhausted by fatigue, he cornea
otiknowingly to the tent of Chedid, and passes the begging,
which is said to ensure protection from the Arabs. Ensina
( Mrs. Hartley), wife of Chedid, subdues her resentment eta
Elphi, saying lie had saved her soil ; and give* him the MOO
of protection and escape. Chedid afterwards acknowledge/7
the honour of her conduct, which displeases Osmyn, who at,
tucks, tlefrists' and captures Chedid, and Is about to execute
him, in Grand C tiro. Meantime Emina had flown to Elphi
to inform of the circumstances ; and Elphi, with his veva,
force the gates of the castle-yard at the moment of the
pending execution, sod carry all before them. Oansya is
taken prisoner, but his life is spared; Elphi and Chedid are
reconciled, and Elphi obtains Ids sovereign rights.

Of such particulars, which are rather ateagre, is thilt
musical piece, which is drawn out to three acts, com.
posed. Rae and Wallack did all that was possible frit
their respective parts. Horn played respectably; and nu%
a bravura that was encored. Mr. Bartley appeared -bk.
her usual manner ; and Miss Boyce was very interest.
int. Some songs by Mrs. Bland and Miss Bugging weird
much applauded. The overture, and some mbar poinegast
of the music, taken from Mozart, was very pleasing.
Slnie of the Egyptian scenery also did credit to the
painter. When the curtain fell, there was a division of
opinion on the merits of the play ; but the majarity
appeared in its &tour, and its repetition was an:totting
by the manager.

COVENT GARDEN.

•
A new piece, described as an historical play, inter-
spersed with music, called The Conquest of Trento;
or, SE. Clara's Eve, was produced at this Theatre oat
Tuesday. The principal characters were as follow:--
Ahenhained . . . Mr. Young
Don Gonzales . . . Mr. Egerton
Valtucio . . . . Mr. Macready
Rinaldo . . . . Mr. Booth
'leleck . . . . Mr. Chapman
Isadore . . . . Mr. Duruset
Oriana . . . . Miss Booth
Rosalinda . . . • Miss Stephens.
The story is as followt:-.
Abenhatned in his youth, whilst the commander of a Mar-
bary
corsair, makes captive of a young female Christian, to
whom lie becomes violently attached, and she being eqoaßt.
attached to him, accompanies him in all his portage:peti-
tions ; in one of which he meets with a severe stone, by which
his vessel is so much damaged that he is obliged to seek shel-
ter in the Bay of Tarento, of which fortress Don Goagales is
at that time Governor, whose sister was formerly steles by a
Barbary pirate, and in consequence of which, be has Imbibe*
the most inveterate hatred to the Arab race. Impelled by
this spirit, he attacks Abenhamed and his crew, and drive;
them back to their shattered vessel, several of the Moors
falling in the contest, and the wife of Abenhamed, at that
time in a pregnant state, also falling into the bands of the
Spaniards, Abenhamed himself seeing her wounded, an
earliest •by the soldiers. This circumstance engenders ise
his breast the most deadly hatred against the Spanish nation;
and against Gonzales in particular. Years roll on, but Um(
mitred remains unabated ; and be having arrived at the ranks
of Admiral of the Moorish Beet, determines to attack Ts.
rento, and to sacrifice Gonzales and the inhabitants to the
manes of his murdered wife and unborn child. The piece
ovens at this ',art of the story. The fleet of Abenhamed
being seen in the bay of Tamil°, a party of Abenhamed's
men, himself et their head, land to reconnoitre, and fell in
with Don Vakncio, who is in lo•e with Orissa, Gonzales'
daughter, but whose suite is rejected by her, she being at:
tacked to Rinaldo, a youth of unknown birth, brought np by
her father. The father, determined not to restrain hisdaugb-
ter in her choice, refuses to me his infiimuce, when applied
to by Dou Valencia who, enraged at this refusal, and deter-
mined tic revenge himself, offers to betray the town to Aben•
bank'', by giving up the secret pass to bins, on coutlition
that he s!tall be rewarded a tilt one thing, which he shall
select (runs the plunder of the town. Abenhamed gives his
pronti4e. Valenciu returns into tbe town to carry his plan
into effect. Ds,n Gonzales, not suspecting the fidelity of
Valeucio, gives him the command of a body of troops on tha
western side of the town, whilst to his young: fisvourite. Rio
mild°, he assigns the keepin;; of the secret entrains, to the
fuarre•s. io takes advantage of this arrangement to
c:svelige himself on uis suspected rival also, and having ar.
lump:it that the signal fur admitting the Moors into the town
shroud be the tiring two gnus at the evening watch. lie rest,
'affecting to feel for the honour of his young friend, Riva de,
lie says, is•compromiseil by the Go' rumor, be being
ippotated to tarommtuuh where neither honour our glory can
.se gained, tells hint lie will introduce hill to more arrive
scenes, if, at the tiring of the evetrisre San, he will open the
postern gate communicating nein the serf, b :-aestiges, and
pia I • , Viletirto, nn the Th youtig Rinaldo falls.
tubt the snare laid ter hurt by li• rii.,ll;: nt host ing the signal
be o,,ents the postern; the Alu.trs rast, in, take bun prisoner,
a •i 1 overpower tie fortress; Am.., i....-..9l,llowever, admiring
tits may, y, to, tl (*ally 41 WAIT ilia. it i, tail the t 3:10:, is buil
, lie bates, thinv,li he loves the treas,ll. orders him to he it-ft
at 'thefts, is itilse the test of the T.,•irri 11011 are treated as pri-
; o•,cIN. ,ere-., ittp,rsn na the
..f6oncile• !•tispiciotim, of Ins fill, lily, he disclaim_
ii, rad b.-.its him with the ii..r,c 0. ,
1) atte memo loin., pi tirei'ils • his p cure against
Gotisale., ,!to is orough: to trial, v• .t u, dtobe b ohm.
WI the is:teel, 'nub the smitmear is a .1!,l1 LI he carried late
ezecutina,
where
an eatuanation takes- plate, mad it is

)

!126

sere(' that Alzotida, the wife or Abeithanted, was the sister of
tionentes, stolen infer infancy, and utiraculowily left wound-
ed on the shines of Tarento; that she ultimately died on her
brother's bosom, basing pri stonily given birth to a son,
srhich son was brought no by his uncle in ignorance of Ins
birth, and Mss tio uthetolltait Rinaldo. An esplanatiou, as
to WllO was the traitor, tai.e.• place ; and Valencia's
being fully discovered, and all holies of obtaining Oriana for
a,wtte, the reward which het ad intended to demand of the
conqueror, as the reward of treason, being at an mid, he
stabs himself. Gonzales and Abenlianted are reconciled, a
union between their children takes place, and thus the. piece
conelatles.
There is also an under plot, the characters of which
were assigned to Miss Stephens, Miss Carew. and Mr.
Dui;uset , but it is no way material to the Piece; and
is only a vehicle for introducing several beautiful songs,
by these admired singers, especially a duct iti the first
act, between Miss Stephens and 11r. Duruset. A song
by Miss Stephens, in the second net, and a trio by Mh.s
Stephens, Miss Carew, anti Duruset, in the third act.
The, acting of Young, in Abenkained, was excellent as
amid. Macready deeiniated all the passions of the trai-
tor Valencia with form and discrimination, which ob..
lained for him deserved applause. Booth made as much
abbe could of the youthful Rinaldo, but he still rants
too much ; he tears a passion so much to atoms, that it
ceases to bear the stamp of natural grief, and the audi-
ence cannot feel for his woes—woes so unnat wally
planted. Miss. Booth was highly interesting in the love-
ly. Oriana. Egerton played Don Gonzales in his usual
ittyle—respectable. The music is by Kelly, and some of
it extremely pretty. All that dress, decoration, and
Scenery. can do for the piece has been done. The telcnt of
she scene painter hag been particularly displayed in a
view of the bay, fortifications and distant light-honk of
Varento, &nearer view of the fortifications, and nn in-
'ternal view, of the palace and gardens of the Govenier.
The piece was received throughout without a dissenti-
.ent voice, and announced for repetition amidst the
loudest applause.

On Wednesday evening, the opera of Inkle and
Yarico, and The Prize, was attempted by the Amateurs
of the Tredesmans' Club, at the Horns Tavern, Ken-
aington, which, from the support given it by the most
respectable families in the vicinity, excited unusual in-
terest. The performers, upon the whole, sustained their
parts with a great deal of credit ; particularly atrentle-
man of the name of Conway, who delivered an Address,
evrittett by himsct expressly for the occasion, and the
-performances went off With great eclat. We understand
that not fewer tha► 700 persons were present. After
the curtain dropped,.the performers sat down to a most
lesce.Llent supper: •

• COVCICiT AT Tin MANSIOI4-Horse.—.-The Conce: t
it the Mansion-house on Friday night was crowded
beyond all precedent. The Egyptian-hall, beautifully
illuminated with gas-light, was filled long before the
commencement of the performance, and at eight o'clock
not a single scat was to be procured for the numerous
and elegant dressed women who continued to arrive in
successive parties for a considerable time afterwards.
The performances were of a very high order, and aflird-
ed a comffination of vocal and instrumental harmony
seldom surpassed in the estimation of the musical world.
•We have not room to particularise individual merits :
it give us pleasure, however to testify to the successful
exertions of all those eminent pertimsners who so hand-
somely tendered their services on this occasion. The
offer was the more liberal, inasmuch as the object was
one which could only interest those who feel an anxious
Zesire for iarproving the situation of the lower orders,
and had no connexion with any subject of a political or
national character. Our readers are probably aware,
that the Pis of the exhibition are intended to he ap-
plied to urtoosc of extricating the Royal Institution
for the education of Poor children from its present pe-
cuniary embarrassments. The practical utility of such
.nn object appears to us as indisputable, as the benevo-
lence which stqwested and is still active in promoting
at.

Tuesday .a numerous meetings took place of the So-
eiety of Arts in the Adelphi, for the purpose of electing
a Vice-President, in the room of the.late lion. H. Clif-
ford. Earl Percy presided. The numbers were—For
Mr. Hume, 9.08 ; fur Mr. Tooke, 203—m jor it y ,
Mr. Hume was of course declared duly elected.
The Board of Agriculture have received information,
that the extensive tract of land in the Isle of Elv, called
Burnt Fen (nearly 16,000 acres), which was deluged
early in the winter, from a breach iu the bank of the
river, has been so well (*trained by the constant working
of the windmills, that the whole of it is now in a proper
state to be sowed with oats.
An Official Return to the House of Commute otters
the effective strcni;th of the army, on the lot of iSuantry,
1817, as follows :
A (MY. - • I,3tii Wryer., i ait3serieants, 517 tram pctet s,
E) Mat., is, 211.177 rank and file, and 17,117 fibr.e..
FOOT GUA Itl.l,.—atti °dicers, :162 verjeants, IGI daipanirls,
6,161 rank and file.
r. FA . --7,2115 officers. 7,534 bedew-Rib:Xl diatom is
1.16,1i10 rank mai tile.
AItBAL o11': cars, 9,614 serjesuita, ll',
p 1,,,,,,, to ..:41 at:ail/eters, igrriets L43,itto taut and file
Oil bus44S.

•T it NATIONAL REGISTER.'

REPIEW OF LITERATURE.

MELANCHOLY HOURS. HOURS.

We have before us two publications, the one pub-
lisha last year ; the other has but very recently made
its appearance. Their respective tides are as fbllow:
" 3lclancholy Hones; a Collection of Mucellareous
Poems." This work is anonymous. The other is,
"The house of Mourning, a Poem : with some smaller
Pieces, by JOHN SCOTT." The similarity of these
titles induces us to notice them together.
With respect to the first of these works it may al-
most be sufficient to inflirm the reader, in the express
words of the author in the preface, that " Many of the
woes described in Melancholy Hour' exist only in
the imagination of the writer." This was a truly for-
tunate disclosure : fist having read Mr. Scott's very
affecting poem previous to that of this melancholic in
imagination, we were but ill prepared for a second at-
tack- upon our feelings : and our fears' vanished imme-
diately on the perusal of the preface.
The " imaginary woes" are, however, not destitute
of merit. Let the following " Farewell to Hope"
serve as a specimen :

" Hence. f tithless Elope, thy magic numbers
Ne'er shall cheat ms fancy nonce
Broken our my charmed slumbers,
And alas I tiry reign is o'er.
Love and Hopet ag2in I never
To any heart such pests will bring;
Awhile sooth'st—then Ik•rl for ever—
'look your sweets—but left your sting!"

THE. HOUSE OF MOUIZNING.

Far superior, however, is Mr. Scott's " Howse of
Mehrring :" his are not " imaginary woes." They
are the consequences of the loss of a ftvourite chit 1,
who lately died at Paris. "He was accompanying his
parents to Italy, when after a fortnight's duration of
sudilen illness, they lost the faithful companion of their
travels." He was eight years and a half old, and lies
buried in the cemetry of the Pcre la Chaise near Paris.
It is a subject on which few parents have not had si-
milar cause of 'mourning ; but who of us (for we have
felt its pangs most poignantly) can describe our losi
and SOITOWS in numbers such as those of Mr. Scott's?
We regret that want of room precludes the possibility
of our giving a more extended extract ; but if the fol-
lowing description does not wring the bosom of those
parents who have been similarly circumstanced we
must confess that all hearts arc not (as we had sup.
posed they were) originally moulded in the same form,
and composed of the F.amc material.

Oh, 'twauld have been a thought his soul to scare,—
Young as it was,—,that he should be no where!
And we remain,—remain where lie had been,—
And see his Itatiose—and he not to he seen ;
And meet the days concerns,—common and many,—
And he no longer have a past in any ;
That hourly services should still be done,
And, he who did the most, should not do one ;
That round our fireplace he shonld have no scat;
'I hat at our table he should eat no meat;
That eve should come, and he not go to bed;
That we should rest and no good-night be said ;
That we should rise, and dress, and go without bins,
And neither find him, nor yet ask about hint ;
That friends should call, and no one give him cheer,
That be, to whom all spoke, should nothing hear;
That be should ne'er go out with us, but stay,—
Be se'er within, but always be away ;
That tight and warmth should comfort in our room,
And he be left alone in cold and gloom ;
That, all his journeys o'er, he'd cease to roam
Our fellow-traveller,—yet ne'cr go home!
That they, whose greetings he forethought with pridii
Should shut the door, and he be left outside ;
That we should have a welcome hack from all,
But not a look, or hand, or word for Paul:
No story told of those he loved so) well,
No story heard of all he had to tell ;
Nor even they,—the two lie long'd to see,
Who belp'd his sports, and tutus' s' his infancy;
Who fed his fondness with a humble zeal,
That taught it a tr* phant sense to feel,
Yet made it fervent in the pure of
Of a consciousness of selfirespeet,—
Nor oven they come forth to help him in,
And the congratulating noise begin ;
No warm embracing, no exulting showing,
with rec moldings of each various going,—
sudden eselaimings,—breatlilesa interjections,—
Tiu• littliblib of the burstio.4•ili atieciions!-
- That still his mother's tender tones should sound,
But ties er reach her boy beneath the gromill—

Mr. Scott should not, however, •` sorrow as those
without hope." A day of rejoicing will dawn—the
hour of re••uniou will arrive ; and we recommend to
him to read the late Dr. l'rice's most excellent little
tract on this cheering subject.