The National Register.
London, England, 1818-05-10 00:00:00

MAT 10

THE DRA.V.I.
DRURY LANE.

Mr. Elliston, who is vngaged for le nights at this
theatre, made his appearance on Tuesday evening, as
Rover, in the mealy of Wild Oats- The versatility of
tuieut possessed by this gettlennut has opened to him $
wide raiseiv of character; in the greater part of them
lie Las distinguished himself, and in all has•exceetled
mediocrity. %V Jo nut consider the ehteractcr of Rover
one of his happiest efiiirts. The -lightness, the hilarity,
the buoyancy of spirit that " duffs the wor4l aside,"
were wanting ; Rover is an inexhaustiLie fund ofgaiety
—happy in himself; and making others happy. Th.:
passages which, in his vocation of strolling player, he
is perpetually quoting, were not sufficiently marked by
a c!ianze of voice and manner; it was impossible, with-
out knowhig, to elistinguisli them. Fur the other good
points in this part Mr. Elliston deserves great praise:
it' his object is-to rclieveedistressed merit, to resent in-
juries offered to an •unprotected female, or repel the
slightest imputation on his honour, he is prompt, na-
tural, and effective. We have seldom seen any thing
better, at least fur some time past, than the scene where
he recoguizes his lust parents. Mr. Eliseo'', at any
eeriod of histrionic excellence, would be .deemed an
acquisition to the theatre ; he is particularly. .so at pre-
sent ; fin in the sphere of genteel comedy, he stands
without a competitor. The play was well performed
throughout.
The tragedy of Douglas leas performed on Wednes-
day night ; it presented two novultim—the first ap-
peurance of Mr. Kean in the character of Young Norval,
and of Miss Macauley in that of Ludy Randolph. A
great degree of curiosity was .excited on the first an-
taniavement of Mr. Kean in this new amdertaking ;
and we may say with confidence, that the warmest ex-
pectations of his friends have been realized by the is.-oe
of the experiment. We believe that the general ex-
pectation has been considerably exceeded. The charac-
teristic peculiarities of Norval do nut -full within that
eir,:le in which his powers had hitherto been exercised.
They tuok.their range among the darker passions of our
nature, and the history of the human mind went to
Cleo:1r an (pinion, that all beyond that circle was due.
gerous, if not forbidden, ground. The brilliant sue-
cess of IVednesday night, however, has contradicted this
notion ; it has placed him among the few exceptions to
the general rule, and ranked him among those who re-
fuse to be classed in departments. His Norval was
strikingly original : it abounded in touches of nature,
distinguished at the same time by novelty as well Its
truth. Those who had witnessed the sarcastic violence
of Richard could with difficulty suppose that they be-
held in the same person the represeutative of the gal-
lant yet tender Norval. In the early part of the play,
his delivery of the fine poetical passages for which this
tragedy.is so remarkable, was calculated to give them
every effect; but as the passion of the scene advanced,
his energies were expanded iu proportion. The inter-
view with Lady Randolph, in which she disclosed his
parentage, surpassed all praise. We shall only men-
tion his earnest look and anxions tone when asking far
his father, his anguish on hearing that he had fallen,
and the pathos with which he delivered that tender
compliment to his mother, which the Poet has to deli-
cately involved. in the inquiry about his father's accom-
plishments—

And did my sire mmel the rest of men
As thou surpassest sil of WOlll/11 kind ?"

the impression of those various touches was irresistible.
In the scene where he quarrels with Mestaloon, it is
unnecessary to say that he was excellent. Every or.•
was prepared for that. The dying scene was another
extraordinary effort, and we were gratified to see the
curtain dip the moment he fell, without weakening
the etlixt of the catastrophe by the lines, however
poetical, which succeed it. The effect of the whole
may be collected from the conduct of the. audience as
the conclusion. An attempt wee made to announce
another piece for the next night, but they insisted that
Douglas should be substitused, and that Mr. Kean
should himself come forward and assure diem of the
change. This we take to be as nearly as possible con-
clusive with regard tc the merits of the performance
fur in this, as in all matters of taste, notwithstanding
She variety of rules which reason and reflection have
accumulated for our guidance, feeling is the ultimate
judge. We have already stated that the part of Lady
Randolph was sustained by Miss Macauley, a lady front
the Dublin Theatre. The criticisms which appeared
on her in the Irish Papers, were calculated to excite
the most extravagant expectation!, and it is dangerom
to be taught to expect too much_ However, notwith-
standing such injudicious zeal, we were pleased with
the elfon. Her countenance is expressive, h•_r. action
moat:rate, and for the most part graceful, her enuncia-
tion is distinct, and her judgment correct. But the
compass of her voice. is not adapted to the size of our
great theatres. The last scene was that iu which she
exerted herself with most success, though in many of
the preceding ones she afforded instances of strong
feeling.
COVENT-GARDEN. •
A burlesque drama in one act, was brought out on
Wedue4thiy at this theatre, called The Sorroms ef

MAY VI

IVerther. This piece is, we inspect, a translation of
one of the same title, now performin4 at the Theatre
Iks litricles in Paris. Thc idea is a very good one ;
for subjects will less stand the test of ridicule, or firm
better materials for the mock•lieroie drama, than this
extravagant and popular German story. The author
has nut failed to seize on its prominent itUsurdities, and
to introduce them, either in description or in action.
The waltzing with Citarlutte ; the attachment to the
thread-bare blue coot he wore at their nweting ; aad
the incident of cutting bread and butter for his chit lien
arc ludicrously set forth ; the catastrophe is got rid of,
by Waffler's shooting his hat instead of hian elf ; when
lie appears, and, after reproaching all panics for not
interfering atter his ostentatious request Inc pistols is
9
packed ottj in the Munich diligence. The piece was
uncommonly well acted ; and Liston, who played
Wcrther gave as much effect to it as was possible ; but
it was so fiir front being favourably received, that the
announcement fhr rcpetitition was nut permitted to be
heard. One Lrause may have been, that the allusions
were imperfectly understood ; fur this little drama
certainly posses.ses merit, though of no very exalted
kind.

Extract of n letter from Berlin, slated April e 5 :
" The wedding of the Princes:a Fredericka, daughter of
bur Royal Highness the Duchess of Cumherland, took
place on the 17th inst. and was celebrated with great
splendour. The bridegromn, the reigning Duke of
Atholt Dessau, is a young man of great promise, aged
24. The marriage party were at the Opera on the 19th
when the King conducted the Princess to her seat in
tl.e Royal box, amid the plaudits of a most brilliant as-
a.snablage, the Court being present. On the 21st his
Majesty gave a grand masquerade at the Opera-house ;
on which occasion the public were treated with every
kind of refreshment : and last night the brother of the
Princess, Prince Frederick, gave a magnificent ball at
splendid residence in William-street, which was lately
furnished for his own marriage with the Princess of
Berenburg. Next week the august couple go to Potsdam,
whence, after some farther festivities, they will proceed
about the Ist of May for Dessau, the residence of the
Prince."

A fact, not stated in the Supplementary Gazette of
Tuesday, respecting the affairs of India, but which
transpired a fortnight since, is now confirmed by the
latest intelligence from the East. We allude to the
dreadful pestilence which prevailed in the camp of the
Governor-General. On the first day on which it was
observed distinctly, it curried off 97 persons ; on the
next day above 500 perished. Its ravages are said to
have been chiefly, though not exclusively, confined to
the poorer classes of natives and camp-followers ; but
we learn with regret that the Marquis of Hastings
was himself ut one time afikted with this malady, and
that 17 of his lordship's native servants died. When
the accounts came away, however, hopes were enter-
tained that the progress of the disorder bad been ar-
rested.

At a recent meeting of the Catholic Boerd in Dub-
lin, a letter from the Earl of Dononghmore was read,
in which he advises the Catholic Body not to again
bring forward their question in Parliament, without a
full and previous assurance of the attendance and sup-
port of it:: friends.
Tuesday, the Church Missionary Society held their
Alerting at Freemasons' Hall, which, at an
early hour, was crowded to excess, and hundreds retired
fA' want of room. The Chair was taken by Lord Gam-
bier; after which the n:ceting wc re addressed in seve-
ral interesting speeches by the venerable Bishop of
Norwich, the Bishop of Gloucester, Dr. Thorpe ; James
Stephens, ‘V, Wilberforce, T. Babington, Evs. &c. &c.
After which a liberal collection uas made for the So-
ciety. It was announced that 2151. had been collected
after a sermon by Professor Farish in the morning, and
that the funds had increased to an unprecedented extent
ever since the Opposition made by the Archdeacon of
Bath. The .revenue for the last year is 23,7001. The
meeting closed with the whole assembly standing up
rmd singing the 117th Psalm.
FINE ARTS.—The beautiful collection of pictures
by the moat celebrated masters of the Italian, Spanish,
Flemish and Dutch schools, brought together by •the
directors of the British Institution, was on Monday
submitted to public inspection. Of the paintings in this
exhibition, a large number deserve to be placed in the
first rank of the art. We can only particularize a few
of them. Of several hindseupes by Claude, in his best
style, we give the prefezence to No. 131, Worshipping
tier Mallen Cali No. 85, by Cuyp, Fielv ore a Rivet
is one of the finest pieces we have ever seen by this
master. No. 116, by Bubetts, ..11ar:at Pr0p!,..., is a
painting distinguished by uncommon richness and beau-
ty : and No. 48. a Vandyke, his ow,: ~.);•irai.t in .y.ia-
rc:eter of Paris, is.esquisitelv finished. The pieces of
Raphael, Guido, Titian, Salvator Rosa, and other
names little inferior to them, tbrra :out grumble cf this
collection.
The Duke of Sussex coca down to Bath, to the de-
dication of the Masonic hall baildiag in that city. A
Grand Ole is to be sung oa Cu: eccasics, is to
..tot composed by Bishop.

TIM NATtONAL RAMMER.

LORD ICINY.IIRD'3 MEMOIR,
ADDRESSED TO THE FRENCH CHAMBER OF PEERS

The following is the Memorial which accompanied the
ter of Lord Kineniril to the French Chamber of Peers :

"On the t9th of January last, n Preneltrinn.. whom I wt at
Brussels, rtsittest,vi Remission to e tti upn 14- tl'.! !ay loauwittir, to
sp:ak to we on un atE& of inv,r.ut4.wet. With Oaken:m:l4l'l4:li lia,!
rte conversation detailed in eic !emu., addrestrd t y ue to
Geto,:;al Murray, the translation of whx.i fullowet—

-
•6 ' brussels, Jan. W. ISIB.
" It is after having cenpultel the Duke of itiehmo.ul, that
ememunicete M you the sollowity tact :—A rreach of waval
1 know but little, called upon e tnis morniug sod told me that
three of his friends wished to return to Frecce, if they couki tie It
with sefety I they are two liters:, eharst:ters eed an oiliees a the
partisaes, who 3'9 under the sentenee of a l'sevutal Court. He
asked me if I thought it woell be possible to interest the Dttke of
Wetli'l4ton in tnelr Etvoar anseered him. that I did ant think
13. for teed icaioni--:2tz first, because I did not te.appor,e that he
would interefere in it.; and the second. be.caetee 1 did not perceive
any motive for revestin4 him co do so. He asked me it I um:44kt
lie remit I request tees of 51. de Cazee, by revealing to lain a conspiracy •
Mike tnreetened the Duke's life; I unsweriel, that a service of this
nature would certainly give him a clams to his attention, but that
it was very difficult to induce the Duke to pay ally attention, to
menaces of an auk upon his person, and that it would requ'aed
strong evidence to remove the natural suspicion that the whole was
an invention to further some prieete views. lle replied Mat, as
far as be himself was concerned. he had nothing to ash, as he was
definitively candenmed for the part that. he ilia:wird; that, more-
over, he was free from restraiet, Led !brunet outer plans, and Led
no desire to return to France; that he was only tuelitted to divulge
the conspiracy from the horror with which airtassination inspired
him, anal tl:at the orly advaresee he wished to derive from it was
to render a service to his friends. I enquired of him how he ob-
tained informatior. of the projected conspiracy: he said that an
of (1 believe on half.pay), whom he had from time to time sup
plied with the mcani of subeiq.ance, had eutinuunieated to him an
O'er which had been made to Ititu SJllle mouths previotiely to carry it
into execution, which he had refultel, and another individual had
ccepted it; that the latter had been paid during four months by
those who employed him : that he had been the whole of that time
constantly watching the Duke wherever he went, and he was at the :
motorist eete'oliehed to l'arL, where he waited his arrival. The per-
son who
.gave me this infernuition added, the blow is meditated by a
party which is totally ditfierent from that whose caw: I have opousee.,
and is even opposed to it. I then told him that I would without
delay impart. what he had related to me; but I desired to know by
what means he proposed to expose the plan, or at all events to pre-
vent the afters ut it immediately; he answered that there were two
methods of doing it; that he neve: would.conseet to be the instru-
ment of bringing any one to putifelunent. and that he was not in a
position to do so.; but that it wuule be iuipseseilile for him to repair
to France without a special passport ( sauficoedeit), and that it he
could procure one Irvin the Police etinister. or the Duke of
he would return thither ; that this would suffee, and in
twenty four hours lie woad cermiuly denounce the pereon, whom
the lichee could bare ho difficuLy in recognizing as an ad-
venturer, and a foreigner, of which they would afterwards be
convinced ; that if this meaetiec was not approved, he would cedes.
your to learn Item a trirud the which the wretch had assumed,
and, if possible, has description, sufficiently exact to be useful, al-
though it was to be feared, that he would render this last difficult,
by means of disguising himself. This is what he has agreed to pet.
form. If I can obtain .t froin him before the departure ot the courier,
I will Miarinunleate it to you.
" ' Such has been the subject of our conversation, the details of
which are of a nature to induee ins to give this rectal credit enough
to convince me of the necessity of instantly inforeitne you. It is for
you to decide whether it is requisite to inform the Duke of it. It it
be judged expedient to forwent the passports, I will endeavour to ac
celerate the cepartare of the person by tee diligence, without losine
an instant. I rio not perceive what advantage this individual wculd
derive trees inventing such an alter. winch would place him in the
hands of Cie police daring the whole time he might be Se Paris, and
whose only ultimate advantage would consist in the favour granted to
his friends.

" • At sll events, have the goodness to answer me very promptly,
I send this letter to Maubeuge, because I think, should you be absent
from Canabra), that this is me best coarse. I sin, 6:e.
(Signed) " • KINNAIRD.'
On the 13th Feb. I received the answer of Gtu. Murray, who
announced to me that the Duke of Wellington did not attach any
importance to the news; that he himself conceived the report to be a
perfidious contrivance (unc at(rappe), but he thought. then I should
blame myself (as others would ZWIIIISe me), if any misfortune hap-
pened, tot too much reserve on my part, in not naming the person
nom whom I received the communication. _ . .

.. . - ...
•• I then wrote a secutul letter to General Murray, of whieb the
following is a copy :
" ' Brussels. Feb. 13, 1618.

" ' Your letter. dated the sth inst. wa:otily deliverul to we this
evening. I had anticipated the manner in wnich the Dukcj would
receive the communication; but I thought, and still think, that it
was my duty to impart it. lam much pleased to observe that you,
who are a much better Magi: ihau .thyself in these attiiirs, should
eonsi,ier that the proisbil' ides of the information being a snare arc as
99 to 1.

" • I have but very little knowledge of the per:on in question, but
if I had nut thought Nita wcrthy of ,orne confidence, or rather, it I had
not considered that the evidence whi.:ll was offered me, me; capable
of undergoing a safe and immediate investigation, 1 certainly would
not have :critter) to you on this subject.
'• If I properly interpret the concluding part of your letter, lam
compelled toddler with you in opinion, and even to believe that you
have net understood my first communication. You appear to hclicve
that I shah reproach inpant with haying acted wrong, as it napea:s
to you that others will ako accuse use of the same, it an attempt
were to take place at this inu,uent, because I have not given the name
of the individual who cillkred himself to convince you of the truth
of his deJaiations: if I do not deceive myielf, I have told you that
this man (who cannot enter France without a previous guarantee of
enure safety for has person) Las offered to depart for Ran., *with any
person you will appoint, and wamake known to you, in forty-tight
hours,.the individual :iota whoi there is every thing to year, without
requiring any recompence. or any other advantages than a safe eon-
duct which should Le tarnished him ; and that the intervention of
the Duke would no: be looked for until the conspiracy altould be dis-
covered.

•• • As I do not perceive that this individual could promise him-
self any advantage, as you very jast!y remark, from the contrivance
of this design, and that a journey to Faris under the direction of the
police could produce him no benefit, I red-ard the guarantees which
he offers as suillcient, and I think it rea.soui.ble enough, that lie re-
taus at the same dine to make known his residence to the police of
France, on account of persecutions, whielt he would have but too
mu .:1) reaon to dread.

• • In other relpeetg, whatever you mzy flank of it, my confidence
perfretle traugml; only if any misfortune clip U ittyptu, tuy re.
Fret will be eternal.

•• • Nevertheless, your indgment. I repeat it, on the little credit
which ought to be givcit tothe,e de:ice:tricot, is well cal; elated to lc-
ditluietutle, and 1 teed no other regret than Mat
which is occasimwd by the preeipitoe reflections you have imtulgcil
cstitrerself in, on my silence, re,pectiog the name, when the mon who
it offers himself, through my interposition. to give up his per-
son to your hand::, ou theemgle condition that his return to Brussels
be guaranteed. •• • Believe me, &i.
(Signed) •• • NN A BD.' "
• M. liarinet, Auditor of the Council of State, annietnned to death
far emtianuce, to lbl i, by the Pzevotal Conti of Dion.