The National Register.
London, England, 1808-06-13 00:00:00

.

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

bra t, e regularly away to the skirts—they are also some-
thing short.. i the skirt than the evening coat, have Bat plated
buttons, and collars of the same; quilting Marseilles waistcoats,
stiwtle breasted, in a variety of swill stripes on a white ground;
file corduroy breeches, made rather long, with pearl buttons
at the knees; and hoots with brown tops.—White India dimity
trowsers ; also Nankin trowsers and gaiters. Some few striped
trowsers we have seen worn, but they are considered as onl3
adapted for dirty weather, or for wearing at the watering places.

7 .

trry.
Tuesday the Lord Mayor ordered the price of Bread to be
raised one assize, or two-pence in the peck-loaf, which took
plate on Thursday last, when the quarters loaf of wheaten sold
fat is. and houshold 1014.

• -
AMERICAN CONSULATE LONDON,

JUNE 6, 1808.

The following official communication to this Office, this in-
atant received, I have deemed an incumbent duty to make public,
for the information of all American Merchants and others affect-
ed thereby.
(Signed) WM. LYMAN.
SI. Petersburgh, (14) 26, MS.
Sta—l herewith hand you a copy of a Note I have lately re-
ceived from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, which will acquaint
you, that measures similar to those pursued by France, with
respect to Neutral vessels trading between England and her
Ports; have been adopted here. All intercourse by means of
our flag isthus stopped between Great Britain and Russia. You
will please to communicate this intelligence to all those whom it
may interest, and believe me respectfully,
Sir, your most obedient Servant,

(Signed) LErarr 'Emus.
TVm. Lyman, Esq. American Consul, London.

46 In order to prevent the possibility of any communicating
whatever between Russia'and England, his Imperial Majesty
has judged it advisable to order that no vessel coming from an
Erglish port. even if it belongs to a nation friendly to Russia,
and shall Hot be laden with any mcrchandize, shall .be admittc,'
Imo the lows of ltussia. Ever" vessel, however, which shall
not have lawn 1w England, may freely enter tne Russian ports,
and extort the productions of the Empire, with this proviso...
that the coma ert ial houses to which such vessels shall be ad
dressed. shall undertake in wri•iz that such vessels shall not
go to Englanth but that they will consign their cargoes to some
port belonging to a power friendly to Russia. The undersign-
ed thinks it is duty to communicate this new arrangement
Mr. Leven Harris, Consul General for the United States of
America, and seizes this opportunity to renew the assurances ol
his high consderation.
(signed) COrAir NICHOLAS DE ROMAINTOST."

rtteribnrgh, 101 h April, IboB.
Xt. Leuett liarric.

EAST INDIA AFFAIRS.

Monday the dispatches by
.the Lord Eldon, Earl Spencer,
Trstver,, Monarch. and Cantarthen, were finally closed at the
East India house, and delivered to their respective Pursers.

INOCULATION.

By the Bill to prevent the spreading of the Small Pox, it is
to he enaetee,
I. lhat no one shall Inoculate for the Small Pox within the
(Octane,- of ;hree miles of any City, Town, or Village, under a
penalty of 50'.
f 2. That in every place destined for Inoculation by the Slit-
tonian method, the words " Small Pox Hospital," or " Pest
House," shall he posted up in large and legible characters.
/1. That if any person shall he taken HI of the Infectious Small
•
Pox, they shall be removed to a distance from all other habita-
tions. at- the ex pence of the Parish, if •their own relations are
not able: mil all Masters of houses where the infection may ap-
peal', shall write up on the outside of their houses in large and le-
gibl- minders " Small Pox here," under a penalty of 201.
4 nit every Master 'or Mistress of a house where the Small
Pox breaks out, shall within 24 hours send notice thereof to the
17.h,-rrhwardens and Overseers under a penalty of 101.
such penalty to be levied till after two months, and in
the iufectiim has not spread, thee the hlasistrates to be
rsttpowered to remit the penalty.
•

THE THEATRE.

COrENT.GARDEAT.

JUNE 13.

THE WONDER. MR. COOKE'S DON FELIX-MR. FAWCETT'S

LISSARDO-AN ODE ON SHAKSPEARE-MRS. MATTOCKS'S
FAREWELL ADDRESS ON RETIRING FOR EVER !ROM TEC
STAGE-GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE MERITS OS
THIS ACTRESS.

On Tuesday evening the comedy of the Wonder was performed
for the benefit of Mrs. Mattocks; and the part of Don Felix
was acted by Mr. Cooke. The character of Don Felix is a
character of very lively comedy : but we never before Tuesday
night considered it as a character of burlesque. As novelty is so
much the fashion of the present day, and people love to see m.
titer that which is uncommon, than that which is good, perhaps
Mr. Cooke was quite right in attempting something uncommon in
this performance. It is said that the distinguishing and proud
prerogative of genius is creation : that is, in acting, the pro.
duction of some striking effect not exactly set down by the au-
thor. If this be the case, Mr. Cooke's Don Felix was
certainty
a performance ofextraordinary genius. And Mr. Cooke did not
content himself, like the mere pretenders to genius whom our
foolish fathers have admired, with creating very surprising effects
in certain individual passages or even scenes : but w ith a novel
and magnificent boldness, turned the whole current of the charac-
ter from the channel in which we have been accustomed to sup.
pose that it ought to flow into a direction perfectly unknown he,
fore the present day. Of Miss Smith's Violante we are dispoyi
to think most favourably. Mr. Fawcett in Ltsigurdo is ratite:
too gross. He has not that light foppery, nor that die away ton.
ceit, one or the other of which seems to he absolutely necessary
for imparting comic effect to such characters as these. Mr.
Lewis would play it admirably in the light style, and a mote.
languishing afiectation would he perfectly represented hr Mr.
Liston. Mr. Brunton's Colonel Raton has few faults, except that
tidgetty littleness, that insigntficantly-looking jerk of the
der, by which so many otherwise praiFewortity perform:uteri of
t no+ actir are perpetually marred. Mrs. 'Mattocks p!itt d tiie
lißely chambermaid t anti her excellent performance sers•-I in;!v
to make us the more sensibly feet tile loss that
.we were ah,...“ to
sustain in her retreat from the stage.
Between the play and farce was recited and sung an enter-
tainment (if the name of entertainment may be given to a t:liiis
not at all entertaining) entitled an Ode on Shakspeare. This
was little else than a selection of one or two detached verses
from some of the most favourite compositions in honourof Shalo-
peare, such as Garrit k's Flow on Silver Avon, and The 31U-
/wry Tree. Mr. Cooke read two or three lines, and the singers
repeated those lines to music: as a clerk gi set out the first words
of a psalm and the boys of the choir chaunt them.
Mrs. Mattocks then came forward, conducted by Mr. Cooke,
and delivered a farewell address. She spoke it in plain prow,
and we highly approve her judgment : fdr a lady or gentleman
who appears upon a stage to take leave of an audience, appears
there, no longer as a performor, but as a private individual, bid-
ding adieu to a great number of other individuals. Vs hether an
actor really feel distress at the parting, or not, he generally
wishes to have it thought that he feels: and he therefore does
wisely in selecting such language as may give the strongest ap-
pearance of reality to his expressions of feeling. Certainly
verse is not that language. Nobody ever yet made rhymes a;
he gave the parting pressure to the hand of one he loved.
In these few words of prose, she thanked the audience for
the kindness which, for a period of fifty-eight years,
they had
invariably shewn to hers and said, that though many would
be found with better claims to the public favour ( loud cries of
" No, never, never"), yet that no one would be found with a
more heartfelt sense of that favour. She retired amidst the
loudest applauses, still supported by Mr. Cooke,
who behaved
to her with the kindest attention.
Mrs. Mattocks, like most other really excellent performers,
possessed a talent rather transcendent in one department, than to-
lerable in many. Among the hest of her performances were,
the Widow Warren, in the Road to Ruin, and this character
in the Wonder. She was more remarkable, perhaps, for
the
irresistibly comical breadth of her efforts, than for the touches
of fine character : and accordingly it was rather in the farcical
parts of comedy, than in comedy, legitimately so called, that
Mrs. Mattocks evinced her principal ability.
This season has deprived us of three favourite actresses:
blic:
of whim, Miss Pope and Mn. Mattocks,. had been for a t