The National Register.
London, England, 1808-05-15 00:00:00

Ttrk Nilieff4At ItIGOVER.

ilut white we throw wow ptiv4l*, tafiloane ate din litunneati
who have hitherto condoeted the .esmeerne of Dewy Lane, we
cannot but admit that their lortem has bean benitely nforej
liberal Orrin that purssied At Covet* Mellen. Mr. aniline and.
Mr. Wroughton, though sotto thars misled lots a wakes of their
tanteterrial duties have Dot leant Ailey to dot linWwwtlll ce.
?dr. Graham and Mr. Wrinittittan Wye givets to
new authors, and the stage has been beiselltied by their elmiliklar
Afis Chambers, the sitithoreos of fits Sehost Or Friends, iftr..N..
Skidoos, the author of Tithe's • Tett.tote, and emend other tale-1
eessful dramatists, have WM& their *lt appearance w ith in dive!
two or three years on the boiled* ed Drury Lane: to say nothisge
or a greet number of other authors who, though they reflect no
'fame upon the judtisteot, yet ceratioly prove the combo* of the
Itionagers. ithn n t speak,* favourably Ina critical point of view
Of The Seldierte Dnwgktsr, unit The Travellers, The Hera of Ilto
North, Tekeli, The Sleeping ffeastty,einderalfs,The Forty Thieves.
'Nag, &c. &e. Oc. may be fairly said that ail these pieces were
acted with stteeetis and were received by the Managers although
their authors *ere nil completely new to the stage. Several other
fresh anthers have within these few years Obtained a represent*.
Von for their pieces : but as these pieces did not please the
public, it would not be fair to recapitulate them. No* what
%stoners of new authors, encouraged within the same period,.
ran Covent Garden produce to balance the firregoblit Our
memory at present furnishes us with °Avow example, which is
that of Mr. Kenney, whose farce of Raising the 'Wiled
appeared at Covent Garden—unless, indeed, Capt. Hewit-
son ran be called an author, is ho brought to the Proprietors the
French piece from which The /Into! Boy was ingeniously Meshed'
by the professed cooks of the Theatre. The system of Mr.
Harris, (we say of Mr. Harris because we understood that Mr..
Kemble, by Ike articles of his agreement is totally unconnected •
with the reading of new plays) the system of Mr. Harris appears
to be a system of favouritisin. There are certain persons about
him, who hitter all his prejudices and tickle all his piques, who
vislicule good sense out of sight whenever it ventures to approach •
him, who thus procure for themselves and their friends a mono-
holy of theatrical composition, and like the Junto that in n
igher theatre work malignantly and darkly against the political
good, are injuring his concern under a pretence of personal
friendship to himself. Any nonsense that is manufactured by
this set, is received by the easy Proprietor : pieces presented by,
authors who can describe nature in good English bre-generally
thrust away with contempt, or if received at first, are treated
with so much coldness and besieged by so many obstacles, that
their production becomes almost impracticable. There are indeed
some authors of established greatness who new and then send pieces
to Covent Garden, and whose rank in the literary world com-
pels the proprietors to attend to their claims; but he, who
cannot demand his admission by his fame, will never obtain it by•
4tis talent ; and though the works of Mr Colman, and one or two
other authors of the first rate reputation, have still a chance
of appearing on the hoards of Covent Garden, yet, if the School
for Scandal itself could he sent to-morrow, a virgin manuscript,
to the stage door in Hart-street, unrecommended by the junto,
it is our firm belief that it would be returned to the author. The
honey-Moon, it is well known, was rejected at Covent Carden :
-yet, at the same theatre where Two fares under a Hood was
ir.l6:e4 by the Music of Mr. Shield ; and the Ogre and Liltle
T 'tuna supported with all the splendour of the mineral and ele-
mental worlds !
lt might he supposed that actors had some sort of influence in
bringing f6rward pieces : that an author could not do better
than to take a new play to the performer for whim he intended
the priucipal part, and requetti him to procure a representation.
On the contrary s the proposition of an actor would tend to in-
ure the piece; for the proprietors of theatres are particular!::
jealous oftlreir actors, whom they wi-h to keep doss n by a most
absolute despotism : and to allow to any actor the canetlitence
Wbich he must gain from the performance of a play recoin-
Fettled or written by himself, would be very, very, dangerous
to the ututoatified supremacy of the executive power.
Under all these circumstances, let it no loner he pleaded in
theatrical riffles, that the scarcity of genius is the reason why
IV many wretched things are exhibited: the fart is, that the ex-
hibition of these wretched things is the reason why genius scents
scarce. Can plants be expected to shoot throa4h the eorth
when a weight of rubbish is strown along the surface of the
soli ? Can ottlthors of real genius be expected to arise, when they
know that they must instantly be crushed by t he potent. though
secret, influence of bad taste, of prejudice, and of party ?
So much for the condact of managers toward authors. We
have advanced nothing as fact for o•oich e have not good ttu-'ti

hority. We Aram ispise to amend
nt least, gives same infortuntion to
that requires alteragloin is seldom ,
goes onithensaitieting errors, and rising
last some violent allsese,asahet the Ode
hesloath Own leldlois.

FINE AR

f~ZHII~ITIO:~T AT THE R(

..004/116a.
1201. Card Pldyers.—D.
In this picture four men are **prevented
figure on the left exultingly points c
which they are just gaining: and ,
showing to a gazer, who leans over
gime that he has in his hand. The
faie is eiposed to the spectator expresses
coolness, while the gaMbier who is •
front, scratches his head with every
nod displeasure. Near the table stands
landlord's wife, with a child in tier •
hands to grasp the pairited cards.
expressive of great eagerness: that
placid to leave room for an idea that
one of the gamblers. In the left of
asleep. The walls, the table, the w
are covered with those numberless lr
an air of reality to the pictures of
pression of all these figures is well II
contrasted as to she reference of the
The delineation of the inanimate objr
minutely accurate, and the whole piece
finished as the size of, the picture •
Imps, hut ope fault in the work, wh
habits, we can hardly say the drapery.
3 bag On the chimney-piece, a blue. mantle
all, a grey hood on the right, took t'
They have all the edge and all the -
that useful ankle of stationary.
mach glare to the whole picture: but
date shall not be vi'grd by us as imireackmen)
self; &One figure does not become
cloathes sit awkwardly upon it.
Rut while we are happy to pay
Wilkie's talent, we will not, like our
far as to dignify that talent with the
of a thousand various kinds may exist
sessor to the credit of cleverness, Inge
other qualities highly valuable; bui
'genies applied to the delineation of
dlesticks, we cannot but reject the
existence of the vast merit imputed•
certainly have expression, but it is
sien and thouzh the painter of a sorro
suffering Christ, might deserve the pr
title of genius, for the expression of
will hardly gain the reputation of g,
expression that he throws into a cob)
of which he constitutes a landlady'
that deserves the title of genius: it
awful power, which produces enl
combined greatness of the whole,
detailed, accurate copvism which amuses
rate exactness of the parts. The tar
taiiily of a higher order than that of
ral ; for they seen, usually to have
expression of face, although they hes)
the dirty paraphernalia of the spar
style, when it is taken with all po-4
extolled with such panegyric as we
it is little better then the expression
been expressed. appears not to ha
We shall always call him a clever p:
in this way alone, we shall never ri
The word is become too common ; it
occasion.
95. Portrait of the Right Iron.
Piet ure.—J. L wit r
The picture is exceedingly like
Mr. Pitt by Mr. Iroppner. Mr. La
understand, denies that he lins horro.
vious ourk of that great artist.