The National Register.
London, England, 1814-11-27 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTF,II.

NOV. 27.

THE ROUSE OF SAXON]:

After considerable delays, the fate of Saxony appears to be
finally determined. Frederic Augustus descends from the
throne. His states are divided between Austria, Prussia, and

the Duke of Saxe NVeymar. Numerous are the lamenta-
tions for this instability of human affairs. Some reflecting
minds will meditate on the impenetrable decrees of that pro-
vidence, who, according to sctipture„ chasti,es, but ye,
cherishes—destroys, but yet restores. Some, in the fall of
a reigning House, only behold a revolution ; others contetu-
p!ate, in this event, a return to good order. For the former
of these persons, a coup clic& on the origin and divisions of
this illustrious family, will not he without its use.

The second Elector, Frederic, the effrable or pacific, who
died in 1464, left two sons, the eldest of whom, Ernest,
was of the Ernestine Branch, and the youngest, Albert, of
the Albertine Branch. In virtue of the acknowledged right
of primogeniture, John Frederic, the sixth Elector, reigned
without dispute, when the empire was disturbed by the trou-
bles excited by the celebrated league of Smal Calde.
Charles the Fifth, at the head of a numerous army com-
manded by the celebrated Duke of Alba, marched against the
confederates. The battle at Mulliberg,. in 1547, was eleci-
sive. John Frederic, the soul of the league, fell into the
power of the Emperor. This Prince made a cruel use of his
victory. A military commission, of which the inflexible
Spanish General was chief, dared to condemn the Elector of
Saxony to death as a rebel to the imperial authority. This
was an attempt to introduce an entirely new regulation in
the German empire. The illustrious prisoner, after having
listened to the reading of the decree for his arrest, quietly
continued playing at drafts with Prince Ernest of Brunswick.
It is rattler my Electorate than tnv bead that they want,"
said he. The event proved that he was not deceived.
Charles the Fifth granted him his life ; but, in the Diet of
Augsburg, in 1548, he stripped him of the Electoral dig-
nity, in order to confer it on Duke Maurice of Saxe, chief
of the younger. or Albertine Branch. There was only left
to the unfortunate John Ft ederic the little town of Gotha,
where he was narrowly watched. Ilk son had still more
reason than himself to complain : be was accused of having
attempted to enter into the palace of his father at Dresden,
arid was conducted to Vienna as a criminal.

Though indebted for his new political existence to the
protection of Charles the Fifth, the usurper Maui ice greedily
seized the opportunity to chew his zeal in favour of Lu-
theranism, which had saved as a pretext for the spoliation
of the legitimate Elector. Ile assisted the Protestants—
concluded a secret treaty with Henry 111. of France—attacked
the Emperor, and was on the point of getting possession of
his person in the passes of the Tyrol. The treaty of Passau
in 1552 stopped I►is progress.

From this period the Albertine Branch preserved the
Electorate, while the elder, or Etnestine, was possessed of
very circumscribed territories, and divided into a number
of branches. Of fourteen we can now only reckon six. The
first is that of Weymar. The Puke of that name is the di •

p•i S
g

rect and natural heir of the Elect-r ,lohn Frederic, violently
and unjustly deposed by Chitties the Fifth
Notwithstanding the lapse of time, the claims of his des-
cendants have not been f,reotten. In the short visit that
he made to the Congress of Ra•tadt, 13 uonarai te cad once to

the Minister of the Elector of Sax, ny, with his peculiar im-
petuosity, " What then ! does vour laser lerkon upc
restoring the Electorate to the Ernestine branch ;" This
was the man who afterwa!ds wished that this veil), Prince

should take the title of King.
From this period are to be dated the m!sfortunes of Fre-
deric Augustus. Surrounded, imptisonea, hews compelle4
to forget that he was a German, and to make a common
cause with the oppressors of Cermany. The foolish expe-
dition to Moscow exhibited both to Princfs and people an
opportunity for deliverance. The King of Saxony withdrew
to Bohemia—the-e in a neutral territory he at last enjoyed
his liberty, and, it is said, solemnly .promi ed to unite his.
efforts to those of the deliverers of Europe. Motives which

we cannot here discuss, induced him to alter this resolution.

The flying,Napoleon abanelone•d him without resource to
'he vengeance of the allies, and Frederic Augustus asked to
see them. If we are to believe the accounts generally re-
ceived, this wish was not gratified.

Public opinion, which is unanimous relative to the ptivate
virtues of this Prince, is, on the contrary, singularly divided
on the subject of his political conduct. Some behold an
uripardonable crime in- his pe vering alliinee with the
enemy of the human race. Others are tempted to regard him
as one of the instruments made use- of by P ot.idence to
continue the blindness of :`,lapoloon ; for, in fret, bi placing
his troops and fortresses at his disposal, the King of Saxony
inspired him with the ridiculous
_hope of pi esf•tviug the
line of the Elbe. While he gratified himself with the ab-
surd possession of ll:esden ; while he was sacrificing armies
for a long time deemed invincible, every thing w; s preparing
for the fall of this infatuated Conqueror. If he had not
been in po session of the Elbe, be would have been oblig<cl
• to have taken a position behind the Rhine, and there/Alp-
ported by his numerous fortresses, and uniformly assured of
his communications with France, there would sti'l have re-
mained to him means of treating honourab!y with his con-
querors.
Thus, an invisible and all-powerful hand degrades the
elevated and elevates the degraded: thus, after three ages,
the Albertine Branch descends flour the Thione it Arsd
usurped, and the Ernestine Blanch recovers a portion of
the heritage that had hoen wrested from it The French in
regretting the fate of Frederic Augustus, regard him as the
relative of the Princess to whom she is indebted for her
well beloved Sovereigns Louis XVI. at:d
dc France).

Extract from Lord Wm. Bontinck's Official Note to the
Duke de Gallo, the Neapolitan Minister ,
" 801.00 NA, APait 1.-1,1 case of the Neapolitan Glvlenment
cx-
acting a writttn confirmation 01- the sentiment, wi,icli Lord CAsileri
Me, verbally declared, a Ctillfiralation which hiss nut bcen called for. not
thinking it necessary, the undersigned is Hutton ist it to declare ofTlcia ;Iy,
that the Enlist. Gi.vei inn( tit entirely iipprove..s of the Treily eonehint d
between the Austrian and N p':l it a n (i"vernment' tin° it "Ilstitt` 1`)
the addition of the territory there specified, under the •-:me coominio.
made by Austria, of an active and home:tone co Opt•rptitm of the Ne;..
noqtaii nrillc ; and that if the E• glish Gt veroment refuse., to sitni
Definitive Treaty, it is caused by sciniinciits of 11,.nour aid delicacy.
which make it unwilling that the-hereditary estate of an anciviit Al:y
should be giver. up without aii indemnity ; mid the imitersignuil has in
eonsetquence orders to invite
the Neapolitan Government to wake the
greatest efforts in order to obtain the unlit °Nu:4"

790

DR.4:11-ITIC REGISTER.

DRURY.L.ANE.
On Ttiesday last Miss Walstein abjured tragedy to court
popularity in a less elevated province of the Drama. She
assumed the part of Lietitia Pardu i n the Belle's Stratagem
and the cold and pompous Calista of Rowe's tiresome play,
became the whimsical and lively heroine of l‘lrs. Cowley's
Comedy. However improbable it may appear, from the na-
ture of the faults which Miss Wa'stein's tragic acting had
displayed, the change was certainly for the better. She
was indeed still rather removed from the manners and lan-
guage of common life: her countenance had not been able
to discard its forbidding aspect, her voice kept its monotony,
and her utterance much of its formal pomp: but a forbidding
look (lid not ill suit the part in which Lertitia attempts to
disgust her lover with her silliness, and in the mme
animated scenes, the mask which she wore left the
audience at' liberty to adorn her face with ideal beau-
ty. Her delivery though still occasionally too affected and
cold, might also be excused, as coming from a person in
masquerade, who assumed an unusual mode of speaking, the
better to disguise herselC, She carried her idiotism, howe-
ver, perhaps too far, so as to run the risk of disgusting, not
only her lover, but the audience; and when she became the
fine lady, she retained too much stiffness in her dialogue and
too little in her demeanour. There is an ease and grace of
motion which pleases the eo,' but too close an imitation of
the twistings of an eel, can never be deemed a perfection
In her songs, Miss Walstein displayed a more agreeable
' voice, than her conversation tones would have led us to
expect. She, however, attempted too much. She has no
abilities to rival either Miss Stephens or Mrs. Dickens,
and therefore thou'd put forth no evident pretensions to do
it. Simplicity of execution will better suit her powers and
do more honour to het taste. Upon the whole, however, she
gave considetable satisfact bon, and when Mrs. Jordan is not
to be procured; when 'At s. Davison is employed more use-
fully lot the population of the country, and Mts. Glover
and Mrs. Edwin ate kept at home with colds, Miss Walstein
via be seen n 'At pleasure.
Frid ,v last this comedy was repeated, but Miss Wal-
stein ceased to ha the rept esentative of Letitia. An unfor-
tunate occurrence, which, however, sets her filial piety in
the most anjable light, iecalled her to Ireland; and Mrs.
Davison, though very near her confinement, supplied her
place in the most spit itcd and successful manner. The fol-
lowing is an exact statement of the circumstances which so
sudden;.; compelled Al iss alstein to break oil' her London
petforne.sces
At an early hour on Thursday, Miss Walstein received posi-
tive information that her mother was in so dangerous a state
of illness, that her death was hourly expected. On the re•
eipt of this information, she sent immedia!ely to the Thea-
tre, and requested an interview with the Manager, who found
ler sa agitated that he con!(I scarcely venture to speak ou the
business of the Theatre ; but having at length mentioned the
disappointment the public would receive firms her not being
enabled to ',Niro to, in consequence of the comedy of The
Belles Stratagem having been so long advertised, he advised
ber to let her sister and brother set off te Dublin, for the
purpose of attending her mother, and that she should wait
the re,tilt of their arrival, and, consequently, be guided by
their report, either to remain in London and continue to
perform, or follow them, as circumstances requited. tier
anxiety, however, during lie night, and dread of her inn.
laser's dissolution during her absence, so overpowered her
feelings, that she conceived she could not pet form Ler lay,

NOV. 27.

either to the Theatre or the Public, and consequently on
Friday morning set °flan. Dublin.

Covent Garden has this week only presented trs with the
continued successes of Mi s O'Neill, whose fame has reached
its full encrease, and whose superior eNcellence is now uni-
versally acknow:edged. Mr. Abbott, who, on account of
NI neon tvay's illness, performed Romeo last Munday„displayed
considerable force, tenderness, and spit it.

Mr. GARNERIN'S Theatre of Grand Philosophical Recrea-
tions is already a favourite resort for fashionable company:
indeed the merits of that learned Professor's experiments
need only to he seen to be admired. The The..tie was ve'y
well attended the whole of the last week.
It is open at Spring Gardens Great Room on Mondays,
Wednesdays, and Fridays. At the desire of several persons
of respectabili!y, the Professor has opened a Subsciiption t,)r
two Extraordinary Sittings for the 3d and 10th of I)ecern!w4
Subscriptions are received at Mrs. WiOev's, Spring
Gardens; Mr. libber's, QS, Old Illitd•street ; Mr. ll,:lne-„
25, Lower George-street, Sloane-street. Tenn• for ti ro.-0
Sittings, Half-a-Guinea.

Sir George Prevr.st is, it is said, to be tried by a Court.
martial, on charges preferred by the sub Ordinate Generals,
and by Sir James Yeo.
The Diet of Norway, on the 24th of October, proclaimed
Charles XIII. King of Norway.
Two Ilamhurgh mails arrived yesterday with papers to the
16th instant. A proclamation was posted at Leiesic on the
loth, by the Russian Governor of that city, taking leave of
its inhabitants upon resigning his office to the Pi ussian Ge-
neral Bismaik, his successor. The Paris impels announce that
a similar act of delivery was expected to take place about the
same time at Dresden. If any additional evidence of the an-
nexation of Saxony to Pi usia weic wanted, this would
suffice.—Accounts arc since received its being surrendered
entire to Prussia.
The Princess of Wales is now at Rome, where, according
to the French papers, she has made large purchases of sta-
tues and pictures. Her Royal Highness has been visited
there by the Ex King and Queen of Spain, and the Queen
of Etruria. On the Qd inst. she had an audience of the Pope,
who received her with the respect due to her rank. The
same day her Royal Highness visited the Vatican, the wni
shop of Canova, the sculptor, and Lucien Buonapatte.
A monument to General Moreau is erecting by order of
the Emperor of Russia, on the spot where he was mortally
wounded.
Shiloh has become exceedingly sulky, and has communi-
cated to his mamma, Joanna, in a vision, that he has been
so teased ')y her followers, that he has at length determi-
ned CO2IZ at all.
The watchnien in general are a very healthy sort of pen.
plc, as they are seldom distressed, like many of their betters
by having sit. ;gess nights.
The Com ME RCI AL HALL WINE COMPANY respectfully
invite their numerous Customers, the Nobility, (*entry, and
Buyers of Wines and Spirits in general, to their Concerns in
SKINNER STREET and OXFORD STREET. - In Skinner
Street they will have the Opportunity of viewing and tasting
the LA 11G EsT STOCK of the FINEST WINES in the King-
dom; in Oxford Strt et, Samples only are kept. For Parti-
culars of the Compan)-'s Articles and Prices, see the.Adver-
. tiseinent, last Page.