The National Register.
London, England, 1813-11-28 00:00:00

NOV,

THE NA TTONA

Children of oirr Country Cathedrals are hardly better -.attended
to than those whose neglected state • has furnished the sub-
jc of this paper ; but wl!ose wrotigs, let us hope, will in due
season he judicially redressed. Reform orrly can here avert
ruin.. We owe it to the piety of
.our ancestors, owe it
to the credit of ourselves, we owe it to the welfare of our
po,terity—we owe it to the God whom we worship, and to
the Country that we love!—td preserve inviolate the
billowed institutions of our forefatheis ; and thus convey
them down, in all their purity, to distant, verydistant, gene
rations. Oticstuus.

•• • Peraintrilator has reached his destination.

• This production l►as hot been printed fur sale. nis is entitled,
11-wever, ;14 fOlll/ %s Letters to the fii.hop of London, the Dean
of St. Poe-, and other Digidiaries of that Church, on the present.
State of On! Choristeis witi►.Evidences respecting the Ancient School
attached to 11:e Cathedral ; and observations on Dean Collet's Founda-
tion, eeneralk known by the name of Saint Taal', School.' These
Leueri are t,ivned ' M',ria Hackett,' and are teportja to he the pro-
duction of a Lady of property and worth. They certainly evince a
very atij►eriur mind•

piLim .1 rlc REGISTER.

DRURY-LANE.

This Theatre has this week produced two novelties. A musical
Farce was perfolaned, for the first time, on Moodily, under the
title at' !` Who's In here Her?" It would really be a waste of time
to dwt II on the slender merits or prominent deti•ets of this pro
duct ion. It is so little likely to annoy fishing, that condemnation
would be as ernel, as praise would be ridiculous.* The business
consists of the stratagems of two-lovers, to prevent one mar-
rbsge and effect another. These stratagems arc unnsually poor and
and the piece is altogether so languid, that those who at-
tend the rerformance, though disposed to favour it, could find no
pretext for clapping • and, notwithstanding it went ofr without
upposition, it receive:l very little applause. .M.ux.DEN's drollery,
and a clap trap or two, about " John Itull"--" Liberty7—ansl
A" Holland," liVt're the only things that made a strong impression on.
the Audience, alai the.4c of course, any scribbler could..prodnee at
plea-nrc, as well as the ingenious Gentleman who fintnislied them
on this occasion.—lt may languish it.week or two, hut if it should
endured so long, by the apathy of the town,it will certainly Miter
be recalled as that which leas any chance of gaining their favour.
Now:it/had, produced on limrsday, is said. to be from. the pro-
lific pen of LonivlivßoN. it appears, however, that his *word-
ship's &lunatic. Muse is yet too timorous to venture on original
Nights. Not only the plot of his drama is avowedly taken from
Mrs. Sin-mina:Vs tale of Nourjahail, lint the whole seems to us a
translation trom a piece which wits represented ten years atro at
one of the Parisian theatres. The following is a sketch of the
fable : The Rattan of °rums. Shapiseddin (Me. RAF:}; wishes to try
his favourite, Nuenjahad (Mr ELLI9TOO, before he appoints him
his Grand Vizier, because he has heard hini.duclare that unbounded
north, and immortality on Cth, formed. the summit of his desires.
For that purpose I.:: leaves him in a magnificent palace, where,
noon after, a pretended Genius appears to him, and offers him un-
bounded
riches and immortality, on the part ef the Prophet who has
read his heart on conditon that whenver his conduct should hi impro-
per lie should be subject to trances of a length proportionate to his of-
fence. IL submits to these (onus, and receives a key and a phial
the former lends him to apparently inexhaustible treasures': the lat-
ter renders him immortal. The first use he makes of these gifts is, not-
ithstanding Isis love for his-wife, Itiondane (Mrs. Hain :+i), to purchase
a whole seraglio of beautifal slaves, and in defiance to the .precepts
of Maimmet, to be guilty of intoxication. A slcepine powder hay- I
ing
.been put in the Vine, this fv•st fault is puoiAn d by a truce
which he is told.lasted four years and a month, during which his be-
loved Mondiwc has died in giving Isirth to a son. Alter the first
bursts of,.surprisc and of grief are over, and Hamm (Mr. Lovr.-
GROVE) his chief attendant, has iliforintql bi,et that. all liiikslaves sur-
vive, he once more resolves to enjoy perfect happiness, and Drabs
ft represent of Mahomet's Paradise to be acted on earth. He mimics
the prophet, and the fair Znictau (Miss Poots becomes his chief
Howl! wliilst the sports aad dances of hei•companaons, mixed with
a band of select youths, proslnce a scene drOirViN in present
enjoyiaent'all trace of - grief, and all recollection of the condition
attached to the gifts of the Genius. In the midst ul his revas, he is

IS'

. . .
informs 41 that an. old man comes tu. ransom his -4atirchtensysmo, ~-.
Nourjahatts slaves, who fired with her beauty, insultingly refitse*
to restore her. This scrotal fault being more considerable Oar klut
first, i, !inis:led with a loneertramteAnd Nouejohod awakingut the
end Of forty years, supposed sintaber, finds lin sem, nil his slaves, and
the Sultan dead. Only one man survives, who reproaches him aids
his folly, and afar cxeressing his abhorrence of him, declares himself
to be his son. This last blow completes Nourjakod's disgust fir
and both tidies and immortality become loathsome to him: His, ovstl .
/1/117/datlC is then introduced to him as his .grand daughter, and at the
time he thinks he may yet be happy,thty are all seized by the pada of
Shamsheddin's snrtnried successor, on account of .21'ourjuhaa's
His son is condemned to instant executi,;n, and his grand daughter
is sent to the Haarem. Left to himself, Nourjahad curses his riches
and invokes death, when the Genius reappears, and offers to re%
store him his regretted mortality. He accepts the proposal, though
in momenta' y expectation Of belie, sent to the scadidd, like his`son,
when the Genius waves her hand"; the bottom of the stage opens,
and the Sultan and all his friends are seen, Manddne gouts lwr
hua-
band, and the Sultan, who hail assumed the chitractcr 01-Nourjuhfas
son, appoints him his Grand Vizier.
flues closes this 'mantle drains, which contains many interest-
. rug situations, and is assisted in its progress. by thesuriz: of scenery,
the wimp of military processions, and the pleasing display of. fel,
male grace and beauty, in elegant attitudes sportive dances.
[ The language is plain, natural, awl occasionally forcible. But it
• neither reseals the richness nor tke feeling of a poet. The
• city of the action renders it rather dull to English taste ; though in
the opinion of those conversant with the ancient stage, it may ad 4
to its interest. EL I.ISTON expressed the varied. passions by whielo
Nuudishad is agitated in the course of his trials, with his usual lido,.
lily to nature and to feeling. RAE reserved his strength fpr the
scene in which he appears as Nintriand's son, in which he displayed
much energy. Mrs. thiats and Mr. Lovrqinove gave. full effect
to their respi-ctive characters, and Miss POOLE in Zadema, the chief
slave, displayed the united and -seductive attractions of beauty and
melody. The dances were tastefully planned and skilfully executed,
especially by Miss SMITH, tire scenery was splendid. and the manner
in which the flenius appears, dimly seen at first in all the toyzte-
rioustiess of obscurity, every shade then vanishiinz by degrees tit
she bursts info unclouded light, was new an.' highly applauded:
A crowded audience received this piece with the most v..
thusiastic approbation, which it has since continued to obtaau. .
The musk, by Mr. is only a tasteful selection.

Mr: Simisio, lute of the Crown and Anchor Tavern, in the Strand, fell
down• on ii.turdav in a fit and almost instantly expired. He bad for
some time past been in the fleet prison foi:debt, and !mine, settled with
• his creditors, was dressing himself again to entity his liberty, whets the
.event took place, • liis father :Iccidentally met his death a few years
afro hir over she Irinniktrrs Of the T tvern stairs.
FonGED Sr.imPs asp NoTEs.---Triday William Atkinson anti
Mary his wife, underwent another examination, charged with
forginz and uttering stamps,. and Colchester hank-uotes, of the firm
of Cricket and Co. f hey uer:2 folly committed for trial. Mr. Cricket
was bound over to prosecute on the part of the bank, and Mr, Fiance.
on the part of the stamp-office.
rn On Thursday se'unight, au inquest was held at Carrickfergus, on the
hody of John Hooper, n boy helimeiittr to his Majesty's ship Meier*
(now lying in that hat bout ), ho had inflicted a severe wound on his
throat with a knife, on the Moodily morning previous. It appeared
It appeared from the evidence of Su: goon Deese, oldie ship, and others,
that the ulifuttunate youth had bern threatened with punishment in con-
sequence of improper conduct ; that lie secreted himself on Monday
totalling, at ; that a cornnral of nullities was orrlercd between
,kek. to search for him ; who tinitul him on the cable-tier, hiding be.
hind the inns, ; that he did not er when spoken to, and on drugging
hu,, from I;se place of entice .luww, his throat was cut, and bleeding
profusely ; a knife was 1401051 IR-ule hon. Every assistance was innue.
et en ; nut he cavired hum Iws of blood, oi Wednesday eve Ling.,
Verdict—Feb de ay.