The National Register.
London, England, 1811-03-17 00:00:00

, REGISTER

slipport ! You see bow they would bane acted by him) had be
given up to them at first. _
I could add much to this letter : but the tiand
when the eyes of many of our royal broths e .• cts. es d. übje
will he effectually opened to their true interests, and when they
will be enabled to distinguish their friends from their foes. Yes,
brother CHARLES, the day is fist approaching when tfie cloven
foot will be discerned,—when (and be assured of this ;) " :Pope4
will appc«r with so defurnted an aspect that it will never be. able
to
,f4rce itself any more upon these Protestant nations." Lookiny
to this event, I am, • .
Dear Brother, Your's sincerely,
GULIELMUS REX.
College-green, Feb. 12, 1811.
lb There appeared, in one of our Public Journals, an "
Origi-
nal Letter from K1,14G CHARLES, on horseback, at Charing-
cross, London, to KING Wu-Limo, on *horseback, in College-
green, Dublin," dated February 19, 1795. Some sentences of
that letter, marked with commas, are transcribed 14 thq prestnt.
The prediction, however, At the end, is from another sources
and but recently made to our *world t

THE LAWS OP OPERA.

Et sot& taattiii sealskin arte fetot--Maat.

This Drama, which was invented at Venice, is represente4
with music; and to be impressive, must be set off with all the
splendour of art, and decorations of a pomp truly regal.
Operas being sung, and having the accompaniment of instt a-
mentil music, are necessarily composed in verse ; and that
nothing which can fascinate the eye may be wanting, they aye
embellished with dances and ballets, with splendid scenery, and
stupendous machinery. The dresses of the actorsychorus, acid
dancers, being in the most superb and elegant style, efitspire,
with the surrounding scenery, to entertain the. eye alba fancy,
and to produce a grand and irresistible impression.
It is the aim of this diama to excite, through the medium of
the senses and imagination. an exquisite and vatkpred pleasure,
Peet:liar to itself in quantity and quality, and of whicl4, in these
respects, it is alone capable. If nature be not consulted in diis
display ; if an eccentricity, abhorrent to her simplicity be re-
sorted to, all that can be said is, that this is a species of refine-
ment above even La .Belie Nature, exhibiting a fairy scene*
w:iere objects are combined upon new principles of association,
and where, if pleasure be produced, the mode is not scrupu-
lously examined and ascertained.
• 'I he exhibition of human sentiment, originating in tragic
action, by singing and music, is no doubt putting nature to
defiance. Yet -we have Operas of this kind, in English, by
Addison; in Italian, by Metastasis; in French, by M. Quinault
and Fontenelle,Alch arc certainly saf generis, and . master-
pieces in that description of writing to which they belong.
These pieces charm even as elegant compositions; but the pre-
dominant pleasure undonbtedly arises from the melody of the
Musk, and the magnificence of the spectacle.
•To give cerisimilituae to this I)rama, and make it approach to
congruity, the subject should be selected from the regions of
mythology or enchantment,.. hut seldom or ever from history.
Arriple materials will be thence afforded for genius to embellish,
and as they are extracted from the world of fiction, probability
will not be violated; for we allow a pieternatural agency to
beings beyond the diurial sphere; the eccentricity of their
movement is tn unison with, that of this. Drama, and the Poet
will.enjoy his charaCteristkprivile4e oflitiving to " airy nothing
a loCal Habitation Ind a name." exterior spletidour of the
seen-:ry, the concordant strains of vocal and imitrt) ,Meut;4l me-
lody.; the mbvernent .of. many twinkling
.feet in the ever-vary-
nig maze of the .dance';,. gods supernal in celestial panoply
de-sculling, and gods infernal ascending amid Cimmerian glootn ;
t in short, all the energies of art, taste, aadlastcy, are efnploed in'

giving eXl6tenee to a new creation, whose bloom is nacre vivid
than that of nature, and whose arrangements are as grotesque

and fantastical as hers are simple and orderly. But though the
agents be Preternatural, they must speak and act according to
the established laws of their order; a truth and propriety of
character must be Observed' even In the regions of fiction ; a god
or demi-god must never speak the language of a • Bond-street
lounger, nor a fairy use that of a petite maitressc.
The groundwork otthe dialogue is the recitative, which, with
a•cadence approaching the .nearest to common language, should
have its verses free and not regular. The airs should be
prompted by the occasion, and express some tender sentiment,
or short and strikieg precept, originating in a monologue, or in a
seine between two persons. They should never be introduced
to terminate a scene, or display the voice of the, performer,
tspectally when the air makes part of the dialogue; for the
countenances of the actors are disengaged and vacant, and their
situation, from having nothing to do, is extremely embarrassed
and' aWkWartt,
The verse should be of lyric composition, and their subject
some grand imago oe "passicin, admitting fhe richness of poetic
colouring, and lending an affecting expression to the music. A
phraseology without animation is insipid, audit' the air is most
shockingly. tedious. The trite Italian shales of 4g streams that
flow, and birds that ny," are now deservedly exploded, r.nd
strains more consonant to the spirit of poetry, and the end of
this Drama, have been introduced.. With respect to the chorus,
it .sometimes consists of a whole people, or the inhabitants of a
peculiar eoiintrir add, at other times, of warriors, nymphs or
priests, Wlrdlike their voices to Heaven to implore its favour,
depreCate its wrath, or, under the impulse of gratitude, to render
a general homage. The action appropriate to .this species of
ienipobitioii mill, to a poet of geniui, suggest characteristic ideas,
tror44 and dispositions. As this Drama is
.calculated to en-
tertain the ear and affect the heart, as well as charm the eye and
fascinate the fancy, the poet will) cultivates Operas should be
eminently conversant in the mechanical parts of a theatre, and
be a perfect connoisseur in combats, ballets, feasts, games, pom-
pous entries and exits is solemn proCesilona, and in all the
marvellous phenconeria in"the"classic heavens or bell, on the
earth, or in the sea ; and these require a boldness of character,
and a management in the display that will support the sublime,
and prevent It from •degenerating into bombast or the ridi-
eulous.

Although the unities of time and place cannot be rightly ob-
served, that of action must not to be violated ; and whatever is
episodical must refer to the principal d?Agn, and conspire to its
accomplishment. Brevity is essential both to pleasure as well
as to the unity of the action ; for a provoking tedium is insepa-
rable from a diversion that is continued for full four hours, and
yet all the Operas of Europe are, at least, one third too long.--
This inconvenience is not removed by dividing the Opera into
three or five acts ; for this division, though judicious, is not suf-
ficient to relieve the exhausted attention.
As Metastasio is the approved model of Italian Opera, I shall
dismiss these strictures, by ascertaining his peculiar 'excellence.
All his Operas are grave and pathetic—all his character; are well
drawn, contrasted, and supported. The 'business of his pieces
is regular and interesting—his versification varied, and me-
lifluous as music itself. tie' avoids the quaintness and conceit
which disfigure the poetry of his countrymen, and he gives us
no occasion to complain of that vacuity of thought and insignifi-
cant warbling which, in our day, ingloriously thrill through the
Italian scene. The highly polished language of Italy, enriched
with all the charms of sentiment, and a vigorous imagination,
distinguishea the Dramas of this elegant poet, and gives them
an mulled superiority. B.

The Humming Bird, with '270,000 dollars jr specie on board,
foundered on her late passage fropa Wayanitah to New York,
+ud immediate)); sunk'; caw, saved: • '

~~

k;IS'

ANECDOTES, 4c.

THE GAMESTER.

This celebrated Tragedy was translated into French by 1. IL
Saurin.—The French translator entitled it " Beverley" anl
made tome judicious alterations. He gave a regularity to the
scenes, not changing the places, from th*House of Beverley to
that of Stukely and of Wilson. Mr. Saurin has supprelseill
several of the most dreadful details. Bates and Lewsou, the

subaltern agents of the crimes of Stukely, ha:•e their parts consi-
derably abridged.—The character of Mrs. Beverley is mad*
amiable throughout, and in the scene where she penetrates the
base designs of Stukely. the translator has introduced some
sublime passages. lie adopts the idea that Stukeky was in love
with Mrs. Beverley before her marriage.—ln the scene where
Stake* guarantees the fidelity of the gamesters, who have ruin-
ed Beverley, Saurin makes the latter answer him in these words
ti Mais toi mettle, l'Es•tu-Fidele." " But, thyselfi art thole
faithful ?"—ln various instances the French translation has ins*
proved on the original. This play was the production of Mr.
Moore, author of " Fables for the Female Sex."

BISHOP BURNET
Studied in the University of Aberdeen, and took up his de.
grc of M. A. when fourteen years of age.—He was arms-
touted to rise every morning at four o'clock, until his age mull
infirmities made it requisite for him to take more rest.—When
at Amsterdam, be applied himself to the study of the Hebrew
Language, under the instruction of a Rabbin, and he formed
an acquaintance with persons of all religious onmuninion —Cal-
vinists—Arrnenians—Lutherans—Anabaptists—Bavanists—Ro-
mian Catholics and Unitarians. To habituate himself to public
spc.s.king, whether on horseback or walking, he made it a prar
fife in retired places to compose a sermon on some text of Scrip-
tare, and to pronounce it aloud.
For two years he led the life of an Anchoret ; but the coarse
quality of the food he took, merely for the support of nature,
caused a violent fever, which threatened the loss of life. This
event occasioned him to abandon his plans of mortikationssd
soltude, and to become the most active instrument in accosts-
plisbing the glorious revolution by King William.—Bishop Bur—
net always recommended short sermons to his clergy.