The National Register.
London, England, 1818-08-17 00:00:00

THE DRAM.I.

ENGLISH CHIERA HOUSE.
1. The we/city of the week kt this pleasing and teed
conducted summer theatre, is the serious teel.e celled
' the Death of Captain Look. Tlais well kuoit n subject
is exeetelingly well depicted and the interest rises until
the conclusion of the piece, which is got up under the
direction of Mr. T. P. Cooke, whose, abilities are fully
proved nut only as a regulator of pantomimic. action,
but as a superior actor. The grouping of the Islanders
is most picturesque and the combats and occasional
skirmishes with the marines, sailors, &e. naturally
managed. T. P. Cooke personated the dying moments
of the heroic but unfortunate Navigator with expressive
effect. Mrs. Pincott as a Native of Owyee proved her.
self an active and graceful pantomimist. The Indians
were introduced and porfitrmed throughout with a
spirit and precision which surprised us.
Lionel and Clarissa has been repeated, and we pro-
nounce that it has seldom or ever been so well acted as
upon these boards. The entertainments of Friday night
attracted a fashionable and full audience. We have
frequently befere borne testimony to the merits of the
perthrmers, in the Opera of Free and Easy ; they are
so well known and appreciated, that it would be super-
fluous to particularise them. In the new Operetta of
the Bull's Head, which followed, Mr. Wrench was fully
as efficient and happy at: in the former piece.
HAVNIARKET THEATRE.
The comedy of A Cure fur the Heart Ache was per.
formed at this Theatre on Tuesday evening, for the
first time these five years. Mr. Jones played Young
Rapid with uncommon spirit; he infused into it all the
animal vivacity which seems to be the essence of this
part. Ohl Rapid was admirably represented by Mr.
Liston ; and Mr. Tokely displayed both pathos and
humour in the character of the young rustic. Miss
Blanchard was the representative of Jenny. The part
seems suited to her, and she performed it extremely
well. Her recitation is highly judicious, elegant, and
unaffected. Several passages where tenderness or sen-
timent are to be expressed, were given by her with
great happiness. Mrs. Gibbs performed Miss Vortex
with her accustomed force and liveliness, and Mrs.
Connor was extremely successful in her representatioa
of Ellen FOrte.r. Notwithstanding the meagre vulgarity
of the comic part of the dialogue in this play, the
performance went off with signal success. The whim-
siral drollery of some of the situations, and the ludi-
crous, but natural conception of the two principal elle-
riders, executed with all the comic force of which they
are susceptible, by Mr. Jones and Mr. Liston, kept the
audience literally in a roar during several scenes.—
Their Royal Highnesses the. Duke and Duchess of
Cambridge were present with a party, consisting of
Ladies, and the two Priaces, brothers of her Royal
Highness. They sat in the stage-box on the King's
side, and seemed greatly amused with the performanrets.
particularly the Critic, which was the afterpiece. The
presence of their Royal ILgliness.es had not been noti.
tied in the bills; but on entering the box they were
instantly recognised, and greeted with the warmest
expressiens of public attachment and respect.
new comedy in three acts, called the Green Man,
was produced on Saturday evening at this theatre. The
following is a brief outline of the plot:—
Sir George Squander (Mr. Barnard), nephew and
heir expectant to Lord Rowcrojl (Mr. Foote), hag
formed a matrimonial connexion with a lady, beneath
hint in rank, though posessed of every other qualifica-
tion. His uncle, indignant at this match, has laid a
design to effect his ruin, and to procure a divorce front
Lady Squander (Mrs. Glover). This plan consists in
urging the nephew, who has a very limited fortune, to
acts of extravegance, and his wife to imprudent con-
duct. His principal agents in the scheme are Fungus
(Mr. Russell), valet to Sir Sir G. Squander, and Close.
j:st, an usurer, who lends money to the spendthrift
baronet at •2 5 per cent. The design is in full opera-
tion at the opening of the play, when a mysterious
personage appears on the scene, whom ao ene knows
by any other name than that of the Green Man,
derived from the colour of his habits; this charac-
ter, represented by Mr. Terry, turns out in the end,
to be the muternal uncle of Sir George Squander,
but in the interim acts the parts of a guardian angel
to the young baronet ; he frustrates all the designs
carrying on against him, exposes and humbles Lord
Rotvertyl, and reconciles him to his nephew. Mrs.
Gibbs was an intriguing pert lad'ys maid, the chere
Annie of Fungus. Major Dumpling and Commissary
[fibber, characters played by Messrs. Tokely and Con-
nor, do little more than win Sir George's money.--e
I There is also a pleasant little love affair between Bertha
(Miss E. Blanchard), sister of Lady Squander, and
Craeldsy (Mr. Jones), a frenehitied Englishman, anti
these constitute the mater el of the comedy. We can-
' not award great praise to this dramatic producticn,
which is avowedly a translation from the Frene.r.t
and from a piece said to be extremely popular with the
Pariaian public. The idea of 'he Green Mats is evidetit-

ly taken from Burchell, in the Vicar of Wakefield,, and
Mr. Terry's perfbrmauce of this part will establish itte f
on our staae as a masterpiece of its kind. 'rue z.amedy
roc.einAl with uli. • ersal applause.

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VirCtrrlON or CHENNI:L AND CHALCIIAFT FOR.
THE Mtllar:tt OF Aiii.CHENNELN FAMILY.
GOD4IMI‘G, AVUUST II

To-day Chennel, convicted on Wednesday last of
Pa •
rrie'de and Chakraft, of the murder of his master
end fellow-servant, were executed at this place. It had
leen thought due to public justice and public feeling,
t:.at the neighbouybood which had been alarmed and
horror-struck at the atrocity of their crime, should
likewise witness their punishment, and heir their
confession, if disposed to make any. General conve-
nience happily agreed with this arraitgement, as
tiodaiming, where the murder was emunitted, is only
4 miles distant from Guildford, where the trial tea
place: and there was no danger, as in the case of
Hussey, (if he had been brought to Greenwich), that
au overwhelming crowd would create any confusion.
The expected confession, however, has not been made.
Ever since they were taken into custody fur their
horrible crime (which is more than nine months ago),
they seemed to have entertained hopes of an acquittal,
and, therethre, avoided any serious thoughts•of their
sit e Chennel, we were told, both in Horsenumger-
!Atte gaol, and at Kingston, during the Spring assizes,
seemed as fearless and indifferent as if his conscience
Lad been at case ; and though net apt to assert his in-
nocence, unless when questioned on the subject, ap-
peared to make no doubt of his getting off, as he ex-
pressed it, by the insufficiency of the evidence, or the
ability of his counsel. He, therefore, smoked his pipe,
and drunk his beer, when it was procured him, with as
much apparent relish as if his mind were clear from
guilt, his life free from punishment, and his confine-
ment only temporary. Though he showed no contempt
for the truths or the exercises of religion, admitting
implicitly the one, and joining without reluctance in
the other, his conduct plainly evinced that his mind was
not impressed, and his Reverend instructors had to la-
ment that his devotions were languid and formal. His
temperament, naturally phlegmatic, was never excited
to any spiritual considerations. There seemed no con-
& t in his mind between the secret consciousness of
guilt and a desire to reveal it. He appeared taciturn,
sullen, and incommunicative, more from native apathy
than from premeditated design ; and a kind of stupor
or sottishness, contracted by long habits of idleness and
intemperance, prevented him from being interested
about any thing but the supply of his present wants, or
the gratifications of his appetites. Ills fellow prisoner
and coadjutor in murder was of a very different charac•
ter. His education had been entirely neglected, r, as it
appeared he mild not read,( and he hai likewise run
through a long course of iniquity ; but (his intellects
were *cute, and his feeling strong. He was always
snore communicative, and seemed at times, by some ex-
pressions which he used, disposed to relent into a coa-
ti-ion, when, arobably, the remembrance of an oath of
secrecy which they had mutually taken before the com-
miesion of their crimes prevented him from makiug a
disclosure of them. He seemed to wait for the com-
mencement of confession on the part of Chennel, and,
as we have been told, someti nes desired him to confess,
(a phrase which, we are aware, may admit of different
meanings); but as the latter revealed nothing, he re-
eolved also to keep his oath and the horrible secret, par-
:eking probably to the last in the hopes of an acquittal.
They were led back to their cells on Wednesday night,
tetermined to persist in their denial of guilt, and re-
solved rather to take the chance of pardon tier uncon-
tessed crimes in another world, of tehieh they had no
tebitual or vivid impressions, than to brave the horrors
of their fellow men in this by admitting the monstrous
atrocity of their crimes. They, however, allowed that
appearances were all against them, that the Judge was
merciful in tis direction to the jury, that the jury were
attentive to the evidence, and just in a mistaken verdict,
:lad that if they had been in the situation of either
they must have behaved as they had done. At the
same time they declared their innocence—Chennel,
ith less vehemence, and only when questioned; Chal-
craft repeatedly, and with stronger asseverations. They
eined that night with more earnestness in religious
sercises, with the Hey. Mr. Cole, the ordinary of
siaildford gaol, and, as we are told, slept afterwards
feet or five hours. When the Rev. Gentleman was
:omit to leave Chennel, he asked him when he would
wish to see him again, to which the latter replied,
with seeming earnestness, " The sooner the better."
time Rev. Mr. Mann, the ordinary of Horsemonger-
isnegeol, who bad been very attentive to them when
confined there previous to their trial, was sent for ex.
eras after their conviction, and arrived on Thursday
for He immediately visited the prisoners, and
after joining with them in religious exercises, offered to
erar any thing they had to say respecting the crime for
hich they were to suffer, endeavouring to impress
their minds he a suitable address, with the obligation
under which they lay to the effended laws of their coon-
ere, to society. to their neighbourhood, and their fa-
n:Pim to make a full disclosure ; hut telling them at
the same time their confessions must be voluntary, and
'hut he did not wish to extort from them more than
thy were e.ieposed to reveal. le this trauma they