The National Register.
London, England, 1808-07-10 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

never cause it to he good. And yet principally to Mr. Grabs=
was left the duty of reading the plays and engaging the actors
When Mr. Liston appeared at the Haymaket, Mr. Graham
went to see him act. He did not much like him ; but whether
from the general good report concerning that excellent actor, Of
from what other cause we know not, Mr. Graham was induced
to go again. He did not like him this,time ; but again he went
to see him. Now, he made up his mind, and positively deter-
mined not to engage him at Drury-Lane. No man perhaps ever
went more deliberately wrong than Mc.Graham in this instance;
and of all mistaken folks, surely people who make their mistakes
upon reflection, are the most to be feared, and the least to be
trusted. In the meanwhile, Mr. Harris, the Proprietor of
_

Covent-Garden, who had about him some people that could

estimate good effective acting, was persuaded to engage Mr.,
Liston : and at this moment Mr. Liston is 119 great a favourite as
Mr. Fawcett, Mr. Bannister, or even Mr. Mundell himself.

Another gross instance of mismanagement on the part of the
Drury-Lane administration, has been shewn in the behaviour of
the directing powers toward Mr. Young. Mr. Young is an
actor by no means of the first rate, but certainly very superior
to any tragedian who is to be found at Drury-Lane. But he

has not been engaged at Drury-Lune; and perhaps the public
will %%under why. Why because the directors of that Theatre
du not know their own interests. They are unfortunate art*
more than one account iu their neglect of Mr. Young ; and we
will shew how.

In the first place; although tragedy flourishes much more
fairly at Covent-Garden than at Drury-Lune, by reason of the
united forces of Mrs. Siddons, the Kembles, and Mr. Cooke,
(who is indeed, in our 'opinion, a bad tragedian, but who does
nevertheless in certain tragic parts attract the town) yet each
London Theatre ought to have the means of acting tragedies now
and then. It must be of little use, to be sure, for Drury-Lane
to put up Macbeth or Hamlet on the same nights when those
plays are acted at Covent-Garden ; but when a new cotnrdy is
running at Covent-Garden, and when the weekly recurrence or
Monday, and the concomitant superfluity of Saturday's wages
sends the lower class of people to the play, who all like tragedy.
better than comedy, then it becomes material for a Theatre to•
possess somebody who has some notion of playing tragedy. For
though the lower people cannot understand the niceties of the art,
yet common feeling will tell them when an actor plays violently
ill, and they will be displeased with his performance, and come
less willingly another time. Now, Mr. Elliston's tragedy, with
very few exceptions, ii so extremely had as to be really ahnust
too heavy for common patience; and it certainly would have
answered to the Proprietors to engage Mr. Young, if it had•
been only for the sake of having the principal parts in the usual
tragedies acted with tolerable •‘ emphasis and discretion.",
But there is another reason, of infinitely more force even than
this, which ought to have decided the Managers to engage Mr,
Young. And ibis reason is what the politicians of greater cir-
cles call, " The preservation of the balanec of power." It has
happened of late, that one or two actors have, by the weak-
ness of the government, erected themselves into so vast a consi-
deration, that they are almoit the masters (,f the theatre which
they were engaged to serve : and the more weak the government
may be, the more earnestly ought it to seek for some influence,
to he opposed against thw encroachers. Mr. Elliston, from his
willingness to phy in every live, from the impotence cif the
supreme authorities in the theatre, and from the scarcity of dra-
matic talent in the present day, has risen in Drury-lane to an
importance which is almost despotic. The real excellence of
his comedy bears tip the trash of his tragedy, and managers,
authors, and actors, all how to the talents, the courage, and
time good fortune of Mr. Elliston. It is time that his empire
should he divided, the power is too great for one man. Long
may we enjoy the advantage of Mr. }Allston's comic powers :
but for tragedy', the public had a right to expect the engage-
ment of Mr. Vottaf,, and the riders of the theatre scov.ld have•
strengtlwned their authovity by the measure. Statesmen have -
found that, though a f'itst Lord of the Treasury with asso-
ciated Lords may he useful and necessary, yet the whole power
vested in one Lord Treasurer is dangerous to the country. We
have no ot!ieclion to see Mr. Elliston First Lord of the Trea-
sury, but we do not like to see him, or any other individnal,.
acting as Lord Treasurer.
In the next number of the Dramatic Detector, we shall speak
of the conduct l‘hich is pursue] at Covent-Garden concerning
actors. •

Tuesd.ty the Lord Mayor ordered the price of Bread to be
continued •u I:9P. the quartern loaf of wheaten, and 10Id
huusch

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