The National Register.
London, England, 1819-01-03 00:00:00

. _
HER LirtE 11.1JESTY.

The following is the sketch era speech of Sir Jo!oi
COX Hippeslev, Bart. on sevoimis:g the Address Of Con.
&deuce to the li:ince `regent, at the Somerset County
Meeting at Welh,, a Env days since. The extract of
the later read by the Baronet is understood to have
been communicated to him by General 'Taylor, treasurer
to the late Queen, and private Secretary to His Ma-
jesty. Sir J. liippesley expatiated It smile length upon
the exemplary virtues of her late Majesty. nod pmeiee.
larly. in refixence to her extended charities He was
inure strongly impelled to this ate of justice, b•;cuesc
he scrupled not to admit, that ut one je.riod of his lit C,
when he had fewer adventoges of authentic infitreat.
lion, he had himself in some degree partaken of an
erroneous opinion, which had been hot too prevalent,
respecting that estimable part of her Majesty's chttraQ..
ter, which at the proieut hour was universally recog.
Bet (its he observed) growth and progress of
error were insepar►ble from the imperfection of our na-
ture, although its influence was not reproachful to the
understandiug or the heart. Ile world beg permission
to ar.vcrt too very recent and pointed testimon; , derived
from the best uuthority, that on this occa,:ien could he
adduced :—" The charities of the Queen (Sir J. flip.
pesky reading a letter) have been must eeteusive,
though wholly free from ostentation. Ido not believe
that, 'during the whole course of her residence in this
country, Cie close atilt:year has produced u pecuniary
balance in her Majesty's favour: and there is actually
u debt which must be provided tier out of the sale of
personals. Indeed, I um convinced, that the loss of
her Majesty, us u kind benefactress and a supporter of
objects deserving her bounty, will onthrtunately be
best appreciated by the distress of numhers who 'yoked
up to her for even• resource. There is in BedfOrdshire
one charity, to which alone her Majesty has paid annu-
ally live hundred pounds, for more than fitly years "
Such is the gratefid testimony drawn from the must
authentic source. To a single charitable iustitut' , a
sum exceeding twenty-five thousand pintas has been
devoted by her Majesty's beneficence. The royal jewels,
the appropriate decoration and appendage of the (Fo'cu's
exalted station, eunstitute the only final from which
the debt of about 9,0001. incurred by her extended
charities is to be liquidated. The remainder is divided,
think, among the royal progeny.

Mr. Basting was appointed by command of the Prince
Regent to value and :Heide the private property, which
it to be equally distributed between the Princess Au.
gtotta, the Princess of Hesse Hombourgh. the Duchess
of Gloucester, and the Wilmot,: Sophia. The valuation
of the property at the Queen's Palace, Windsor Palace,
and Froginore I louse, is nearly emnpleted. On Mon.
day, Lord Arden and General Teylur, the exec ,tors to
the lute will, met at the Queen's Palace, top-metal with
the prescribed arranmenents; the chamber of her lute
Majesty, which had been sealed upon her demise, was
opened. At two o'clock Mr. Sergeant Vaughan, such
Mr. Ilan, the late Queen's Attorney and Solicitor Go.
neral, attended the Executors at the Queen's Palace,
to make the necessary legal arrangements for the Ex-
ecutors to act upon and prove the wilt. Tuesday .the
Executors atteuded at the King's Mews, Charing
Cross, to view the carriages and horses of the lute
Queen, previous to their being sold. The Royal Arms,
except the supporters, are obliterated front the car-
rieges with paint the colour of the Funnels. Wednes-
61y morining five of the horses were shot on account of
their age, being between 30 and 4U years, to prevent
their Edam, to the work of dust carts. We should
have thoughtn that some better mode of dispming of
these old servants might have suggested itself: a spare
meadow might some.vhere have been 'bond where
these animals might have had their termer labours re.
paid by a little gratuitous enjoyment.
The jewels of the late Queen were removed from
the Bank of England to be inspectel by the Executori,
and valued by Mr. Bridge.
The Lord Chancellor has declared his intention to sit
in the Court of Chancery on Tuesday next, to hear
bankrupt petitions. Sir John Leach, the Vice Chan-
cellor, will not sit till the 16th inst. that being tl:c
first seal before Hilary Term.
On Tuesday, being the day to which Parliament
was prorogued by the Royal writ, there was a meet-
ing, proforma, of both Houses, to hear the writ real
for a further prorogation. The Commissioners on this
occasion were, the Lord Chancellor, Lord Viscouat
Melville, and Lord Viscount Silmouth. The Com-
mons uppenred at the bar of the House of Lords alyatt
a quarter past two. They were represented by Mr.
Dyson, Mr. Rickman, and several officers of the House
of Commons. The writ was read proroguing the Pat-
liament to the 14th inst. when both Houses are to
meet for the dispatch of business. The Commons then
withdrew, and the Lords immediately adjourned.—
The Lord Chancellor appeared to be pretty well re-
covered from the effects of his recent attack of the gout.
Mr. Broughton, it is said, is preparing to move a Bid
in the ensuing Parliament, on the subject of tie mon-
strous abuses that have been practised un the subject of
the Public Charity Schools.

.11N.

TUE DILIM.I.

COVENT OARDVN.

Sn'curiar sennight the play of George Eittraree :vat
Abrinell, and suece. eded by a new Pantomime. The
now production is entitled "finefegliin Munchouren ; or
FountaiN of Lore," and is founded, as the title will
rtatdilv intimate, on a well known work, the by word
furr every thing that is extravagant and incredible.
The•first scout: opens with a view of mountains of snow
near Mount :Etna, the burning lava of which _radi-
ally meets the snow, and discovers a village whieli had
before lain concealed. Baron Mynehvisen is seen
stretrhed asleep on the ground, and his horse hang-
ing on the steeple of the village church, to which he
had been tied by his master, and where the subsiding
snows had left him. The villagers who pass that
way express their surprise at so singular an object, but
are more astonished when the Baron, by cleaving the
bridle with a pistol shot, brings his horse down in
:acts., and rides away. Lord liontv Dandy is intro-
duced in the following seem to the house of Sir Biter°
Frorticat as the lover rf the Knight's daughter, who
rejects his addresses wih seam, and bestows her affec-
tions on the Baron. 1 bey fly to a cavern in Mount
(Etna, where Vulcan. notid4 a throngof G:yetaps, is
seen at work, sorronnued by thtinderbolla and armour.
He grants them an admissim to the boudoir of !Ivies,
w::o, attended by the Loves and Graces, receives them
with condescending kindness, and promises them her
protection. As they are 'pursued to this voluptuous
ratreat by Sir Hilaro and thy Lord, the goddess fulfil::
her pmmise by cooverting the lovers into Harleq •
and Columbine, the father into Pantaloon, and Lord
'lumpy Dandy into the Clown. A series of hair breadth
e,rapes, and a long chapter of accidents, ensue : but
Venus, mindful of all whom she has once favonred,
makes the lovers happy at last by celebrating their
nuptials in a magnificent chamber described as " the
Fountain of Love."
A selection of the adventures or the renowned Mtn-
(-house,' as the subject of a Christmas pantomime,
seems hardly to merit commendation for its propriety ;
f:r the wonder is that it should have been so tardily
made. The happy choice of a subject is not, however,
always attended with an equal felicity in its manage-
ment, a truth of which the composition we arc treating
of' is in sonic respects an example, We certainly Au
not object to the texture of the fabric, or the general
progression of the action. There is no want of interest
in the natter; or variety in the latter. But what is
techically called the business of the stage sometimes
languishes ; we missed some of that dexterity in the
delineation of grotesque appearances and ludicrous
situations, to which Ise have been accustomed on Si-
milar occasions. The unity of the characters was
distinctly preserved, the heroes being as precipitate in
their nteaanres, as rapid in their motions, and as patient
under their disasters, as any of their predecessors : but
there was ton little-
of illustration, and an absence of
nil novelty. Whether these strictures apply most to the
composer or the performers, we have not the means of
determining Nothing certainly could surpass the effect
of firitnahli's opening scene; but we have been so ate
custonital to see him luxuriate in his vocation to display
such superfluity of good humour amidst its hardships
and exploits, that we fear we are hardly competent
judges of his last performance. Of the Hattrin we
can say nothing ; of the Columh'ne, that at least it was
graceful Mid easy. NVith reaard to the lee orations and
mechanism, the utmost praise is fitirly doe : the latter
was surprisingly perfeet fipr a first night's public expe-
riment. One or two of the transtiirmations were also
ingeniously conceived, as well as cleverly executed.
The venery reflects high credit upon the artist, and
will probably, in conjunction with the other qualities
which we have pointed out, secure a considerable share
of favour to the piece, ulthengh very unequal to mane
recent productions of the same nature.