The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-07-20 00:00:00

THEATRES.

51110% THCATIC
The Opera on S.tturday night was splendidly
ape. Their Royal High II ewes the Duke and
})•irhr•s of KIiNT. for the first time, grieed the
b. lii sot circle with their presence. They were
greeted with God lace she King, the execution of
which appeared to give ettoptimte delight to her
Rn%4l Highness. Her whole drampoiiir was ex.
Wm, ly attAle mid condescending, and completely
woo the hearts of the auctiroee.
-

A view comedy. in thr.r itetg, rttittledr " Mist
Posits tf iFe Lear. or &swable," Ives perform.
• .• rirriiinic. it is attributed to Mr.
Jstnt:+ov. why. his already prodluced severe' nest
„,„I 1'11116..4c !Heron at this. theatre. The fullowiug
gee ill,' 10,24 stool character.

erotw Mr. WARWAILA
Fitddle I JerOW
Peregrine Chubby
Lord Liguori:A .
71a rrrra. qr. Hairbrein Jots,
Mr Precise
Arekwa,
Polk* QIIPPer
Mrs rofvert Mrs Kamm's.
Mrs I AIM% DAVsNroaT.
Mtn Nrribble ...... Glans
Miss .4eipmeur alhellAmews.

The foam weal. nt of this piece, *!rich, by the
war. 14 improbable may he told in a very few
had not the author introduced chit.
racier,, who are wholly neutral in the production of
the denouement, and convetretions, which would an.

swer equally well in any other comic drama. he
trotilil have windy endeavoured, on so scanty a
founilltion, to have reared a three-story edifice.
Mut, so order to fill the required space. sketches of
et inviter, not ninny. very jut,. and often not very
entertaining. are multiplied, aid /Aileen. Amongst
there are a oilier magistrate-..his most active agent
in the profitable employment of thief-taking—an
E 'ghats Mushy. who has been sent to Boulogne, for
the benefit of his education---and a novel-writing
laily which last character, a pretty palpable el-
lipse'', is made to Lady MORGAN'S dispute with
the Reviewers. which it would have been quite as
cnteteous to have omitted. We now come to the
plot: -
An old gentleman. Mr. Feeble, hes Med slit maths pre.
Vinis In the opening of the piece. His rennet, Crafty,
otiose main. suariciesilly desiguates his character, has fanned
the resolotion of keepiug his nowter's decease a secret-wed
bows, he refusing admitiasee to any permits who may OM
et Fri hle's resalenee, as if by the old gentleman's command,
to rrj,q, in privacy. the revenges of his estate. Feeble is
ba.i.si in the moat secret esemeer—aod Crafty's scheme pro-
mises to he completely socerseful. Feeble, it appears, had
a great number of poor relations, who, es calling at his
Woos% are eased, dismissed by Crafty, with the laconic
sass. r, that bit master cannot be seen. Amositst lbws
.eistpres is Mr.. Chubby. a lag virago, who,
soli ter a iv, Peregrier, $ he feral, just retuned
fru:u as he calls it, where the Spieling loath
hid hi en given to his sdkeflots, has just arrived I.
town for the porous. of requesting assistance from Feeble.
She is perempturty refried admission to the house, and, All
of iudigusiiiin, retires to brood over MOW sclwme of
eeecesuce. The heir-sit-taw so Frets* is. Miss P rimer,
sal o his kern employed so governess is the family of
Lod Liernorish Roth his larsisleipt, soil his song
Air fall in love with the rang lady, who
sober taviners the pretensnors of the latter. The
old Per,. I suet of Lout Ortebyr, socyrises bur seimmebes
makir2 a ',why of his steeling to Moe *rover, who, is
coma gurney wee:mistily quits the helm, mei proceeds to
Loolvw. in the hope ancestries priorities hunt Fes Isle, to
when, she had perviously written. The letter lees talks
into the Issue of Crafty—and he, to make " worsen
&siele sore,'" dispatches noddle, • dessike• associate is his
wile proceeding% In the inn at which idles &VINO,' MO es.
rttro to arrive, with orders to convey her instantly to Frie.
Ides House, where, he doubt, not, he will be able to in.
wish. her Into • marriage with him, by which awaits the
propert yof his deceased abate will legally broom his. Lord
1;11191wish, fill discovering the departure of Miss Seymour, who
is .ecompained in her Sight by Mr. Mairbraio, addresses a
letter to 11r. Precise, • Putice.3lagistrateolesesibingt be young
Lady, and directiog that every moues shall be resorted to,
in ender that she iwiy he secured. This the old Nobleman
does, merely to get her once lOW into bin power, that be
may make her ea offer of his toted sad fortune. A masher
of mistakes now arise. Miss Scribble, as aalborems, who
has rinse to town to the catch which eneveyed Miss Sep.
alone, is arrested, instead of that young Lady—Fiddle eat.
dials Mre. Chubby to Feeble's house, imagining that she is
the female wham Crafty desired him to wait es—and your
Peirgrise, answering to the descriptions of Faafarron •
frewhinati, charge, with forging bask awes, is apprehend.
el fur that armee, but centrism to cream by jimmying
foals a window. Mrs. Chubby haiog moduetcd N Feehle's
►mime. gauss admission dieing the momentary absence
st, crafty. sod refuses, o• his more, to let bin, in. Crafty
D.:militia when hr discovers that his emissary had mistakes
the gild Loly, for Miss Seymour aid be rates Fuddle so
stein that, is reverse, the latter proceeds 111 Mr.
Pririse, to whom he discovers the whole scheme.—
Coif', arrives Goes after, mid requests that an Aim
may be seat to dispesse,e Mr Chubby, sad to re-
mote hum is hie loose—bat be is himself spy/chewed. In
the on an time, Mrs. Chubby, astonished at wiring her
annalite sou Peregrioe, engaged in • broil in the street,
allies fnih to assist him, leaving the hall-dose open. At
Co moment Miss memoir approaches, sod esters the house
I (44,1' dirt 3111111 relative, she is speedily foamed by Lewd
L who has pursued her to town, sad !cursed by
mire italics., where she intruded to take refer—sod the
tiny is WWII slier joined by Mr. tlairbraio. Mr. Premise
um thrills tine of his officers* proceed to refits's he..,
suit to hri.ig to the office every individual be may mem
ileac. A 7..iierslexphination is the ausweireste. GAO
rascality rspourd—aid Lord Liqunrish gives his costal
1J the 111111111 his son with Mess Seymour, now discovered
i) hue the heiress of a boodermse fortune.

-- ------ -----
Int- prtsent piece is by no means so clever as
those which Mr. JAMILIOII previously presented to
this throve. It cannot fairly be called a comedy
--since it is deficient in t base qvialities, probability
, Fr PIA, strenh of character, airs% polished elegance
• 't. 4111logue, wgthich are easential in the forina:io!.
of legitimate comic drams. Were we to i 411 thl•
Neve a three.iict farce, of the broadest description,
" think Our so designating it would be correct.
The circumstance from which the piece derives its
tide. that of a servant, privately burying his mas-
ter, ao.d It ...ping postessielo of his property, fur six
In" 10111. In such u metropolis as London, is utterly
11. t variance. not merely whit probability, but possi-
wthlS ; —and this gri ~t defect is not counterlailanced
by a virrinis 'Hi 1 tr.it itm of character. The chit-
tatters .m. .en 10.1%,,!;!Iv touched—awl. with the
exception Of ;11r. Pr,cise. lire already familiar to
the .Ige. 11 e klime not where no original could
he lotat.fl tor in:. .ketch. We rather think
lint "8"1.4.1 tli, magistracy of the metropolis—
whs. certainli are oot in the habit of holding such
eloiserisiliwis with their runner*, ni /Ur. Precise
went' fond of corm' rag in. There is, ocean°rly,
aKnot) drill of Putout 00-tv. in t lit, dialogue—but lunch
ait I* irlyid-•••and II is winetitues vulgar. Certaiu

.

aliusio,s, tint toile coiluistetit %Volt deli...icv —end
one, reflecting on the Fiencli character, VVrlt•
seresiffy reprotested by the audience. Thiy
of course, he expunged. 'she. piece con:anis 'Arr.
nal evidence of its atithAr. A never-failing vein of
himle tied vivacity perva,les it—the incidents, how-
ever incougrunte., are not ft-w, nor, in general, no.
innu.ing—aisii the charocters. though tint power-
fully draon, are well suited to the peenlinrints of
those who repreiwnt tlo-m. These are the greet
merits of the play. Mr. -Jamieson slurs not
ninth of railing ('or posterity. If his elfin. please
the present generntien, ere soceessfel, his object
is attained—rod lie is content to let posterity
shift for itself. A sort of dramatic tailor-.
he messores, with great accuracy, the expebilities
of the principal performers of the day, and tits
them with cliaraceers calculated to shew them off
to the best attributing.. When the sttiking features
of each performer's style are thus nicely attended
to. in the iillutinent of 'sans, it us impossible that
a drama can be ill-represented. The chief cha-
racters in the performance of Saturday night, were
admirably sustained. Fluidic. ft druuken • speci. a
of the Limp school, was represented in an
ably ludicrous nominee, by Mr. LISTON. It was
the moat humorous picture of stunt sottiiliorai
we ever witnessed cm the staple. An ale-house
scene, with such a figure as Ins correctly painted,
would be invaluable. Mr. Toeiti.ir his not much
to do. in the character of Peregriat Cha6by. His
appearance was laughable enough—and he dr.
scribed, with fidelity, the folly sod ignurance of
the travelled cub. Hairbrain is a character pre-
cisely is Mr. Jones's line, whimsical. lively, and
generous. It was performed with such 'spirit, that
we regretted its twenty. Mr. RUSSNI.L.II Cord
Ligavrisk was entertaining. The twinges of the
gout which ginierally interrupted his Lordship,
when he was descanting on love end happiness,
and the corresponding change of countenance
and of exelrination. which they occasioned, were
very naturally and humorously described. Mr.
'Nine* Mr. Preens, was truly excellent.
His quiet, calm, unforced humour. gave addi.
tionsl point to every observation of the sedate,
bat sometimes satirical magistrate. Mr. J. Res-
seu.'s performance of the Police Officer was a rich
piece of comic acting. In our opinion, the charac-
ter is too broad for the stage. Mrs. DATUNPOIT,
as Mrs. Chabi,g, scolded most naturally—and the
literary affectation of Miss SeribiJk was rendered
very ridiculous by Mrs. Guns.
The piece met with a good deal of disapproba- '
lion in its progress, which increased when it was an-
nounced for repetition. We are however, confi-
dent, that with a few alterations, ;hid) the voice of
the audieuce suggested, it will have a considerable
run.

SUltatlr lIIIZATRE.

The performances of last wick at thine theatre
were, the burletta of Hompry Clinker—the pan.
tnatime of ilfootoldi, ■nd the new mein-dramatic
burletta of the Vice► of Wakefield. Om Friday
soil Saturday nights the theatre was more than
timidly crowded iu expectaticm of the presence or
their Royal Highnesses the Duke mill Duchess of
CastettiDeg, who have signified their intention of
witnessing on ins early day, the performances se.
iected and arranged by the proprietor with so much
taste and judgment. The Royal party ore dilly
exiiected to honour this theatre with their presence.
The performances were throughout very well
received ; they are (as their names denote) com-
posed Irons those porta of popular novels, which
are capable of producing dramatic effect, by sulk.
log and humorous dialogue, illustrated by ro-
mantic sod well-contrasted scenery. The principal
parts were excellently sustained by Mrs. ORGER,
Mrs. BROOKES. a9d Miss TAYLOR; Mr. FITZ-
WILLIAM, Mr. GATTI; Mr. LEONARD. Mr.
HuscrttY, Mr. SMITH. and the other leading
performers, were received with that applause to
which their several exertions so well entitled them.

The variety and succession of the performances
at this theatre. ensure, u they deserve, an extensive
share •f public patronage.