The National Register.
London, England, 1818-12-13 00:00:00

1)1Nt. 13

TWE DRAMA. . . •
trl a: isttruit - ,co :•r
Jed .„ -. COVENT GARDEN, ,o
its Crbleill appeared on Thursday eighty :fiertiai
erst,ikste,: in the character of Angela, in The Castle
Saeldne. IThe admirers of this excellent actresa.will
im,ne,fitnely :porceive, that this is rather an honour
confericid on a very. humble delineation, than a source
hods seisaine studs addition can be derived to her well-
eitsbliihed.reputation. Yet the part of Angela is not
without ,pass,oes of beauty and feeling. The descrip-
tions of the happy days and pure pleasures of early
youth, and af the • rise and progress of her attachment
to Percy, are warm and glowing, and demand great
powers, to express in the true vein of feeling. It is
needless to stay, Alit Miss O'Neill gave to the character
all the effect of which it was susceptible: her scene
with. the Ghost was particularly striking.
The Earl of Warwick was revived on Friday night.
The characters were popularly sustained, and the per-
formance was .received with great attention. Miss
Sontervilles Margaret is not her best effort. She dis-
played force anti passion, and some touches of sarcastic
scorn were given by her with great strength and effixt.
But her manner was too loud and violent. She over-
strained her voice, and over-excited herself. The decided
sad daring character of Margaret was lost in those
moments when the soul was calm, though it is then
that habitual character may be most effectively de-
veloped..—Her performance, however, on the whole,
was successful, and warmly applauded. Macready was
the Earl, sad a mealy, correct, and animated represen-
tative of the great disturber in the most troubled days
of England. The feelings which once exalted this man
into a hero have long given way to those more rational
and more healthful principles of ,public life which brand
Ititn as an ambitious agittaor; but the play holds its in-
terest upoa the stage; and in Macready's hands the
character of Warwick is a noble transcript of the force
and simplicity of the antique. Every body was prepared
fir in admirable representation of the haughty and ha-
pctuous Warwick by him. It was one of the finest per-
formances we have seen. When the first suspicion of
Edward's treachery rezpecting Elizabeth, flushed upon
him, it produced a touch of ncting but rarely equalled,
and, in our experience, not excelled. The value of the
Bart consists chiefly. in the speetles, and they were de-
claimed by Mr. Macready with singular power and
flexibility. He has that art which so few besides posess,
and which is the perfection of declamation—that of
giving the langnage of the part the art of being unpre-
meditated. The Wedding Day followed. Farrell was the
Sir Adam, and was excellent. This was a night of
activity, f)r the representation of Tke Libertine with
the fit:lst appearance of Mrs. Dickens in Zerlina, followed
The lreddiskz Day. We have not now space to detail
this accomplished Anger's performance. The music is
of the first orrice; sabtle and sweet, with sudden exal-
tations into vigour and magnificence; to do this justice
requires not simply voice, but knowledge. The singer
must. have, besides volume of tone, elegance of taste.—
na Dickonsliabitudea of Italian study have given her
striking advantages over less scientific performers, and
in Mozart's music she enjoys a triumph, in which she is
likely to have but few rivals ou this aide of the Alps.
•

Miss Keux.—This excellent actress has pubfished
the following letter. It is almost needless to say that
the compact alluded to is utterly void in law:—
.6. Henrietta street. Covert Garden. Dec. 9.
" DEAR nm much obliged by the opportunity
which your kindness afforils me of contradicting, in the
proper way, the report which a few days ago required
De eimtrniliction. My engagement at Covent Garden
Theatre wooPed, and settled, excepting as related to
the-consent of the Sub-Cinnmittee of Drury Lane The-
atre,. which I find Mr. Harris deemed it necessary to
obtain, in consequence of a certain compact between
the two Theatres, by which each is bound not to en-
gage any performer who has belonged (within twelve
months) to the rival Theatre! The Sub-Cumnaittee,
who have not chosen to retain my services is Drury.
Lane 'ilieatre, lave thoaglit it proper and just to
refuse-theirconsent ; being resolved that, as they do
not want rti:: services themselves, they shall not he cm-
pioyeti in any other Theatre to which their influence
-can reach I by this ant of the Sub Conrnitsce I um
deprived of a liberal, and in every respect advantageous
engagement at Covent Garden, Ira for aught thcv
know to the contrary, may be explsed, together with
all those dependent on my exertions, to want the coin •
'non necessaries ter life ! So much fur the merciless
compact. I urn, dear Sir, your cbliged servant,
K M. KELLY."

When we first read the above, w considered the
lady injured ; but utter -perusing- Mr. Stephen Ketnble's
explanation, we can only allow that she is capricious.
We hope, howarer, sonic arnnigetnenf may he made
which will secure to the public the delight of witness-
ing her great talents.
Theatre 8.12,1, Drury Lnne, nec.
" SIR,—/ks you have gives publ6ty to Miss Kelly's
letter in your widely extended raper of this day, re-
flecting on the conduct of our S;ib-Caminittee with
xvull to that lady, I trust you will allow rte the

RFaitneE R.

like opportunity of stating the plain matter facti
which, as Manager of Drury Lane Theatre, I feel nt;
salt called upon to lay before the public..
• ' " Previous to the opening of Drury Lane Thiiitti,l
st the request of the Sub. Committee, coder were +nest
anxious to retain all the prominent talent which they
possessed last season, I wrote a letter to Miss Kelly,
containing au offer of her former terms,, namely 20
pounds per week, provided she would restrict her as-
sistance, while it remained open, to their Theatre. to
this letter I received an answer from Miss Kelly, de-
clining any eng,age:nent. How this agrees with Miss
Kelly's assertion, that the Sub-Committee did not
chuse to retain her services, the Public will judge.
" This statement necessity has wtung from me ; and
no feeling of hostility towards Miss Kelly, whose ta-
lents no one can more admire than I do, arid the loss
of whose assistance in the Theatre, no one at the time
could have more sincerely lamented. It is an honest
relation of the truth: then surely neither Miss Kelly
nor any of her most partial friends, can blame the Sub-
Committee, if circumstances of distress (which I hope
not likely) have fallen upon herself or those dependent
on her exertions ; for if such were likely to be the con-
sequence, would she have rejected so hindsome an
establishment?

" I am Sir, your obedient Servant,
•• STEPHEN KEMBLIt."

Miss O'Neill, we are informed, made her first ap-
pearance on the stage at the early, age of seven years,
in the county of Westmeath, fur the hem& or an old
distressed Gentleman, a friend of her father. The part
in which she made her debut was Angela, in The Castle
Spectre.
The talents of Miss O'Neill and Miss Soverville are
about to be combined in Jones's Tragedy of the Earl
of Essex. To the great powers of the former will be
allotted the character of the Coantess of Rolland, and
to the latter that of Queen Elizabeth.
Next year will be the last of Madame Catalani's
appearance in public. From Aix-la-Chapelle she goal
to Be:lin, to pass the winter there; from thence to
Warsaw, and afterwards to Petersburgh.. She will then
return to France, to enjoy her large fistune.
The only two pictures which Sir Joshua Reynolds
ever marked with his name are those of Mrs. Siddons as
the Tragic Muse, and of Mrs. Cockburn and her three
children: He wrote it on the embroidered edge of
garments in both instances.
The once celebrated spring of water which belonged
to the ancient Convent, on a part of the groundsof
which Covent Garden now stands, and which was
granted by Henry VIII. at the destruction of religious
houses, to the founder of the present noble family of
Russell, is still in existence, and its waters continue to
.flow in all their primitive purity. it is situated on the
premises of Messrs. Black and Co. in York Street, op-
posite Charles Street, Covent Garden.
AGRICULTURAL PETITION,--NotWilthlteedieg the
opposition which has been raised agaiust this measure
in the manufacturing districts, we have letters to-dap
from various parts, which show that the design is by 'no
means abandoned by the land-owners in most of the
principal agricultural counties. In Sussex, and in
this county, particularly in the neighbourhood of
Maidstone, we find that the petition has received some
very respectable signatures; at Colchester, also, it is
circulated with some activity ; awl in Suffolk and Nor.-
folk, the object of it is proinoted with great zeal by
persons of much influence. It is proposed to form
tmnsmittees of management in every county, Who may
depute committee-men to attend at Westminster on the
14th of January next, in order to establish a committee
of management for the whole kingdom, andsto arrange
and conduct the evidence to bntubntiued to Parliameat
in support of the petition. On the other hand, we
have reason to believe that the inhabitants of such
.towns as Biriniugluon, Manchester, Sheffield, &c,—
have it in contemplation to meet this effort by
ter-petition ; and public meetings ere talked of CH
that purpose, which are, however, delayed, in order
that it may be ascertained whether, without such a
display of hostility, the agricultural Petition will not
be entirely relinquished. Kentisit Gazelle. _

It is reported that the Bank means to call in the one
and two pound notes, amounting to fire millions, for
which purpose three millions of silver are now ready to
be issued, and two millions more arc coining. .
" It is understood," says a Morning Paper, " that the
Bank of England will issue a new Note of m with mare
difficult imitation than the present, early in the next
year. Due notice of such an event wid of course ap-
pear in The Gazelle.—This retain, which we give
merely as such, is pretty generally credited."
We regret to learn, by letters received front the Cape
of Good (lope, dated October :3, that Mr. Burkhanl,
an enterprising traveller, who had prosecuted his in.
quiries in the interior of Africa, unties the name of
Shieik-lbraham, died at Cairo, of dysentury.

Ur. Lawn has declined the contest for the represen-
tation of the borough of Yarmouth ; bat another
Ministerial Candidate is talked of.
Mr. Cook, the barrister, and two o:her gentlemen, it
is said, have recently left Eoglutid the Italy, on n
mis-
sion of home consequence to the I'lincess of Walcs.

%

-At the retitle* ef.certairtlehmearsiseche at the com. •
men cement of the Se:Winn; wain itilultied Ye plea& Guilty
!tathe minor offence of having forged notes in thatr.pw..
session, application was made to the Court that they
might be permitted to revoke that plea, and plead ge-
nerally—Not Guilty. The Court, at the time tithe
application, would not (I,etermine upon it. Bat the
, prisoners have since received notice fi•otti the Solicitor
to the Bank, that they will be put on their trial fee
the capital offence of having passed forged notes, though
they have already been permitted to plead Guilty to the
lesser offence of having forged nou.., in their possession,
which plea subjects thorn to 14 years' transportation.
Tile Bank, it is asserted, has the power to do so, in
consequence of the following proceedings :—After the
prisoners pleaded Guilty to the minor offence, they
ought to have been arraigned upon the capital charge,
and as the Bank would not have offered any evidcnee
against, them to, that specific charge, having allow('
theta to plead Guilty to the minor offence, they would
have been pronounced Not Guilty of the capital of-
fence, and therefore discharged from all fitters liability, .
except that of transportation for fourteen years.
Friday Afternoon Mr. Pullen the Under Sheriff, with
that humanity which always characterises his conduct,
having heanl that the unfortunate men, John Driscol. .
William Weller and George Cashman, who are ordered
for execution on Tuesday next, entertained an. idea that
their lives would be spared, in eonseqnence of the de-
eishm of the Jury on Saturday week, visited them in
their cells, having previously had a conversation with
the Recorder, who was of opinion that that circuits'.
stance weuld have no effect upon his Royal Highness
the Prince Regent, in commuting their punishment.
The Worthy Under Sheriff endeavoured to impress
upon theta the futility of indulging in such hope
and amused them there was not the slightest fouudtt-
' tire upon which they could be so buoyed up When
Mr. Pullen quitted them, they thanked him fin. his,at-
tendon, and seemed resolved to make up their.minds
to the awful fate that awaits them.