The Sun.
London, England, 1830-03-09 00:00:00

DRURY-LANE THEATRE.

Mr. KEAN attempted the p►rt of Henry the Fifth last
night, after having once before attempted it : his per-
formance, however, was a miserable and disgraceful failure,
of which the Chronicle of this morning gives the follow-
ing interesting particulars :
Whe❑ we Pay that there were only two speeches which
KEAN delivered even with tolerable accuracy, it will be
evident that lie was totally incompetent. Independent of
ph) sisal decay, which is obvious, it must be acknowledged
that KXAN was placed in a situation calculated to try the
nerves of any actor, however practised, knowing that the
public regarded him with no very kindly feeling, and that
there were not a few persons is the house who would in-
dulge in word-catching, and watch closely every trip he
might make in the delivery of the text. The audience was
rather put out of humour in the eommeneernent by great
delay, and the overture was played over three times hear',
the curtain rose. When 'Crate was discovered in the second
scene, sitting as Henry the Fifth upon the throne, splen-
didly dressed, and surrounded with all the chewy pomp of a
court, there was nevertheless a strong disposition to ap-
plaud; and had he been only reasonahly prepared, the whole
might have gone off, if not satisfasterily, smoothly. How-
ever, he could not get through his first speech of three lines
without the aid of the prompter ; and as he Itee.rsval ily was
placed backward on the stage, the whole audience could
not avoid being made aware of his deficiency. Ail the rest
of the scene with the Ambassadors that belonged to KEAN
was a melancholy failure ; for how could he who did
not know his author give appropriate action ? He closed
the scene with the couplet which terminates the first
scene of the next act, and was eoasequently obliged to
repeat the same line is the second iastattee. But it is
needless to go in detail through the performance, which in
every respect was a failure from beginning to end. The
intervals between the sets were very long; and it was
thought that Kean in the interval was endeavouring to
qualify himself better for the rest of ►lie part, the auditors
were unusually patient, and until about the middle of the
ttlird act, scarcely any hisser were heard. The pause he-
t geen the fourth and fifth acts was of nearly half an hour'a
duration, and to this point forbearance could not lie car-
ried, although, as was evident when the act-drop rose,
Ktax had been obliged to re-dress himself entirely. Dur-
ing the delay, hootings, hisser, and cries for WA ta,acic
(who, by the way, was not very likely to venture forward
after his reception on the former night) and KEAY, were
reiterated from all parts, " the well-bred boxes and the
dingy pit ;" and the first scene of Act g, even the a wal-
lowing of Fluellsn's leek by Pistol, was only allowed to
be played in dumb show. After the 'lmage of scene to
the French Court, when Henry, Katherine, the French
King, and the rest came forward, they were not permitted
to be heard, and the whole party stood " in mute amaze"
for some time. The uproar continued even after KLAN
had bared his head and stood in as attitude •f " pride that
apes humility." He then advanced to the front of the
stage, and intimated by his action that he wished to be
heard : however, the house was net so willing to hear him
as he to be heard, and silence was act obtained until after
a long struggle. Krart then spoke as follows, but nut
without sundry interruptions
" Ladies and Gentleman—lt is now rainy years since I
had the honour to enjoy a large share of your approbation
—(Applause.)—You may conceive therefore, how deeply
I deplore this moment, when fur the first time I incur your
displeasure—(cries of no, no ; not the first time).—lt
you wish that I should proceed, I mast request your
silence. For many years, give rue leave to say, I have
worked hard for your entertiainment--(yser have been well
paid for it).—That very labour, and the lapse of time and
circumstances, have, no doubt, had their effect upon my
mind—(Why do you drink so hard ?)" This question,
from several voices in the galleries, occasioned a tempo-
rary pause. KEAN afterwards proceeded—" Ladies and
Gentlemen—l feel that I stand before you is a meat de-
graded situation—(No; no—Why do you pot yourself
into it ?)—You are my countrymen, and I appeal with
confidence to that liberality which has alWays distinguished
Englishmen."
During the last delivery of the last *entente, KEA:Chid
his band upon his heart, and at the sonclusiou bowed with
apparent submission : be retired to his place among the
other performers amid a prevalence of applause, but still
many hisses and expressions of disapprobation were heard.
He was permitted to proceed as well as he could ; but the
courtship of Katherine was deplorably abridged, although
being prose it could not be complained that the author's
measure was murdered. At the fall •f the curtain the
displeasure of the ancliease was very ttnequivocally
evinced.

Lord BERESFORD, we regret to hear, is so
indisposed as to be attended by Sir HIEKAT II A Lroan, and
Sir Jamas MACG RECOIL, in addition to his regnlar medi-
cal adviser, Mr. LocEr.sr.

Lord NloNsoN, grandson of the late Earl of
111EximitouGH, and nephew to the present Earl, has come
into the possession of a fortune of 20,0001. per annum,
besides a large accumulated fund.

The Park was thronged on Sunday with
horemen, carriages, and pedestrians, and of starch dust,
a bushel of which is said to be worth " a King's ransom,"
there was sufficient lo ransom all the Sovereigns in the
universe.

ROSS-SIIIRE COUNTY MEETING.---A Spe-
cial general Meeting of the Freeholders and Landed Pro-
prietors of Ross-shire was held at Dingwall, on the 24th
tilt. to consider the propriety of petitioning Parliament for
the repeal of the Malt and Beer Ditties.--Sir FRAVCIS
A. MAcLaaeziz, Bart., of Gairloch, was in the Chair.
On the motion of the Chairman, seconded by T. MAC..
xxxcnt, Esq. of Ord, resolutions were passed, denouncing
the Malt and Beer Duties as injurious to the agriculturist,
the manufacturer, and labourer. In the opinion of the
Meeting, the present distress uould in no way be so easily
remedied as by a modified Income 'Fax, laid on so as to
equal the diminution of revenue, expected front repealing,
not only the duties on Malt and Beer, hut also the As •
messed Taxes, as well as thoee duties ehietly affectin,; at.-
tides of ordinary use.--krertrees eererier:

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