The Sun.
London, England, 1837-08-29 00:00:00

HAYMARKET THEATRE. •

A new candidate for the honours of the high drama in
the metropolis appeared last night on these boards in the
person of an actor, named Phelps (uf, as the bills averred,
provincial celebrity), who made his debut in the arduous
part of Sbylock. There was a full house to witness the
effort, and to welcome, which it did, with a most generous
encouragement, the bold adventurer. It required no pre-
vious information to be satisfied, after Mr. Phelp's first
scene, that he was not a novice in his profession. The
practised actor, with all his special points and peculiarities,
was at once made manifest ripe for judgment. In per-
son, Mr. Phelps is of a moderate height, with a good head
and well-marked features. In his costume, on this occasion,
he wore a strange straw hat, which was calculated to inter-
fere with the latter advantages as well as, at the outset, to
throw a dangerous doubt upon his general taste. On the
character of Shylock, or the sources of its peculiar interest,
it would now be superfluous to dispatiate. Suffice it, that
its just impersonation is at once a test of subtlety of con-
ception and power of delineation on the part of an actor not
to be surpassed in the whole
,range of our drama. Mr.
Phelps misconceived it, we should say, in more than one
situation, and yet there was a degree of spirit
and vigour in his general performance which might
have misled any but those very familiar with the
part. His great error was a boldness, and undisguised inso-
lence of manner from first to last towards his Christian
foes, which would have defeated his ultimate purpose, and
would not have been tolerated for an instant at a time when
his entire race were uniformly maltreated and humbled.
Instead, however, of so injudicious a display of independent
boldness, Shylock, for the most part, deals in bitter sar-
casm, which is at once the best disguise of his intense
passion, and penetrates the hearts of his opponents with-
out alarming their pride. It is only when he fancies that
the law is his ally, and that his dear revenge is on the
very verge of its full accomplishment, that his subtlety,
yielding to his exultation, makes him openly set at nought
his unpit) ing masters. We should say that Mr. Phelps lost
much of the niceties of the part ; but in their place, it is
but justice to say for him, that he substituted a warm
and undisguised passionateness, far from commonplace, and
well calculated, as we have hinted, to mislead those not
thoroughly impressed with the true reading of the part.
The most remarkable instance of this error and result was
in the celebrated passage, " Hath not a Jew eyes," &c.,
which he delivered rather as an outpouring of sudden, wild,
and vociferous anger, than as the very concentration of bit-
terest sarcasm, convicting manifest tyranny by a manifest
truism. Notwithstanding this blemish, Mr. Phelps' per-
formance deserved, on the whole, to be considered masterly
and successful. It was much applauded, and at the con-
clusion of the fourth act, the actor had to come before the
curtain to receive that tribute which the metropolis now
deals out so freely to its favourites.

Sir Augustus and Lady Clifford have arrived at
Ryde, to pass a few weeks ; after which they will proceed
to Chatsworth, on a visit to the Duke of Devonshire.

Sir W. Molesworth, Bart., M.P., is entertaining a
distinguished party at his scat Pencarrow, near Bodmin.
Among his visitors are—Mr. Leader, M.P. for West-
minster; Mr. C. Buller, M.P. for Liskeard ; Mr. Duppa,
and the celebrated Trelawny, who distinguished himself in
the Greek war of independence.—Falmouth Packet.

Some years have elapsed since we recorded a sin-
gular instance of vegetable physical power, in the forcing up
of the paving bricks laid down in that part of our market
appropriated to the butchers ; a similar instance has this day
again occurred near the same place, where several large
mushrooms have actually forced up the heavy pavement
above them, and protruded themselves above the level of
the surface of the bricks.—Reading Mercury.
The violent clap of thunder that burst over the
metropolis on Saturday so terrified a spirited horse with
which Dr. James Scott was crossing Westminster-bridge,
that the animal set off at full gallop, and, the wheel of the
cabriolet coming in contact with a coal-waggon, the doctor
was precipitated out of the vehicle, but in the act of falling
caught hold of the shaft, which preserved him from sinking
under the wheel. The situation, however, of hanging with
the head nearly on the ground was awfully perilous ; but
Dr. Scott regarded it with great presence of mind, and
seeing that if he relinquished his hold the wheel mint ine-
vitably run over his body, he passed himself under the step,
the iron of which he next seized with his tight hand, and,
drawing himself beneath the vehicle, laid bold of, the axle-
tree with the left. He then placed himself as clear of the
wheels as possible, and lowered himself to the ground, the
carriage passing over without doing him any injury. His
son, a youth of fifteen, who was also in the cab, had seized
the safety-rein, but not possessing strength enough to stop
the frightened horse, managed to steer him clear of all col-
lisions till he arrived opposite to Astlev's Theatre, when,
stooping forward and getting a firm hold of the reins as far
as he could reach, he threw himself back with all his force,
and produced such a sudden and severe curb upon the
horse's mouth as to pull him neatly upon his haunches.
Some persons coming immediately to his assistance, the
courageous boy was restored unhurt to his father, who
escaped also with some bruises and a few flesh wounds, but
with his clothes torn to pieces.