The Sun.
London, England, 1839-11-01 00:00:00

MONTHLY MAGAZINE.

The character of Mis Hemans' po:try is ably
discussed in this Number. but we object to the
critic's incidental remarks ulna' genius. "It is,"
he says, " essentially of an unworldly character."
By no means essentially so, e'se Fielding, Scott,
Byron, Moore, and hundreds of others, ancient as
well as modern, whom we cauld mention, would
have been mere scribblers to the end of their days.
Again, we are told that genius " must either dis-
obey the laws proper for the multitude, or announce
higher rules of conduct." This is sheer twaddle—
nay, worse than twaddle—cant. Genius has no
occasion to do anything of the sort. It holds its
charter on a noblercondition than that it should make
a fool of itself. But again hear our critic. "Those
elewenis of character which produce the intense
individuality that marks evziry person of genius
with some trait of egotism, are only to be nurtured
M seclusion." Wrong again, most sapient Aris-
tarchus ! Egotism is by no means one of the most
distinctive marks of genius—witness Shakspeare,
Cervantes, Rabelais, &c. ; and as for the " divine
faculty" being " nurtured by seclusion," the face is
directly contrary. Solitude ;fosters pedantry, Imt
in nine out of ten cases it is the destruction of
genius. " Lord Brougham and Education" is a
temperately-reasoned article ; and " France and
England" the best, because the most intelligible
poem we have yet read from the pen of Mr.
Heraud.

THEATRE ROYAL HAYMARKET.

A new five act play, from the pen of Sir Edward
Lytton Bulwer, entitled the Sea Captain; or the
Birthright, was produced at this theatre last eveniota.
The scene is laid in the north of Devon, daring the ,
reign of Queen Elizabeth, and the time occupied by the
action is one day ; a nearer approach to the unities than
is usual with English dramatists. The following is an outline
of the story :—The daughter and heiress of the Earl of
Arundel has, without the knowledge of her father married
a page of low-born lineage ; the Earl on the discovery,
of this union, hires Gaussen, a pirate, to murder the hus-
band in the arms of his wife. A few days after she
gives birth to a son, who is taken from her and com-
mitted to the charge of Onslow, a priest, and
she marries in second wedlock, the Earl of Percy, a
widower, having lineage by his former wife. She gives
birth to a second son, who is brought up as heir to the
estates of Arundel ; she employs Sir I\,laurice Beevor a
distant relation, a poor cousin, but heir to the title and
estates in the event of her dying childless, 'to convey her
first-born to some foreign land, and gives hit,' gold to
provide for the future lot of the child ; but he 3,istead
gives him to the pirate, who throws him overbo,ard.
He is picked up by a vessel of the fleet of Sir Waits. r
Raleigh, and under the name of Norman acquires fame
and riches, and succeeds in rescuing Violet, a re-
lation of Lady Arundel from the Algerines. He
returns to England in search of Violet, and at
this stage of the story, the action of the play commences.
The scene opens and discovers Gaussen (0. Smith)
anxiously awaiting the arrival of Sir Maurice Beevor,
(Strickland) to inform him that the boy, Arthur, still
lives in the person of Norman, (Macready) whose ship
then rides in the bay. Sir Maurice hastens to the Castle
to inform Lady Arundel (Mrs. Warner) of this, and
Norman also hies thither to meet Violet (Miss
H. Faucit), who is beloved by the young heir of
Arundel, Percy, Lord Ashdale (Mr. J. Webster). Lady
Arundel having been informed of what had occurred by
Sir Maurice, and seeing that Norman loves Violet, fa-
vours his suit, and urges him to fly with Violet on
shipboard that very night, lest Percy should interrupt
their flight. Sir Maurice gives Percy information of
this, and urges him on to the murder of Norman. In
the meanwhile, Onslow, (Phelps) Norman's foster
father, has arrived with the documents revealing the
secret of his birth which he had sworn not to divulge
until the death of the old Earl. Sir Maurice urges
Gaussen to way-lay Onslow, and get from him the pa-
pers ; he attacks and stabs him, but Norman arrives in
time to receive from his dying hand the pa-
pers, and hear the story of his father's murder.
Norman hastens to Lady Arundel to claim her as his
mother. At first she disowns him, but at length she
acknowledges her guilt, beseeches him not to expose
her, and he gives up the papers into her hands, and
rushes to the chapel, the trysting place with Violet,
intending with her to quit England for ever. Mean-
while Percy having obtained possession of Norman's
cloak and hat hastens to the chapel to get possession of
Violet before him, and Violet is on the poLnt of falling
into the trap, when Percy is attacked by Gausaen, who
has been bribed by Sir Maurice to murder both Lady
Arundel's sons, and thus make him an Eatl. F.oraY
gives the alarm, and is rescued by Norman, who kiOs
Gaussen on the spot where, 25 years before, the pirate
had murdered Norman's father. Lady Arundel,
alarmed at the hint thrown out by Sir Maurice, hastens
to the spot to save the brothers from falling by each
other's hands. She arrives just at the moment that
Norman has rescued Percy,mutual explanationstakeplaee,
Norman burns the evidences of his own rights, but of
his mother's shame. Percy gives up Violet to him.
Sir Maurice's villainy is exposed, and all cads happily,
Macready has added another laurel to his wreath by
his beautiful impersonation of Norman. His scene with
his mother, where he makes himself known to her, was
magnificent. Site denies his claim and calls her menials
to thrust him forth—he goes to the hearth, and invokes
his ancestors to hail their scn—his action, his look,. 1
his utterance, was sublimity itself. He was called for at the 1
conclusion, as were Mrs. Warner, Miss H. Faucit, and
S showeredt ric k lands
on at nhde e a
Mrs.tl s and
IvarbouquetsWarner,
t ioon,nausmtehrea b! e were
mother,
was impassioned and dignified ; and what little Miss H.
Faucit had to do as Violet was done with taste and sweet-
ness. Strickland's Sir Maurice was as perfect in its
way as Macready's Norman. This gentleman is one of
the most sterling actors of the day. Phelps, in the
part.f ecti 13 g' Sir Edward
v emnpßl
out for
r from 'r‘.ehpoae t vri
joa%
nsa
eee:bel
box.
The eveor
n-
ing, v feonr.,
little parta nocii Ownes I oawr
e, ah,aasppeyxcteoedsinayglyaidb beautiful icifvu
el
raancdt
hisaf -
unanimous applause of one of the most
kg
1, nlaoemwliped(lslagt;
tdivetahse
crowded houses we have ever witnessed.

Lord and Lady Cowley are passing the autumn
at their villa at Twickenham.

A THUNDER-STORM ON THE SUMMIT OF
BEN LOMOND,—About two hours before sunset, the
sky,
overcast.
n- c h wassh formerly
Shortly
r tl
after,
a unclouded, became
sceneensued
of
tbe suddenlymost
ten ific kind : but few such scenes could ever have
been witnessed in Europe. We found ourselves above
the region of the clouds : they floated in the atmosphere
beneath, and hovered over the surface of the moun-
tains ; anon succeeded a vivid flash of lightning, which
was instantly followed by a peal of thunder, louder and
more protracted, perhaps, than ever was before or
since heard on British ground. Again and again, in
forked and brilliant sheets, did thi electric fluid flash
and again and again did the thunder peal, till its re-
verberations among the mountains seemed to us as if
they had been the prelude to the disorganization of
Nature herself. Our courage, lam free to confess,
forsook us ; we stood aghast at the appalling scene ;
we then felt, for the first time, the utter insignificance
of man : we felt, morover, as if we had een alone in
the world. Happily, the elemental strifeb , after raging
with such violence for about half an hour, began to sub-
side, and we hastened to descend the mountain, seeking
to calm our yet troubled spirits in the nearest house.—
Walks and Wanderings in the World (y^ Literature, by
the Author of " The Great Metropolis."

7. ". 2
4 tr.
I's' \,O
1 4A361 ,
' •

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