The Sun.
London, England, 1862-11-29 00:00:00

MR. AND MRS. CHARLES KEAN.

Last evening Mr. Kean made his first appearance before
a Dublin audience for 12 years in the part of Othello,
and, as might have been anticipated, the house was thronged
in every part. The character of the Moor of Venice is one
which has always justly ranked amongst the most arduous
and exacting which a tragedian can assume. In none of
his creations has Shakspeare evinced a more profound ac •
quaintance with human nature in this character of Othello,
and none of them perhaps demands a higher range of his-
trionic genius and accomplishment for its fitting delinea-
tion. It is something very like a truism to say that none
but a thoroughly educated actor can possibly represent the
simplest character in Shakspeare as it ought to be repro-
' santed. Rough native talent, no doubt, will go a far way
in enabling an actor to conceive his part justly; but the
perfect realisation of that conception depends upon more
than this, and more than is to be found in any actor of the
day that we know of save Mr. Charles Kean. It is evident
from all his Shaksperian performances that his knowledge
of the greatest dramatist is not that of the mere player—
that it is not the result of professional necessity, bat of a
sincere and ardent love for, and appreciation of, the innate
beauty and grandeur of his works. The intellectual
predominates so strikingly over the other resources of
the actor in Mr. Kean's delineations, that the be-
holder is at once convinced that he sees before him a mas-
ter of his art in the broadest signification of the phrase.
Those who had the advantage of witnessing his Othello
last evening must have felt this even had they never seen
him act before. It was a beautifully conceived and perfectly
wrought out picture, utterly devoid of those exaggerated
features with which actors of taste less consummate, and
discernment less profound, have invested it. It is always
a matter somewhat difficult, where there is a uniformity of
excellence in any performance, to select particular points
for especial commendation, and this difficulty, from the
very nature of the case, is peculiarly felt in reference to any
effort of Mr. Kean's. We should say, howaver, that in the
third act, in the scene in which lago pours his "leprous
distilment" into the ear of the credulous Moor, he acted
with transcendent power. He also acquitted himself with
magnificent effect in the scene in which he reveals his fatal
suspicions to Desdemona. Taking it all in all, we should
say Mr. Kean's Othello is one of his finest achievements,
as it is, undoubtedly, the finest representation of the part
which we have ever witnessed. Mrs. Kean acted as Emilia
with admirable effect, particularly in the last scene in which
she appears, and Miss Sarah Thorne represented the part
of Desdemona with characteristic gracefulness and intelli-
gence. The lago of Mr. Cathcat t was a carefully-studied
and satisfactory performance. The other parts were re-
spectably filled.—Dublin _Freeman.

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THE. IRON-PLATED FRIGATE AGINCOURT.—This
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with alacrity. As has been already stated, she is being built
in a dry dock, and will be floated out, not launched. The
dock is covered by a shed, to protect the workmen and
materials from the vicissitudes of weather. The midship
part of the vessel is in frame up to the level of the upper
deck ; many of the beams are in, and the fixing of the plates
is going on with as much rapidity as can be applied to such
work. Immense quantities of the armour-plates, 5i inches
in thickness, are piled up in different parts of the building-
yard, and there is every reason to believe that she will be in
a very forward state in the course of next summer.
NEW IRoN TROOPSIIIP —A fine ship, named the
Orontes, built for Government by Messrs. Laird Brothers,
has just been completed at Birkenhead. She was launched
on the 22d inst. under the most favourable circumstances.
The Orontes is an iron ship, 300 feet long between per-
pendiculars, 44 feet 7 inches in width of beam, and 32 feet
deep in the hold, and her register measurement is 2,811
tons, she being the largest ship ever built on the Mersey.
She is to be fitted up to accommodate from 1,100 to 1,200
troops, besides ample room for a large and efficient crew.
The Orontes is an exceedingly handsome vessel, being built
on lines somewhat similar to those of the Himalaya, but a
little smaller. She is to be propelled by engines of 800-
horse power, made by Jas. Watt and Co., of Birmingham.
From the advanced condition in which the hull and fittings
are,
it is expected that the Orontes will be ready for sea iu
Week or two,