The Sun.
London, England, 1814-12-27 00:00:00

WiIITBREAD AND MR. KEAN.

For the tlistinct manner in which, according to
the request of the Parties 'concerned, this Journal
explained the nature of the disagreement between.
Mr. Wii/TBKEAD and Mr. KEAN, we certainly
expected their acknowledgements : but theatrical
gratitude is, unfortunately, of rare occurrence,
and, instead 'of thanks, we find ourselves repaid
by a column of unjust insinuations, it meant to
apply to Os, which they have caused to be insert-
ed in the Morning Chronicle. Against these,
though the dispute is- scarcely worth it, we desire'
to defend Lig SUN.
The Writer of the letter in question sets out
very illogically. I-le accuses the Paragraph-
writers who have made any observation on
the subject of this difference, of having ren-
dered ." a private concern between in:livid:1:11s"
" public one :" and yet in his next sentence
he tells us, that " interest -in the affair he-

has none, any farther than what every one who
witnesses the untemitted exertions of Mr. KEAN
-to entertain and gratify the and the.wou-
derful effect prodUced by his extraordinary talents,
must feel in every matter in which he is implicated;
and few are they who will not come under this
description."— Why then does he insist upon
these " paragraph writers" belonging to this
scanty number, who are to take' no interest in
Mr. KEAN : Mr. KEAN, WilDlll he. describes as SO
peculiarly and universally a public character,
in whose success almoSt every person is impli-
cated, and in the same breath condemns the
public notice of an affair Which might have
drive:, him front the Stage, as draggiug a private
transaction to light.
But had the business been thus private, it could
not have found its way into the Newspaper S—and
especially into a Paper which neither seeks to
know or disclose such squabbles. If the parties
iu these disputes become irritated, if they make
a commoa talk -of their grievances, and if they
have indiscreet friends, who, through the medium
of the Press, desire to enlist the Public on their
side, we must say, that it would be more'fair to
all, were those who are the real disputants to
settle it with one another, and not attempt to
make it appear as if any person connected with
any Newspaper had interfered-as a principal in a
quarrel with which they had nothing to do.
Now we are ready to confess that the original
par#u sent, to THE SUN was an exaggerated
misrepresentation; but it evidently did not come,
from a stranger to the contention, nor from a
Newspaper Writer at all, nor from a Paragraph
tVriter, who had had no access to Mr. WHIT-
BREAD'S Letter to Mr. REAN. This' person has
-thrown a colour over the word' "Obscurity,"
which it by no anemia possesses in that Letter,
and has converted that ii.nto a taunt which-
was uttered in friendly though admonitory soltci-
tude—No man of Common sense would think of
hurting Mr. KEAN by an allusion to circumstances
so recent and well known that the mention of
them could only mark the stupid malice of the
insultor, without wounding the feelings of the
insulted—for Mr. KEAN, after all, is but the Buo-
NAPARTE of mimic life. Far less would Jlr. WHIT-
Aftd-Sts (a man of discretion and of an informed
understaiiding), whose worldly interests, as it is
well stated in the Chronicle; are so much involved
iu the prosperity 'of Mr.' KEAN, the prop of
his House ; far less would he, like a frantic
Sam Son, pull down the pillars on which the
edifiCe Stands, and involve himself and Theatre
in such a mass of rain that the wreck of
the Philistines could not be compared with it.
Mr. IVHITBREAD, as alarge Proprietor of Drury-
lane, independent of the nat wral feeling arising
out of the nature of his connexion with M r. KEAN,
must take a warm interest in the success of that
Performer—and such is the feeling which he ma-
nifests iu the letter about which so much has been
said.

The. account given of Mr. KEAN'S 'country Ex-
hibitions, and of the imperious duty which com-
pelled Mr. Wu ITBREAD'S written representation,
are, we believe, justly described in the Morning
Paper—how Mr. KEAN received this admonition,
we are not prepared to say—the Writer in 'the
'Chronicle asserts, " with proper manly feelings,
and we shall not dispute his authority, though
we cannot credit his subsequent illustration of it.
We are unwilling to prolong this discussion
THE SUN' explained what•had been inserted in it
by other persons than those connected with it;
and we wish the writer above-mentioned to ob-
serve, that it • " recanted" nothing. We reply to
his letter in the spirit of peace, which he evokes,
and we heartily concur in the sentiment with
which it concludes. We• take this opportunity,
too, of assuring him, and all the friends of Drury-
lane, and of Mr. KEAN, that this Paper is as kind-
ly disposed towards them as any in London ; and
though we cannot, as we think, in justice, fool
the most outrageous admirers of that Actor to the
top of their bent, we ever have been, and are still,
desirous of fostering his merit, and were on his
first appearance among those who did the_most to
bring him forward with the Public.

*** Having dismissed the letter, we must make
one remark on the paragraph appended to it with
three asterisks, which we.trust Caine from another
pen, as there is so very little of the professed spirit
of peace in it. The• quotation from Mr. WHIT-
BREAD'S letter is, as we have already said, erro-
neous, and so is the latter part of the paragraph
in THE SUN of the 14th ; but it will be well for
men, before they give authority feu• the bold epi-
thet of false, to recollect themselves, and be as-
sured that their own representations to their own
friends, while influenced by resentment, did not
lead to the error which they thus grossly charac-
terize.

CHRISTMAS BOXES, AND NEW YEAR'S GIFTS.—
The very best that can be given or received are to
be had at CARTER'S, No. 8, Charing-c4oss. By
the purchase of Lottery. Tickets and Shares you
may secure to yourself and Friends an absolute
Fortune.. The risk is what every one can afford,
The fortunate consequences arc what every one
desires. Instead, therefore, of rue rely wishing
Children and Friends a happy New Year, snake it
one, by giving them a probable Chance of Prospe-
rity for life, . •

THE THEATRES.

"‘DRIJItY-DANE.—TiIe Tragvay of George Barn-
. well, which is usually, and properly brought for-
ward at this time of the year, win rclY to
last night- at this Theatre, and was followed by a.
new Pantomime, intitled The Valby of Diamonds;
or, Harlequin Sindbad.' If it would be absurd at
- all times to enter into a fartnal critique if
Pantomime, it would be still more sai to de-
tail the plot of one that is founded Ilya
ps as fan iliac to petlhie
00l mast notorious works
; isfrficeshilt.a.st:l;lota;lnceoil:::::ssgshstillti:ilfiilllceiela ins:
htle:teal..lvitt.
amphitheatre
ley of I)iamortds, which
passableirtt-
to an human foot,
.aod stucldeti with the
• richese gems of the earth. A Roeit.
in ima • ginal • •
)
bird), whose enormous-- wings ibversha'dow the
Stage, drops' Sindbad (Mr. LIARTLAND) into this
Valley, where Lie seems doomed to starve ; when
Perceiving eagles that carried off diamonds to
strew their nests, he selects the most precious,
- which he. ties in his turban, and fastens round
his body,. taking care to expose their brilliancy.
Itf a short time he is carried away as a mass of
gems, and transported to an eagle's nest, where
Ite.is found-.by Ali- Avaricus • (Mr. Rafts:Es), and
his slaves,, who watched the return of the eagles,
and who, after having robbed hint, throw hint
back into a different part of the valley, where
lie meets -with the Fairy of the place (Miss
POOLE), who- takes his part, changes him into
Harlequin, Ali Avaricus into Pantaloon, his
'daughter (Miss VALLANCEY) into Columbine, and'
out of is chest produces the Clown (Mr. Kritay).
Harlequin then turns a light-house into a ship,
and embarks with Columbine for England, pursued
by Pantaloon and the Clown in a sinking boat.
On " a sudden the scene shifts to a mai-taint:ea
view ofillackfriars bridge, with St. Paul's and
the steeples of the city in the perspective, and all
the usual changes, buffetings, and tumblings of
Pantomime take place.
It would be almost impossible, if it were not
unnecessary, . to detail the ingenious devices,
transformations, &c. of. this Pantomime, which
were "mist of them well conceived, but which did
not pass with the facility which can only be ex-
pected from practice. The Hero of the Piece,
Sindbad, will always be interesting in whatever
shape he may appear, and he, of 'course, excited
great attention and curiosity last night. Among-
[the ludicrous tricks was the flight of a candle,
which was chased•by the Clown and Pantaloon, in
order to light their pipes ; "and the subsequent
appearance of the former in a Bassoon, which
was taken out of the -Orchestra. An interesting
little girl, stated to be only five years of age, who
was taken out of a barrel, and who danced a
hornpipe admirably, was among the amusing in- .
cideuts of' the Piece. Another -was the sudden
change of /Art-Levin. into a skeleton, immediately
atter lie was shot. But an extra event, which was •
received with a miature of applause and disappro-
bation by the audience, was the commullication
of
.the intelligence announced in Lord Ba-rnURST'S
Letter to the LORD MAYOR, of which Mr. BER..
NAItD •informed the -audience.—The Pantomime,.
upon the. whole, Nvas well received, and an-
nounced for repetition with general assent.
COVENT-GAADEN.---TirC same landahre motives
which generally induce the Managers of our
Theatres to bripg forward the tragedy of George
Barnwell, that it may operate at this period as au
awful warning upon the rising generation of holi-
day visitors, prevailed here also last night, and
this melancholy drama was succeeded by a new
Pantomime, entitled "harlequin Whittington, 1.07 d
Mayor of London." The subject of this piece,
like that at Drury-lane, is so well known, and
so early introduced into the infant mind, that.
an outline of the fable would be a dull repetition
in this place. It is sufficient to state, that as much
of the story is retained as•was consistent with the
nature of the composition, and that after some pre-
paratory measures, Whittington is converted into
Harlequin ;-Cicely, the Cook, is made Clown; Miss'
Alice, the-Merchant's daughter, takes the character
of Columbine; and that of Pantaloon falls on Alder-
man Gobble, her rejected suitor. ice tricks are so
numerous, and follow in such. rapid • succession,
that we should fill several columns if we were to
attempt to enumerate them. They surprise and
extort applause from their ingenuity, but are
sometimes wanting in drollery. The compiler Of
this entertainment has taken advantage, of the
peace to furnish us
,with some excellent French
scenery, enlivened with several pleasant hits at
French and English peculiarities. The splendour
of that memorable day, which saw a whole people
assembling in national joy, to celebrate the re-
storation, of Peace between England and her
mighty. Rival, is happily recalled, by a beautiful
represeoation of the Bridge and Pagoda, and
Temple of Concard• in the Parks. Some superb
fire-works arc here let off. We cannot speak too
highly of these ;. but the convenience of the aa-
dience would be much consulted, if they could be
exhibited nearer the end of the Pantomime, as
the smoke and sulphur with which they fill the
Theatre, detract much from the enjoyment which
the subsequent scenes are calculated to afford.

The most admired of the transformations were
of Whittington's Stone into a fairy Temple ; a
Cask of English Gin, and one or two other arCeles,
become a Fish-woman, with her basket on her
head ; a baker's BaSket is changed to a table and
seats, and the table, &c. into a ,baker's basket.
again. Much mirth was excited by transforming
Pantaloon into a wheelbarrow. .This is elil!cted
not by Harlequin but by the Clown, who forces
a mop-stick through a cheese, to make a wheel,
and placing this between his hands, he piles seve-
ral cheeses on his back,
and using his legs as the
handles of the barrow, wheels •the whole from
the sight of the audience.
One of the most inter:lting of the spectacles was
the ascent of the daughto.,of the celebrated GARS.
NERIN in a balloon, and her descent in a parachute.
But we must refer our jgeenile Readers to the
Theatre for a farther knowledge nof the wonders
of this Christmas Drama. The unexpected
ligence of Peace with ..imerica, after all the re-
portstiieaudience in the progress- of the of its improbability, was communicated to
pantomime,
by GIUMALDI, and received with mingled app tale
and disapprobation.---The general reception of the
piece was highly favourable, and warm approba.,
Lion attended the announced repetition.