The Sun.
London, England, 1809-08-23 00:00:00

WIFE, CHILDREN, AND FRIEND:;.

. .
If the. stock of our bliss is in strangers' hands vested,
The fund ill tecurd oft ht bankruptcy ends;,
`But the heart issues bills which are never protettecl,
When drawn on the firm of Wife, Children, and Friends.
Though spice-breathing gales o'er his caravan hover,
And round him Arabia's whole fragrance decends,
The Merchant stilt thinks of the woodbines that cover
The boW'r where he sat with—Wife, Children, and
Friends I

Though valour still glows in his life's dying embers,—
The death wounded Tar, who his colours defends,
Drops a tear of regret, as.he dyiscg 'remembers;
How blest was his home with—kiifei Children, and
Friends I

Thesday.spring of youth, still unclouded by sorrow,
Alone on itself for enjoyment depends ;
Sot drear is, the twilight of age, if it borrow
No warmth from the smiles of—Wife, Childrin, and
Friends.

THE THEATRE.-The. Merchant of Venice was re=
presented last night at the Haymarket Theatre be-
fore a numerous and elegant audience. Yourso sus-
tained the part of 'Skylock. with his usual good sense
and judgment, brit We do not consider his perform-
ances of this chara&er as the most successful of his
achievements. He was Chiefly
.'successful in the
scene with Tutal. Mrs. GLOVER acquitted herself
well in the lively parts ,of Portia, but was by no
means equally successful in those passages which re=
quire something of tragic expression.: But comedy
indeed is wholly her forte. In that province she is
excellent, and, we never wish to see her in the train
of Melpomene. HOLLAND appeared to much greater
advantage in Bassanio than we expected. He had
at least the merit:of being attentive to his charaCter
throughout. This. admirable Play was followed by,
the Farce of Yes or A°, brought forward last year.
It.iswhimsical and.entertaining in itself, but is ren-
dered particularly so by the eifarts of MATTHEws
and LISTON. This diverting Farce, we understand,
is the produetioni Of Mr. Pocockr,inn. whose talents
as an artist are so deservedly esteemed in the depart-
ments of landscape and history. • The Duke of
EItUNSWIC4 was in one of the front boxes.

• The Edinburgh Theatre dosed for the season on
Friday last, and,the management of Mr. Roca ter,
niivated on the same night. He concluded himself
SO liberally towards the performers, tend with such
bniforrn probity, during his management, that 'the
111'habitants in general regret that it has ended.
Mr. ARN01;1) has divided the expences of his
Theatre, by the number of weeks in the year, and
hairoftered the Drury-lane Proprietors the use of it,
for a remuneration proportioned to the number of
weeks fOr 'Which they may want it.—A more liberal
proposition could hardly have been made, and of
refitirst', it will readily be accepted.

•
M A TKEWS I>ad as full a 'house on Monday
last .to hfs benefit 'at the Haymarket Theatre, as
was ever "Seen in thtt house; a due compliment to
his merit as an
.after, and his eharatter'm :private
life. He perfOrmed it ANikony Ahsolule, in The
Rivas, with a spirit and humour that gave full et-
feet to the charaer. YOUNG was excellent in
Falkland, and the Comedy was in general so well
supported, that it will most probably be repeated for
the advantage of the theatre.
Mrs. SWOONS has been so ttraEtive at Brighton,

that the Ma►tiagcr'has induced her to renew her en-

gagenient tor a few nights iniire. As this season is
the last in ‘rhich that great aaress will perform out,

of the thetroplid, it is natural thai the people should
be anxious to witness the di3play of her unrivalled
talants.

'The Theatrical plan that was announced, Under
the firm .01 Mr. EI:LISTON and Colonel GREVII.I.6,
is said. to have been abandoned, and both parties

are now engaged in other views. Col. GREVILLE
has not indeed, wholly relinquished .his scheme (at •
the Panthe(in, -6in Mr. -ELLIsTON has embarked in
a grand theatrical speculation at Croydon.'
A French Journalist has published a table of all
the new Dramatic Pieces which have.appeared. in
the principal Theatres. of Paris since the year 1800 ;.
'the result-of Which is, that the Comedic Francaise
,has represestted, in nine years, 27 Comedies of one
AEt, and to of three ; t 0 Tragedies, and b Game-
„Liles, of. fi.ACts,; the Academie Imperiale ale
:Musique, 13 'Operas, and 24 Balletq ; the Theatre
de Loovois, 380 Comedies in five Aels, three Acts,
and one Ad ; the Vaudeville, 340 Pieces in one
Aa ; and Theatre Montansier, 300 ; the Theatre
de la Gaite, 'and 'that of l'Ambigia Coinique united,
400 Vaudevilles, and 568 Melo-dramas. Thus it
seems that the Melo-drama has borne the prize Irons
all other literary produelionst
PARISIAN !FASHIoNs.—Hats with feathers are
placed very far back on the head, so as to leave:not
only the ringlets 'and cork-screw curls visible, but
also a large tuft of hair.upon the,forehead, and also
on the temple,, and sides of the ,head. These hats
have a very narrow leaf. Among the newest flowers
are roses cceur de chere. surrounded with bods.--•-
Coquelicot mixed with blue bells, are Aso fashion-
able. In full .dress the hat has a higher crown, in a
lozenge ; and the robe, which is a short tunitiue,
has a figured opening before, making, with em-
broidery, a new Cosaque dress. Small coloured hand-
kerchiefs: continue fashionable. They are Worn
crossed upon the breast.
The Freedom of the city of Cork has been voted
to Captain AUGUSTUS BALDWIN, of the
.Royal Navy,
for his heroic conduti in the late action with the Rus-
sian fleet in the Baltic. . •
The Freedom of the. city of Cork has been ona-
himously voted in Council, to Capt. 'ROBERT HALL,
of the Lucifer bomb, as ari-acknowledgment of re-
gard and gratitude from his fellow-citizens, for the.
services he had rendered his Country during,, his
command Of that ship in the Mediterranean.
Yesterday morning a pitched battle was fought
on Kennington Common, between a gentleman's
coachman of Vauxhall, and a .waterman of Lam-
beth, tor five guineas each. The confli& continued
for nearly 30 minutes, during which much skill was
displayed by each, and at last terminated in favour
of the former.