The Sun.
London, England, 1825-11-29 00:00:00

THE THEATRES.

DucTRY-LANE.— The Tragedy of Brutus,
written by Mr. HowAtm PAINE, and construct-
ed with such skill as to afford scope for good
acting in the principal characters, was repre-
sented at this Theatre last night. Mr.WAt.t.Acs
performed the part of Brutus with powerful ef-
fect, and without any of the trickery which
marked the acting of the original representative.
Mrs. BUNN gave impressive force to the character
of Tullia, and Mrs. W. WEST was tender and
affecting in Tarquinia. The play was altogether
well received.

COVENT-GARDEN.-Mr. SERLE, from the Eng-
lish Theatre at Brussels, last night made his
first appearance in England, as announced by the
Play-house bills. The character assumed by
Mr. SERLE was that of Hamlet, and considering
the difficulty attending the performance of this
character, one of the most arduous in the whole
round of the drama, his representation was very
creditable to his talents. lie is of the middle
size ; his face is well calculated to express me-
lancholy and the severer impulses of the mind ;
his voice is strong in level speaking, but when
raised by passion is rather a harsh scream ; his
action was easy, without pretending to a graceful
deportment not suggested by the tenour of the
sentiment. He has apparently studied the cha-
racter with attention, but he is sometimes in.
dined to what is styled new readings, yet, what
is still more extraordinary, considering that he
has apparently studied the character,. he often
changed, sometimes omitted, and at other times
interpolated the text.—As an instance of one of
his new readings, in his first scene, after the King
and his mother had entreated him to cast off his
gloom, he said
" I shall in all my best obey you, Madam."
This insult offered to the King, before Hamlet
knew of the murder, was certainly an unprovoked '
offence. We shall not pursue Mr. SERLE through
the whole of his performance, satisfied with re-
peating that it was creditable to his talents, but
it by no means indicated that master-mind which
the character absolutely demands. His reception
was so favourable ss to tempt the management to
announce his repetition of the character on Fri-
day next. We ought to mention, that his general
utterance was too slow, and his pauses so long, as
to remind us of one of KELLY'a entertaining
anecdotes, where he says, that when the late Mr.
KEMBLE proposed some improvement in the re-
presentation of Hamlet, Mr. Sncarnasr ad-
vised him to have Music introduced during
his pauses in the character. Old Mackura
was a memorable Pause-monger. Ile had
his first pause rather long, his second more so,
and his third, which he styled his grand pause,
so extended, that the Prompter, on one occasion,
thought he " wanted the word," as it is termed,
and suggested it to him so often, that MACKLIN
actually quitted the stage in the middle of the
scene, and knocked the poor man down fur hav-
i►►g interrupted him during his grand-pause.---
To return to Mr. SERLE.—We understand that
this Gentleman was a student for the law, under
Mr. CHITTY, hut considering law as a thorny
path, and seeing nothing but cowers in that of
the Theatre, he relinquished his intended profes-
sion, and devoted himself to the stage. The
Managers are mistaken (or as [Jowl's' says, mis-
taking) in announcing last night as his first ap-
pearance on an English Stage, as he. has for softie
years been known us an actor on provincial boards
in this country. •

?'.lr. YOUNG is said to be in treaty with the ma-
nagement of Drury-lace Theatre, as is also Miss
WiLsoN, who has recently arrived from Italy.

KEEN arrived at New i:"Ork on the 2Stlt ult.—
lie is said to be in excellent health, and was to
make his first appearance at the Park theatre on
the 10th inst. in Richard the Third. Every box
was taken, and althou4h a row was expected, the
manager (who writes) confidently expects that it
will terminate favourably. It, is st,tted to be
KEAN'S intention to address the audience in pro-
pria persona, before the rising' of the curtain.—
This, it is supposed, will appease the angry ford-
lugs of Master Jonathan.

FRENCH SLAVE TRADU.—We have received
private letters from St. Thomas's, dated the Sth
of October, by which we have learned many par-
ticulars respecting the mode in which the slave
trade is continued in spite of the• laws made for
the suppression of that hateful traffic. We have
been furnished with a list of the vessels which were
departing for the coast of Africa, and the number
of slaves which they had brought to Martinique
by their previous voyage. We shall not men-
tion
here the names of the vesseli, oor those of
the captains and mercantile houses - concerned in
these scandalous undertakings. We shall con-
fine ourselves so the duty of calling public alien.
Lion to the shameful impunity enjoyed by the
dealers in human flesh. It is enough for us to
state, according to our information-Ist, that the
number of vessels so employed is nine, of which
6 are French, and 3 Dutch-2dly, that the Cap-
tains of these ships are all Frenchmen-3,11y, that 3
of them,on t heir late return from the Bonny,broug,ht
with them 1,177 slaves ; and 4thly, that. each of
these vessels carry two or three sets of papers.
The false ones are fabricated by -a
French house
at St. Thomas's. It is generally from the pa-
pers of the cruisers of Martinique and Guada-
loupe that the signatures of the Governors are
forged, and the official seals imitated.—((;ourier
Francais.)

MURDER AT SANDGATE.—An Inquest was held
at Sandgate on Thursday last, the 24th instant, before THoMAS
THORPE DE Last: Au, Esq. Coroner, on the body of Thomas
Page, who, on the evening of the 18th instant, was stabbed in
the lower part of ale abdomen by John Burton. It appeared on
the evidence that the deceased, with some other young men,
were, on the evening in question, at the Ship Inn, Sandgate, and
being a little inebriated, the deceased blackened his hands and
put them on Burton's face, who immediately flew in a rage, and
threatened to be a match for him. The deccased,wishing to avoid
him for the present, left the room, but shortly afterwards re-
turned, and while in the act of lighting his pipe, Burton attacked
him with a knife in his hand. A scuffle ensued; Page called
for help to take the knife away, which was done by Mr. Flisher.
Page exclaimed, " Oh, Lord 1I am stabbed ; this d—d old
! rascal has stabbed me." He immediately fell, and lingered till
Wednesday last. After a very minute investigation, the Jury
returned a verdict of" Wilful Murder" against John Burton,"
who was immediately committed, under the Coroner's warrant,
for trial at the next Assizes. The deceased, who was 24 years
of age, was very highly respected, and his tragical end has
Whole neighbourhood.—(Cinque Port
iith:orlav
ind gloona over the