The Sun.
London, England, 1836-12-06 00:00:00

QUEEN'S THEATRE.

Last night Mr. Whitehead's domestic drama, The Ca-
valier, was produced at this theatre, with complete suc-
cess. The scene refers to a period immediately after the
Restoration. Mr. Hargrave (the Cavalier), a gallant
soldier, who had conspicuously distinguished himself in
the Royal cause, has lost all his possessions in sup-
port of it, and finds himself, with a young and lovely
wife and an infant family, left in a state of humble
dependence upon the bounty of his brother-in-law (Mr.
Maynard), who affords them a subsistence and a
home. While thus painfully circumstanced, he learns that
Lord Moreton, a Court favourite of paramount influence,
is disposed to employ his good offices in his behalf, with the
view of getting him restored to his hereditary honours and
estates. His " Noble friend," however, turns out to be a
consummate villain. The chief inciting motive to his
proffered interposition is, the criminal attachment he has
formed for Mrs. Hargrave, while through his worthless
creature Beauchamp he dares to tempt the honour of her
husband by all sorts of promises. The latter rejects his
base offers with indignation. Meanwhile his jealousy is
excited to frenzy ; and though his wife is a perfect model
of devoted fidelity, yet still, with some few occasional inter-
missions, he continues a prey to the "green-eyed monster"
down to the moment when her innocence is triumphantly
proved before the world. Proceeding to Court with a
letter which she has to present from her husband, she is on
her way carried off by some of the retainers of Moreton,
and confined in a house of which Madame de Grave has the
charge. Here her reprobate persecutor meets his deserved
doom. Her honour is saved by her noble determination
to preserve it ; she plunges a knife to his heart; yet,
such is his hardihood in profligacy, that with his
dying breath he does not hesitate to pronounce her
guilty, by stating that she had encouraged his overtures,
and received presents of jewels from him. Being taken up
for the murder, she is capitally convicted, but Madame de
Grave, the principal witness against her, bitterly stung
with feelings of remorse, comes forward and solemnly de-
clares, before the authorities, that all she had sworn at the
trial was false. In consequence of this confession a re-
spite arrives, and the Royal pardon is promised just at the
moment when the distracted husband expects to see his
innocent wife led out to execution ; he himself resolving in
the meantime to fall by his sword ere he witnesses suc a
catastrophe. Immediately after the respite is announced
the curtain falls, and, we think, too abruptly. This abrupt.
ness, however, is almost the sole defect of which we could
complain. The drama throughout is admirably written,
and in some parts it rises to superior excellence. The
principal characters were performed with corresponding
effect, Mr. Elton, as the Cavalier, and Miss Clifford, as
Mrs. Hargrave, acquitting themselves in a manner which
left nothing. to be desired. When the curtain fell the ap-
plause was uninterrupted by a single note of dissent ; and
Mr. Elton and Miss Clifford, being loudly called for, re-
ceived the warm greetings of the audience.