The Sun.
London, England, 1822-06-03 00:00:00

MR. ELLISTON AND THE CRITICS.

The following observations respecting an Actor
of great merl4, in both provinces of the drama,
and who has shewn an enterprising spirit in the
service of the public, by undertaking the arduous
duty and' hazardous responsibility of such an
extensive and complicated concern as that of
Drury-lane Theatre, deserve the notice of our
Readers. We have taken the article from that
interesting and elegant periodical work, The
Ladg's Magazine, &c. &c., for May, ] 89.2 :
" The adventurous lessee of Drury-lane Theatre appears to
us so unfairly treated by a large portion of the press, that we
cannot help briefly entering our protest against the mode of
attack perpetually directed against him. Not only arc his
efforts as an actor criticised with peculiar severity—not only is
the general management of his theatre made the theme of in-
discriminate censure—but every petty tale which can be col-
lected from the green-room or the treasury is repeated by
writers who usually disdain to feed the gross appetite for pri-
vate scandal. Surely this is neither manly nor fair. No human
being, perhaps, is placed in a situation of more delicacy, or
which must necessarily attract a greater share of odium, than
the sole manager of a large theatre. No one who has not been
,admitted behind the scenes can form any conception of the jea-
lousies which he has to assuage ; of the differences which he
must soothe, if he cannot reconcile; of the points of prece-
dence which he must adjust before he can produce any piece
worthy of the patronage on which he depends for existence.
Those animosities, which are concealed in other professions by
etiquette or by policy, rage in full luxuriance in a scene where
there is little to restrain—where personal vanity sharpens the
dictates of interest, and where the very love of the art which
inspires excellence, incites also the bitterest envy. Thus per-
petually worried by domestic contests, the manager is also as-
sailed by the race of poets—by the solicitations of imagined
Roscii panting for applause—and the recommendations of
lordly patrons, who insist on ' the engagement of performers
who are of no use,. and on the representation of pieces duly
prepared for damnation. When, in addition to all these diffi-
culties, a theatrical proprietor is chilled by empty benches, and
his means are reduced by the failure of his treasury, surely it
is not very generous to seek for every calumnious tale ; to mag-
nify every little failing.; to take part with every discarded
scene-shifter, whose merits have not been appreciated with due
regard. For our own parts, we cannot think of all that Mr.
Elliston has done for the public, without cherishing towards
him some gratitude and sympathy. He has made a noble ven-
ture for our advantage; he has kept open the oldest of our
theatres, under evil report and good report, and amidst great
reverses of fortune ' • and he has thus prevented a monopoly
from being.enjoyed by Covent-Garden, which would be most
detrimental to the interests of all professors and lovers of the
drama. To dwell on the conventional exaggerations of his
play-bills; or to set down all the speeches which he occa-
sionally makes from the stage in a note-book, is scarcely fair,
while his merits are forgotten. He is evidently actuated by an
ardent love for his profession, and seems native and endued to
the very element of the theatre. His spirit of enterprise; the
strong hope which nothing can subdue ; the sense of enjoy-
ment which enables him to spread around him so much •plea-
sure, should a little excuse some trifling excesses, if such have
been, which naturally attend these felicitous qualities. For
ourselves, we can only say, that while he retains the most in-
tense and fervid of living tgedians—the richest comic actor
within our memory—and the first of English singers, and
while he preserves his own cordial, hearty, and undaunted
spirit, we shall do our best to prevent the scene of old joy, over
which he presides, from being made desolate by the efforts of
toe malignant or the thoughtless."

The Dublin Freeman, of the 30th last, states
that letters were received from Mr. HENRY
HARRIS, on the preceding day, and that he was
in perfect health and spirits.

THE ARMY.

GRAND REVIEW AT HOITNSLOW

At an early hour on Saturday, mbrning„ the
roads leading-from every point of the compass towards the
centre of attraction, were literally covered with equipages of
all descriptions, amongst which we noticed many belonging to
persons of the first distinction. Nothing could exceed the gay
and brilliant scene which was every where presented to the eye.
Every thing bore the appearance of the celebration of some
public festival ; and what added considerably to the brilliancy
of the spectacle was, the circumstance of the windows of all the
houses in the villages through which the throng passed being
filled with elegantly dressed females, who had assembled to
greet the expected Royal cavalcade as it passed. Unfortu-
nately, his MAJESTY did not appear, and thus much mortifi-
-cation and great disappointment was experienced. The re-
view, however, did take place,, not by his MAJESTY, but by
his Royal Highness the Duke'of Yonx ; and, perhaps, on no
former occasion did HounsloW Heath present a more splendid
assemblage of rank and fashion. •
At nine o'clock the Ist and 2d regiments of Life Guards, the
Royal Blues, the 10th Hussars, the 14th Light Dragoons, the
15th Hussars, and a small brigade of artillery, came on the
heath. Their dresses and appointments appeared to be all
new ; and their state of discipline, condition of cattle, and ge-
neral appearance, v. as of the highest order. About twelve his
Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief, accompanied by his
Grace the Duke of WELLINGTON and by a few other Officers
of distinction, arrived, and rode slowly on the ground.
The Prince and Princess of DEN mARK had previously arrived
on the ground in a plain private carriage, drawn by four post
horses. The carriage was placed in front of the line, behind
the spot on which the Commander-in-Chief afterwards took his
station to view the troops. His Royal Highness the Prince of
DENMARK, who was dressed in a dark green coat, with a star
on his left breast, and who, in appearance, is not much unlike
the- Duke of YORK himself, mounted his chargertc7ind rode on
the right of the Duke during the close inspection of the regi-
ments which followed. He appeared highly delighted with the J
appearance of the men, and made many observations on the
elegance of their costume. -
The Commander-in:Chief having passed along the front and
rear of the line, surrounded and followed by a very numerous
Staff and an incalculable number of horsemen, proceeded to the j
station we have already described, which was considerably in
advance of the carriages.
The whole of the regiments, in the first instance, passed the
Commander-in-Chief in divisions, in ordinary time ; they after-
wards passed in single file, and snbsequently in divisions, at
full gallop. Nothing could exceed the precision with which j
these movements were made. A series of fourteen different mi-
litary manoeuvres followed, exhibiting various modes of attack
and defence, both on the part of the heavy and light dragoons,
which included charges in line and by squadrons ; advances
and retreats, changes of position, and in fact every thing which
could afford the spectators a notion of the operations of such
troops in the field of battle. Skirmishers were thrown out,
who discharged their pieces as if at an approaching enemy ;
and what added greatly to the identity of the scene, was the
spirited and active operations of the brigade of artillery. We
were happy to observe, notwithstanding the astonishing rapidity
with which some of the movements were made, that not a single
man was unhorsed ; nor did we hear of any accidents to throw
a damp on the pleasures of the day. In conclusion, the whole
of the troops formed in line, and advancing in front, gave a
grand salute, the artillery being repeatedly discharged on the
jright and left flanks.
The utmost credit is due to the officers of the day for the-
zeal and accuracy with which they performed their respective
duties. The whole brigade was under the comman&of Lord
CATHCART ; Sir ROBERT Him. commanded the heavy, and
Lord EDWARD SOMERSET the light dragoons.
After the Review, the Prince and Princess of DENMARK
honoured Sir GEORGE and Lady POCOCKE with a visit at their
villa, at Twickenham, and afterwards proceeded to town to
dinner.

(Cr CULA R. ) War-office, Department of Accounts, May 28.
SIR—It having been found that the provisions of the 26th
Section of the Mutiny Act, relative to the subsistence of men
whilst in a place of military confinement by sentence of a
Court Martial, have not been generally understood, I am di-
rected by the Secretary at War to acquaint you, that men so
situated forfeit all right to pay and allowances, and no charge,
on account thereof, ought to be made, except under authorities
obtained from this Office.
In order, however, to obviate the necessity of application in
each individual case, Lord Palmerston has been pleased to
sanction a charge in the Pay List for men imprisoned in places
of military confinement, not exceeding the rate which is
granted by the Section above quoted, to gaolers for the main-
tenance of soldiers confined in prisons or Houses of Correction,
the amount thereof to be fixed by, and expended under the
orders of the Commanding Officer ; and, in each case, a state-
ment, certified by him, is to be annexed to the Pay List in
support of the charge.
Officer commanding 1 I have, &c.
Regiment of . . .. j (Signed) LAU. SULWAN.

(CIRCULAR.) War-office, Department of Accounts, 1822.
SIR—It having been represented to me that Soldiers on Fo-
reign Service are often desirous of sending money to this
country for the use of their families and friends, but that con-
siderable difficulty is experienced in affording the means of so
doing, I have the honour to acquaint you, that with a view to
afford facility to the soldier to make such remittances without
loss or risk, the Regimental Paymaster may deduct from the
total of the expenditure in the Regimental Pay List the
amount of whatever remittances may be wished to be made,
specifying the names of the men, and the sums for each, in the
sheet appropriated for " Sums Deducted." A separate me-
morandum for each man, having the signature of the Com-
manding Officer or the Captain of his Company, directing the
appropriation of the sum he has allowed, is to be transmitted
to the Regimental Agent ; and when, in addition to this
voucher, the Agent shall have obtained the receipt of the per-
son to whom the money was sent, the amount will be admitted
as a charge in the Agent's accounts.
Officer commanding ) I have, &c.
the

Sierra Leone Papers to the 12th of March have
been received. On the Ist of February the Iphi-
genia, bearing the flag of Commodore Sir R.
MENDS, entered the Gambia River from Eng-
land, and anchored off the new settlement of
Bathurst, where the Commodore landed, and
examined the rising oolony, with great satisfac-
tion at its rapid improvement. The supply of
wax and hides from the interior had been CODSi-,
derable, but in the gold trade the increase had
been pre-erniuently conspicuous. On the 16th
of February the Iphigenia reached Sierra Leone,
and Sir ROBERT 'MENDS assumed the chief naval
command on the station, as successor to Sir
GEORGE COL AER. On his way from the Gambia,
Sir ROBERT dispatched a,strong party of seamen
and marines, in the Iphigenia's boats, for the pur-
pose of searching the Bissagos and Rio Grande for
slave vessels; and this measure appears to have
been attended with no small success, for, on the
2d of March, a Portuguese vessel, with 175
slaves actually on board, was brought in, having
been captured, after some contest, by the boats
of the Iphigenia.
The foundation of the pyramid to be erected
at Ramsgate in commemoration, of the KING'S
visit to that town is now prepared. The pyramid,
which is fifty feet high, is getting ready. It was
intended to consist of one solid piece, but it bay-
ing been found impracticable to convey it in- that
state from the quarry, it has been cut into five

pieces.
The Officers, Non-commissioned Officers, and
Privates, of the Ist Regiment of Royal Dragoons, under the
command of Lieutenant-Colonel CLIFTON, are about to sub-
scribe one day's pay towards the relief of the suffering Irish.
ENORMOUS Pißß.—Was caught at Chillington
'Pool, near Brewood, in Staffordshire, the residence of C. F.
Gifford, Esq. a pike weighing 46 pounds, and measuring from
the head to the tail 4 feet 3 inches. When opened, a trout was
found in its belly, which, though emaciated, weighed 4 pounds
and a half; and a mole, which this fish, when taken, was in the
act of devouring. This fine pike was presented by C. F. Gif-
ford, Esq. to the most Noble the Marquis of Stafford.
Hay cutting has commenced on the lines of
Portsmouth garrison ; done by a party of con-
' yicts from the h4llO,