The Sun.
London, England, 1822-09-28 00:00:00

THE THEATRE.

, HaYstaitKET,—The impression which Miss
PATON has made upon the Public, both as an
actress and a singer, in the lively parts in which
she has previously appeared, naturally excited
high expectation respecting her performance of
Polly in The Beggar's Opera, and the house was last
night filled soon after the commencement. Another
attraction of the night was a new Macheath in the
person of Mr. Davis, whose figure and talents
enabled him to appear with great advantage. Miss
PATON proved, on this occasion, thaf she is capa-
ble of excelling in the pathetic as well as in
characters of delicate humour. Her performance
of Polly was very interesting in the acting, and
her songs were given with first rate skill. Her
4C But he so teazes" was so admirably sung
that the universal applause of the audience
obliged her to sing it thrice, a compliment which
we believe is novel. " Oh, ponder well" was
also highly applauded, and " Cease your funning"
was equal in beauty to any thing we have heard.
But we have not room to do justice to all her
excellence. She found an admirable counter-
part in Mr. Davis, who is one of the best Mac.
heaths that we have attended. His figure is
manly and well-made ; his deportment is easy ;
he speaks with a full conception of the cha-
racter, and he marked one passage which shews
more good sense than we have observed in
any of his predecessors. The passage is this,
" Polly is confoundedly bit-1 love the sex, and
a man who loves money may be as well contented
with one guinea as I with one woman." The
emphasis has been usually placed upon love, but
Mr. DAVIS properly placed it on sex. Ile was
encored in " When the heart of a man," and
" flow happy could Ibe with either." In fact, he
sustained the character throughout with a
manly air, with feeling, and with expression,
and such was the impression of the Polly and
the•Macheath, that the Manager was induced to
waive other entertainments announced for to-
night, and to repeat The Beggar's Opera.—
Peachum and Lockit received all due support
from TERRY and WILLIAMS, and Mrs. PEARSE
gave the same to Mrs. Peachum. We would
advise the person who performed the part of.
Filch to recollect the counsel of SHAKSPEARE,
not to " let the Clown speak more than is set
down for him." The author of the Oper'a has
drawn the character in such a manher as not to
require the vulgar addition of modern slang,
which is disgusting to the audience in general,
and can only be intelligible in the haunts of
thieves ; and his uniformly calling Polly, Podly,
while all the rest of the characters give her her
proper name, has no recommendation of humour

or meaning.

The new arrangements at Drury-lane Theatre,
we find, are proceeding with celerity, as might
be expected, considering that an army of work-
men, of various kinds, are incessantly employed.
Mr. GEo. RomNs, •it seems, takes an active part
in these operations ; and where he is concerned,
there is not likely to be any want of facility,
vigour, and dispatch.
Miss CHESTER, who figured with promising
success at Drury-Lane Theatre two seasons ago,
is engaged at Covent-Garden Theatre. She is a
very beautiful woman, and by all accounts is
much improved as an Actress.
It has been said, but we suppose ludicrously,
that LISTON has been offered an engagement at
The King's Theatre. The public would, no
doubt, be glad to see Signor LISTON any where.
Miss LACY, who has performed with consi-
derable success at Dublin and Edinburgh, with
Mr. C. KEMBLE, Mr. MACREADY, and Mr. KEAN,
is to make her appearance. at Covent Garden
Theatre, in the part of Belviderd. Report
speaks highly of her person and talents. She is
the grandaughter of Mr. LACY, who formerly
possessed a moiety of Drury-Lane Theatre, but
who %vas ruined by two easy confidence in man-
kind, and the unguarded bhevolence of his dis-
position. Mr. LACY was himself a respectable
actor, and commenced his theatrical career under
the immediate auspicies of GARRICK, who would
not have encouraged even a friend with no preten-
sions.

The repairs and alterations at Claremont, since
the departure of his Royal Highness the Prince
LEOPOLD, haVe been carried to a great extent.
Most of the floors, with the exception of the
state rooms, have been taken up, and new ones
laid down, owing to the dry rot having affected
them to so great an extent. The principal part of
the house, with the outbuildings, has been fresh
painted, and the state rooms 'nave received a great
addition of splendour. The servants have been
on board wages the whole of the time, not one
being dismissed owing to his Royal Highness's
absence. Marlborough House has likewise been
greatly ►.reproved.—His Royal Highness is soon
expected in this country, it is stated.

BIGAMY.—The Paris Court of Assize has now
before it the case of Julien Dantecourt, charged with bigamy.
It appeared that he had received with the second wife 3,000
francs, and that her father had besides made some advances, to
assist him in mechanical speculations. After the money was
all spent, it was discovered that he had another wife living, and
the complaint of the father-in-law brought him before the
court. It appeared from his defence, that he had quarrelled
with his first wife; because she would not accompany him to see
the performances of Madame Saqui. In the heat of the dis-
pute she left the house, and threatened to drown herself. Dan-
tecourt pretended to believe that she had put this threat in exe-
cution. The Counsel besides set up a defence of mental alie-
nation, occasioned by the obstinate entleavolirs of the bigamist
to discover the perpetual motion. A physician was called to
examine him, who declared that the prisoner, perfectly illite-
rate, incapable even of reading, had a decided aptitude for the
mechanical arts, but that he could not connect two moral ideas,
and that the letters written by his dictation were incoherent,
contradictory, and absolute nonsense. The result of this de-
fence is not stated.

FATAL ACalDENT.—Yesterchy morning, Mr.
JOHN SLATER, a respectable gardener, residing at Walham-
green, was unfortunately thrown by his horse and killed on
the spot.
A story has reached us of a Nunnery in the
West of England, in which one young female at
least is forcibly detained. She is said to have
escaped lately, and thrown herself on the pro-
tection of a gentleman, who, not choosing to risk
a quarrel with the Catholic establishment, suf-
fered her to be forcibly returned to her prison.
We mention the circumstance with the view of
exciting inquiry, that the truth may be ascer-
tained and justice done.—( Western Luminary.)