The Sun.
London, England, 1823-03-17 00:00:00

THE THEATRE.

COAT ENT•GARIAN.—The Tragedy which has
been some time in preparatiOu at this Theatre,
was hr.ught forward on Saturday last, under the
'title of Julian.

CHARACTERS.
-King of:Sicily, disguised as
Thodore (a Page) - Miss 200 TE.
Ruggiero, Duke of Melfi, and Regent
of the Kingdom
Prince
Count d'Alba -
Count Valor°
Count Leanti -
Count Calvi
Ramona - -
Renzi
Paolo
The Princess Annabel

Mr. BENNETT.
Mr. MACREADY.
Mr. ABUOTT.
Mr. BAUER.
EGERTON.
Mr. CUAPHAN.
Mr. CoBrEK.
Mr. MEAUS.
Mr. LEY.
Miss LACY.

FABLE.
" Ruggiero, Duke of Mehl, and Regent of the kingdom o
Sicily, as uncle and guardian of the young King Alfonso, hay
ing ordered preparations to be made at Messina for the corona
tion of the latter, under pretence of proceeding thither for the
.performance of that 'ceremonial, leaves Villa d'Oro with his,
charge, and in a lonely, part of their way, which lay through a:
'pass of Albano mountains, is on rile point of murdering him,
when his son, Prince Jtilian,who had ridilen forth to meet them,
is drawn to the spot by the cries of the victim, in-which he re-
cognizes the voice of Alfonso, and rescues him by stabbing the
assassin, whom, as he falls, he discovers to be his• own father.
Struck with horror at the crime of his parent, and-apprehen-
sive of farther danger to the young King, he flies • with him
to his own palace, and introduces him to his bride, the
Princess Annabel, in the character of a page, under the name
of Theodore. The horror of the agonizing. scene in which
he has been engaged throws him into a delirious fever, under
which he has been suffering during eight days at the period of
the opening of the play, which discovers the Princess Annabel
and the young King hanging in, tender and anxionsaolicitutie
over the couch of Julian, who gradually recovering his reason,
awakens to the consciousness of .his deplorable situation, 'in
bavingbeen a witness of the treason, his father, and, as be '
believes, his murderer. The Duke of Melfi, however, through
timely succour of a muleteer, recovers, and spreading a report
of the murder of Alfonso by are assassin, by whom himself had
been also wounded; arrives at Messina, and causes himself to
be proclaimed as King., Julian, called upon by his father to
recognize his sovereignty, vainly endeavOurs to dissuade him
from persisting in his treasonable usurpation, and failing
In the attempt renounces him, and interrupts the ceremonial of
his coronation by rushing into the midst of the assembled Nobles
with the young Alfonso, who is immediately recognized by
them, his title proclaimed, and allegiance sworn to him. Count
,d'Alba a rejected suitor of the Princess Annabel, who had
gained some knowledge of the attempt of Melfi upon the life of
the young King, then openly charges him with treason and at-
tempted murder, and calls upon Jiilian to bear testimony of the
fact: This, however, he, refuses to do, and anxious to preserve
the life of his parent, declares that the only blood shed upon that
'occasion was spilt by his hand, and that he was therefore the only
.guilty ; the Duke, however, avows his own share of the
transaction, and the ambitious motives which had psompted
him to the attempt. Upon this double declaration, sentence.
of outlawry and banishment is passed on both father and
son,, and a price set upon their heads, • if found within the
kingdom of Sicily in twenty-four hours afterwards. The rage
of Melfi on hearing the sentence causes his recent wound to
. open anew? and lie falls. A scene of reconciliation ensuing
between hint and Julian, who has flown to his assistance,
and in whose arms he dies. While yet mourning over the
corpse of his parent, Julian is roused by se faithful servant,
who informs him, that the Princess Annabel has been car-
ried off by Count d'Alba. Ile flies to rescue her, and ills.
covering the place of her concealment in a high tower, where
enraged by her scornful rejection of his vows of
love, has left her, with the purpose of seeking out Julian
and causing him to be put to death. lie gains admittance,
anti despairing of preserving her honour by any other
means than her death, is about to accomplish that purpose
when the guards rush in to attack him; and the l'rincess
throwing herself before her husband, receives the, thrust of
a sword aimed, at him, and falls dead at his feet. A power-
ful and affecting scene then ensues. Julian covers the body of
Annabel with his own mantle, and wraps
.himself in the cloak
of one of the soldiers whom he had elainl. the rest having fled.
Count d'Alba then enters, and eagerly mottiring of the sup-
posed soldier for the Princess, is answered by Julian, who
throwing aside his disguise, snatches the covering from the
body, and exclaims?.“. She's here I" and afterwards, exhausted
with the violence of the contending emotions arising out of the
dreadful calamities which had so suddenly been heaped on him,
be falls on the Body of his wife and expitea."
This Tragedy is the acknowledged production
Of Miss Murroun, a Lady who is well known to
the literary world by many Poems of consider-
able tnerit.—The Tragedy is written in the same
style of elegance and simplicity which charac-
terizes the other productions of her Muse.—The
characters are ably drawn and sufficiently con-
trasted ; that of Julian, in particular, exhibits a
very interesting union of filial affection and de-
termined fidelity to his Prince, in opposition: to
the ambitious designs of his father.—Annabel is.
also a very interesting portrait of :conjugal *Tee:.
• tion and tenderness. There is nothing of striking
novelty in the other characters. We w ere, ho wever,
rather surprised to find that D'Alba, who in the
*artier scenes appears to be a resolute enemy to
the Regent, .3felfi, on grounds of loyal fidelity,
proves, towards the close of the piece, to be a
worthless wretch, who, having apparently acted
from principles of justice and loyalty, has been
chiefly prompted . by the desire of possessing the
wife of Julian. Whether from our distance from
the Stage,and the difficulty of hearing in so large
an area, or for want of due explanation in the
piece, we could not understand how it was possible
for the Regent of • the Kingdom and the
lawful Heir of the Throne to travel without such
a retinue as would afford Melfi an opportunity of
effecting his atrocious purpose. Again we find
that Julian alsO, a Prince, arrives at the fatal
stot wholly unaccompanied. We also, perhaps.
GU the same. ground of distance from the Stage,
cannot conceive how D'Alba should become
ntquamted with the horrid attempt to destroy
• the rightful Sovereign, as there were- only three
persons present. The Regent would .not betray
himself, Julian from filial affection would conceal
the secret, and Alfonso would be equally secret
from regard to Julian. There seems to be a
want of civil and poetic justice in dooming Julian
to banishment, as he saved his Sovereign, and
his innocence was attested by his father's con-
fession. All these difficulties, however, will
• probably be explained when the tragedy is pub-
kished. The work altogether affords a new
proof of the poetical talents of Miss MITFORD,
and will consequently add to her well-merited
literary fame. We were by no means pleased with
the acting of Mr. M ACREADY in Julian. He is a de-
Vermitted CopiestofMr.KeaN,and speaks in general
in so low and murmering a tone that it is difficult
Co hear what he says. He possesses considerable
powers, and should not condescend to copy any
other Performer but act from his own judgment
and feelingi, and then he will be a distinguished
supporter of the stage. We essentially differ
from some writers .in the Morning Papers who
Speak very harshly of Mr. BENNETT in the part
of Melfi. We know nothing of Mm but as he
aPpeari on the Stage, and in our opinion he sup-
ported- the part with due judgment and feeling.
The audience evidently thought so, and ap-
Platided. his performance., Miss LACY, •who
is now one of our hest Tragic Actreses, gave
Very judicious support to the :part of An-
wiheis and was very affecting. She, however,

adopted at times the familiar transitions of Mr.
KEAN, which, we are-sorry to see, ,rs-creeping
into the general practice, of the istagft. Miss
FOOTE was simple and affecting in Mfonso; but
it was by no means judicious in the Managers to
assign a male character to a female, as the delu-
sion of the scene, and, the general interest of the
fable, must proportionally suffer. The Tragedy
was, upon the whole, very well received by a
numerous audience, and announced fur repetition
with general consent.
—•

-,~--

POSTING.

( Fro!,t the Worcester Jour*nal.
To 'ME EDIToR,
SIR—I big through:the medium of yOur Paper to make the
following statement, to which I am led solely with a view to
public good, in the exposure of art imposition ttlatinn to the
charge made by Innkeepers.to persons obliged to travetby Post.
Mg. 'Phis imposition I found to exist m two plates between
London and Worcester; I left the former place it Is. per
Mile ;. on arriving at flounslowl foundadeinand made of 1541,
and seeing resistence, in this early stage of my journey; vain,
I desired to be forwarded to • any house riming at Is.,iarid
was accordingly driven to Maidenhead Bridge Inn, where the
landlord most cheerfully took me on at Is. st-mile; nor was -a
larger price asked till I arrived at, the Swan, Tewkesbury (at,
11 o'clock at night), when a demand of 16d. per mile was
again set up; this I resisted, and requested to see Mr. Hol-
land, the master, who wairin bed; -I went to his room, and
asked him if lie intended to charge •me 15d. per mile for his
horses, haying paid but Is. the whole road (even -to his door),
with the exception of the shameful demand at Hounslow. He
replied he, would put no horses :to for me,- or any one else,
under 15d. per mile. 1 instantly decided not- to proceed, but
to remain all night in my carriage, til) day-light should enable
me to hire horses elsewhere, to draw me home. I, however,
bethought rue that I would first- call up the Innkeeper at the
other house—having done so—lie informed me his price was
the same ; and further said, with extreme delicacy of feeling,
that he would not forward me at all, as he never took a carriage
from another man's-inn. Mere then-I was arrested in my pro-
gress, unless, by submission to this despotic determination of
the only two persons in the town who let post-horses, 1 liad chose
to proceed-at the price so exorbitantly demanded. Here was I
stopped in my journey ; within ten miles of the Landed Pro-
perty of mY Father.; which has sent Wheat to _Market at ss. a
bushel, and Oati proportionate ;_eattl but for the civility of air.
Nayler's post-boy, (of the Plough, Cheltenham.) who had
brought me at Is.per.mile, and took me from the hands of these
Innkeepers, Fmight have remained all night in the street.
—Now, Sir, nothing but a sense of what I owe to the pub-
lic could have induced me to tell this story; they will ..eaw
their. own Conclusion ; an'd even if I undergo the supposition
thsit the ad. a-mile forms to me the main-spring of the
complaint, I shall cheerfully submit to this view of my
systematic eCOnoillical. propensity, provided it answers the
end of discovering to the public the imposition of those
who live by them, and who make • to them so ungenerous
a return. It is supposed (as I was informed by those
who thanked me for supporting them at one shilling a.mile)
that some who have fixed their price at Is. have been ,paid
money. ,by the other Innkeepers to desist from so proper a
charge; this 1 cannot answer for, of in v own knowledge; but
if "true:the yublic have no chance, unless, by acting with de-
cis!on, they -rut a stop'to a systein, of keeping up the charge
of 15(1., disgrarefal in the present times. The price'of Oats,
&c. &e. &c. does not justify 9d. a-mile, and at It. Innkeep-.
ers clear this, paying ad: duty i but as „long as rich men, and
great men, will pay what they are asked, without reference
'to whether they are countenancing imposition or not,
the evil must go on inermitiatily,• bidding defiance to
a fair remuneration.—Think not. Sir, by the statement I am
going to- enter Into a paper war, I heye reported facts, and. My
opinion, -and with the ardent .hope that they may benefit,—l
subscribe myself, Your obedient Servant,
• . • DEERHURST.
. .
Worcester, March .11,1823. •
*,• We are authorised to state, that after the business of timeAssize was over, the Grand Jury took into their consideration
the present charge of Poiting, and determined to support those
Innkeepers, who, during the preSe:nt depressed state of Agri.
cultural produce, carry on the Tice of posting at Is. per mile,
which is a full remunerating price.--(Editor (tithe Worcester
Journal.)