The Sun.
London, England, 1840-03-25 00:00:00

EVEN ENG EDITION.

THEATRE ROYAL, COVENT-

" We are informed that there was a loyal show of
mourning. It is recorded that his followers wept his loss ;
that every countenance was expressive of woo ; and that
the metropolitan's funeral oration proclaimed ' that the sus
of .Russia had set.'

GARDEN.

Her Majesty honoured this theatre with her presence
last evening, for the purpose of witnessing the perform-
arsce of Don Felix in The Wonder, by Mr. Charles
Kr ,mble, who, by her Majesty's special command, re-
appeared on this occasion on the stage. Shortly after
the commencement of the comedy, her Majesty, accom-
panied by Prince Albert, entered her private box, and
;vas received with shouts of enthusiasm, which were re-
ne wed when her Majesty and the Prince came forward
to the front of the box for the purpose of acknow-
ledging the hearty and loyal welcome of one of the
most densely crowded houses it has ever been our lot
to witness. The National Anthem was loudly for,
when Mr. Bartley came forward, and said, that as her
Majesty's visit was strictly private, he was not prepared
at that time to comply with the call of the audience, but
that, at the conclusion of the comedy, the Nationa
Anthem should be sung. This we imagine to have
been the purport of what fell from Mr. Bartley, but the
noise was so great, that it was impossible to hear him
accurately ; it however produced the desired effect, for
the audience immediately became quiet, and her Ma-
jesty and the Prince were permitted to enjoy the
comedy without interruption. Her Majesty retired be-
hind the curtain, but the Prince sat in the front of the
box, and seemed highly delighted. He watched the
business of the stage most earnestly, and ever and
anon referred to the play itself, which he had constantly
before him, frequently turning to her Majesty as though
to request an explanation of what was going on. He
Majesty, who, we are happy to state, looked exceedingly
also seemed to enter fully into the spirit of the piece.
I'he applause from the Royal box was as frequent and
as Judiciously bestowed as from any other part of the
theatre. Charles Kemble seems to have lost none of
his eloquence and grace duriog his retirement. It was
indeed, a rich treat to witness his performance of Don
Felix. His voice partially failed him towards the con-
clusion, but even with that drawback there is nothing
to compare with it on the stage, and we fear that many
a Weary year must elapse before we see even a distant
approach to him. Loud and long-continued was the
shout of welcome with which he was greeted. It was,
indeed, the hearty meeting of old friends who had long
been parted. At the conclusion of the play he was
called for, and again came forward. The whole audience
rose to cheer him, and bid him farewell, which we rejoice
to say is not to be an eternal one, as at a later period
.0f the evening Mr. Bartley announced that Mr. Charles
Kemble would appear on Thursday evening as Mercutio

" Inexplicable enigma! He who had severed every
human tie; had sown dissension; had anted the destroyer
of his kin ; whose myrmidons violated the confidence re
posed in them by his subjects, to entrap the unwary, and
thus avail themselves of a pretext for plut:der ; who stifled
the voice of complaint by death, and bade the sons of those
he had sacrificed pledge him in wine at the foot of the
scaffold. Yes, the slaves bewailed his loss ! The widow—
the orphaw—the condemned, implored Heaven's mercy for
Ivan

" A more enlightened people would have dragged to
the scaffold the impure body of a despot, who, whilst he
lived, was the scourge of his race, and when he died, left
his country a prey to the vengeance of the neighbouring
nations he had outraged.
" Some writers have advanced that he sought to refine
the manners of the age ; the hireling pen has been found
to proclaim him learned and pious, magnanimous and
brave, concluding, that the tears of his people were his
best eulogium I . . . They were the tears of slaves
" Both metaphysically and morally, the character of
Ivan is inexplicable. 'He was a hero of virtue in his
youth,' say some. He gave indications of his sanguinary
disposition in his earliest years,' say others ; whilst we are
taught to infer that his virtuous, his exemplary first wife
alone restrained him from crime.

" The only way in which we can explain this seeming
contradiction of character, is from the besotted ignorance
and superstition of his subjects, who attributed to their
sovereigns a right hardly second to that of their God.
" He has been compared to Caligula, to Nero, to the
throned author of St. Bartholomew's massacre; but even
they, fearful meteors of bygone ages, have been surpassed ;
Ivan stands alone—unparalleled.
" It is stated that he emulated the fame of Alexander
the Great—' he who could command an army of three hun-
dred thousand men,' yet trembled before the Frenchman,
De la Gardie, at the head of a tithe of that force. • That
he loved justice' I 11—yet established the Opritchnina.
That he forbade excesses in his subjects'—yet presided
over the drunken orgies of the slobode. ' That he de-
tested adulation'—yet destroyed an elephant whose legs
are, for necessity, not flexure,' and would not bend before
him. That he loved the arts and sciences'—yet deprived
an architect of sight. That he was pious'—yet, 'neath
his death pillow, was found the scroll for the morrow's
executions.

" Ivan was a legislator, and framed new laws, which be
was the first to break. He was accounted brave, but his
renown was borrowed from the courage of his blindly
devoted Voyvodes, too often sacrificed to his own cowardice.
" Shall we censure or praise the blind submission of a
vast nation to the yoke of a relentless despot? The
answer to this query is perhaps difficult for men not born
to slavery—for men who invest not mortals with the
attributes of a Supreme Being.
" Tyrants such as Ivan, thanks to a merciful Providence,
appear but seldom. They come like blazing beacons, to
warn man of those rocks and quicksands on which, when
abandoned to his own guidance, he is ever wrecked and
lost.

" The reader will doubtless deduce his own moral from
these pages; but we will not close them without some
comment—That though the life of a tyant be calamitous
to his generation, it offers a useful lesson in after ages to
nations and to kings; and mankind, in their horror of
evils experienced, learn to love and reverence virtue.
" It may, however, be conceded, with much appearance
of reason, that Ivan was made for Russia in that day, and
Russia for him. His subjects, proud of a Sovereign of
their own race, soon forgot his enormities, and remembered
only that he was the conqueror of Kazan, Astrachan, and
Siberia. They ceased to weep over the memory of their
slaughtered friends and families, whilst they gloried in
the greatness of their Czar, and exulted in the humiliation
of nations to which they were once tributary."

After Mr. Kemble had retired, God save the Queen
was sung, the solo parts being performed by Miss
Rainforth, Mr. Harrison, and Madame Vestris, who
Was in excellent voice, and sang with exquisite taste.
Her Majesty and Prince Albert came forward at the
conclusion of the National Anthem, and having acknow-
ledged the shouts of loyal enthusiasm with which they
were greeted, by repeatedly bowing to the audience, re-
tired. The approaches to the Theatre were crowded
from an early hour in the afternoon. Every place in
the boxes had been taken several days since. A fortu-
nate wight was he who, during the course of
the performance, could, over his neighbour's shoulder,
obtain a peep at the Royal box, or at the stage.
and more than fortunate were those who could obtain
standing places in the slips. Mrs. Nesbitt was the
Donna Vioiante, and a better Violante it cannot be pos-
sible for any stage to produce. The Donna Violante of
Mrs. Nesbitt is quite equal to the Don Felix of Charles
Kemble—further praise cannot go. The Gibby of Mr.
*lan was a most admirable piece of acting; how is it
that we do not see more of this gentleman ? The
Lissardo of Harley, the Flora of Mrs. Orger, and the
Inis of Mrs. Humby were most humourous, and elicited
repeated bursts of laughter. Everything that could be
done for the piece in the way of scenery, costume, and
getting up, was done. It is scarcely necessary to men-
tion this, seeing the piece was produced under the
management of Madame Vestris.

THE HOPE OF THE WORLD.
Bentley, London, 1840.
In his Preface to this elegant volume of poems the
author observes that, " he has ventured to return to
the ancient simplicity, with the little consoling hope,
that when quite palled with high feeding, and the un-
substantial fritter of mere words, the public may, at
some near or at some remote period, look with a slight
degree of favour upon a humble follower in that simple,
natural, and enduring school of poetry which has pro-
duced such writers as Pope, Goldsmith, Rogers, and
Campbell." The period to which the author here
looks forward for being appreciated as he de-
serves, is nearer at band than he supposes.
The public are already tired of " the unsub-
stantial fritter of mere words" in poetry ; it requires
thought and feeling instead of mere felicitous expression;
and this is precisely the volume that is calculated to gra-
tify its improved taste. Nothing can well be chaster
than Mr. Mackay's language, or healthier and more ele-
vated than his general tone of feeling. His manner indi-
cates a calm self-possession that is far more closely allied
to real, unaffected sensibility than those hysterical out-
bursts with which modern poetry has been so long de-
formed. His songs are particularly happy—spirited,
graceful, and so remarkable for the melody of their
rhythm. that we are surprised the majority of them have
not yet been set to music. We shall be glad to see the
author again in print, for, if we mistake not, he pos-
sesses the poetic faculty in no ordinary degree.

(FROM A CORRESPONDENT.)

Her Majesty on leaving the Theatre, desired to see
Mr. Kemble, who waited upon her immediately after
the play, when her Majesty most graciously expressed
her approbation of his performance, and directed that
he should act Mercutio, in Ronzea and Juliet, to-morrow
(Thursday).

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE.

Grant, Cambridge, 1840.
A new cheap periodical, which, it seems, is to make
its appearance once a term. The present Number con-
tains some clever papers, and not a few indifferent
ones ; among those which we have read with the greatest
pleasure, is a spirited and graphic sketch, entitled " The
Grand Debate on the Ministry," which, as its title im-
ports, gives some interesting details respecting the
discussion on Sir John Yarde Buller's motion in the
House of Commons, at the commencement of the present
Session. The author of this amusing article is through-
out impartial in his comments on the different speakers,
and is evidently well acquainted with the theme which
he has undertaken to discuss. The brief biographical
sketch of " John Keates" is lively and pointed at the
commencement, but flags drearily towards the close.
For the small poems which are scattered throughout the
Number, we cannot say much. They are at best of a
mediocre character.

LITERATURE.

THE CZAR.
We were among the earliest to call attention to this

powerfully written novel, which the Times in its cri-
ticism on it a few days ago designated as " a romance
of the most startling character." Though it contains
much of the terrible, still it is the historical delineation
of a Sovereign whose reign is as conspicuous in the an-
nals of Russia for his own cruelties as it is for the re-
sults that flowed from his Government. Upon the
conquests that were made during his iron sway, the
power of Peter the Great was established, the Mus-
covite Empire assumed its form and importance, and
its rulers and subservient Ministers imbued their policy
with that sinuous finesse, which, from the days of
Catherine to the domination of Nicholas, has imposed

upon surrounding nations the necessity of constant vigi-
lance. Who is the foe that, like a coiled serpent,

spreads darkly, blocking up the path to the onward
progress of civilization ? is it not Russia—the same
that has trampled into dust the rights of Poland, and
who is battling now to trample the free-borne warriors
of the Caucasus beneath its feet, with a determination
as cruel as Ivan ever displayed towards his subjects ?
The author of the " Czar" has chosen a period un-
haeknied by the pen of the novelist ; a period which
Will serve well for a starting-point of reflection and corn-
Parison to the Engli h of what Russia was in its cradle,
What were the modes of its political advancement, and
finally what is the most fitting method to curb its arro•

gant aspiratio, 5 alter universal sway, and (to use a
Phrase of Napoleon, " de lrouver les inoyens de refouler
la llussic." The following extracts will give an idea of
the author's powers, &c. :
" The envenomed drug, that circulated in the veins of
the Cz Irina, like the treacherous hand that administered
it, was not apparent to the world. Its insidious course
bad steered clear of the tell-tale surface, and her transpa-
rent skin still were a healthy, though pallid hug. But
her flesh had frightfully wasted away, and the small hand,
extended for the homage of Grace, was greatly attenuated.
" Every thing around her spoke of death ; the Jew
looked on with lets never-ceasing smile, like the fixed grin
of a mask, admitting, through its empty sockets, the fires
of an inward hell. The high-born matron, chief of the
household of the Empiess, restless, yet stationary, her eye
cognisant of every movement, watching the dying, yet fol.
lowing the living, stood there, ever ready, shorn of her
figure's roundness—a moving spectre
" All was death-like but the heaven-born maiden, now
on the verge of the tomb. A smile of love and pleasure,
as Grace kissed that extended hand, played or. her faded

cheek, like that of a blooming infant on its parent's grave,
unconscious of its bereavement.

" There was a partnership of soul between the English
maiden and the Russian bride, which, in their pure
thoughts, disarmed the sepulchre of its terrors, for each
felt that the other was made for Heaven, and they hoped to
meet again.
" ' My sweet friend,' gently spoke the Czarina, as Grace
bowed her head to catch the faintly spoken words of the
expiring girl, 'thou ark, beautiful, and oh! how gentle—
they tell me I was so ; he eye of greatness rested on me,
and I withered from that hour—yet did my sovereign love
Inc. Had Ileaven, in its mercy, spared me for my coun-
try's repose—could I have lived a short space, to dry the
tears of the oppressed, to stem the torrent of blood, to de-
servo the love of my subjects, to instil into the breast of
the Czar the love of justice and mercy ;—oh I then had I
no-, been elevated to the throne in vain, and future genera-
tions would bless my name. My children I—does not all
Russia acknowledge me their mother ?—should have felt a
mother's care. But Vain the new-born feelings of my
heart !—it may not be—God hath given and he bath taken
"ay, blessed be the name of the Lord.'
" Exhausted with the effort of speaking, she paused.
" • Friend of my heart,' replied Grace, ' be thou con-
tent—Heaven in its wisdom hath so ordained it, and
though to mortal eyes Russia shall 100 in thee her
brightest ornament, the star whose gentle light and benign
influence should conduct her to happiness, yet will the
savour of thy virtues remain around thy Czar, and impel
him to deeds worthy a great sovereign; and shall not the
emanation of thy universal love raise a worthy successor to
thy greatness? A hero—'
"' A hero has arisen, my beloved Grace. Bring hither
thine ear,' and her cheek almost touched the lips of her
dying friend. 'He comes for Russia's regeneration. I
have seen him, the wise, the prompt, the bold ! In one
hand the diadem of the barbarian foreigner ; in the other,
the sword of victory. My heart would fain aid him in the
glorious work. In vain my wishes. Oh, God ! thy will,
not mine, be done.'
" They parted for life, in sadness, but not in despair, like
those travellers whose goal is the same, yet whose bur-
then impedes some, while others push on with the elastic
step of youth, and are hut the avant couriers of their core-
panions. Marfa looked with angelic ;benignity on her
riend ; she bade her farewell for a season, and Grace, in
tears, slowly left the palace."
1 •

GLANCES AT THE TIMES AND REFORM
GOVERNMENT.
A, pamphlet with this title, published by Effingham
Wilson, and written by Mr. Wade, author of " The
Chronological History of Great Britain," has just made
its appearance. It is a faint reflection of an able
pamphlet on the same subject published some five years
ago, under the title of " 'rho Reform Ministry and the
Reformed Parlidment," and completes the details of
measures passed by the Melbourne Ministry since that
period. The manner in which the pamphlet is written,
however, is liable to strong objection. It praises the
Reform Governmmt right or wrong—" no domestic
grievance has been left untouched, no foreign interest
worth note or comment has been compromised or neg-
lected"—and when by accident it finds fault with them
they happen to be as innocent of the charge as the High
Commissioner Lin or the child unborn. The ignorance,
too, of public characters, of their habits, acquirements,
and politics, as exhibited in a pamphlet by a writer who
pretends to give biographical notices of eminent men, is
quite incredir)le. If the book which he has published be of
the same stamp, for we either have not seen it or have
forgotten it, no great value can be attached to it for cor-
rectness. What better proof can be given than the fol-
lowing account of two of the most eminent lawyers and
legislators of the present day ? What absurdity to
compare Brougham and Lyndhurst to broken-down
lawyers ? Mr. Wade thus blames both Tories and
W higs :
" And what can the Tories be when two broken-down
lawyers, little better than Old Bailey attornies, arc their
guides—the contrivers of all their obstructive machina-
tions ! surely in the existing state of the Courts of Equity,
the Whigs might find better employment for Lords Lynd-
hurst and Brougham for their pensions of 5,0001. a year
each—than obstructing the public business of the nation.
If anything especially could lower the dignity of the Peer-
age, abate still further public confidence in it; fitness to
exercise a legislative check on the proceedings of the Com-
mons, or particularly lessen the opinion entertained by
many of the independent, straightforward patriotism of the
Duke of Wellington, Lord Wharncliffe, and some other
Peers—it would be the tameness with which the Upper
House has lent itself to the wiles—has suffered itself to
be hoodwinked and dragged through the mire by the above-
named disinterested specimens of consistency, senatorial
wisdom, and statcmanship of the highest grade ; and whose
ostentatious personal friendship, for cordiality and single-
ness of purpose, rivals the renowned union of Lockit and
Peachum in the Beggar's Opera."
This extract, to those who know the abilities of
Brougham and Lyndhurst, the difficulty, or rather im-
possibility, of prescribing to them any particular line of
conduct, because they receive 5,0001. a-year, the friend-
ship which has long existed between them in all their
political differences, and the beautiful straightforward
conduct of Wharncliffe, who supported the invidious
Roden inquiry, can require no comment. Some of the
other parts of the pamphlet are, however, of a different
character. The account of law reform, and particu-
larly of the diminution of capital punishment, of the
good effects resulting from it, of the remission of taxes,
and of some other measures carried into effect by the
present Government, is true and well stated. The fol-
lowing is an account of the mitigation of capital
punishments :
" Not many years since hundreds used to be annually
hung or transported for life for forging and uttering 13atik
of England notes. The stealing of a sheep, or theft to the
value of five shillings in a shop or dwelling-house, or even
the appearing with a blackened face at certain hours in
certain places, were offences that could only be expiated
by strangulation at the gallows. The Statute Book was
crowded with these and similar bloody enactments, which
were the more unbearable to the humane and reflective
when it was known that the framers of them, who evinced
such relentless severity towards criminals endangering the
security of their possessions, took little heed either to ob-
viate the wants or create the intelligence by which the
necessities and temptations to the darker delinquencies
might be circumscribed."
The Reformed Parliament did away with these cruel-
ties, and the first year of her Majesty's reign was sig
nalised by her giving assent in person to the remission
of many capital pu&s'iments."

• • " The Colossus was overthrown; but even the wreck
inspired awe. Yet the opinions of men were mute before
the judgment of Goi. Superstition added to the'r terrora,
for it was said that the bl,lv of tllo d cam, s a hpd suddenly The Marquis of Waterford has returned to town
disappeared, at,ri c7P,S 17.,crr 1,-;;Arcl of',
from Leanthigtou
wassamaw spa.