The Sun.
London, England, 1841-11-17 00:00:00

SURREY THEATRE.

Romeo and Juliet was performOd at this theatre last
evening, for the purpose of introqucing a young lady,
named Waverley, to a London audience, in the character
of Juliet. Miss Waverley is rather tall, her figure is
good, her countenance very expressive, and her voice,
powerful, yet sweet, is completely under command.
Her elocution is correct, and her action, although at
times excessive, is generally graceful and appropriate.
On her first appearance she was labouring under such an
extreme degree of nervousness as evidently to prevent
her doing justice to herself in the earlier scenes. She
gradually overcame this feeling as she became accus-
tomed to her audience ; and the balcony scene, more
especially towards the conclusion, was given with great
taste, feeling, and judgment. Her first great hit was in
the lines, _ _

" Swear by thy gracious self,
Which is the god of my idolatry."
She threw into the words an expression ofconfiding, trust-
ing tenderness and lore, which seemed the overflowinc,
of a heart bursting with affect:on—a heart so filled with
love that there was no room in it for any thought or
feeling of self, or friends, or kindred. To her Romeo
was all in all —her world—her heaven. He was, indeed,

the god of her idolatry. The audience appreciated her
exquisite manner of giving this passage, and rewarded
her with long-continued and well-merited applause.
This seemed to give her courage, apd she went through
the remainder of the part without the betrayal of any
further symptoms of nervousness', Her scene with the
Nurse, excellently acted by Mrs W. Daly, was very
good; she felt she was a woman, and was indignant at
being treated like a child, and then, recollecting the old
Nurse's former kindnesses, she became for a short time

the playful girl again, to soothe the irritated feelings
of the tasty old woman. Her attitude in throwing her-
self into her Nurse's lap was exceedingly graceful, and
the manner of doing it playful, without being hoydenish.
In the scene in which she is informed of Tybalt's death
and Romeo's punishment she was very effective.
The parting scene with Romeo was given with exquisite
feeling and pathos. In the conclusion of this scene.
Miss Waverley introduced a new and, as it strikes us, a
most appropriate reading. She is torn. as it were, from
Romeo by the Nurse, and is led off the stage, sobbing
and almost faint from excess of emotion. In this scene
Also she was much applauded. Although the commence-
ment of the scene in Lavvrence:s cell, in which she
threatens to stab herself, was
.somewhat overacted, yet
the conclusion was admirably given.. The play of her
features when the Friar is describing to.her the effect of
the potion he is about to administer,, stud her tremulous
shrinking from him when he tells her she Must be carried
to the old ancestral tomb, to lie there as one dead for 48

hours, were most expressive. IThirOffifidoubt—all, at
last, giving way to love and faith, in liim,she-loved—that
love inspiring her with the courage and fortitude to go
through all these horrors, transforming the „timid, shrink-
ing, fearful girl, at once into the.bigh-souled. woman—
such, it was evident, were the,fcalings agitating her
breast, and it needed no words to, give them full expres-
sion. In the scene in which she. drinks the sleeping
draught, she gave the celebrated soliloquy with great
power and effect ; and after drinking the potion, sunk on
her knees, crossed her hands upon her breast, bowed
her head, and remained a short time in the at-
titude of prayer. This point is a new one, and
shows that Miss Waverley thoroughly understands
the confiding, trusting faith which is the distin-
guishing trait in the character of Juliet. Witness her
unshaken faith in Romeo's love—in the Friar's honesty
—in her Nurse's fidelity—and how appropriate is it
that she, the fond, confiding, trusting, faithful Juliet)
should, in her agony, thus show her faith in Providence.
Her dying scene was exquisitely pathetic, and when
she threw herself on Romeo's corpse it was in the very
agony of despair. At the fall of the curtain she was
loudly called for, and greeted with bursts of well-de-
served applause. This young lady has evidently much
to learn before she can become a finished actress, but she
has nothing to unlearn. There IS no straining after
effect, no attempt to make points, nor the remotest ap-
proach to imitation. She is moreover entirely free from
that monotonous drawling whine which mars the elocu-
tion of some of our most azcomplished actresses. She
has yet to acquire the secret of repose, but that can only
be attained by constant practice,and a familiar acquaintance
with the stage. Let her study assiduously, trusting at the
same time solely to the promptings of her own mind for
her conception of character, and avoidiug all imitation,
and mannerism, and conventionalism, from which she
is at Present entirely free, and she cannot but attain a
high rank in her profession. Mr. Graham, who was
suffering severely from cold and hoarseness, was the
Romeo ; and he certainly acted that difficult character in
a manner on the whole very creditable to his taste and
judgment. We have seen many worse Romeos, but,
with the exception of Charles Kemble, few better. This
gentleman is no disciple of any particular school. He
has that faith itt himself without which no man can attain
to eminence ; :and we doubt not to see him occupying it
very respectable position in the krofessiuti which he has
chosen. The Surrey company is greatly strengthened
by the accession of Miss Waverley and Mr. G raham
and we have no doubt but that the legitimate drama will
prove as successful at this theatre as cpera and equestrians
have done. The piece was well got up, and the house
was crowded.
The horses are gone—Duerow has made hit tYilt for
the season, and the legitimate drama has resumed its
sway. Mr. Graham made his first appearance since his re-
turn from his provincial engagements on Monday evening,
and chose the character of Coriolanus for that purFose.
This gentleman has improved amazingly by his Idio-
yincial practice, and his Coriolanus is a very creditable
performance. A new drama of diablerie followed, under
the title of Don Juan de Murano, or Good and Evil Angels.
The bills state it to be an adaptationfrom the French, but
the adapter might have saved himself the expense of
purchasing the French libretto, for the piece is neither
more nor less than ,a of h piece, which,
tpinidereire,tpheondGiffioevreanntnit,italensd
eTfhLlue Libertinefttruan,DLeseirFoyesedti,nhdaes
been a stock piece at every theatre in Europe tbr the
last two hundred years. Don Juan de M &remit is, in
fact, " our ancient friend Don kl sta, y and runs
the same wild career of debauchery, gambling,
and murder, having pivvicutsly entered into actual
compact with the Evil One ; while, in the old
Don Juan, if we recollect aright, the •
compact is
merely an implied one. The career of the new Don
Juan, like that of his prototype, is brought to a Conclu-
sion through the intervention of the monumental statue
of one of his victims; and we see him, like the hero of
" the pantomine,
Sent to the devil somewhat ere his time,"
a goodly company of the ghosts of his victims standing
in the back ground, to witness the performance. The
piece (which was successful) has been got up with great
care and attention. The scenery is very beautiful, and
reflects the greatest credit on Mr. Brunning. Novelty is
he the order of the day at this theatre.

UNIVERSITY OF LONDON
SECOND EXAMINATION, NOVEMBER, 1841.
BACHELOR OF MEDICINE.
Twenty-one candidates presented themselves at this
examination ; and of these the following have passed:—
FIRST DIVISION.— James Blake, University College ;
John Burford Carlill, University College ; Dayrell
Joseph Thackwell Francis, Guy's Hospital ; William
Withey Gull, Guy's Hospital ; John Deakin Heaton,
Leeds University College ; William Allen Miller, King's
College ; John Birkbeek Nevins, Leeds, Guy's, and
County Dublin Hospitals ; Henry George Noyes, Guy's
Hospital ; William Paley, london Hospital ; Edmund
Alexander Parkes, University College ; John Philips
Potter, University College ; Henry Savage, University
College ; Charles Brodie Sewell, University College ;
Eduard Smith, Birmingham and Paris ; William Way,
University College.
SECOND DIVISION.--Henry Bateson, Guy's Hospital;
Edward Meryon, University College ; James Powell,
University College.

The weather of Sunday was so calm on the
northern coast, that the salute fired at Dover on the em-
barkation of his Excellency the British Ambassadot
France, was distinctly heard at Boulogne.