The Sun.
London, England, 1833-04-25 00:00:00

COVENT-GARDEN THEATRE.

Mr. KNomus last night achieved another dramatic triumph,
equal, if not superior, to his Hunchback. His " Wife, a Tale
of Mantua," was received with—not approbation, for th,.t is
too cold a term to use, but—enthusiasm by one of the most
crowded houses we ever remember to have seen. It is a rare
thing for a man of genius to be able to keep pace with, and even
out-strip, public expectation in his two-fold capacity of author
and actor. Yet Mr. KNOWLES has done so, and by so doing
bids fair to work a thorough stage Reform. His success rings
the death-knell of the stilted school, whether of acting or of
writing. It is the precursor of a purer, a more manly, a more
natural taste in dramatic literature. One of the leading characte-
ristics of Mr. KNOWLES'S genius is straight-forwardness. He in-
dulges i❑ no prefaces nor circumlocutions—wastes not a mo-
ment in striving to feel his way or beat about the bush, but
bounds at once on his subject, and rarely, if ever, misses
his spring. To find his equal in direct, vigorous simplicity of
manner, we must go back to the Elizabethan age. Since the days
of SHIRLEY, the last of a race of giants, Mr. KNOWLES has had
no rival in this respect, still less in his power of constructiveness,
and mode of controlling and mastering the promptings of a
most luxuriant invention, full even to overflowing. But there
is one point of character in which (with the single exception of
SHAKSPEARE) he is unrivalled by any dramatist in the language.
Masstscua beats him hollow in breadth and force of style;
BEAUMONT and FLETCHER have a thousand times more sweet-
ness, grace, and rich poetic sensibility; WERSTER more inten-
sity ; (we say nothing of FORDE, for we detest him, if only for
that outree absurdity his Broken Heart) ; BEN JONSON more
rough, manly vigour; but not one among them all can compete
with KNOWLES in cordiality. He is the most honest, warm-
hearted of dramatists. What he may be as a man we know
not, but we have a shrewd suspicion that his embrace
of a friend must be little short of a Cornish hug. We can
imagine a trim dandy dying of suffocation under the
squeeze. Another of Mr. KNowLEs's prominent excellen-
cies is his development of the female character. His
women are all Shaksperian ; that is to say, creatures of real
flesh and blood—(not tawdry, sentimental make-believes, angels
in every thing but wings)—but downright, literal transcripts
from humanity, with warm hearts beating in their bosoms.
Julia, for instance, though she may not pass muster at Almack's,
is as much a thing of life as Rosalind, and Mariana (the author's
most successful creation), the model of a pure, impassioned,
high-souled matron, such as we feel exists—as much so as
we feel the truth and nature of the lofty Hermoine. The plot
of the " Wife" is something to the following effect :

Leonardo Gonzaga, Prince of Mantua (Mr. C. KEAN), is be-
loved by Mariana (Miss E. TREE), a Swiss maiden, whose
father has rescued him from an avalanche while on his travels.
Her guardian, Hugo (ItaNscoun), has affianced her to Count
Florio (DinnEaa), but, unwilling to yield her hand where she
cannot give her heart, she seeks protection under the roof of
Antonio, a curate (C. BENNETT). The merits of her case are
tried before Ferrardo Gonaago (WARDE), the reigning Prince
of Mantua, his elder cousin Leonardo being considered dead.
Ferrardo decrees that she shall return to her guardian and
become the wife of the Count, when an unknown advocate
warmly espouses her cause, and, on Ferrardo's ordering him
to be removed, throws off his gown and discovers himself to
be Prince of 31antua and the lover of Mariana. Ferrardo
resigns his scat to its rightful owner, and the faithful
maid becomes the wife of the Prince. Ferrardo, how.
ever, resolves to revenge himself on his cousin, and
takes the opportunity of his absence on a warlike ex-
pedition to blacken the character of the new-made wife. For
this purpose he employs one Julian St. Pierre (Mr. SHERIDAN
KNOWLES), who had formerly been his agent in some vicious
transactions. Saint Pierre is also of Switzerland, and Ferrardo
contrives that he shall bear despatches to Mariana. He con-
strues to all who witness it her unrestrained delight at raeeting
with a countryman into undue familiarity with a stranger, and
subsequently contrives, by administering a sleeping potion to St.
Pierre, to have him conveyed into a bed.room adjoining that of
Mariana. By means of St. Pierre's scarf and other circum-
stantial evidences he establishes a general belief in her guilt ;
but, in endeavouring to make assurance doubly sure, by
extorting a written confession of guilt from St. Pierre, he
finds he has all along mistaken his instrument. St. Pierre is a
man whom he had corrupted in his youth, and who entertains a
mortal enmity to his employer. Instead of writing as Ferrardo
desires he writes a full detail of Ferrardo's guilty strata-
gems against the good name of Mariana, and, having first art.
fully possessed himself of his dagger, offers him the alternatives
of instantly signing the confession, or dying on the spot. Fer-
rardo signs the paper, and is secured in his own palace by St.
Pierre. He finds means, however, to escape, and, hurrying to
the camp, tells the tale of his wife's guilt to Leonardo. The
husband is incredulous, and 3fariana, who has flown from
Mantua to seek him, shortly after arrives in the tent to confront
her accuser. St. Pierre next appears with the written confes-
sion, but has scarcely uttered a word ere he is stabbed by Fer-
rardo. He, however, makes manifest the innocence of Ma-
riana, and with his dying breath declares himself her brother,
who many years before had been seduced away by Ferrardo
from their native valley. The curtain falls upon the mutual
and unshaken love of Leonardo and Mariana, the disgrace of
Ferrardo and the death of the unfortunate St. Pierre.

From this imperfect sketch, it will be seen that the play is one
of surpassing interest. Indeed, ftom first to last, the plot
never once flags. Every scene—every character helps on its
progress. With a bold reliance on his own resources, Mr.
KNowLss cuts away all irrelevant matters, and disposes of the
main business of the play before the close of the second act.
His Ferrardo is touched with a master-hand. We trembled
(thinking of Iago) when the character first began to develop
itself; but there was no cause for apprehension, Mr. KNOWLES
just lightly touched, then quitted the dangerous ground,
aware, perhaps, that it was beset by pit-falls. Mariana is
the most finished character in the play. One more gracefully
conceived, and skilfully executed, we know not, unless, as we
said before, it be among the Elizabethan dramas, where she
may, without difficulty, be equalled, but assuredly not sur.
passed. Miss TREE did ample justice to this model of high.
souled simplicity. Her generous reliance on her own innocence
—her contempt of the world's slander—her indignation at the
hints of her confessor—and then again her truly feminine re-
turn to fear and timidity, left nothing to be desideratad. She
filled a large space in the heart of the audience, which
she retained to the last moment. The following fine, feeling
bursts were exquisitely given :
Lorenzo—How grew your passion ?
Mariana—As my stature grew,
Which rose without my noting it, until
They said I was a woman. I kept watch

Beside what seem'd his death-bed.

From beneath

An avalanche my father rescued him,

The sole survivor of a company

Who wandered through our mountains. A long time
His life was doubtful, Signor, and he called

For help, whence help alone could come, which I,
Morning and night, invok'd along with him.—

So first our souls did mingle.
• • • • •
I lov'd indeed! If I but nurs'd a flower

Which to the ground the rain and wind had beaten,

That flower of all our garden was the pride:—
What then was he to me, for whom I thought

To make a shroud, when, tending on him still
With hope, that, baffled still, did still keep up,
I saw at last the ruddy dawn of health

Begin to mantle o'er his manly form,
And glow--and glow—till forth it burst at last
Into confirmed, broad, and glorious day !
In the trial scene, too, nothing could be more effective than
the way in which Miss TREE replied to the question of WARDS
(Ferr ado) as to where her unknown lover resided :

" My heart ! Though travels he
By land or sea—though I'm in Mantua
And he as distant as the Pole away."
"I look but into that, and there he is,
It's king enthroned, with every thought, wish, will,
In waiting at his feet."

The thought we have marked in italics is not new, but was
it ever more exquisitely developed? We must not omit to
mention that fine trait of nature, where, having exhausted
her indignation at what she fancied an affront, Marianna's
natural gentleness prevails, and she returns, a penitent, to k neel
for a blessing from her confessor. This skilful trait brings out
the character, as one or two of Claude's magical touches bring
out a sunset. Again, what a fine Miranda-like innocence and
simplicity breathe in the following passage! Mariana is re-
plying to some vague hints of her confessor :
" I slept alone ? Yes--I did sleep alone I:
What idle words are these ?—I slept alone !
I know I slept alone last night !—the night
Before ! the night preceding that !—alone ?
How could I otherwise than sleep alone,
When my dear lord's away ?"

The next prominent character is Julien St. Pierre. It is but
a sketch, though a bold and vigorous one, and was played by
K:stowLEs, as no other actor of the day could play it. It is ad.
mirably suited to his abrupt, rough, colloquial mode of delivery.
Mr. KNOWLES'S acting has the charm of perfect originality.
It has all the ease and freedom of Kean, with a literalness,
a distinctness of purpose, and an utter absence of the pic-
turesque, that strongly mark its individuality. A taste for
Knowles's acting is, we suspect, something like that for olives, an
acquired taste. At first it may appear repulsive, for it shocks
all established theatrical prejudices ; but it is soon found to be
bottomed on nature, and makes its way accordingly. It is charac-
terized by singular frankness, bonhommie, and straightforward-
ness. Strong, cordial feeling breathes in every word, and suggests
every movement. Apparently, Mr. KNOWLES has quite a pu-
ritanical horror of the artificial. He disdains what is called
" making points," but trusts to nature alone to bear him out
in all he says or does. We quote a passage which is strongly
characteristic of the author, the actor, and the man. KNOWLES
of course delivered it in his best, that is to say, his heartiest,
manner. It occurs in the boldest scene in the play

" I tell thee
I ne'er received a blow from mortal man
But I did pay it back with interest ! One by one
1 have parted with those virtues of a man
Which precept doth inculcate; but one grace
Remains—the growth of nature—the true shoot
Abuse could not eradicate, and leave
The trunk and root alive—one virtue—manhood!
The brow whereon doth sit disdain of threat,
Defiance of aggression and revenge
For contumely. You did strike me! Come,
I must have blow for blow."

The feeling and energy which KNOWLIIS threw into these
bold lines, more especially the way in which he erected his form,
till it absolutely seemed to dilate and swell upon the eye, as he
thundered out the word " manhood" (as if every manly ex-
cellence was summed up in that one word) quite electrified the

nstivi
audience. Equally effective was his description of
,„
country, which we subjoin for the sake of its delight( Vs".
" The land of beauty and of grandeur, lady,
Where looks the cottage out on a domain
The palace cannot boast of. Seas of lakes,
And hills of forests ! crystal waves that rise
'Midst mountains all of snow, and mock the sun,
Returning him his flaming beams more thick
And radiant than he sent them. Torrents there
Are bounding floods ! and there the tempest roams
At large, in all the terrors of its glory !
orchards-'
For hearts our cottages, our vineyards,
And then our valleys ! ah, they are the homes
Our pastures studded with the herd and fold
Our native strains that melt us as we sing them
A free--a
'Hie emphatic gentle—way sin which KN oimple—honestwcys people!dwelt on 0"
" honest" dropping his voice, as if half-strangled with
oil
4;ot
and a thousand painful recollections, convinces 0,/r. C:
he is one of the most intellectual actors of the dal'
KEAN played the part of Leonardo With a truth
es,a3
skill that give Us high hopes of him.
proved since we saw him last. The character o.dence,
failure, and disturbs the otherwise
lightful one ; full of buoyancy and generous 111,41Pe
and by far the most original in the play. WA"E gPI3s.
wily Ferrardo with marked care and judgment' ctiet'j
did all that could be done for Bartolo ; but the char' JO
play. It is a tissue of mere buffoonery, and°.,febl fg"
lumbering nature. Altogether we consider the "tyt,,,,,,tP"
the ablest and most finished of KsrowLEs'S Oar' aroe
some exquisite snatches of poetry; and is ren.':,
numerous single lines of the most perfect felicity'
thought and expression, such for instance as—
" No retinue doth stop your gracious way,
Here is no throng—for poverty sits here
besides a hundred others, which we have neither sP4cen-ew
to mention. The scenery was, for the most 1)311'..0
hit
well painted, and the play announced for repetio.oo hits
shouts and waving of hats and scarves and handlceircil'e 131°
,hich
all parts , of the house (the pit rising en moue, ""
have been inspiration to a man genius and
fee'
of a
Mr. KNOWLES. graceful uniforiniti

On • Monday PA VILIO
roprietorN THE"! T
esta-il•c;:lishoseats
the sirited pof this -, It
duced a new drama, called The Robber of the liht
dramatic version of LEITCH RiTcnlE's celebrated 017 roe,
expressly for this theatre by the author of se!„eeraaticliet,
dramas, and received the unanimous applause of '" wisetf;
Mr. FREER, as Schinderhannes, played with eO,
and Mr. BURTON, in a very original comic charac`;l -;
re tio
continued shouts of laughter. We can conflden.gainit
mend a visit to this house as an excellent specific
blue devils generated by the prevailing influenza.

THE FUNDS.-(THIS DA

tiLOCIC.,be
CITY, TWELVE o'-- clod -
By the French mail this morning, we have rec
following, from the Turkish frontiers : he CS
rd o{ the as
The sth division, forming the advanced gtl3. AleitJogi'e
of the army of General HesselefF, was to arrive 3' dace
the 24th of March, when a junction was to 010 9;p:di
the expedition left for Turkey. The above Geller'. 010
0tt:0..4
a Proclamation to the Administration of Walachti''l
he stated that serious events were pressing en
empire, caused by the revolt of the Viceroy of "::,-cce'
had caused the Sublime Porte to demand the as'i:,,,"-peri,l)sl;
Emperor of Russia, both by sea and land. '"-13' 000
jesty had, in consequence, ordered his fleet ill the -0,64'0
to sail to the Bosphorus, and he put at the Sultal!, andsfr‘
auxiliary corps, which was confided to his coalman"' rte.'
would be ready to march at the first signal for the 11ed154
The following is the French force to be asse,, Sort
Levant :—The Sueren, 100 guns, Duquesne, 90 gu":,'
74 guns, Marengo, 74 guns, with four heavy M- ltd
rece'

guns each.
Madras Papers to the 13th of November have been
at the North and South American Coffee-house. 00- f!
The following important intelligence has been yjiert'ot
cated to us :—The da3 before the Italy arrived 3 frillirel
squadron of Dutch men of war, consisting Of seviengt ik,o4
passed on their way to Batavia. It was repert`-",o6°`
that these ships left Holland on the 3d of April in c°.
of a probable war.
,
" A very serious disturbance has taken place a', tife' 4
owing to a scheme which some of the disaffected 07, to
vised for the destruction of the European inhabitantS'ostiD.;t7
The Turkey mail has arrived. The letters statehali't.,,f,
him's army was advancing in great force, and the"' IVO
of Constantinople were disposed to join him. The
army was also on its march for the above capital.
THE
In consequence of the great majority on the sideof 4'ooterj
last night in the House of Commons on Mr. AttW,793;
the Funds have improved this morning to 87. El:.
which they have receded a little, and are at prose° •
with little doing. oe raj
The estafette from Paris states that preparation,. h t°
at Toulon to send a fleet to the Levant, and whlcroctO
joined by an English squadron, no doubt for the Pr"
the Turkish empire. aor.
is 0011

In the Foreign Market the only speculation -.
Stock, which is rather lower, owing to the decline 'll
on Monday.

The Dutch steamer has arrilivedA,lwFhicPhAb;CinTO repoel;
Funds somewhat lower ; but we do not hear of *ll'o9
news, with the exception that his Dutch Majesty
old system of procrastination, looking for alleforfr
event that may arise from the critical situation 0' $
East. tbat el:p0/411

Private accounts from Paris, this morning, statemPtioe.
affairs have a brighter appearance than for seln
particularly in regard to the affairs at ConstantinolAZ oflri
The North American packet ship is off LiverP°°
the Ist inst. ; letters and papers not yet received' obi'
A vessel has arrived from Oporto, sailed on tbe •d$
notl Ise es yet has transpired. raltig 10".
Consols have remained steady during the 10° witl3
for the Account; alternately, buyers and sellers,
doi
In .r tiler 1°
the Foreign Market the Dutch Funds are -$
owing to their having receded in Holland. CL OC°
THREE W.--
Console for the Account, S7l.
„,1.C1C91
CLOSING PRICES.—FOUR 'ft"
Bank Stock 194 j 3 4 3 India Stock. ..............
3 per Cent. Red 7 Ditto 80nd5....,". ...
3 pet Cent. Cons B7j South Sea Stoc' ..... .. ;
34 per Cent. 94t Ditto Old Ann.' •... , Fl;.
per Cent. tied 944; a •
Ditto New Alin'
New 3i per Cent 951 f f Ex. Bills, 10 a .......
.80 en:
4 per Cent lui2j 14 Ditto 5101,, ... ..
ea*
Lang. Ann. to expire Ditto soul, ........ 8
Jan. 1860 16 IL-17 Bank St. for Ace' Ali a
Oct. 1859 16 12-16 Consols fir Acc..,:.0
Jan. 1860
PUBLICATIONS.—We
area
N E W
of the
.uote
eLhUßleeßubaßLrui:ltt;
doA TIONS.-- vv e are r
state that the following works will be readi4lolo 11P
with the Magazines on the Ist May The gri,4oso
sßetu Lowf
portraitrt‘RoC' tModerno2r.y To
fNh
e3edl
"Theispt Novelists,"
00cfwo
History of the Commoners of the United Pt A oil
Companion to the Peerage and Baronetage"7;A:o),,
Edition of the Private Correspondence of Dr' ‘be
2 vole—and 4. "Service Afloat," coroprisint ! lb° 0I
narrative of a Naval Officer, employed di:0;1 00 111
war, and the Journal of an Officer engaged felt
expedition, under the command of Captain O_di
western coast of Africa.
sump a
Prince TALLEYRAND gave a sunir tip
tainment on Monday, in Hanover-square, t° tft4 P
Duchess of MONTEBELLO, the Duke of Ana"%efs,,
Countess SEFTON, Lord and the LicliesMoviLol:;l, A
WESSENSERG, Baron de NatmrANN, Mr. 17 • 007,0
M. DURAND Si'. ANDRE, the Fr2ncb Conslfottl;
It appears that the Dukes of 00' fore:rjb
NEMOURS are expected to arrive in London bed cilisil
of next week. Prince TALLEYRAND has i'supl7oceigi
a grand dinner to the French Princes on thesoi ;0,1 og
to which the Duke of GLOUCESTER, Prince g(11,0
I.IEVEN, Earl GREY, Baron and Baronesor
many other persons of distinction, are invite:;cAr tod°,
RAILWAY IRON FOR Alq°' tb!li ;.,s
learn that a most respectable mercantile hougeogr:d
has lately received an order to send irony t° log
the use of the extensive railways now ibr';.-pool 010:,
country, to the amount of 90,000/.--irwipg
WHALE FISHERY.—The
ships, bound to Davis' Straits, sailed fr°°Ferieflertlet.i'
these several slates : viz., On the 2,1 inst. she Abeelop
of Peterhead ; on the 3d, the Middieton, urraee
sth, the Lord Gambier, of Hull ; 6t,h'ne
Peterhead ; Lady Jane, of Newcastle; 'l4 rte,
and Elizabeth, both of Hull; and, on t•hebleW
of Aberdeen. From the 6th to the Sib it. be ces,,,l,
S.S.E. to S., so that these vessels toug:h the v,"ipiri
advanced on their destination. On the 8`0,1.001.0J
Bay, of Newcastle, Phcenir, of
of Hull, Davis' Straits wbale-fishing "'JP
Stromness.
that the tt°(/
We are not surprised to hear which oof
in general abuse " Aims and Ends.' Goolo
I.VhitbYt
(as Lord BYRON asks) ever liked DE
Quarterly Review.

de,
BIBTHS• ol ft'
On the 9.lst inst. in Devonshire-place, the laaY
Colonel White, of a'daughter.
31 BRIED • 1-10100. Jr
On the 23d inst. at Shrewsbury, Thomas lieurL.rops. j
eldest son of John Thomas Hope, E.sq., of Netle, f,"ttidep
Louisa Charlotte, eldest daughter of Francis ICnr-
Esq., of Shrewsbury.

DIED.
On the 22,1 'inst., Maria, wife of Can'''. 0
Wilto
n-p, Belgrae.sare, ar,cd 42. _ vOO
On th lace2tl in qu in Upper Bedford-place,
Thomas Neale, Esq , aged 70.

iy 140 °.
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY MU D Y 0 •••• -
Sim OFFICE, STEAR
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