The Sun.
London, England, 1833-02-26 00:00:00

COVENT-GARDEN THEATRE.

On Saturday and yesterday evening we visited this theatre,
for the purpose of forming some judgment of the nature of the
change which we presumed must, in the course of the three or
four years he has been abroad, have taken place in the style
of Mr. CHARLES KEAN'S acting. We were not mistaken in
our anticipations, or, upon the whole, disappointed in the
hopes we had formed. We recollect that we did not give him
credit for much originality of conception—that we thought he
occasionally departed from the meaning of his author from a
wish to produce some new effect—that his action, though
graceful upon the whole, was occasionally faulty per-
haps from the same cause—that his voice was deci.
dedly bad, and his delivery halting, so that the words
dropped from his lips in separate jerks, and produced
upon the ear a sensation somewhat similar to that pro.
duced upon the eye by the motion of the seconds' hand of a
watch. Nevertheless, we thought that time, and study, and
practice, would work in him changes which would entitle him
to take a high, if not the highest rank in his profession. As
we have already said, our expectations have n3t been disap-
pointed. An actor, zealous in his professior,, like Mr. C.
KEAN, is always improving ; like MICHAEL ANGELO, he con.
tinues to polish and perfect Ilia work long after to com.
mon eyes it has received the finishing touches. We shall,
therefore, advance what few strictures we have to
mingle with our praise of Mr. KEAN, in the confidence
that he will attribute them to the most friendly feelings,
towards himself as well as the performance of a duty. First,
then, we do not think that he has manifested since his return
more symptoms of striking genius, such as astonished the me-
tropolis on the first appearance of his father. He has his
father's features, much of his voice, and copies from him those
sudden starts and changes of intonation, sometimes of great
effect, but, for the most part, tolerated, rather than admired. In
this, however, his improved judgment has been at work, and the
fault is far less obvious than it was. Whilst upon the subject of his
resemblance to his father, we may add that the Velutilike squeak
which occasionally made itself heard before he left England, no
longer shocks the ear. When we saw him in Sir Edward
Mortimer we thought his action, though improved, much too
violent, that it " far o'erstepped the modesty of nature," and
smacked too much of the Coburg. The whole piece, how-
ever, is nothing better than a melodrama, and we were content
to wait for his Hamlet. The result last night satisfied us that
Mr. KEAN's improvement in his action is very great. It is
generally easy and graceful, but there were parts where
it jarred our feelings, perhaps, because unsuited in our
opinion to the particular matter in hand. We will
specify an instance of this kind of defect. After his confe.
rence with the ghost, in the first act, Hamlet says :
" Hold, hold my heart ;
And you, my sinews, grow not instant old,

But bear me stiffly up."
Suiting, according to his notion we suppose, the action to the
mind, Mr. C. KEAN started from the ground, stiffening his
limbs in a most painful manner. Now we submit to his consi-
deration that "stiffly " here merely means" strongly," and that
it would be natural for him to manifest excess of weakness.
The words indicate exhaustion after the excitement and awe
produced by the supernatural conference he had just held, and
the utterance of the wish for strength would not produce it.
The error into which Mr. KEAN has, we think, here fallen, is
of the same nature with that into which all the French actors
before 'Alma fell with respect to one of RaciNE's heroes, we
think, one whom the hand of misfortune has heavily pressed,
and who, relating his past history, says,—
"I was then young, haughty, and proud."

Suiting the action to the word, not to the sense, the
French actors had been in the habit if standing erect and
assuming a haughty attitude. Tema, with that exquisite feel-
ing of nature which distinguished him, overturned the ancient
practice, and pronounced the line in a tone and attitude
of shame, humiliation, and regret, like a man who feels that
"all is vanity." We mention this as an instance for Mr.
KEAN'S general guidance, which should make him cautious of
too literally obeying the injunction of " suiting the action to
the word." In his instructions to the players, by the way,
Mr. KEAN was admirable, and showed a nice sense of what was
due to himself as a prince even when imitating to condemn the
forced rnd violent action of a bad player. We could mention
one or two other parts of the tragedy in which Mr. KEAN ex-
celled, and in which he was greeted with loud applause; but
truth compels us to say that these parts were few, and that
upon the whole, though there was little to offend, there was
also little that could warrant us in using superlatives. Never..
Unless, let Mr. KEAN continue to improve as he has done, let
him persevere in study, and we doubt not that he will yet take
a station not unworthy of his father's son. In the mean time
we shall anxiously watch his progress, for he has already done
enough to raise in us the highest hopes. With regard to the other
characters, as we have nothing very favourable to say of the
greater part of them, and as they do not exactly come
within our present design, we forbear saying any thing.
At this time of day it would be presumptuous in us
to make any observations in the way of criticism upon Hamlet,
but there is a criticism upon this play in existence, rich in novel
thought, which we would recommend to the attention both of
Mr. KEAN and the Manager. We allude to GOETHE'S criticism
in one of the chapters of WILHELM MEISTER, beautifully
translated a few years back by a lady, we think. It would fur-
nish them with what we consider the real clue to Hamlet's cha-
racter, and the Manager with some hints for the management
of the Ghost scenes, which, if adopted, could not fail to heighten
their effect tenfold.

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE. (THIS DAY.)

FROM LLOYD'S.

PORTSMOUTH, FEB. 25.—Wind S.S.W.—Arrived his Ma-
jesty's ship Serpent, from a cruise; and sailed his Majesty's ship
Seaflower, for Lisbon.
DEAL, FEB. 25.—Wind S.W.
PLYMOUTH, FEE. 24.—1 t blew a heavy gale last night from
S.S. E., but at day-light moderated and shifted to the W.—Ar.
rived from London the Lowther Castle, for China; and Mary
Ann, Jocks, bound to Van Diemen's Laud.
FALMOUTH, FEB. 24.
DOVER, FEB. 25.—Arrived off port the Nederlandsche, Lin.
dern, from Batavia, detained by the Dove revenue cruiser, and
sent to Sheerness, bound to Rotterdam.
MARGATE, FEB. 25.—Arrived the Friends Goodwill, Good_
riche, from London, leaky, having been on Margate Sand, bound
to St. Michael's.

COWES, FEB. 25. Arrived the Andromache, Hunter, from
Charleston, with damage, and leaky.
GUERNSEY, FEB. 23.—Arrived the Margaret, Ellis, from
London, with loss of both masts, &c., and ballast shifted, having
been struck by a sea the 20th instant, bound to Terceira.
GREENOCK, FEB. 23.—Arrived the Susannah, Robertson,
from Demerara; and Powhatten, from Virginia.
DUBLIN, FEB. 24.—Arrived the Relief, Wingfield, from St.
Petersburgh.
WATERFORD, FEB. 23.—Arrived the Eclipse, Galloway,
from St. John's, New Brunswick. Towed in water logged the
Fame, and the Royal Eagle, from London.
CORK, FEB. 23.—Arrived the Arid, Thompson, from Deme-
rara, with damage, cargo shifted, having been struck by a sea ;
and the Ursula, Plummer, from London.
LONDONDERRY, FEB. 23.—Arrived the Mary Cumming,
from London.

MILFORD, FEB. 21.—The Prince Leopold, Liddell, of White.
haven, has put into this port, with loss of topmast and jib-boom,
having been in contact witn a brig.
YOUGH ALL, FEB. 22.—The Betsey, Rees, was got off yes.
terday, with damage, after discharging about half the cargo, and
brought into dock here.'
W EXFORD, FEB. 23.—The Mercury, Devereux, from Li-
verpool, has been much damaged on the bar, but has been
brought into the harbour.
The Francis Jeffey, Fleming, from London to Marseilles, was
towed into Penzance, with loss of both masts, &c., having been
in contact with the Lord Nelson, from St. Michael's.
The Shannon stearin*, from London, arrived at Dublin on
Friday night last. The Erin, steamer, which sailed from
Plymouth ten days previous to the former, has not yet arrived,
and great fears are entertained for her safety. Sixty guineas were
offbred on this vessel yesterday. It is said she had about sixty
five passengers on board. The City of Londonderry steamer,
from London to Dublin, weathered the gale, and put into Poole,
which place she left, 21st Inst. for her destination.
The Isabell, Griffiths, from Demerara, was on shore at Bar.
badoes, 22d ult. cargo discharging.

The Glenberrie, from Denier:in, is supposed to be arrived in
the Clyde.
The Peace, Jacques, from Workington to Wexford, was di iven
on shore near Arklow, 20th inst.

The Charlotte Wylie, Thompson, from Africa to London, was
assisted into St. Valery by a fishing boat.
The Celerity, Dickenson, of Jersey, has been fallen in with,
abandoned, and carried to Topsham.
The Pembroke, from Milford to Dundalk, and the St. Peter,
Fearon, from Harrington to Drogheda, were wrecked near Drog-
heda, 20th inst.
The Mary, Frances, from Liverpool, was driven on shore at
the Skerries, 20th inst.
The Minerva, from Liverpool to Belfast, was fallen in with off
Howth, 20th inst., and abandoned.
The Northumberland, Welden, was totally lost at Rio Grande
in Brazil, on the 23d October, 1832; crew saved.
The Mary Ann, of Perth, laden with coals, has been fallen in
with, abandoned, and afterwards sunk.
The Hope, Hewson, from Liverpool to Newcastle, put into
Penzance, with loss of sails, bulwarks, and anchor.
The Hawk, Hull, of Wexford, was wrecked on Wexford Bar,
22d inst.