The Sun.
London, England, 1802-12-24 00:00:00

iite ()PERI;

• LAST night, the. tepresentatton of Merofc took
place, to-morrow being Chiistmas nay. Consider_
ing the Season, it, was vety well attended. Mrs.
BILLINGTON gave her AirS with all her accustomed
excellence, and some Foreigners in the Pit e~:cidirn_
ed " etonnant."

La Foret Ench.2ntle was a little curtailed, the
Pas de deux in the First Aet,,being omitted in con.
sequence of the accouchenient,of Madame CO aAL LI.

After the Curtain had finally dropped; there was
an alarm of fire upon the°thake. One of the Scenes
had caught fire, but it Oas.'extinguished without
doing any further damage than burning the scene.

THE THE4TRE.

toroext Garden.

Tint Dramatic Poem of Cato was last night re-
presented at this Theatre, and COOKE, for the first
time, assumed the venerable Hero of the Piece, in
which he certainly added to his professional re-
pute, He delivered the patriotic sentiments of the
noble Roman with great firmness and dignity.—
If he at times -introduced some touches of pathos
that seemed not thoroughly consistent with the
stoical fortitude that is supposed to constitute
the main feature in the charaaer of Cato, he gave it
in that tesped a degree of interest which most pro-
bably would not hate arisen if he had exhibited
more strongly the abstract idea of Roman severity.
We must again declare, that COOKE has increased
his reputation by his performance of this dignified
part, and he deserved all the applause which the Au-
dience very zealously bestowed on him.

His merit was most conspicuoqs in the scene with
the Conspirators; in that in which' he receives the
body of his son ; and in delivering the august soli-
loquy which has been so long and so justly admired.
The charaaer of Marcus was performed by Mr.
H. .JOHNSTON in much too cold and sententious, a
style for so impetuous a charaeter. It is evidently
the intention of the Author to contrast the animated
passion of Marcus with the philOsophizing,-refiea-
ing turn of Portills; but this distinktion was lost in
the aaing.. JoaNsTorr possesses many requisites
for the part, and if he thißW's more fire into it,
he will, no doubt render it a good performance.
Miss IVIARRIOT acquitted herself so well'in Lucia,
that we are surprized her talents. are not oftener
brought into aaion. MURRAY did not succeed in
Syphax : he gave the part a kind of familiar Hunt-
nes', too; nearly allied to Comedy: Mrs. LiTcll
lIIz LD was sufficiently decent in Marcia:
The House was much better attended than we .ex-
peCted, for though Cato is a fine Poem, it is but a
dull drama.

The Daughter of a Lady of Fashion, on Tuesday
last, eloped from her mother's house at Isleworth,
with an Officer in the Dragoons, on a matrimonial
expedition to Scotland. The far fits; canhardly
be excused on the score of juvenile indiscretion, as
she is on the wrong side of thirty. Her military
escort is only ninetten.

The late Mr. WILLIAMS, Member for Marlow,
was one of the most aaivc Patrons of the Literary
Fond ; but, contrary to expe&atibn, he has made
no bequest in its favour, though his Fortune is un.
derstood to have been considerable.
Mr. Su tar DAN has lately shewn sOlnach attach-
mern to- sylvan scenes, by .his frequent excursions
from Town, that the old report is rife again .in
Theatrical Circles, of his intention to bring for-
ward The Foresters, for which he is preparing him-
self by pastoral meditations.

-The situation of Musical Composer to the Hay_
Market Theatre, vacant by the death of Dr. Ait:.
-trot,o, has, it Seems, been allotted.to.KtL.Lv, who
has certainly acquitted himself very.successfullY in
the same province at Drury-Lane. •
For the sake of BRAHAM, it is to be supposed'
than certain enemies of the new Opera at- Covent
Garden Theatre will abate in opposition, as
he so fully proves himself to be one of the sweet
Singers of Israel.

A great number of trees and shrubs have lately
been sent from this country to Madame BONA-
PARTE. The soil of France is not sufficiently pro-
dudive to supply her nursery.
It is unnecessary now for a man to put himself to
the expence and hazard of traversing the Globe in
search of information, as he may, according to the
Report of the CHANCELLOR, obtain a knowledge
of every Climate, by simply passing through the
apartments belonging to the House of Peers.
Wednesday between twelve and one o'clock, as
ore of the Bromley and Lewisham long coaches was
driving up the Strand, a young lady, an inside pas-
senger, who happened to sit in the hind-part of the
carriage, leant against the door, which unfortunate-
ly flew open, when she fell out. She clung by the
door, but her cloaths getting entangled with the
wheel, she was dragged by its rotary motion till in
the most perilous state. Providentially, however,
the coach was stopped before she sustained any
serious injury. When the young Lady was dis,
entangled, she was carried into a shop opposite
where the accident happened, and with much atten-
tion,, was prevented from fainting, although in a
state•of stupefaftion from the alarm. She was soon
recovered, and excepting .the•.shock produced by
this sudden revolutionary movement, and the tear-
ing and dirtying of her cloaths, she experienced no
other inconvenience. , .

On Monday se'nnight twiiof the mail coach
horses returning from their ustial -washing-place at
the Ycaman Sore, Dundee, Ilia& --the charge of a
boy, fell one above the ()the& into a deep ditch
which had been improperly dug half a'CrOsS.'the public
street. On the horse which fell first the boy rode,
who fortunately was, by the shock, thrown forward
on the opposite side of the trench, and received but
slight contusions on his head and leg. The horse.;
were drawn out with ropes ; the undermost that
was jammed into the bottom of the drain, although
bearing no external marks of violence, was misera.
bly lamed.