The Sun.
London, England, 1867-08-19 00:00:00

THE PRINCESS'S THEATRE.

It is a pleasure, but rarely experienced now-a-
days, to chronicle the success of a play which is
not only new, and, with but one exception, strik-
ingly original, but is also intensely interesting in
its reality and high poetic sentiment. " The Aran
o' Airlie" is the conception of a poet, and, bearing
in mind the vitiated taste of a London audience,
would, perhaps, have met with greater success and
more delicate appreciatiOn in the form of a poem
than its present dramatic embodiment. As it is,
however, we find it an ingenious and profoundly
interesting play, notwithstanding that there are
many faults in it of construction and dialogue
which indicate a want of experience in writing for
the stage. These faults, however, do not interfere
with the action of the drama, and, almost as soon
as discovered, are lost sight of in its numerous
beauties. It is, on the whole, a fresh, vigorous,
and graceful work, and does honour to its author.
The chief incident is suggested by a German drama,
by Carl Von Iloltier, entitled, " Lorbeerbaura and
Bettelsla,b," and is exceedingly pleasing. The plot
may be briefly told. James Harebell, a Scotch
poet, lives in a delicious little cottage on the bor-
ders of a breezy loch. Ilis means are ample, and
he has a charming wife and " twa bairnies," whom
he loves with infinite tenderness. Ile has, by long
and careful economy, amassed £3OO to pay for
the publication of his poems. At the suggestion
of Miss Steelman, the daughter of Lord Steelman,
he entrusts this money to Robert Brandon, his
foster brother, who undertakes to deliver it to the
publisher and make use of his greater experience
for Harebell's benefit. Brandon, who is of a supe-
rior station, is about to marry Miss Steelman, who,
notwithstanding her aversion to the match, yields
obedience to the wishes of her father. Sir Gerald
Hope, who is in love with Miss Steelman, appears
on the scene to Brandon's great terror. Hope is
his creditor for £5OO, which was lent to pay off
a o•amblino•t, debt. At first the two are equally
ignorant of each other's sentiments towards Miss
Steelman. Brandon first introduces the subject of
the debt of honour so long unpaid, and seeing that
Hope looks upon him as a swindler, alludes to his
approaching marriage as the means of discharging
the debt. hope, stung by the announcement,
threatens to denounce him, and Brandon, rendered
desperate, pays Hope the £3OO he had received
from Harebell, and promises the remainder the
next day. One means only of keeping this promise
exists. He sees Ilarebell, and by a false but art-
fully concocted story, succeeds in extracting from
him the 1200, which is literally all that llarebell
has in the world. Hope is paid and his mouth
necessarily silenced. Months pass by, and the
money, which was to have been repaid in a few
weeks, is not forthcoming. At length Brandon
visits llarebell in his beautiful mountain-home and
stuns him with the fatal news that the money is lost
to him for ever. Harebell is made to believe that
Brandon is equally with himself a victim, and that
the money was applied to succour the distress of
an unfortunate family. The poor poet is, in fine,
a beggar, and is obliged to sell up his bright,
happy home, and seek employment in Edinburgh.
Misfortune lays a heavy hand upon him. Day by
day his young wife droops, stifled by the close
smoky atmosphere, and with the little baby dies
and leaves him desolate. A painful bewilderment
steals upon him—his songs gradually leave him—
his brain is yielding before the sorrow that has
come upon him, and his heart is breaking. But
the worst is in store. He discovers that the man
whom he trusted, and whose piteous talc wrung
from him his money, his beautiful home, his wife,
bairn, all, in fact, he cared for in this world, has
cruelly deceived him. His poems were never sent
to the publisher ; and this money, like the other,
has been absorbed in the gambling lossesof a
scoundrel. The brain of the poor poet reels,
afid finally gives way, and he staggers from the
room a madman. Twenty yearn elapse, and Hare-
bell is supposed to be dead. Miss Steelman has
become Lady Hope. Harebell's son has been
adopted and educated by Sir Gerald, and is now
grown to manhood. The neglected poems have
been published, and, proud of the fame they have
achieved, his countrymen have erected a statue to
the dead poet, on the very spot where his cottage
formerly stood. The day for uncovering the statue
has arrived. A huge crowd—among it Lord Steel-
man, Sir Gerald and Lady Hope, has assembled to do
honour to the ceremonial. One of the poet's best-
loved songs has been commenced, when a poor,
decrepit figure, tottering in rags, creeps to the foot
of the statue, and, in a broken-down, childish voice,
sings the remainder of the old familiar ballad.
All recognize the poor poet ; but too late. His
reason returns but for an instant, and the heart
broken hard dies in the arms of his. eon. Such is
a mere outline of the general story. The play, as
we saw it on the first night, is too loi lg, and several
scenes would greatly benefit by b Bing curtailed.
The second act particularly would bear consider-
able excision. Some of the chara'Aers, too, might
be partially rewritten with greats advantage. In
the first act, for instance, Sir Gerald hope appears,
contrary to the author's intentions, in scarcely a
less discreditable light than th(3 mean, heartless
notuadrel, George Braduclo, laws that Bran-