The Sun.
London, England, 1835-10-02 00:00:00

DRURY-LANE THEATRE.

This national Theatre opened for the season last night
with ilfacbetli. The lessee, in his public statement, says,
that he has selected " the most eminent talvnt of the two
Theatres, with the addition of many new members ; in order
to afford as effective a representation as possibit of the prin-
cipal Standard Works of the British Stage ; ald he is at
length enabled to announce the most powerful Company
that expense or research could collect together, or that has
appeared for many years in London." To the general truth
of this declaration it is but fair•to offer our testimony. The
"representation" last night was, as a whole, decidedly the
most " effective" we have recently witnessed, and the Com,
pany does doubtless include many distinguished names long
known and highly appreciated. The proscenium has been
remodelled, so as to make the foot lamps project upon the
stage, towards the performers, in the segment of the circle
—a new act drop, or crimson-coloured curtain, with seven
Corinthian pillars, has been added—" to harmonize with the
ornamental part of the audience," as the Bill has it. The
effect is altogether bad, and in a certain shewiness out-
scarlets th'knost tawdrily attired part of any audience that
we have ever seen. In other respects the house looks bet-
ter, and has a more cleanly air : the general embellishments
and decorations have not been neglected. In the hall,
Kean's statue in marble appears between Shakspeare's and
Garrick's.

We had written a rather elaborate critique on the even-
ing's performance, but our limits to-day compel us to super-
sede its appearance by a brief and more general expression
of approval. _

IS the rising of the curtain the whole corps dramatique
were seen and greeted with cheers long and loud. They
sang according to custom " God save the King," and al-
though considerable dissent was signified against its repeti-
tion, the noise and clamour of a few prevailed over the bet-
ter taste of the more sober and rational part of the audience.
After this silly work of supererogation, the performance
began, Macready playinc, ilfacbeth, Warde Macduff, and
Miss Ellen Tree Lady litacbeth.
Often as we have witnessed with admiration this
great histrionic master's delineation of character, on no
occasion was our gratification greater than last evening. And
although it were idle to seek for novelty in a part in which
he may be said to have perfected himself, we thought we
discerned once or twice new flashes of genius in addition to
those masterly touches, such only as a conception of the
highest order could throw into the character. We were
rejoiced to see our old favorite had lost none of his pristine
vigour, and that the revolution of two years over his head
had effected no change ; but that his whole spirit,
refreshed as it were by repose, rose superior in
in simplicity, in truth, and in strength—in accuracy of per-
ception and greatness of poker, to any representation we
have recently witnessed on the London boards. Warde
played, as he always does, respectably. Less of vehemence,
however, would exhibit a closer adherence to nature—loud-
ness of intonation is no proof of the strength of passion, nor
will a stentorian voice stand instead of that energy of ex-
pression which proceeds from the breast of nature.
Miss Ellen Tree's impersonation of Lady Macbeth will
not, we regret to state, add to her well-merited reputation.
Her failure certainly did not arise from any misconception of
her character—deep study and great talent were conspicuous
throughout the part she sustained—but in her physical,
more than in her mental, constitution was felt an inherent
want of that iron weight and prodigious power which we
have been accustomed to look for is the Queen and
murderer. There was, notwithstanding, much of what con-
stitutes first-rate talent in her acting ; and if we were to
judge her first performance by her own standard, instead of
erecting one formed on bye-gone models of perfection, we,
no doubt, last night, should have gone along with the au-
dience in repeatedly testifying, instead of comparing, her
with Mrs. Siddons and Miss O'Neill—the general ad-
miration. Upon the whole, the re-opening of the house
may be considered an auspicious commencement of the
season.

We were sorry to see a resumption by the audience of
the privilege of calling upon individual performers, formally
to receive the uproarious shouts and bravos of their too de-
monstrative and indiscreet friends. This, and the distur-
bance occasioned by the same sort of people perpetually
clapping and vociferating their admiration, are ancient pri-
vileges which would be much better honourci in the breach
than by the observance.
The Night Parole followed the Tragedy. Of all the
wretched, bald, disjointed, pointless adaptations from the
French, this to us appears the most miserable. The ma-
jority of the audience, however, bore with exemplary pa-
tience the platitudes and bad jokes with which the piece is or;
namented, and notwithstanding some occasional pretty loud
expressions of disapprobation, it will perhaps live its little day.
We observed the representative of fashion, Lord Stanhope,
and his younger brother, in a side box, bestow much more
encouragement than the piece deserved. Perhaps, how-
ever, from them and others, applause was elicited by the
,exertions of tho:attresses Atid-hctors; who did all that talent
and spirit could effect—especially Harley—to save the
Night Parole from the sentence of death, which its enor-
mities demand at the hands of critical justice.

PARLIAMENTARY PAPER.

THE GREAT SEAL.

Return to an address of the Honourable the House of Corn-
dafed Nier ki..3;y;;-for; a statementt ofthe'feVs'
chared tlfe lapptintindnes Eordts
Commissioners of the Great Seal, and of the Speaker of
the House of Lords ; also, the amount of salary each
Commissioner and the Speaker will receive for such ap-
pointment ; also, a statement of all offices and ap-
pointments, lay or ecclesiastical, of which each of these
persons has the disposal. _ _ _

_ .
Fees payable at the Secretary of State's office for
the Home Department £63 1 0
at the Attorney-General's Office
at the Signet Office
at the Privy Seal Office
at the Crown Office

at the Council Office on swearing in 82 14 6
Stamps at the Crown Office
at the Secretary of State's Office 4 10 0
at the Attorney-General's Office

Amounting in the whole to BlO 11 10

Making the sum payable by each Lord Com- t
270 6 a
missioner in Fees and Stamps
The amount of salary which the Lords Commissioners
of the Great Beal will receive is regulated by the statutes
Ist of William and Mary, c. 21, and '2d and 3d of William
IV., c. 122.

The salary of the Lord Chancellor, Lord Keeper, and
Lords Commissioners, is fixed by the latter of those sta-
tutes at 10,0001. per annum, and is by the sth section of
that statute made payable exclusively out of the dead fund
of the suitors in the Court of Chancery at the Bank of
England.

Each Lord Commissioner will therefore be entitled to
one-third of that sum-3,3331. 6s. Bd.
The lay offices and appointments of which the Lords
Commissioners have the disposal are the following :—The
Accountant-General of the Court of Chancery, the Com-
missioners of Lunacy, the Principal Secretary, the Secre-
tary of Bankrupts, the Secretary of Presentations, the-Se-
cretary of Lunatics, the Secretary of Commissions of the
Peace, the Secretary of Decrees and Injunctions, the Cur-
sitors of the Court of Chancery, the Purse Bearer, the
Gentlemen of the Chamber, the Official Assigness in Bank-
ruptcy, the Junior Clerk in the Register's Office, the Clerk
of Reports, the Junior Clerk of Accounts in the Report
Office, the two Clerks of the Entries in the Report Office,
the Clerk of Affidavits and his Clerk, the Examiner of
Letters Patent, the Clerk of Inrolments in Bankruptcy,
the Usher of the Hall at Lincoln's Inn, the Crier of the
Court of Chancery, the four Ushers of the Court of
Chancery, the Running Porter of the Great Sea
The Ecclesiastical offices and appointments of which the
Lords Commissioners have the disposal, are as follow -
They have the right of presentin& to all livings (by lapse