The Sun.
London, England, 1866-04-14 00:00:00

THEATRE ROYAL LYCEUM.

Mr. Fechter as the Master of Ravenswood.
After a brilliant run of we don't at this moment
remember precisely how many weeks—in point of
fact, ever since the commencement of the present
season (a season, in truth, which this picturesque
and attractive dramatic version of Sir Walter
Scott's exquisitely pathetic romance of " The
Bride of Lammermoor," inaugurated, literally,
by a coup de theatre)—" The Master of Ravens-
wood " is announced as about to be imme-
diately withdrawn from the bills of the Theatre
Royal Lyceum. Another week, in effect, and it
will have disappeared—to give place on this very*
day se'nnight to the grandest tragedy that
was ever penned—through the medium of which
incomparable masterpiece of dramatic art Charles
Fechter first won his fame amongst us as a tragic
and pathetic actor of refined genius, of rare gifts,
and of radiant accomplishments. Whenever under
Mr. Fechter's management " Hamlet, Prince of
Denmark," is thus announced for repetition—er
rather, we should say, for revival—it is always a
source of profound gratification to us, no matter
what may chance to be the impersonation of which
it necessitates the removal. With all our admit
ration for his "Ruy Blas"—the very " Ruy Blas''
of Victor Hugo!—with all our appreciation of the
airy and elastic grace of Mr. Fechter's " Don Caesar
de Bazars"—of the audacious devilry and dilapida-
tion of his "Robert Macaire"—of the tearful whim-
sicality of his "Belphegor"—of the haunting interest
excited by his portraiture of the hero of " The
Duke's Motto"—and of all the varied merits of his
other numerous histrionic impersonations needless
here to be particularised—his first and noblest im-
personation of all, to our mind, meaning as a matter
of course, his Hamlet, is always welcomed back by us
most eagerly, not merely for old associations' sake,
but in every conceivable way for its own intrinsic
excellence. It is announced, moreover, that this
now fast approaching revival yet once again Of
Shakspere's " Hamlet" at the Lyceum Theatre
with Mr. Fechter, of course, as the Prince of
Denmark—is to be signalised (we presume,
exceptionally) by a powerful cast of charac..
and of many appropriate properties. Now that
ters, to say nothing of much costly scene*:
the run of " The Master of Ravenswood" is
at length, therefore, fast drawing to an end,
we cannot but acknowledge that that 031'
itself as a dramatic adaptation of the Wei"
dents of one of the most enthralling of all
the fictions of Sir Walter Scott, and that that
character of Edgar Ravenswood—appear to es
to be wholly and unworthy, the one as a tribute
to the genius of the Master Novelist, the other
as a vehicle for the manifestation of the genius
of Mr. Fechter as an Actor of exceptionally
noble endowments and qualifications. It is graceful)
it is pathetic, it is picturesque, it is in one or tWel
points supremely melancholy but that is all
Otherwise—commend us, far and away, by prefer
ence, to Ruy Blas, to Don Caesar de Bazars'
to Robert Macaire, to Belphegor, to almost all/
to almost every other character in Mr. Fechter a
comprehensive repertoire ! Beyond all far
and away, indeed beyond them all, to
Hamlet ! But now—after the revival thus of
Shakspere's incomparable masterpiece for a few re-
presentations only—let us direct public atten,tiee
to very pleasant additional tidings, to the announce
;
merit--(following hard upon the heels of this Pelf
delightful announcement of Hamlet Prince °f
Denmark for this day se'nnight at the Well°. 0
Theatre)—that there is at present in 3°4:14
preparation at the Lyceum The Corste":o
Brothers ! The which renowned melodrama'
of
about to be produced upon those same boards
the Lyceum, with entirely new scenery, properties
.0
and effects, spectral apparitions, ghostly mel°6l3,
and all—as performed at Paris—Mr. Fechter
taming the double part (as originally played
03/0
him) of Fabien and Louis de Franchi. Welec).„,
news, surely, all this ! now that we are really COw_
ing to an end of the brilliant run alreadY
corded to the " Master of Ravenswood."

Mrs. Keble was so ill at Bournemouth when n"
r
husband's corpse was about to be taken away for /O.:
ment at Hursley that she pathetically requested that
grave should not be closed until she was laid in it.
THE COUNTESS OF FINGALL died this day week,,, -
Brighton. Her ladyship was in her 71st year. The u"
ceased countess was the only daughter of Mr. Elias C°ra-
bally, of Corbalton Hall, county Meath. By her hush,°
t
the countess leaves a numerous family of six sons sad 11"
daughters.
DEATH OF LORD CLINTON.—We have to annoulle:
the death of this venerableer, which occurred about nl
pe
o'clock on Tuesday night, at his seat, Heanton, SatclOwtto
near Beaford, in the county of Devon. The noble lord Woe,
the 18th baron, was born in Nov., 1791, and was c°
Ld,llol.
quently in his 75th year. He was educated at On
lege, Oxford, at which university he passed first-classte'r
mathematics, took his M.A. degree in 1817, and 91, pi
wards became a fellow of All Souls'. He succeedeu 5
brother to the title in 1832, and married the year Precatclil3sr-•
Lady Georgiana Kerr, second daughter of the sixth w.
quis of Lothian, by 'whom he leaves issue living the lc
C. 11. R. Trefusis, M.P. for North Devon, the Hon. Ts•
Geo. Kerr Rolle, the Hon. W. R. Trefusis, the 11°11' s
Trefusis, and seven daughters. The deceased noblera.ij,
sat for Okehampton before the passing of the Reforms the
was appointed lieutenant-colonel commandant of
North Devon Yeomanry Cavalry in 1842, and a der";
lieutenant of Devon in 1846. Lord Clinton was a C°Psete
vative in politics, a kind and liberal landlord,
the poor, and in his family and social relations a Pat
father and a true gentleman. The Hon. C. H. R. Trefus'''
M.P., eldest son of the deceased, who succeeds to the title,
was born in 1834, educated at Eton and Christ ChuccDl
Oxford, is deputy-lieutenant and magistrate for the co
tinil'
and colonel of the North Devon Yeomanry Cavalry.
NATIONAL PORTRAIT EXHIBITION.—The co
mittec met yesterday to inspect the collection of P°r;
traits which has been formed in the arcades ovorloolti%
generouSa3
the Royal Horticultural Gardens, and afterwards nelaarl of
meeting in the central court, presided over by the
Derby, K.G. The following members of the comno',",-,'
Earl r, EEaarlrlS Stanhope, ELaorlrdofZiltrgbyvtio;',
were present :—The Earl of Derby, K.G., Earl Grator'
K.G.,
ICEa.Grl"oEf
the Very Rev. the Dean of St. Paul's, the
Canon Rock, Sir F. Madden, Mr. A Barker, Bet. JJ—Nc r-
Mr. Edgar A. Bowling, C.B , Mr. Richard Burchett,
Reginald Cholmondeley, Mr.. Henry Cole, GS., lkirgr.
Colnaghi, Mr. John Forster, Mr. Andrew Fountaiue, John
F. Y. Hurlstone, The MacLeod of MacLeod, gr.„.•
Murray, Mr. J. R. Planche, Mr. J. H. Pollen, "1" oj,
Redgrave, R.A., Mr. Samuel Redgrave, Mr.
A.R.A., Mr. W. Russell, Mr. Henry Shaw, Air°F.s.A.,
Sketchley, Mr. R. H. Soden Smith, Mr. W. Smith, gr.
Mr. J. Spadding, Mr. Tom Taylor, Mr. Tito, D. seott,
P,. Woodward, Mr. R. N. Wornum, Sir Sibllald
Bart., Mr. J. A. Fronde. The private view of the eI
en ve
tion will take place this day (Saturday) from irto 030
six, and on Monday the collection will be opea
public.