The Sun.
London, England, 1835-06-18 00:00:00

THEATRE-ROYAL, LIVERPOOL.

Mr. Kean's engagement closed on Friday night, with
Richard 111., and on the preceding Monday he played King
John for his benefit, when he was honoured with a highly
respectable audience. This play has not been very recently
performed on the Liverpool stage. It is by no means so well
adapted for representation as most of the other productions of
our great bard. The dramatic unities of time, place, and ac-
tion, arc sadly violated, one scene being laid in France, and
the following one in England. Still there are passages in
King John not excelled for power and grandeur by anything
in the writings of Shakspeare. We confess that we trembled
for the success of Mr. Kean in this part, having previously seen
it in the hands of Macready and Vandenhoff, and there being in
it little of that spirit-stirring action and energy, adapted to Mr.
Kean's genius and style of actin-. He came through the try-
ing ordeal, however, most triumphantly, and so powerful was
the effect of his performance on the house, that when the cur-
tain fell the cries for Mr. Kean became deafening; he was
obliged at length to come forward and receive the congratula-
tions of the audience. All the characters on that evening were
most creditably sustained, while the hero shone with especial
lustre. Some of the scenes were fully equal to any portions of
his Hamlet, which we consider the ne plus ultra of the art.
To particularize the gems which sparkled throughout the
tragedy, is almost superfluous, yet we cannot avoid mention-
ing two or three, which struck us as being pre-eminently bril-
liant. The address to the citizens of Angiers, urging them
to open their gates and admit the English force, was a beauti-
ful specimen of elocution, and warmly applauded. In the
scene between Cardinal Pandulph and the French King, his
manner of taunting the Pope's Legate, and his refusal to ac-
knowledge the authority of the Pope, were equally fine.
When the Cardinal at length succeeds in drawing the French
Monarch from the league, Mr. Kean's denunciation—
" France, thou shalt rue this hour within the hour !"

told admirably. In the great scene with Hubert, where he
urges the latter to undertake the murder of the young Prince,
Mr. Kean put forth all his powers. The dark hints with which
he prefaced the disclosure of his murderous project—the man-
ner in which he strove to win Hubert to his purpose, by pro-
fessions of attachment and reward—the basilisk style in which
he eyed the young Prince, and his exclamation—
" He is a very serpent in my way,
And whereso'er this foot of mine doth tread,
He lies before me !"
were redolent of genius, and the effect was indescribable. His
manner of uttering the word " Serpent" told that the fate of
his victim was sealed. When at length Hubert, after consi-
derable coyness, professes to understand him, Mr. Kean said—
" Enough 1 I could be merry now—Hubert, I love thee," in
a way which developed the load of anguish and suspense
which that declaration removed from his mind. But the great
triumph of Mr. Kean was in the last scene. Any thing more
perfectly harrowing we never witnessed. The manner in
which he uttered, under the operation of the poison,—.

" There is so hot a summer in my bosom,
That all my bowels crumble up to dust :
I am a scribbled form, drawn with a pen
Upon a parchment ; and against this fire
Do I shrink up,"
will leave an impression upon all who heard it not to be ef-
faced. So acute was the sense of suffering under which he
appeared to labour, that the audience felt a real relief when
death terminated his agonies—no slight compliment to the
powers of Mr. Kean over the feelings of the human heart.
We take leave of Mr. Kean with sincere regret, and for the
satisfaction which he has afforded us in some of the most trans-
cendent of Shakspeare's characters, we are duly grateful. He
is unquestionably the Shakspearian actor of the day. How
strange that while the London critics are loudly complaining
of the decline of the drama, and the paucity of talent to sup-
port its drooping head, one of its brightest ornaments is per-
mitted to roam over the provinces, instead of holding his rank
on the metropolitan boards. A short time must however, see
him maintain that post in our national theatres, to which his
acomplishments, his genius, his devoted attachment and unre-
mitting industry in his profession, so fully qualify him to hold.
—Liverpool Times.

DEATH OF JUDGE VANDELEUIL—The hope
was delusive that promised a continuance of life to this most
excellent man. He expired yesterday morning, at half-past
ten, full of years as he was of honour, deplored by his relatives
and friends—regretted by all. As a lawyer, Mr. Vandeleur was
profound and erudite—as a judge, dispassionate and impartial ;
and the best attributes of our nature stood prominently deve-
loped in all his actions, whether as a private individual or a
public functionary. Even the enemies of law and order—and
alas in this unfortunate country, they are too many and too
vehement—have not withheld from this estimable and amiable
man the tribute of their admiration and respect ; for Judge
Vandeleur, although a strict upholder of justice, was a great
lover of mercy.—Dublin Evening Mail.
EAST INDIA HOUSE.—Yesterday a numerous at-
tendance of Proprietors of East India Stock took place at the
India House, for the purpose of electing a Director in the
room of C. Fergusson, Esq., M.P., who had disqualified.
More than ordinary interest was evinced by the meeting in the
proceedings, as this was the first election, since the renewal of
the charter, for placing upon the Court of Directors a mem-
ber from one of the general body of Proprietors. It was also
the first time in which the privilege was granted, under the
new Act, for absent Proprietors to vote by proxy. Captain
Shepherd and Mr. Francis Warden were the candidates, both
of whom had been in office in India for about twenty years,
and great exertions had been made by their friend to secure
the election of their favourite candidate. A circumstance
occurred during the meeting respecting the mode of carrying
the new plan of voting by proxy into operation, which, pro-
bably, may lead to disputes as to the validity of the result of
the ballot. Mr. Warden's Committee forwarded proxies for
him without specifically stating the amount of stock held by
each Proprietor, residing in the country, entitled to vote.
Consequently the proxies were sent up incomplete, and a point
arose whether the proxies were to be taken as single votes
only, though the parties might hold enough stock to entitle
them to more than one vote. The Court of Directors re-
ferred the case to Mr. Sergeant Spankie, the standing Coun-
sel of the Company, who gave it as his opinion that the proxies
alluded to could only be registered as
aasteightsingle vtohteesgsc
.lasThs weele
bal-
lot. commenced at nine o'clock, and
'closd and delivered to the scrutineers, who reported the elec-
tion to have fallen on John Shepherd, Esq.