The Sun.
London, England, 1868-12-08 00:00:00

11.1 I'MA Eas.E7' THEATRE.

A brilliant audience assembled last evening to
witness the first performance of Dr. Mosenthal's
ne tragic play "Pietra," wlnch had been
written specially for Miss Bateman. The play is
altogether of a different description to "Leah," but
it is all sufficient to afford the great actress an op-
portunity of exhibiting the conflicting emotions of
the human heart, a perform %nee iu which she stands
without a rival.

The scene of Pietra is laid in Italy during the
struggles of the Guelphs and Ghibellines. Tiso di
Competri, a zealous partisan of the Guelphs, whose
hatred of the opposite faction has been nourished
by the cruel death inflicted on his sons by Ezzelino,
eader of Ghibellines, has gained a signal victory
over his enemies; and his surviving child, has been
searching that field of conflict in hopes of finding
the body of a son of Ezzelino, reported to be amono,
the slain. Her search is fruitless, but her nurse
Marca tell her that from the heaps of slain she has
taken a youth and concealed him in her chamber,
on account of his supposel resemblance to her own
son. Pietra here beholds the apparent lifeless
form of the young Ghibelline, and the
sight inspires her with a strange emotion.
Forgetful of her hatred to the Ghibeliues she re-
solves to save him, and does so at the peril of her
honour. Gaspardo, a trusty officer of the Duke's,
after the battle, has missed a young man, evidently
of noble rank, and a track of blood convinces him
that the object of his quest has been secreted some-
where in the castle by Marca. The attempt of
Gaspard() to enter her chamber she resists, and the
pursuers are about to retire to continue their search
when Leonisio announces that the missing man is
Manfred, the natural son of Ezzelino, the murderer
of Pietra's brother. Manfred, on the discovery of
his rank and station, desires death at the hands
of Pietra, but as she hears the return of the pur-
suers she warns him back to her chamber as the
only place of safety. Pietra tells her,nurse that
she is in love with the young stranger, and they
both resolve to protect Manfred. Peitra furnishes
Manfred with a master key to open an inner door
in the chamber by which he may escape, the
sound of a chapel bell on the opposite bank is
to be the signal of his safety. A herald from Ezze-
lino arrives and announces that he is ready to con-
clude a treaty of peace if Manfred is restored.
Peace with Ezzelino does not, of course, accord
with the honour of Tiso, and he is astonished to
find his daughter is so inclined. Gaspardo, who
suspects Pietra, now bethinks himself of the inner
door leading to the crypt. Pursuit by that path is
resolved upon, and when the destruction of Man-
fred appears inevitable, Pietra hears the chapel bell,
which announces to her the safety o f her lover.
After a time Pietra is informed that the castle is
about to be attacked by a party of Ghibellines, fur-
nished, by the treason of Manfred, with the means
of entering the gate by the river. Love now gives
way to hate, and Pietra resolves on the instant to
capture the traitor, as she thinks Manfred. A con-
flict ensues, and Manfred is mortally wounded, and
he lives but to convince Pietra that no villany of
his led to the disaster, but that the key of the
secret entrance of the castle by which the attack
was to be made had been taken from him by force.
Love again returns, and Pietra, driven to madness
by her woe, stabs herself, and she expires on the
body of her first and only love, Manfred.
The character of Pietra henceforth is identified
with Miss Bateman. Great as has been her per-
formances in the part of Leah, she has never
achieved a more genuine triumph than that of last
night. From her entrance in the first scene until
the fall of the curtain her acting was all the
most exacting critic could demand, and her last
creation will doubtless add immensely to her already
well acquired fame. The first portion of the cha-
racter, the embodiment of intense hatred of
Ghibellines was a masterpiece of dramatic art ; her
deep grief, sorrow, and ultimately love for the
wounded Manfield was perfection ; and, last of all,
her scorn, hatred, and revenge, kindled by the story
of her lover's faithlessness, fairly electrified the
audience and called for tremendous applause. At
the end of each act Miss Bateman received an
ovation, and at the fall of the curtain she was nearly
overwhelmed with bouquets. The success of the
piece was signal and complete, and Mr. Buckstone
announced that it would be repeated every even-
ing until the 24th inst., when Miss Bateman's en-
gagement terminates.

11L4RKE7 S-7 HIS DAY.

COLONIAL.

Sugar.—The market has opened quietly, with little dis-
position to purchase at previous prices.
Coffee.— No sales of importance to report ; but with
moderate parcels offering, previous rates aro supported.
Tea cc.,ctillues iu moderate request.
TALLOW. .

The market is steady. Town. tallow, 48s 9d ; Peters-
burg Y.C. on the spot, 51s; December, 51s 9d; January,
51s ad ; and March, 51s 9d. _ _