The Sun.
London, England, 1826-11-06 00:00:00

COVENT GARDEN TgEATRE..

The expectations of a full house were considerably heightened on
Saturday night by the announcement of "Power," a tragedy, by
Mary Russell Mitford—a lady who has distinguished herself by
the beauty and: picturesque painting of country manners in her
charming little volume of " Our Village." The very idea of so
ambitious an undertaking as a tragedy, which requires not only
knowledge of the World, as that knowledge lies on the surface of
society, but also a deep experieuced insight into the sterner and
more passionate peculiarities of the masculine character..seems
preposterous when announctil as the composition of a female ; of
one who, from her limited,range of observation (the consequence
of a woman's education in England), eau draw only from books
the higher element, requisite to eusure success in the drama.
Sometimes, indeed, it lON happened that characters so drawn
have obtained popularity on the stage,—we allude to Miss rlaillieO
" De Muotfort ;" but then they have pleased rather from the
splendid imagination that invested them with apparent truth,
than from the rigid reality of their portraits. Moe Mitford'e
imagination however, is too limited to impart any intermit—in-
dependently of nature,..--to her heroes ; she has all the sweetness
and feminine elegance of poetry—the delicacy of description—the
purity of observation that we naturally look for in a female; but
none of that dark individual energy which stirs our hearts like a
trumpet. The plot of her Fuscari—to enter at once like Milton,
" into the midst of things, " is something to the following effect.
Count Erin e, (Mr. Werde) a Venetian senator, and a curious
compound of Shylock in his blood thirstiness, and Ingo in his re-
lentless tact and shrewdness, conceiving a desire for the duke:lonia
sounds another senator, Donato (Mr. Egerton) on the subject,
and finding him irritated by the refuel of some slight request pre-
ferred by him to the Doge, (Mr. Young) without further ha/he-
ron, proposes to dethrone the Doge, and accordingly enteri at
once into the Senate-house and there puts the question to the old
Prince hinself. Ile, stung by this /molt, naturally refuses to re-
sign, and enumerates all his good qualities, which an
tickle the Senators, that they are iir the act of le-
questing him to continue his office, when Ids Non, Frauceeco
Foscari (Mr. C. Konble) arrives with the news of a victory,
achieved by himself, over some neighbouring prince ; and heuristic
the cause of the quarrel instituted by Erizzo against his father, en-
ters hot-headedly into the dispute, abusing the whole assembly
and offering (together with the Doge) to quit Venice, Both,
however, are requested to remain, on which the scene Closes, and.
Fuseari junior goes to a midnight interview with Camilla (Mrs.
Sloman), daughter of Donato, and betrothed to him, until the fa-
ther's quarrel with the Doge prevents further intimacy. Mean-
while Erizzo is not We ; the insults received by him froM Fran.
cesco have sharpened his native rancour, and be so contrives it
that Donato shall be munlored while young Foacari is at his house
secretly courting Comilla by midnight. Thu news of this murder'
reaches Venice at the very moment when the Doge is holding a
masquerade. It is communicated by Donato'. son Cowin) (Apr.' Serie), who is also persuaded by Erizzo (how or when we are et
a loss to conceive) that Franceaco Foscari is the assassin. A trial
accordingly resins, and the dead body of Donato is brooght in
un a shutter (Mr. Egerton, by the bye, as a corpse, is en-
titled to considerable pruieets),,,bai:/)lstvtaltluiFeast`rialtuelloatipirywcteii,:iro(vifalwilaroitehisvilo.tirduole:nnoidgcomie,,Licroati:h_ee
at the Ohl Bailey, would nut suffice to convict a luau for sheep
stealing, is sentenced to perpetual baniehment. In the fifth
act, therefore, he sets out, accompanied by the Doge, to exile, pave:
vices to which we have a long parting scene between Camilla 04
her mother—(Qu. What is her poor lover doing all this time ?)
who is further persuaded by Brim to stop her diabouourahla
flight' Away blatantly goes young Como in pursuit, and over-,
taking all three, the Doge, his son, and Camilla, somewhere la
the suburbs of Venice; calls the younger Foseari a coward, wles
of course, looks shout for a sword, and finding Erizzo on the Spot,
bort ows his weapon, and rushing distractedly on hie opponent, meets
death at his hands. The plot then hastens to a close, Francesco
is proved innocent and Erizzu guilty, who immediately on the die-
covery, goes out exulting—in a high tragedy speech of " King
Cambyses* vein—at hie successful revenge. Such is the catastro-
phe of Foecari, which as our readers will not fail to perceive is
monstrous, inconsistent, and revolting. The characters are
light
tlloyr istii,eafidiec,intiot.
reld?.ereizemo
iiisinia....g.rialottiaditOeqUtiula•tielleninw—tivueitilsn4ll.eigitiliewar
for his diabolical—as the newspaper: would say—machinatione,
and how they are commenced and comminuted, we are wholly
at a loss to conceive. But this is the invariable ease with vit.
lain, drawn by female pens. They are sure either to unt;:ruerge;:riteinstio: or overpaint the portraits; they either make them ..:,*(4, 1.0,0164,
:illesumutoilitys,iitishipatid‘,vetici!aatn, ownellyeciotnisiiodte
fro 1::
etutrecituerlinoeliittti
we should of necessity fall Weep. In order to compose au et& cient tragedy—one that shall survive when the writer himself is
dead_s man must hays :elm human life in its darkest old most
varied colours; lie must himself have experienced, in no slight
degree, the fierce passions he would depict /Si viz me Mee d'.o-
lendum eft primum ipsi tibij, and to all this must be added a
curtain clear headetinees that will so delineate those punione as to
stir them in the hearts of others. The ground-work of modern
society in souse degree fiirbids the production ufsuch a drama. The
souls of men are uo longer (as in the days of Italian story),
daily in a state of excitement • wise laws hive tamed down
their sterner sensibilities ; they ore more thapnitecieroafmeduecalhalme
declama-
tion
mason • and accorditigly, though we have, an *hoodoo* of works
founded solely on imagination or asaseu:vaas•lginitikuitahtetthieuittyeneLvrhst;ostettnd,u:
must,
young
lust
tt
j‘hivueedri respect,ll
fri
oai 1
utvreeeb fewinimitably.
iegt.
vdreiawitt
dhhirei
rather
successfully appeal to our passions. Mr. warda, as the
villain
Erizzo, acted throughout with firt and judgment ; his address to
the
raileanrtdgeYh.iii: tolie"erciato'paner:,:il ttalaOcillt.Vl;e V et*
overacted iris pert, so much so, as to convince the audience of the
indicated
ewinlylEille:tideierrtntkoaeiyiecnare'dlatidtlniitainntgaglglill:::-wedeorhpllisiloi:oy:vttiiraie;dadluviteteYrarSi:eGolonfifuanthtii Charlesilt::
genteel
11614 Kinliallivelorinielt.
sofiellybgac
oneieloentrntim ed y ?
*eating,
da swlllloy almost
w iiit
littleot 1
lri
this
ma:eh:tads:Lisa
itosyfhae
:an and
balcild,gttylLlnaitgii I scents,
bagpipecoin!elriswoaiut:s:ttorlife-
Sole (with the exception of his Time
unfoCrit=te ofvolklicer;
is so totally divested of interest, that am actin g cot re-
deem it. Mrs. Sloruan, as CSIIIIMS, (sweetly and naturally
painted by Mies Mitford) was all that we could whit to. see;
gentle, yet courageous; of stud high-souped; with an
enduring spirit of love, that none but 4 female's hand cite paint,
stiti none but her own el voted heart undemand. Man tau%
mud bursts at MOM in 4 storm of over..woman weeps ; a tuan's
the slow ,n : worasn's wears away undo
intill.i;ng, panitfi—f; 4 p 'ntsuont. Ma Milord, thol.ofiltel Van
- '—'...6
'maw"— - - dilm'n
know nothing of the other : and this
paint the one; but "
prai", mgellwfr:tits. hthatistarualtlgifladtuhlyastPirekvertetawyriti.rtshi6Lavteitvon,;llttiuse:
chief
character to prettiness,ambitious
.... to NW 0
afford

At no previous Sessions was the number of pri-
soners transported so great ; 46 being transported for
seven years; five for life, (four in gone case, a circuit-
stance that never occurred before in this Kingdom),
anti one for 14 years. Amongst the trtunparts are;
two females,—Alanchester Caulk.