The Sun.
London, England, 1826-12-29 00:00:00

SOIREIZS FRANCAISES.

Strange that one of the most fashionable places of
amusement our metropolis contains, should so long have
escaped the notice of the press ! and, that, while every
Monday and Thursday evening, the little theatre in Tot-
tenham-street is filled with the most distinguished
audiences, no daily paper should have thought its per-
formances deserving of notice! We will hardly suppose
our fellow labourers in the vineyard unprovided with a
sufficient stock of French; and even if it were so, when
we continually find tourists describing countries whose
languages they never knew, we need not doubt that any
deficiency of so unimportant a nature might easily be con-
cealed under a display of oracular assertions. Perhaps
some motive equally powerful with that which silences
criticism on benefit nights, may have dictated this neglect ;
but, whatever be the cause, the West London Theatre his
continued for some years to unite within its walls audi-
ences of so select a nature, that 'no critical reporter seems
during the time to haVe obtained -admission into this truly,
patrician circle. Indeed, we believe that, to some of our.
readers, the very existence of a French Theatre in this
metropolis will be matter of information. Be 'it then
known unto all men, that there exists somewhere about
half-way between Portland-place, and the lately discovered
neighbourhood of Russell-square, a certain. region, yclept Tot-
tenham-court-road, a very receptacle of butchers, bakers,
tallow-chandlers, and various other trades equally useful,
but highly unaristocratic. This mighty river of vulgar
animation is in part supplied by many tributary streams,
of which one bears the honourable title of Chapel-street,
though it has puzzled some very learned etymologists to
assign a reason for its appellation. When the stranger
who visits these barbarous regions has discovered the
above mentioned nook, and explored it to its source, he
enters the defile of Tottenham-street, where with little
difficulty he will perceive a building of a peculiar eirar, ance, which has of late years assumed the Imposing WI.
the West London Theatre. In this once deserted building,
ii company of French comedians, have Air a few years
past been supported by a most liberal subscription, and
they continue to.draw audiences that our Winter Theatres
might envy. -
It is It melancholy reflection to every lover of the British
Drama, that, while our national theatres are -very little
noticed by the fashionable world, the company of Monsieur
Cloup are so much folloWed that they can scarcely ever
satisfy the demands made upon them for places; and what
makes the reflection yet more melancholy, is, that every,
impartial judge is forced toidinit the justice of the pre-
ference. What can we see at Drury Lane and Covent.
Garden .but garbled, and in general very inferior, transla-
tions of the same pieces which we muy ape most res-
pectably performed at the FreOch Theatre ? What right
have managers to complain of neglect, when :they have
suffered the Drama to sink to so deplorable a state of de-
gradation ? We subjoin a list of some of the most popular
of our modern pieces, with the names of the French pieces
from whiCh they are taken, and we cart assure our readers,
that with very few exceptions, the originals are by far the
most amusing. To what are we to attribute this total ces-

cation of, original dramatic composition, at a time when
our poets, novelists, historians, and philosophers, are con-
fessedly superior to those of every other country ? We
leave to others to tlibcover its causes, contenting ourselves
with stating the fact.

Yesterday evening we attended the performance of IN
Bourgeois Genii!honour, a play which Louis XI V. consi-
dered the most amusing of MoHere's productions. .It is
partly founded on an Italian farce wherein the Jews. Were
introduced, and made to figure in a manner which excited •
such resentment among the whole fraternity, that they are
said to,have bribed the then Pope to forbid the uprose*
don, and to have bought up the copies in circulation so di-
ligently, that not one is at present known_to exist. What-
ever may haye been the high opinion entertained of its
merits by the Royal critic, we consider the piece altogether
undeserving of its high- reputation; whole story 19 SD
extravagantly improbable from beginning to euil, the in-
tuations so forced, and the, principal- character so very un-
tiatstauuratli,lotrh,aLd a
notwithstanding the acknowledged merit of
popularity
d rityownhoict hheshasitat7 oivepnotice
when considering it in the light ofa dramatic composition,
one of the worst,.if not the worst, of the productions of
Moller,. As played yesterday evening at the West Loa-
don Theatre, the piece was considerably curtailed, and still
appeared too long to the greater part of theeudience ; there
were repeatedly symptoms of ennui, and though a crowded
house, had been attracted by the announcement of the
trvrod thell ale
t
whose follies it deride ,
Bourgeois Gentilhomme, every body was evidently well
pleased when its faded humour was replaced by the more
diverting, because more natural pleasantry of Le Seers-
taire et It Cuisinier. This piece is well known to the
London audiences by the name of Fish out of Water.
The parts of Monsieur Jourdain in the one piece, and
Soufflé in the other, could not have been easily placed io
abler hands than those of Perlet, who performed theni on
this occasion. We hays seen this gentleman in niallY
parts, and do not hesitate to place him on a line with our
best comic actors. We cannot compare hint for imy other
actor, because every artist of eminence has a style peculiar
to himself,, the very attempt to imitate which would be in
itself a confession of inferiority, but we have certainly no
actors seek
e e anyt o t
gain those
applause, ti
ono on the stage at present who unites such richness of
humour with so much delicacy of pathos. lie never at-
tempts
kfrequently sacri-
fice the consistency of the part, to obtain it; he invariably
makes the audience forget that it is Perlet arid not the in-
dividual represented who stands before them. This even"
slk striking
ghoZih n-ttehebyy
in
which so man
LA, (Friday) he appears in one of his favorite parts,
rtiste, and to those who have not yet seen his' we
can, pro Mme a rich treat, even though they should have but
an imperfect knowledge of the language.
A 1.13? OF SEVERAL MODERN PLAYS, WITH THE NA3163 Or Tut

Love,
Lawras, uaennd Pi=casvhyie PROK WHlCHuiligDTar ARTAKIN•
a Joigny
We Fly by Night Le Conteur
Midnight Hour Guerre Ouverte
Marriage Projects Projets de Marine
Intrigue - La Jolie Fiancee
Love Laughs at Locksmiths Une Folie
Too Late for Dinner ...... .. ... Les Deus Philibette
S Visise il. Bedlam
A Roland for an Oliver and
? line lieure de Mszier ~,
Three Deep, or all on the Wing Monsieur Pique-assiette , :„, ':
Married and Single Le Celibataire et l'Hontme bor''''
Charles the Second La Jeunesse de Henri Me.
White Lies Une Visite= Prison -'
Clari Clari
Lottery Ticket La Billiton en Lotterie
The Rendezvous Le Rendezvous Bourgeon
Fire and Water .. La Soiree Origenu
Love's Dream .La Sonutambule
I will have a Wife Capitaine Belroide
The Two Galley Slaves Les Deus Oaktrians
Deaf as a Post Le Sourd
Point of Honour.-- Le Pointe d'.Hontwur
Deaf and Dumb .L'Abbe de l'EPee
Lovers' Quarrels Le Depit AUlOtlrfill
Youth, Love, and Folly Le Petit Courier . .
Fish out of Water
Personation
...
Mrs. Smith ...... ......Lea Dame Martin
Village Lawyer • L'Avocat Patella .
us..
Slue Devils
• ... L
The Guardian ..• .La Pup_ille .
Patti Pry
Dowta;rilitriter,oeu,ythe_w_s_ed_g_ini
~,,,,,
j...:LesedoiSeßi..phic.;reaetietaiLre
iiieseurti:lcoameCemmoiessioter
Peter Swink
Quite Correct
Scapegoat Le
a Conjuror
LL:
Unwelcome Visitors ...... LlUein:4l:t:oFuliniree°ll:nuntdeldniir'BaltafiguYaireolddenc*
Simpson and Co. Lee Deux Menages
Irish Tutor Lea Deus Prieepteurs ~, ia.
Two Gregories Jocriese Maitre et Jor-risio Lt.:
~
Family Jars Joerisse Pere, Fib et Pea r"' '
Lofty Projects L'Artiste
The other side of the Water Douvres et Calais
A Trip-to Brighton i.e Voyage i Diem), .
The Four Mowbray ..... Le Vieux Garcon _
PB°r:ficergupteetnu:stesdle'Etbarilsnirat- -
Actress of All Work Frosine, ou Is Dernikre ram
The Green Room ...... Les Comediens Yew 200),
The Epaulette Les Pages du Due do
Thirteen to the Donn Lee Manteaux
Therese Therese
The White Lady La Dame Blanche
John of Paris Jean de Paris
Maid and the Mie ...... La Pie Voletsse
Ups and Downs Les Marionettes 14
Jukn Busby &write ii Versailles
Returned Killed IA Mart data l'Etuliarrs.
Green Man
.PTohoerLitibeelarttiionnes .
TLLeLLeae:Lilsern;:easillini titi;d:GinajProtifieigi:sorreetArgen,
Where shall I Dine?
'Twas I
Iskeli
L'Agiotaur

SHIPPING- INTELLIGENCO.

LL OYD'S. --Juts Day.)
Simram, Black, for Gibraltar • Montrose, from London, the
DRAT., Dec. 'S.—Wind N.N. W....A11g00d tti a ;
Alexander Brandt, W' ' athe Lisbon transr 10
Wilde, for Shields ; an ,,d to
Little, from Lisbon, to Westward. Another transport 1""-- u, .
Westward at the dose of the day, name and letter 01°31 in
An ived, the Findlay, Carew, from St. Thomas and :I* E
Burets, front Itichebucto. , 1,..
PORTSMOUTH, Dec. 28.—Wind N. N. E.--Arrived, the Coltfr'
and Maria, Harriet, Barrick, Emperor Alexander, and 011°4
Blackburn* (all tranaPtta). from Lisbon. Pam, the SiinP:ann't
liert, for Deity
or
Blake, from London to India. The St. Lawrence tritnaport -- , _
out of harbour to Spithead. Sailed, the Se Pings, Loader, for he
Isle of France; and his Majesty's brig Calhope, for Lisbon
.
FALMOUTH, Dire.
.‘• Wiud E. Arrived, the Enterpriser
OF?
Cole, from Newfoundland, sailed the 7 ccb
'7th inst. ; Reliance, LeiS.!
.roln Demerara, sailed sth Nov. ; Argo, Martin, from Newfoult
sand ; and Harriet, Slepsens, from ditto in ilii days.

upon respecting
NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICAN COFFEE,HOVSk:"
MA uttrrius,
Webster; she has been reported repairable, but it now remaineht:
decide whether, after sho has received the necessary rePaill',..
Stljircnnidie,mluBa2ti6o.u—Nor oabathii7ouhasnieysetlobselif the riridile'a•
Will be worth the money expended upon her. Arrived, the tic
neral Java, from the Cape of - Good Rope to India; 101 e
William Pitt, from Monte Video, in search of freight.
•

There are now at Lisbon two steam-boatsdrat
th
power ; namely, the Sir Edward Banks and the George e
.rourth. The first of these vessels left England about a fortnight
ago, and the,seeond about a week. There seems to lo geejersla,
opinion that the Sir Edward Banks will be employed bruilh
the mail house; and that therefore, we may hourly expect its ar-
rival, notwithstanding the contrary wind* which gill prevail. We
are informed, however, that the Sir _Edward Banks is not ex-
pected to return to England for two or three months, as it is to
tended to employ her in the conveying of troops from Limbers to
Oporto, or Any other place on the coast, where it may be ritquliita
to employ them. There is another steam-boat on her voyage,te'
Lisbon—namely, the Duke of York, which left Oravesend watt
the mail ou the 24th instant.

PRICES OF STOCKS THU
Bank Stock - 190%
9 pet Cent. lied. 794; 9 %
3 per Cent. Cone.
344 per Cent. 96
Hato Red. 8514%% it
Fotto,r Coif New
B
Di lf aei 94h504ank Long Ann IS R-in
India Stock
M4°1304416 49 39 pm.
13

RIC ES OF FOREIGN F
Austrian Bonds, 5 per cent. SS%
Brarillan Bonds •
Bueaos Ayres Bonds.
Chilton Bondi, 6 par et. ........ 774
Colombian Bonds . . .........
per cent. ~..... ....
Wash. 3
Greek. onds -
DiDo, MI6 • l6%'
benglit - — gaitaan BMWs 5S
1U i

DAY AT ONN O,CLOCK.
South Sea Stock
Old Annuities
New Ditto -
Ex. MI6 »., /1,000 24. 18 17 pm. Ditto isoo ......19 17 ram
Ditto Small
Ditto Commercial
Bank for Account
India fbr Account
Cons. for And. SO ci

UND9 AT ONE O'CLOCK.
Neapolitan, 18414
Peruvian Bonds
poriaigne4e Bonds —
*wank; 5 per cent.
Ditto, New —
Russian, New, 5 p. a. B4
Spanial, 1821 lt
13,1 N
French !twos, bp. c ...... t: —c
................
11
Ix cbau g e —l. --o,
----3 per cent —I —c.
---.Exe.bange --f. --c.

____ ....._
PRICES OY MURES AT ON O'CLOCK.
Paid. - Per Share.
Anglo Ali:slaw Mining Company 4BO 5.%6
,
Pcdoai La Pas and Peruvian Assoc.
Australian Company , 6 16 Provincial Bank oi Ireland

. .
STOCKS, DEC. 26.
St. Patrick Incur. (pet share)
Royal Irish Ditto S
Natlanal Ditto 9
Patriotic Ditto 4►y
Hibernian Bank ltiji
Provincial Ditto
Royal Irish Mine —
Imperial Mine —
Mining Co. of Ireland I%
Commercial Butltli»gs —