The Sun.
London, England, 1821-09-10 00:00:00

THE THEATRE.

On Saturday evening a new melo-drame was
brought forward at Drury-lane Theatre, under
the title of Geraldi Duval, or The Banditti of Bo-
hemia. The story of this piece was derived from
one of Mrs. OPI E'S tales, and bad been pre-
viously introduced at the Surrey Theatre, under
the name of The Ruffian Boy. The following is
an outline of the fable
Geraidi Duval (-'Jr. COOPER) has aspired to the hand of
Ethelind, Countess of Altenberg iSS SMITHSON), but is re-
jected with disdain. - In revenge, he attempts her life, but is
prevented ; convicted of the crime, branded, and condemned
to perpetual imprisonment. After six years' confinement he
succeeds in effecting his escape. His first step is to unite him-
self with a band of- robbers, who elect him their chief. From
that moment he devotes all his energies to revenge on Ethelind,
the cause of his punishment and infamy. She is become the
wife of Count Altenbe:g (Mr. BAnyAuD) a Bohemian Noble-
man, and as he is beloved by Ethelind, both are included by
Duval in his dreadful purpose.. In the disguise of a be_ggar he
gains
access to the garden of Count Altenberg, finds Ethelind
alone, and reveals his design, but awes her by the most dreadful
threats into concealment. Altenberg is next, b3r a stratagem, led
into the neighbourhood of the robbers'cave, when he is attacked,
wounded, and thrown into a pldce of security. Duval himself
then heads the enterprise of carrying off the Countess, and she is
brought into the same cave with her husband,whereDuval had de-
termined to consummate his revenge by destroying-them both
with.his own hand.- They find a friend, however, in Barbara (Mrs.
EGERT 0 x) the wife of Sternholf (Mr. SMITH) one of the princi-
pal robbers, who determines, if potsible, to save them. The de-
sign is 'Sitspected, and she is ordered to leave the cavern, but
contrives-to conceal herself, and gives her cloak and hat to
ount
Altenberg, who escapes unperceived. Meantime Ethelind
is
brought in insensible in the arms of. Duval, who waits only for
her recovery to resider her conscious of her approaching fate,
,and then to plunge his dagger in her breast. A clock stands in
the cave, the hand of which points to within a few, minutes of
Midnight, and Ethelind is informed that-its striking will be her
death knell. At the moment he is about-to strike, Count Al-
tenberg having raised his vassals, appears in the back ground of
the cavern, and Duval falls‘by a pistol shot. •••
ThiS piece is another- sacrifice to the depraved
_taste of the limes, which seems to delight in the
horrific, in dramatit composition and theatrical
performance. Simple nature, genuine feeling and
probability, appear to be utterly disregarded in
both. Modern tragedies are calculated tc terrify
and astound the imagination rather than to im-
prove the heart ; and modern acting is spreading
the
.contagion of affected familiarity and stiff-
den transitions, with all the concomitants of
tap, scratch, and howl. The piece of Saturday
is like numberless others of a similar description,
which abound with woods, caverns, explo-
sions, &c. &c., and. which have been repeated
too frequently to make a powerful impression.—
It would be a waste of time to enter into a critical
analysis of the present work, and to ask how the
base born son of a peasant should pretend to be a
suitor to a high-born Lady,- and resent her re-
jection, or how the menacing Assassin should
So easily gain admission into a palace and a gar-
den ; and what had become of all the numerous
servants, when such intrusions took Phfce, -and
when danger was constantly apprehended ?- It
is,' however, but justice to the performers•iti-ge-
neral to say that the piece wanted no support of
theatrical merit; and it may be properly added,
that it is some indication of improving taste;* that
the manly and natural style of COOPER'S atting-
haS evidently raised him in general estimation.

Madame CATALAN! gave her first Concert on
Saturday evening, at the Assembly Rooms, in
Ship-street, Brighton, which vy. or.tendeti oy-all
the rank and fashion at present there.
DESTRUCTIVE VIRE IN GRACECHURCH-STREET.
—Between two and three o'clock yesterday
morning, a destructive fire broke out in the back
part of the premises of Mr. Riant, cheesemonger,
the - corner of White hart-court, Gracechurch-
street. The flames soon reached the house of Mr.
Fossick, umbrella-maker, and then communi-
cated to the extensive premises of Messrs Pew-
tress and Low, stationers, and to those of Mr.
Bull, linew.draper. In less than an hour, the
whole line of buildings was one body of fire;
the engines from all quarters of the town were
collected with the greatest expedition, and hay.
ing been put in motion, the firemen played with
extraordinary exertion. The devouring element
was then spreading its ravages to the premises of
Messrs. Masterrnan and CO. bankers, -it having
already caught the Quakers' Meeting-house,
which is adjoining, and was enveloped in flames
notwithstanding the promptitude of the firemen:
The roof of Messrs. Masterman's house was con-
siderably damaged, and also that of Messrs.
Spooner, Atwood, and Co. the bankers. The
church of St. Benedict, at the co ner of
Fenehurch-street, was filled with various
property, and butter and cheese were piled
to a great height on the pavement; unhappily,
whilst two firemen belonging to the London
Assurance, named Joseph Round and William.
Perkins, and another man, whose name we could
not learn, were strenuously exerting themselves
to extricate some property from the house of
Mr. Riant, the roof fell in, and all three were
buried underneath. Round was soon after taken
out- with his skull fractured, and his thigh bro-
ken ; he was conveyed to the hospital, but died
soon afterwards. The other two were quite dead.
By the exertion of the firemen;- the flames were
subdued by ten o'clock, but not till the premises
of Mr. Riant, Mr. Fossick, Messrs. Pewtress •
and Low, Mr. Bull, and the Quakers' Meeting-
house were entirely reduced to ruins. We have
not been able to ascertain the cause of the con'-
flagration, neither have we learned what quail.
tity of property has been destroyed, hut we
should consider it to be immense. We were in-
formed the parties are all insured. Many other
houses were slightly damaged.
DREADFUL FIRE THIS MORNING.—About five
o'clock this morning a dreadful fire broke out
at the house of Mr. MyEns., pencil-maker, 37,
Princes-street, Soho, which in less than twenty
minutes consumed the whole, and greatly da-
maged the houses on the opposite side of the
street. At one time the house of Mr.
Clinet, stationer, was on fire, but by his
timely and incessant exertions it was put out,
although the window frame and curtains of his
bed-room were on fire. It is not exactly
known how many lives were lost.l Mr. Myers and
oue of his sons jumped out of the second floor
window, were dangerously wounded, and carried
to the hospital ; another of his sons is missing, and
it is feared fell a prey to the devouring element.
The whole of the house was let out in lodgings;
and many poor families are now in the Church-
yard, without having saved the least article, some
without clothes on.