The Sun.
London, England, 1826-05-30 00:00:00

DRURY-LANE.

A new opera, in three acts, entitled The _Knights of the Cross,
and founded on the tale of The Crusaders, was last night pro-
duced at Drury-lane.
We consider the novel of The Crusaders, both by its beauties and
its defects, to be peculiarly characteristic of the remarkable writer,
whom, par complaisance, it pleases us to term the Great Unknown.
With all the power of his genius, he identifies himself abaolmely
and at once in the subject of a narrative, remote both as to the
time and the scene of its action. You behold the chivalry of
Christendom on the plains of Palestine ; there is every wherei a
scorching sun and a wilderness of sand. The bold but wily Sa-
racen is admirably contrasted with the open fearless de-
nizen of chivalry. , The characters are kept separate and
distinct, and the contrast sustained throughout; but then
there is all the old, confusion, and mechanical complexity
of incident ; the same wild interminable chaos of plot. The
incidents are, however, individually of a bold and highly
dramatic character; and we certainly consider, that in
the hands of a skilful artist, the materials of this • novel
might be cast into a Drama of very powerful interest. Mr.
Elliston has the best of singers, players, and scene-painters,
but he has assuredly the very worst of playwrights. We
verily believe, that had any ingenious individual taken it in
hand to cut out a given portion of the novel, so as best to distort
its narrative (monstrous as it is), and to destroy its interest, there
would have come from under his scissors this same identical opera
of the Knights of Me Cross, (at least the two first acts of it),
The two first acts are unquestionably dull to an excess—all the
minor incidents with which the author has enlivened the earlier
part of his mrrative is lopped away, there remains nothing but
the bare trunk of his
,plot. Where are the dwarfs (inimitable
pigmies !) where is the fool of Don John ? and where is the
fool Don John himself? and where, oh ! where is hie
spricht spreucher, his sayer of sayings ? There are men
calling themselves Beauseant Monserrat, and Thomas of Cliluland,
hut the wily templar, the dissipated soldier of fortune, and the
plain spoken men of Cumberland, are not there. Where is the
hermit of Engaddi, a character which, however great a blemish
may form_ in the novel, admits of powerful_ working in

the drama. We do not at all recognize hlm in a ruffianly looking
fellow, who does the civilities of a cave to Sir Kenneth, awl
shows laim, among other curiosities, a fine grotto of young ladies,
standing motionless as stactalites, whilst one side of the said
grotto is pulled down to exhibit them.
Itlas been said, and we think truly, that the novel is, . from
beginning to end, a masquerade.
Now the drama we hold to be a masquerade throughout, so well
sustained, that it is impossible to suspect the actors of wearing
masks. Who could imagine that Sir Kenneth (well acted by
Bennet) was, forsooth, a Scottish Prince? or that the black mes-
senger of Sabuiin was Sir Kenneth ? or that the Physician El
Hakim was Saladin, &c. &c. &c.
We defy any individual, without a previous knowledge of the
story, to arrive at any thing like a clear conception of the object
of all the talking, acting, fighting, and singing, he will see per-
petrated before him.

The play begins in the hermitage of Engaddi ; the
scene then changes to the camp of the Crusaders ; we have
the sickness and recovery of Richard performed by Wallack, and
then comes Edith (Miss Stephens) to make mischief about the
standard, and sing us a very pretty song or two. The business
of the standard is pretty well done by the assistance
of a dog, decidedly the best actor in the piece, and the
whole finishes by that procession of the troops which leads to the
discovery of Monserrnt's treachery. We should have preferred a
denouement in the camp of &Win, and the tragical scene be-
Mieen Beaumont and Montserrat might, we think, have been in-
troduced with effect.

The Opera was well received, and announced for repetition
without a dissentient voice : unless, however, the two first acts be
entirely remodelled it cannot become a favourite.

The following is an extract from the Calcutta Governmen
Gazette Extraordinary, of Jan. 20
I),FAIL,OFFICIAL.

`PORT WILLIAM, JAN. 20, 1826
Despatches have been received from Brigadier Smelt, by the
on. Company's steam-vessel, Enterprise, which left Rangoon
on the 13th instant, containing-the following highly important
intelligence
It appears that the sloop of war, Champion, sailed the 9th inst.
for Calcutta, with Captain Snodgrass on board, bearing despatches
which announce that Major-General Sir A. C'imipbell reached Pa-
.
tanagoh on the 27th ult., and that negotiations were opened by
the Burmese Chiefs `on the 30th ult. A treaty of peace was agreed
to, according to the terms dictated by the British Commissioners,
and signed on the 3d inst. The principal articles are stated to be,
the cession of Assam and its dependencies ; of the four districts of
Arracan ; end the provinces on the coast of Tennasserim, vie.
Ye, Tavoy, and Magni, to the Memorable Company. Munni-
pore to be given to Rajah Gumbheer Sing, and one erore of ru-
pees to he paid. Stipulations have also been made for the security
of the Peguera who may have joined or assisted us during the war.
It was stipulated that the treaty should be ratified by the King of
Ave, and returned to the Commissioners at Maloun, with all the
European prisoners in Ave, and an instalment of three lacks of
rupees on or before the 18th instant. It wwaassexu/:etcieterdotritilaetruCtfodr.
iTniNcltaynlv,oaullidd rheaisci‘hiaßaientgyo,osnshwipith the ratified treaty about the 24th
bringing on the despatches.
Brigadier Smelt reports also that Col. Pepihiiridit'eoillane:,:l:eeenasnmidnoedNnm.itaithri..ce,sedtod
inst.,from Pwchgiuchonotalciee 2liSedfonultn.d,
evacuated,
uaartedrive,danadt
get-
ting back the inhabitants with their families. On the 7th inst.
he detached Lieut.-Col. Cowry, with the 3d
take possession of Zittoun, where a small force of the enemy was
said to he stationed. They proved, however, to be very numerous,
atinftd,
wstorrok yngbly
east:Lk:led, and, after a most gallant attempt to curry
the detachment was obliged to retire with
loss; Lieut.-Colonel Com and Lieutenant Adams being killed,
and two officers wounded, with 12 Sipahees killed and 21 wound-
ed. Col. Pepper was expected to arrive at. Zittoun on the fol-
lowing day, and recomnienee the attack with his whale force, un-
less he should, in the mean time, receive the orders, informing
him of the conclusion of the treaty of Peaceat Patanagoli, and
directing his return to Pep.
The oeuntry round Shoregem is represented as being moat
beautiful and fertile, and the population considerable. The Si-
tang river is said to be navigable for boats to 'rough°, all the year
round