The Sun.
London, England, 1844-11-20 00:00:00

SURREY THEATRE.

On Monday a new drama, in two acts, entitled
The Seal'd Sentence, was produced at this theatre.
Valentine Dournay, a young artist and author (Mr.
J. T. Johnson), is betrothed to Laurette (Mrs. R.
Honner), the daughter of a rustic labourer. Victor
Lavitte, the son of the mayor of the commune (Mr.
N. T. Hicks), is deeply enamoured of Laurette, and
seeks to displace Valentine in Laurette's affections.
The drama opens with a pretty view of a vineyard in
the ♦icinity of Paris, followed by the bridal festival,
The young lovers having returned from the marriage
ceremony, Victor Lavitte is in despair, and deter-
mines on ruining Valentine, and, as nothing was more
easy, more common, or more natural in that age of
terror than to denounce any individual as a traitor to
the Directory or the republic, Lavitte appears, fol-
lowed by gens-d'armes. They seize Valentine, who
is taken to the prison of La Force, is first (as we
subsequently learn) condemned to death, but his sen-
tence is commuted to deportation. Valentine is, how-
ever, permitted to carry with him his bride, and they,
with many others, are embarked on board a French
brig of war, commanded by a gallant old veteran,
Captain La Roche Girard, whose sympathy is readily
excited in behalf of the youthful couple. Having
proceeded to sea, the sealed sentence is opened by the
captain, who finds that Valentine is doomed to be
shot. The marines kneel and fire, and Valentine
falls over the ship's side, and thus ends the first act.
A period of years is supposed to elapse between the
first and the second act, which opens with Russian
scenery and the proceedings of the grand army.
Captain La Roche has become a soldier in that ill-
fated army, and is the protector of Laurette, who for
a long time previous has been insane, with only lucid
intervals. The villain Victor Lavitte appears in the
same army, and dies covered with wounds in pre-
senting his body to the charge of the Cossacks to
save Laurette, who in despair rushes out, and by her
efforts induces the French troops to rally ; and finally,
much to the surprise of all parties, Valentine Dournay
re-appears, he having become an officer, and having
fought in Egypt. He refers to the stratagem of the
old captain (which remains a secret between them),
and shortly narrates how he escaped by swimming
some enormous distance ; and all ends happily. We
should not do justice did we not refer to the admir-
able performance of Mrs. R. Honner as Laurette, not
only as the raving maniac, but throughout the various
incidents which arise.

A TYRANT OF THE NINETEENTH
CENTURY.
The almost daily accounts from South America
bring fresh news of the atrocities of a monster who,
it would scarcely be imagined, existed in the nine-
teenth century. General Rosas, the Dictator of the
Argentine Republic, still continues his work of blood
and destruction. The last packet has conveyed
strong remonstrances to the Earl of Aberdeen on this
subject ; and the British resident at Monte Video
has addressed a very eloquent appeal to the Foreign
Minister, setting forth the dangers to which the
English mercantile and other interests are exposed
by the permissive policy as it were, indulged in with
regard to the Dictator. From the time that Rosas
first appeared as a public man to the time at which we
write, he has, it would appear, been guilty of the
massacre of thirty thousand souls—to say nothing of
probably an equal number who have been forced,
through his despotic proceedings, to take refuge in
strange lands. In the year 1836, Rosas, after the
Royalist party had yielded to the patriot brothers,
determined to strike terror into the minds of the in-
habitants, and he caused to be brought from the con-
fines of the province, a tribe of Indians who had be-
come his prisoners. On their passage they endea-
voured to escape, when, without regard to trial, or
any other ceremony, and with no respect for age or
sex, one hundred of these poor wretches, fathers,
mothers, and children under nine years of age, were
butchered in the very streets of Buenos Ayres. They
were brought from their prisons in groups of ten or
twelve, and shot by platoons of soldiers—and many
who were merely wounded, and who endeavoured to
crawl away, were dragged back, had their throats
cut, and their brains beat out, and afterwards left as
food for the dogs and swine of the city. In 1839, Dr.
Vincent Maze, the President of the National As-
sembly, and second magistrate of the city, was assas-
sinated in his private apartment in the House of
Representatives, at seven in the evening. He was
the intimate friend of the Governor, and had been
heard to say that the knowledge of the waylaying
and massacre of General Quiroga and escort would;
cost him his life. Two days after, the son of Maza
being suspected, by Rosas, of conspiracy, he was
arrested, and eventually followed the fate of his
father—the two bodies being afterwards cast into a
dung-cart, and thrown amongst those of other victims.
The widow and survivors of the Maza family was
even forbidden to wear mourning, or to perform any
rites and ceremonies in their church, for the victims!
Numerous other crimes, too horrible for detail,
could be enumerated—all of which are attributable
to this vile Republican adventurer ; yet such a man is
allowed, in the face of Europe, to pursue his career
of bloodshed and murder, unmolested!
The conduct of our agent, Mr. Mandeville, which
is extremely vacillating, is loudly and generally con-
demned, and appears to excite much indignation
amongst the English residents, especially when com-
pared with the noble conduct of his predecessor, Mr.
Hamilton Hamilton, who, not many days after his
arrival, applied to the British Government to be re-
moved from the scene of Rosas' Dictatorship, as he
deemed any communication with him derogatory to
his honour and the principles of our national policy.
It is to be hoped, however, that the vigilance of Com-
modore Purvis, who is in command of our fleet in
these seas, will speedily place matters on a better
footing, and the confidence reposed in him apparently
by the residents would seem to mark him as a fit pro
tector for our merchants. He is decidedly averse to
Rosas ; and probably, but for the countenance the
Dictator receives at the hands of Mr. Mandeville, that
inhuman dealer in horrors would, ere this, have been
deprived of the means of effecting further mischief.—
, Glasgow Saturday Post.
ig

TIIE KING OF TITS FRENCIL—WINDSOR, MON-
DAY.—On Saturday afternoon Baron Talleyrand, the
Count de Noailles, and M. Rabandy, arrived at Windsor,
from the French embassy, for the purpose of having an
interview with Mr. T. Clark, the newly-elected Mayor,
having been commanded by his Majesty Louis Philippe
to present the worthy chief magistrate with the sum of
5,000 f. (200/.) to be distributed amongst the poor and
necessitous of the town during the ensuing winter. Two
beautifully executed gold snuff boxes have been pre-
sented from the King of the French to Messrs. Russell
and Stead, the inspectors of police who were on duty at
the Castle during the visit of his Majesty to the Queen.
The female domestics also, connected with the suite of
apartments occupied by his Majesty, were likewise pre-
sented with valuable rings set with diamonds and other
precious stones.
MAJOR AND MRS. G. DARBY GRIFFITHS " JOUR-
NEY ACROSS THE DESERT."—Much that is new will
occur to most readers in their perusal of these volumes,
the whole of which is written with remarkable ease,
freedom, and spirit. It appears that with few excep-
tions their literary composition is from the pen of the
lady, while all the illustrations, of which the number is
considerable, are from drawings made by Major Grif-
fith at the actual moment, and on the spot to which they
relate. The Journey from Suez across the Desert is
throughout very graphically described, and presents
much useful information for those who may adopt the
same route. Major Griffith's excursion to the pyramids
of Gizeh is excellent in its way. The most picturesque
portion of the first volume, however, is that which re-
lates to Mrs. Griffith's visit to the Harem of Mochtah
Bey, at Cairo. The visits to Pompeii, Herculaneum,
&c., are charmingly sketched, bringing freshly be-
fore us the scenes of eighteen centuries ago. We re-
gret exceedingly our want of space to render justice to
this delightfully attractive work.—Naval and Military
Gazette.