The Sun.
London, England, 1818-04-23 00:00:00

THE'THEATRE.

The new Tragedy which was brought forth last
night at Covent-Garden Theatre, under the title
of Bellanzira, .or The Fun. of Tunis, is generally
reported to be the production of Mr. Silt FL, the
author of The Apostate, which was successfully
represented last season at the same place • We
subjoin an abstract of the Fable for the amuse-
ment of our Conntt4 Readers :

" Count Manfredi, a Nobleman of Naples, in slavery at
Tunis, discovers that Charles the Fifth is marching, against
,
the Pirate. He arms his Christian fellow-slaves against their
tyrants, and becomes himself ,their leader, binding himself
by an oath, that not liberty—not the embraces of his wife
and child, could make hint abandon the continuo cause. He
sees a child dragged front ils mother, attempts to save it, but
is prevented. The frantic mother now appears—it is Bella-
mira, Manfredi', wife. Flu attempts to save hoe from the
pirates—!,hey are about to murder him, when snddenly Mon-
talto, the Governor a: Tunis, appears, and slaves him. This
i.tirsonage had been Adii.iral at Venice, was stigmatized un-
justly as a traitor to the Republic, and had his wife and only
child murdered by his own hrother. He fled to Toni , be-
rem-gade, and the 'Vicegerent of Haradin, in his al,
on tiie expedition against the approaching Spaniards.
M. beholds Bellamira, and pities her; he hears her
eanies--it was that of his murdered child. He restores In r
to freedom, hcr husinind, and her child. Amttrat, another
renegade, now arrives from tho camp of Haradin, with an
order to ililirder the Chief of the Christian Slaves, and suc-
ceed Montalto as Governor of Tunis. Amnrat would spare
.hit:; at the instigation of Nfontalto, but that. he finds in him
Manfredi, his mortal foe. Montalto 'provides a ship to carry
away Manfredi and his wife—Nlanfredi resolves to keep his
oath, and Bellamira will not leave her husband. Amino,
during the conflict, conies in—discovers Manfredi, and has
him dragged away in chains—looks on Bellamira—she was ,
the object of his early love, to carry off alums he had leagued
with bandits—had, in consequence, been degraded front his
nobility, branded on the forehead as a robber, and cast out
from Naples. Manfredi it. was who defeated and disgraced
hint, and tints became the object of his revenge and jealousy.
Salerno, the supposed .father of Bellamira, meets Montalto,
who discovers in bin) a brother, and I he murderercif his wife anti
child. • Salerno sacs his daughter lives—Bellamira, then at
Tunis, and in the power of Amurat. The father is horror struck.
In the mean time Amurat has forced Bellamira to his haram,
where she grasps a poignard, and threatens to slab herself if
he approaches. He brings in her husband, who is doomed to .
instant death-unless she throws down the dagger. She is re-
solute. He brings in her child; the dagger falls from her
hand. Amurat is about to seize her, when Montalto rushes
in and receives his daughter in his arms. Tunis is. now-at.
tacked. Amurat is called off to battle, limiting previously sent
the father, husband, and other captives, to a dungeon
Manfredi and the others are carried out for instant execution;
Montalto is left behind chained to a pillar. The dungeon
door is left open in the confusion,• and Bellamira-finds her
father. Amurat returns, accuses Montalto of treachery, and
stabs hint. The shout of battle is heard. A scene of agoniz-
ing recognition takes place between the father and daughter.
Amurat returns, wounded and bloody, his turban off, and his
branded forehead bare, to carry off Bellamira. Montalto
kills him, and Manfredi and Bellamira are restored to each
other's arms."

A new species of tragedy has appeared within
the last few years, which may be styled the
terrific, or, perhaps, the horrible, consisting of
such situations of desperate distress as rather
chill the mind than excise its sympathy. Such
was The Apostate last, year, such is Bertram, and
others'that we could notice, the Authors of which
seem to have been educated in a school where
the Pupils are regularly trained for dramatic
compositions of the most gloomy, or rather
the most scaring and outrageous nature. They
seem, indeed, to have " supt full of horrors."
The common order of dramatic distresses are of too
tame a nature to interest their imaginations, and
they seem more inclined to drive the audience out
of the Theatre, in the wildness of despair, than
to detain them in it by genuine pathos, that might
awaken their sympathies. That these Authors
sometimes produce striking imagery, forcible sen-
timents, and energetic language, must be admit-
ted, but, in general, they induce- the audience to
wish the whole of these terrific scenes were at an
end, that they might escape from torture, when
they expected only to have their feelings exer-
cised by natural emotions, and that sympathy
which arises from calamities to which human na-
titre is exposed in all states of society. What we
have now said is in a great degree applicable to
the Tragedy before us, and we feel much regret
on seeing compositions of this character gaining
ground. Their tendency is, in effect, to weaken
sympathy, by rendering the ordinary calamities
of life dull and languid in comparison. Admitting
the propriety of such compositions, the Tragedy
of last night exhibits surprises, disappointments,
distresses, and deliverances, quite sufficient for
those who can admire such rapid and marvellous
alternations and vicissitudes. It is proper, how-
ever, to observe, that not one mark of disappro-
bation appeared during the whole of the repre
sentation, but the applause, we conceive, was
wholly applicable to the performers. The cha-
racters are well cast, and were as well supported.
YOUNG in /1/0/Ito/10, C. KEMBLR in Manfredi",
MACREADY ill Serrano,, TERRY in Salerno, and
Miss O'NEILL in Bellamira, gave the piece all pos-
sible support. There is the sante fault in this
Tragedy as there was in The Apostate—the heroine
and other characters are suiferd to wander about
where they please, at a time when every motion
must be observed, and when it was impossible for
them to move without a guard. But such simple
matters are beneath the consideration of a lofty
Poet, who i 3 too intent in studying for the marvel-
lous in action and in sentiment, to regard the pro-
bable. Even its the freest states such loco-motive
liberty, under suspicious circumstances, would
hardly escape the criticism of the Constable. The
house was full, and the piece 'was announced for
repetition to-morrow by Mr. C. KEMBLE with
general consent, and, as 'we have before said,
without one dissenting voice. While we arc no
great adtnirers of the play, we cannot but.approee
of its timely introduction. Our work at ALGIERS,
though glorious to those engaged in it, its heroic
Commander in particular, and the country which
prepared the expedition, has not subdued the nest
of atrocious pirates, and whatever may incite
the nations of Europe to extinguish such an exe-
crable Baud of Robbers, deserves encouragement
and applause. The Prologue, glancing at this
subject, was well delivered by Mr. CONNER, and
the Epilogue, not very pointed or novel, by Miss
BRUNTON, whom we could not but pity for be-
ing obliged, when exercising no other duty, to
remain late in the Theatre for the purpose
of delivering dull line 4 to which few attend.—
The Managers do not seem to know bow to em.
ploy with due discretion the talents of this pro-
mising young Actre3s.

The curiosities of antigniLy se►►t oy the Bey of
TRIPOLY for the PRINCE REGENT, were removed
yesterday from the Weymouth store-ship, at Drpt•
lord, to the Tower.

%


HOUSE OF CO_MAIONS.

[Contintied fromottr Second Page.]
SLAVE TRADE.

Mr, WILIIERFoaca ,tose-; pursuant to .his notice,
to move for the pioductiiin of some Papers rela-
tive-to the Slave Trade. He thought it would. be
admitted that the shutting out any additional sup-
ply of Slaved. was the, best morie of ensuring .
improvement in the condition of the'Slavqs.„
thing was so likelv to contribu'e to the improve-
ment-of the physical it;ld moral .condit ion of that
claSs of persons, as to make the colonies de-
pendent on an interual- supply. lf was with this
view that his Honourable Friend had; introduced
hi-S Bill to make it a felony to impOrt Slaves.
It was On the same priociple that two. years ago
he .-had introduced a Bill for .the Registration of
Perhaps Ile bad been thought unreasona-
bly. jualons. on this subject ; but when it was con-
sidered that it tuas„ before the introduction of his
HOn Friend's Bill, the universal feeling in the
"Colonies that it woo Id ire holm) ti cab! e, by
means of any naval or military' fOrce, to prevent
the illicit_ introduction of Slaves, and that those
Very pet sons now opposed the Registration Bill on
the ground that by meatus of a naval force the il-
licit introduction of Slaves mivht he totally pre-
sented ; and when, 00. the other hand, it was
consider et! that all historians aoil unbiassed per,
sons agreed that registration was the, only
efiec-
to .1 mptie: of proviNtig against the illicit traffic, it
would be allowed that the force of .the objections
made by the Colonis-s to the. measure was not
grifat. It had beeo fount that, the mere recom-
mendation of the measure of registration (rpm
this side of the wa,er was utterly without-effect.
This had onforttotately too. often been the case
with recommendations from the same quarter, for.
tie purpose- ,of reforming the condition of the
skives. When the papers were placed before the
House, lie trusted that they would be considered
w rib all the attention which they -deserved. It
was the dory of the !loose, after having aeknow-
ledged more than half a million of beipp as its
fellow creatures, to attend to their claims, and
pariculaily to take care, by the registration of
Slaves, that none should be illicitly brought
lie,concluded by moving'forCopies of all Laws
passed in or fot the British Cohnties since 1812,
and not hitherto laid before Parliament, relative
to the condition ofSlay,.s, the prevention of their::
i!licit importation, and also reSpeeting tic condi-
tion of the free, coloured pordatiern.
..Mr. GOULBUItiV did not intend to ofreville leasi
opposition to the present motion.. lie felt, in
common with the rest of the linage, how much
the country owed to the Right lion. Gentleman
for his, exet ions in the grzNat Caose'of
lh , was al .o desirous of rendering the- illicit
portation of Slaves as impOssilde as Etonian precau-
tions coeld allow, If he had ever.differed. from
the li,on.:,Aleu,ber, it was not in the objeet he had.
in. Yie,v, but in the bet stay of attaining it ; for
be had thought that a less pereCt measure, Car-
ried, with the good will of the persons'in the' C(';-15110 must ultfy,vE it effect, trOuld
produce more. benefi dal cousequences than the
best enactment
_made againSt their wishes. The
ruittous infipenceof the late War had prevented
file Colonies fruit paying' that attention to the
condition of the tit green Lich they +vete desirous
of,.giring; but with the return of prosperity that
important subject would kJ duly considered, and
trusted the peiiod was not distant when a great
and most satisfactory chaoge would be observed
in the condition of the dare population. • •
MARnzorr.deprecated the systeni of calum.-
ny which had been adopted during the laSt thirty
yeari against the West lodla Colonists. He trust:
ed that the papers moved" for would prove that.
they were cordially disPosed'to assist in the execu-
tion of any measure really calculated to improVe
the conditiotr of slaves.

Mr. W. SMITH, ,for one, repelled the imputa-
tion of ealtrany which the Hon. Gentleman had
thrown upon theMet»bers of that House.
The motion having been agreed to,
Mr. WILBEMFORpE moved for copies or ex-
tracts of such Accounts.received by the COlonial
Depart men! since 1867, and not previously laid
berme Parliament, as would show the increase
and decrease of the number of slaves, as also of
the.. flee-colgored and the white population: He
was an, old soldier in the present
:kind of warfare,
and heard with indifference the imputatiOns thiown
out by an Hon. Member, and is hick 'he was dis-
posed to ottribute chiefly to the situation whiCh
that Ron, Gentleman held. He was not satisfied
that the supply of slaves Wil3 cut Oti, and thought
it very difficult, under existing circumstances, to
prevent their illicit introduction.'
Mi..GRAN'F and Mr. Baowtsto contended, that
they had never heard of any evaiion'of the law in
that respect. •
The motion was agreed to. • •
„ , •
Mr. WILBERFORCE 'hen moved for ri'neturn of
the present numberof all the above elasies, and,'
a% far as..the same could be given, of the changes.
in the relative proportion of the male and'femAe
population ; and also, for opies or extracts of
all Acts passed ',pursuant 'to the Address of 1816
to the Prince ltegent, retioesthig his ROyal fligh-
tless to recommend the adOption of measures of
relief in the Nest India Colonies'. and for joides
a all Executive or Otficial Voceedings relative
to the said 'objects, and of all correspondence on
the subject which Might be p‘roduccd Without
prejudice to the British service.—Agreed