The Sun.
London, England, 1818-09-08 00:00:00

THE THEATRE.

CovitNT-GARDEN.-..This Theatre opened last
night for the season, with the Tragedy of Mac-
beth. We have already described the improved
splendour of the interior, and the scene was
heightened last night by an audience that com-
pletely filled the house. On the rising of the
Curtain the vocal Performers tame forward and
sung " God sore the King," the audience stand-
ing, and applauding with loyal fervour. The
play then commenced. The part of Lady Macbeth.
w,s performed by Mrs. YATES, an Actress of con-
siderable repute, as we undetstand, on the Dub-
lin Stage. Her person altogether strongly re-
sembles that of the first Mrs. Pope, iu her
earlier days. Her voice is clear and well-
toned. Her utterance is distinct, and her ac-
tion, if not highly graceful, is easy and un-
affected. Her face, if not handsome, is ca-
pable of expression. There was nothing in
her acting that arose to the height of excellence,
but it was marked by plain sense and feeling.
The chief error we noticed was in her addressing
the following, words to Macbeth, instead Of deli•
vering them in soliloquy, after she had snatched
the daggers from him—

—" If he (Duncan) do bleed,
" I'll gild the faces of the grooms withal,
" For it must seem their guilt."
It is evident, that if she had looked at Macbelh
while delivering these words, she would have seen
that, in his state of consternation and honor, he
would not have attended to them. Besides, the
thought was his own, for he haul previously sail-
-
IVSen au have mark'd with blood those ,lee ley two
" Of his own Chamhir.and us'd their very daggers,

" That they have don't ?" vv
—Therefore there was no necessity for tel-
ling him to whom the guilt was to he imputed.—
But Mrs. FATES, altogether, may be said to
have made a tolerable stand in a vety difficult cha-
racter. it is too much the custom with public
Critics to refer to Mrs. SionoNs ; but ii is obvious
that they should take some " oblivious antidote "
on these occasions, as none of her successors can
he properly brought into the smallest comparison.
Mr. YOUNG supported the part of Macbeth with
great feeling throughout, and in several plssages
made a strong impression, particularly in the Bun-
quet Scene. We cannot, however, agree with him
in his address to the Ghost of Banquo—

" Or, be alive again,
" And dare rue to the desert with thy sword;
" If trembling I inhabit, then protest me
" The baby of u girl."
Such we conceive to be the meaning—a contrast
between the desert, and his own habitation—to
adopt a familiar illustration " if you call ate out
and I keep at home, then," &c. Mr. YOUNG said
" if trembling I inhibit thee," which, if it has any
meaning, has what is called a round-about one,
not likely to have occurred to the Poet as proper
at such a time. The audience were agreeably sur-
prised at seeing Mr. C. KEMBLE in Macdzfl', as he
had been confined by illness at Dover. He ap-
peared somewhat languid in aspect, but the spirit
of his acting was unimpaired, and be fully re-
quited the audience for the zeal of his reception.
There was a strong expression of displeasure on
the part of several persons among the audience, at
intervals during the performance of MATTHEW
LOCK'S admirable music, for which it was difficult
to account. But we understand that a musical
Reformer in the Theatre has made a sweeping dis-
mission among the Band, and perhaps the disap-
probation may be imputed to some of them, or
their connexions. The afterpiece was The Miller
and his Men. The performers in general, both in
play and farce, received a very favourable greet-
ing as they respectively appeared.

AliS3 KELLY, though somewhat better; is not
likely to be able to resume her labours at the
English Opera Haase during the present season.—
The great anxiety of this excellent Actress for the
performance of her duty on all occasions is said
to have been the chief cause of her indisposition.
Miss BYRNE and SINCLAIR continue to perform
with eclat at Edinburgh.

THE LORD LIEUTENANT.—We understand that
his Excellency has commenced his tour through
the country. He was to have dined yesterday, it
is said, at Murphy's Inn, Killarney, where lodg-
ings have been provided, and every other suitable
preparation made for him. Gen .Gordon, command-
ing this district, has received intimation that his Ex-
cellency will arrive in this city on the Sib inst. and
possibly on the the 6th or 7th. The Grand Duke
Michael does not accompany his Excellency.—
We understand the Sheriffs anti Common Speaker
are to proceed to Killarney, with an invitation to
his Excellency, from the Mayor and Corporation,
and a request that he may favour them with the
p poi nt went of a day on which he would honour
them with his company at a civic feast at the
Mansion House.—(Cork Advertiser, Sept. 3.)
CHICHESTER, SEPT. s.—We are happy to state
that the Grand Junction Canal from Arundel to
Portsmouth is now in rapid progress. The
branch to Hunsion was begun on Tuesday,
and a great number of hands are already en-
gaged. The day was ushered in by the tinging
or bells, and several of the managers and their
friends dined together at the Dolphin Inn.

THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE.—BRUCE, the tra-
veller, was fond of strewing his visitors at Ken-
naird, fac-similes of the thirty different languages
that were spoken in the camp of the Caravans in
Africa. To spare the ears of the unlearned, he
called these languages the red, blue, green, &c.
according to the colours of its character. On
showing these MSS. to a Lady, disting:tished for
the vivacity of her remarks, and informing her
tirat the word kiss was to be met with, expressing
the same idea, in some passages of his rainbow of
languages, she pleasantly observed—" lVeIl now,
and did not I tell you, Mr. BRUCE, that kissing is
the same all the world over ?"

The Right Hon. Lord DOUGLAS, of Douglas, has
presented the Rev. ARCHIBALD M'CoNECHY,
Glasgow, to the Church and United Parish of
Buncle and Preston, in the PrAbytery of Dunse,
vacant by the death of the Rev. JOHN CAMPBELL.
The accounts from Leeds, and the other prin-
cipal clod ig towns in Yorkshire, state, that the
orders were never known to be greater than at
present, and that the greatest harmony subsists
between the masters and their workmen.