The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-28 00:00:00

PRINCESS'S THEATRE.

Miss Cushman sustained the character of Rosalind at this
theatre. last evening, in Shakspere's beautiful pastoral play
of As You Like It. This •was Miss Cushman's first appear-
ance befire an English audience in. comedy; and we will
honesty confess that we had our misgivings when we saw
her announced for the character. We scarcely imagined it
possible that she, the Lady Macbeth par excellence, could
personate the lively, csniegle, witty, and kind -hearted
Rosalind. We expected to see a clever piece of acting—.
but of acting merely. We expected to see that
which for a tragedian might be considered a somewhat
happy and ingenious attempt at comedy—a performance
which might, perhaps, be entitled to take rank by the side of
Charles Young's Sir Pertinax M'Sycophant. In a word,
we expected to see Miss Cushman in Rosalind, but it was
no such thing—it was the very Rosalind herself. From the
beginning to the end of the play we thought not of Miss
Cushman ; we saw Rosalind, and Rosalind only. There she
was in the first act, the lively, warm-hearted girl ; during
the remainder of the play, the mock boy revelling in the free-
dom of the forest, throwing her gibes and jests about
in all directions, rating the love-sick Orlando, yet delighted
at the proof of his constancy—excellently maintaining her
assumed character of the wayward, witty Ganymede, until,
on hearing of the danger of Orlando, .her presence of mind
forsakes her, and love forces her for a moment to appear in
her real character—a very woman—" a most excellent coun-
terfeit, truly"—there she was the very Rosalind of Shakspere.
The tone of the character was a pitch higher than we hare been
accustomed to, but'it was in perfect keeping throughout—a
finished and most natural impersonation- Now, what is the
secret of Miss Cushman's success in characters so widely
different from each other as Bianca, Lady Macbeth, and Ro-
salind ? It is earnestness. She is in earnest in whatever she
undertakes—she thinks nothing of individual self, but every
thing of that other self with which for the time she is identified,
so that she becomes the very character which she represents,
and no actor who does not possess this power can ever be-
come great. She was throughout received with the most
enthusiastic plaudits, and was called for at the conclusion of
the play. Wallack, who was also called • for, was Jacques,
and an admirable Monsieur Melancholy he made. His de-
clamation was beautiful. We never heard " All the world's
a stage " more excellently given. Allen, as Amiens, sung
" Under the greenwood tree," and " Blow, blow thou win-
try wind," with exquisite taste; and. Compton was the best
Touchstone we have ever seen. He is perhaps the only man
now on the stage who thoroughly understands how Shak-
spere's clowns ought to be acted. The house was exceed.
ingly well attended. -

THE BUDGET.—If, instead of abolishing the auc-
tion duty, Sir R. Peel had either reduced the duty, under
the income-tax, upon trade and industry (leaving it as it is,
upon the real and the funded property), or had not taxed
trade and industry beneath 3001. or 5001. (the real and the
funded property as it is), the country generally (the land-
holders excepted) would have been by far more satisfied.
A line or scale ought, in justice and honesty, to have been
applied in this respect when the Property and Income-tax
Act was passed. If Sir Robert had not courage to do that
on passing the Act, he might now accomplish it, as he has
his team of landholders more " in hand" in 1845, than in
1842.—From a Corresporpient.
PROVIDENT. CLERKS MUTUAL ASSOCIATION AND
BENEVOLENT FUND.—The fourth annual general meet •
ing of the donors, subscriber.:, and friends of this ex-
cellent institution, was held on Wednesday evening, at
tt.tnitelt,onion Tavern, Bishopsgate-street. John Abel
Esq., M.P.,.treasurer of the society, in the chair.
The annual report read by the secietay showed a gradual
increase in the prosperity of the society, which, together
with accounts, %.-as warmly received..
Oi
maks :11
rso e y, of Margaret-street
RomanistChapel,eet practices
whorac has
ce
made
hs
Romanist publications, and by a late defiance to
n
his diocesan, has b.
a tby h
length suspenrdeldbboyatthsecaßmisehoipn
of London.—Evening Paper,
THE MACKA.REL FISHERY.--Sevtia
yesterday with between 40,000 and 50,000 fish, which
chiefly
bought up for the London markets at 16s. to las. per Iva.re
Cheesman's boat, the Kitty, had about 6,000 ; the Fanny rnicl.tt
Eight Sisters, belonging to Samuel Andrews, about 11,000 et seen
them ; :Andrew's boat, the Inthistry, between 3,000 and 4,000;
May and Thwaites' boat, tho Flora, 6,000 ; and three Hastings boats.
about 15,000. We understand that a Hastings boat, Belton, master,
arrived at Worthing yesterday, with about 14,000, which fetched 17s,
peraundred.—Brighton Gazelle.