The Sun.
London, England, 1842-11-10 00:00:00

TUE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 10, 1842

COVENT-GARDEN T HEATRE.

"

The Tempest was revived at this 'theatre last-even-
ing, and with complete success. Vandenhoff was the
Prospero, andhis.nne deep tones, correct declamation,
and subdued, yet commanding, action, told e xcellently
in the part. His Prospero is certainly, as a whole, supe-
rior to Macready's. Without those sudden bursts ofpas-
sion which Macready at certain times threw into the
part,the Prospero of Vandenhoffis, as a whole, in better
keeping ; it, throughout, exhibits the calmness of con-
scious power. Miss Vandenhoff was the Miranda,
and a very exquisite Miranda she made. This character
is one of the most beautiful of the Shaksperian crea-
tions, but its beauty is the beauty of repose ; it makes
no great demands upon the physical powers, although
it requires a cultivated intellect, chastened by a pure
taste, to develop fully the requisite refinement of its
modest and maiden-like simplicity. It was evident
that Miss Vandenhoff had studied her author care •
fully, and thoroughly understood his meaning. The
character is completely within the compass of her
powers, and consequently she performed it beautifully,
for whenever she does which she sometimes has
done in other characters, it has always been from
deficiency of physical, never from want of mental,
power. We could have wished her a better Ferdinand
than C. Pitt. The dainty Ariel found a dainty re-
presentative in Miss Rainforth, who acted and sung
delightfully. She was deservedly encored in Where
the bee sips," which she sang with great taste and
beauty and correctness. It was the most beautiful
little bit of melody that we have heard for many a
long day. The Calaban of J. Bland, although certainly
not equal to that of G. Bennett, was a very creditable
performance ; and the Trinculo of Harley, and the
Stephano of Bartley, have lost none of their laughter-
moving qualities. .The raise en scene of the piece
surpasses anything of the sort that has been produced
at this theatre for years, and throws even the
glories of the Midsummer Nights Dream into
the shade. Macready's revival of the same piece at
this . theatre some four years since, is not to be
compared to the revival of last evening, in point of
splendour and scenic decorations. It will be remem-
bered by old players, that under Macready's manage-
ment the first scene was omitted, and a dioramic view
of a shipwreck substituted. Last night, however,
the text of Shakspeare was rigidly adhered to, and
the first scene was preserved, " The sea, with a ship."
Such are the directions given by Shakespeare himself
as to the locus in quo of his first scene ; and, accord-
ingly, last night, we had. " the sea with a ship ;" and
such a ship—a completely rigged frigate, with the
dramatis personm walking her deck, appeared tossed
about by the fury of the tempest, and was dismasted
by the storm. Never have we seen anything on • the
stage in the way of machinery approaching to the
frigate. The audience were in ecstasies of delight at
this splendid scenic triumph, and testified their
approbation by repeated bursts of applause.
The scenery of • the island, too, was beau-
tiful and diversified, and the last scene, in which the
cavern of Prospero vanishes, and the sea appears calm
and beautiful, with the gallant frigate of the King of
Naples at anchor, was a fine piece of effect.
At the fall of. the curtain, Miss Rainforth
was called for, and led on by Cooper, who announced
the piece for repetition every Wednesday and Friday,
until further notice, amidst shouts of applause. This
revival of the Tempest is a decided hit, and it will no
doubt draw crowded houses. The house last night
was exceedingly well filled before the rising of the
curtain, and long 1.K..-fore half-price commenced it was
crowded.

points which relate to the internal prosperity
and government of the country. A loan has
been contracted- on favourable terms—a proof
that the credit of the State is considered
good. The law passed last session for encou-
raging education has been eminently successful,
and all the difficulties caused by the violent se-
paration of Belgium from Holland, have been
finally removed by a friendly treaty, which ap-
pears equally acceptable to both countries. This
may be regarded as one of the_beneficial results
of the abdication made by the late KING in fa-
vour of his son, for his obstinate and violent
antipathy to the Belgian nation would in all pro-
bability have precluded any amicable settlement
during his life time. As regards foreign coun-
tries, and especially England and France, the
speech does not afford subject for congratulation.
Therage of the day has also seized tho Belgian Go-
vernment, and measuresare to be proposed during
the session for increasing the duties on imported
goods, and lowering them on exports, in order
to raise the revenue and encourage home manu-
factures. The KING could not fail to see on his
visit to Paris that the delegates from
the manufacturing and corn-growing dis-
tricts were totally unmanageable, and de-
termined to resist every rational plan for a
commercial union, and he therefore takes the
earliest opportunity of convincing them that
Belgium can return the compliment. This is a
pitiful, and at the same time a destructive system
of annoyance to two countries so intimately
connected by position, language, and family ties,
and - must in the end produce an unflivourable
influence on their political relations. The KING
carefully avoids all allusion to the late negotia-
tions with the French Government, but in two
brief sentences points out to the monopolists the
return they may expect from other countries for
their obstinate attempts to isolate France and
carry on the war of tariffs.

The Madrid journals of the Ist instant have
been received, but their contents are barren of
interest. The REGENT has given a grand ban-
quet to all the members of the Cabinet, at the
Palace of Buona Vista, in order, it is tholght,
to throw discredit on the rumours which have
been prevalent of a want of accord between the
Minister:.
Nothing doing on the Bourse.

The editors of Paris fournals,•finding. their a

tacks on England little noticed here., and weary
of fighting with phantoms of their own imagi-

nation, amu-;e themselves occasionally by all
writing against each other. The Courrier Fran-
cais hada furious article, some days ago, against
their own Government, and. especially M.
Gutzor, for daring to reduce the navy, in defi-
ance of a vote of the Giambers. The Presses
in reply to this, defends the Minister for Foreign
Anirs, and points out the folly of those warlike
editors in calling 'for large armies and large
fleets in a time of peace. It at the same time
tells them some plain truths respecting the enor-
mous sums thrown away since M. TRIERS raised
the war-cry . against England, placed France
in a state of isolation, and drove her Govern-

meat to the necessity of increasing the eqi-
mates to an amount totally disproportioned to
the resources of the country. " There is," says
this journal, " assuredly in France an injurious
propensity to prodigality as regards expenditure
for the national forces. Owing to this tendency,
an immense force is kept up, to the great de-
triment of our finances, and of agricultural
labour. Emamine fur a moment the progressive
increase of the expenses into which France has
been successively drawn of late years. In 1837,
the army estimates were 230,030,030, undoubt-
cdly a very considerable sum. In 1812 they
amounted to 301,000,090, being 131,000,000 more,
or fifty per cent. of increase. The navy esti-
mates in 1837 were 66,000,000, and in 184%
130,000,033, or more than double I And this is

not deemed sufficient And every day the
journals of the Lea, those great cleavers-down
of large budgets, cry out, treason 1 if they only
suppose the Ministry to have the slightest in-
tention of effecting a slight saving ! Can it be
supposed that our finances can long resist these
enormous expenses, out of all proportion with
the state of our resources ? What is to be left
for the day on which some great effort is to be
made, if thus, when all is ealni and tranquillity

around, when the chances of collision are on
every side removed to a distance, you fritter
away your revenue in unproductive sacrifices ?"

The same journal contains the following ex_
tract from a letter dated Alexandria, the 25th ult.
This morning a French brig of war arrived here
from Beyrout, which announces that the Druses and
the Maronites have risen in a mass ; that the most
Terfect agreement exists between them, and that the
urks had retired from all their positions in the moun-
tains, not being able to stand against the population.
Artillery had been dispatched from Beyrout, but it
could not penetrate to the mountains. A caravan from
Beyrout had been pillaged by the insurgents, but all
the goods belonging to Europeans, Syrians, and Chris-
tians were respected.
Letters from Constantinople of the nth also
state that MUSTAPIIA PACHA has had orders to
remain in Syria, on account of fresh disorders in
the Lebanon, and because the Envoys of the
Great Powers have not accepted the offers of
the Porte relative to Syria. OMER PACHA also
remains. The Arnauts are ordered to the Per-
sian frontier. The SULTANA MOTHER has recon-
ciled RIZA PACHA with the SULTAN'S brothers-
in-law, FETHA ACHMED and HALIL, so that the
appointment of them is extended.