The Sun.
London, England, 1829-01-13 00:00:00

DRURY-LANE.

Mr. WALKER'S Tragedy of " Caswallon, or the
Briton Chief," was brought out last night for the
first time at this Theatre. It is an interesting drama,
full of melo-dramatic effect, is penned in an eloquent,
sometimes even a poetical, style, bat is deficient in
the higher requisites of tragedy, that is to say, in
the . gradual' and full developement of character,
the display of passion, and the strict adherence
to nature. Mr. WALKER'S dramatis persona are
all devoid of individuality; they are patriotic on
one side, and despotic on the other, and this
. is the- sole difference between them. The English
are classed together in an undistinguishable mass, so
also are the Welsh. Hoel, Caradoc, and Caswallon,
are too much of a kin, and the same defect regards
the English Chieftains. With respect to Eva, the
- .
heroine, she is virtuous, amiable, and tender-hearted,
without one single individual -trait to distinguish her
from any otter heroine of any age or nation. Nov
if instead of trusting to his own limited acquaintance
with the female heart (we say liniited in no offen-
sive sense, but simply as a matter of course arising
from Mr. WALKER'S youth) or to the pages of our
novelists, previous to the appearance of Sir Walter
Scott, in whose romantic creations he seems to be
deeply versed—our author had turned for hints and.
. traits of feeling to the elder English dramatists, he
would have found ample ground-work for his in-
vention. From Calantha, in the Broken Heart—
that perfect representation of female suffering
stretched to the extreme point of endurance—from
Avasia, in the Maid's Tragedy, or even from the
more homely familiar sorrow of the Jailor's daughter in
the Two NobkKinsmen—he might have gleaned hints
and traits of character, which
,aptly. applied, would
have given to Eva a far more impressive appearance.
At present she is the personification not of an in-
dividual, but of a sex, and as such inspires an ire
ferior degree of interest. Still, notwithstanding
these defects, the tragedy, as we said before, has in-
terest. The plot is as follows :—Llcwellyn, King
of Wales, falls in a conflict with the forces of Ed-
ward; but, ere he dies, he beseeches his friend Cas-
wallon (Mr. Yotneo), a noble Cambrian, to fly from
the geld of battle, and to save his daughter Eva
(Miss PHILLIPS) from the hands of the conquerors.
He obeys his monarch, and succeeds in bearing
away the infant Queen of Cambria, whom he rears
up as hie own daughter. Years roll on, and he is
at length informed, that his countrymen, under the
command of two hardy chiefs, Caradoc and Hoel,
are ready to rise against their oppressors. Aware
of their intention, Sir Roger de Mortimer (Mr.
AITKRN) is on the alert with the forces of King Ed-
ward, anxious to defeat the designs. of the moun-
taineers. Amongst those who serve under him,
is Sir .drrayn Fitz-Edward (Mr. Coo Pan), a knight
'who is perfectly ignorant, like many other knights,
of his origin. Xing Edward, however, admiring
his gallant bearing in various arduous. enter-
prises, has promoted his fortunes. Fitz- Edward,
in one of his rambles in the mountains, has had the
good fortune to rescue Eva from a situation of im-
.roinent 'danger. He is determined, before Mortimer
makes his attack on the mountaineers, to visit Eva,
with whose-real rank he is unacquainted, but whose
manners and whose charms have enslaved him. He
.meets her and her supposed father, Caswallon, and
now discovers that be is the son of the ancient pa-
triotic chief, and that his beloved is the last of a royal
hue. The scene which follows is very good. Fitz-
Edward refuses to assist his country against a king
Who raised bins- from wretchedness and poverty to
rank and power, while, on the other side, the new-
found father repudiates his son as unworthy of
-the name of Cambrian. Fitz-Edward, torn by
contending passions—love for his father and loyalty
to the Prince who had cherished him—retires. The
conflict between the followers of Caswallon and the
more disciplined warriors of Mortimer now takes
place. The former are defeated. Caswallon and
Eva rotire to a rocky pass, where they are traced by
.Pits-Edward, who has sworn to watch over the
safety of Eva, as her guardiati angel. He here en-
counters his father, impresses on him the necessity
of submission, and assures him of the clemency of
Edward. But the sturdy patriot rejects all terms;
and Fitz-Edward, conscious that he could, by his
interest with the King, procure his pardon,calls on the
troops to advance and seize him. This also is a good
scene—nselo-dransatically excellent. Caswallon in-
dignantly refuses to surrender. The entreaties of his
eon are fruitless, and the pleadings of Eva are vain ;
but when she commands him, as his Queen, to
°hey, he, who has no other feeling save the love of
his country and of its rightful sovereign, submits.—
They are conveyed to Conway Castle, where _Mor-
timer has his head-quarters. This chieftain be-
Comes enamoured of Eva, and hopes by an alliance
With her to baffle his master, King Edward, and
to ascend the throne of Wales. The more easily to
accomplish his purpose, he orders Caswallou
_and
Roe to be separated,—a command which is effected
with mush difficulty ; but not until Caswallon, who
stisPects the purpose of Mortimer, furnishes Eva with
a phial of poison, and darkly hints to her that she
should,' if her fate happeued to be balanced between
de.ath and dishonour, boldly embrace the former.
Mean time orders are given for Casivallon's death,
and Fitz-Rdward is directed to be kept iu custody.
He, however, escapes, has an interview with the
King at Chester, and arrives in time to prevent the
execution of Caswallon, and to effect the discomfi-
ture of 11.fortimer. But he is too late to save the
life of Eva. The hateful addresses of Mortimer,
and the approaching destruction of Cap/la/ion, the
only father she had ever known, drive her to
desperation. She 'swallows poison, and her
sleuth cuts in twain the heart-strings of her
devoted follower. Having thus sketched the
Plot, it remains to say a few, words respecting
the acting. This was altogether unexCeptionable.-
Mr. Youo; who seems of late to have quitted the
stilted walk of the old school for the more easy and
familiar style of the new, was very energetic as
-Cs:swat/cm His detail of the death of Llewellyn,.
.and the indignant manner in which he wiped away
a few effeminate drops from his eyes, were full of
discrimination, and were .well replied to by Miss
PHILLIPS, who, as Eva, his supposed daughter, acted
chastely and characteristically, never once over- ,
stepping the bounds of a certain natural propriety,
but displaying energy without exaggeration, and
.risibility without mawkishuess. • The death scene 1
"ly was defective, and that merely because she
gave - too much of it. Mr. COOPER'S Fitz-Edward
Possessed good sense and sobriety of deportment;
and Mr. AITKEN'S Roger de Mortimer was just one
degree above mediocrity. The other characters
wire sustained with -the usual escellenee. The
scenery throughout was good, particularly the view
41 the first act of some Welsh mountains, with a

stream Winding its serpentine course among them,
and a sort of rocky &file iu tf.e fore-ground. The
house at half-pike w.ei crowded.