The Sun.
London, England, 1829-05-12 00:00:00

COVENT-GARDEN THEATRE.

Miss SMITHSON made her first appearance here last
night after her late continental excursion. It is now some
three or four years since this lady last performed at either
of the great theatre., since which time she has established
at Paris, and indeed throughout the Continent, an ehnost
unprecedented reputation. The last time we saw her.
previous to her departure from England, was as ./I.7arya
ret, in A New Way to Pay Old Debts, a character in
which there is little to do, but which little she neverthe-
less contrived to render interesting and appropriate.
Her great defects at that period were coldness
and monotony. We never fancied her deficient in intellect,
but there was always a severe and scrupulous tameness
about her that seemed to require the greatest encourage-
ment to kindle into any thing like life. That encourage-
ment she first received in Paris; and it had the imme-
diate effect of drawing forth all her latent energies. She
then showed that the fire of dramatic genius, though dor-
mant, was not extinct within her, but that it merely re-
quired the air of popular favour to fan it into activity.—
On her entrance last night she was greeted with a kindly
and cheering welcome, which had the visible effect of
embarrassing her exceedingly. She scented, in fact,
wholly overcome, and it was some minutes before she
could recover her usual self-possession. Fortunately, how-
ever, in the earlier scenes, there is nothing that requires
exertion; they are intolerably prosing and spititless, and
Miss SMITHSON' wisely refrained from giving them any
undue importance. It was not till her interview with
Hastings, in the second act, that she displayed any evi-
dence of superior power, when, in answer to his dis-
honourable supplications, she exclaimed, " Forbear, my
Lord, here let me rather die," which she gave with a
spirit that electrified the house, and drew forth one of those
bursts of applause which Mr. KEAN used to elicit i❑
the earlier and better period of his career. Her next
impressive point was in her colloquy with the
Duke of Gloucester, who tells her that the State
having resolved to set aside the eons of Edward, Hast-
ings was the only one who could be found to oppose the
resolution. " Reward him for the noble deed, just hea-
vens," is her reply, into which she threw an amazing in-
tensity of heart, and soul, and spirit. The address to heaven,
" Oh, thou most righteous judge," when Gloucester's sen-
tence of excommunication is announced to her, was equally
effective: nothing could exceed her solemn delivery of
this passage, whether as regards her manner—her atti-
tude—or the deep reverential tones of her voice. A si-
milar effect was produced by her appearance in the fifth
act, where she slowly advances towards the front of the
stage, repeating in a thrilling, dirge-like, heart-broken
whisper, Howes only first-rate passage, " Yet, yet
endure, nor murmur, oh, my soul." During her
recitation of the few sentences that followed, a pin
might have been heard to drop in the house, so deep,
'general, and unbroken was the stillness. But Miss SMlTH-
soles crowning exertion was the recognition of her hus-
band Shore. Nothing could exceed the impressiveness of
her action on this occasion. The play represents her as
just dying when the discovery takes place ; and in truth
seldom or never before have we seen fiction so fully repre-
sent reality. The husky sepulchral voice,—the wild wan-
dering glance—the hands stretched out feebly and instinct-
ively to grasp at what she supposed to be the spirit of her
husband,—these minute paints of character were pour..
trayed by Miss Sairnisox with an earnest, not to say an
awful adherence to nature. Her attitudes too, throughout
the scene, though savoring a little of the French school,
were striking and novel, but at the same time perfectly
easy and characteristic. In fact, they reminded us more
of Mrs. Sinnosts than any actress we have seen since the
days of that unequalled lady. Altogether, we have
no hesitation in asserting that Miss S➢IITHSON has within
her the staple of a first-rate tragedian. Her sensibility is
fervent, yet never overstrained ; her manner natural and
dignified ; her declamation exceedingly impressive. Jane
Shore however is a part hardly worthy of her. We should
like to see her in some more earliest and intellectual cha-
racter, such as Lady Macbeth for instance, to some scenes
of which we can readily imagine she would give a most in-
tense interest. Isabella too she would do well, though
the griefs in that play are rather too measured and mono-
tonous, and Miss SMITHSON, judging from her last night's
performance, appears to most advantage in parts requiring
sudden and violent emotion, alternations of feeling, where
several passions contend for mastery. We need scarcely
add that the applause at the fall of the curtain was enthu-
siastic : several individuals in the pit, and not a few in
the boxes, rose and cheered for some minutes.

FASHIONABLE INTELLIGENCE.

An INTERESTING and ROMANTIC CASE.

By reference to Bell's Life in London, of Sunday
week, an extraordinary statement respecting the
" Intlntuition of Gaining " will be read with much
Quip' ;ie, by persons unacquainted Istlt the fatal and
tirgovernable influence which that ruinous passion
imposes upon almost all who unhappily indulge in
gambling. The particulars, on which that state-
ment is founded, are even more curious than the
facts connected with the case of Capt. Sturt,
who, unexpectedly, became the heir to an immense
fortune, transferred to him by the late Mr. Grindell
(no relative, and almost a total stranger !) whose
nephews are now engaged in a legal litigation with
Capt. Sturt, in the hope of establishing " insanity"
in the donor, and of setting aside both the donation
and bequest of their late uncle. The present case is
not likely to be involved in any dispute whatever,
the parties being all satisfied and in perfect concord.
The facts are, concisely, as follows :
In 1797 a young Scotch officer contracted an en-
gagement to marry the only child of a very wealthy
merchant abroad, whose father was disinclined to
allow their union, on account of the youth of both;
a distant day was fixed on by the careful parent;
in the mean time the young officer returned to
England with his regiment. The young lady,
whose health was always delicate (having lost her
mother at her birth) became more alarmingly ill,
and her anxious father resolved to return with her
to Europe, hoping that a change of climate and
scene, and a renewed intercourse with " the man of
her heart," might be of infinite service. In human
events there is much uncertainty and very frequent
disappointments ;—on their arrival they had the
pain to find that the young officer had just left
England, as aid-de-camp to one of our Governors
abroad; the young lady's health was not improved
by this disappointment, or a change to a cold cli-
mate. Madeira and the Western Isles were strongly
recommended for her abode, and as she seemed
better at sea, her anxious father took her to these
Isles, at the same time inviting the young officer by
letter to visit them at Madeira, when his duty would
allow him; these letters reached the colony, where
he had been employed as aid-dc-camp, a few weeks
after his departure with the Governor's despatches
for England. A variety of" untoward" circumstances
and mischances rendered his passage home of a
most unconscionable length, having been compelled
to four distinct embarkations, (in consequence of a
most circuitous route, the effect of misfortunes.)
Mortified, grieved, and disappointed at not receiving
any tidings from his fair betrothed, he was resolved
to revisit the place in which he had left the object
of his affections, when the London newspapers an-
nounced to him her death at Madeira! Grief, in
youthful bosoms, is often violent and poignant, but
it is seldom permanent. Affectionate letters passed
between the young officer and the inconsolable parent
of his lost friend. That parent returned to the
place where he hoped, by active and constant em-
ployment, to divest himself of the weight of grief
which oppressed him, and where he had concerns
of a most extensive nature. His lovely daughter
had earnestly entreated him to love and adopt her
" intended husband" as his son and heir, which he
solemnly promised to do ; and for the fulfilment of
which he made the necessary arrangements, with-
out imparting his intentions to the young officer,
with whom all correspondence and intercourse had
ceased from 1799. The most prosperous and most
active prosecution of mercantile concerns continued
to occupy the old gentleman until 1819, when he
returned to Europe, and alas ! found that his quon-
dam friend was ruined by an unconquerable propen-
sity to gamble, having been married for many years
to the portionless orphan of a General officer. The
old gentleman's pain was very great ; and, for near
two years, he was undecided what course to pur-
sue, feeling bound by his solemn promise to his de-
parted daughter, and yet dreading the probable
sacrifice of a princely fortune at the gaming-table ! !
At length he came to a firm and decided resolution
to adopt a course which should put his friend's
firmness to the severest test for ten years; and, in
consequence, adopted the plan stated in Bell's Life
in London, registering a solemn vow in Heaven
(and the old gentleman is a truly pious man), that
he would never swerve or deviate in the slightest
degree from the conditions of that arrangement,
whatever might occur; and, in communicating a
copy of a " deed," regularly executed, to the young
officer, he enjoins him to "abstain most scrupulously
and prudently from snaking any of the circumstances
known to any of his family, before the period of
probation was completed;" and it is a creditable
fact, that the officer has complied with the old gen-
tleman's wishes in the most scrupulous manner,
never having betrayed, to any person, the souree
from whence, on the first of January, 1832, he will
possess a princely income, if he can, on that (ley or
thereafter, take the oath required ;—and which there
is every hope and prospect that he will be able to
do, although unfortunately still a votary at the
gaming-tables, where he contrives to dissipate his
present income, and to involve himself in the greatest
difficulties and embarrassments; on the preceding
facts (extraordinary as they may seem) the Grmest
confidence may be reposed ; and, doubtless, there
are many who will be equally astonished and amused
at a statement which proves that romantic events are
not uncommon in the world, although not frequently
brought to public notice. Such communications
Must ever be more interesting and amusing than the
common-place events of human life.