The Sun.
London, England, 1818-11-11 00:00:00

THE THEATRE.

DRURY-LANE.—Selclorn has any Actress exerted
tier taients, within so short a period, in so many
different characters as Mrs. WEST, and seldom,
indeed, has any Actress displayed such striking
and appropriate merits as have marked the whole
of her performances. Last night this interesting
Lady appeared in the character of Imogine (we
wish it had rather been the Imager/ of our great
dramatic Bard), in the Tragedy of Bertram. This
Tragedy is written in the new mode, and heartily
do we wish that it never may become the common
fashion of the Stage. Indeed we may say with
the Poet,
" Such laliour'd nothings, in so strange a style,
" /invite th' unlearn'd, and make the learned smile."
Bombast is the real characteristic of this drama,
with a few nnturat sprinklings, apparently intend-
ed to enable the Performers to give effect to par-
ticular passages —A diurnal Sage, whose criti-
cism., are generally in prose what this Tragedy is
in blank verse, seems to consider it as better
adapted for perusal in the Closet than the Stage.
We entirely agree with him in this opinion, and
conceive (bat when read in the Closet, it may work
a 'Jannel and proper effect. Such as the part of
Imagine is, it received, in all its tenderness, agony,
and horror, the full advantage of admirable act-
ing, and came home to the feelings of the audi-
ence. The peculiar style of Mr. KEAN'S acting
requires peculiarity in the parts which he assumes,
and therefore his Bertram may perhaps be ranked
among the very best of his extraordinary achieve-
ments. In many passages he made a strong im-
pression, and in the whole of this frantic, savage,
and distorted caricature of human nature, we
presume that he exactly fulfilled the wishes of
the Author.—We arc always glad to see a numer-
ous audience at this Theatre, not only on ac-
count of its pecuniary situation, but because the
present Management is certainly marked by zeal,
diligence, and a desire of gratifying the Public by
novelty, as well as by the revival of those sterling
dramas that were admired by our ancestors.

MR. MATHEWS.

THE MENDICITY ASSO(3 ITION.

In The Dublin Journal of last night, a blunder-
ing attempt is made to rescue the Mendicity So-
ciety and Mr. Connor from the charge of injustice
and misrepresentation, so firmly fixed on them, in
the affair between them and Mr. Mathews. Indeed,
it is so truly ridiculous, and carries with it its
own condemnation so generally, that we shall
only notice one or two of its follies. It sets out
by saying, that Mr. Mathews " has chosen to
obtrude himself on public notice, in a manner
very extraordinary." Now the contrary is the
fact :—he did not obtrude himself on the Public,
but the Mendicity Association and Mr. Connor
(frogged Mr. Mathews bef,re the Public, in a very
unjustifiable, and in a very cruel manner—for when
they did place him before the Public, they made a
shamefully ex-parte statement. It now appears by
the showing, and we are inclined to thinic, the
unintentional showing of The Dublin Journal, that
the Association required Mr. Mathews to perform
for them in the course of the present week, which
would have taken from hirn,not only the profits of
a Night, in the best period of his career, but
have greatly iniured the Night preceding and the
night atter, by which he would lose, perhaps, at
least two hundred pounds. This vas the mo-
dest request, and not a night at the close
of his season, as stated by Mr. Connor, who
in reference to The Dublin Journal, may now
well exclaim—Oh, save me front my friends
(Dublin Evening Post, Nov. 7.)

It has been erroneously stated, that the family
nt the late moch-lainented Sir SAMUEL ito-
MI!..LY consisted of one son and five daughters.
He has left one daughter and six sons; the eldest
is a student at Trinity College, Cambridge, and
three were at Durham-house Academy, Chelsea,
but are at present with Lord HOLLAND, at Ken-
sington. On Wednesday morning last, the re-
mains of the Lady of. Sir S. ROMJLLY arrived at
the Bell Hotel, Gloucester, on their way to Here-
fordshire. The plate on the coffin merely states
her name to he ANN, her age 4-1 ; that she was
consort to Sir SAMUEL, and gives the time of her
death. The following morning, at six o'clock,
the hearse set off again for the family tomb.
At the Commission of Oyer and Terminer in
Dublin, on Saturday week, the Court, after wait-
ing a considerable time, sent to inquire it the
County Grand July had found any of their Bills,
The Sheriff, on his return, informed their Lord-
ships, that the Jury had gone away an hour be-
fore, and had taken the Bills of Indictment with
them. The Court ordered their names to be
called over, and fined each of them ten pounds.
A quarter of a mile race took place early yes-
terday morning in St. James's Park, between Mr.
Howe, the celebrated runner, and Lieut. Giles,
which was WON by the latter in one minute and
one second. The race was very closely contest-
ed, and Mr. Howe lost it by about two yards.
Many bets were depending, considering the march
was only made the preceding evening.
Last night, about nine o'clock, another dread-
ful fire broke out at the house of Mr. George,
butcher, Ratcliffe Highway, and opposite the house
in which Mr. Bonnar and his child so recently
fell a sacrifice to the flames. IVe regret to say that
Mr. George lost a fine child, abz:rt three years old,
which was burnt to death. 'rite child had been
put to bed shortly before the fire broke out, and
such was the violence of the flames as to render
all attempts to save it useless. The remains of
the child were found in the ruins about two hours
alter.

SWINDLING AND ROBBERY.—A young man
about 5 feet 5 inches high, fair complexion, mild
in speaking, and of genteel appearance, has been
swindling different hotels, under the assumed
name of the Honourable Lieutenant Gordon, R.N.
and others, and taking different property from
them. Yesterday he obtained change and goods to
the amount of 201. from a tradesman who attended
him at the New Hummums, Covent-garden, and
delivered the change for a 201. note,>S•ith which the
swindler connived to make his escape. At some
hotels he has gone under the name of Pennell,