Star.
London, England, 1830-12-29 00:00:00

LONDON MECHANICS' INSTITUTION.

MISS MACAULEY'S DRAMATIC ILLUSTRATIONS.
Last night Miss Macauley delivered the last of her series of Drs.
matic Illustrations for the present year, in the Theatre of the Me-
chanics' Institution, Southampton-buildings, to a very respectable and
intellectual auditory. The Play illustrated was The Stranger. previ.
ous to which Miss Macauley delivered an Essay on Domestic Singing,
in which term she explained that site included English singing gene-
rally. She commenced by observing, that every nation has a style of
singing peculiar to itself ; that in England, the national style, which
is simple and effective, is sacrificed to the Italian, which is so
overloaded with ornament, that the words of the song are
in general overwhelmed and lost. She highly recommended
English singing, with distinct articulation, which might be called mu-
sical recitation, as a delightful and bighly useful accomplishment, tend-
ing at once to give power and feeling to expression, and to extend its
beneficial influences to the mind and heart. For this purpose she par-
ticularly recommended to young ladies, to practice singing without musi-
cal accompaniment, to give them the habit of perfect articulation, of
deeper pathos, and more effective execution, than when they depend on
the instrument for support, and would also enable them to gratify their
friends in many situations in which the accompaniment of an instru.
ment is unattainable. In illustration of this recommendation, Miss
3facauley gave " The Death of Abercrombie, with suck felicitous
effect as to excite universal approbation, and draw forth the warmest
applause, and the encore excited by admiration, not perhaps suf-
ficiently thoughtful of the increased labour it was imposing, was
as promptly and as kindly answered, and produced if possible in-
creased delight. Miss Alacauley next gave a musical imitation of the
Old English ballad, " Time enough yet," ins style so cotnic as to pro-
duce peals of laughter, which were only exceeded by her recitation of a
comic caricature in "Ma Chere Arnie," in which a Yorkshire musical
lady, an Irish Captain, and a Scotch critic, were made to sing and
speak with such force of nature and of custom as to admit of no
tnistake of character. Miss Macauley, to illustrate the contrast be-
tween the effect produced by singing musical pieces expressive of
strong feeling In the ornamented Italian style, and in the simple
manner which she recommends, sung the ballad of " Crazy Jane"
in both ways ; and whatever might be the opinion of those who
take ornament of difficult execution to be the highest excellence, the
effect on the feelings bore ample testimony to the judgment displayed
in her recommendation. The essay was received with high approbation
throughout, and as the examples were calculated to make a deep im-
pression, it is very probable it may not be lost on many by whom it
was heard.

Miss Macauley, having disposed of the musical portion of her sub-
ject, proceeded to illustrate the far-famed play of the Stranger' which
she admitted to be of doubtful moral; and yet the represented the re-
pentant Mrs. Haller, so formed for goodness and for greatnevi—so
strongly purified from all the contamination of error—that by the feel.
ing with which she gave utterance to her sentiments of self-abasement
—to the strength of her maternal love and the force of return.
ed and disinterested conjugal attachment, more anxious for her
husband's honour than ber own peace, that she made it quite natural,
that on evidence so conclusive of sincere and perfect reformation, the
almost heart-broken husband should find rest for his soul in forgiveness.
Miss Macauley did not allow the occasion to pass over without a moral,
directed to the improvement of the married of both sexes. She strongly
advised husbands to place the most unlimited confidence in their wives,
making them the sharers in all their thoughts ; and wives, to Sy with
horror from the man who would dare attempt to injure their husbands
in their estimation.

This good advice, we were glad to see, was so well received, both by
husbands and wives, and the candidates for these titles, that we may
hope it has not been thrown away.
Miss hlacaulay announced a series of dramatic ißustrstions for the
ensuing month, by subscription.

The Bishop of Winchester has offered to allot portions of
Waltham Chase, to be parcelled out for occupation by the
poor of some of the adjoining parishes.
The river below London Bridge has been completely
blocked up for the last few days in consequence of the frost,
and barges and other small craft have been pre►ented from
making the least progress.

A FEW WORDS ON RATING AND DRINKING.

" And behold, joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating
fle,h, and drinking wine ; let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we

shall die."—lsaiah WI. 13.

I. " The English gorge themselves with the heaviest food : this
plethoric habit must have a corresponding influence on their minds ;
therefore, eating beef, which the simpleton Sir Andrew Aguecheek
thought obstructed his wit, may seriously be esteemed the cause why
sointany British are dull and saturnine.—Ensor's Independent Man,
i. 189—a very excellent and praiseworthy work. Sir WILLIAM
TEAIPLE, on the contrary, says, that the superior bravery of the
British is owing to their bang so carnivorous.
11. In the year 1800, a Mr Thomas Foden, of Coventry, dis.
covered that plaster of Paris made excellent bread ; and the late Sir
Bober; Peel announced, in the House of Commons, all its whiteness,
sweetness, and other chalky nourishment !
" Astounded, see the senate taught, by Peel,
How men, like calves, on luscious chalk may meal !"
Mukniust, ii. 3108.

Mr. Vndcn must have borrowed his plan from the Ottomaques, an
ugly 1.4 C ,1 dwelling on the banks of the Meta and the Orenocco, for
li ultra mut., in his Tableau PAysique, informs us that those amiable
savages feed on a species of pipe-clay, which they knead into balls of
four or six inches in diameter, and bake slightly before a slow fire ! It'
is rather remarkable that castor.oil is in some parts of Hindostan,
used as food.

111. Neither the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Hebrews, Christians,
nor I►Lrhometans, did, or can do, without feasts. We read of one at
Ilubastis, on the banks of the Nile, at which were no less than 700,000
spectators, who revelled to such purpose, as to consume more wine, on
this one occasion, than throughout the whole year. The Persians
never discourse or deliberate of their most important business, but in
the middle of their feasts. The English have followed so wise a pre-
cedent. No business is transacted by an Englishman without a dinner.
IV. Vitcllius consumed between seven aril eight millions a year oh,
•tcfi[: soaper:, and Caligula expended above eighty thousand pounds
sterling on a single entertainment. Clodius /Esopus, the tragedian,
lavished on one luxurious dish, 600 sestertia-4,8431. 10s; and the,
young spendthrift, his son, treated his guests, after dinner, with a su-
perb cordial, in which a costly pearl had been dissolved. See Pi.twir,'
x. GO. xxxv. 12. The famous Apicius, after spending in culinary de-
licacies minks H. S. or 807,2911. 13a. 4d. and squandering, besides,
the amount of immense grants and pensions, on casting up his ac-
counts, finding he had only this exact sum retnaining, poisoned Winch',
that he might not perish by the severer pangs of famine. Q. Borten.
sius had the honour of being the first Roman that introduced the pea-
cock to the table as a great dainty, in a magnificent feast which he
made, on his being created augur. The price of a peacock, says Ar-
buthnot, 129, w.is 50 denarii—that is, 11. 12s. 5d ; a flock of a hundred
was sold at a much dearer rate, for 3221. 18s. 4d. of our money. M.
Aut:dius Lureo, according to Vitro, used to make every year of his
peacocks 4811. 7s. 6.1. Heliogabalus introduced a dish of the combs of
cocks. He caused at one supper, the heads of GOO ostriches to be served
up, only for the sake of their brains. Doo►itian, according to Juvenal,
iv. convened the Senate to deliberate in what vase he should boil a
huge turbot which had been sent him. Aulus Gellius says, it was
Philoxenus, a musician, who wished to have had a neckl as long as a
crane, that he might enjoy still longer the viands he ate. And how
very nice must the ideas of that actor have been, who regaled his guests
with nightingale pie ? One M. Antonius having but twelve guests to
supper, provided eight boars, one set to the fire after each other. But
Caranus, as Athenwus says, outdid him even in this, for every guest
had each a boar in a particular dish.

V. Of Chigi (Augustin) strange things have been published
concerning his luxury. One day he treated Pope Julius the
Second, and all the sacred college, with so much magnificence,
that one would have thought he had a design to exceed the enormity of
Vitellius. All that was taken from the table at every course was thrown
Into the Tyber, though every thing was served in silvere latp ; and, in
the last place, abundance of parrots' tongues were served up, dressed
several ways.—Jumv Animadversiones, iv. S. In the year 1176, the
Seigneur Ouillaume Oros d' Martel gave an immense dinner to the
Seigneurs of Languedoc, the viands of which were all cooked by the
flame of wax tapers !
Vl.—ln the year 1522, the Emperor Charles V. on a visit, and King
Henry VIII. called at Faversham, in their way to London, and were,
entertained by the corporation. The expense was 11. :Is. 3d; and, at
the same time, for a gallon of wine to the Archbishop one shilling.
VII.—ST. Font tells us, that at the mars plenieves of Paris, tl e
dinners were very magnificent, and that the constable and other great
officers received and served up the dishes on horseback At the din-
ner of the inauguration of Charles VI. says Froissart, the Sires de
Courci, de Clisson, de la Trimouille, the sea-admiral, and others, served
upon high horses, all covered with cloth of gold.
VIII.—In BowEa's Life of Beattie, 65, a curious aneeZote is re-
lated of Professor Read, viz. that he could take as much food, and im-
mediately afterwards as much sleep, as were sufficient for two days !
IX.--HORACE, AXACREON, SHAASPEARE, and even the grave
MILTON, in beautiful Latin, have celebrated tl.e spirit of the grape.
Dr. JOHNSON says, "In the bottle, discontent seeks for comfort, cow-
ardice for courage, and bashfulness fur confidence." It has
been justly remarked by the SPECTATOR, that the person ,you
converse with after the third bottle is not the sante man who
at first sat down at table with you. By the testimony of Roger
Ascham, the Emperor Charles V. scents to have been a votary
of Bacchus : " The Emperor drank the best (most) that I ever saw.
He had his head in the glass five times** long as any of us, and never
drank less than a good quart at once of Rhenish wise." Sir William
Temple stinted himself to (Ince glasses of wine: " one for myself, one
fur my friends, one for my enemies !" Bishop Warburton said, They
who drink beer, think beer." In the space of 23 years, it is computed
that a Mr. Vanhorn drank 35,688 bottles of red pott. " It is incre-
dible what pleasure any individual can feel from such abundant pota-
tions, in the course of which he resembles more a cellar than a mar; for
there are many cellars that never contained what this man's stomach
must have done, namely, 59 pipes of port wine" SINCLAIR'S Code of
Health, i. 358.
There is something peculiarly ingenious, though rather severe, in
this comparison of Mr. Vanhorn's stomach to a cellar ; though, as he
rarely exceeded four bottles at a time, it is rather hard on the honest
gentleman, to say that his stomach ever actually contained 59 pipes of
port ! What would have been Mr. Vanhorn'a astonishment at reading
the following startling assertion made by Mr. Baaava in the l'hiloso-
phieal Transactions for 1811, 2 : Port wine, says that ingenious the.
mist, contains about half its bulk of pure brandy ; so that a man, every
time he drinks two bottles of strung bodied post, swallows exactly one
bottle of the strongest brandy
The Ashantees, according to Mr. Hutchinson, are hard drinkers.—
One of their privy councillors asked hint why he did not get drunk
sometimes I—and looked amazed at his only swallowing a half bum.
per of palm-wine, adding, be would drink three pots (about lbjrattosu !)
before he went to bed.—Bownrcu's Ashanlee, 388.
BEaIELRY, the most amiable of bishops, used to call the few, who
had drank spirituous liquors with impunity for a series of years, Me
devil's decoys.
X. In ancient times it was customary to present to malefactors, on
the way to the gallows (which, about the year 141$, was removed from
Smithfield, and placed between St. filet's High Street and Hog Lane,
now blessed with the more euphonies' name of Crown Street,) a great
bowl of ale, as the last refreshment they were to receive in this life.
XI. The celebrated Dr. Pau', like many other great scholars, was
food of good living. This is sufficiently established by the following
passages extracted from the lest volume of Porriana, by X. H. Bals-
ams, Eeq.—a work replete with curious literary anecdote and interest-
ing classical discussion. " The doctor would sometimes bring with
him into the school a mines pie, or some such morsel, and enjoy his
lunch by the fireside," p. 244. u Like Johnson he loved good living,
though he professed to disregard it. He was food of a shoulder of
mutton roasted. I have beard him give directions that it should be
sent to table covered with a brown incrustation of salt and lower. His
favourite part slats joint,to which he liked to help Mang was that which
costaiord nothing but fes—ii lies opposite to the part the& is fret carved•

' Ti.is lie would cut not into slices, but into a large cizcular lump : head
led it a hunch. " 356. " Part's I;!uttony, (at least when I have seen
him) was nothing but good appetite. Ile used to remark that pat-
ticular tastes in eating went with scholarship, such as liki. irks and
stews, owAdyra watrarre, liver, heart, 6.c. whilst whole joit.tz are the
favourites of men of grosser propecsities. Posidonius says that in his
time the barbarians of the North used to dine on whole jobild brue,;l4
to table." p. 542.

XII. Theodorct relates, that a WOIV:VI of Syria was in the habit of
eating thirty fowls a thy without being •atisfied A Iverson hatred
Phagon, in preset cc of the Emperor Attrtl.ao, is said to have devourol
a boar, a sheep, and a pig ! The Enip, it I Claudius Albinos cal, one
morning at breakfast, 500 6gs, 100 patches, 19 melons, 1410 bc;aiicoK.
40 oysters, and a large quantity of raisins! The Rutin:tor M:.ximiau
became so fat in consequence of excessive cvirg, that his s lose, -
lets only served him for rings !
XII I. Persons licensed to sell ale were f.rtoerly compelled to take
the Sacrament. This we learn hoot Locke : sec his trend and third
" Letters on Toleration."

PEACHASI, who wrote in the titre of Elisabeth, saes, '• Within
these fifty or sixty years, it was a rare thing with US in England to see
a drunken man,* our nation carrying; ti to name of the 11106 l sober and
temperate of any other in the world. lict since we bad to do in the
quarrel of the Nethtrlands, about th, e t,f Sii Norris first being
there, the custom of drinking and I:ca!ths was brought met
into England.
XV. On Sunday lout, says Swirl, lit. IT was a noble entertiAtmant
in our great hall, where were present the parson and the farmer : the
parson eat like a farmer, and the farm, • a parse:' ; we ref r you to
the curious in calculations to decide whirl' r.,t most. .T. J. W.

EN'TELLIGENC'

MAIL ARIIIVYD THIS am—Dublin, 1.

110
Lvierats, Dec. 17.—. Arrived the Jane, from ..M.w.inharn ; Go!-
condt, from New Orleans; Mary, Lord, from B..vannati ; flown
Tuke, from Virginia ; and Dowson, fri,m Miramichi.

LimirooL, DFc. 27.—Arrived the Endymion, Garbutt, from
Quebec.

NIWILY, Die. 7.6.—Arrived the Gretahow, Mackay, from Quvbee.

DUBLIN, Dec. 25.—Arrived the Barbadoes, Lee ; Briton, Baxter ,
Castlereagh, Coates ; Hope, Middleton ; Ovitigton, Bell ; Transit,
Potts; Kitson, Dillon ; aid Tell, Prest.a4 from Quebec.
Also, the Mary, John,ron, and Wilton, Pascoe, front St. John's, N.B.
and Pace, Lellan, from Virginia:.
Donut, Dec. CS. —A r rived off the port, the Indian,
New South Wales.

~ from

Gainsay, Dec 26.--Arrived the Perseverance- Carter, from Leith
to London, haying rata d away her bulwarks, lost niain.bouni, and
split her main-sail.

The Columbus, Law, from Quebec, was on shore on the Si tub Bull,
Dublin, on Monday, and full of water.

The Richard, Williams, horn Demerara to Liverpool, has been con-
demned at Bsrbadoes.

The Mary, of London, Weiy from the Bay of Fundy, was molly
destroyed by fire at Coleraine 17th inst.