Star.
London, England, 1825-01-25 00:00:00

ISA LTON 1. PARSONS.

In this case, in which the Court had been applied to
for the purpose of ordering the defendant, Parsons, into
custody, for a contempt of the orders of the Court, in
having solemnized a marriage with his wife, a Ward of
Court, an order had some time since issued for the at-
tendance of the parties, before his Lordship; but there
being found some difficulty in serving the notice, the
case had gone over. The parties now appeared before
his Lordship, and prayed to lay before the Nl4,ter :lie
necessary deeds, as also an explanation of their conduct.
His Lordship ordered the case, as to the sett!ement, be-
fore the Master ; and did not, for the !resent, intima:e
an intention of committing. The fortune of the Lady
is very considerable.

PREROGATIVE COURT, JANUARY 24.
CAMBIASO V. NEGROTTO.

Dr. STODDART said, that since this matter came he-
ford the Court, he had received some documents from
Genoa, to which he begged to call the attention of the
Court. The first, marked A. contained a certificate of
the acceptance by the Marquis Negrotto of the office of
Committee to the lunatic, his father. B. contained an
extract from the mortgages at Genoa, sheseing that
every security which the au.horities at Genoa con i-
dered sufficient had been given by the Marquis Ne-
grotto for the faithful discharge of the intentions of the
testator. C. contained a certificate, signed by the Sc'
cretary of the Senate of Genoa, that the Marquis Ne-
grotto, by submitting to have his prot:eity moitgaged
for the full performance of the duties of Ci mmittte to
the lunatic, had conformed to all the forms required by
the laws of Genoa ; and D. contained the opinions of
six Advocates, at Genoa, stating, that the securities
could be enforced at Genoa, if necessary, without any
fat titer security being given in England.
Sir JOHN NICHOL said, that these documents had
certainly thrown considerable light on the circum-
stances, and therefore he would let the administration
go by the lecurities justifying at 'Genoa.

The friends and supporters of Lord EBRINGTON have
determined upon bringing his Lordship forward as a
candidate for Devon, at the next General Election.
Captain BIRD, of the sth Foot, who had two ribs
fractured at the battle of Albuera, 1811, was last week
obliged to have one of them removed by a surgeon of
Abergavenny. This Officer had occasionally suffered
excruciating pain from the fracture, but he is now likely
to do well. Capt. BIRD lost the sight of his right eye
at the battle of Vittoria, and had his left arm Woken in
two places at the battle of the Pyrennees.
CUPAR.—Mr. JAMES BISSET, our Poet, who some
time since sent a copy of the volume he lately publishea
to the Right Honourable GEORGE CANNING, has been
honoured with a reply by that distinguished Statesman;
on opening which, a handsome and substantial pioofof
his patronage of the Muses greeted the delighted eyes
of the Poet.—Fife Herald.
The work of repair is began at the Custom-house;
the foundation having given way, will not admit of
further delay. Upwards of one hundred workmen are
now employed in clearing away the materials, in order
that massive piles may be driven, for the safety of the
building. The parade in front is covered with timber
for that purpose. This morning, the east and west ends
were boarded up, in order to prevent any improper in-
trusion during the repairs going forward.
An alarming fire broke out in Andover on Sunday
evening, on the Newberry road, which destroyed a
public-house, and six other houses.
BATH COACH OVERTURNED.—Sunday night last,
the following serious accident happened at Hammer.
smith, in consequence of the gas lamp placed near the
rubbish removed from the late fire, near Dr.DUNCAN'S,
not having been lighted, it being then out of repair.
One of the Bath coaches was coming through, about
eight o'clock, when the horses, not seeing the heap of
rubbish, went over it, and overturned the coach, which
was not only heavily laden with luggage, but carried
four inside and ten outside passengers. We are sorry
to add, that the Gentleman who drove the coach (who
is a son of Dr. DENNIS, of St. John's College, Oxford),
had one of his thighs broken, and was otherwise very
severely injured, most of the passengers receiving slight
bruises. Another coach followed immediately alter,
but was providentially prevented sharing the same fate,
by a Gentleman running before,and stopping the leaders,
—Mr. DENNIS was carried to St. George's Hospital,
where he lies in a very dangerous state.
Amongst the Dundee burgh accounts recently pub-
lished, there is a curious item of disbursement " For
whipping Alexander Webster, 371. 10s. 6d."very nearly
a pound per lash!
lIENRY VIII. made a law, that all men might real
the Scriptures except servants; but no women) except
Ladies and Gentlewomen who had leisure, and might
ask somebody the meaning!!! The law was repealcJ
in Edward the Sixth's days.

tmEairßrdAL RO*3.

DRURY.LANE THEATRE.
Never, since the time that the infant Rosetus pie
Wnted himself to the wonder of a London audience,
was a Theatre so early and so numerously besieged as
last night, to see Mr. KEAN'S first appearance on the
stage since the late trial ; and never, since the merno-
fable 0. P. row, was so tumultuous an assemblage col-
lected within the walls of a play-house. That Mr.
KEAN has acted injudiciously, we had almost said in-
sultin 1.. to the Public, in bearding it so soon after an
exposure so fatal to his moral character, no one will
deny ; and unless he was bound by a positive agree-
ment to appear at this time, or incur a heavy penalty,
and unless Mr. ELLISTON insisted on h;s bond, he
csnnot, we presume, offer any adequate apology for his
thus braving public opinion. But while we view Mr.
KEAN as a convicted adulterer, and the betrayer of his
friend's honour, we will not join in that clamorous and
intolerant outcry which has been raised against him,
and which seems to aim at nothing less than driving
him from a profession on which alone he depends for
the support of himself and his family. The stage,
from the time of NELL GWYNN to the present day, has
not been distinguished for the purity of its professors,
male or female, and the Public has always been a very
lenient censor; whether the treatment Mr. KEAN has
met with is to be the commencennegt of a new era,
With a view to purge the stage of its impure:, or that it
has in some degree originated in parry spirit, remains
hereafter to be determined ; but of one thing we are
certain, that if every actor or actress who has committed
a faux pas, were to undergo such an ordeal as Mr.
KEAN did last night, it would have more effect than
the terrors of a Court of Justice.
For sortie days pa,t, the appearance of 'str. KEAN
last night in SIIAKSPEARE'S Richard M. had been an-
r ()tweed, and the Manages, anticipating souse opposi-
tion to the experinient, made application to the Magis-
trates at Bow-street, early yesterday morning, for the
assistance of a strong party of the Police within the
house. This was at first peremptorily refused, on the
ground, that if they chose to make such out-of-the-
way t xperiment-, they must take the consequences upon
themselves, but, in the course of the day, upon a more
earnest entreaty for assistance, their Worships relaxed
in their refusal, and two parties of the patrol were al-
lowed to 'man the lobbies; though they were strictly
enjoined by the Magistrates not to interfere, except in
case ~f actual riot ; this injunction they strictly obeyed.
• At an early hour —so early as three o'clock, all the
doors of Drury-Lane Theatre were besieged by a crowd
anxious to witness the appearance of Mr. KNAN. Most
of the persons assembled, we noticed, had a purpose in
view. aird that was, to have some fun. Long after the
morn-keepers and money-takers announced that every
place in the pit was occupied, great numbers paid for
places and pressed in, so as to force into the pit almost
double the number of people it is capable of conve-
niently holding. All the seats near the doors were
doubly and trebly occupied, the people standing or the
hicks of the seats, supporting one another, till the last
rested against the boxes, forming a dense mass of two
tiers of human beings. All the boxes and galleries were
equaly crowded ; many per sons thought themselves
fortunate in &staining a peep through the little glass
wodows in the box-dor:its, and, through partial open-
in, s o>i them, many begged earnestly to be permitted
to iand their• voices to the uproar.
Never, cestaiuly,did we see any Theatre so crowded ;
and those who could not find places, seemed resolved to
vinsoens Ile for their disappointment by adding to the
noise a ...I riot. Before the play began, every pact of
the house, except one or two private boxes, was full to
: and b..tOre Mr. Koala made his appearance, the
adverse parties seemed to measure their strength, and
prepare.' t throats for battle. We noticed, at a
very early 1 eriod, that there was a sort of organization
preservej ; and some persons were silent, or made a
loud noise. as they were instructed by signals. The
same system existed in the bore=, and waving of hands
or handkerchiefs set a great number of tongues in motion.
When the curtain drew up, an uproar commenced,
which, under other circumstances, we might be induced
to designate as outrageous, but here we must only no-
tice it as an iiscipieut symptom, introductory to that
which e:oue.l on W. KEAN making his appearance.—
A con,islei aisle p ition of the audience appeared to be
very imperftc Is acquainted with Mr KEAN'S person,
for when M. Y UNGE, as Tressel, entered on the stage,
he was olislake 1 for KEAN, and greeted with a mixtute
Of cheers ato.l hooting:.
At iength the moment came in which Mr. KEAN had
to brave the 6, winter of discontent" which raged so
terrifically. lie came forward, apparently but little
embarrassed by the uproar, and bowed repeatedly to the
audience, and as often placing his hand upon his heart.
This was .:f course expressive of his rateful sense of
their estimation of his merits; but, in truth, he had
little reason to be grateful to a great portion of the
spectators, who kept up a continual cry of 66 No Kean!
Off, off !" and such a hissing as could not be equalled
by five thousand geese. On the other hand, as it ap-
peared to us, nearly the whole Pit exhibited the waving
of hats and handkerchiefs to cheer him in his really
trying situation. Nor were the boxes passive in the
stormy scene—clapping of hands, and hisses and cheers,
and gr oans, resounded from all parts of the house, until
the ears were stunned and the eyes bewildered in en-
deavouring to discriminate between disapprobation and
applause.
Mr. KEAN, finding it impossible to proceed, resolved
to place himself at once upon his trial, by presenting
himself to the spectators—audience we cannot call
them; for during the whole evening but one solitary
word reached us from the stage, and that one was the
word 6 Richard,' pronounced by Mr. WALLACE. The
moment his intention was perceived, the battle between
the oFposing parties became absolutely tremendous,
aid cot:tint:ea so while Mr. KEAN stood leaning on his
sword, and gazing round the house, of course to as-
certain the real st ite of feeling towards him. After
remaining in this position for some minutes, he waved
his sword, as if satisfied that the verdict was in his fa-
vour, and proceeded in his part.
It was, perhaps, fortunate for Mr. KEAN, that Abe
audience was not more discriminating; for had they
patiently heard the play, they would have found many
passages which would have applied so strongly tpo
Mr. KEAN'S Case, as might have been fatally tutned
against him. Who would have failed to recognize the
justice of the remark, when the Richard of the evening
exclaimed—

" I dose specs I have done 'oast offence,
serms disgracious in the City's eye,
And that you come to reprehend my folly."

Who would deny that Mr. KEaN " capers nimbly in a
Lady's chamber;" or doubt that in hit late inuigue he

•
had ifichsti detelmination in his mind, when lie rays
" have her, but I will not keep her long"? Would
any one deem him a mere actor, where he says—
" Some call me hypocrite—what thiuk'st thou now,
Do I dissemble?'
Again—veaking of Lady Anne, he says,
i•-Was ever *woman in this humour won't'?
Was ever VlClfilartia this humour won?
And I no friends to back my spit withal,
But the plain Devil and 'dissembling looks;
And yet to win her—all the world to nothing.
I do mistake my person all this while—
Upon my life, she finds, although I cannot,
Myself to be a marvellous proper man."
When he bids Stanley look to his wife," every
married man would think the caution necessary, and
the poignancy of Lady Annex injunction would have
been keenly felt:
" Think on the wrongs of wretched Anne, thy wife."
Luckily for Mr. KEAN all these passages, which
might have " awed the soul of Richard," were not
heard, and consequently not noticed. The passages of
the play which particularly excited the spirits of the ,
spectators vs ere the love scene with Lady Anne, and
the entraixe of the Aldermen. They were hailed with
a tremendous volley of shouts and exclamations.
Though the noise was eery great, and every part of the
house seemed to send forth its thousand tongues, and
though the confusion was considerable, we did not see
any violent quarrels, nor hear of any serious accident.
There were some calls of "turn him out," and one Gen•
tleman in the boxes made himself obnoxious by throw-
ing things into the pit. One Lady was handed from the
pit into the boxes in a fainting state, and a little squab-
ble ensued between those who thought they had a tight
to follow her and the Gentlemen iii the box where she
had taken refuge. Some mischievous wag set a rumour
afloat that Mr. Alderman Cox was present. An un
fortunate Gentleman in a private box was then invested
with Aldermanic honours, and having shew nby his
gesture, his disapprobation of KEAN, he was assailed
s ith a well-directed fire of oranges and orange-peel by
some fellows in the Pit. lie, hosiever, maintained
his position with great firmness and gallantry until the
end of the play.
Twice Mr. KEAN essayed to address the house, but
it did not consist of an audience or give him one; the
second time was in the scene where he kills henry,
when the state of parties became so as to call Mr. KEAN
once more to the front of the stage, where he remained
some time, looking with apparent calmness on the con-
flict, which was of such serious import as to hi, future
career. Again he retired with apparent satisfaction,
and proceeded, regardless of the storm, until the scene
with Lady Anne.
This appeared to be the scene in which either party
had resolved to annihilate or to save him, and neither
were slack in testifying their sentiments. This was also
the scene in which we expected that Mr. KEAN 'S nerves
would lose their firmness ; but we were deceived, and
can only account for the manner in which he performed
under such circumstances by supposing that, in putting
on the character of Richard, he lost all identity of that
of KEAN. Several jokes were passed, some of them too
coarse for repetition, and bearing, according to the
humour of those who uttered then), on the Actor or the
Citizen. When the curtain fell, the applause seemed
to be in his favour, and three cheers for victory were
given by his ft iend ; which, however,were far fi om being
received without opposition ; and whether it will be
considered as decisive by his opponents, must be left to
the issue of hi; future appearance.
Should, however, the friends of Mr. KEAN gain a
victory, there is great danger in its being miSconsttued
as the triumph of vice over virtue, while the only ques-
tion is, whether the Theatre is the proper tribunal at
which the private character of an individual is to be
tried, or a body of people, who will not hear the de-
fence of the culprit,is a fit Jury to decide on an offence ?
Mr. KSAN has committed an outrage on society; and
the Public has marked their abhorrence of his conduct
in a way too unequivocal to be mistaken; we hope,
therefore, that he will now be permitted to pursue his
professional avocation uninterrupted, and that the ad-
mirers of his histrionic talent may not be annoyed by
the abhorrers of his private life.
As to the latter, there is one very simple course open
to those persons whose moral teelings are offended, and
that is, to stay away from the Theatre when any indivi-
dual of either sex performs who has the misfortuie to
have made a false step. This would be a most effectual
punishment; for the managers would soon discontinue
the services of men who did not " draw" to the house;
and what the stage lost in talent, (if it did lose,) it
would gain in character.
ADELPHI THEATRE.
A circumstance took place at this Theatre on Friday
night, which for a considerable time threatened to dis-
turb its harmony. It appeared that Mrs. Searle, who is
so much and so justly admired as Columbine, had on
Thursday night sprained her foot, whilst dancing in the
Pantomime. Determined, however, to continue the
performance of her duties (without which, indeed, the
Pantomime could not go on), she appeared in the part
on Friday night, having the injured foot and ancle
bound up with a piece of black ribbon, and continued to
dance with her usual excellence, though evidently not
' without some inconvenience to herself. The Pantomime
had not proceeded far when it was observed that the
Cloven (Paulo), and Pantaloon (Elliot), had each a piece
of black ribbon tied round one ancle, and the Harlequin
(Kirby), a piece round his arm. Mrs. Searle conceiv-
ing this to be done in mockery of her, et first emon-
'mated, and at length refused to continue her part, so
that, during the latter part of the performance, theie
was no Columbine. When the curtain fell, and the au-
dience were about to depart, Mr. Lee, the stage-mana-
ger, came forward, and accounted for Mrs. Searle's dis-
continuing her part, by stating that she had sprained
her foot. Mrs. Searle immediately presented herself
before the curtain, and mildly, but firmly, observed
that Mr. Lee's statement was not quite correct. It was
true she had sprained her foot on the previous night,
but she would, nevertheless, have continued to perform,
had she not been grossly insulted— ( Cries of Shame,
Shame).—The Clown, Pantaloon, and harlequin, had
put on a piece of black ribbon in derision of her—
(Cries of Shame ; and Paulo, Paulo). !sir. Lee said,
that, as stage-manager, it was his duty as well as his'
wish to protect every Lady on the establishment, but he
was not aware of any in .ult having been offered—(Cries
of Yes,yes—Paulo, Paulo). Mrs. Searle said she had
been grossly insulted on that and a former occasion, but
not by Mr. Paulo—(Cries of Name, name).—She had
been insulted by Mr. Elliot—(Cries of Send Elliot on the
stage). Mr. Elliot appeared, in the dress of Pantaloon,
and was greeted with hisses and cries of Shame. He
said he was ready to explain, as soon as he knew the
nature of the charge against him. Mrs. Searle said he
had that night, and on a former occasion also, insulted

. .
her, by pointing at and speaking of her in I sneering I
and offensive manner, saying " there she is—there she
goes, is she not a beauty ?" Btc.—(`haare. shame).—Mr.
Elliott said, that in a Pantomime great liberties were
always taken, and allowed; but he solemnly declared;
that he meant not the sligthest offence to Mrs. Searle in
anything he had said or done. Paulo appeared on the
stage during this explanation, and shook hands with
Mrs. Searle. He was loudly cheered, and twice at-
tempted to retire, but was as often brought back by
Mr. Lee—we could not tell for what motive. Mrs.
Searle expressed herself satisfied with Mr. Elliott's apo-
logy, and was cheered as she withdrew, and so the mat-
ter ended. Much tumult prevailed during the above
scene.—lt is but justice to the proprietors to state, that
they were not in the house, and knew nothing whatever
of this transaction.

4

IvAvAt balstuailvci. •

• ,
FAimiern, ts.Nritia N. E. tiesh 6reeies. Z= Sailed the
Stanmer packet, for Lisbon ; and the Dutch galliote Collette, and
Chirlotte, for Bin Janeiro.
POILTV,IOII7II, JAN. 24'.e—Wind Southcrly.—Derived the Hehe,
from Palermo. Put back here, the Lorton, Scearase, from
off Dungeness, with damage, having been run foul of by a Dutch
galliot.
JAn.24.—Wind N Netherlands Nfaiestrs brig
Walk, Captain VAN Eas, sailed this morning Tor CorPcoa.
Sot.t.v, „Liii.lB.—sArrived here on the 10th inst. his Maleny'S
ships Turns, omksTes, Pir.Ants, CHAMPIOI4, JAsran, and ItRAIIIILI
cutter, and sailed again on the 15th, on an experimental eruize.
Passed here on the 14th, the Jolt& of Hull, yinnt.av, from St.
John's, New Brunswick, in twenty-eight days—all vP4I; reftsrted
that the brig Eagle, of London, toot tire In the. cabin on the llth
ult. burnt to the quarter-deck, and the Mate in his bed.
' no.roan, Jas. 22.—Arrived the George, 11(14114'0,Front duclios
Ayres.

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