Star.
London, England, 1809-01-12 00:00:00

TH.E4filtIS,

DRERY-LANE.—The nevi play of Man and Wife,
was repeated last night to a well filled and fashiona-
ble house. The audience were kept in a roar of
laughter by the whimsical turns and broad humour
of the Comedy. One fundamental absurdity takes
off from the effect at the end of the play. The sub-
stitution of the son for the nephew so much exceeds
the bounds of probability, that the spectator loses
much of his pleasure, incredulus odit. In our opinion,
Mrs. JORDAN'S inimitable acting in her particular line
constitutes a great part of the merit of the represen-
tation. We have before expressed our disapprobation
of the present mode of adapting, not actors to charac-
ters, but characters to actors. An author is sure of
present success, but his play will be laid on the shelf
when the actor, for whom he wrote, has left the stage.
__one word to two of the pet/formers. We think
that Mr. DOWTON „oversteps the modesty of nature."
He is a caricaturist. He sometimes puts us in mind
of Qtncx, but the muscular expression of the latter
was natural, that of the former is forced and has too
mach grimace. Mr. ELLISTON in the impassioned
parts of his character is very deservedly applauded,
but in the light parts he sometimes forgets that a
Captain M the Navy is a gentleman in his gait and
manners, though he may be fiery and impetuous in
his temper.
HAygARKET THEATRE.—TILE NEW MACDETIH.—
• Critics should be old. They ought to recollect
former actors, in order to form a standard of com-
parative merit. We are old enough to remember
Gaiuticx and HENDERSON. We have seen them in
Macbeth, and we have expressed our opinion of Mr.
)(FABLE in a comparative view. We have now a
new Macbeth, Mr. YooNc., whom we do not scruple
to place next in merit to GARRICK and HENDERSON.
The same clearness of voice, the same distinctness in
his high and under tones, which we have admired in
his Hamlet, and other characters, were his funda-
mental excellence, implanted by nature. In his pro-
nunciation he is a member of the old school ; he does
not adopt the French mode, introduced by Mr.
KENBLE, of making an additional syllable at the
end of a word terminated by a consonant.—To enu-
merate the instances of his merit, would be to men-
tion almosst every scene. In the dagger. and the
banquet scene, particularly, the whole house was
struck with astonishment. Perhaps he might improve
the delivery of the passage :

Thy bones are nsarrowless,
There is no speculation in those eyes,
That thou dost glare withal."
Tt should be marked by an afected defiance, and a real
fear. With some of his readings we do not perfectly I
coincide ; but 66 who shall decide when Critic: disa-
gree ?"—We were pleased to see the restoration of
.B.2nguo's ghost. As well might it be omitted in the
closet scene in Hamlet, fi r the lines, ,4 do not for.
get, &c. are not particularly necessary.
Of Mrs. SmnoNs all we shall say is, that art and
nature cannot be carried to a higher degree of excel-
lence. Mr. C. Kk'sßLE was very respectable in Mac•

he witches are not quite free from that buffoonery
which was never in the contemplation of the Poet, and
which, in the words of PRIOR, " what should be
grave, turns to farce." The rattling of the broom-
sticks and other similar absurdities should be banished
from scenes, which are dignified by the acting of Mrs.
SIDDONS and Mr. YOUNG. Some of the witches in
the dances and songs are rather too bewitching for the
idea we entertain of these wrinkled hags."
The house was disagreeably crowded ; but though
in so »Mall a theatre the audience expect to be
squeezed, 'shay have a right to bear. This was im-
possible in this. front boxes. The sleeping scene of
Lady Hada -was very properly distinguished by
Mrs. Smnashillissiiihle under tones. Of these we
could not, hear a syllable, from the cause, which
forms the subject of our complaint. There was in
the lobbies such an incessant clatter of persons, not
wain:, but jumping up and down stairs, and run-
ning in every direction; such an overpowering chari-
vari of tongues of the most ungentle description, that
We might as well have been in the street during some
(4. tile most solemn ,parts of the play. We saw in-
deed ; but the words were Greek to us."
We serionalf urge Mr. HARRIS to remedy this evil,
by the prevention of an intolerable nuisance—a nui-
sance, which we hope was last night accidental. If
the intend of the Theatre requires that it shall exist in
some degree, let at least the floors and the stairs be
covered with baize.
We have lately heard a wish expressed that the ex-
clusive privilege of the two Theatres should be abo-
lished. If there was a ater competition, we should
have a house, in which our wives and daughters
might repair, to receive excellent lessons of morality
from the stage, without being annoyed by the inde-
licate sounds and sights, which meet the ear and the
eye in too many parts of the Theatres.

Monday evening as Mr. Vyse, who resides in Ben-
brick-street, was travelling in a Bath coach, with his
daughter, he suddenly dropped speechless from his
seat, and was conveyed to a public-hotise, near Coln-
brook, where he shortly expired. He was in high
spirits, and conversing with the other passengers, at
the time the catastrophe befel him.
We are happy to give the requested circulation to
;!t following account of the loss of the BANTERER
3-, 00P of war :

" River St. Lawrence, Nov. 25,1805.
" I fear the news of the loss of the BANTERER will
reach you before this, and that your Mind will suffer
accordingly, as I believe it was known bt Quebec be-
fore the convoy for England sailed. I therefore re-
joice in this unexpected opportunity to Worm you,
that the loss of the ship was unattended by
ttre loss of
the whole of the stew kin,' sived; we haVe also
*red most of our property, but the ship it totally lost.
We have undergone some hardships, as you willtissily
conceive, from living in the woods of this comets at
this season of the year, from the 29th of Octobet to
this day, on which we happily embarked in a crafts-
port, bound direct for Halifax. As the opportunity
• but for a moment, many of the o%cers have n&
been able to take advantage of it. I therefore wish
you would contrive to communicate this to some of
the Editors of the public papers, which may prevent
much anxiety. (Sired)
64 WILLIAM OGILVIS. First Lionenant."

i.
NWITIC.AL INTELLIGENCE.

. '
FALMOUTH, JANUARY
Arrived the Spanish schooner N. S. de 1.1 Vejoina,
Capt. BINADA, from Gijon, with a cargo of nuts for
Bristol, in six days. Also, arrived the Malta,
Natty, from St. Croix for Loudon, with the loss of
sails, &c. she parted from the fleet on the 6th inst.
Also, arrived his Majesty's ships ACTIVE, ROLLA,
AMAZON, and SERPENT, from a cruize. Sailed his
Majesty's brig GLUCKSTADT, for Plymouth. The
Snake packet, which sailed from hence for America,
on the Ist inst. has put back to Fowey, with three feet
water in her hold.
• PLYMOUTH, JANUARY 10.

Came in his Majesty's ship GIBRALTAR, from a
cruize ; Thetis, LANDGREEN, from Stockholm ; also
the brig Crawford, from Liverpool ; she was cap-
tured by a French letter of marque, of 18 guns, and
re-captured by his Majesty's ship AMAZON. Sailed
the HumnEn and ENCOUNTER, with a convoy for the
Downs.

The Beaver, from Cadiz for London, drifted foul
of a man of war last night, in Hamoaze, and lost her
main-mast.

The HARLEQUIN, of 14. guns, that was driven out,
.of the Sound on Sunday last, during the gale, came
back again this day.—Wind S.W.

PLYMOUTH DOCK, JAN. 10.

Friday night, a French schooner, laden with wine
and brandy, which had been captured by one of our
cruizers, was wrecked on a rock at the entrance of
Fowey harbour. There- weseve British seamen on
board, together with a Lieutenant and master's mate;

(Mr. RoaraT MANNING, Quarter-Master, and Lieute-
nant W. P. Wane') the two latter, I am sorry tcp
state, were drowned, in attempting to reach the shore
on a raft ; the seamen saved themselves by climbing
over the rocks. The vessel is gOne to-pieces, but the
principal part of the cargo has been saved.
Considerable doubts are entertained here as to the
capture of the CARNATION in the West Indies, by a
French brig of inferior force. What almost tends to
I .
invalidate this statement is, that the Francis Freeling
packet, which brought the account of her capture,l
also brought a letter from Captain GREGORY to his
sister at Truro, which has since been transmitted to'
this town. But as the date of the action is not stated,
it is impossible at present to speak with any certainty
on the subject.
A letter has been veceived by a Gentleman in this
town, stating that the LAUREL sloop, of 22 guns,
Capt. WOOLCOMBE4 which was fitted out at this port;
and was cruizing in the Indian Seas, had bees met
with by a French frigate, of 44 guns, to which site
surrendered without firing a gun.

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