Star.
London, England, 1819-04-13 00:00:00

21°E4'rl?,,Ea

Datray-LAtrz.z.**.T47,4ioteable opportunity
could potpossl.bli..bp,v,Foicu to afford the lovers
of &infusion the treat' of O' 00as "rote, thin the
ttition'of 'EalterlimidaY''azi the'ripitient-atibtv of
7
the Tragedy of Thevitallrnia:" The public interest,
with respect to the fate of thie.pieekN seemed however
in some measure to have.ditninished, the house not

being completely filled until half-price. The instant
the curtain drew up, the kit' rose id a body, and it
being very evident, from the confusion that immedi-
ately prevailed, that the.reprnsentatinn *of the. Play
could not be proceeded in without some endeavour
on the part of the Managers, Mr. _STEM/LEN KESIBLE
came forward. He said, that for some time back,

indeed ever since his arrival in London, he had been
in a weak state of health. His Physicians recom
mended that he should reside•in the country for some
time, in consequence of which he left town a few days
before The Italians was brought out. He knew, how-
ever, his duty both to them and the concern too well
to take such a step without the permission of the Sub-
Committee. Having said thus much with respect to
himself, he begged leave to allude shortly to the Play,
and to read an Address that was put into his hand :

" LAWNS AND Grxri.mart—The Tragedy, Which is now
about to be performed, having been much admired in the clofet,
the Management of this Theatre thought it their duty to pro-
duce it upon the Stage. In fact, it was called for by the public
voice. That it has not been brought out with the whole strength

of the Theatre, as was origin:ray promised to the Author; is
certainly a subject of regret ; but I ardently hope, for the in-
terests of most parties concerned, that the causes which• have
led So so muck angry discussion will one day be reitieved, and
that the controversy which has arisen out of them will be en-

tirely buried in oblivion.
" Animated by this hope, Ladies and Gentlernem I presume
Ito bespeak your fair, candid, and impartial hearing. Opposition
to a new Piece, previous to its commencement, or during .the
progress of its performance, is so peculiarly embarrassing to
Performers, that it renders theta almost entirely incapable of
doing justice to the Public, to the Author, or to themselves.—
Mistakes occurred on the last evening of performance, which
we confidently hope will not occur on this. Performers, Ladies
and etentlemen, are persons following an arduous profession;
and the only reward that can reconcile them to its difficulties, is
the approbation tiLthe Public, whose servants they, are. This
approbation they hope this night to obtain. All they are able
to do will be done ; and they confidently hope, that in this their
endeavour to do justice to the Author, a British Audience will
not refuse to afford them indulgence and support."

The Tragedy proceeded after this, but with fre-
quent interruptions, until at length the voices of the
performers were lost in the uproar of the contending
parties. The Pit was the principal scene of action,
and the impartial part of the audience seemed to t:-.ke
less interest in the struggle than they had on the for-
mer occasion. Not a word of the two last Acts could
be heard. When the curtain fell Mr. KENIELE came
forward again, but he could not obtain a hearing ;
he retired, and the curtain rising shortly after, a pla-
card was exhibited, intimating, that " The Italians
was withdrawn." The exultation expresed on one
side could only be equalled by the indignation on the
other. After some time a comparative calm took
place, but the vociferation of the critics was only re-
cruiting strength for a more powerful display when
the Afterpiece should commence. The friends of the
Poet were now the prevailing.power. They called
for the Manager in their turn, demanding him to re-
tract the notification conveyed- in the placard. No
Manager appeared ;•the'Afteipiece went on, but it
was in dumb sheer. Showers of orange-peels were
driven.at the performers. Mr. JJARLEY endeavoured
to speak. but in vain ; nothing - could be heard but
the most confused • tumult. • At length the curtain
fell, but the audience sliewed,nO disposition to retire.
The friends of the Anther' -presented a formidable
phalanx in the front of the Pit. Their manoeuvres
were not confined to dancing, jumping, and lighting
—some of the benches were broken, and the frag.-!
ments were flung upon the stage. A few Constables
interfered at this Juncture, but the spirit of re,istance,
was too strong to be appeased by their interference.
After some scuffles they discontinued their exertions,
leaving the field to their antagonists, who continued
their noise to a late hour, when they gave it up from
mere exhatption. It would be endless to describe the
various incidents of this boisterous night, but there is
one that should not be omittei, as it shows the sririt
of persts'erance by which the Pit wa,; actuated. Two,
plentiful pails of water were emptied upon them
from the upper tier of boxes, but it pi oduced no
other effect than that of causing them to open their
umbrellas, with which they endeavoured tO protect
themselves from the cold'bath.. 'As the party did:
not succeed in obtaining any pledge that the Piece
should have another trial, we consider the result con-
clusive of its fate.
COVENT GARDEN.—The Tragedy of Jane Shore
was repeated last night to a very full audience. The,
characters were cast in the usual manner, and the
Play was received with every mark of favour.—A
Grand Dramatic Spectacle, founded on DECKER'S
Play of Old Fortunatus, was then produced, for the
first time, called Fortunatus and his Sons; or, The
Magpie Purse and Wishing Gap. This Piece opens
with a contest between Fortune (Miss BEAUMONT),
Virtue (Mrs. FAvetr), and Vice (Miss LooAx), con-
cerning the superiority of their powers, to determine
which.; they resolve to make an experiment on Per,
tunatus (Mr. FARLEY) and his two Sons. The:firee
Deity proposes to him a choice of six different gifts;,
comprising her principal favours. Heselects rtc/ies,!
and receives from the fickle Goddess a purse, which
shall always present to his hand ten pieces of 'fold.
Having relieved the necessities of his two sons, Ant-
pada and Andelochia (Mr. DtIkUSET and. Mr. Assor),
SOI4. his .:half-starved servant Shadow (Mr. BLASS-
OUARD), and secured them,. as he imagines, against
the danger of want, by bestowing on them great
heaps Of treasure, the traits of his nos ly-acquired
tqFortunatus sets out to travel. He proceeds from
psnis, his plate of residence, to Alexandria, dealing
authis wealth on his journey with all imaginable pro-
fusion. The fame of his aches precsdes, and pro-
r cures him an immedl'afe• audienee,, cri his. arrival,;
with the Valiph'of tirid (Mr. Cuiison). • The
latter expresses eiteeine:siilidiside to 'discover Fork-
tintna's secret, whailiewever,- itsipts•liatosing, it.
The caliph qaeui by -way sifyiequiyalentz unlocks ai
"casket, and productm celh)tbe wonderful virtue of
Taiiith, in insiiiitli.74tecoitirliihing •any wish of its.
*starer, he unfolds to rortuntdits.• "oil
tilsrtane contrives by t-dettefotsk vide to get the cap
tint his bead, and forthwith.proves tbesesith of its
tributes, by by being, onlis,dosire, trin,sported back to
his own house. His eldest the • -
14 eke, is wiped

splendid battqtiet, to provide which, he had borrowed
of his brother, the follower of Virtue, the only rem-
nant of their vast store which his imprudent extravas
gance had left. He is afterwards con,.,yeki to the
Island of Great Britain, and received at the Court of
King Athetstan, who employs his beautiftil daughter
Agrippina (Miss•FaorE) to search into the mysterious
source of is endless affluence. Subdued by her
charms and blandishments, he reveals the erriacy of
the purse, contrary to the injunctions of Forti;ne, at
the time it was given him, and is robbed of it by his
fair seducer,. in * slumber, to which her fascinating
music has lulled him. On awaking, struck withrage
at the loss of his purse, which Agrippina had deli-
vered to hsr father, he. clasps her to his arms,, and
wafts her by the steerage of his cap to Cyprus._
Alighting in an enchanted wood, the sscene of his first
Meeting with Fortune,. the Princess, ready to faiat
with fatigue and thirst, asks him to pull her some
fruit offa tree which.tartds sin the abode of Vie.
ejimhs it, tastes the fruit., aa4 throws her dawn
!sbme, of 'which she also.eats: His taps falls or, and
his enruPttnieni,• at his fetlitese; puts rc on her hsai,
and accisientsilly wis:selhersdf in England. In art
instant she is theref.:eticumbortd, however, with
most unseemly ornament,a pais. pfhoras, the fruit of
her vicious indtilgence of appetite,. i'rtritintas sink-
ing under the disgrace of a similar, addition to his per-
son, and yielding to despair frtim the loss of his two ex-
traordinary possessions, is restored to Hope by Virtue.
She points out to him a fruit is her abode, eating
part of which removes the unnatural growth, and in-
spires the hope of recovering his purse and cap. In
the disguise of a Physician, he gains admittance again
to Athelstan's Court, cures his das*tscr, by adminis-
tering some of the same fruit, seizes the two precious
objects of his solicitude, and, with the authoress of
his misadventures in his arms, flies home once more.
There he resigns the two sources of his care and
trouble to his eldest son, who, tempted by the bribe,
assists to force the reluctant and sorrowing Agrippina
to his embraces. 4midothia opposes the attempt,
fights with and disarms shaped°, and commits on the
spot the preternatural gifts to.the flames. The four
characters reappear in the Palace of Athelstan, Vir-
tue descends on the stage, and establishes her pre-
eminence and triumph by blessing the youth who ob-
served her precepts ssith the hand of the fair. Prin-
cess. The first Scene; of, an enchanted Wood, with
doves ascending and descending, is very handsome,
and was greatly admired. 'The distant Vie* of Cy-
prus is also very fine. The Piece contains other very
splendid Scenes. °Vesture and Music aresvei y
pretty, :though the former was in a great meascre
last, from the .medley of discordant sounds issuing
from the joyous folk.of the One-shilling Gallery. In
the management of the Machinery, one cr two awk-
ward circirmstances occurred, but they were as rare
as is usual cm-such occasions. in exceedingly neat
, Par; de Trois was danced by the MiEscs Dasisvrr.
The performance was in general excellent. The Piece
is was announced
for repetition of
onacmoindsiroeurdabalpeprnl merit.
nnd promisei fait
, to be a favourite.

Santini's Virm.t.s.—YestetclayeveningtEs Theatre
commenced its operations for the season, and imme-
diately after its daorswere Opened, Was crowded to
excess in every quarter. The rush into the pit and
galleries was so violent; that several accidents occur,
redin both places before thii_spertators were.enabled
to secure their seats. Those which happened in the
pit,..-are. such as will only occasion those..to whom
they befel, a teirporai7 inconvenience ; but those
which happened in the gallery-are of a much mode
serious nature. The crowd which frequented this
part •of the house, were all so eager to obtain first
seats, that no obstacle appeared capable to retard,
and no danger sufEcient to deter them in their efforts
to Wan*. them. ..A' young lad,. between 16 and 17
years of ages in hurrying down. the .sp::ee between
the benches, 'chanced to IA; and was in consequence
trampled to death,-by_theinnltitude of persons who
were forced over 'bins. by those immediately behind
therm Some. of .the•intlividuals who had obtained
seats •the.irst row, Niece pushed over the iron rail
into the pit, but fortunately escaped without any
other injury than that of receiving some senre•coni-
tusions. The tumult occasions& by this contention
and disorder, became at la:,t so excessive, that.l.int-
MALDI was obliged to ,mount into the slips
pf ttic
'boxes and to addreas.the audience, in.order to obtain
.something like tranvillity and order. His efiurts
wore attended with partial success, and the perfOrm-
ances commenced, notWithitandingthe fatal accident
which had happened, at the time previously announ-
ced. In the intervals between the difetent Acts, se-
veral Amazons in thegallery, who appeared to. have
been indulging . in, large potations of. sOmething
stronger than beer, afforded a *high:treat to those
gentlemen of "thijanry who.were in the Theatre, by
exhibiting their pugilistic powers.; _ whilst .some. of
„,their male aequaintances„as if deter,ndoed that .the
female part of the audience should. not 'wry Mr all
the honours of the 'eveting; imitatecll the •ekathplre.
so nobly set them Jr), the weaker- sex !. • •.!

The Boston Theatre is Open,..:Linder the-mattage-
meat of Mr. T. Ronawrsorc; ocktbe 2dinstant. Wm-
KINosoN, from the English 9perjt house, had his be-
nefit, the largest house 014 season: be performed the
Barber of Seville, ancrgave froin Mr.
MAins.ws's Budget, wiih.great applause.
ANECDOTE or Metres tr..--11i4 thisriey wai asked
one day, in:llio:.itteeta.-of Vienna,• bya perison, who
had Inown.hettez.daysx and as the great
.musician
icoew better .how to heap, up silogr.fMads ]ian 42-
ver he .felt his.Pbcket, for the pOor
,fellow, in
Vain. Uneits.l at his want Of money at this patien-
lir 'Moment, benevolent-thoughta- suddenly struck
.him, Ind he. asked .the nian to wait while he went
ism a tavern, WbP:Va.:col,ing for pen atiffink, he sat
down and composed a minuet on the spot; then fold-
ing up tbs. paper, lie.rMoyned, n:ui giving it to his
refitionet, told hint to carry it to a music. publisher
m the city, .WhO woulcilive him something when be
saw the contents. He did so, and received five double
ducats. the tieconntance deserves tb_be recorded,
.and the iniAuet:itfelf is worthy of the occasion. It
exhibits a singular miuure of science:twl)tsb ):Ippart
perhaps took a just pride in exhihitir.Atnekaostf,d-
den 014, with, that exquisite natural.beay ICIs, iS
so. apparent throughout his works. ittitcheA,o this
practical lesson—that there are few, any, WO wai
••r of doing good in. someWay.paodier,.ifthey
c the desire.

..811Weides.-‘-t—so-uT,7:4-ofp;do,:tho' Fbe power of domg goat in somcwv„viukocrAm &Liu
;aged on his appearance Id *int ai are possessed of the desire.•
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