Star.
London, England, 1817-12-15 00:00:00

THE47:4tE-ROYAL. DRURY-LANE.

Orterittell at Lad, the Opera Web hid been so long
peom:sed, was at kneel performed or Saturday. The
pint is -Akan consielerrd essential, .t .least by the
ambers or Opera, and the present author seems to
liav tube coincided in the ccrp'trate opinion. He.
fling• with all his respousibinties, upon the
compost r mud If the Opera is to live, its titality is
fairly due to Mr. LAN2A. The Flat certainly lets us
into no scent of the writer's peciiliar faculty for in-
vention. A man of avarice, with ea uufortimate
brother, an old commodore with a faithful boatawa:n,
a torttoveininter arid a I.,str, with a lady each, are
rot among the note hi,: of tee stage, and, unfortu-
natt ly, :heir adveetiires in the Opera are of the most
regular and auilienticated order. The first scenes are
scam red on i!arotitict• ". Elie:rub (Hann), Cap-
tain Harrourt's servant, Ifis a. ay into Sir Robert
B'orltlys (Pm) boos...brie], as a mtutic looking for a
place e A dialt4ue, which in s•rtne de• r amused
.
the audience, occurs ieeween the rustic and Meagre
(Orinsiiitv), Sir Ro!::'s fisato,an, on wages, &c. and
the scene cites with urineine in Mrs. Aueor, as
SOMA, the waiting maid of Rosiustlis, Barcourt's flame,
and herself the (litre of his valet. Foiled's song,
describing Ilia qualifications, was well sung, ane
predated a Aood deal of laughieg. We give it as a
sptcimen of the humorous poetry :
Vie a lad fur all weathers, can follow the plough,
Ur bring tor Ohl Dubbin, with a gee-up, whough, who* I
Fallen poultry: or pigs, and can litter ;Lc sty,
Aye and toss off a troggia, when. I be a dry.
I can sow, I can mow,
I can wake, at day-break,
And follow the cows to their pasture.
can reap and mind Asap,
Thatch a barn, and stack corn,
Ausi all for a kind-hearted master.
l'ee a lad of good humour, that all folks agree,
Ire Lunt how to bow, to bow and hand tea,
At table I cm weir. baud a glass and dress hair,
Clear the way, hail a coach, or call my lady's chair.
Sit up late, brush the p'ate
Kull.: and fork, draw a cork,
Go to church rasa 4lttlat to the pastor,
Hear and see, bottling say,
Never roam, Item my home,
And all fur a kind hearted master.
This is not the mist perfect of compositions, but
it seal: received with great layette. Sir Robert Illorlibys
uLj et is to give his ward, Rurantlie, (Miss LYIINI:),
to a ruined gambler, etas the difficult name of Sir
Stuunsh Staleank to this she enters many a protest,
and Sir .Slaisur is seCerrirnerided to run away with
her. Harcourt (Cocoa) cope a en the tepid with the
same di tip, but the stronger chance in the lady's
propeosives. Before the first act closes, Col:modem
Daum's. . er tether, appears returned for life, with
Lis "'dui Aciuirs" Maihrtay ; they meet Harcourt at
the inn, and cement their intimacy by a rambling
trio on si the tender p.tssion."
The second Act i, led off by Harcourt, who sings a
love dtity. Sir Stauneithroe t lakes his place before
the auditory, and, smartitig titan a late repulse by
Noseethr, gives way to his meditations in a very long
and very sentimental song, which, however, con-
chides iii the rather unsentimental resolution that fa-
shinn, friendship, and love are phantoms, and that
your true honesty, is in sheltie sack." Here the
plot deepens, and Harcourt is seen preparing for the
elopement. To fill the tearful moments that, as
SHAEWLA RS says, " lie between the acting of a dread-,
tut thing and• the first motion," be delivers his pertur-
bations in a bravura song.
Raibin Kr% (H. JOHNSTON), the brother of Sir
Robert, sustains the distrees of the Opera. His history
ii the Witt' one of a spendthrift. • After having of-
fended Isis lather by an unadvised marriage, and
aquanderod all he could get, he found himself at his
father's death disinherited, and he now comes with
a demand on his brother's charity. The demand is
rejected, and a dialogue ensues, by much the most
natural and spirited in the piece, in which poverty
and despair plead against avarice sheltering itself
under the plea of duty to the dead. Sir Robert shortens
tl4 conference by quitting the room. A large sum
of money has been unintentionally left loose en the
eicrutoire. Ratko seizes it with the avidity ofa man
who picteies to himself his children dying of hunger.
But 'sounder principles return within him, and he
kegs down the temptation in retnorse and shame.—
All this was considerably applauded.
The elopement has prospered in a double sense.
&Amen has, without kaoseirg it, received for his
cempanion Repaia (Miss Custer) to wbom he had
one attended and Harcourt carries off Roriadlie. But
a' the course of trite love never did run smooth."—
Harrower carriage breaks down among the Swansea
Collieries, and sends Romig& and Susan, greatly to
the chagrin of the latter, to wander among 'their
stoughs and precipiiese Even here, however, there
are human being., if colliers are to be reckoned
among diem; they are surprised by the sounds of a
chorus from the bottom of the earth, and join their
voices to it with a condescending spirit of harmony.
The third Act lets the audience in upon the
whole merits of the old Commodore. Me had been
seised by the servants placed to arrest Harcourt, and
had &tight his way through them into the presence
of their master. His inquiries for his child having
been partially satisfied, he pours out his exaltations
on us in the formidable shape of a very long song
about the if Perpetual motion," which he affirms to
•lie is woman's tongue. Mainstay, the faithful Moin-
es', sidle has stood beside him in attacking the ent-
entes of 'his country, stands beside him with a more
ill-omened courage in offending the ears of his au-
dience, and perpetrates a song even more tedious
and unintelligible.
All is now verging to the consummation 44 devoutly
to be wished." The losers sit at their ease, and tes-
tify it by sieting various fragments of uninteresting
music, in overwhelming succession. But poetic jus-
tice remains to be done, and it is summarily done.
A Sacker starts up, who summons Realm to his
Prot er's house, mid to that brother developes a pa.
per by which his late father, considering that in two
years the spendthrift would have reached his term
of repentance, and the miser reached his summit of
avarice, has determined that die repentance and the
crime should meet their due, and to that effect disin.
herbed the heir, and put the younger in possession.
The latter part of this performance met midi great
disapprobation. The hisses, which were occasauoal
droat. the beginning of the ses.ond Act, thickened,
with calivnipub rapidity in the third, and whet)

JottxrroN came to announce its setond pettotinance,l
he was ina►►dible. The clapping too had hs place,
but the non-corderat seemed to have a decided majo-
rity. Some bustle was excited by a man in the dress
circle attemfeing to make a speech in the House,
which WAS not intelligible. The author of the Opera
is und►rWood to be a Mr. Eatts.44-4,,illipar followed
with gttat :ipplau• e.

BOW-STRZET.—Satu rd., y evening, about six, a uses-
sage was sent to Mr Borers, from Drory•laneTheatre,
stating that three persons had been busily circulating
hand-bills at the diffacitt duors of the Theatre, evi-1
dently with a view of creating a breach of the peace:
that these persons had been taken into custody, and
were then ready to be conveyed before him. Mr.
BtaNts lost no time in attending to the intimation;
he entered the office, and the offending parties were
brought before him, in the custody of police officere,
and attended by Peter Moore, Esq. A large bundle
of the hand-bills which they had been distributing
were produced. Upon examining these hand-bills, they
turned ont to be a cfloy of a letter, addressed to the
Editor of a Morning Paper, signed Hirtrientaix, and
condemning in the strongest manner the introduction
of the children in the Romance now performing at
Drury-lane Theatre, called " Lillipui, uprin the
stage, as tending to prod nce the worst const quences
open their future habits. The water finally expressed
a hope that the public opinion would be unequivo-
cally declared against the continuance of the practice.
Mr. Brame said th it he had nothing to do with the
feelings tit the public as tar as they regarded the per.
formances of a Theatre; nevertheless, as the distri-
bution of the bill in questi-ii might produce a breach
of the peace, irons the manner in which it was circa.
fated, he thought it his duty to recommend that the
further circulation might be suppressed. With this
view he sent for Mr. !it yer, the printer, of Bridge-
street, Blackfriars, wleme name was attached to the
bill, and pointed out to him the apprehensions which
might fairly be entertained. Mr. Dryer readily at-
tended. He said he had been employed by a respec.
table person to take the valise which had been corn-
planted of; but at the sane time signified his mitten-
tiro to meet the wishes of the worthy Magistrate by
withdrawing lis seivants, and preventing the bills
from being further issued. Mr. Peter Moore, at
some length, defended the Romance complained of,
as calcubted to prod •ce the best effects upon the
rising generation, and to exhibit to advantage the
precocity of youth. Mr. Bitting observed that these
were discussions which did not come within his pro-1
His duty was to pievent a breach of the peace,
and he hoped this had been effectually done. The
parties in custody were then discharged, and no fur-
ther complaint was made during the evening. The
1 beau e was IN rfeztly quiet.
On Saturday miming, Bishop, the officer, arrived
in town with lairm:y Peirce, late principal clerk in the
kii,vy Pay Office at Portsmouth, charged with having
absconded from the office about two months since,
with £4.50 in his piassession. Bishop, who was em.
played te pursue him, traced him to London, where
he took his place in the name of Paeans, by a Dover
coach to (lover, from these to Calais, and on to Paris.
The officer obtained the interference of Lord Castle.
reap with Sir Charles Stuart, our Ambassador at
Parrs, and his Excellency applied to. the French
Police. it being a Government robbery, they sane.
tioned the execution of the English warrant granted
'by Mr. BMUS in France. The French police offi-
cers, however, insisted up= accompanying him till
he was out of France. The particulars of the charge
were not gone into on Saturday, bat on the applica-
tion of the Solicitors to the Navy Pay Office, the
prisoner was ordered to be conveyed to Portsmouth,
where the witnesses to support the charge reside, and
the offence having been committed in Hampshire,ho
will be tried at Winchester at the ensuing Assizes.
Tuastes•Pouca °lNCR.—Another instance of rob-
bery on the river Thames has recently occurred,
which, though not to the same extent, nor charge.
wised by the peculiar daring circumstances of pre-
ceding depredations, is yet likely to excite considera-
ble interest. The offenders are two lightermen in
the employ of Mr. Sage, and the value ol the goods
stolen is to the amount of £2OO. The manner in'
which s'ie robbery was committed, being still in.
volved in some mystery, the parties are remanded for
further examination on a future day.

An extraordinary degree of interest has been ex-
cited by a case which recently occurred at Union
Hall, relative to the ill-treatment experienced by a'
young girl named Janet Patton, from her aunt, Mrs.
Pauen, of the London-road. Several persons, distin•
guished as well for their rank as for their humanity,
I have applied to the Magistrates of Union Hall fur
information on the subject, offering to receive the girl
into their immediate protection, and to provide for
her future welfare. Lady GREY has been particularly
solicitous to afford the unfortunate female an asylum
at her own mansion, and eventually to send her into
Scotland, ander the protection of her Ladyship's
brother. Mr. Fonsvos, the banker, and Dr. Limn-
ing:emu, Members of the Committee of that useful
Institution, the Refuge far the Destitute, have *eve-
' rally tendered their services, and not only offered an
immediate hums and maintenance, but expressed a
.determination to bring her oppressors to justice.
Datums Huserway Resisenics.--Saturday night
last, as Mr. James Farmer, of Southall, in Sussex,
was returning home to his lodgings, he went into a
public house, in Star-court, Whitechapel, to hare
some refreshment, and on his leavi•ig the public-
house he was followed by asaci; of villains, one of
whom knocked him down. They rifled his pockets,
and after ill-using him very much, made off t—but
an alarm being given, they were pursued, and two
of them were token into custody, and conveyed to the
watch-house, when one of them preyed to he Israel
Chapman. the notorious resurrection man, and the
other Gene &on, his companion. They were locked
op preparatory to their being brought before a Ma.
grstrate for examination...4h. same evening, about
eight o'clock, Joseph Walsbam, a young man, who
had been thinking with the above fellows die whole j
of the day, on hie leaving the place be was followed
by Geurpe Scott, and a butcher, they knocked him
down, and beat him in an unmerciful manner, and
robbed him Of his pocket book, containg three pounds
in Bank of England notes, with which they wade of,
leaving the pout fellow lying on the ground for dead.
In consequence of their ill-usage the poor fellow has
been subject to fits ever ssace.

• L4n- INTELLIG ENCE.

•COURT OF KING'S BENCH, DECEMBtit is.
lIAY V. PHILLIPS.

This Was an action to recover from the defendant
£973. 16s. the balance of an account of £5 10. the
price of fO9 barrels of American P3ur at s. a bar-
rel, sold by plaintiff to defendant on a contract for
ready money, in September last. The contract tor,
and delivery of the filar, and payment on accoun►,
was admitted, leaving the balance in question ; and
the Jury found a verdict for the plaintitl.—Damagai
£973, 16s.—Costs 40s.