Star.
London, England, 1829-11-10 00:00:00

ROMEO AND JULIET.

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Romeo and Juliet, to which Miss O'Neill gave, and
\ lin Fanny Kemble is now giving, so much popolarity, appears,
when fins produced, to have been a very favourite and popular
tragedy. Old Marston, the satirist, so long since as the year 1598,
has the following lines In one of his poems :

" Luaus, what's plaid to-day?—Faith nowe I knowe,
I set thy lips abroache, from whence doth Bowe
Nought but poor Juliet and Romeo!"
It bad, nevertheless, lain neglected nearly eighty years, when, in
1748, Garrick, being struck with its beauty, resolved to bring it
again into public notice. In Shakspeare, Borneo, after opening
the tomb, and seeing, as he supposes, the dead body of his Juliet,
drinittjhe poison, and dies before the lady recovers from her " bor-
rowe'd likeness of shrunk death." Otway, in his Caius Marius,
which 14 chiefly borrowed from this play, made some alteration in
the catastrophe, which Garrick improved by the addition of a
scene written with a spit it not unworthy of Shakspeare himself ;
and the play is still acted as thus altered. In 1749, Barry and
Mts. Gibber, having abandoned Drury-lane, and joined Rich
Covent-garden, opened the campaign with this play, in
the hero and heroine of which they were justly admired. Garrick,
however, having instructed Miss Bellamy in the part of Juliet, de-
termined to oppose them, produced Romeo and Juliet on the very
first night of their acting it at the other house, and managed so well
that be divided the opinion of the public upon the merits of :the
rival performers. It seems, however, to have been agreed that
Garrick was the best Romeo, and Jlrs. Cibber the best Juliet.
" At Covent-garden," says a critic, " I saw Juliet and Romeo,
and at Drury-lane Romeo and Juliet." Much idle cri-
ticism was inserted in the public prints by the partizans
of the rivals. In the mean time the town was obliged
to put up with the same play at both houses for twelve
rights successively, according to Davies's account; whilst Murphy,
in his " Life of Garrick," states it to have been twenty nights.
Rich, at length, was tired of the contest. He announced another
play, and Garrick. as a signal of victory, performed Romeo an ad-
ditional time, and closed the contest with a diverting epilogue
Token by Mrs. Clive. Though the public at first tan in crowds
to decide upon the merits of the rivals, yet many were justly
angry at being obliged to see one play repeatedly, or give up the
diversion of the theatre altogether. The following epigram, which
alludes very happily to a speech of Mercutio, was printed during
this struggle for theatrical pre.eminence

ON THE NUN OF NOUN° AND 3ULIZT.
" What play to night?" says angry Ned,
As up from bed he rouses,
" Borneo again!" and shakes his head,
" .4 plague o' both your houses!"

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By an extract lately made from the French papers, it seems that
the Parisians have been recently regaled with Shakespeare's
Othello done (or rather undone) into French—for, if any credit may
be attached to the account quoted, nothing—save and except the
costume of the representative of the " gentle Dadonono," seemed
deserving of the critic's commendation. About thirty years ago
a translation, or rather a ludicrous version of that admirable tra-
gedy was exhibited on the theatre at Stutgardt, which has been
thus described :—" When Cassia enters drunk, he makes logo
sing two songs, and the other characters join in the chorus. The
subject of the first song, that Englishmen drink more, and the
second, that they fight better than all the world besides. When
Roderigo and Casio fight, logo stabbed the latter in the seat of
honour, which Casio scratched like a Merry Andrew, sitting upon
it for a long time, calling for help and crying murder ! A chair,
something like those in which paupers are carried in London, was
brought on the stage, and Cassia hoisted off. Deulentotta discovered
on a German bed, in a bed gown, and fairly between the sheets.
Othello standing by her, smothered her with the green curtrin, kissed
her, and fell upon the bed, dead as a salmon he a fishmonger's
basket.' Emilie presently appeared rating him handsomely for
half an hour. Casio was brought forward in the aforesaid chair
to explain matters. The Moor then made a strange bellowing
about the ' Sneer Clout' (pocket handkerchief), and smiting logo,
who rubbed his arm like a fool at Bartholomew fair, the Moor
roared a little longer about the snoot clout,' picked up a dagger,
which happened, without any reason, to be upon the stage, stabbed
himself heartily, and died. To this representation the house was
very full, every body laughed, but neither clapurd nor hissed, such
a practice being contrary to etiquette. The 'Atm is smaller than
the Haymarket Theatre, with only three candles over the Duke of
Wirtemberg's box. A box is kept purposely for strangers, for
which something more is charged than to the natives. Such is
the conception which the Germans have of one of the best pieces
of Shakspeare."

Mr. BAILEY, a gentleman connected with the silk
trade, was on Wednesday morning found dead in the street at
Macclesfield, having fractured his skull in consequence of falling
into a collar hole which hail been left open during the night.
Saturday, a Court of Compensation was held at the
Guildhall, Westminster, for the purpose of awarding compensation
to Mrs. Margaret Price, the freeholder of the celebrated hotel and
tavern in Chandos.street, known by the name of the N Key," and
the adjoining premises, at present occupied as an oil-shop, in con-
sequence of those houses being about to be pulled down. It will
be recollected that some time since £4,000 were awarded as
sufficient compensation for the premises in question. In
consequence, however, of an informality, Mrs. Price applied
tor and obtained a risendatista for a new trial. The claim
sought to be obtained from the Commissioners of Woods
and Forests was £11,200. The Attorney-General, Mr. Gurney,
Mr. Harrison, and Mr. Sheppard, appeared for the Commissioners
of Woods and Forests; Mr. Brougham, Mr. Platt, and Mr.
Charles Phiffips, for Mrs. Prke.—The investigation occupied the
whole day.—The witnesses in favour of the claimant considered
the property well worth £B,OOO ; those on the part of the Crown
within £4,ooo.—The jury retired at lie o'clock, and after a short
consultation, returned with a verdict awarding £4,000 to Mrs.
Price.
ACClDENT.—Yesterdsy afternoon, about half-past
two o'clock. an accident occurred near Wellington-street, Strand,
which was nearly attended by fatal consequences. A gentleman
was proceeding along the Strand, in a cabriolet, No. 156, when
the near side wheel suddenly came off. The horse immediately
galloped off, the driver and the Gentleman both remaining in the
elbriolet—luckily when near to Wellington-street, the horse's
career was stopped by the cabriolet coming in contact with a large
van, when both the delver and Gentleman were rescued truest their
perlous situation. The horse is severely injured, but luckily nu
person was hurt, which, owing to the crowded state of the Strand,
being Lord Mayor's day. is miraculous.
Yesterday an Inquest was held at the Pied Bull,
lelingten. on the body of a female unknown, about 15 sr 16 yeats
of age, who was found drowned in the Regent's Canal. Battle.
bridge, on Friday afternoon. The body appeared to have beeu in
the water several slays, but there were no marks of violence on it.
She was dressed in a blue gown, green shawl, Leghorn bonnet.
laced boots, and white silk stockings. There was nothing found
on her person to trace who she was, and a verdict of " Found
Drowned" was returned.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.
COURT OF CHANCERY, Nov. 9.

SUIOMEND..-11DIADSHAVY V. MODOSIT.
This bill was filed for the purpose of ascertaining what tithes
were due to the Rector of Moortowa. It appeared that the parish
is divided into districts, one of which, called the Hamlet of Moor-
town, consists of about 500 acres, and had, as it was alleged, been
in the habit of commuting the tithes for the annual payment of the
sum of .819. The question for the Court now to decide was,
whether this payment of sel2 a-year was equal to the assignment
made upon the other districts. It appeared that so long back as
1750, an arrangement was effected, by which the other parts of the
parish were assessed at £l4B a-year, and they now complained
;bat the occupiers of the lands in the hamlet did not contribute
their fair share. The case was urged before the Master of the
Evils, who decided that the existing arrangement was just and
proper. The Loaf► CHANCELLOR this morning said, that after the
most attentive consideration of all the evidence that had been ad-
duced, be was decidedly of opinion that Xlll a-year was in equal
ratio to what the other parishioners paid; and he therefore con-
firmed the judgment of the Court below.
COURT OF KING'S BENCH, Nov. 9.
SUTCHZLL V. HAMM.
This was an action tried at the last sittings in London, and was
!nought to recover the value of a bill of exchange drawn by the
house of Leroy and Co. of Charleston, in America, upon Messrs.
Crowther, of Liverpool, but made payable in London ; the
drawees, however, failed previous to the bill becoming due, and it
was accepted by the defendants, for the honour of the drawers, in
the following manner :-0 Accepted if regularly protested and
refused when due." The bill was accordingly presented at the
domicile of the drawees at the time it became due, and not being
paid was protested at Liverpool. For the defence it was contended
that it ought to have been protested in London, as the bill was
payable there, and therefore the plaintiffs could not recover, as they
had not properly protested the bill.—The Jury returned a verdict
for the plaintiff.
Mr. Guam'v now applied for a rule to chew cause why a new
trial should not be granted; and contended that the evidence
of the mercantile persons who were examined at the trial proved
that the verdict was at variance with the universal usage of
merchants

..ts.
Lord Taarraansit read the evidence adduced at the trial, and
said it might he considered that he bad directed the Jury to return
a verdict for the Plaintiff.
The three other Judges delivered their opinions seriatim, and all
concurred in the decision, being of opinion that the particular ac-
ceptance obliged the Plaintiff to protest the bill at Liverpool, even
supposing that the custom of merchants required bills made payable
in London to be protested there.—Rule refused.
The Avstiaszv-Gantasa. observed, that he had looked into an
old book, written by a namesake of his, or rather it was a trans-
lation from works of several foreigners, which stated that a bill,
when drawn upon a person at a particular place, ought to be pro-
tested there, and that this was provided fur by a statute passed in
the reign of Charles the Second.