Star.
London, England, 1828-01-24 00:00:00

COVRNT-GARDEN.

A new domestic Tragedy (so it phrased in the bills),
was las last evening produced at this Theatre. It is in
five acts, and is entitled The Serf, or, the Russian Ble-
thers. The principal characters are as follow :
Vladimir (a Ruuian Prince) . . Mr. Young
Isidor (his natural brother) . . Mr. C. Kemble
Ossip (a Jester) . . Mr. Warde

Countess Olga . . . Miss Jarman.
The plot is extremely simple. Vladimir is enamoured of the
Countess Olga, and wishes to obtain her hand in marriage, but the
Lady had previously hestqwed her affections on Isidor, who,
thcugh a love-born child, is not disowned by love. According to
a Russian usage of ancient date, an individual born out of wedlock
is considered a slave. notwitbstending one of his parents may
be noble. Isidor is in this predicament, and his legitimate
brother, acting on the instigation of Ossip (who entertains
a grudge against the family), determilies on enforcing the pri-
vilege which the law allows him, to treat the favoured lover
as a slave, and so humble him in the eyes of his .. •
whose affections, he truts, may be thus transferred from the
degraded Serf to his own person. Accordingly, by command of
his brother Isidor, he is apparrelled in mean attire, and intro-
duced into the presence of the Countess, for the purpose of perform-
ing the duties of a menial. Knraged at this unworthy treatment,
and further excited by a blow inflicted on him by his tyrannical
relative, lsidor makes an attempt on the life of Vladimir, which
is rendered ineffectual through the interposition of Olga, who
rushes between the brothers, and herself receives a wound in the
confl ct. Lilo is thrown into prison; and in order to save him
from the penalty denounced by the law against the Serf who
shall meditate the destruction of his master, the Countess con-
sents to become the wife of Vladimir. On obtaining his
freedom, Isidor seeks an interview with Olga, from whom
he parts, as all true lovers have ever parted. He then en-
counters his brother, and after a short colloquy they come to the
natural conclusion, that considering what has occurred, the earth
cannot contain them both, and they incontinently rush upon each
other's swords. At this instant the Countess enters, and, after a
pathetic speech from her lover, who musters up breath sufficient to
bid her farewell, falls senseless on his body, and the curtain falls,
leaving Quip to rejoice over the ruin he has wrought.

Such is the gory of this domestic Tragedy, as it is
denominated. It is, we are told, an adaptation from
the German, and from the moral which it contains we
are inclined to believe that it is so. The author, like
his predecessors, endeavours to excite a sympathy for
crime, by ,hewing that it has its origin in the guilt of
others. The story, however, possesses the feature of
novelty, and the auth.,r has so contrived to heap horror
upon horror, that an intensity of feeling is kept up in
the minds of the audience throughout, which procured
for the author that which constitutes an author stichest
reward—the most unequivocal stamp of approbation
for his bantling. It would be unjust to the performers,
however, not to state, that to their exertions may be
attributed much of tl.e approbation of the audience.
We have heard the Play attributed to Lord Nor-
manby,
and to Mr. Millman. The former's title to it'
has been contradicted, and the latter's we cannot con*
firm.
In the box on the right of the stage were Lord Hol-
land and the Marquis of Linsdown. At first, the Mar-
quis was not visible to the House ; but atter a time he
and Lord Holland leant over the front of the box, in-
tently noticing the Play, or talking quietly, as if they
had never been disturbed by any of the cares of State.

His MAJESTY. has been pleased to communicate to
the Archbishop of Yost's, through Sir Wtwast KNIGHTON, his
Manner's gracious desire to name the Patron of the ensuing
Musical Festival at York. The guarantee fund now reaches nearly
£lO,OOO, and exceeds in amount that of tinter of the two former
festivals.
His Royal Highness the Duke of GLOUCESTER and
Suite have returned, after a short absence In the metropolis, to Lul.
worth Castle, where the Royal Duke, it is understood, means to
take up his residence for some time.
Lord GWYDYR had a dinner Party yesterday, at IliS
house in Piccadilly.
DE HAVERING PEIRAG/L—ln the reign of HENRY
VII. the Washingley estate, in Huntingdonshire, came into the
family of the Aromas, by a marriage with JOaNg, grand-slaughter,
and at length sole heir to KU Di HATIKING, train an an-
cient barony in fee, descendable to Sir THOMAS Hussar Amines,
Basonrt, the lineal heir general of the body of Joint Lord del
Havgastr, summoned to Parliament by writ, as a Baron of• the
Realm, in the 27th of EDWARD I. and also of EoWA no
The Rad of ELDON, it would seem, has shewn no in-
clination to return to the fatigues of office. It is said.
that when a hint was once given to his Lordship, by a
Church dignitary, that his ease would be consulted by
re:iring to a station of less labour than that of the
Chancellorship, he replied, .4 Wnat would pour Lord-
ship think if I recommended you to be translated from
to Llandaffe

We have much satisfac ion in being enabled to state,
upon a comparative view of the receipts and disbursements of the
Customs establishment of this port, for the last year, with that of
1826, that there is an incre tie in the dutiee collected to the amount
of 8,1901. and a diminution in the expenditure of the department to
the amount of 1,4581. 12s. 1 id.—Boston amok.
A parcel of bills and notes, to the amount of 12,0001.
was abstracted on Friday last from the Doncaster coach
(late Doncaster mail). It was addressed to Messrs.
Walker, Eyre, and Stanley, bankers, Sheffield. Payment
of all the notes has been stopped.
Papers from New South Wales have been received
to the middle of August. It is stated that Mr. Con N I NCI-
HAM was on his way back to Sydney, after having pene-
trated three hundred miles to the northward of Liver.
pool Plains. He had made no di.covery of importance.
Captain Leman, of the 57th Regiment, had also tra-
velled some distance inland from Moreton. He repre-
sents the country to be of a nature most favourable to
settlers. The accounts from Van Dieman's Land, con-
tained in the above Papers, mention that the black
natives still continued troublesome, although great ex-
ertions had been made by the Local Author ities to sup-
press them. Nine persons had been taken into cu.tody
at Hobart Town, on suspicion of being implicated in
robbing the Colonial Treasurer's Office. Seven of them
were prisoners of the Crown. The sum stolen amounted
to upwards of 1,2001. A-military station was to be
formed at Oyster Bay, on the east side of Van Dieman's
Land. Captain anneal., of the 40th Regiment, had
pro:t eded thither from Hobart Town with a detachment
to take possession. The accounts from Hunter's Island
state, that eight men, belonging to the Van Dieman's
Land Company, had been unfortunately drowned by
the upsetting of a boat. A prison ship was.diiiY 43'
pected from England.

COURT or KINGS BENCll—('tilts DAY.)
JUDGMYNT
KING P. JtiKaMlAll MATIfKIt.
This def ndant, ails) sits convieted Burin* the lase
sittings in Michaelmas, of sßol Ana cArrupt
appealed to receive judgment. The charge against the
defendant was his hay.ng sworn Itimfell in possession Of
an acre 'of land behind his I►. use; also the. his goads
and furniture were st nal) .5001. and 0 at he had expi nded
30(31. in building stables and coach houses behind his
premises ; this he positively declared was the truth when
questioned on his becoming bail for a person named
Knowles, who had been arrested for 1801.

The defendant handed in a written defence, in which
he admitted that what he slated respecting -the me of
land was untrue.

Mr. Justice BAYLEY, after a severe admonition, sen•
tenced him to one month's confinement in Newgate,
and at the espiralton of that period, to be transpo►ted
for seven years.