Star.
London, England, 1821-03-12 00:00:00

KING'S THEATRE.

The expectation of the Fashionable World, which
has been stimulated -by frequent delays, and raised
to the utmost by the reputation of the new Manage-
ment, was gratified on Saturday evening by the
commencement of the performances at this Theatre.
The Opera selected for the occasion was La Garza
Ladra, the composition of the celebrated ROSSINI,
and never before represented in this country. It is
one of his most recent productions, and was origi-
nally brought out about two years ago under his own
superintendence, at Pesaro, the native place of the
composer. It was afterwards transferred to other
Theatre;, and acquired high popularity in all, not-
with-tanding the difficulty and complexity of the
delightful music. The story of La Garza Ladra is
the same as that of the popular and interesting Meio-
drame, The Maid and Me Magpie. 11 Barbiere di
Siviglia and Tancredi, also composed by Rossisr,
are both of them worthy of the great praise they have
received, but they do not evince the same thought
and extent of science that are shewn in every part of
the present Opera, which is founded on the basis
of true harmony, and enlivened by many of those
flights of imagination that characterise his best com-
positions. The introductory chorus;- the well-known
air "Di piacer balsa it cos ;" the very ingenious
song for the Jew, with an accompaniment a la Mu.
Bette; a duet for Ninetta (the servant maid) and her
lover Giannetto, " come
.frenare pianto r and the
whole of the finale to the first act, including a trio,
" Oh nume benyco," and a sestetto, " Ali sento op-
pill:vie," are among the finest instances
sof learned
modalation and exquisite musical effect. In the
secouJ act, the duet between Mad. CAMPOIIESE and
Mad. VESTRIS, " E. ben, per tnia to proved'
the rici,est pie;:e in the Opera, and would certainly
have been encored but from consideration to the Per-
foraret s. The Funeral Mardi and chorus, together
with the Prayer at the beginning of the second finale,
are quite sublime. MOZARr himself (and this Is the
ore plus ultra of praise) would ba.e been proud of
such a scei.e. Madame CAMPORESE, who has not
appeared at this Theatre since 1817, was always a
fine singer ; but her powers are extended by practice,
and she now stands almost without a rival in her line
in the Italian Theatre. Her performance of "Di
pincer" was quite astonishing. Madame VESTRIS,
in male attire, will lose none of her great popularity
by appearing on the Stage where she was firsehear d;
she was, in every sense of the word, quite charming
in the character of Pippo. Signor l'aor.o DEVILLE,
from Naples, made his debut, and most successful it
proved; his voice is one of those flexible basses that
modern vocal music demands, of great compass and'
sufficient power. His style is, so far as this first
performance enabled us to judge, of the best school,
and his knowledge of acting has been derived from
a pure source. An apology was made for PLACEI,
who represented the Magistrate. It was clear that
he suffered from the remains of illness ; but certainly
he never appeared to so much advantage as in this
character, which he personated very successfully.—
Miss Mont looked too young and handsome for so',
matronly a part, but she performed it with great
spirit and propriety. ANGRISANI was excellent; and
Tortni's sweet voice was well heard. The Chorus
deserves particular notice tot its unusual strength and
accuracy. Indeed, a full moiety of the effect of a
modern Opera depends upon this important but gene-
rally neglected department. The scenery is beauti-
ful, and-the costume very ccnect.
After the Opera, which concluded at a very late I
hour, a new Divertisement Allegorique, was performed,
composed by Monsieur DESHAYES, who is, much to
the credit of the new Management of this Theatre,'
engaged as Ballet Master. Madame NOBLET, the
principal dancer at the Grand Opera in Paris, made
Ler first appearance in London; she represented the
Muse Terpsidore, and certainly, if a countenance
expressive of all that is tender and delicate—if a
figure, which is that of the Venus de*Medicis ani-
xhated—if action that would excite astonishment in
every mind, din it not awaken a more poweifitl pas-
sion, and captiviite every heart by its exquisite grace,
if these qualities constitute a fine performer, Made-
moiselle NOBLET deserves .tlie highest title that her
art can give. The original intention of Monsieur
Destraves was not fulfilled by the non-arrival of
Monsieur ALBERT. He is daily expected. The Di-
vertisement was received throughout with applause
by a most crowded and fashionable House.
DRCRY-LANE.—The Opera of Love in a Village
was repeated at this' Theatre on Saturday. Miss
WILSON laboured under a cold and hoarseness; her
flosetta, consaqucutly, lost something of her bril-
liancy of execution, but it retained sufficient to
delight a crowded and elegant audience. Mrs. 011 GER
was a sulestitute for Mrs. Ilautowe in the old aunt,
Mrs. Deborah 117(4,deock. She played it very well,
under the circumstance that the notice was so short
that she had not time to make any alterations in her
handsome face.

REMARKABLE CASE.—The circumstances of the
case of Michael Harley, who was liberated fr,:in New-
gate, on his Nlaje,ty's free pardon, at the same time
with young White, whose misfortunes have excited
such general sympathy, are singular and remarkable.
He was convicted in the January Sessions of a street
robbery, near Northumberland HoUse, on Monday,
the 11th of December, 1820, during the time a pro-
cession was passing with .an Address to the QuCEN.
The prosecutor was surrounded and hustled by fif-
teen or twenty pet-sops, and his watch forcibly taken
from him. He seized one of the Gang, but the
others fell upon him immediately, rescued their
companion, and beat the prosecutor so unmerci-
fully, that he was for some moments totally sense-
less on the ground. He subsequently described the
dress and person of the man who robbed him, and
from that description Harley was taken Into custody
on the Friday following. Ile was put into a room
The Contractors for the Lottery having sold every with ten or twelve others, and the prosecutor, wile!,
Ticket and every Share before the 23d of February, sent in by the officers, recognized him immediately.
had not any for sale but those returned, consequent* The 4vitience of the prosecutor, at the trial, was pa
the Public had all the Capitals; but many having sitive and direct. In answer to a question, whether
been returned, were sold again, and many persons he had not sworn to him by the colour of his coat?
wish to know the places they were returned from, be said, if he was tarred and feathered all over,
but the Contractors have requested the various Office- except his face, I could swear to him." The pri-
keepers rot to publish any such account, as they are in sower had some time before been pointed out to-
hopes the persons who returned them took no account him as a thief. This period he stated to have
of the Numbers, and they are very unwilling to tan:. been on the second Saturday after the death of
tali= them, by reminding them of the loss they have the late King. The prisoner's defence was an alibi,
sustained by such return ; but they do wish to remind but, as it was attempted to.be proved by the inmates
every one, that
.next Saturday, St. Pat,ick's Day, the of a house-of ill fame, it gained no credit. There is,
Lottery entirely
,finishes, and the Three remaining however, another man of loose character so like the
4.:21,000 Prizes, and every other Capital, and every prisoner in countenance and person, that they ate
other Prize, must be drawn that day. scarcely to be known apart; and this man, it was now
Sunny SESSlONS.—Thursday two men, Daris.and ascertained upon inquiry, must have been the person
Hall; were convicted upon an indictment for having so pointed out to the prosecutor on the Saturday he
assaulted, Lawrence Blackburn, and Herring, , mentioned, as Halley was at that very time in cus-
Officers of the Sutrey Police, with intent to rescue altody for some previous offence, although he had pro-
prisoner in their custody under a charge of felony. cured his libeity previous to the robbery in the Strand.
—The CnAIRMAN said, that the attempts made by This fact being ascertained, and the prosecutor, when
gangs of thieves to fescue their accomplices, had of examined at the Secretary of State's Office, declaring
late been so frequent, and of so daring a nature, as ' that he had no other knowledge of the prisoner, and
to call upon him to mark the offence of the pi isoners could not venture to swear to him otherwise than
with the most exemplary punishment that the law upon the presumption and Supposition of his being
- could allow him to inflict. Had the Officers shot the man so pointed out to him, there remained no
any of them when the outrage was committed, the pro-of of the identity* of Harley, as the person who
law fully justified them in so doing. The Chairman committed the robbery, add a tree pardon followed
sentenced the offenders to two years.insprisonment. of course.