The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-07-04 00:00:00

1141IIIARKE7' 711P.ATItE.

List night a new P:ay wits produced at -els
Thavre, under the n:e of The DouWed So.- ;
or, Me Secreis of a Palace. The ptinaiing-
chaiacters were :
The Marquis of Lerida . . . Mr. C. Kinirt.C.
Mallet)le,
• Lean,
• Faioulettn,
Mornichio, . . . .
The Matrhioness of. Lerida,
Rosaviva H VELLY.
Flarth-lia Mrs. Gillis.

This Drama, which is from the pen of. Mr. Dr.
MON!), has fur its grouod-work a plot of IcOnsi.
derable interest, but our limits do not permit os
to follow it with that minuteness which would 'be
necessary 'to shew how that interest is produced.
;Ye can only state the principal points of the
story : ,
The Marquis of Lerida had married, erne early period of
life, the heiress of an ancietzt wealthy Spanish (intimer. and
a few months after his marriage being appointed tii-vt..rhor'oe
Mexico, proce:ted to South Americo, trashy; the Atarchinh-
ess pregnant. This Lady, it al pews in the sequel, had been •
previously and secretly married In a depeadent of her fattii.r,
who was killed in as battle with toe ftlo,.rt. .The birth of a .
son discloies In her father the secret of her tnivrtnies He
takes I hechild from her,tutd by exciting her apereitensinin for
itasafetys compels bee to marry the Marquis yf Leridd, aud
to conceal from him the story of her foroser marriage. On
the departure of the Marquis to South Anterica, she ,eis out
to visit her son, who was nursed in a but in Sue Pyrenees.--•
The &Noe of her journey brings on a premature labour,
which the infant does not survive.. filer attend :ut florabella
then sag eststhe idea of substituting Lem, her child by der
firmer husba (1., for that of the ;Marquis of Lerida, Mil she
addpts that plats, 'travel. until time had mastered toe differ-
ence of age in Leon iinperreptiole, and he is presented
to the Marquis ne his return from Ain mica, as his
sou.. Between Itosaviva (who gasses for the Ward of
the Marquis, hat who Is really his daughter by a itteX-
knit Lady) and Leon' a strong enactment has taken
place. At the period when tne piece. comm. ores, the i
' Alareis has hem to entertain sespicum. of his wife's sorter,
which are heightened by the suocesstiti villainy of his Porto- •
gkese Secretary, Malvollo, who, sprung Prom 14. e to west sin-
, lien to life, nut po•sewiii• uncommon subtlety, to maskilig
every had palsitio, worms liiiiiself into tale emaidelice.of Ilk
protector, the Marquis, mid even obtains sufficient Influence
ever the Marchioness to learn front her the secret of her for- •
veer marriage, mil the birth of Lents. Milvolio takes tare
to intimate to lova that ansaviva is his sister, and, try the
influence lie ha• over the /Marquis, prevails no him to consent
'to his marriage with his daughter, Contracts are signed, by
which the castle of Lerida, soul all the estates of toe Mar-
quis, are esitive,ed to Mait.dio, and Leon is disinherited. In
toe mean time, however, it stranger appears, whit exercises
u usipteriou• authos sty over Alaivot us. ale find beets Ills moo-
hiale in fanner guilt, :and by a train of eirenitistatwes his vii- .
laioy is tmmaitited, his mart-hue with nosaviva prevented,
I the March ' seas, afar a disclosure, restored [ethic confidence
1 of her husband, and Leon made h ppy. •
It will be perceived from this sketch, that the
plot of the Drama is more tumattlic 040 Pr4ba-
We. 'The story indeed seems
suited to the climate.
I where the scene is laid. 'lt is truly Ipenisli in the
' singularity of the events, and in the klaggefitiOatf
with which the passion of Love is depicted. ;but
though the, story, as a whole, deviates from pro. ,
bability, the incidents are introduced with gr.eat
skill, and a -perfect knowledge of stag- edict.
I The deeelopement of the plot is itigenious.y pro.
tracted, and the attention is putvertolly riveted to
,the termination of the Drama. The character
of the Marchioness is involved in mystery until
I almost the last scenes The itudivneeore kept ig-
norant of her first marriage, while Leos is khowis
not to be the eon of the itlctrqUnc Tits liter-A.'
ing a great deal, for it is nu easy task. to intereit
• the feelings in behalf if a person guilty of so
gross and base a deception as she .is supposed to
have practised. When, howeter, the suspicion of
criminal intercourse is removed, it his the effect of
' diminishing the disapprobation which the .less of.
fence, the imposition of the child on the Marquify
is in itself calculated to excite. This ameliorat-
ing effect is also aided, by making the artifices
of Muloolio prevent her from disclosing her
story to the Marquis, when site is anxious to
• thro w .lierself oh his generosity. Upon the w hule,
the moral, that every deception is evil, and tbat '
confidence ought never to be withheld in those re-
lations of life which render it a duty, is well local.
cited. There is a scene at the end, in which
Malvolio, when his arts are discovered, claims
the house and property of his patron, which bears,
perhaps) too close a resemblance to one in the Co.
medy of 'lke' Hypocrite—The dialogue is well
written. The Performers in general sustained the
characters assigned to them with suitable edict.---
Mr. SOlrkftelr, who made his appearance for the
.
,t, hrst time on the hondun stage, ouleported the elm..
rather of 3.7a1001i0 very well, but we statist see him
in other parts before we can give an ~pinion •of
his merits as an sour. He appeared rather formal
•in Isis manner, but that the hypocrisy or the chi.
ratter in some measure required. He endeavours
rto imitate Mr. Joins Kcesocc. Mr.,G. liExims,
',lid ample justice to the Marquis; and kia,isii..:
Tett, in an honesty blunt, talkative servant,•atforll.'
cd considerable support to the piece. . i%4 1..
Gr.ov ea and Mrs. Camas also deserve praise; arid
Miss lifif.Lit did her little part with ease and pro.
per heeling. '. . . . •

The performance was witnessed by a numerous
4lidiente) with great approbation. The curtaitt
dropped amidst loud applause. Two or three
'minutes elapsed before any one came on to an.
nonnee a second representation. • Mr. C. KEit.
II.E at length came forward and stated, that the
usual course would have been 'to announce the se.
coed representation of the piece, with the pertuis:•
anti of the audience, for the next 'night ; but in
consequence of some persons. principsilly requisite
itt the performance, having to play at Covent-
*garden Theatre to.morrow evening, the piece
would, with the permission of the audience, be
repeated on Thurstl.ty evening. This was received
with great applause, not a si•!gte dissenting voices
being heard. The play, therefores'ltrointses to
become, as it deserves krbe, a popular favourite.

In the storm on Sunday night, a waggnn and
horses were precipitated over a bridge Kt Lee, in
Buckinghamshire. ,Two of the horses were kid.
teit; but the driver, who was riding in the wag..
gon, escaped unhurt. A boat was found floating
down the river, keel upwards,, with a sail, early
not Monday morning, which belonged to a builder
on•the Surrey shore, and in which fire young men
had gone out. , It was not ascertained yectertiv
what had become of the party who went out in the
boat; but they were strangers, and hopes flit' ill.'
davit that they may be safe. They took the
I boat on Saturday to go to Statues.