The Portland gazette., 1823-10-07


/" a sketch Of Old England, by .NeC England
.nan." (COnciUded.)
The following extracts viii give an idea ofthe
authors manner.
I" A good taste in the relish for dramatic exhi-
bitions, is beyond doubt one great criterion ofthe
state OF morals and whenever see the stage
converted into a bear-garden tor drunkards, wild
beasts, puppet shows, and pantomines, take it
tor granted the audience must be pretty much on
a par with the exhibition. Above all, when
people, called well educated and polite, are
fond OF seeing murders, madmen, and extrava-
CANT caricatures OF every human passion repre-
sented on the stage, it a sure sign their taste
approximates TO that of the mob, who are most
outrageously addicted TO running after execu-
tions am funerals.
8 / used often to go to the theatres here, until
| grew tired of their abominations.-The dra-
matte art is certainly at the lowest ebb in this
country, owing 10 variety OF causes. The first
is the indifference of the fashionable world, who,
lone and all, prefer to go to sleep at the Italian
opera, to sitting out one of Shakespeare's best
plays the second cause i apprehend to be the
bigotry of considerable portion of that class,
which furnished vast many spectators TO the
theatres; | mean the respectable middling class,
many OF whom viii not 20 to the play because
they are told it is immoral, and many for no
ionable. 1t actually smacks Of radicalisIn to go
often to the theatre.
" For these and other reasons of less extensive
operation, it happens, that except when a new
and well-be-pufied autlor the king, the queen,
the elephant, or some other monster, attracts
them, the theatres are but little visited by fash
ionable people. The drama is no longer fash
ionable topic of conversation; and the man who
Iventured to introduce the name of Shakespeare
into the best society would beyond doubt, be
voted great bore, by the Corinthians and the
young ladies of ton. The theatres are conse-
quently in possession of the vulgar who can rel
ish nothing but spectacles or broad caricatures ;
country gentry that come TO town, are taken
thither by their fashionable friends, because it is
sort of out-the-way place, where their awk-
lwardness and old-fashioned dresses cannot dis
grace them and strangers driven thither by the
desperate hend Ennui, which is native OF Lon
don, though baptized in French, and hovers
night and day over this cave OF Spleen.-These
last, whatever they may think or say on the sub
lject, can have little or no influence in correcting
the taste OF the town.
" The result is as might be expected.-The
tasteofthe mob must be consulted, as by the
mob the theatres are principally@supported Eve
ry species OF monster, moral, and intellectual,
two-egged and four-legged, riots on the stage
Horses, dogs, cossacks, elephants, camels, and
dromedaries are the heroes OF the drama, 50 that
| have often been tempted to cry out with the
excellent mayor of Quinborough, Give me a
| play without beast, charge you"
I" These exhibitions OF quadrupeds take prece-
denCs over all others, and command the most
Outrageous p!auditS Of the discriminating audi
enCe. The next IN p05hc attention is the melO
drama, where passions are expressed by the nd
dlers, and the author is saved the trouble Of at
Htpv A lam All I'm has N ID = ~,
produce striking situations at all hazards at eve-
ry risk of probability, and in defiance of common
sense. After these comes the legitimated come
dy, the excellent critics call IT, which owes all
its effects to a drunken lrishman or sailor, two
or three nondescript and original monsters, not
TO be found on earth nor in the waters under the
earth a smart hero, compounded OF the oppos-
ite extremes OF harem scarem imprudence and
profound sentiment, together with sentimental
young lady, ,alwaysready 10 make fool other par
ents. The dialogue must consist in cant phrases,
gross slang, offensive double enteDdre, and in
hated sentiments on the part of the young lady,
AS also her lover, whenever he has time 10 be
in love. A fourth class OF plays very much ap-
proved H by John Bull at present, are those alb
solutely not written by any body. They consist
OF the united labors of the scene painters, the
mechanics, the scene shfters and the Great
Unknown" whose works are regularly dramat-
ised by an industrious journeyman playwright
They are made up of all the most striking Incl
dents of the novel or poem, crowded as thick as
hops, and jumbled together pretty much at ran
dom. The whole machinery of these faragoes is
held together by the hddlers, who whenever the
playwright is at his wits ends, or on the verge of
absurdity or impossbility, flourish their bows,
and thunder away in the very nick OF time, while
the lucky wight escapes under their cover TO the
next incongruity. The audience, which in Lon
don always goes to sleep while the music is
playing, lorgets what came last, and the next
scene commences with all the advantages OF an
utter oblivion fthe past The nice taste OF the
mob is thus perfectly satisfied, in witnessing a
quick succession of striking incidents, without
the necessity Of those fatiguing efforts to make
them appear probable, that have thrown such
obstacles in the way of many dramatic authors.
| " But the most popular of all those inspired
writers, who have lately assisted at the resurrec-
ton Of tragedy, is Mr. Maturin, an Irish Clergy
man, who is in the region of fiction, what Coun-
sellor Phillips is in that of law. There is certain
ly some of the smoke of genius in this writer,
and where there is smoke, they say, there must
| be fire. But it seems to be a sort of clumsy, un-
purposed, and indiscriminate faculty, engender-
ed in horrors, and nestled in the same cradle
with the great raw head and bloody bones" of
the nursery. II seems always Iaboring with some
mighty godhead, and yet produces nothing but
lshapeless monsters. Devoted to a mere accu-
mutation Of horror upon horror, extravaganza
upon extravaganza, his efforts seem those Of the
Icyclop Polyphemus, the result Of energy and
blindness combined. His genius appears, in
fact, entirely devoted to the salutary purpose of
exciting people, like the citizens Of London,
the genteeler portion of whom are so used to
boxing matches, and the lower classes to execu-
tons, that their blunted sympathies can only be
lnxrv .n1 -t-r
exhibitions Of extravagant horrors"
From the London .Nea0 Monthly .MagGsine.
i MODERN ART OF MATCHMAKING.
Being one of those enviable young men who
have q eYery qualification for making the marri-