New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-03-29

rN1R{ofsfn the stsge, whiIe behind toe scene d
e1hcrfed obedience to tyranny and submission d
oppretscn- Kotzebue hit upon an ingenious com
promise to conceal under ps'hetic sympathy for
or the other bis actual indifference for the con
cerIs Of mankind; but he ieckoned without his host.
y Humanity finds in every age her martyrs In the
care Of Kotzebue her avengsg dagger WAS placed 10
The bands Of young and noble msn. lie psid, like
other Of natures mobiles, ths penalty Of bic patriotism
on TIE scao,d. But tire true ideas advance and
faIse ones descend the principle rises over SEN
tment the more sacred will be that scafold the higher
viii the name Of Sand rise the lower viii the nsms Of
Kotzebue fell, though the one is deemed now m sd
| epti ufiast, the other an accomplished artist Not
that murder viii be more excused or wit less honored,
but with Sand the motive will redeem the deed, while
with Ko,zebue the deed will be justified BY the PR
pose
We remember, in stopping ct Vienna, to hsve seen
during the last Hung arian war, the play upon which
Pizssro 10 founded, ~ The Spsaiards in Peru" and
We could not help thinking for the moment no v her
Court and nobles. who 30 loudly approved, woald
take it il Kossuth the hero, and took the place of
Rola This thought Of once explained tn US why
Koizebue with 20 many noble msterials at home, had
to cross the lire, and voyage to Peru to be able to
express idess Of liberty without endan ,erng his ~n
and displesspg his psymssfers. " The spsnisrds st
Peru was always considered in Germany one Of
the weak est plays Of Kotzebue There is go much
cruce confusion OF nelodrsm4c' incident, so little
CODE eDce of event and consistency of character thu.
the pathetic feelings Of the audience being over-ex
cited by an elaborated psthos unrslieved by feeling
or by sense, react into eXhsptoD, and gror
weary Of what is known under the nane OF CAP
trap Kotzebue would, perhaps, have forever
remained stranger 70 tho Eoglish stage
but for Mr.. Siddonss sogular'y beautiful and touch.
irg psrsonston Of Ms. Haler, in the Stranger
Sheridan, lite most other clever men, plucked
with unspatog recklesSness every flower which
touched bis fancy in another garden bat they we're
wound ard girded by graceful clap Of genius
which ever COVE them look Of being gathered 10
bic own Desiring to produce as great "a effect as
possible with little labor, and wishing naturally to
coptut the natare Of the grestest living &C ress eft
the day, be selected, for rebuilding the dramatic
structure of ths author, one of whose edidces she
had already surrounded with such fame. 70 Mrs.
Sddons's genius he dedicated Pizarro. He might,
perhaps, have chosen better play. In the original
the play of the Spsoards 10 Peru Of the fefsfam
school full Of what Sheridan himself describes as
"maspi6cence noist, and procession" The trans
a,iop is still worsc ami wholly worthy of Sheridan
Poor Brinsiey with the careless daring Of his beau
tfu but reckless Celtic genius, he litle needed so
that it served the purpose of the hour. We ali re-
member how touchinpy it is told that when, lonely
and deserted wreck, he lay desolate in a wretched
chamber in some bg. street of Westminster, forsaken
by those to whose hours Of pleasure of power his
genius had so ofcen nibis,erej, aud with the ever
burning love OF one true woman alone OF all esrth
to light up the darkness Of that hour, c'intrymAn
told him that Byron had said Of him a" that he had
written the best opera the best farce, the best
comedy, the beet address, and the best Grafton
(which had ever been Invented or spoke 10
England" His dim ey o, woen he heard it, light
ened; his wasted band thrilled He did no. speak
But the eve sent an answer more eloquent tia lip
coulo utter-was it not beautiful l-one big tear.
Il would rather said Byron, " have won ia 8. tear
than have spoken sPhUlppic Of Dem ,nsthe ,ss, Or
written the Iiad OF Homer" Probably Sheridans
object in taDsstiDg this wretched production, was
for the purpose Of introducing sons grandiloquent
imagery which might tell In politics as in the drama
Be tbis as 1t may, Rola was the victim kotz"bne
puts In the rude heart OF the Peruvian the most ap-
approved German maudln seDtimeDtality, and Sasri-
dan surrounds i. with expression Of mignloqlent
ponss MS.
Tio.e who are acquainted with the history of the
native Peruvian, can well fancy the feelings of the
proud heather, when instead Of generous, high
mind ed Cbr-,isp, be fnds a. Roa found in Pzarro,
the copqueror Of bis native lard, cruel, cunning ad-
ven,urer an object of contempt for his foe and stl
greater for his friends We expect to find in Rolla,
An intrepid warrior, trusty friepd, generous
enemy. but Kotzebue confounds him with one OF the
septme pal youths of is classic Wiemar, given to
DREAMY composition and literary impulse and makes
him sbanooD bis country for a woman, weakness
NH no~n in barbarian camps.
We do not believe that any man who really loved
a woman ever surrendered her to another. The
strong pass from which love draws its heat forbds
II. But II such an ubn,ura being can be supposed
II were certainly compatible with the nooeness
which dictated the sacrifice never again TO approscn
the woman loved, than to intrude Affection on tue
wife of his friend and start the germs oil Jealousy oy
DIVING for her in such frenzied haste. The plot aud
characters are equally unnatural. But taking Roua
as we find him, he j, pictured as chiei I'm war
(" tiger chased by hunters spear; in peace more
" GENTLE than the unweaned lamb This description
IL at the start difficulty for Mr.. Forrest. de has
certainly the DO wer to look in war tiger but TO re-
conc;ls his look his attitude and sction with an IN
weaned lamb. would be fea! TO which our imsslna-
ton Ia not equal. In the second act for instance
Mr. Forrest speaks of the safety Of Cora not 90 much
with the Lamb like gentleness in harmony VITA the
pure and holy fire of the ronanhc love Oh houa'
"A with a forcble imperiousness ana almost CON-
xpl,ive absoluteness which belongs to his own In
s;v;dnal;tv IT. in this respect Mr.. Forrest does not
,o.n,. THAT we conceive the dramatists concep-
ZION of Roll. TO be- we cheerfally record our admira-
sion Of the celebrated speech in the second
.oens wbicb WAS delivered With correct elocution,
rn.n,v vigor. and great melo- dramatic effect, and