The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-10-17
Mirbnlu,ih gispatft.
m no; MORNING. ........ OCT y, .l lss'
-. Years AGO.

x..--.s,.-.s+~-g~e.s~-~ s~s>'~ :. ,sso
MONDAY MORNING w. =.
->~~~s~ r.,.a.. s,.r. Forty Years Age.
p.ss,rinS 10 A ME Of newspapers, pao.s
:. ~. 49,. 40 old lang syne. we weie maeA'
."...,..d With an article on the Aso"uo"
So. x,nr,v Years Ago." written oy p.ay"
- .n., time. The kENHLks Were 'neh
80 ..s.,,n,,on: they carried upon their snoai.
-. v.r,ce preserved, Macbeth, Henry the
r.,.n,h r.abeiIa, Pixarro, The Winters Tale.
- T~ar. When the KEMBLEs were an.
.,,n.ea 70 appear. every avenue leading to
,n. theatre door was blocked mp by dense
,,,..s an hour before the time Of opening. The
h.xes presented noble aspect, n gorgeous en-
bod,,nent Of beauty, fashion and maxniiicence
OF attire. The second tier contained such la
dies and gentlemen a. had not time nor incli-
nation to make heavy toilette they appeared
in bonness, oloaks, surtouts, &c, &c. The third
tier was occupied by theatrical persons, cri-
tcs, editors, and those who are on the free list,
and who, says the writer, from motives Of deli
cacy, and certainly Ia very good taste, deciir'-
ed occupying the best seats in the house, which
are paid for BY visitors to the theatre, In the
1arst gallery, A. 1t was called, were the domea-
tics Of both sexes. and In still higher gallery,
a 06t0IO390G0U9
pick.pockets. &c. From floor to ceiling the
house was regularly erammed, to witness ule
,raredy Of Macbeth, the Thane by Mr.. KEN
BIZ, Macduf BY Mr.. J. KKNBLE, Lady MAJ
beth b, Mrs. Srppoxs. The writer observes
that JOHN KIMBLs always insisted on the ia
ser,ion Of the proposition in the play bill, re-
marking that Macbeth was not kExBLK, nor
was KRNBLn Macbeth, but As Mr.. KRABLR
was to perform the part Of Macbeth, 1t must
be announced with truth as well as grammar
1t 10 said that the public liked better TO see
JOHN KRABLx alone, in one OF his slashins
parts, than in the letters Of competition. a
very graphic picture Is given of JOHN kEABLh
in Ooriolsnus. He was powerful in the dis
play OF patrician feelings, and when he stands
for the consulship in the market place, ano
Withdraws his hand from the attempted GRASP
OF those citizens who promised him their
voices, everybody pitied him, and the sneer
with which he accompanied the expression OF
"S.cssf voices was rendered more forcibie by
his holding hi. band before his face TO pre-
ven, their sUeE voices from reaching MIN
through more senses than one. His quarrel
with the tribunes, when he threatened to shake
BRurUs out of his clothing, and looked as
II he meant to do it, was unanimously ap-
plauded, and when, in his last interview with
the mob, he disdains to ask for freedom AND
desires them to pronounce the steep Tar
peian DEATH and further on, exclaims, {" The
frss Of the lowest hell fall on the people, cal
sns their traitor" the whole pit rose at him
nine long rounds Of applause, mingled viii
scores of braves in unearthiy yociferation, vi
bratsd through the house, and 1t was hfteer
minutes before the business of the scene coult
proceed. The custom had just then com
menced Of calling for the favorite after thu
falling Of the cur tain, but kEMBLE never con
formed to that absurd fashion.
The same writer gives some interesting re
miniscenses connected with the decline OF TIL
drama and the cultivation Of foreign music
During the war with NAPOLEON, and while
the continent OF Europe was closed agains
Great Britain, very little was known to tn
middle classes Of Englishmen of foreign music
they were content with BRAHAM and Mrs
BURLINGTON as singers, and with BISHOP ant
SHIELDS as composers; nothing but natlv
talent was tolerated at the theatres, and 81
great was the prejudice of JOHN BULL agains
foreigners-with all Of whom he considered
himself at war-that JOHN KRMBLR's engage
meut Of the then celebrated Madame Gaia
LINZ, to sing forty nights at Covent Garden
was ono Of the causes Of the 0. p. row, ant
when he made his peace with the public, hi
cAnceling that engagement was sine qua non
When the continent was opened again by tn
victory Of w aterloo, the pent-up tide of cent?
mental travel burst forth again from the fas t
anchored isle, and the road from Calais Il
Paris was covered with moving masses, com
prising every grade Of society. Foreign music
was heard with delight, and the great artistic!
Of Italy found their way to London, and in
the corps ops,atique Of the Kings Theatre, OF
italian Opera, were soon enrolled the name,
Of ANBRoGBTTI, FoDoR, CAMPoRER and GAR
CrA whilst in support of the Ballet, MERCAN.
DlrrI and ANaIoLINI stood foremost When
the English travellers returned frsm the CONT
nent they are said to have been cured of their
excessive John Bullism, and full of affecta-
ton minced their words and in terlarded their
sentences with butchered French and incom-
prehensibls italian could not endure the bore
Of sitting out an English play; thought
SHAKESPEARE good Of its kind, but not to be
compared with MOZART or MOLIERE. But
for the sudden and successful appearance Of
EDMUND KEANA Drury Lane Theatre would
have been deserted. The writer come, TO the
conclusion that the decline Of the drama was
consequent on the decline of NAPOLEON, and
that if he had not been put on the shelf at
Waterloo, SHAKsPRARR would not have suf-
fered that fate At London. Some brilliant
stars have since appeared-MACREADY and
FANNY KExBLR, twenty years ago-but even
then, the Italian Opera was SO much the
fashion with the Queen, nobility and gentry,
that MAcRRADY would be deserted by the
fashionable crowd, who would go to the Opera
- see the same piece for the twentieth time.
AT the meeting Of the Church Book So
ciety, on Thursday night, it turned out, Curl
ously enough, that the four speakers who had
been appointed for the occasion, without any
knowledge Of or reference to, their birthplace,
fis,oa fho Old mi i'm mo o1