The Sun. — 1836-12-06 (London, England)

QUEEN'S THEATRE.  Last night Mr. Whitehead's domestic drama, The Cavalier, was produced at this theatre, with complete success. The scene refers to a period immediately after the Restoration. Mr. Hargrave (the Cavalier), a gallant soldier, who had conspicuously distinguished himself in the Royal cause, has lost all his possessions in support of it, and finds himself, with a young and lovely wife and an infant family, left in a state of humble dependence upon the bounty of his brother-in-law (Mr. Maynard), who affords them a subsistence and a home. While thus painfully circumstanced, he learns that Lord Moreton, a Court favourite of paramount influence, is disposed to employ his good offices in his behalf, with the view of getting him restored to his hereditary honours and estates. His " Noble friend," however, turns out to be a consummate villain. The chief inciting motive to his proffered interposition is, the criminal attachment he has formed for Mrs. Hargrave, while through his worthless creature Beauchamp he dares to tempt the honour of her husband by all sorts of promises. The latter rejects his base offers with indignation. Meanwhile his jealousy is excited to frenzy ; and though his wife is a perfect model of devoted fidelity, yet still, with some few occasional intermissions, he continues a prey to the "green-eyed monster" down to the moment when her innocence is triumphantly proved before the world. Proceeding to Court with a letter which she has to present from her husband, she is on her way carried off by some of the retainers of Moreton, and confined in a house of which Madame de Grave has the charge. Here her reprobate persecutor meets his deserved doom. Her honour is saved by her noble determination to preserve it ; she plunges a knife to his heart; yet, such is his hardihood in profligacy, that with his dying breath he does not hesitate to pronounce her guilty, by stating that she had encouraged his overtures, and received presents of jewels from him. Being taken up for the murder, she is capitally convicted, but Madame de Grave, the principal witness against her, bitterly stung with feelings of remorse, comes forward and solemnly declares, before the authorities, that all she had sworn at the trial was false. In consequence of this confession a respite arrives, and the Royal pardon is promised just at the moment when the distracted husband expects to see his innocent wife led out to execution ; he himself resolving in the meantime to fall by his sword ere he witnesses suc a catastrophe. Immediately after the respite is announced the curtain falls, and, we think, too abruptly. This abrupt. ness, however, is almost the sole defect of which we could complain. The drama throughout is admirably written, and in some parts it rises to superior excellence. The principal characters were performed with corresponding effect, Mr. Elton, as the Cavalier, and Miss Clifford, as Mrs. Hargrave, acquitting themselves in a manner which left nothing. to be desired. When the curtain fell the applause was uninterrupted by a single note of dissent ; and Mr. Elton and Miss Clifford, being loudly called for, received the warm greetings of the audience.