The Sun. — 1856-12-08 (London, England)

LYCEUM THEATRE.  On Saturday a new five.aet play, entitled The Oaget, was produced Lore with immense success. For some  tithe hotieeS have been affixed oh the doors of the  theatre Announbing the play, and also at the same time  informing the public that a Cagot is one of a shun z • ned and insulted race, and with this simple observation we proceed t' dbtAii the plot of the piece. The Count de Foix having in early life basely deceived' Astarte, a  Cagot woman, the latter, though years have passed by, lives only to be avenged. The child that she had by the Count she believes to have perished, but it  has been kidnapped by the Count and acknowledged as the presumptive heir to the title. In the meanwhile the Count has married the Lady Viola, who in due time gives birth to a son. Astarte, while lurking in the neighbourhood of the castle, in order to carry out her schemes of mischief, takes the opportunity of stealing the infant, whom she brings up under the name of Raoul in ; her wretched hut, where he gets his living as a woodman, and is exposed to all the contempt and infamy of the Cagot class. Accident enables him to save the life of the Lady Eugenie, who is betrothed to the younger Count  de Foix, and his gallantry so touches her as to sow in her heart the seeds of love, which receive fatal nourishment by subsequent clandestine interviews in the depths of the forest. Astarte sees in this the beginning of her vengeance. The Lady Eugenie, however, has another suitor in Sir Aymer de Beriot, the bad man of the piece, who hires an assassin to get the younger de Foix out of the way. The murder is attempted, but not consummated; but the discovery of certain bloody vestments near the Cagot's hut leads to the accusation that Raoul is the criminal— which he frantically avows, seeing that Eugenie is inclined to give credence to the charge, to her intense anguish and amazement. The unfortunate Cagot is accordingly sentenced to death, and the blow is supposed to fall at the moment that Astarte announces to the  horrified Count that it is his eldest born who is the headsman's victim. But there is yet another act, in which it turns out not only that the younger De Foix lives, but that he who suffered on the scaffold was the assassin in the employ of Sir Aymer—results brought about by the contrivances of a friendly priest, who has been closely watching the progress of events, and has been enabled to baffle the intrigues of the villain through whom the perplexities of the piece have mainly arisen. Mr. Dillon, as the manly and virtuous Cagot, has an arduous, but a thankful part, and well does he sustain the large weight of heroism intrusted to his charge. The character is one of those happy personages in the applause of whom admiration for the talent of the actor can be combined with enthusiasm for the virtue of the person portrayed, and at the end of every act was Mr. Dillon summoned before the curtaia. The vindictive matron, Astrate, was played with great power by Mrs. Weston—indeed with so much power that we could scarcely recognise a lady whose earlier imperson. ations have appeared to us somewhat frigid and feeble. Mrs. A. Mellon (late Miss Woolgar) acted the highborn Eugenie with much passionate force. Mr. Stuart was careful and purposeful in the wicked Sir Aymer ; and the good old priest was represented in a bland, sensible manner by Mr. Barrett. On the descent of the curtain the first call was for the author, and was followed by the appearance of .a modest looking gentleman, who bowed his acknowledgments as he crossed the stage. The actors were then called in succession, and Mr. Barrett, in his capaoity of stagemanager, announced the piece for repetition to-morrow (to-night is set apart for Miss Fitzpatrick's benefit) amid universal applause. He was then called upon to name the author, who was as yet only known by sight to his admirers. The name of Falkner was accordingly given, with the addition that its owner had written several poems, and was a distinguished provincial actor.