great justice to the blank simplicity of Solomon Lob, and Mr. Barnes's powers were by no means paralyzed in the paralytic Totterton. Mr. Darley, in Capt. Beldair, sung more distinctly, and with more force, than usual. We cannot often stoop to notice performers of Mr. Thomas's grade, but as this gentleman is not unfrequently put into a singing part, we would request of him, if he be not really afflicted with St. Vitus's dance, to spare us some of his convulsive twitches, and to stand still for one second, at a time, if possible. Among the violations of orthoepy this evening, Mr. Simpson called dubious, jubious,-Mr. Pritchard pronounced has, rather, lance, &c. with the a heard in father, and not as he should have done, with the a heard in hat; this, though not in the same degree, is the fault of every performer on these boards,-he likewise incorrectly made the i short in ensigns; Mr. Robertson called were, ware instead of wer-griped he pronounced improperly with the i short-he committed the same fault in pronouncing wind,-the i in this last word is always long in poetry. Mr. Carpender slurred my, where it should have been emphatic, and in such case, it should be pronounced to rhyme with eye. Mr. C. also gave to the o in combat the sound of o in not, whereas it should be pronounced like the o in brothers. E. Wednesday Evening, June 4. Manuel.-Lock and Key. We looked in for a few moments during the second act of this Tragedy, but found no sufficient inducement to prolong our stay after the fall of the curtain. Mr. Pritchard appeared to have improved, as we had anticipated, in his personation of Manuel. He laid his emphasis generally, with more discretion, though we noticed several instances in which it was erroneously placed. In the last of the two following lines, he was guilty of a palpable error; it should be spoken as it is italicized, Let none but fathers search-they must prevail And yet he was a father who did this!' Mr. P. laid the stress thus, And yet he was a father who did this.' He was equally out in the following line, •De Zelos is his murderer" Mr. P. made his the emphatic word. Mr. Robertson's De Zelos was not much mended even where it was altered. His side sneer, indeed, on receiving the Justiza's polite invitation, was very forcibly expressed,-but nothing could have been worse pronounced than his parting threat to Manuel, ་ We meet to-morrow! This, which should have been poured like a leperous distilment' into the very porches of his ears', Mr. R. brayed out with the lungs of a stentor. Mrs. Barnes lost her cue again this evening, and brought the whole business of the stage to a stand. We were unwilling to note a slip of me mory in the first performance of a new play, but her forgetfulness, or inattention, to-night, was wholly inexcusable. We are tired of noting cacophonies and pseudologies, which are pertinaciously adhered to; if some amendment do not appear in some performers in this respect, we shall not extend to obstinacy the lenity we have shown towards ignorance. If the stage cannot be made a school of rhetoric, it can, at least, be preserved from being perverted into a seminary of error. It would be in vain, indeed, to look for illustrations of ambiguous meaning from actors who do not understand the construction of language; but it is perfectly easy for any one who knows his letters, to attain to a correct pronunciation. On this point, there is an acknowledged standard to which all can refer,and there is no calculating what improvement, in` other respects, might result to some from a greater familiarity with their dictionaries. We were determined not to forego the excellent farce of the Lock and Key, and returned in season to witness its exhibition. And we will honestly acknowledge that we enjoyed it vastly better than we did its gloomy precursor. Its only aim is to excite risibility, and if good playing consist in giving effect to the author's intentions, this piece was certainly well performed. Mr. Hilson, who throws life into every thing, made Ralph a most comical character. Mr. Barnes's Brummagem was a shrewd, sly, old Reynard, who was so intent upon outwitting others, that he was easily hood-winked himself. The scene in which Ralph tells his long story, and Bruminagem listens and chuckles, at the detail of the unsuspected roguery practised upon himself during the recital, is truly ludicrous. Mr. Pritchard's Capt. Vain was certainly a very clever fellow.' He touched off the airs of a grandee in high snuff. Mr. Darley, as Capt. Cheerly, for a rarity, sung a patriotic song in quite a sensible and unaffected manner. E. Friday Evening, June Fortune's Fool-Frightened to Death. This Comedy, by Reynold's, has been suffered take another considerable nap before it is called to sleep for 15 years, and most probably will up again. It is a very crude, coarse production, and was not helped out much in the representation; though some of the performers were kind enough to enliven and embellish with their own wit. We are not disposed to encourage this sort of impertinence. Let your clowns speak no more than is set down for them,' is a rule that should be rigidly enforced. The characters in this Comedy are all grotesque. Sir Bamber Blackletter was played by Mr. Barnes, and is an amusing carricature of a credulous old virtuoso. Ap Hazard, Mr. Simpson, among others plays upon the foible of Sir Bam, larly original and beautiful' rhapsody, as 'a stanpalms upon him the following wild and singuza, written by Shakespeare for one of the witches in Macbeth,—and never before published. 'Hinx, spinx, the devil winks, The fat begins to fry; Nobody at home but jumping Joan, Father, and Mother, and I. O, U, T, With a black and a brown snout, Out! Pout! Out! Though we should not be willing, with Sir Bam, to take an oath that it's Shakespeare's,'-we could almost have sworn it upon Coleridge. "Hinx, spinx"--" Tu-whit!-Tu-whoo!" The king's English' suffered again severely this evening, though as the parties offending might screen themselves under the pretence that it was designed to give piquancy to the oddities of their parts, we shall not advert particularly to them. We think it just however to give Mr. Simpson credit for a new reading of Shakespeare. We learn from him, for the first time, that • There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which taken at the ebb, leads on to fortune!' Mr. Hilson, likewise, shall have all the merit of an entirely novel pronunciation of a familiar name. He alluded to a certain Baron Munkawsen, as a famous story-telling traveller! As for the new farce, which was announced as a principal attraction of the evening, it is the merest fudge that has been brought out in twice 15 years. E. Saturday Evening, June 7. Jane Shore-Paul and Virginia. This is Nicholas Rowe's most admired Tragedy, and is a rood stock play. We did not get in till considerable progress had been made in the performance. We were in, however, early enough to witness one of the most preposterous things we remember ever to have noticed on the stage. In the 3d act Gloster makes an attempt to bring Hastings over to his party, and to induce him to favour his views on the crown. To pave the way for this, he hints at Edward's illegitimacy, and quotes Dr. Shaw' as an authority on this point. Hastings interrupts him, with • Ill befall Such meddling priests, who kindle up confusion, &c. And his pernicious councils, who for wealth, For power, the pride of greatness, or revenge, Would plunge his native land in civil wars !' This loyal, but unchristian imprecation, Mr. Simpson mistook for a solemn prayer, (though he might have easily gathered, from the context, in what spirit it was uttered) and accordingly dropped down upon his knees, in the midst of the dialogue, to offer it up! Now, nothing can be more proper in its place than prayer,-and we will not undertake to say that the Theatre is not a proper place, for it, but we very much question the utility of its introduction under any circumstances into the scene;—and even if this be allowable, we must still object, on the score both of taste and probability, to the practice of turning aside in the midst of conversation of a very different cast, to assume the attitude and air of de votional aspiration,-because we know that the most pious people do not so far forget the observances of decorum, as to fall into these ecstasies in the street, or in the drawing-room. Seriously, we must once more remonstrate on the folly, not to say the blasphemy, of introducing solemn addresses to Heaven amongst the trickery of the stage. We were annoyed in this way four times this evening. We do not pretend to nicer feelings on this subject than other people,-it is a ground of general disgust. The play was, in other respects, respectably performed. Mrs. Barnes in Jane Shore, after her reverses and penance, was particularly affecting. Mr. Pritchard's Gloster was fair acting, and what we saw of Mr. Robertson's Dumont was impressive. Mr. Pritchard was wrong in the pronunciation of holidame, and Mr. Simpson in that of sloth. We can assure Mr. Robertson that there is no such English verb as grip,-grip is a noun, and signifies a small ditch. Gripe is the word he should use. E. Monday Evening, June 9. Deserted Daughter.-Broken Sword. This is an excellent Comedy, by Holcroft, and was extremely well sustained. Mr. Pritchard's Mordent was a very handsome and judicious performance. Mr. Simpson's Cheveril was quite in character,-wild, impetuous, enthusiastic. Mr. Robertson humoured the broad Scotch dialect of Donald very well, and was well received in a part, which it requires some talent to render intelligible. Item was personated by Mr. Hilson in a manner to add to his well-earned fame. His distress and consternation on discovering the loss of his pocket-book were admirably expressed. Mr. Carpender's Clement was direct and unpretending. Mr. Jones's Grime and Mr. Darley's Lenox were creditably quitted. Joanna derived much of her amiableness, and most of her interest, from the manner and person of Mrs. Darley. There is a rudeness in the physiognomical scrutinies of the heroine of this play, that does not accord with her imputed character and situation. Mrs. Baldwin's Mrs. Sarsnet was what it should have been,—pert, forward and flippant. Mrs. B. is generally too vulgar for a chamber-maid. Mrs. Groshon as Lady Ann, by her propriety in the parting scene with Mordent, compensated for some of the previous distress she had occasioned us. ly. Mr. Pritchard accented irreparable erroneous- in Tuesday Evening, June 10. Point of Honour.-Woodman's Hut. ing City. This was an extra night, the performances behonour of the President's approach to the This pretext, however, failed to draw a The petit Comedy of the Point of Honour, is a piece of great interest. French, and was adapted to the English stage by It was originally Charles Kemble. We were present during only part of the representation, but were much gratified with what we saw of it. Mr. Pritchard, in Durimel, was correct and manly, but not always sufficiently forceful. Mr. Robertson, as St. Fra ic, was, in some instances, too slow, formal and deliberate, in both his action and enunciation, but rose to a high degree of excellency in the last scene. The uncontrollable feelings of affection which gushed upon and overwhelmed the soul of the father, compelled by his official situation to carry into effect the cruel sentence against his son, were strongly delineated. His apostrophe, in the midst of his harangue to the soldiery, was uttered in the genuine tones of anguish. Mrs. Barnes in Bertha, exceeded in one instance any thing we had witnessed of her powers. We al lude to the farewell scene with Durimel. The fearful, hopeless, but imploring cries, with which she, in vain, called on him to return, and the deep-drawn convulsive sob of unutterable yet intolerable grief, which she expired, as she sunk insensible into the arms of St. Franc, were an irresistible appeal to the sympathies of the spec tator. Between the entertainments, Mr. Pritchard sung the popular patriotic song of 'Rise Colum bja, in the garb of an American Tar,-but completely defeated its force, by the incongruity and absurdity of holding in his hand, instead of his tarpawling, a paper full of crotchets and quavers!! His own sense should have taught him that what is meant to go to the heart, should, at least, appear to come from the heart. Every true Son of Freedom' can sing the song by heart, and must feel indignant at the affectation which would make strange of it. Had there been an audience this evening, he would have received no equivocal intimation of this sentiment. E. Wednesday Evening, June 11. A Cure for the Heart Ache.-The Purse. Theatricals have been too thick this week, for us to pretend to keep pace with them. We have noticed this excellent Comedy; and among the nume rous spectacles of this evening, we devoted the little attention we could afford to the splendid illumination of the City Hall, in honour of the visit of the President of the United States to this City. Thursday Evening, June 12. It having been announced in the bills of performance that the President of the United States would honour the Theatre this evening with his presence, the house was filled at an early hour. On the entrance of the President and his suite, after the curtain had risen, the audience attested their respect and good will towards the magis. trate and the man, by hearty and reiterated cheers, whilst the band struck up the President's March. The President acknowledged his sensibility to this burst of honest feeling, by repeatedly bowing to the house. The managers had appropriated the third box from the stage, on the left as we faced the stage, for the accommodation of the Chief of the Republic, and had ornamented it with a rich and tasteful canopy, composed of the national flag, and surmounted with the Eagle. From the nature of the occasion, and the inconvenience of the crowd, we could not attend very minutely to the representation of this masterly tragedy. We can say generally of Mr. Cooper's Macbeth, that it was an able performance. He admirably supplied all those "minutiæ of circumstance, which are left to the discretion of the actor, and on which much of the effect of acting depends. His readings were generally good and his emphasis usually correct. But in one of Mr. Cooper's eminence, and one who limits himself to a certain routine of character, we have a right to expect perfect propriety of emphasis, at least,for where the reading is ascertained, there can be little doubt as to the stress of the sentence. Mr. C. should not relax his vigilance. Fame must be preserved by the same nieans that it was acquired. He who has ceased to improve, bas begun to decline. As we have never seen Mr. Cooper before in this part, we cannot judge comparatively of his excellence this evening. We noticed, however, several instances where he weakened his author's sense by want of judicious emphasis. In the following sentence, By Sinel's death, I know I am thane of Glamis; But how of Cawdor?' There is an obvious antithesis between Glamis and Cawdor,—but Mr. C, threw the whole force in the latter clause upon how. In the following lines, This supernatural soliciting Cannot be ill; cannot be good'-though there be an evident antithesis between ill and good, the strength of the inference, which the poet has drawn, would be very much increased, and its process of deduction rendered more apparent, by dividing the latter cannot, and laying a marked emphasis upon the negation. In the famous soliloquy in the first act, his emphasis was, in several instances, manifestly wrong. Cooper commenced it thus'If'twere done, when 'tis done, then 'twere well It were done quickly.' We should say, Mr. 'If 'twere done, when 'tis done, then 'twere well It were done quickly.' Again, a little further, he adds, that but this blow Might be the be-all and the end-all, here, But here, upon this bank and shoal of time." Nothing could be worse imagined than the 'trumpet-tongued' declamation of the passage, in this fearful soliloquy, in which that expression occurs. Such a tintamarre would ill have suited with Macbeth's situation, or tone of mind. His dagger-scene, however, was admirable. He gave ellect to every word-and whilst he followed with his eye the visionary weapon that pointed him towards Duncan's chamber, till, Each strain'd ball of sight, seemed bursting from his head,' the horrible contortions of his features witnessed the secret struggles of his soul. His trepidation, too, after he had done the deed,' was exceedingly well shown in the low and hurried utterance of his rapid interrogatories. His divided attention whilst Lenor was addressing him, and he was endeavouring to listen after Macduff, who had gone into the king's bed-room, was dis tinctly marked. Nor can we emit to praise the lively but moral. We may add, too, that it was, propriety of his attitude, and of the significant well acted. Mr. Robertson's Reuben Glenroy workings of his countenance, whilst Lady Mac- was so good in the main, that we will waive any beth was endeavouring to induce him to screw exception which we might have taken to particuhis courage up to the sticking-place,' ⚫lar passages in it. We are always pleased with We noticed two instances of vicious pronuncia- this gentleman in comic characters, and in those tion in Mr. Cooper, he gave the a in rather, the same sound with that in father, and made h silent, in a case where it should have been aspirated. Mrs. Groshon played Lady Macbeth. We have already noticed, with some commendation, this lady's personation of this part-but it was rather comparatively with her general acting, than positively in reference to the conception of Shakespeare. She did not succeed so well this evening, -probably because she was anxious to do better. Wherever she attempted to branch out into declamation she invariably failed. Where she satisfied herself with a straight-forward fidelity to the scene, she came nearer to satisfying us. Her articulation would be infinitely pleasanter, if it were attended with less action of the zygomatic muscles. E. Monday Evening, June 16. Guy Mannering.-Death of Capt. Cook. There was nothing worth hearing this evening, but two very capital songs by Mr. Barnes, of one of which we had like to have been choused, but for the timely and spirited assertion of their rights by the audience--whose good conduct in this instance did away some of the disrespect we had begun to entertain for their understandings from their applause of the most preposterous scenes of the parody, which, with a discernment that we cannot condemn an actor for taking advantage of, had been selected for their amusement. Neither will we find fault with those who can be pleased they know not why, and care not wherefore.' On the contrary, we regard it as a very enviable state of mind; bat till we attain to it, we shall refrain from attending such another puppet-show recreation as composed the regale of to-night. E. Wednesday Evening, June 18. Town and Country.-Blind Boy. The Comedy of Town and Country, by Moron, is a good play. It is bumorous but decent, of a serious but not of a sombre cast. He sung, with a great deal of drollery, a Negro song between the entertainments. Mr. Pritchard was tame and insipid in Capt. Glenroy. Mr. Barnes's Kit Cosey was extremely well done. He enter ed into the part and humoured it. Mr. Hilson's Hawbuck was all that could possibly be made of it. Mrs. Barnes in Rosalie Somers, in the last scene, showed not only that she has naturally an excellent voice, but that she understands perfectly well how to use it. There is a proverb,-The bird that can sing, &c. Apropos-The mention of birds suggests a simile that will illustrate what we'wish to impress upon Mrs. Barnes. The gaudy peacock is less esteemed than the unostentatious robin. She knows the reason,--the harsh discordant notes of the one destroy all the pleasure we might derive from gazing at its painted plumage, whilst in listening with delight to the melodious strains of the other, we wholly forget the simplicity of its attire. We did not stay to see the Melo Drama. We should not have had room to notice it. As we shall not introduce any further dramatic criticisms in this number, we will take this op portunity to make a few general remarks. Should our strictures have appeared severe to any, we can only say that we have written as we have felt, and that we have preferred to give our sentiments in the very language in which they spontaneously clothed themselves, to frittering them away with studied tenderness of phrase. We have a higher opinion of the profession of an actor, than actors themselves seem to entertain. We are probably, for this reason, more rigorous in our exactions. We would excite a proper ambition among the performers. It is not our province to lecture upon elocution;-on the contrary we would gladly receive lessons on the art from the stage. But the art must be learnt before it can be taught. The task of criticism is always irksome, and, too often, thankless. We should be glad if we could conscientiously confine ourselves to panegyrick. Our labours, however, will be repaid if they are productive of improvement. When that hope fails we shall terminate them. But while we do attend the Theatre we will insist at least, that the language be spoken correctly, and those who persist in violations of orthoepy that we have pointed out, shall themselves be properly designated. We will take the liberty, also, as the season is near its close, to recommend to the managers to re-enforce their corps efficiently for another cam. paign. They are not so destitute of gens d'ar merie as of light troops, and are most deficient in the demoiselle department. E. ART. 11. MONTHLY SUMMARY OF POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE. EUROPE. GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. THE expenditure. Reductions have been made in total war sum. in parliament, that no loan will be required by government this year. has been stopped in England, as tending to The employment of boys to draw lotteries make them gamblers. Parliament bave appropriated nearly eigh teen millions of dollars for relieving the pub lic distress-more than six and a half millions for Ireland;-manufacturers of Birlions for England, and more than eleven milmingham and other places, to be assisted with loans. moment-3 per cent. Consols have been 72. The Funds are considerably lower at this The reasons assigned in the city for the late depressment are, that the early speculators great profits by investing in the Funds, are in land, and in the reviving manufactures now withdrawing their capital to speculate of the country, as there is little doubt the value of both will shortly rise as rapidly as the Funded Property. British dependencies. The revenue of Malta and its dependencies, for the year 1815, was 114,426/. and the expenditure, consisting principally of salaries and pensions, 60,1191. The revenue of Mauritius and Bourbon, in 1814, was 206,860/. and the charges 119,9001. having completely succeeded in realizing The military expenses of the same island, for the same year, were 186,912. The revenue and other receipts of the Island of Ceylon, during the year 1815, amounted to 640,4441. The expenditures for the same year, including the military establishment of the island, was 647,8481. The native troops of the is land amounted to 5000 rank and file. The revenue of the Cape of Good Hope, for 1815, was 229,4951. and the expenditure 234,8321. including the pay of a native corps. A comparative statement of the produce of the assessed taxes, for the years ending respectively the 5th of April, 1815, 1816 and 1817, has been laid on the table of the house of commons. The net assessment for the year ending the 5th of April, 1815, was 6,763,9121. s. 5d.; in 1816, was 6,805,7231. 10s. 9d. while the assessor's charge for the last year was 6,238,410l. Os. 9d. The sup plementary assessments for the same period have not yet been completed, so that the entire probable amount of the net produce could not be ascertained, but the officers of the tax-office calculate the total at 6,134,841. The law giving the privilege of pre-emption, in all naval stores as well as pig and bar iron, to the commissioners of the navy, has been repealed. A proposition has been made in parliament to repeal the duty on salt-Ministers opposed it for it yielded a million and a half, and carried their point, 79 to 70,-the duty on a bushel of salt is 15d. and the prime cost of the article is only 6d. A large meeting of merchants and others interested, has been held in London for the purpose of petitioning government to prohibit the exportation of cotton yarns. Petitions for relief from distress, continue to be presented to parliament. One, which had five thousand signers, prays to be furnished with means to emigrate ! The chancellor of the exchequer has stated From the British Navy List for March 1817. Widows' Pensions.-Of a flag Officer, per Ann. 129.; Admirals, 100; Post Captains, 80 a 90; Commanders, 70; do. superan. 60; Lieutenants, 50; Master, 40; Surgeon, 40; Purser, 30; Gunner, 25; Boatswain, 25; Carpenters, 25; second Masters, &c. 25. Widows of a Col. of Marines, 90; Lieut. Col. 70; Major, 60; Captain, 55; 1st Lieut. 40; 2d do. 36. The Board of Admiralty intends to allow 58 senior Commanders of the Royal Navy, to retire with the rank of Post Captains. A reduction of three lieutenants in each flag ship, and two in each other line of battle ships, is definitively decided on. The British government are building 12 ships of the line, 2 yatches, 5 50's, 12 frigates, 4 sloops. Several of these are to supply the places of vessels destroyed or lost, and bear the same names;-14 ships of the line to be cut down to frigales; 4 ships of the line; 18 fiigates, (one of which has never been at sea, and is estimated to cost 12,000.) and 10 sloops, are repairing. Import of grain at Liverpool, for the week ending 22d April, was-wheat, 49510 bushels barley, 10840 do.-Oats, 35530 do. and 5869 bbls. American flour. The County Assizes, now just terminated, have presented a list of criminals quite unparalleled for magnitude in the history of this country. At no former period have they amounted to more than a fourth or a third part of their present number. From fifteen to fifty capital convictions have taken place in almost every county; in some counties where an execution was formerly the won |