Stratagem, previous to the curtain drawing up for the farce of The Soldier's Return, mr. Wroughton came forward, and made a pathetic apology for the illness of mifs De Camp.

This appeal to the fenfibility of the houfe was received with unanimous ap. probation; and the appearance of mifs De Camp, evidently corroborating the manager's ftatement, fhe was requested to withdraw; upon which the introduced mrs. Scott as her fubftitate, and retired.

8.] After the play of The Belle's younger brother, feemed to underftand all the abfurdity of the part; but the prominent points were conveyed in at nafal twang, which with this actor has recently become too cuftomary. Wewitzer had all the mercurial impudence of Tom Errand. Dowton looked the amorous Alderman admirably, and was much applauded. Colone! Standard is a part To nearly allied to that of Colonel Briton, that mr. Barrymore muft fucceed in it. It was, in fact, played with fuch manly spirit, as to make it regretted that he should be Angelica is the dupe of Larewell. sketched by the author with a careless hand; mifs Mellon did every thing that could be done in the character. Mrs. Powell's delineation of the artful, diffembling Lurewell, was one of the moft finished pieces of acting we ever faw.

Mr. Johnflone made his first appearance fince his accident, as Dermot O'Doddipole; he reprefented it with that richnels of humour which fo peculiarly distinguishes him, and aptly introduced the following allusion :— When I've fo much to do, what a pity it is I am fo lame!

Mrs. Mountain alfo made her ap pearance, for the first time fince her indifpofition, in the character of Be. linda, and was greeted with loud applaufe. She looked languid, and walked very lamely.

9.1 The Conflant Couple was actually performed, and mr. Ellifton appeared as the lively and diffipated, yet elegant, Sir Harry Wildair. He was gay and eafy; and his deportment had lefs of artifice than is fometimes the cafe. If he had not all the polished elegance which the part demands, his manner was agreeable; and not to have been pleafed, we must have been overfastidious. At his entrée he appeared greatly animated by the flattering ftile in which he was received, and infufed an extraordinary degree of vivacity into the part; but in the latter fcenes his fpirits rather abated. Banniffer was extremely coxcomical and diverting in Clincher; and Collins, in the 0 T N

E.

ANOTHER.
Dafh, in a paper that never was read,
ibus'd certain adors for what they ne'er
faid.

Thofe actors had judgment; and, fully to
Shew it,

They publish'd the print that the world
might know it.'

The house was well filled: and the audience, as if ftrongly to mark their reprobation of the cruel and unfounded criticism with which fome of the performers had been affailed in a Sunday paper, were moft profufe of their applaufe to them as they feverally appeared; of which Barrymore and Ellifton, as being the principal victims, came in for the greatest share.

6

The farce was The Wedding Day. In CORan early part of the piece, Young teft, talking of his father's marriage having been in the newfpapers, obferves, that things are often reported in the newspapers before they happen ;' which palpable hit at a late event was feized on by the audience, and univerfal laughter and applaufe followed.

At Covent-garden theatre, the debut of mrs. Siddons attracted a very crowded affemblage. This accomplished actress appeared in her favourite part of Ifabella, and her entrée was defervedly greeted with the loudeft plaudits. The agony ed, yet innocent, Ifabella was fo feelingly expreffed, as to excite the ftrongelt emotions of fympathy; which were evinced by tears and fhricks with which the principal fcenes of this affecting play, and the laft in particular, were accompanied in the boxes. Mrs. Sid

dona

of this part of the entertainment is beyond defeription. On the feenery, dreffes, &c. immenfe fums must have been beltowed. The mafques fucceffively enter in the character of the gods and goddesses of the heathen mythology. When they have all made their appearance, Floriardo comes forward, having engaged to produce the brav within an hour. He retires, and, changing his dress, discovers himself to be the identical Ruzanting. The duke orders him to the feaffold; but he claims the fulfilment of his oath to give him his daughter. The duke declares fuch an oath not binding, and orders him to be feized. The princess Rofabella falls at her father's feet, and begs his life, declaring that the fill loves him. Rugantino immediately throws off his difguife, and is found to be no other than the Prince of Milan. He flates that he had affumed his different characters to prove the love of the princefs. He points out the confpirators to the duke; and the piece concludes with the union of the prince and Refabella.

The plot is from a German novel, which has not only been tranflated in thefe countries, but even more than once dramatized. It was dramatized on the French flage; the novel was tranflated by mr. Lewis; it was again dramatized at the Royal Circus; then by mr. Ellion, of Drury-lane; and alfo by an anonymous writer.

In its prefent form it has met with much fuccefs; but this is certainly to be attributed lefs to any literary merit that it poffeffes, than to the charms of the fplendid dreffes and decorations, beautiful feenery, and pleafing mufic. As a fetare, indeed, the town has fcarcely ever been prefented with any thing more costly and fplendid. The views of Venice and its environs are exceedingly fine; and the duke's bed chamber, at the clofe of the first act, is executed in a masterly file. The pomp both of the catholic and pagan religions is difplayed with the greatelt effect. In the first act there is a folemn procef fion to the church where a murdered fenator had been buried; and in the fecond, by way of a maique, all the

heathen deities affemble from the dif ferent regions over which they are fuppofed to prefide.

The piece is well performed: the principal characters, being Rugantino, (or the Prince of Mila:), the Duke of Venice, and Rofabella, by mr. H. Johnfton, mr. Murray, and mrs. Gibbs.

At Drury-lane, mr. Ellifton has aft-' ed the parts of Romeo, Othello, and Macbeth. In the firit he truck out fome beauties; but the two latter per-" formances will not add much to his well-earned reputation.

On Tuesday evening, the rath of November, was reprefented at Coventgarden, a new comedy, avowedly from the pen of mr. Reynolds, called The' Delinquent; or, Seeing Company. Much as we might have been induced to give him credit from his former fuccefsful productions, for fomething that could have claimed our approbation, we must confefs that we felt ourfelves feverely disappointed on the present occafion. We did not expect high finished or firong characters, nor depth of plot-but we certainly had reason to look for fomething like intereft, during the long period of three hours. If intricacy be the chief recommendation of a plot, the prefent comedy possesses it in the highest degree; for, according to Bayes, the audience were to make a plot for themfelves. This may not apply in its full extent, what we were able to make out, was as follows:

The delinquency of Sir Arthur Courcy forms the principal foundation and ground-work of the whole fable. It appears that he was a man of confiderable property in the county of Northumberland; that he married a daughter of Lord Danvers, who ruined him by her extravagance and diffipation. He became a bankrupt, eluded his creditors, fled his country, and became an outlaw. The father of Sir Edward Specious and Old Doric, an architect, from the Minories, are his principal creditors. Sir Edward Specious meets the delinquent in great poverty at an obfeure inn, in Italy, recognizes him, and promifes him forgiveness upon (what appears very unaccountable) the

actual

In the developement of this fable, we are at a lofs to conceive the motives of refentment which actuate Mifs Stoic, a fifter of Major Tornado (whofe propinquity we fhould be glad to have made out) against Mr. Aubrey and Olivia, that induce her to forge fuch tales against them to the Major.-She is reprefented as an hypocritical old maid, who lives in the most reclufe folitude, and from revenge of former dif-i appointments, dire&ts her venom againft thofe innocent objects. To reconcile with any degree of propriety, the obedience of Sir Arthur to the abduction of an innocent female, is by far beyond our powers, a man whofe moral fentimeats are fo refined, and who seems to be one more finned againit than fin

which Patrick O'Shatter, fervant to Raymond, finds Fauny, his wife, befet with lovers, and Lounger bears the principal part.

ria, to which Sir William, being a man of strict honour, unwillingly confents. Maria, in an interview with Raymond, acknowledges the juftice of his claim, regrets that the can never Mair il n'y a rien, de nouveau dans bestow on him the affection of a wife, tout ceci.-Mortimer is to be had in but at the fame time promifes never to every recruiting party, and Raymond marry any other. Raymond fill re. is found on the ftage in fifty other fufes to give her up. She has a meet- pieces. We are not a little Turprised ing with Mortimer, (fuppofed by them at the obstinacy of Raymond in refuto be the laft) to which Raymond is fing to give up Maria, even after the privy, in which, after making a num- tells him of the impoffibility of her ber of pathetic fpeeches, they mutually beftowing on him any more than her take leave of each other for ever, with efteem-and particularly, in his mak fuch heroic fentiments, that every heart ing his fervant watch the two lovers, muft beat in fympathy with their dif- whofe honefty revolts at the condefcenrefs-Raymond, tranfported with ad- fion. Whatever might have been the miration at their conftancy as well as ftern virtue of the colonel, he certainly, magnanimity, comes forward and joins had no delicacy, and his fubfequent gethe hands of the lovers, with all the nerofity feems to be very unwillingly effect of a German picture (upon wrefted from him.-The denouement which model the play is evidently is perceived from the very firft, though written) and the curtain immediately it is fomewhat rendered intricate by the drops. Attached to this principal pervicacity of Raymond. It must be ftory, there is one made to join it, though it has no relation.-Freeman has made overtures of a certain nature, which his understanding by no means fubfequently approved of, to a young perfon who is a dependant of Maria's, which are fpurned with juft indignation by her, who informs him, upon his offering her his hand by way of atonement, that fhe is by no means his inferior in point of birth, but fcorns the idea of coming into any family in the light of a dependant, nor will the ever marry with apparently selfish motives. Freeman lights upon an old Scotchman, who is juft arrived, with the intent of letting Emily know that fhe is heiress to the houfe of M'Donald, in Scotland, and is entitled to a large fortune, upon which intelligence he generously refolves to give up all thoughts of her, for fear the should think the offer of his hand the refult of prior information. In his farewell interview with her, the takes notice of his never mentioning the fubject nearet his heart, and ventures to enquire the realon; upon which he declares them--when the offers herself to him, if worthy of his acceptance. Thefe very heavy fcenes are endeavoured to be diverfified by feveral comic ones, in

confeffed that Barrymore gave to this character all the energy and dignity that it required. The underplot of Emily and young Freeman is dolorously heavy. It conlits almost entirely of fentiments, feveral of which are merely traps ad captandum vulgus; and the part of Lounger, which was ill caft in being given to Palmer, was a miferable imitation of the Hoa. Tom Shuffleton, although in the fcene where he is caught by Freeman purfuing Emily, he gives him fome repartees of peculiar force; his pantaloons and his coat, however, were the only novelties. There are three fongs interspersed in the piece. That by mifs Duncan, who as Maria, fuftained her part with confiderable propriety, was rapturously encored. Mifs De Camp's was not quite fo good. Johnstone, as Patrick O'Shatter, and who is the common blundering Irishman, introduced a parocy on the Willow,' which did no credit to the author, nor to the audience that encored it. In fhort, the authors had no reason whatever to complain of the performers, who gave to their parts every degree of excellence. But we augur unfavourably as to the continuance of the piece: it is too dull

and