was most correctly given. Miss Kelly, in Betty Finikin, quite out Kelly's Kelly! Her gaudy dress seems out of place, as well as herself; and the constant inconvenience which she shows herself to be suffering under the drapery of her shawl, bespeaks the shawl to be an unaccustomed article of dress with her. Her feathers tumble over her head, as if they did not expect to find it beneath them: and her whole bearing is that of extreme awkwardness, and splendid, wooden carelessness. Her exclamation of "Oh Lord! my Lord!" is "kitchen and parlour, and all!" as the old song says: and her downward look of simple wonder and offended delicacy, when Lord Wrench says he must "swear at her feet" is inimitable; and yet not so delightful either as the tone in which she repeats the words, "swear at my feet!" The tender toyings, and huckaback compliments of the Gretna couple, are enough to split the sides, and not merely the ears of the groundlings: Wrench's sighs seem to come out of the butler's pantry, Miss Kelly talks rich kitchen stuff! He stands upright at her side, as though he were behind his mistress's chair, instead of at her feet: she writhes under her fine apparel, evidently tortured by its catching glaring colours. At one time she jumps herself into a seat on the table, like a person who had overswept a room; and her lover seems overpowered at the grace with which she swings her pink or blue shoes to and fro. Indeed, such a picture of low life above stairs was never exhibited; and no one who prizes perfect acting ought to keep a quiet dollar in his pocket when the piece is played again. The moment the real Lord and his mistress come after the holy blacksmith, or after the nailor as he is termed, the fun is over; and Betty Finikin and Mr. Jenkins subside entirely! But this is always the case, when a real peer pokes himself in amongst a pleasant party. A coronet is no uncommon extinguisher to the lights of wit and humour. The volatile French Opera of Figaro has been revived at this theatre, and in a style which ought to make it highly popular amongst the lovers of light elegant acting, and brilliant music. It seems, as now constructed, AUG. 1823. to be built upon Holcroft's Follies of a Day, and the original piece as written by Beaumarchais; with the music, selected from the Italian opera. The intrigue of the piece is always on the increase, and English eyes and ears are not quite alive to it, but the music and the spirit float you along, leaving your morality or your reason no chance of making a stand. A Miss Louisa Dance, sister of the young lady who played Belvidera a season or two ago at Covent-Garden, made her first appearance in Susannah-the lively part which Miss Stephens, Miss M. Tree, and Miss Paton have filled. Miss Louisa Dance has a pleasing figure, though Cæsar's wish as to Cassio might safely be extended to her. She was evidently a good deal alarmed at first, and sang a little out of tune with a becoming incorrectness and diffidence; but she gained confidence as she went on, until her voice was enabled pretty fully to manifest its character. She is a pleasing, but not a good singer, certainly not a firstrate singer. In a room we dare to say she delights her family,-but there is a wide difference between piano-singings in a parlour, before eleven or twelve affectionate brothers and sisters, and a bunch of friends who come to sing and sup-and playhouse-singing before hundreds of unrelations and unfriends. Miss Louisa Dance performed better than she sang, and if we might advise, we should recommend her to take to comedy and abandon opera. Dance and song seldom agree well together. This young lady has good features and good spirits-and we should think that she and Thalia might make a bargain advantageous to the interests of both parties. One thing we must observe, that we fear she has a person who is a dangerous and flattering friend to her-and that is Miss Louisa Dance! That lady has at present too high an opinion of our young actress, and mistakes promise for performance. It is certainly the most dangerous folly in the world to whisper sweet things into one's own ear, and by no means so difficult a task to accomplish as may at first appear. Mrs. Austin, once of Drury-Lane, an agreeable light-haired copy of P Mrs. Orger, both in face and voice, appeared as the Countess. She is very lively, very pleasant, and with the exception of a little occasional mis-singing, quite an acquisition to this theatre:-perhaps she sang out of tune to be in harmony with Miss Louisa Dance, at the early part of the evening. Miss Kelly was the Page-and, past dispute, was Page the first!-We turned to the Contents in the volume of the audience and read her name as so indexed. Wrench played Count Almaviva, an amorous noble in a cap and feathers, who is compelled to hear every body sing but himself;-which is occasionally our misfortune, and truly a vast misfortune too! Fi-garo in Mr. Pearman's hands . weighs ten stone instead of five: or rather, for the part must be the same, the pound of lead is heavier than the pound of feathers :never understood the difference before. Bartley, as the Drunken Gardener, made some dangerous reels among those fragile plants, the figurantes; and balanced his ripe face, as if by a miracle. The whole opera went smartly off-though it would be much better without the last act. It is nearly as long as the last year's opera of Gil Blas, which was just twice as long as Hastings's trial. :-we Mr. Moreton's Romantic Drama of the Knight of Snowdon, unfoundedly reported to be founded on the Lady of the Lake, has been selected, we presume, for the sake of bringing out Mr. Wallack and Mr. T. P. Cooke, both as heroes. They are heroes and there are few pieces which allow of two gentlemen riding on one horse without exposing one gentleman to a seat behind. The two Kings of Brentford in the Rehearsal are perhaps the most equal balance of power on dramatic and heroic record. But Fitzjames and Roderick Dhu are the next in succession. If the Scottish king wears Lincoln green and a gilt bugle,-Roderick has black hair and a splendid Tartan;-and the broad sword of his Majesty is not a bit broader than the broad sword of the Scottish rebel. In the playing of these two characters the whole interest of the piece is centered;-for a more wretched distortion of plot and language, than this disordered parody of the poem, was never exhibited. All the points of character are blunted or broken short off:-and all the romantic interest of the incidents and the rich Scottish beauty of the poetry are remorselessly and unfeelingly destroyed. The costume of the story is lost! Roderick is made the lover of Ellen-the successful lover,-Fitzjames is nobody,-except with the sword. Douglas is a tame feeble old gentleman-Ellen a singer of bravuras; and poor Blanch-mad -love-mad Blanch is never heard of. At the Surrey theatre, in the reign of Robert William the First, the Lady of the Lake was admirably dramatized; but they certainly do the Scottish novels and poems in a very superior manner in Blackfriars-road. But to speak of the acting of Wallack and Cooke-we must say our attention was wholly ingrossed by the combat between the two. It is a fight! It is no "one, two, three, -and under,"-but downright cleaving at the head,-thrusting at the ribs,-smiting at the heart-parrying breast, neck, shoulder, leg, hip, and wrist!-Cooke strikes might and main at his antagonist's brain-and Wallack parries like a swordsman, returning at Mr. Cooke's brisket. Indeed, such an earnest, muscular, ferocious contest, we never saw on the stage and the very lamps tremble in their sockets! Mr. Wallack is a fine, handsome, gallant fellow,-and Cooke is an old offender in the same way:-of course the audience take a peculiar interest in the fight, and we have no doubt, that a few persons of taste go nightly in the hope of seeing a quarter actually cut by accident off one of these two pet lambs. We have not a word to say of any one else. "My Aunt," a little comic piece, introduces Mr. Wallack in a comic character, which he plays with infinite gaiety and whim. He is a spendthrift and a gamester, and in the drunken scene with My Aunt (not that we would extend the intoxication to My Aunt herself,Heaven and Mrs. Grove forbid !) he seemed "remediless in the premises." In his pursuit after his reeling hat, which seems drunk too, he looks at it with a marvellous eye. Mrs. Grove was My Aunt:-she really was. What a profound elderly lady! -What singular domestic decorum! * lousy" Terry plays an old Admiral, in his own stern, hard, but excellent manner. Miss Chester, as a Miss Fanny, in the Clandestine Marriage, performed with a spirit and nature which we were not prepared to expect from her. In a scene where she forgives her husband, of whom she had been jealous, her tenderness was quite delightful; and we “venture to predict," that if she is allowed to play a few such characters as this, she will become a decided favourite with the public, and deservedly so. Madame Vestris has a character not suited to her; she is in petticoats. Vining played the husband of Fanny with great animation and ease; and Mr. Davis (in this case "Blood will not have blood,") acted with serenity, and sang charmingly. Liston was unusually_Listonic! He represents a young Fondling (my aunt will prick up her old motherly ears), and is always pressing to tell his story, and worming himself into the ungrammatical sentimental. Bad English out of Liston's mouth becomes good. If he has to vote against Lindley Murray, he gives a plumper. Billy Lackaday (the name of this London Verter) "conceives a passion" for Miss Fanny-and nothing can exceed the expression of his face, when she comes before him, or when he unexpectedly sees her. His whole appearance is that of sea-sickness. His heart seems instantly in his mouth: and he rolls his large tender eyes like two taws in his head. His song of " Man was born to sorrow," is worthy to be sung by Mr. Casella in purgatory. Some of the notes are the very echoes of grief. The play is lightly written; but gives great satisfaction. us." She on the stage! go to-it was some reputable matron out of the Magdalen-some nurse of the Foundling, who had come to the English Opera House to enquire after one of her progeny. What garments she wears! We cannot but remember such things were, that were most dear to Her bonnet, a poke, a decided poke. Her decent gown, brown as evening, her comely cloak,-her or derly, demure, innocent mittens! Her muffled, slender voice in years! Oh, Mrs. Grove!!-We respect such a person to her backbone. Will she take tea with us?-We can make up a rubber with old cousin Sparkes, and our other aunt, dear Mrs. Davenport. How is our uncle, Mr. Grove? Is he still in the trade? -We really disliked seeing so very real a personage as my aunt sur rounded by the frivolous and fictitious creatures of the drama. We could not be tipsy before Mrs. Grove. And we must say, that Mr. Wallack must have pushed about the bottle " rather too freely" to forget himself in the presence of those awful mittens, and their ten respectable taper inhabitants. We never were very partial to aunts, but Mrs. Grove has given the character a dignity in our eyes, which we shall never forget! THE HAYMARKET THEATRE. Sweethearts and Wives. Kenny is, beyond dispute, the cleverest playwright now in exist ence-he understands writing original pieces, translating, or paraphrasing, or adapting French dramas, better than any other English writer: and when we know that he has good actors to measure for characters, we are quite sure that he will fit them to perfection. In the instance before us, he has suited Liston, Terry, and the fine Miss Chester to a T. The plot of the piece is, as usual, a confusion of lovers, and "lots of jea Mathews is in England again, we understand.-Let the Americans look to it! THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE. JOURNEY TO THE HEAD OF THE · THIS interesting journey was performed in the year 1817, by Capt. Hodgson and Lieut. Herbert, an account of which they have published in the Asiatic Researches. Having formed little magazines of grain at the places where they intended to halt, and re-established the Sangas, or spar-bridges, over the river, they set off from Reital on the 21st of May. The situation of this village, on the east side of a mountain, the summit of which is covered with where small cedars grow, but in gesnow, and the foot washed by the neral the margin is strewed with Bagirat’hi, is very pleasant. It com- masses of rock which have fallen mands a noble view of the Sri Cánta from the precipices above. Having and other adjoining peaks of the Hi- retired to rest, the travellers were - málya, on which the snow for ever awakened by the rocking of the rests. On the 23d, after passing ground, occasioned by an earthquake, through Juwarra and Dangal, they which hurled down rocks in every arrived at Súci, a small village, sure direction, from the peaks around, to rounded on all sides by the Himálya. the bed of the river. In the mornThe scenery at this place is in gene- ing they crossed to the opposite bank, ral grand and sublime; at the falls where they were more secure, and of Lohari Naig there is a fright- enabled to make observations. The ful rock above 800 feet in height. On mean breadth of the Ganges at Ganthe 28th they pitched their tent at gotri was 43 feet, depth 18 inches, Baerog'hati, at the confluence of the and nearly the same at the sides as Bagirat'hi and Jáhnevi. Here pre- at the middle; the current very swift cipices composed of the most solid and over large stones. At this time granite confine both of the rivers in the stream was in one channel, but narrow channels, which seem to have the effect of the sun in melting the been scooped out by the force of the snow was so powerful, that it was waters. The base of the peaks is of daily augmenting. Accordingly, on the most compact sort of granite, of a their return on the 2d of June, they light hue, with small pieces of black found it about two feet deep, and sparry substances interposed. From considerably wider, the volume of the smoothness of the rocks which water being apparently doubled. On confine the stream, it appears that the 29th they proceeded up the Ganthe water must at one time have run ges over snow and rocks, and pitchin a higher level, and that it is gradual- ed their tent on a sort of bank by ly forming a deeper channel. Great the left margin of the river, which is cedar pines fringe these bare rocks, here perceptibly diminished. The · and fix their roots where there ap- temperature, during night, was below pears to be very little soil. A few freezing; the soil strong and full of of the large deal pines are also seen, rocks. By the barometer it appearbut inferior trees do not grow here. ed to be 11,160 feet above the level Though the Bagirathi is generally of the sea. On the following day esteemed the holy and celebrated they ascended gradually among rocks, Ganges, yet Capt. Hodgson is in- having to the left high cliffs of graclined to think the Jahnevi the larger. nite, and on the right snowy peaks By the course of this river there is a 600 or 700 feet high, distant about pass to Bhoat or Thibet, by which two miles, and halted near the dethe people from Reital and the up- bouché of the Ganges. They were per villages of Rowaien go to sell here above the line of vegetation of salt, blankets, and wool in exchange trees; birches appearing only as for grain. On the 26th they went small shrubs, and the rocks being along the side of a very steep moun- covered with a species of lichen. tain, passing over chasms by means The three peaked mountains were obof ladders and scaffolding of decayed served from this place, to which they planks, and reached Gangotri, hither- gave the names of St. George, St. to the boundary of research on the Patrick, and St. Andrew. Farther Ganges.* Here the rivers had be- on another appeared, which they come more open, having, during their called St. David, and to the right of route from Baigog’hati, been between the snow valley, which hides the ri, several precipices of 200 or 300 feet ver, a most magnificent peak cased high. By the side of the river at in snow and shining ice was seen, Gangotri there is in some places soil whic they termed Mount Moira. • This was visited by Mr. B. Fraser in his journey through the Himálya mountains, an account of which he published in 1820. According to the accounts which he received, the source of the Ganges is about five hundred miles horizontal distance from Gangotri, vond which place he states it is in all probability supplied by the melting of the snow terminates the valley. SOLIMA TERRITORY. Considerable difficulty of breathing miles from the debouché to the sumwas experienced here, and that pe-, mit. It may be easily conceived, culiar sensation always felt at great that a large supply of water must be elevations, where there is any sort furnished at this season by the meltof herbage, which is ascribed by ing of this mass, and of that coverCapt. Hodgson to noxious exhala-. ing the great peaks that surround it, tions from the plants, for he never all of which runs to the valley to suffered from it on snow beds, even form the Ganges, which is farther though at a greater height. In some augmented by the waters that filter places the ground was covered with through the rents of the snow. In a species of creeper and mennat, in this way there must be a sufficient the manner of furze, and which he is supply, during a course of six or inclined to think is that of which the seven miles, to form such a stream case of black lead pencils is made. as was observed issuing under the The dazzling of the snow was ren arch. No volcanoes were seen or dered here more striking by its con- heard of in those mountains, nor were trast with the sky, which is of a dark there found any shells or animal reblue colour. At night the stars shine mains. The magnetic variation difwith a lustre which they have not in fered little from that' on the plains, a denser atmosphere. The only liv- and the diurnal slight changes of the ing creatures seen were a few small barometer were perceptible, the merbirds. On the 31st they reached the cury always falling a little before noon. spot where the Bagirat'hi or Ganges emerges from under a very low arch Captain Laing, of the Royal African at the foot of the grand snow bed. Colonial Regiment, bas returned to The river here is bounded to the Sierra Leone, from a residence of right and left by high snow and some months in the Solima territory, rocks, and above it, immediately over to which he proceeded on an invitathe debouché, there is a perpendicular tion of the king. The country, then mass of snow of the height of 300 visited for the first time by an Eurofeet, from the brow of which large pean, possesses a peculiar geographiicicles hang, formed by the freezing cal interest as the source of the mysof the water produced by the action terious Niger. The information obof the sun, and which flows in small tained by Captain Laing is likely to cascades over it. The mean breadth prove both important and interesting, of the stream was 27 feet, the depth as the Solimas are a numerous and about 15 inches. In the hopes of powerful nation, of the interior of getting on to the top of the aclivity, which scarcely more than the name they ascended by a dangerous path, was known until three years ago, but they were soon under the neces- when an army of 10,000 men apsity of returning, as the surface of peared in the Mandingo country to the snow was broken into chasms, terminate a dispute between two and in many places so soft, that they chiefs of that nation, the weaker of often sank in it up to the neck. The whom had appealed to the king of avalanches were falling from Mount Solima. The elevation, and the laMoira with a noise like that of thun- titude and longitude of the hill of der, and threatening by its shocks to Soma, whence the Niger has its loosen the unsteady foundation on origin, have, we understand, been aswhich they then stood. From the certained. Captain Laing is also of highest station they saw onwards opinion, that no material difficulty about five miles. In the space they would be experienced in the route had passed over, after leaving the from Sierra Leone, through Sankara, debouché, the Ganges was not to be to the Niger at Nafi. His Journal seen, being concealed by snow, pro- is expected to be very soon before bably many hundred feet in thickness, the public. and as far as they could observe, it did not again appear, so that this may A bridge of suspension, or rather of be considered the first place where tension, has been constructed by Seit becomes visible. The breadth of guin, near Annonay, in the departthe snow valley is about a mile and ment de l'Ardeche, after the mode of a half, and its length about seven those used by the natives of America, ECONOMICAL BRIDGES. |