their native one to avoid the ill-ap- but who rather seem to have formed their opinion from the frequent dif turbances and calamitous infurrecti ons to which this unfortunate coun try has been fubject; thofe, no doubt, would be very rational grounds for a man to found his opinion on of the public political fentiments of the country, but would conftitute a most unfit ftandard to compare the private and domeftic manners of the people with. Many exemplifications of this might be found in the character of thole infatuated perfonages, who de fervedly fuffered for their difaffection to their conftitution and country; but though their political principles had been contaminated, poffeffed in domeftic life the most pure and benevolent hearts, and whofe talents and underflanding have excited both the envy and the admiration of their most profeffed enemies. Some, fir, are bold enough to affert, that the Irish in general are a fierce and favage people. But thofe who would make fuch an affertion, muft either be totally ignorant of the difpofition of 24 Irishman, or of the meaning of the epithets they would attach to his cha racter. What, fir, is an Irishman fierce because he is fpirited and de termined? Is an Irithman fierce he caufe he would be the firft to punili a violation of honour, or of princi ple, when he would be the last t commit a breach of either himfelt And, is an Irithmán a favage becaufe he would prefer bravely terminating at once his quarrel with a fword, to indulging perpetually in invective and abufe, and becaufe he would rather thake hands and become friends, than harbour in his breaft the corroding pique of private refentment? No, fir, a true Irithman is neither fierce nor favage; the heart of an Irishman," fir, to ufe the language of mr. Curran, is bold, and it loves; it is ge nerous, and it gives it is candid, and it confides; it is focial, and it affords, hofpitality." That plied fcandal that is attached to what is termed the Irish brogue, which fame Irish brogue, when not canvaffed with the fashion of the day, is predictive of that liberality, franknefs, and candour, which I trust will ever remain the diftinguishing characteriftics of the Irish people. Go, fir, from the first and moft opulent man in Ireland, to the lowest and poorest of the peafantry, and you will, upon a momentary interview with either, difcover an ingenuoufnefs of difpofition, and a generofity of heart, which infures to a friend an affectionate and warm embrace, and to a stranger, a courteous and hofpitable reception; and even when the narrow circumftances of fome will not enable them to extend affiftance or fuccour, yet their fpmpathetic and benevolent manner will afford confolation. Yet, fince my aurival in England, I was under the painful neceffity of hearing the lower clafs of people in Ireland, reprefented as a body of favage and literate ruffians, whofe great delight confifted in the most barbarous and violent outrages that could be committed, and whofe chief gratification was the infulting every honeft man who did not become a member of their villainous banditti. What depravity in human nature! What deficiency of candour and generofity! What prejudices and prepoffeffions countries as well as individuals are fubject to? What felfiflinefs and illiberality have prompted thofe living in one province, to propagate fuch ungenerous and fuch unfounded misreprefentations of thofe living in the adjoining one of thofe to whom as they are now civilly united, they fhould alfo be naturally benevolent. Sir the only way I fee to reconcile thofe erroneous and illiberal mifreprefentations, is the certainty of their being made by thofe who never vifit ed Ireland, and therefore by thofe who had no fair opportunity of eftimating the manners of the people, That the lower clafs of people in nity and independence of her fifter Ireland are more illiterate than those country. of England, fo far as having received more contracted educations, I cannot deny, and that very circumftance perhaps accounts for the blunt, the honeft imanner they have of expreffing them. felves, and which most probably has induced fome to ftigmatize the whole country with the appellation of half civilized barbarians Indeed. I will not hefitate to fay, that the infatuation of the peafantry in Ireland, in the dreadful fcenes of rot which have of hate years infefled that country, might be principally attributed to the contractedness of their education; for it is eafy to conceive the influence of fair promifes and artful periuations over the infant mind without the help of Something analogous to this was reafon, and unaffifted by education; the reply of James the first, to at and it is not unreafonable to fuppofe, clown who had given him fome afthat the proclamation of liberty and fiflance whilft hunting, and who reequality might prejudice that people, quefied to be made a gentleman ; whofe only knowledge is that they In gude troth, my friend, you mun have a tyrant, and whofe fcience is afk fomething elfe, I could mak you abject fubmiffion. But, fir, though a lord, but God Almighty himfell, the lowest rank of the people in re could na mak you a gentleman.' land have the misfortune to exit without education; yet, even of them, natural genius is characteristic, the frequent ufe of figurative language is peculiar even to that clafs of the people; perhaps, indeed, it is to that, ogether with the vaft extent of genius they poffefs, without having an education to affift them in the managemeet of either, that thofe blunders called high bulls, are chiefly to be attributed. It certainly is (with regard to the higher ranks of the people) to the happy conjunction of all, that Ireland can to this day boaft of producing the greate characters that ever adorned the annals of either Country; I with, fir, that the were allowed more frequent opportunities of increasing the number of thofe characters by which, while the would be adding to the honeft pride of her felf, he would at the fame time be effecting the establishment of the dig Anecdotes. VANITY CHECKED. WHEN the famous doctor Great head, who had rifen in the church from a low origin, was promoted to the fee of Lincoin, feveral of his poor relations looked forward to favours and advancement; one in particular, a farmer, was importunate in his fuit, when the bishop coolly replied, coufin, I would willingly mend your plough if it required it, or would even give you a new one; but a farmer I found you, and for me a farmer fhall you remain.' ་ ROYAL SIMILARITY. A well-known Pindaric wit in the prefent age, has been accuftonted to allow his Pegasus, whilft prancing over the common, to fling dirt at the agricultural amufements of a revered perfonage; fuch purfuits however were the amufeinent and recreation of a monarch, who has emphatically been called the Great. We allude to Henry the fourth of France, who not only perfonally patronized agriculturifts, but was alfo a practical farmer himfel, and took pride in making the Spanish ambaffador, a man of high rank, and fupercilious manners, tafte fome wine made in his own vineyard; faying courteoufly to him, I affure you I have not only a vineyard, but all fome fields and fome cows under my own direction, and I have learned fo much of farming that I am convinced I could make a comfortable livelihood by it British 6 British Theatrical Journal. DRURY-LANE, MAY 2. t THE Heir at Law--The Minor, Mr. Bannister took his benefit this evening, and as it feems to be an allowable thing, that, an actor may do what he likes at fuch a time, fo mr. Bannifter performed the part of Dr. Pangios. There is, certainly, no p of human w dom fo truly beneficial as felf knowledge: as a due and fair eftimation of our own powers; but in public characters, nothing is more frequent, than to find a strong ambiti on of univerfal talent; forgerul of their own peculiar excellence, they with to intrude upon the province of others. Such was precifely the cafe this evening. Mr. Bannifter is a comedian of very ex entive and popu Ler but thofe powers have a powers; limit, a truth of which we were never more fenfible than on this occation.-He feems to have an unaccountable predeliction for mr. Fawcett's characters: we remember, fome years ago, he played Caleb Quotem, on his benefit night. But he is totally unfit for either: in fact, these two charates were drawn for the actor, and it may therefore eafily be conceived why mr. Fawcett fhould fo peculiar ly fucceed in them. Mr. Bannifter has neither the volubility, the pedantty, nor the humour of the former, But on this evening he was not alone inferior. We never faw a play more indifferently reprefented, with the fingle exception of mr. Johnftone, the original Kenrick,, and of Mathews, who performed Lord Duberly with that uncommon excellence, which he fo amply poffeffes. Mr. Ruffell, in Dowlas, reminded us mournfully of poor Paimer; and, as ufual, he indulged the audience with a few fpecimens of novel orthoepy, as diffèlost for diffolute, &c. Mr. De Camp, though a young man of very confiderable abilities and much promife, performed Zekiel Homefpun, without feeling, difcrimination, or humour. Mrs Jordan made her first appearance in Cicely Homefpun, but we cannot fav that the fucceeded: it is not in the delineation of rulbic and artlefs fimplicity that the fucceeds; but in exhibiting the union of villatic courfenefs of manner with the arch fhrewdnefs of an untutored mind.She di'not confequently, pleafe us in Cicel, who is intended to be an artlefs, incogent, and kind-hearted country girl, After the play fucceeled Sylvefter Daggerwood, and various fongs: but we faw nothing that amused us to much as Braliam coming forward to fing, with an opera hat under his arm, and half boots and pantaloons on: it was fuch an agreeable mixture of right and wrong, as could not fail elevate and furprize.' to 9.1 The Wife of Two HufbandsThe Hunter of the Alps This interefting drama was performed' this evening, for the benefit of mr." Bra ham. Mr. Siddons made his first uppearance in Count Belfior, but played it much inferior to H. Johnftone, who, we remember, was the original reprefentative. The extre ne demity of this gentleman's voice tenders it a fruitlefs labour to liften to him, uulels we happen to be in the ftage boxMr. Brahamn performed Theodore, and introduced fome new fongs into the character. Palmer played Fitz, but in fo defpicable a manner, that he excited downright laughter in the moft ferious parts. Caulfield, who was the original Fitz, gave a great degree of intereft to the part; install gaunt figure, combined with a hollow, fepulchral tone of his voice, were well calculated for fuch a cha. racter; but for mr. Palmer, we thould have been lefs difpleafed to fee it performed by mr. Maddocks. Why has mis. Powell been kept fo in the back ground this feafon? We hope for ope reafon only: the want of a tragic actor to fupport her; for mr. . 359 an interefting drama, and highly deferving of a regular station on the boards of our theatres. Whether it be Shakspeare's or not, is a question diftinct rom its intereft in reprefentation; and, for our own parts, we think the labour which mr. Kemble has bestowed upon it to render it fit for a modern audience highly judicious, and molt creditable to his tafte and judgment. and judgment. The character of Valentine, however, affords him but few opportunities for the difplay of his powers; yet, there are occafionally times where he files to his accuftomed elevation; and at all times, After the play, was given an Harmonis Meeting, in which meffrs. Baham, Smith, Gibbon, and Jon ftone, fang: the latter a fong about the virtues of the Prince! To this fucceeded the Hunter of the Alps, and the audience could not complain of a deficiency of an uiement. 11] Honey Moon-Caractacus. his dignity of manner and elegance of It was mr. D'Egville's beneht this deportment confer fuch an undefinaevening; and we notice it merely to ble grace upon the character as fay that madame Catalani made her makes us forget its unimportance.appearance on the boards of this the Mits Smith played Julia, but indifferently. Munden and his dog were both fo excellent, that we fcarcely knew which to prefer. 1 mr. Ellifton feems, at length, to be gradually coming to a fenfe of his real powers. She played with great feeling and animation this evening. and we must do mnr. Braham the juftice to fav, that he furprized us by a very marked improvement in his elocution. .atre. It will be needles to add, that fuch an event attracted a vaft concourfe of perfons, and the lobbies prefented fuch a scene as we never before witneffed, not even on the first appearance of matter Betty A great number of perfons left the houfe, after having paid for their admiffion; and a fill greater number fat down quietly upon the fairs in patient expectation of feemg fomething in the course of the evening. When madame Catalani appeared the was received with rapturous applaute, and her wonderful powers excited the ufual admiration. She fang, at the end of the fecond act of the play, a new grand feena, a la pompa, in re cititative and oria, and it the end of the fourth act, Hope told a flattering Tale, with variations. In the latter Ahe was aftonitiungiy great. After the play there was Le Fete Chinoife, in which most of the dancers from the opera house appeared. COVENT GARDEN. Friday, April 29.] Two Gentle men of Verona-11ho Wins? We are not of the number of those who confider this play as unworthy of revival: on the contrary, we tuk it view; or, The Wags of Windfor. May 6.1 The Tempest-The ReWe consider this as an infinitely lefs interefting play, in reprefentation, than the i wo Gentlemen of Verona; but, in the clofet, as Shakspeare wrote it, thould they be confidered as productions of the fame pen? Nel carchio accolto, TASSO. patch work, have infringed on the Dryden and others, with their majefty of the bard of Avon, and Produced a motley whole, which no template with acquiefcence or approreal lover of Shakipcare can con bation. Yet in this manner it is actagainst the infantile improbabilities of ed; though our judgments revolt Hippolyto and Dorinda, and the ru fulciation of the former. this mutation, the piece is got up in bad taste of Garrick transformed to an opera character, and configned to a finger. His aitches are fill a watchword for commotion; but we obferved, that on this night, the approving voices predominated over the diffentient ones. That this divifion of the word into two fyllabies, in the plural, was fometimes practifed by the early poets is true; and in the line of Shakspeare where it occurs in this play, it requires fuch a divifion to render the mcature correct; thofe therefore who have attempted to ridicule mr. Kemble, by fuppofing that he would fay tooth ach-e, or headach-e, fhow only their own ignorance of the 'motive and reafon why, in this fingle infiance, be makes it a diffylabic word. Johnfon teems to have regarded this divifion of it as ufual, in poetry, for the fake of the meafure; though in the fecond example, which he has quoted from Swift, it is a monofyllable : (part the firft)-Who Wins? This is the first time that this bulling and animated play has been performed this feafon. It is one that keeps the attention awake from the first to the laft fcenes; it has three prominent perfonages in it, in whole proceed. ings the fpectator is equally intereft. ed: Hotspur, Hal, and laft, not lealt, Falftaff. Of mr. Kemble's perform ance of the first, we can fpeak only in terms of the most enthufiaftic admiration. The fiery, the impetuous, the gallant Hotspur, was never more forcibly depicted; the fire of his eve bore teftimony to the eager workings of his mind, and the hurried refilet. nefs of his action bespoke the vete mence of his character. His delivery of the firft fpeech, My liege, ! did deny no prifoners, &c.' was malterly; but it was only a prelude to the continuous excellence of the enfuing fcene, in which his endeavours to recollect the name of Berkely Cal tle were fo natural, fo impatient, in eager, fo vafied, that you fancied you beheld before you the very man whom the pen of Shakspeare had embodied. We confider, indeed, the Hotfpur of Kemble as one of the perfect delineations of the modern stage. We with we could fay as much of mr. Cooke's Falftaff; but there is a hardnets in lus manner, a want of richness and hu mour, which do not belong to him, who was not only witty himself, but the caufe of wit in others.' The range of this actor's powers is very limited: a truth he does not feem to We object alfo to his pronouncing the word gyves with the hard g. be aware of. Mr. C. Kemble improves in his performance of the Prince of Wales, by giving it more eate and playfulness in the early part of the play; furely it was a trip of the memory that fuffered him to enunciate late, as though it was fpelled foot. Mr. Mur ray ranted lefs in Henry than he ufu ally |
