derable favourite with their Majesties. Our regular company is very respectable.

Theatre Royal LIVERPOOL.-Messrs. Knight, Bannister, and Cooke, have reaped both fame and emolument by their performancès in this town. The theatre has been well attended from the commencement of the season. Mr. Wild had his benefit a short time before his death, which has somewhat damped the pleasure of our theatrical visitants. He was much respected in this town, where his good humour and valuable qualities had acquired him some respectable connections. He had the misfortune to break a blood-vessel while in London, from the effects of which his friends hardly entertained a hope that he would recover. His health, however, amended, in some degree, and, contrary to the advice of his medical attendants, he resolved to resume his situation this season at Liverpool. The length of the journey, followed up by the fatigues of his official duty, brought on a relapse, and he died on the 10th of August, much to the regret of the members of the theatrical profession, and of a great number of private friends, who had long enjoyed the pleasure of his society. "Mr. Wild," observes a gentleman, who seems to have known him well, “was a well informed man, independently of his dramatic knowledge, which was more extensive than that of any other theatrical character in this country. As a prompter, he was assiduous, diligent, and impartial; never improperly absent from his post, and equally attentive to the highest and lowest performer. In the earlier part of his life, he tried the profession of an actor, but not being able to execute his own conceptions of theatri→ cal merit, he renounced the sock and buskin, and was content to assist others in a pursuit for which he did not deem himself sufficiently qualified, though nature had given him a good person and a solid understanding. He has left a wife and several children, on whom he has bestowed his property with equal justice. Mr. Wild had often expressed a desire of closing his days at Liverpool, and had chosen a spot of ground in which he wished to be buried. The place, we understand, was in the church-yard in which Palmer, the late excellent actor of Drury-Lane theatre, is interred. It is somewhat singular, that his wishes in this respect, have been gratified. His remains were, on Aug. 13, deposited in the selected spot, and the ceremony was attended by a great number of the theatrical body, as well as many private friends, whom his social, intelligent, and manly qualities had attached. He was in the fifty-second year of his age."

Theatre BIRMINGHAM.-Mr. Lewis, who was unusually successful, and uni❤ versally admired, in Birmingham, has been succeeded by Mr. Munden and Mr. Kemble. Notwithstanding these exertions of our spirited manager, the houses have been but indifferent. Lodoiska has been brought forward, at considerable expence, and possessed its share of attraction. Mrs. St. Leger has performed a variety of characters, both tragic and comic, much to her own credit, and the general satisfaction of the town.

Theatre-Royal BRIGHTON.-The excellent arrangements which Mr. Swendall has adopted, have rendered the theatre particularly attractive this season. We forgot to mention Mrs. Hatton, in our last report, a lady who, in Mrs. Jordan's characters, exhibits an extraordinary share of vivacity and genuine comic talent, and who is, consequently, in high favour with our fashionable visitors.Mrs. Hatton was, for several seasons, the comic heroine of the Manchester company.

Theatre-Royal RICHMOND.-Mr. Diddear, our manager of last year, has again taken this convenient, but hitherto unprofitable, little theatre; and he has afforded a proof that good management will not be lost upon the inhabitants of Richmond. The houses have been uniformly good. Mr. Quick, for whose reappearance on the boards of a London theatre the public are looking with much anxiety, performed for a few nights, in the early part of the season. Mrs. Jordan has just concluded her annual 'engagement, which has proved highly advantageous, as well to her own interest as that of Mr. Diddear. Mrs. Dibdin, of Covent Garden theatre, is a particular favourite with us.

Theatre-Royal, EDINBURGH.-The defection of the Liverpool company has curtailed our theatrical entertainments, for the summer season, of almost all their attractions. Notwithstanding the reinforcement of two or three good En glish performers, I venture to assert that, in the whole theatrical history of Scotland, never was a company exhibited upon the Edinburgh stage, so imbecile as that of this season. It has been reserved to a man, to whom the theatrical world are not without obligations,in whose misfortunes the amateurs of the drama sympathized

viewing their termination as an æra of additional brilliancy in the annals of our stage, to exhibit before us a mass of wretched imbecility, raked together from the lowest ranks of mummers, whose exertions I have myself seen hissed even in Scotish villages. A pen, keener thau mine, has already, in part, avenged the insults offered to the stage of our country, and exposed to merited abhorrence and contempt the miserable objects who have been compelled to "fret and strut their hour upon the stage." Like the architect, who begins his operations by removing the filth and rubbish impeding his projected undertaking, be it my business, by a few preliminary words, to purge my after-remarks of the noxious weeds crept into our theatrical vineyard, that the wretched retainers of the sock and buskin may know, that, to emerge from merited oblivion is sometimes a misfortune.

The season opened on Saturday, June 27th, with the School for Scandal and the Poor Soldier. As most of the performers above alluded to made their appearance on this evening, before speaking of the better actors, I shall take this opportunity of ridding myself of them.

Sir Benjamin Backbite was performed by an awkward Columbian, ycleped Williams, without any one requisite of art or nature, importing from his native shores a corruption of all the dialects in our three kingdoms. Harwood, a man who has known better days, in the part of Crabtree, vainly grasped at applause, by joining the tricks and grimace of a jack-pudding, to the dialect of Tipperary. His figure and m nner do not disgust, and were he to bound his views to walking gentlemen, he might escape my lash. The gaiety Mr. Bannerman displayed in his part of Careless, was that of a felon at the foot of the gallows, wishing to make his exit with the reputation of being "true game." An actor of the name of Francis appeared likewise before us, whose figure and features are much better calculated to still noisy children, than the "Raw-head and Bloody-bones" of the nursery. His wife, a thin little woman, with a hatchet-like face, a figure twisted like the letter S, and a shrill pipe, could only appear before us in the part of Mrs. Candour, because, as was obvious from her appearance, she was on the point of giving to the world an epitome of her husband's accomplishments, and her own graces.

Mrs. Harwood, in the beautiful, the accomplished virgin, Maria, exhibited a

most protuberant proof of being in "that state in which women wish to be, who love their lords ;" her stature would, in Lilliput, be pronounced gigantic; her stage appearance, in general, might be mistaken for a Flander's doll, moved by wires, but it would be impossible for any one, of the audience at least, to say she was imperfect in her part, since nobody heard one syllable she uttered. We had, likewise, before us, a person of the name of Ross, whom I have seen in country villages, in the situation of Butler's Crowdero. This actor has been characterized as

a hungry, lean-fac'd fellow,

"A mere anatomy, a mountebank,

"An ugly, hollow-ey'd, sharp-looking wretch,
"A living deadman."

He was furnished with a hopeful helpmate, who, in the part of Norah, gave us a specimen of the voice and manner of the nocturnal warblers of halfpenny ballads. Besides these luminaries, we were entertained by the efforts of some others of equal merit, in conspicuous parts; but I shall defer my remarks upon them till another opportunity.

Talbot, from Drury-Lane, was our Charles. His acting, say some, is easy and natural; but it appears to me trifling, to childishness. To excite interest, acting requires a manner, deportiment, tone, and language, above what is commonly called nature. In this part he confounded frivolity with vivacity, and joined the apathy of almost all Mr. Reynolds's heroes, to his character. Why he chose to represent Charles Surface as a reeling drunkard, I cannot conceive.Miss Biggs, of Drury-Lane, a great favourite here, gave unbounded satisfaction in the part of Lady Teazle. The dignified elegance of her deportment, her appropriate action and gesture, her nervous and impressive enunciation, were displayed to great advantage in many scenes, but more particularly in that of the discovery. In some of the preceding one's I did not think her equally happy: the sprightly vivacity of the character disdains the appearance of art. Those features of it were, in my opinion, more naturally performed by Miss Duncan, but they were the only uncensureable parts of her acting in this piece.

The part of Joseph Surface was well conceived by Mr. Woods, and, the time has been, when his performance of it would have excited admiration. Rock, in Sir Peter Teazle, displayed much feeling in the scene with Joseph Surface, though the part in general be beyond the scope of his naturally-limited powers.

pre

The Suspicious Husband was acted on Monday. Mr. Colman's "Poor Gentleman" occupied the three succeeding nights of performance. Though I entertain the highest respect for Mr. C's talents, I confess this comedy did not quite equal my expectations; the plot seemed to be meagre, the characters, with the exception of Ollapod, neither new nor well supported, and the sentiments trite. I could not help thinking that, in this piece, the author had sacrificed to the sent false taste of the public, by merely writing parts for popular comedians.The wonderful vis comica of the original Ollapod, the great strength of the piece in Covent Garden, was, in a manner, lost to us. The excellence of Rock, its representative, is confined to low Irishmen :-we prize him, as an actor, who in few parts disgusts. The garrulous, self-important, petulant son of Galen, was far beyond the reach of his moderate powers. Miss Biggs gave an interest to the

S-VOL. XII.

part of Emily Worthington, which I did not think it capable of. Talbot's Frederick was too much in his usual" namby pamby" style to give me satisfaction.Woods's Worthington was his happiest effort this season. The natural humanity of my disposition prevents me from reprobating, in proper terms, the wretched attempts of the other actors in the piece.

JUSTUS.

[On Account of the length of this criticism, we are under the necessity of reserving the remainder till our next number.]

Theatre-Royal EDINBURGH.-" Sir, my absence from Edinburgh, during the winter season, prevented the continuance of the theatrical reports which I have occasionally transmitted to you. I am told, however, that the theatre, though kept open during a longer period than usual, was uncommonly well attended, and that every thing seemed to omen prosperity to the new management. The audience part of the house was enlarged, and re-ornamented; a great part of the scenery was painted anew; and the wardrobe was at least cleared of some of the shreds and patches which were wont to disgrace it.Of the actors, Young and Miss Duncan, in particular, have gained very great fame: they are regarded by the inhabitants here, who, I assure you, are not very easily pleased, as performers of the first class in their departments. They were respectably supported by Miss Walstein, Toms, and Grant, together with our old favourites, Woods and Rock.

I am sorry I cannot give so favourable a report of the summer campaign.Our managers evidently proceeded upon the same narrow principles which uniformly actuated the conduct of their predecessor. Trusting to the influence of fashion, which is always sure to fill the theatre during the race week, (be the company of performers what it may) and to the novel attraction of Mr. Cooke's talents, they left their company to perform at Liverpool, and, with one or two exceptions, scraped together the refuse of all the strolling parties in the kingdom, for the entertainment of the Scotish metropolis. The company certainly was not worse than what Mr. Kemble used to exhibit, when he brought down his brother or sister; but I must do the latter gentleman the justice of saying, that it was at least as bad as his winter companies. During Mr. Cooke's stay here, he performed Shylock twice, Richard thrice, Iago, Othello, Sir Giles Overreach twice, Penruddock, the Stranger, Macbeth (for his benefit), Sir Archy Macsarcasm, twice, Jaques, Petruchio, and Hamlet. The amateurs here, though by no means blind to his peculiarities and defects, have not under-rated the wonderful powers of expression and of intellect which mark the performances of this great actor. His Iago, Sir Giles Overreach, and Sir Archy Macsarcasm, have been particularly admired. We, of course, regard ourselves as better judges of the latter, than any other audience; and it excited so much admiration, that we regretted not a little that we were not indulged likewise with his performance of Sir Pertinax Macsycophant. Several critiques on Mr. Cooke's acting, in the characters which he performed in London, have already appeared in your work; but I should hope, a few remarks on some of the new parts which he has assumed here, will not be unacceptable. Of these performances, I give the preference, without hesitation, to his Othello. As an entire piece of acting, it is not, in

deed, equal to his lago, but, in particular parts, he displays the most masterly skill. The disguise is extremely favourable to him; his person seems to acquire grace from the eastern dress. His sarcastic manner is admirably suited to Othello's ironical treatment of Desdemona in presence of the ambassadors from Venice, and he is equally successful in all the scenes where the workings of his mind are displayed in his conduct to Desdemona. The great scene with Iago called forth all his powers, and he only failed in the violent bursts of despair, which, on account of the harshness of his voice, did not produce all the effect that could be wished. In the concluding act, little as nature has formed him for pathetic expression, his exertions were hardly less able than in the preceding. I thought him least happy in the speech to the senators-his forte certainly is not calm declamation; he, indeed, seemed to be "little skilled in the set phrase of peace." His Penruddock, though interior to his Othello, is a very excellent performance; in the scenes of strong emotion it is admirable: but those scenes are few, and in the other, from an apparent desire of avoiding imitation, he neglects to give all the necessary point to the dialogue.

Of the better part of our winter company, Woods and Rock only remained. The former played Antonio, King Henry, Adam, &c. in his usual correct manner. He likewise performed Iago, when Mr. Cooke played Othello. It is a character in which he has acquired much fame, and, though his manner of acting it is very different from Mr. Cooke's, it is certainly a very able performance.— It gives me much pain, at the same time, to be forced to acknowledge, that Mr. Woods is not what he has been; his powers have, of late years, been evidently on the decline; and, though he would still be a very great loss to the Edinburgh stage, I think he would consult his own reputation in retiring soon from public life. I hope the favour and patronage which he has so long and so deservedly enjoyed, have enabled him to do it without much pecuniary inconvenience.Rock had but few opportunities of displaying his talents during Mr. Cooke's engagement: he was not, however, less entertaining and chaste than usual, in Launcelot, Touchstone, and Grumio. Mr. Talbot was the only additional actor of any note. This gentleman's figure is geuteel, but rather slender; the form and complexion of his face is singularly haggard and Quixotic, and his voice is frequently harsh and unmusical. He shews true judgment and humour in comedy, and played Sydenham, Orlando, Young Philpot, and the Liar, very creditably. In tragedy he does not appear to equal advantage. The principal female characters were sustained by Miss Biggs, of Drury-Lane, and, much as I admire that lady's talents, I cannot but accuse the managers of want of judgment, in engaging her upon this occasion. There are very few important female characters in the plays in which Mr. Cooke performs, and of these (with the exception of Rosalind, which she played for her benefit) there is hardly one in Miss Biggs's line of acting. She is, to be sure, a very good Ophelia, and Emily Tempest, and is a very respectable representative of Desdemoną, Mrs. Haller, and Queen Elizabeth, and Portia; but we should never have known the extent of her talents from these characters, had she not performed Lady Teazle and Clarinda, previous to Mr. Cooke's arrival. Had the managers brought down Mrs. Powell, who has been acting at Liverpool, and engaged Miss Biggs for the latter theatre, their conduct would have been much more consistent. Notwithstanding, however, the