66 Works on natural history seem to be in high favour at the present time. Within the last six months, we have had nearly a dozen excellent books, embracing all the branches of that interesting subject, two or three of them forming part of periodical publications which enjoy a very extensive circulation. The British Naturalist, the title of which we have quoted above, is the last work which has appeared in this department of literature; and we are inclined to augur favourably of its success. It is well arranged, and written in a pleasant manner; and a simple, but expressive tone of the highest móral feeling runs, like a thread of gold, (as Hervey would express it,) through its pages. "The plan," says the Preface, of which the present volume forms a part, has long been under consideration; and materials are in preparation for extending it not only to a series of volumes of THE BRITISH NATURALIST, but to follow or alternate these with THE FOREIGN NATURALIST, as may be most accordant with the successful preparation of the work, and the wishes of the public." We are glad to learn this, and have little doubt as to its success. That the present work is so exclusively British, is not the least recommendation we can bestow on it. It is also tastefully bound, and the few engravings in it are prettily done. Upon the whole, let the "British Naturalist" only have a clear stage and no favour," and we have no doubt but that it will be found as useful in its way as any of its predecessors. 66 The British Naturalistor Sketches of the more Interest..tuted in the year 1731, and entitled, a Society for the ing Productions of Britain and the surrounding Sea, Improvement of Medical Knowledge." Its transactions &c. &c. Small Syo. Pp. 380. London, Whittaker were published, at different periods, in five volumes 8vo. & Co. 1830. They were at an early date translated into foreign languages, and were highly spoken of by the Continental physicians. In the year 1739, the celebrated Machautrin conceived the idea of extending the Society's attention to subjects of Philosophy and General Literature, and it came therefore to be distinguished by the title of "Society for Improving Arts and Sciences;" or, more generally, “ The Philosophical Society of Edinburgh." Its exertions were suspended during the civil commotions of 1745, and paralysed to such a degree by the death of its most active and distinguished member, Maclaurin, that it seems to have remained altogether inactive till the year 1752. About that time, the Society commissioned David Hume, and Dr Alexander Monro, junior, to publish a selection from its papers. This was done, in three volumes 8vo, in the years 1754, 56, and 71. From this last date, the Society experienced an interval of languor, till, in the year 1777, the acute, but withal somewhat extravagant Lord Kames, infused fresh vigour into its proceedings. In the year 1782, the historian Robertson, then Principal of the University, proposed, at a meeting of the Professors, most of whom were members of the Philosophical Society, a scheme for the establishment of a new one, after the model of some of the foreign Academies, for the cultivation of every branch of science, erudition, and taste. : A royal charter was obtained in 1783, incorporating the body under the name of the "Royal Society of Edinburgh.” The first meeting was held in June of the same year. All the members of the Philosophical Society were as sumed into the new institution. It was divided into twe classes Physical and Literary; and a law of the Society ordained, that every applicant for admission should declare which class he wished to be received into ; but should, nevertheless, if elected, be entitled to attend and take part in the proceedings of the other. The progress of the Royal Society, subsequent to this period, will be found in its own Transactions. 66 MISCELLANEOUS LITERATURE. 1 LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES-OF In November, 1782, the same year that Principal Robertson projected the Royal Society, a number of noblemen and gentlemen interested in antiquarian pursuits were assembled by the Earl of Buchan, to consider the utility of an association for the prosecution of their favourite study. They unanimously resolved to meet on the 18th of December, and form themselves into a permanent body, under the designation of “ The Society of the Antiquarians of Scotland.” The encouragement which this body received from the moment of its institution suggested the idea of applying for a royal charter. The request was granted; and the charter, after passing the seals, was read to a general meeting of the Society, on the 6th of May, 1783. This Society, as well as the Royal, published their transactions; but the publication has now been intermitted for a good many years. The Royal Society met for the first time this season on Monday last; the Antiquarian Society meets for the first time next Monday, and continues to meet on the alternate Monday, with the Royal Society throughout the season; the Wernerian Society commenced its meetings The study of Natural History had been taken up, and last Saturday, and meets once a-fortnight on that day. prosecuted with considerable activity, in Scotland, towards The subjoined reports of what took place at the first meet- the close of last century, and in particular by the intelliings of the Wernerian and Royal, will be found to afford gent and indefatigable Dr Walker. We know that there a fair specimen of the system we intend to pursue. We was a Society for the advancement of Natural History in propose giving condensed abstracts of such papers and dis-existence about the commencement of the present cencussions as are characterised by the importance of their tury, although we have not been able to obtain any acensubjects, the novelty of their views, or by the talent dis-rate information respecting it. Early, however, in the played in them. Other matters we shall pass over more briefly 19th century, this branch of science received a new impulse among us, by the return of Mr (now Professor) JaAs an introduction to these reports, it will not be out meson from the Continent, where he had studied under of place to give a brief sketch of the history of our three the celebrated Werner. It was chiefly by his exertions learned Societies, seeing that they hold so conspicuous athat a number of Naturalists came to unite themselves, rank, and would have an interest for the student, even in January 1808, into a Society, which they termed had their proceedings been less fraught with benefit to the Wernerian, in honour of the Professor of Freiberg. letters, as associations including among their members all Among the original members were Drs Wright and Barthose names of which we are most justly proud to elay (since dead); Dr Thomson of Glasgow; Professer In looking for the origin of the Royal Society of Edin-Jameson, the perpetual President of the Society; and Mr burgh, we find that it is to be traced to a Society insti- | P. Niell, its amiable and intelligent Secretary. baltina bas,1651 1897 adı ni batın BNEBIAN SOCIETY6 to ins novorqueak cret asqualov svit ni „eboiroq Saturday, 5th December 1. aal monót otni botaleney suh teorito) sny Dg ADAM in the Chair, › Aspaper was read by Henry Witham, Esq. of Lartington, entitled, On the Vegetation of the first pe riod of the ancient world; that is, from the first deposits of the Transition series to the top of the Coal-field, the Magnesian Limestone forming its upper limits; with Remarks on the probability of Vegetable Origin." The essayist commenced with some remarks on the impor=tant results likely to be obtained, in a geological point of view by an attentive investigation of the history of the vegetation of the earlier world; in the course of which, he bestowed some high and merited encomiums on the exertions made by Brongniart towards introdueing a systematic classification of fossil plants. He next proceeded to lay before the Society the fruits of a series of investigations carried on by himself in different coalfields in the counties of Durham and Northumberland, and in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh. The plants recognised by Mr W. in these different districts belong ed chiefly to Brongniart's third class of the first period of vegetable creation," the vascular cryptogamic." A gigantic plant of the fern species occurred in a vein of the Derwent mines, and again in the great Newcastle coal field. In both instances the stems were erect, in every respect as if their roots had remained embedded in their earthy envelope, and without any marks of diluvial action. This is the more remarkable in the latter habitat, as most of the fossil plants are there found in a horizontal position, confused, broken, and their parts far separated. These gigantic stems may be traced in a perpendicular direction through the stratum of sandstone on which the coal rests, striking their roots downward into a narrow seam ten inches in thick Hess, and terminating above abruptly in the main seam. Again, in the stratum forming the roof of the coal seams, large cylindrical masses of a substance quite foreign to the surrounding stone frequently occur. They are full of vegetable impressions, and encased in a thin coating of bright coal, very slightly attached to the surrounding stone. They are known to the miners by the name of kettle-bottoms, and are extremely dangerous, from their liability to fall when the coal beneath has been removed. Mr Bald has observed an analogous conformation in the Scotch coal fields, known by the name of pot, or cauldron bottoms. The form is pretty well indicated by their name, the mouth of the pot being turned downwards. Its sides are lined with coal from one-eighth of an inch to an inch in thickness, of quite a different texture from the coal in the adjoining seam, and frequently of the nature of glance coal. The cavity is filled up with a kind of fireelay, having a less admixture of sand than the roof-stone around. The miner knows that he is approaching these bottoms by the coal becoming twisted in its texture, and more difficult to work. They are equally dangerous and liable to fall with the English kettle-bottoms. It gene pro three feet; no branches were found, Its height was thirty-six feet; its chamber at the base, essayist ceeded, in the conclusion, to point out the bearing of these facts, as tending to strengthen the opinion of the vegetable origin of coal. He inclined to the hypothesis, that these combustible beds had originally been deposited as a in which other vegetables still grew; and felt himself kind of peat, formed from the remains of vegetables, and confirmed in this view by the appearance of the Newcastle coal-field, and the localities still affected by the remaining families of the class, which seems to have formed almost exclusively the vegetation of that early period. A conversational discussion ensued, relative to the paper just read, in which Drs Graham and Greville, and Mr Bald, engineer, took part. Some interesting facts, tending to throw further light on the subject, were elicited, of which the following are the most strikingThe huge size which these vascular cryptogamics of the early world seem to have attained, is paralleled by the growth of tropical ferns. The hypothesis of Brongniart, that their tropical developement in more northern regions may have been the result of a greater admixture of carbonic acid in the atmosphere, is inadmissible, inasble with the functions of the respiratory organs of these much as a greater proportion of that gas is as incompatiplants, as of animals. As little can it be accounted for by the greater activity of the central heat which seems then to have existed, unless we conceive this internal warmth to have increased activity of vegetation in the soil above an ignispread to the atmosphere. Sir H. Davy remarked an ted coal-seam; but branches of plants reared in a hothouse, which had been produced to the open air, had been found to keep time in their flowering and fructification, with the plants similarly exposed, and not with their parent stem remaining in the more genial temperature. It was further remarked by Dr Greville, and confirmed by the abrupt termination of the trunks piercing the sanda statement of Mr Bald, (as serving to throw light on stone, as soon as they reached the coal-seam,) that he had frequently seen the traces of the organic structure in coal previously been recognisable. Such pieces of coal he had evolved by the process of calcination, when none had uniformly found slightly waved, and with a fanlike cleavage. A communication from Dr Gillies "On the Ancient Peruvian Roads," and a paper by the Rev. Dr Scott of Corstorphine, "On the Hebrew Okrub, and the Scorpion of our Scripture translators," were next read, but the President the books which had been presented to the gave rise to no remarks. The Secretary then laid before Society since its last meeting. business before it, the Society adjourned. There being no more ROYAL SOCIETY. ༄༩་ཚེ་༅ཟླ་ཝཾ** Monday, 7th December. rally happens, that a piece of the stone which fills up the cavity adheres to the roof, which makes it probable that Sir WALTER SCOTT in the Chair. the trouble may go further up than is generally imagi- The Secretary read a communication from Mr John ed. It might be worth while to examine whether the Stewart, member of the Royal College of Surgeons, Lonpavement under the trouble is anyways altered in its don, entitled, "The formation of Sound explained on a structure, as is the case with the coal. Mr W. noticed the new principle; with some observations respecting the occurrence of the stigmaria of Brongniart, with, strong manner in which sounds are impressed on the organ of impressions of its leaves, in a limestone near Burntisland, hearing." The new principle, as developed in the first in Fife. This limestone has neither testaceous nor co-part of the essay, is, that sound is generated by the crearalline remains. He adverted, lastly, to the fossil plantation of a vacuum. This principle the author sought to discovered in 1826, in the sandstone, at Craigleith. A establish by the simple experiment of snapping the fingers specimen had been transmitted for Brongniart's inspec- beside a lighted taper. The flame is drawn towards the tion, who had as yet only found time to return a condi-fingers, indicating the formation of a vacuum, and a rush tionah answer. He believed it to be a section of a monocotyledonous plant. to According to the analysis of Mr Nicol, this plant contained arena of air to fill it up. He proceeded to corroborate his theory by showing its sufficiency to explain the generation of sound by thunder, by the explosion of inflammable mat→ ter, by the vibration of bodies, &c. &c. He finally as- A few days after the landing of the wounded, the ranged all sounds into four classes, each being determined squadrons received pratique that is to say, were released by the manner in which the sound was produced. He de- from the observance of quarantine-on which occasion clined entering into the question how sound, thus gene- the troops in garrison were out on the lines, and fired a rated, was transmitted, and proceeded at once, in the se-feu de joie, which was answered by a royal salute from cond part, to consider the manner in which it was im- every ship in harbour. As Sir Edward passed down the pressed upon the organ. His views on this subject he il- centre line of the squadrons, he was enthusiastically lustrated, partly by a demonstration of the structure of cheered from the yard-arms of every ship; and he stepped the ear, partly by the analogy of sight. No member of- ashore, on the Custom-house wharf, amid the deafening fered any remarks upon this Essay. The Secretary having shouts of the multitude. His appearance is at once noble reported the donations which had been made to the So- and commanding, and everywhere as he passed along he ciety during the vacation, it adjourned. was greeted with the loudest acclamations. SKETCHES FROM THE PORTFOLIO OF A THE ALLIED FLEET AT MALTA AFTER THE BATTLE OF I was at Malta when Codrington and the fleet returned thither from Navarino. The excitement created there by this action was very great. However men's minds might have been divided on the question which gave rise to it, there was only one opinion as to the gallant manner in which it had been fought-and this feeling prevailed over every other. The Maltese, almost universally, detest the very name of Greeks, and think nothing too bad for them. The measure, therefore, considered separately, was any thing but relished by them, particularly as, only a few days before, some Maltese vessels had been plundered off the very mouth of the harbour; and they would not allow themselves to distinguish between an individual act of aggression, and the character of a whole nation. When the Maltese do hate, they hate with bitterness, and to some purpose. Nor could all the atrocities committed upon the Greeks move their hearts one iota to sympathise with them. Notwithstanding this, however, as the vessels of the different squadrons entered the great harbour of Valetta, the bastion walls were crowded with all ranks of people, who cheered them as they passed, which was returned by the brave fellows, who had so nobly done their duty, from the yard-arm. The first vessel that entered was if my memory do not fail me a French 74, the Sirene, a beautiful ship, followed in rapid succession by the Genoa-in a most shattered state-the Asia, and the Albion-both of which appeared to have suffered much less and by the greater part of the rest of the Allied squadrons. The Genoa had only a few weeks before left the port in gallant trim, under the command of the brave veteran Bathurst; now she returned a mere battered hulk, having on board the remains of her much-lamented captain. As she passed under the walls, there was a waving of hats and handkerchiefs, but not a voice was to be heard a solemn and impressive silence was observed by all parties, which contrasted strongly with the previous cheering. Upon the arrival of the squadrons at Malta, the Lieutenant-Governor, the Honourable Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby, with the utmost promptitude, had the extensive Fort Ricasoli, at the entrance of the harbour, converted into a general hospital for the wounded. Their conveyance thither was effected in the most admirable manner. Nor can I pass over, without a tribute of praise, the conduct of the Maltese boatmen, whose assistance was required on this occasion. Not a sound was to be heard but the splash of the oars in the water; and the scene was altogether one of the most impressive I ever witnessed. The accommodation afforded to all in the hospital without the slightest shade of partiality towards our own men-reflected the highest credit on the authorities; and the attentions paid, with his usual ability and benevolence, by the venerable Dr Allen, late surgeon of the Naval Hospital, will be long felt by many a grateful heart. Fetes and rejoicings followed in rapid succession. The civil and military officers of the place gave a splendid ball and supper, at which hardly less than 1500 people were present. At a fete of this kind, where the invitations were so generally extended, a portion of the company was, as might have been expected, not very select, and a number of ludicrous incidents occurred. A certain class of the Maltese, who just barely come in for admittance to such assemblies, consider it their duty, on such occasions, not only to dispense with their evening meal, that they may the more enjoy the good fare of the supper, but also conceive themselves called upon to pocket a few sweetmeats for the children at home; and even sometimes delicacies of a more solid nature. On the occasion to which I allude, an elderly gentleman had been observed busily filling his hat with precious scraps of this kind, over which he carefully put his handkerchief, and was very quietly walking down stairs, when a young rogue of an officer, as if by accident, gave the hat a twitch, and out tumbled- -to the great amusement of the bystanders, Maltese as well as others the better half of a fowl, some exquisite slices of ham, and various et ceteras of a similar kind. I do not mean to represent these traits as national I have said they belong only to a certain class; and I "hate, abhor, detest, and abominate" the illiberal spirit that would take advantage of the eccentricities or the vices of a few, to ridicule or to lash a whole community. The Maltese collectively are a virtuous and meritorious people; and should my humble lucubrations by chance ever meet their eye, I should wish them to believe that the kindnesses I have met with from many of them are not forgotten. A French, a Russian, and a British squadron, assembled together in peace and harmony, was, indeed, a curious and most interesting sight; and it was not the less so, that very shortly before, the spacious basin of Valetta harbour had almost been entirely deserted. Now it was well filled, and the streets of the city were crowded. The appearance and character of the different seamen were well worthy of remark. In all respects, the British tar stood foremost-neatly and cleanly clad ip his dark-blue jacket, red waistcoat, white trowsers, and glossy hat. The French sailor wore a somewhat similar dress, but it was not nearly so trigly put on. Lastly, the Russians were dirty, greasy, and ill paid; but they all mingled together, and might be seen hugging and caressing one another in the open streets in the most loving manner. Going through the Marina gate of Valetta one day, I was witness to a curious meeting between a Jack-tar and a red-coat. "I hope," said Jack, "we ha'nt disgraced you? I hope we've done our duty? But hark ye, Mister Lobster, you see as how its the Admiral's orders that every sentry's to present arms to a British sailor; so come, old fellow, give us the salute!" On another occasion, some of these fellows treated themselves to a spree in the theatre. It happened that the " Turco in Italia" was performing, when, in the middle of the Primo Tenore's songs, the audience were startled with a rough voice from the gallery calling out, "Shiver my timbers, Jack! I thought as how we had smash'd all 'em 'ere Turks!—but blow me! if there a'nt more of 'em! Let me get down to that squalling chap; I'm blest if I don't make him pipe to another tune!" But there are better traits in Jack's character than the ludicrous. "I say," said one of them, meeting a Greek,- —“ I say, are you a Turk?" “No, no," said the man," Greco."-" So much the better for you, then; give us your fist, old boy!-a Turk would have felt the weight of my arm in another guess sort of way!" It was gratifying to observe, that these brave and generous fellows perfectly understood what they had been fighting for, and took a noble pride in knowing that it had been in the cause of justice and humanity: what otherwise was a Turk or a Greek to them? R. A. D. A LETTER FROM DR GILLESPIE CONCERNING ROBERT BURNS. 6th Dec. 1829. DEAR SIRAs you have already given publicity to an anecdote respecting Burns, which Mr Lockhart has honoured with a place in his third edition of the Poet's Life, I feel myself, if not called upon, at least encouraged, to supply you with one or two additional notices, equally authentic with the former. I have in my own possession, and I am acquainted with others who have, several unpublished poems of Burns, which, whilst they exhibit most forcibly the Poet's genius, are unfit for publication. But there is one production of Burns's every-way fitted for the public eye, and eminently characterised by his mind, of which I have never seen, and of which, indeed, I know that there has never been, any public notice whatever. The production to which I refer is a letter, written from Dumfries a few weeks before the Poet's death, to Mr James Clark, formerly schoolmaster of Moffat, and then Latin teacher at Arbroath, or Montrose, I forget which. With Mr Clark, who was afterwards master of the Grammar School of Cupar-Fife, I was most intimately aequainted, and have spent some of the happiest hours of my life in his company, both in the parlour, under the witchery of most admirable music, and by the Eden side, in fishing. Clark was an intimate friend of Burns, to whom he often played on the fiddle, and never spoke of Burns, particularly after dinner, without evincing deep emotion. Clark had corresponded with Burns, and I understood him to be in possession of more letters, written by Burns, than one; but to one only can I speak at present, as I do not recollect having seen any more. The letter was written in a most friendly style, addressed, My dear Clark," and ended with a request, which, at present, I am not authorized to mention. I believe it was Cromek-I know that it was somebody-who offered Clark ten guineas for this letter, which the holder very delicately, and perhaps properly, refused, as the letter contained matter of a private and confidential character. Not being at liberty to say any more at present on the subject of the contents of this letter than that it was pretty long, strongly and strikingly expressed, and full, in short, of the man, I can only refer you or Mr Lockhart to the heirs of Clark, who reside, I believe, at Dollar. Our mutual friend Tennant would be able, I am sure, if not to procure the letter, at least to ascertain what has become of it, and whether it may not, as in my humble opinion it ought, to grace your own pages, or at least those of the gifted editor of the Quarterly. 66 I may mention, in conclusion, (as Fielding says, where nothing is concluded,) that when a schoolboy at Wallenhall Academy, I saw Burns's horse tied by the bridle to the sneck of a cottage-door in the neighbourhood of Thornhill, and lingered for some time listening to the songs, which, seated in an iron chair by the fireside, Burns was listening to. Betty Flint was the name of the songstress. She was neither pretty nor witty, but she had a pipe of the most overpowering pitch, and a taste for song. She was the very woman for Burns, when disposed to have "song without supper;" in other words, to enjoy the THE great question about all actors and actresses is," Are they true to nature?" But the previous question may be moved, "What is nature ?" Tell the same story to two persons, and one will laugh and the other cry,-which is the more natural? The only answer is, that the laughter is natural to the one, and the tears to the other. Well, then, may not two actors act the same scene in two very different ways, and yet both be true to nature? Yes, but we are brought into this seeming dilemma by a sophistry, and to such sophistries the Socratic mode of reasoning (with reverence be it spoken) is peculiarly liable. What is one man's nature, is not another's; but as there is a standard of taste, or something approaching to it, so there is a standard of human nature, by which the civilized is distinguished from the savage being, and the different grades of refinement traced and appreciated. There are actors for the nature of the upper and lower galleries, actors for the pit,-and actors for the boxes. The actors for the one-shilling men have a one-shilling nature, and are true to it; but as one shilling is not so valuable, and may be more easily met with, than five shillings, so these actors are of a more common and less honourable order. There is a difference, too, between the nature of a comedian and tragedian. The polished comedian plays principally to that artificial nature usually met with in what is called "good society;" whilst the great tragedian, on the other hand, addresses the more unsophisticated feelings of the heart, delicate and acute as those feelings ought to be, both by temperament and education. The chief question, therefore, concerning actors and actresses, still is, " Are they true to nature ?” to that nature which they undertake to delineate, and by which they are to be judged. Be it observed, however, that an actor may be amazingly true to nature, and yet not a great actor. This latter point can be settled only by looking at the line of parts which he attempts. He who plays nothing but country bumpkins, has very different talents, or in other words, a very different nature, from him who plays such characters as Hamlet and Othello. It Descending from generals to particulars, were we to ask-" Is Kean's acting true to nature?" we should have to consider that his walk is the very highest in his profession; and that it requires, therefore, some boldness to answer the question; for he who does so, implies that he is entitled to make his own ideas of what high and lofty passion is, and should be, a fit standard to judge by. Nevertheless, the question is answered every night by all Kean's audience, not one of whom ever take it into their head to suppose that they are doing a vain thing. must be ever thus:-there is an invisible sympathy between the souls of men, which, if the right conductor is touched, will communicate itself to a vast multitude, with the velocity and simultaneousness of electricity. Let us take another instance then,--that which is more imme diately in hand, and which, indeed, has suggested these remarks:-" Is Miss Smithson's acting true to nature?" She also plays the first line in tragedy; but, in so far as we have seen, there is little or no sympathy between her and her audience. Why, then, the conclusion must be, that her acting is not true to nature. "But does she get no applause at all?" Yes; occasionally from the upper gallery. "Then she must have a one-shilling nature." Granted; but from her who plays the first line in tragedy, we want a just and delicate medium between a three and a five-shilling nature; or, in other terms, some 402 EDINBURGH LITERARY JOURNAL IDRIZIKW 5182 thing that will chart the pit and delight the boxes. In culiarly farcical subject, Phrenology, which will be brought one word, if our opinion be asked regarding Miss Smith-out immediately Miss Footes ten Miss Foote's ten gratuitous perform son, we pronounce her altogether a caricature. She is no apees commence to morrow evening. Dec. 8. with Lettis more capable of sustaining the first parts, in tra- Hardy, in the Belle's Stratagem; " T. P. Cooke gedy or comedy, than she is of enacting Harlequin, or of concluded his six similar representations of William, in dancing on the slack wire. Her style is a good deal like Douglas Jerrold's nautical melo-drama of "Black-eyed that of a respectable moon-struck milliner, who having Susan," on Saturday last, though he is engaged to play it seen, for the first time in her life, a play performed by a again for three more evenings this week. The career strolling company in a country town, immediately be- this piece has been as astonishing as it has been unparal comes stage-mad, and throws herself into grotesque atti-leled; it was written for the Surrey Theatre, to run its tudes, and speeches about daggers, and poison, and few nights and be forgotten, like something more thần love, and that sort of thing, to all the other female ap- ninety-nine-hundredths of all its contemporaries, manu prentices. There is no delicacy in her appreciation of factured to sail in those latitudes; and of its being played character, no grace in her execution of even the most for a hundred and fifty successive nights at the Surrey, simple passages. In her conceptions, there is now and then the following six at Covent Garden, and subsequentthen something like originality; but it is originality of ly the further announcement of the succeeding twelve at the coarsest and most vulgar kind; as, for example, her the Surrey, with its repetition on some of the same everlaying aside her black velvet robe, in the mad scene in ings at Covent Garden, making a total of one hundred and "Venice Preserved," and making her entrée in a white sixty-eight uninterrupted performances, its author himslip or under petticoat, black stockings, and shoes; and self says, and I, for one, most potently believe Had as the slip comes down only a little below the knees, the the individual who discharges the fireworks Vauxhall black stockings have a peculiarly fine effect. "But what, then, do you say to the Parisians?" Simply, that they are no rule to us; and that for the opinions of a set of claqueurs, who know about as much of English as they do of High Dutch, we entertain an exceedingly small respect. "Is she not a fine woman?" We know not what she was; but now she has grown fat and pursy, with a face like a muffin. Good Heaven! are the public such profound ninnies as to submit to trash like this? We are glad that in Edinburgh, at least, Miss Smithson is drawing no houses; and we consider it the duty of those who do go to split their sides with laughter. We give Mr Murray no great credit for bringing her here, for he must have known that her only chance of success arose from her having been talked of. To drug us at so short an interval with Miss Smithson in tragedies, which, only the week before, were supported by Macready and Miss Jarman, (the latter as much superior to Miss Smithson as light is to darkness,) was not the very happiest specimen of management. Should we be thought to have expressed our opinion of Miss Smithson severely, only say, that we have done so because others seem afraid to speak out, and because we are anxious to open the eyes of at least a portion of the public, to the preposterous stuff which she attempts to palm upon them for fine acting. Let Miss Smithson sink to her own level, and we shall never breathe another word against her. we can our readers Old Cerberus. seen one of his rockets, instead of gleaming a time, Kean's debut at Drury Lane, after coming to town purposely to befriend the rival house, agreeably to his premised offer, placarded all over London more than two months ago, was one of the most Irish methods of assisting Covent Garden that could possibly have been devised. His powerful aid was, however, never more needed than just now at Old Drury; his reception, maugre a little opposition from some, was most enthusiastic; the house was, for the first time this season, crowded, and his performance of Richard never more careful, or more energetic. Lord Glengall's new Comedy of the "Follies of Fashion," which, though now brought out at Drury Lane, was two or three years since in rehearsal at Covent Garden, has been praised very far beyond its deserts, and will never be either productive or popular; lines between them! Drury Lane's new pieces have, ineven the prologue and epilogue had not a dozen really good and some that is much interesting information, deed, been singularly unsuccessful this season; for, with generally known. SHIN THE DRAMA IN LONDON. the exception of Planche's very clever melo-drama of the "Brigand," and Buckstone's tolerably neat translation of "Snakes in the Grass," which, however, did not draw, molt bubur ndroi all the others, from Lister's dull tragedy of " Epicharis" London, Dec. 7, 1829. downwards, have been most decided failures. This, as I THANKS to the captivations of Fanny Kemble, Edmund wish equally well to "both their houses," I am sincerely Kean," Black-eyed Susan," and the Elephant from Fran- sorry for. This, however, is not the only error of Mr coni's, our London theatricals are, to adopt a commercial Price's management; for his reduction of the box prices, metaphor, once more "looking up again." Miss Kemble's when he erroneously and charitably concluded that Covent Juliet having now sustained the ordeal of eight-and-twen- Garden would either not open, or must follow his examty performances, with full houses, and unabated, or rather ple, was a blunder for which he never can forgive himincreased enthusiasm, to the last, her friends are pro-self, while he knows that the other house fills at the old bably justified in predicting a still more brilliant career for her Belvidera; in which character she is to appear, for the first time, on Wednesday next, Dec. 9, when "Venice Preserved" is to be produced, with new scenery and dresses, and the parts of Pierre and Jaffer are to be sustained by Mr G. Kemble and Mr Warde. Wade's long-talked-of new tragedy of the "Jew of Arragon" is consequently postponed for the present; though, with the true esprit de corps, and to keep his name before the public, he has since written a very lively farce, on that pe admission, and that he has thus needlessly thrown away one shilling per head upon every box visitors and this at a time, too, when his treasury necessities have required a reduction of five-and-twenty per cent upon all the larger salaries until after Christmas, then to be repaid, if fortunate. Lastly, though certainly not least, but biggest, I must tell you of Djelck, the Elephant, which was landed at Wallace's Dock Yard, Riband House, Black wall, about one o'clock in the morning of Friday, Nov. 27, when she |