1776. Critiqne on the Managers of the Theatres. a modern critic; but barely difcufs it in the moft familiar language; withing rather to appeal to common fenfe, and the feelings of the general frequenters of the theatres, than to any abftract rules of judging, which are equally liable to be mifapplied or misunderftood. The great object of theatrical reprefentations, is in our opinion to amuse and inftruct; the means moft probable to attain it, is by good plays well acted. Inftruction and amusement being the end, and good plays and able performers the means; it follows clearly, that the first indifpenfable duty of the managers of both Houses, was, is, and ever will be, to faithfully difcharge it, by procuring both one and the other as far as lies in their power. This we take to be the corner fone of the fuperftructure we intend to raise. Have the managers, old or new, learned to be faithful and grateful fervants of the public? Have they discharged the truft reposed in them as caterers for the town? We boldly affirm they have not; but have fhamefully neglected and abused it. They tell you very gravely, that if good play-wrights do not offer themfelves, it is not their faults; that the valuable old pieces are obliged to be laid afide, on account of a dearth of good performers; that the few able performers they have, are so infolent and capricious, that they either refufe to play certain characters, or feign illness; and that they are reduced to the fad neceffity of working with the wretched material they have, or shutting up their doors. Thus fingfong, painting, and pantomime, are obliged to be fubftituted for the works of Johníon, Vanbrugh, Congreve, and the immortal ShakeSpeare. Let us then coolly examine the answers given to thofe feveral charges. They fay, it is not their faults if good pieces are not written. Is it not notoriously known, that the two writing managers, Garrick and Colman, banished all hopes of any author, who had talents for writing for the ftage, by their jealoufies, intrigues, and fpirit of favouritism? Was it not almoft as difficult to get on a vicce at either Theatre, as an office of one thoufand pounds a year at the cock-pit, unless the poor author came equally well recommended, through the means of fome celebrated favourite harlot, fome noble demi-rep, or fome great man; or unless he had the good fortune to worm himself into the good graces of the little great men, through fervility and adulation? Were not pieces of known merit repeatedly rejected; and the most vile, infipid farragoes of dulnefs and folly obtruded on the town, to compenfate the flatterer; or to comply with a powerful recommendation ? And finally, on this head, were not we reminded of the miferable ftate the English ftage was reduced to, and by whom, when we were night after night prefented with jubilees, proceffions, Chriftmas tales, mutila 509 tions, French tranflations, and a long fucceffion of noise, mummery, nonfenfe, and dulnefs, infinitely beneath the detailed animadverfion of the most patient or perfevering critic? They answer, that one of the chief reafons for a want of good performers, and the cathat our beft pieces are not oftener played, is price of fuch as are even tolerable. This certainly fuggefts two obfervations, which will at once prove the fallacy, as well as abfurdity of this defence. fingle reprefentation this feafon, as well as a One is, that every feries of years back, which failed to please, failed not from the weakness of the company, but from the abfence of fome one material performer; or through the ignorance, partiality, and favouritifm, which eternally direct the councils of the Green-Room, and the intrigues of the interior cabinet; for it is no fecret, that the monarchs of Drury and Covent-Garden have their favourites behind the curtain, as well as their drudges before it. that managers have it not in their power to It may be urged by way of apology further, command the attendance of the performers, it not being poffible to detect pretended bufinefs or illness, from real calls of fuperior duty or actual neceffity. This we allow has fomething plaufible in it; but if we recollect the many means of information managers have, firm, that if they thought proper to exert we may well venture with confidence to afthemselves, the town would not in the course of a whole feafon be materially disappointed fix times, They offer another reafon for the characters not being properly filled. Players, fingers, painters, whiftlers, and pantomimics, have not only their favourite plays, but favourite characters. Their articles are formed upon that plan. One man fays he muft pisy fuch and fuch parts, and specially covenants not to be compelled to perfonate fuch other characters. Thus, to continue our favourite fimile, one man who fhould be a Secretary of State, is only perhaps a Treasury Meffenger; and the man intended by nature never to rife higher than an humble Officekeeper, to fee the fires lighted, and the pens and ink fet in their proper place, is appointed perchance a Lord of the Treasury-and the town, as well as the nation, is infulted and impofed on. This is a mere flimly pretext: if young theatrical adventurers were encouraged; if fome of the established veterans were better treated; if fuch as are employed were compelled to an honest discharge of the duty they owe to their immediate employers, and their fovereign mafters the public; the favouritism and avarice of managers, the envy and caprice of performers, would never have reduced the English ftage to its prefent declining, and almost fallen ftate. But the whole of the managerial apology, may be thus explained by way of a public confeffion of faith. "We have not fufficient talents 510 Obfervations on the News-paper Critics. talents to difcriminate; and when we are to- If managers are avaricious and partial, the The new-spaper critics are another great caufe of the degeneracy of the ftage; for as the established morning papers are connected with the managers, this infect tribe are connected with the players, and now and then they have the honour of being noticed by the managers themselves.-Thefe hyper-critics are compofed of three defcriptions of menWe do not mean to fpeak of particular exceptions the managers, their flatterers, friendly acquaintance, and a few independent perfons.-Editors of papers, perfons connected with the fecond rate performers; and fcribblers looking for favours, or for a dinner, from every perfon concerned or connected with the theatres, from the managers down to the lowest frequenter of Jupp's, these are the authors of the theatrical critiques, or criticifms. The firft in general will furely praife the managers and abuse the deferving performers; and if the independents were capable of giving an able judgement, the news-paper printers would refufe their productions. The fecond clafs never tell truth; because they are bribed by orders, dinners, &c. to ftifle it, to abufe all young performers, and daub their benefactors. And the laft clafs, the most defpicable of all, fetting up without capital depend for all their information, on the underftrappers of both houfes; and of courfe, mifreprefent, abufe, extol, and blun der without end, and without mercy: they become the very echo of the noife, nonfenfe, envy, rancour, and fcurrility which they nightly hear, and thus ignorance is tranfmuted into vice, and mere hunger is undefignedly made the pandar of malignity. September. It cannot be worthy the attention of our readers, to give a chronological account and feries of the opening of the Houses, and of the different pieces that havebeen reprefented fince the commencement of the prefent feafon. It will fuffice, we prefume, to take notice of fuch of them only as more particularly deferve, in our opinion, public animadverfion. Drury-Lane opened with the New Brooms, and the other Houfe with News from Parnaffus. The author of the first had the prefumption to print, and the folly to put his name to it: his brother of the quill, equally dull, had more prudence and modefty, for this packet from Parnaffus has never offended yet, but in the representation. To enter into any examination of thofe fcraps of mummery, buffoonry, and low vulgar humour, is no part of our intention; it is enough, that they difgufted every perfon of tafte or difcernment on the firft reprefentation, the decent part of the pit and galleries on the second, on the third the very gods and goddeffes, and in a few nights they went out of existence, leaving behind them the delicious favour and remembrance, ufually excited by the natural extinction of a candle's end. The managers of Drury-Lane accompanied the Brooms with the tragedy of Jane Shore. The piece was well played. Reddish filled the character of Shore with a good deal of merit; and Smith was very decent in Haftings. Mifs Younge was capital in Alicia; and Mrs. Yates was tolerable, and but barely fo, in Jane Shore. She fhould never be thrust into a part, where the tender feelings of pity are to be excited, merely to collect a mob to look at her. Mifs Brown, after having been loft fome time to the public, in spite of her father, made her firft appearance in Leonora in the Padlock. We would recommend to this young lady, to recolle& herfeif; and not mistake the applaufe she received that night on her entrance, or afterwards in the courfe of her performance, in any light but the true one; that of encouragement, and to relieve her from that embarrass and diftreft, visible in her countenance and demeanour, and plainly perceivable by the failure of her voice, and her tremulous accents. The Beggar's Opera was played three or four times at the fame Theatre, towards the conclufion of this month, and the beginning of the enfuing, to very full houfes; but nothing but the unrivalled pipe of Catley could have made the performance endurable. Mattocks performed the part of Macheath, in the ftyle and manner of a maccaroni Officer of the Guards making love to his friend's lady, or amusing himself in small chat with a maid of honour. His wife played Polly, in the fame ftyle the plays Lady Racket in the 1776. The British Theatre. the farce of Three Weeks after Marriage. Mifs Brown fucceeded Catley in Polly, and filled the cells of Newgate with all the affected quavers and warblings of a firft ferious Signora at the Opera-Houfe. Catley fucceeded Mrs. Mattocks in Lucy; and looked as if the had juft made her escape not from Newgate as a domeftic inmate, but as if the was journeying thither, from her own settled or vagrant refidence in the Almonry of St. Giles's. In spite of all those otherwise damning circumstances, the melody, ftrength, variety, and harmony of her voice furmounted all difficulties, to the no fmall emolument of her employers. The tragedy of Matilda concluded the theatrical reprefentations at Drury-Lane for the month of September. The play was, as might be expected, tolerably performed. Mifs Younge is a very improving actress. She is certainly poffeffed of as juft a fenfe of her author, and has as clear conceptions, as any one performer on either ftage. That night prefented us a new Jerry Sneak. He was well received, and we think very defervedly, confidering it was a firft performance. At Covent-Garden the play of the Diftreffed Mother was well fupported, particularly by Mrs. Barry and Mrs. Hartley. Barry preferved his powers of voice aftonifhingly in Oreftes; but his infirmities have totally unfitted him for fo animated a character. The Fair Penitent was attempted at DruryLane, but was cruelly mangled. Mr. Reddish was very decent in Lothario, Bensley poor in Horatio, and Aickin horrid in Sciolto: Mrs. Yates, and Mifs Sherry, were little better in Califta and Lavinia. We were pleased to see Mifs Pope on her return from her Irish excurfion. She is undoubtedly a good fecond-rate comic actress; but we do not think her trip from DruryLane to Crow Street, has done her any effential fervice. She acquitted herfelf very well in Mifs Sterling, in the Clandeftine Marriage. King, as the familiar phrase is, was at bome in Lord Ogleby; and however Mrs. Hopkins might have thought herself at home in Mrs. Heidelbergh, we may venture to fay fhe did not feem to be at her brother Sterling's. As for the reft, we fhall do them a favour in being filent. In the fame House, the managers continued to ferve up Mifs Catley in her feveral favourite characters, in the Maid of the Mill, Love in a Village, Jovial Crew, Comus, Golden Pippin, Midas, &c. &c. which can only furnish an occafion to us, to make one material obfervation, which is, that when the pleafes to exert herself, we never remember to have heard one female finger fince our first acquaintance with the ftage, have a fuller, a clearer, nor a fweeter voice, except that of Amicis, who fung in the burlettas. Drury-Lane prefented us with Richard the Third, upon the credit which Mr. Smith 511 had gained by his performance of it at the other Houfe. We cannot fay, though we had never feen Garrick or Moffop's Richard, that we could be much pleafed with Mr. manlike, and decent in every thing he unSmith's. He has a good figure, is gentledertakes. When we allow that, we have faid all; he wants both feeling to be affected, them. In fine, in spite of all the partiality and powers to convey his feelings, if he had of his friends, or the ignorant prejudices of those who never judge but at fecond hand, than a frong union of judgement and inhis performance of Richard was little more genteel Comedy oftener; and not that coy dustry, unaided by nature. He fhould woo fifter of hers, who certainly holds Mr. Smith at the point of her lance. Mr. Ward, fon to the celebrated actress of in this month, in Romeo. He certainly is that name, appeared for the first time, early der talents, we have feen on either ftage for the most decent young performer, with flenfome years. conception of his author, and his knowledge We wish, however, that his felves more in his voice, emphafis, feelings, of dramatic propriety, had manifefted themand countenance, than in his drefs and exterior carriage. Notwithstanding all his imperfections, and the many things he has to learn and forget, he bids fair, with the aid bead the prefent tribe of fecond rate actors. of induftry, modefty, and perfeverance, to It may be asked, where are the first rates, fuperannuated? now that Garrick is retired, and Barry is 08. 28. We had proceeded thus far in our general obfervations on managers, players, authors, news-paper critics, and newspropofed to be pursued by the managers of paper printers, when by the proper measures both Houses, and the conduct of players in confequence of the refolution taken by their principals, we have fome reason to expect, that the adminiftration (if it may be fo called) change for the better. In this expectation, of our theatres, is on the eve of undergoing a vented from proceeding to the completion of we look upon ourselves in fome measure preour intended plan. All we fought was amendment: That is in part begun. The managers are not fparing of their promifes, nor terim, we mean to fufpend hoftilities, till we we of applauding or caftigating. In the inare enabled to judge whether our filence may not degenerate into a mistaken lenity. We that the managers of Covent-Garden fhall are permitted to fay no more at prefent than, be forgiven their old faults; that the managers of both Houfes fince the commencement of the prefent feafon, fhall be forgiven their new ones; and, that there is nothing we more fincerely defire nor hope than, that our obfervations for the month of November, may with juice abound with well founded panegyric, inftead of just cenfure. PAR An Abftrat Hiflory of the Proceedings of the fecond Seffion of the fourteenth Parliament of Great Britain. Continued from our Magazine for the Month of September laf, p. 464. TH HOUSE OF COMMON S. HIS day Mr. Alderman Wilkes moved the House, that leave be given to bring in a bill for a juft and equal reprefentation of the people in Parliament. He stated the grounds of his motion with equal perfpicuity and precifion, and fupported the neceffity there was for bringing the conftitution. back to its firft principles, by facts the moft clear and indifputable, by reafonings the most juft and conclufive, and on motives the most urgent and judicious be was feconded by Mr. Alderman Bull. The debate was but of fhort continuance, and not feeming to be relished by any fide of the Houfe, the motion went off without a divifion. The great importance of the quef. tion, as well as the teftimony we have juft given in favour of the facts, fentiments and opinions of the gentle man who made the motion, make it neceffary that we should not pass it by entirely without notice and animadverfion. He proved from undoubted documents, as well from the journals of Parliament, as from the records of the boroughs, which he particularly pointed at, that during the celebrated conteft in the year 1741, between Sir Robert Walpole and his opponents, the three highest and cofeft divifions that ever happened in a British Parliament, happened in that year; the first of which was 253 to 250, the next 236 to 235, and the last 244 to 242. From whence he drew this obvious deduction, that on the most severe truggle, 254 was the majority. He next proved by the most accurate computations made by perfons who had particularly confidered and enquired into the fubject, that 254 of the members of that Houfe are actually elected by no more than 5723 perfons. His reasoning on these unquestionable facts went fhortly to this, that all the important powers exercised by the repre * Doctors Price and Davenant, fentative body of the people, were derived from a number of constituents confiderably under 6000, by which means those who had a direct infiuence, or a real representative property or power of returning members, who were infinitely a fmaller number, had in fact the efficient control and direction of the whole Commons of Great Britain. And concluded by demonftrating on every conftitutional ground, every motive of good policy, and every principle of good government, the neceffity there was for preventing fo fmall a number of perfons to have it in their power to facrifice the interests of the whole British empire, to their own views of faction, ambition, or self interest. This is a fhort sketch of what this gentleman threw out on this very important question. No attempt was made to answer him feriously. The minifter, it is true, endeavoured to throw thewhole into a ridiculous light, from which, we think he would have acted more judiciously, had he totally abftained; for let parliamentary proftitution he ever fo warmly encouraged and earnestly cultivated in private, we can hardly think it decent in the perfon who is fuppofed to conduct the national affairs, to publickly declare that our reformer "would find it no eafy task to prevail on those who had an interest or property in the boroughs, to facrifice either to ideal fchemes of reformation and political perfection". Such was the fubftance of what he said by way of reply. On this, as well as on every other occafion, whatever may be the fecret or perfonal motives of fuch as propofe any matter which promises to be of public benefit, we thall confider the propofition diftinctly from its author; and try it totally by its own intrinfic value. In this view therefore, we do not hesitate to declare, that. Mr. Wilkes's facts, reasonings and conclufions and Poftlethwaite and Burgh. PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY. 1776. conclufions were equally juft and unanfwerable; but we at the fame time are perfuaded that like thofe of his brother citizens they were intirely ill-timed and out of feafon. Although it may be a very juft precept in religious matters, it is not fo in political; for nothing can more effectually hurt a caufe than urging and preffing it, when there does not exist the moit remote probability of fuccefs. Queftions of this kind lofe their novelty, when often repeated; and we entertain a better opinion of that gentleman's judgment and fagacity than to fuppofe he wants to be told, that fchemes of innovation or reformation, when they want novelty, become in fact deprived of one of their strongest recommendations. The alderman's conduct recalls to our memory a celebrated motion made by Sir Francis Dashwood (now Lord Defpencer) in the very zenith of the late rebellion, for inferting a paragraph in the addrefs, in anfwer to the fpeech from the Throne, as a foundation for bringing in a penfion, place, and triennial bill. We do not however pretend to fay, that the cafes are exactly alike in all their circumftances, for at the former period, we had a rebellion raging in the very heart of the kingdom; whereas the prefent civil war is at least at three thousand miles diftance. But if Mr. Wilkes was unfeafonable in his motion, the minifter's vein of humour was no lefs ill-timed, than his reasons were fophiftical; for it could be easily fhewn, that if there were no other objection to the paffing a law, "for a more equal reprefentation of the people in Parliament," than barely the refiftance the law would meet with from fuch as had an intereft or property in the rotten boroughs; an equivalent confiderably less than the amount of the extraordinaries of one American campaign, would amply compenfate fuch of the borough owners only, as have an actual property in them, as well as the foil; and might be a fafe beginning of a reformation by way of experiment, that would in the end lead to the most falutary, wife, and conftitutional purpofes. To difmifs this article in the parliamentary cant of St. Stephen's chapel. The alderman's motion may be well Oct. 1776. *Alderman Oliver and the Lord Mayor. 513 called a political fquib, and the minilter's answer a political cracker. Mr. Temple Luttrell now rose and entered into a kind of controverfy with a member of the other Houfe (fuppofed to mean Lord Sandwich) who it feems as he conceived had flatly contradicted feveral of his affertions in debate, and perfonally alluded to his mifreprefentations of the ftate of the navy. He faid, he would maintain the veracity of his former affertion, that the noble perfon had pofitively denied, with the most confum-, mate effrontery, that any vagrants had been admitted aboard the king's fhips, and had recourse to the miferable fubterfuge, when a noble Duke (Duke of Richmond) produced the minute books of the laft feffions for Hampshire of protefting: though this was a proof of commitment on the part of the magiftrates, it was no proof of their having been received aboard any of his Majesty's veffels. He then mentioned a list of the vagrants names, delivered by the gaoler at Gofport, on board his Majefty's frigate Greyhound, Captain Dickfon, lately failed for America. He reprehended in the most pointed and fevere terms, the fupercilious confidence with which the fame noble lord contradicted the most notorious facts and fupported thofe falfhoods with repeated affertions equally ill founded and untrue. He then fhewed the very weak and defenceless state of the nineteen guard fhips, the prefent complements of which did not amount to 6000 men, whereas, their war eftablishment, to be fit for action, would require 12000. This deficiency he infifted could not be made up on an emergency of open hoftilities with any foreign power, without being obliged to difman at least a thousand trading veffels of different forts, for that raw men taken from the plough, the fpade, or from mechanic occupations, or menial fervice, would never anfwer for the manning of a fleet, deltined for the relief of Gibraltar in cafe of a fiege, to protect Ireland, or to defend our own coafts. He then entered into a very accurate ftate of the French and Spanish navy. He faid by the latter end of the month of April, they would have ready for actual fervice in the Mediter3 U ranean See their Motions in our Magazines for the Months of March and Augufl laft. |