he pleases to engage with: he may also, if he should throw his competitor, challenge again, till he himself is vanquished; and then the people on the opposite side chant the song of victory in favour of their champion. It frequently happens, that five or six rise from each side, and give challenges together, so that it is not unusual to see several sets en

gaged on the field at the same time. They preserve great temper in this exercise, and leave the spot without the least displeasure in their countenances. When they find that they are too equally matched, they desist by mutual consent; and if it does not clearly appear which of them has had the advantage, both sides proclaim the victory, and then they engage again. But no one, who has been vanquished, is permitted to engage a second time with the conqueror.

"Those who intend to box advance sideways, changing the side at every pace, having one arm stretched out before, the other behind; and holding in one hand a piece of cord, which they wrap closely about it, when they meet with an opponent. This is probably intended to prevent a dislocation of the hand or fingers. Their blows are dealt out with great quickness and activity, and are aimed principally at the head. They box equally well with either hand. One of their most dexterous blows is, to turn round on the heel, just after they have struck their adversary, and to give him another pretty violent blow with the other hand backwards. In boxing matches, unless a person strikes his antagonist to the ground, they never sing the song of victory; which shows that this diversion is less approved among them than wrestling. Not only boys engage in both these amusements; but it not unfrequently happens, that little girls box with great obstinacy. On all these occasions, they do not consider it as any disgrace to be overcome; and the vanquished person sits down with as much indifference as if he had never been engaged. Some of our people contended with them in both exercises, but were generally worsted."

It does not seem reasonable that Captain Cook's men should have proved equal to these Islanders in exercises which require practice to become expert in; and probably not one of his crew was either a scientific wrestler or boxer. Had that been the case, notwithstanding their different mode of procuring hold, we have no doubt the result would have been in this instance, what it always has been, when British prowess has fairly and equally been brought into action: nor would the superiority of a Belcher or a Cribb have been more conspicuous over these good natured Islanders, in the use of their fists, than the science of a Nicholson or a Richardson in vanquishing, even in their own manner of wrestling, the whole of their heroes in retation. From the preference given to wrestling, it is evident the natives of Tongataboo cou

sidered it as the less hurtful and dangerous to the combatants; and affording equal, if not superior scope for the display of personal address, activity, and quickness.-More anon.

SAGACITY AND FEELING OF A DOG.

During a severe snow-storm in Falkirk, a remarkable incident of the brute-reasoning kind occurred at a farm-house in this neighbourhood. A number of fowls were missed one evening, at the hour when they usually retired to their roost, and all conjectures were lost in trying to account for their disappearance. While sitting around the kitchen ingle, cursing all the "gangred bodies" who had been seen that day near the house, the attention of the family was roused by the entrance of the house-dog, having in his mouth a hen, apparently dead. Forcing his way to the fire, the cautious animal laid his charge down upon the warm hearth, and immediately set off. He soon entered again with another, which he deposited in the same place, and so continued till the whole of the poor birds were rescued. Wandering about the stackyard, the fowls had become quite benumhed by the extreme cold, and had crowded toge ther, when the dog observing them, effected their deliverance. They had not laid long before the glowing ribs ere they started on their legs, and walked off to their bawks, cackling the hen's march, with many new va riations, in thanks to their canine friend.

RANDOM RHYMES,

FROM W. L. R. TO HIS FRIEND PIERCE EGAN.
SUCCESS TO THEE ECAN tho' I am afar,
My wishes are with you, wherever you are;
Your name wakens visions of many a scene,
That I long ago number'd with things that have been:
Of moments, most dear to my mind, to my heart,
When night saw us meet, and the dawn saw us part.
Alas! ev'ry day is to me an apprizer,
That tho' growing older I'm not growing wiser;
Now far from the spot where I rambled with thee,
I sigh for the frolic, the fun, and the spree,
For the friendship that gave to exist ce its zest,
And the joke that ne'er carried a stin, with its jest.
I can't but remember (tho' far apart now),
That we've met at a mill-that we've shar d in a row;
That over the bowl we've forgotten our woes,
Drank success to our friends, and reform to our foes;
At many a scene of delight we have met,
That tho' sweet to remember, 'twere wise to forget.
You've launch'd a fresh bark on YOUR ocean, the Town,
Good luck be your pilot, your harbour-renown,
She's a trim little frigate, well rigg'd and with pride,
And unlike other vessels, she sails in Cheapside,
The tide of success bears her on, for who fails
When fame brings the breezes, and friends furnish
sails (sales).

My glass is o'erflowing! I drain it to thee,
And your prow that rides on Popularity's sea,
May fortune bring daily some port into sight,
In bliss may you swing in your hammock at night,
And be my life's breezes brisk, pleasant, or fierce,
From my heart I shall still say-SUCCESS TO THEE
PIERCE.

Scotland.

In our time we have seen nothing like JOHN REEVE; nor do we think from reading, or according to the report of our theatrical forefathers, any such actor has appeared on the English stage since the period of Nokes: in truth, the performances of the "Great Comic Lion" ought not to be termed acting it is not acting, but to call it impulse would be much neare the mark. The extravaganzas of John Reeve emanate from his mind; a mind of the liveliest description--the pun whcih presents itself he adopts without the

slightest hesitation; and, should a' comic incident' strike him during any of the scenes in which he is engaged, he risques all his well-earned fame, rather than let the opportunity slip through his fingers.

In the Court of FUN, John Reece has long been crowned "The Emperor,' without any dispute to the Title; indeed, in that respect, Jack is legitimacy itself! His staff! yes, ye Gods! his staff, although it does not elicit such harmonic sounds as Paganini's bow yet he flourishes it with such a triumphant air amongst his brethren of the Sock and Buskin, that he never fails to produce a variety of Capers!

;

If we cannot again quote Shakspeare exactly for our purpose, "Leave off your damnable faces and begin" we will say (supposing our

selves seated in the front of the theatre) coine forth Jack Reeve, and only show thy face to the audience, which will instantly produce roars of laughter, obtain lots of applause, and prevent any thing like an apology for this sketch:

Let me play the fool, With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come, And let my liver rather heat with wine, Than my heart cool with mortifying groans, Why should a man whose blood is warm within, Sit like his grandsire cut in alabaster,

Sleep when he wakes, and creep into the jaundice, By being peevish?

66

Our immortal Bard, in his advice to the Clowns, begs them to say no more than what is set down for them;" but Jack, funny Jack, irresistible comic Jack Reeve, is not particular to a shade in that respect, nay, some authors have averred that the "Great Comic Lion" has not given utterance to half their dialogue. Be that as it may, he has obtained for himself the character of an improvisatore actor; and under that title he thinks and says what will answer his purpose best; or what will tell most with the audience. With all his imperfections, it is said of him, that he does far more for his auther than nost other actors; and if he does not give the whole of their words-his substitutes, perhaps, are of far greater value to the writer than the omission of a few sentences. The very arms of Jack Reeve TALK to the audience; his legs also speak to them; his eye converses with the spectators all over the house; his nose looks unutterable things; and his checks are on the qui vive to communicate a few broad grins. His spirits likewise are in a ferment, and the effervescence of his wit may be seen to rise like sparkling champagne when Jack is about to "go it !" His teeth always chatter towards a comic purpose; his little finger when held out is full of meaning; and in pointing his toe, there is also eloquence attached to it. His lips, as a pendulum to the comic machine, display a magazine of good things; and the tout-ensemble is one of the finest pieces of fun, humour, drollery, laughter, eccentricity, talent, and character, ever concentrated in the human frame; or to be witnessed upon the boards on which Jack Reeve sports a toe; or on any other theatre in the world. Indeed he might exclaim as a broad Comedian :

I have no brother-1 am like no brother!
I am myself-ALONB.

In the character of Abrahamides, in ' Quadrupeds,' Jack Reeve is without a rival-the throne of the Flints is decidedly freehold property to him; but it might be too much to say it will descend to his heirs in regular succession. But no more of that-for himself, view. ed as a Bombastes Furioso' sort of touch, it is the grand climacteric of the art, and one of the richest things on the stage extant. Jack Reeve proves himself throughout the action a

flint of the fieriest quality-every touch produces sparks of intellect which set the actors in the scene with him all on fire with emulation; and the audience may be seen burning with impatience to applaud the blazing qualities of the Great Creature' at the conclusion of the piece.

As a dancer, he is light as cork upon his legs; and if Jack Reeve does not show the line of beauty, or that his movements are not of so fascinating and elegant a description as Vestris-a the late Mercandotti-a Ronzi Noblet or a Taglioni, he nevertheless steps into the good opinion of the audience in quick time, and frequently obtains an encore. Such a sure foot-ing does Jack Reeve make with the house in general.

In the burlesque drama, entitled the 'Lions of Mysore' (and which the preceding wood-cut so characteristically portrays), Jack Reeve showed himself off as a 'Great Creature' to all intents and purposes; whether with his head on or off his shoulders; or playing at 'all fours;' and if Tommy Hood will not think we are poaching too much upon his manner, by paying a visit to Punster's Hall to take a leaf or two out of his book, we should say, the very tail of the lion told a good story. The request of the lion to have twenty-four pounds of raw meat per day, and a lioness to sooth his cares, was modest in the extreme; and the gratitude of the managers ought to have been shown by allowing the aboveGreat Creature' to have Lumber Court for the supply of fish; Leadenhail-Market for a bit of hollow; Newgate-Market for the raw stuff; and Covent Garden as a make-weight to him for vegetables and fruit. In truth, the Managers could not do too much for such a Lion, whose roars' were not only of such immense service to the place, but produced 'ROARS' in return to the echo that applauds again. The above burlesque piece gave birth to the following impromptu :

THE MANAGER'S GAG.

Fun, gig, and humour, quite a feast-
Managers relied on ;

Chang'd their great actor to " a beast!"
Made RELVE-a comic Lion!

Loud Jack did roar, and us'd his paw-
The cause he did espouse;
That "necessity had no law,"

So he must have a Spouse! 1

Laughing JOHN BULL, pleased with the fun, Howe'er the Critics rail;

Great Houses brought-the Beasts' did run, With Jack Reeve's merry tail (tale)! 2

Which roar'd so loud, and look'd so grim,
His very shadow durst not follow him!"

But the climax of John Reeve's performances is to be witnessed in his Marmaduke Magog, the beadle of the parish, in the 'Wreck Ashore;' which representation, if it is not absolutely PERFECTION, it is the nearest thing to it that can be imagined or seen upon any stage. Indeed, communication of its excellence is totally impossible; and it must be seen to be duly appreciated. Report certainly goes a great way to elevate the merits of a painting, raise the character and abilities of an acter, and also to give importance to an orator in the House of Commons: but in several instances many persons have been disappointed by such high sounding panegyrics, and their anticipations never realized. Yet it is not too much to observe that, viewed as a display of genuine humour, it is the real thing, and nothing else but the real thing that Marmaduke Magog, as represented by Jack Reeve, cannot be OVER-RATED!

I'm a very knowing prig,
With my laced coat and wig,

Though they say I am surly and bearish:
Sure I look a mighty man,
When I flourish my rattan,
To fright the little boys,

Who in church time make a noise,
Because I am the Beadle of the Parish.

Here and there-every where,
Halloa, now!-What's the row?
Fine to do-Who are you?
Why zounds! I'm the beadle of the parish.

For the production of 'Broad Grins' and roars of loud laughter, it puts aside all etiquette and gentility in the boxes, and compels the haughty Exclusive to laugh as heartily as the illiterate and humble dustman, the first time that the latter was ever in a place of amusement. The simpering, smiling, refined, woman of the highest quality, who would scarcely separate her pretty rows of pearl to admit a single pea-Marmaduke Magog now makes the fine lady extend her elegant jaws with roars again, till she almost bursts her sides; breaks her lace in two, and leans back

3. A good account' from the Treasury renders a piece far more valuable in the eyes of the proprietor than the most flattering report in any of the journals of the day.

on the seat to recover herself from her exhausted state! Thus the woman of quality enjoys it with as much goût as the poor pot girl who clubs her pence together, until they amount to a white-headed Bob, to join the gods to see the play;' aye, the Wreck Ashore' is the thing that makes poor' Potty' shout again with delight; also clapping her hands together with the fun of the scene before her eyes; and, by way of conclusion, stamps her feet again and again to the ground to give vent to her pleasant feelings, which Marmaduke Magog has given to her heart. Such are the capabilities possessed by Jack Reeve in the funny department of the theatre, that even NIOBE, had she been seated for only a few minutes at the Adelphi theatre, her tears would have been dried up in a twinkling, and the scene of her grief changed to an immoderate fit of loud laughter.

In consequence of Mr. Rodwell, sen., father of the present George Rodwell, Esq., the celebrated composer, witnessing the performance of Jack Reeve, in Sylvester Daggerwood, at Mr. Pym's elegant private little theatre, Wilson Street, Gray's-Inn Lane, he requested Reeve to play Sylvester for him at Drury Lane theatre, on his benefit night, June 8, 1819. Jack immediately gave his consentupon which performance the Theatrical Inquisitor' thus observes :

"His imitations we do not hesitate to pronounce to be the best we have hitherto seen. They do not consist in the mere adoption of some single characteristic of an actor; they embody the whole of his peculiarities of voice, gesture, and manner-they identify the man

and you might almost persuade yourself he stood before you. The least striking were those of Liston and Harley. Of the latter he gave the tread and manner only, but could not touch his voice. The most perfect were those of Munden, Farren, Mathews, Kean, and D. Fisher. That of Munden, as Dozey, in Past Ten o'clock, was excellent. He comes much nearer to Kean than any one that has yet attempted it; and D. Fisher he perfectly identifies in his voice, action, manner-everything. We are yet inclined to give him more praise for his imitation of Mr. Farren than any other, because we conceive it to be the most difficult; Mr. Farren does not possess any broad peculiarity which can be easily seized on. His action is chaste, and free from all distortion; and therefore it must require a very close study to give any idea of his manner. This imitation was admirablewere we not too well acquainted with Mr. Farren, we should have thought him on the stage. Whether this gentleman's powers are confined to imitations, we are not in a situation to judge; we can never believe there is much genuine genius where this genius for imitation prevails; and yet we are inclined to suspect that the young man has in him some humour of his own. Before attempting any thing like D 2

a character, it will be necessary for him to ay an embargo on a pair of very long legs, which seem to have an irresistible inclination to run, jump, and dance away with him. We never saw any body but a harlequin display so much vivacity and agility on the stage. His person is never quiet; he is incessantly dancing and jumping round the stage-jumping over the chairs, tables, and even over the actors; and we were in some doubt whether he would not fly into the pit, or one of the proscenium boxes."

His performance not only proved such a decided hit, that Reeve consented to repeat it on the next night for the benefit of Mr. Lanza, but it also effected a complete revolution in ais future prospects in life :

This sort of mysterious announcement had the desired effect; the public were anxious to learn who Mr. ***** was, and a good house was the result. The following criticism appeared on the above performance.-"Much as we deprecate and regret the prevailing rage for imitation, justice to the author, the exhibitor, and the manager, will not allow us to be silent when merit appears, either in the piece or the performer. That such is the case in the present instance, in our opinion, does not admit of a doubt; and, although a writer in the Sunday Monitor informed us he considered the whole as 'very la la indeed ;' a declaration that does as much credit to his powers of expression as his critical judgment, we do not hesitate to pronounce Mr. ***** one of the best imitators of the present day, and the piece itself a pleasant little vehicle for the exertions of this whimsical mimic."

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, was received with great applause, but Reeve did not appear in any new characters until his benefit, when he performed Pedrillo and Crack, after the manner of Munden.

On the opening of the Adelphi Theatre, under the management of Messrs. Rodwell and Jones, in October, 1819, he appeared as Squire Rattlepate, in the Green Dragon, and Lord Grizzle, in Tom Thumb; and proved successful in both of them. At the close of the season he appeared at Cheltenham and Bristol.

But Mr. Reeve, who had afforded so much amusement to the public during his engagement at Bristol, in which city he proved an immense favourite; the life-blood of the theatre; the delight of every company he mixed with; and his home, his attractive home, the climax of all his happiness, in one little month was changed to a barren desert, leaving an awful chasm in his mind that nothing else but time, change of residence, and fortitude, could eventually overcome, by an unexpected reverse of fortune-which all the consolations of his friends could not reconcile him to his melancholy fate-the afflicting loss of his young and amiable wife, who caught a severe cold during her accouchement, from which she never recovered, and dying left an only son. For several years he did not recover from the severity of the shock; and when the bustle of the theatre was over, and he retired to his chamber alone, the unhappy circumstance preyed upon his feelings more than description can unfold :

Oh, no! it weakness ne'er can be,

When woe begone, to show our feeling!
To shed the sympathetic tear,

In mournful silence, o'er the bier
Of one so loved in memory,

Such grief, alas, there's no concealing!

At the Coburg Theatre he performed with considerable success; and in 1822 he returned to the Adelphi Theatre. In conjunction with Mr. Wilkinson, in an entertainment, after the manner of "Mr. Mathews at Home," called "Trifles light as air;" Mr. Wilkinson performing the dialogue part at the table; and Mr. Reeve a monopologue, called Bachelor's Torments, in which he sustained nine characters with the most decided success; the quickness with which he appeared in the characters, having to change his dress eighteen times, stamped him with the public as an actor of no common mould. In the course of the entertainment, Mr. Wilkinson having to fulfil engagements at other theatres, Mr. Reeve added to his reputation by performing the whole of the entertainment.

In 1826, Mr. Reeve was engaged at the Haymarket, and made his first appearance in Ralph, in Lock and Key, after twelve o'clock at night; but, nevertheless, his friends did not desert him, and his performance was highly successful; he performed a variety of characters: Caleb Quotem, Major Sturgeon, Buskin, Paul Pry, &c. Although not the original Pry, united with the great disadvantages of appearing in the above character-more especially upon the same boards where Liston had rendered himself so great, and deservedly a favourite in the above ludicrous, inquisitive hero-yet, nevertheless, John Reeve triumphed over the difficulties by which he was surrounded-first impressions. Reeve displayed great originality in the Paul Pry which he personified after his own manner and ideas upon the subject, nightly, with the approba