for metropolitan histrionic honours, for the latter. Voltaire tells us, that Lord Bolingbroke used to remark to him, that we had not one good tragedy in our language, but that to recompense this we had wonderful scenes in our monstrous plays.

To inquire into the origin of this opinion would be here unprofitable, and to discuss the truth of the proposition here misplaced. The remark is, in our opinion, not inapplicable to this tragedy of Otway. Venice Preserved is not a great tragedy, but contains wonderful scenes. The very conjugal love of Belvidera and Jaffier is tinged with the same grossness which predominates in the character of Renault, Pierre, and the Senator, and the intellectual dignity of female affection is degraded into womanish fears and vulgar pleasures. Mrs. Radcliffe's description of Otway's picture well illustrates his tragedy, when she says "he seems as if dissolute habits had overcome all his fine feelings, and left him little of mind except a sense of sorrow." The treason of the conspirators fails in that dignity which is requisite to excite sympathy; and the character of Jaffier, in that consistency of truth which claims compassion for misfortunes. The heroism of Pierre is vulgar swaggering, and his contempt for the villainy of mankind cannot find utterance unaccompanied by impurity. The attachment of Belvidera to Jaffier proceeds more from a fear of what may be his situation when left alone, than from the intensity of woman's love. Otway has connected the ideas of selfishness or of animal enjoyment with all his characters, and made pathos proceed from an apprehensiveness of evil. The skill displayed in the structure of the plot, the incessant action of the chief characters, and the beauty of the poetry of the principal scenes, are sufficient to rivet attention to the progress of the play, and to account for its continued popularity. The arduous task of personating Belvidera was assigned to Miss Helen Faucet. She is a clever girl, and is calculated to become a good, although not a great actress. Any want of originality she endeavours to atone for by the study of the best models; unable to astonish by any burst of genius, she often charms by her unaffected simplicity and freedom from mannerism: a slight inclination to rant in stormy scenes may be almost forgiven by the tenderness of some more quiet passages. Her face, which is serious and mournful, is well adapted, for tragic parts; her person is graceful-in deportment we could spare a little of the stalk of the tragedy queen, or rather, the swelling of the artificial school. Her voice, although not capable of uttering dulcet strains, is not unpleasant, and possesses considerable power. Her range of parts, we should say, lies between the Imogens and the Juliets, and the Volumnias and Lady Macbeths; she wants freshness and beauty to adorn the former, and severity and dignity to represent the latter. She is consequently admirably suited for Belvidera. In tones of exquisite tenderness, in gently heaving sighs, and in relieving tears, Miss Faucet was exceedingly touching. The horror she displays on learning that the conspirators would not even spare her father, was powerfully conceived, and well portrayed; the mental superiority which she displays over Jaffier throughout the whole scene in which she induces him to discover the plot, was a fine piece of acting, and bating the physical violence, her appeal to Jaffier, “Don't, pr'ythee, don't, in poverty forsake me," was one of the most thrilling exclamations we ever heard issue from a female mouth. She was also eminently successful in the interview with her father, Priuli. We are inclined to think her mad scene a failure; it is deficient of reality-her madness was too ideal. Miss Faucet was indifferently supported. The Jaffier of Mr. G. Bennett was an offensive piece of acting. The temptations which this part offers for violent transitions, were irresistible to this gentleman: he reminded us of an account which Gray, in a letter to Dr. Warton, gives of a university orator at a Cambridge installation, "Our friend's zeal and eloquence surpassed all power of description. Vesuvius in an eruption was not more violent than his utterance, nor (since I am at my mountains) Pelion, with all his pine trees in a storm of wind, more impetuous than his action, and yet the senate house still stands." The applause which attended Mr. Bennett's terrific efforts, would almost induce us to extend the comparison from the actor to the audience, and again join the poet when he adds, "I dare swear, not three people here but think him a model of oratory." Mr. Dale was a loud, dashing, ranting Pierre, and boldly contested with Mr. Bennett for the honour of bawling loudest; his early scenes were destitute of intermingled humour, and, as the play advanced, we ob served little to praise.

The Stranger has also been produced, Miss Faucet playing Mrs. Haller, and Mr. Dale the Stranger. The performance of the latter in this character was more subdued and chaste, and discovered some touches of fine feeling in those passages where the author has condescended to adopt the language of nature. Miss Faucet

was an inadequate representation of Mrs. Haller, and for her own sake we rejoice at this. Why does not Cumberland's Wheel of Fortune entirely supersede this piece of absurd and mawkish sentimentality, in which, as it has been well remarked, they do things by contraries, and transpose nature to inspire sentiments, and create philosophy. A new piece, entitled Don Juan of Austria, an adaptation from the French of Delavigne, has also been produced here successfully-owing rather to the excellence of the performance, than the merits of the play. It is one of those nondescript dramas, without moral or object, affording no scope for powerful, and little opportunity for bad, acting, which have done so much damage to the English stage of late years. We cannot account for the success of the original at the Théatre Français, unless the taste of our neighbours be more deteriorated than our own. The tribute paid to the gods by the translator, in introducing the part of Peblo, materially aided its success.

The Easter piece, Zazezizosu, is excellent after its kind, and is exceedingly attractive.

THE ENGLISH OPERA HOUSE.—Mr. Arnold's old company have formed a republic, and conduct this theatre for their own benefit, and truly, democratic government here appears likely to turn out more successful than the old monarchical institution. Mrs. Keeley, Mrs. Nisbett, Mrs. F. Mathews, Miss P. Horton, with Wrench, Serle, Williams, and Oxberry, nightly draw fashionable and crowded audiences, and most deservedly. We have rarely witnessed any thing more natural, unaffected, and simple than the performance of Mrs. Keeley in Lucille-she is pathetic without effort, and highly-wrought without being overstrained. The acting of Mr. Serle forms a strong contrast with the nature of Mrs. Keeley. Mr. Williams, to whom sufficient justice has not yet been done, was eminently successful in the part assigned to him. We enjoyed a hearty laugh at our old friends, Wrench and Oxberry, in A Day Well Spent, as London shopboys-their humour, in spite of the puns, is quite irresistible. Mrs. F. Mathews also sustained the part of a disagreeable old maid, anxious to be married, admirably. We regret that the author, Mr. Oxenford, should limit the exercise of his powers merely to quizzing metropolitan manners; why does he not satirize the evils and absurdities incident to general society: his humour is too mercurial; when once it escapes, he has but little command over it. We trust Mrs. Nisbett's engagement is not limited to male characters-we wish she would learn how much better she acts and looks in female attire.

THE COMMERCIAL RELATIONS OF THE COUNTRY.

It would seem, whether we look at our foreign commerce, or at the internal trade of this vast empire, that we have come to a pause, that we have arrived, as it were, at the apex of our prosperity, and that, miserable reflection, if we do not succeed in keeping ourselves stationary, elevation is out of the question, and any alteration at all, must be that of descent. In this sort of lull, there is room for very little remark. We are of opinion, that a severe blow is preparing for our manufacturing interests, in the simultaneous and almost universal attempts of the continental powers to become themselves as manufacturing as we, and which instead of admitting our goods into their own markets, are ever solicitous to discover markets for their own manipulated productions. In this combination, for combination it is, Prussia is significantly taking the lead; indeed, all the northern powers are, in the same manner, thus striking at the most vital springs of our prosperity, and young France, fraternized as she is with our Whig government, repudiates our tender of reciprocity, and heaps contumely and scorn upon its very humble organ, he of the manifold languages. All manner of agricultural produce is now at that low price, that will not remunerate its producers-not because there are no consumers, but because, among other influences, those consumers, or the majority of them, are learning a lesson of the Irish peasant, to live upon refuse, and drown their misery in cheap intoxication. In the short notices that we give

upon the subject, detail would be inapposite, but really, we know just now of no class of men being superfluously prosperous, excepting Whig commissioners-even the lawyers cease to reap abundant harvests.

MONEY MARKET REPORT.-In the beginning of last month, April, for the first week, Consols scarcely varied one quarter per cent, and the closing account was 913. However, there was much fluctuation in the Peninsular securities, as much as between four and five per cent. In general, also, the share market looked up, the Greenwich railway in particular being at eleven premium. Towards the middle of the month, Consols improved so far, as to reach 92. There was also a great improvement in the Portuguese securities. At the latter end of the month, the English securities preserved their firmness, and the Spanish bonds were forced up so high as 49. There was no great alteration in share speculation, and none of them have as yet reached that undesirable crisis-a crash. The above is the state of the funds on Wednesday 27th.

BANKRUPTS.

FROM MARCH 22, TO APRIL 23, 1836, INCLUSIVE.

MONTHLY METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL.

Kept at Edmonton. Latitude 51° 37′ 32′′ N. Longitude 3′ 51′′ West of Greenwich.

The warmth of the day is observed by means of a Thermometer exposed to the North in the shade, standing about four feet above the surface of the ground. The extreme cold of the night is ascertained by an horizontal self-registering Thermometer in a similar situation. The daily range of the Barometer is known from observations made at intervals of four hours each, from eight in the morning till the same time in the evening. The weather and the direction of the wind are the result of the most frequent observations. The rain is measured every morning at eight o'clock.

Raining generally all the morn., otherwise clear Evening clear, otherwise cloudy, rain in morning ,025 Morn. clear, otherwise cloudy, little rain in even ,2 Raining generally all the day.

,075 Morning clear, otherwise cloudy.

,075 Generally cloudy, rain in the morn. and evening ,225 Generally clear.

Snowing and raining generally all the day. Generally cloudy, snow & rain in the aft. & even.] Even, clear, otherwise cloudy, heavy showers of ,025 Generally clear. [hail & rain moru. & even.

NEW PATENTS.

W. G. Scarth and R. Scarth, both of Leeds, Yorkshire, Dyers, for manufacturing or preparing of a certain substance for blue dyers from materials not hitherto used for that purpose, applicable for dyeing blue and other colours. February 25th, 6 months.

J. Barron, Brass Founder, and E. Thomas, workman to J. Barron, both of Birmingham, Warwickshire, for improvements on bedsteads and apparatus to be used with or for bedsteads. February 25th, 6 months.

R. W. Sievier, of Henrietta Street, Cavendish Square, Middlesex, Gentleman, for an improvement in the means of dissolving and preparing caoutchouc or Indiarubber for various purposes. February 27th, 6 months.

J. Martin, of Charing Cross, in the Parish of Saint Martin in the Fields, and City of Westminster, Gentleman, for an improvement in dissolving and preparing caoutchouc or India-rubber, to render it applicable to various useful purposes. Communicated by a foreigner residing abroad. February 27th, 6 months.

W. Bates, of Leicester, Fuller and Dresser, for improvements in the process of finishing hosiery and other goods manufactured from lamb's wool, angola, and worsted yarn. March 8th, 6 months.

C. Schafhautl, of Sheffield, Yorkshire, Gentleman, for improved gear for obtaining a continuous rotary action. March 8th, 6 months.

A. T. Merry, of Birmingham, Warwickshire, Metal Dealer, for the application of certain white metal plated to certain manufactures to which it has not hitherto been applied. March 8th, 6 months.

J. Morison, of Paisley, North Britain, Manufacturer, for an improvement on the Jacquard machine, and on what is called the tens box lay, and in the reading and stamping machines used in making shawls and figured work. March 8th, 6 months.

J. G. Hartley, of Devonshire Street, Bishopsgate Street Without, in the City of London, manufacturer of caoutchouc, for improvements in preparing or manufacturing caoutchouc or India-rubber for various useful purposes. March 8th, 6

months.

J. Godwin, of Cumberland Street, Hackney Road, Middlesex, Piano Forte Maker, for an improvement in the making or construction of piano fortes. March 8th, 6 months.

B. Simmons, of Winchester Street, in the Borough of Southwark, Surrey, Engineer, for certain improvements in retort mills and other chemical apparatus, and the machinery connected therewith, and by the use or employment of which various processes can be more speedily, conveniently, and economically performed. March 8th, 6 months.

G. H. Palmer, of the Canal Grove, Old Kent Road, Civil Engineer, for an improvement in the purification of inflammable gases, and an apparatus by which the improvement is applied, such other apparatus being also applicable to other useful purposes. March 8th, 6 months.

C. Guynemer, of Manchester Street, Manchester Square, Middlesex, Professor of Singing, for certain improvements in piano fortes. Communicated by a foreigner residing abroad. March 8th, 6 months.

G. Lawrence, of No. 9, New Bond Street, Saint George's Hanover Square, Middlesex, Dressing Case Maker, for a certain improvement in the screws used in fastening the mouths of mounted inkstands, perfume, liquor, and medicine bottles, also in fastening the mouths of jars and tumblers, used for paste, salve, powders, preserves, and other purposes. March 8th, 2 months.

J. Diggle, of Bury, in the County Palatine of Lancaster, Engineer, for certain improvements in steam-engines. March 8th, 6 months.

C. Watt, of Clapham, Surrey, Gentleman, for certain improvements in preparing, purifying, and refining tallow stuff, fatty materials, and animal and vegetable oils, for various useful purposes. March 8th, 6 months.

J. Masters, of Leicester, Leicestershire, for an improved essence of anchovies. March 8th, 6 months.

J. Chalklen and T. Bonham, of Oxford Street, Middlesex, Water Closet Manu