J832.] The Drama. 359 



course must find a great number of admirers among the patrons of the noble art 

 of self-defence. The band decidedly had the worst of it, and was punished ex- 

 cessively. 



- Of the music of the Opera we humbly abstain from giving an opinion, for se- 

 veral reasons. One thing, however, we are rash enough to predict that Mo- 

 zart, Weber, Spohr, Rossini, Auber, &c. whose fame was threatened with in- 

 stant annihilation, upon the appearance of the diabolical prodigy, may now rest 

 satisfied that they have fortunately escaped such a terrible fate. It is asserted that 

 vast sums of money have been lavished on the production of the two Devils at the 

 two houses ! Drury Lane is said to have paid higher prices for its Devils than 

 for its quadrupeds and other beasts the Lions of Mysore were mere babes to the 

 demon attendants. The public, certainly, is very unjust to complain, after this, of 

 the degeneracy and decline of the national Drama, when the ingenuity of ma- 

 nagers is ever upon the stretch to provide them with monsters of the rarest de- 

 scription. 



TJie Self -tormentor, or, Mr. William Farren, in two acts. Such was the title 

 of a piece ascribed to the veteran Kenny, which just hailed the light, and was 

 withdrawn after the second night. Kenny is a man that can very well afford to 

 sustain a failure his dramatic fund is rich, and we shall be much astonished 

 if, ere long, the public does not draw largely upon his stock for many an even- 

 ing's amusement. 



Some harmless little trifles have been acted at a place called Rayner's theatre. 

 Who is Mr. Rayner ? Is he any relation of the great Rayner family ? We 

 candidly confess our ignorance of the many great unknowns about town. For- 

 merly theatres were denominated after their locality, or after illustrious persons. 

 We have made progress in this respect. Madame Vestris set the example which 

 Mr. Rayner is endeavouring to emulate. We have been told that we are to 

 have Mr. Coveney's theatre Mr. Paulo's theatre Mr. Ellar's theatre, and 

 theatres by all the supernumeraries and scene-shifters, that are devoured by a 

 noble ambition for promoting the histrionic art ! 



The Olympic announces two entirely new and original Burlettas from the 

 French ! We believe that this time the two laureates of the establishment have 

 no finger in the pie. Can this be possible ! We have heard that the " GarricJc 

 Club" intend to award a gold medal to Madame Vestris, for her long services 

 and multifarious merits in promoting the cause of the Drama, and more parti- 

 cularly the patrons thereof. Signer Zerbini is to present the medal, he having, 

 with the true magnanimity of a fiddler, kindly consented, for this night only, to 

 waive the little coolness existing between himself and the fair proprietress, aris- 

 ing from his late summary expulsion from the fiddling department of the 

 Olympic. 



Francis the First is underlined at Covent Garden theatre. Public expectation 

 has been much raised concerning this tragedy, and certainly, considering all the 

 circumstances of the case, no modern dramatic production has been brought 

 forward with greater claims to enlist in its favour the sympathies of the public. 



Ecousse and Lebras, two young romantic writers the former the author of 

 an absurd drama, called " Farruch-Le-Maur," a piece which was welcomed with 

 very injudicious praise, committed suicide at Paris, because a new melo-drame 

 of theirs, " Raymond, " failed at the Theatre de h Gcnte. We trust the 

 Board of Health will not vote this disease contagious, for the number of suicides 

 would indeed be alarming. If bad writers are to slay themselves after this 



fashion, in the name of common sense, what is to become of Messrs -? 



Let the reader choose his victims. 



Surrey Theatre. The question between the " Majors and Minors" is placed 

 in a very favourable light, by the contrast presented between the style of the per- 



