5*24 THEATRICAL REVIEW. 



but she'll have me, I know.* The licence was made out, and she did have 

 him, and what's more she's got him now ; and / never had any of the four 

 hundred pound, worse luck. Beg your pardon, Sir," said Sam, when he had 

 concluded, " but ven I gets on this here grievance, I runs on like a new barrow 

 vith the vheel greased." 



Lays of Poland, by the author of the " Sea-wolf." 8vo. pp. 48. 

 Smith and Elder. 



THIS little pamphlet consists of eight pieces of poetry, all corrected with the 

 unsuccessful struggles of Poland. We need scarcely say that such a subject 

 ought to arouse the spirit of the highest poetry. To entertain the sentiments 

 of an indignant patriot is one thing ; to express with fitting dignity and pa- 

 thos is another. The author entertains high and noble sentiments on the sub- 

 ject of ill-fated Poland ; and he is not deficient in those qualities of mind and 

 language which constitute the true poet. " The pyramid of bayonets" and 

 Remona very different in subject and style are, we think, the best of these 

 effusions. 



By the way it may be a propos to notice here " The Anglo Polish Harp." 

 The pieces in this book are termed poems. We spare their author and hope 

 that they may speedily pass to oblivion. 



THEATRICAL REVIEW. 



COVENT GARDEN. The "cheap" theatre was the first in the field, 

 having added to its wretched and ineffective company three actors of 

 various degrees of talent : Macready, W. Farren, and C. Kemble; 

 the latter of whom was suffered to afflict the town with his feeble 

 personations of " Macbeth" and " Hamlet." The cast of the other 

 characters in these sublime tragedies was quite in keeping with the 

 mediocre performance of the hero nothing could be worse. But as 

 the theatre is the cheap one, we take it for granted the manager had 

 made up his mind they were quite good enough for the low priced 

 audience assembled to witness them. Suffice it to say, the mouthing 

 of Mr. G. Bennet was relieved by the inanity of Mr. Pritchard, while 

 Mr. Tilbury strutted as the representative of Polonius, working away 

 with all his might to render the venerable gentleman a rich bit of 

 low comedy and buffoonery. 



That the authorship of the theatre might harmonize as thoroughly 

 with the peculiar excellencies of the company as possible, " the Eng- 

 lish Victor Hugo/' as Mr. Fitzball has christened himself, has been 

 secured at a high price to produce a variegated mass of bis peculiar 

 excellencies whenever he is called upon so to do. His genius was not 

 suffered to remain idle long, for on the 29th of September he brought 

 forward a romantic melo-dramatic spectacle, called " The Hindoo 

 Robbers, or the Leopards of the Jumna," which, from beginning to 

 end, was as richly studded with absurdities as any drama he has yet 

 produced. It was most deservedly and unequivocally condemned ; 

 but as it is from the pen of a friend of the manager, every attempt is 

 still being made to thrust it down the throat of the innocent and un- 

 suspecting public. As a set off to this revolting mass of trash, we are 



