1828.] 



Domestic find Foreign. 



long appendix follows on the History of 

 Slavery * Ecclesiastical History Natural 

 History, &c. 



The British Gunner, by Captain J. M. 

 Spearman, II. P. Unattached. 1828. 

 The ordnance-service has not, of course, 

 been left without a manual of this kind. 

 One under the title of " The Pocket Gun- 

 ner," and subsequently another, called " The 

 Little Bombardier and Pocket Gunner," 

 have long been in general use. The author's 

 father, though the fact does not appear in 

 the book itself, was the chief compiler of the 

 latter, which was published with the sanc- 

 tion of Major Adye's name, and has been 

 frequently reprinted, and recently re-edited 

 by Major Elliot, carefully retaining a variety 

 of matters which time and successive im- 

 provements have rendered obsolete. These 

 obsolete matters Captain Spearman has un- 

 sparingly expunged introducing, at the 

 same time, a numerous list of substitutions, 

 which the advanced state of the science has 

 suggested. The object of the author, in- 

 deed, was not so much to re-compile, as to 

 make an entirely new work and a very 

 slight comparison will prove, at least, the 

 superiority of the present publication. To 



make the volume more completely answer 

 its purpose, the author exhibits not only the 

 whole practice . of artillery and gunnery, 

 but what the former books did not con. 

 tain the theory of these sciences ; and 

 attempts, moreover, have been made to 

 make the whole valuable " to the lower 

 ranks of the artillery, as well as to the 

 junior members of the service in general.'* 

 None can doubt, that an acquaintance with 

 the first principles of fortification as well of 

 the permanent as the field kind is indis- 

 pensable to every officer because there are 

 really none who may not be called upon, in 

 the exigencies of the service, to direct or 

 assist in the construction of field works, 

 temporary bridges, gabions, fascines, c. 

 To facilitate the acquirement of this essen- 

 tial knowledge, Captain Spearman has care- 

 fully collected a number of practical rules, 

 applicable to these .various departments of 

 professional science and mechanical labour. 

 The whole is arranged alphabetically, and is 

 very complete calculated, not only to put 

 the young officer in the track of his profes- 

 sion, but - enable him to tread it with dis- 

 tinction to himself, and advantage to the 

 service. 



MONTHLY THEATRICAL REPORT. 



THIS is the season of benefits ; and, of 

 course, nothing new can be expected on the 

 stage. The performers are too well aware 

 of the hazards of novelty to venture on any 

 of the half-million of buried farces, comedies, 

 and tragedies that pine in the managerial 

 chest, impatient for the day ; and those who 

 have to go to benefits must accordingly be 

 satisfied with delights that have delighted 

 them these ten years. 



At Covent Garden, Kean's engagement 

 has closed ; and, Othello's occupation be- 

 ing o'er, Peter Wilkins, with Mrs. Vining 

 in pantaloons, and the flying figurantes, 

 have usurped the stage. The figurantes 

 fly well ; the .scenery is pretty ; the public 

 admiration is divided between Keely and 

 the monkey ; and the last display of a gene- 

 ral flight, by the whole heavy battalion of 

 the company, never fails " to send the seers 

 laughing to their beds." 



The " Invincibles" deserves its name. 

 Corporal Vestris still manoeuvres her six 

 little heroes with an adroitness worthy of a 

 German field -marshal. Her moustaches are 

 magnificent, and must infinitely delight the 

 moustache-loving colonel, who has just or- 

 dered the Blues to cover their upper lips 

 with hair no matter to whom it belongs. 

 Heroism is not to be found, of course, where 

 men shave ; and, when every regiment in 

 the service shall be moustached, from colo- 

 nel to corporal, the British army may bid 

 defiance to every force, of the same length 

 of hair, on the map of the world.- 



At this theatre, opera has calmly died. 

 It lingered through a period sustained by 

 the simple strength of Mr. Sapio ; but the 

 public grew weary of the repetition of that 

 accomplished singer and undisturbed actor. 

 The fortitude with which he retained, to 

 the end of the night, the attitude, the smile, 

 nay, almost the very spot on which his feet 

 fixed at the commencement of the play, was 

 worthy of a philosopher ; but not perfectly 

 appreciated by so mixed an audience as 

 our's. Miss Stephens, the favourite of so 

 many recollections, has followed him in his 

 glory ; and a Mr. Wood now triumphs as a 

 twin star in the horizon, down which Sapio's 

 light has sunk, we presume, for some 

 time. 



The " Aladdin" of this theatre, which 

 had been popular some years since, was re- 

 vived, to compete with the " Aladdin" of 

 Drury Lane. The hero-heroines, Miss 

 Foote and Miss Stephens, having changed 

 houses, and the "Aladdins" having changed 

 natures ; the Drury Lane opera being cut 

 down into a melodrama, and the Covent 

 Garden melodrama being swelled into an 

 opera ; both were pretty, both pleased the 

 audience, and both lived just three nights. 



At Drury Lane, the original monkey has 

 returned to the performance of his duties, if 

 we are to believe the bills on whose fidelity 

 we, however, cannot always pin our faith, 

 in matters of this importance. His fall will, 

 we hope, produce the rich fruit of prudence, 

 restrain his ambition of rising above tfee 



4 N 2 



