70 Notes of the Month on QJAN. 



One thing at least is tolerably clear, that if the populace knew nothing 

 of " secret societies" before, as a contrivance to carry their freedom, they 

 have heard a good deal now. But who can be blind to the nature of 

 the whole proceeding ? We honour the Field Marshal's sagacity too 

 much to doubt that he sees the affair in its true point of view, and is at 

 this moment turning his mighty mind to anew march to Downing-street. 

 To be sure he has a second time declared, that he would be " mad to be 

 a minister." But if he " should find the safety of the empire depending 

 on his leaving his beloved retirement, he is, doubtless, too much a patriot 

 to prefer his leisure to 14,000 a-year and the whole patronage of the 

 realm. He will be delighted to shew how fearlessly he can encounter 

 insanity again, and be mad to be minister a second, or a twentieth time. 



The age of spells may .have passed away in other matters, but it un- 

 doubtedly survives in every thing connected with theatres. All the 

 speculators fail ; yet when is a speculator wanting ? There have been 

 but two within memory who have realized a shilling by theatres. One 

 of those was the late Lewis, who carried off twenty thousand pounds, 

 chiefly made by a long professional life ; but carried it off only by selling 

 out of Covent Garden as soon as he could get a purchaser. The other 

 was old Harris, who, however, after making a fortune, was rash enough 

 to hazard it all again in the new Covent Garden, and lost it all. The 

 Opera House regularly ruins a manager every two years, and has accom- 

 plished its work without fail in all instances, from Handel downwards. 

 Sheridan, Elliston, and Price are the modern exhibitors in the Drury 

 Lane calendar. Covent Garden has dragged down every body with the 

 same impartial activity. The Dublin theatre has effected the ruin of its 

 managers time out of mind. It has now added another to the list. In 

 the Insolvent Debtors' Court, Dublin, on Saturday, Mr. Bunn, the late 

 lessee of the Hawkin's-street Theatre in that city, was brought up on his 

 petition, and, some explanation having been entered into, the chief com- 

 missioner declared that Mr. Bunri had conducted the theatre in a fair and 

 honourable manner, and he was therefore discharged from the claims of 

 his creditors. A Mr. Calcraft, an actor, has taken the theatre, and we 

 only hope he will not follow the fates of his predecessors. Yet if he 

 should, he will be certain to have half a dozen followers in every sense 

 of the word. The reason is undiscoverable by us, and we must leave it 

 to the curious in human eccentricity. 



The performances at the winter theatres, however, are improving. Peake's 

 Chancery Suit at Covent Garden, which rather shews that he is capable 

 of something above farce, than^that he has yet accomplished it, has re- 

 commenced. Abbot having recovered his legs, has supplanted Mr. 

 Bennet, who has been so often triumphant in the " Freyschutz," that he 

 seems perpetually carrying on a physiognomical dialogue with Lucifer. 

 He is certainly a very formidable lover. Abbot can at least smile, which 

 luckily goes a great way with the ladies, for Mr. Peake has certainly 

 not indulged him with any fascination in the way of eloquence. But 

 there is a vigour about the comedy which does promise well. The cha- 

 racters of the country squire and the old servant are both disagreeable 

 specimens of human nature. But they may have their originals, and 

 they are, at least, not the wearisome copies of the clown and the dotard 

 that so constantly encumber our stage. They are well performed, almost 

 too well, by Bartley and Blan chard. 



But a vocal debutante, with the provincial name of Inverarity, has 

 greatly added to the popular attractions of this theatre. Expectation 



