1831.] Theatrical Affairs, at Home and Abroad. 



ters, and every vulgar and mercenary fellow who could lead a few 

 dupes into the folly of supplying him with the means of building some 

 miserable theatre, allowed to take his way in corrupting whatever 

 remained of decency and principle among the people. There can be no 

 doubt that in the rage for making returns out of those speculations, every 

 vile mode of catering to the popular appetite would be adopted, and that 

 we should have only corruption worse corrupted in every quarter of the 

 town. It is quite clear that the theatres already established on this 

 principle have disappointed all the fine theories, of giving encourage- 

 ment to genius, reviving the drama, producing a race of new actors, 

 and so forth ; for since their being suffered, there never was such a total 

 decay of the whole theatrical art : no new play worth a straw has been 

 produced, no valuable actor has appeared on their boards, and the gene- 

 ral tone of theatres has been lowered. French translations we have in 

 abundance, but as those are not likely to add much to the honours of 

 English genius, we cannot persuade ourselves to think it worth our 

 while to break down the London winter theatres, for the benefit of M. 

 Scribe, and his junta of farcemakers. 



In this dearth, or rather absolute decay of English composition, what 

 have been the dramatic treats of the month ? 



At Covent Garden, The Romance of a Day, from the French, with 

 some pretty music adapted by Bishop, has been performed with consi- 

 derable success. The story is a repetition of the little Swiss piece of 

 Ketley, or the Return to Switzerland, frequently performed last season at 

 the French theatre. A French colonel who had been wounded, and 

 remained at an inn in Switzerland until his wounds were healed, hap- 

 pened to have unconsciously attracted the regards of a young peasant 

 who had occasionally brought him fruit and milk, from the cottage of 

 her father, a retired soldier. In four years the colonel returned, on a 

 visit to the lord of the manor; the pretty peasant had treasured his 

 recollection in the mean time, and being now eighteen, had matured it 

 into love. The colonel's memory of the attractive child is now changed 

 into his passion for the beautiful woman. But conceiving that her heart 

 is set on a peasant of the village, he promises her a dower. Liese (Miss 

 E. Tree) is overwhelmed at the idea ; and by her confusion when on the 

 point of being betrothed, betrays her love for the colonel. The parties 

 are, of course, made happy. Miss Tree plays her character very grace- 

 fully, as she does every thing. Keeley, the rejected lover, burlesques 

 tragedy in his best style ; and Abbott, the colonel, sustains the bewil- 

 dered lover with intelligence and skilL The under plot is trifling, a 

 contrivance by the baron's uncle, an old general, to make him marry 

 his pretty niece, disguised as a peasant; which is accomplished, and the 

 Romance of a Day ends with applause. 



This piece contains some tolerable selections by Bishop. But a very 

 effective national glee is sung by a groupe dressed as Styrian peasants. 

 All those melodies seem to be constructed on the lowing of cows ; they 

 are barbarous in the conception, and yet by the skilful adaptation of the 

 harmonies, and the complete practice of the singers, they are always 

 effective when sung by those rambling minstrels. At the same time we 

 deprecate their being attempted by English young ladies, however fond 

 of displaying their foreign acquirements. A cow melody in their lips 

 is altogether abominable. 



