Rotes of the Month. 443 



We never hear of such combination as Smith Fleming:, or Smith Burdett, 

 or in fact Smith Anything Smith is invariably at the bottom of every thing 

 in this country. It is one of the most emphatic in pronunciation, and cer- 

 tainly the most important in consequence of any monosyllable in the language. 

 Yet some how or other a Smith would be any thing but Smith. Smith- 

 phobia would depopulate the land, if the malady had not an antidote in Smith- 

 mania, or Philo Smithism. Smith and vulgarity are the antipodes of each 

 other, a sort of practical antithesis; but Smith and gentility are synony- 

 mous : and hence, we repeat, that Lord de Roos* case should not have been 

 tinkered without a regular Smith. Tom Smith's return (the story in the 

 papers headed the " Long- lost Heir,") delighted every individual family 

 .from the Grampian Hills to the Eddystone Lighthouse. But that is no reason 

 why a Higgins should have monopolized the glory of figuring in the same 

 paragraph with the Premier Baron of'England. 



One hope remains. It is rumoured that Lord de Roos intends bringing 

 separate actions against the three colleagues of Mr. Cumming viz. Mr. Brook 

 Greville, Mr. George Payne, and Lord Henry Bentinck. Now let one of the 

 trio obtain his Majesty's royal letters patent, to add Smith to his name not 

 as the penultimate, or ante-penultimate, but as the climax, the wind-up, the 

 energetic, irrevocable, and emphatic clencher to all his other cognomens, and: 

 immortality awaits him, and general gladness will be diffused throughout the 

 world. The sun sets not upon the regions peopled by the Smiths ! 



MORE PROVINCIAL PROFUNDITY. The histrionic Longinus of the Tyne 

 Mercury and the Thespians of the Theatre Royal Newcastle are blessed in 

 each other. Only such a critic could comprehend and expound the infinitisi- 

 mally little and transcendently great points of attraction in such performers. 

 This unparalleled dramatic censor prefaces a recent dissertation on the stage- 

 doings of the company by expressing his regret that attendance at the literary 

 institutions of the town prevented him from witnessing " Richard lit." and 

 " Hamlet." ["We almost wish," says he, " that a similar cause had hindered us 

 from seeing ' Rob Roy' on Wednesday evening." Wednesday evening ; ah 

 prophetic heaven ! that Wednesday evening. Day sacred to the direful sister- 

 hood who spin and nip short the thread of our frail existence. Something 

 always happens on that day. We always said something would happen 

 and, lo! the confirmation of our fears. "For assuredly," continues he of 

 Newcastle, " there was some halo of melancholy, some deep dark cloud of 

 despondency over the performance, or [mark the distinction] indeed over the 

 whole house ! " There ! You perceive it was either a halo or a cloud. Take 

 your choice (but if you prefer the cloud, mind it is deep and dark) of despond- 

 ency which enveloped not simply the performance, but absolutely the whole 

 house. Now clouds of despondency are very unnecessary stage accessories 

 in the performance of " Rob Roy ;" a halo of melancholy may be tolerated 

 occasionally, but clouds of despondency, more particularly deep and dark, are 

 extremely reprehensible, and are enough to provoke the ire of any critic. But 

 we appeal to our readers, we appeal to the people of Great Britain, to the 

 entire human fraternity, even to the seven millions of "Aliens" the other side 

 of St. George's Channel, whether it is to be endured that a halo of melancholy 

 or a cloud of deep and dark despondency shall encircle the whole of the New- 

 castle Theatre. At all events we cannot wonder that the Mercury should not 

 bear such things without conveying his sense of the grievance in some shape 

 or other. And thus he does it : " Mr. R. Younge was powerful in the scenes 

 of the 'MacGregor' where effect was to be produced. Miss Penley was 

 effective in the few scenes of Helen which well display that character. [God 

 bless us! Scenes of 'Helen' and the 'MacGregor.' There is a Novel written by 

 a person called Scott, in which mention is made of a MacGregor ; but it would 

 appear there are plenty with that cognomen in " Rob Roy" as played at New- 

 castle.] Mr. Griffiths, as ' Rashleigh Osbaldiston ' was energetic and able 



