1822.] 
man, in their. respective characters. 
The performances, speaking generally, 
have continued with eclat; and. Mor- 
ton’s comedy of Speed the. Plough, 
Otway’s tragedy of Venice Preserved, 
Shakspeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona, 
his Hamlez, the elder Colman’s Jealous 
Wife, Guy Muannering, Sheridan’s 
Rivals, and other favourite and popular 
pieces, have displayed to advantage 
the various talents of Mr. Evans, (new 
to these boards,) Mr. Farren, Mr. 
Egerton, Miss Blandford, Miss Foote, 
Miss Green, Miss Hallande, Mr. C. 
Kemble, Miss Lacy (frem the Dublin 
* theatre,) Miss Chester, (a new candi- 
date for public faveur,) Mr. Pearman, 
and other performers. ‘Phe house, for 
the most part, has been respectably at- 
tended; and, though the managers 
have suffered the establishment to lose 
the support of some of its chief pillars, 
their activity and judgment, in other 
respects, have succeeded in supplying 
other powerful attractions. Among 
these, the principal has been, a new 
grand, serious melo-drama, entitled, 
Ali Pacha. 
Drury-Lane.—This theatre, which 
was re-opened on Wednesday, Oct. 
the 17th, now exhibits to the admiring 
eye fresh proofs of the taste and spirit 
of its lessee and principal manager. 
The sum expended upon its internal 
alterations and decorations, since the 
close of the last season, and the bril- 
liancy of effect and extent of personal 
accommodations which those altera- 
tions and decorations afford, are de- 
cisive evidences of Mr. Elliston’s 
anxiety to render the public every 
possible gratification. As the shape 
and size of the house had been found 
unfavourable to the purpose of dis- 
tinetly hearing, it has been contracted 
and re-formed with great judgment and 
science by Mr. SamMugeL BEaAzvey. 
The decorations, by Mr. Scrase, are 
highly chaste, classical, and elegant ; 
while magnificence and simplicity are 
Literary and Critical Proémium. 
355 
so happily blended as to render it the 
first theatre in Europe. The cciling is 
brought over the proscenium, in such 
manner as to form a sounding-board, 
unbroken by any, intervention; . by 
which happy arrangement the effects 
both to the ear and to the eye are per- 
fect.- The accommodations to. the 
audience are also iniproved. in every 
part of the theatre, and in the pit par- 
ticularly, the scats of which are co- 
vered with crimson cloth, and provided 
with the luxury of backs. ‘The illu- 
minations are splendid, the corridors 
spacious, and the saloon, decorated 
by mirrers in every direction, asto- 
nishes and delights with a delusion 
almost magical. These important im- 
provements have been effected at.a 
cost of nearly 20,000/., and the whole 
was completed within the astonishingly 
short time of sixty days. Perhaps in 
no other city than London, and in-no 
other age, could a work, at once so 
stupendous, elegant, and perfect, have 
been eflected within so short a period. 
The achievement will be memorable, 
and has resulted solely from the un- 
sparing expenditure of Mr, Eiliston, 
andthe unwearied assiduitics of Messrs. 
Beazley, Scrase, and the other profes- 
sional persons. 
The engagement of Young, Liston, 
Dowton, and Miss Stephens; to- 
gether with the re-engagement of 
those favourites, Braham and Madame 
Vestris, Munden and Mrs. West, 
Davison, Cooper, aud Harley; the 
acquisition of Mrs. Hughes, (from the 
Exeter theatre ;) these, with the ma- 
nagerial activity of Mr. Elliston him- 
self, hold: forth the promise of unex- 
ampled brilliancy and success. 
In fine, the Vheatre Royal Drury 
Lane now accords with the Attic taste 
and character of this refined and po- 
lished age ; and the pre-eminence which 
London has attained in the rank of ci- 
ties, receives, in the completion of this 
edifice, an accession of perfect beauty. 
NEW BOOKS PUBLISHED IN OCTOBER: 
WITH AN HISTORICAL AND CRITICAL PROEMIUM. 
— 
Authors or Publishers, desirous of secing an early notice of their Works, are 
requested to transmit copies before the 18th of the Month. 
— a 
AMONG the numerous books of travels 
given to the world under a fictitious 
character, deserving of our notice, we may 
venture to include Mr, M11vs’s last publi- 
cation, eutitled, Travels of Theodore Ducas, 
in various countries, at the period of the 
revival of learning. The author here ap- 
pears as the editor of a work supposed to 
proceed from the pen of a Greek tourist, 
who lived some three centuries past; and 
whose 
