z 
i 
1829. ] The Theatres. 239 
every species, from the king to the cobbler; Swartz is not equal 
to his powers. Cooper’s Charles exhibited the judgment of that 
manly performer. Liston, in the miller, had his jokes in full va- 
riety ; but Young, as the Czar, had certainly the monarchy of the piece. 
Young’s grave comedy we have always thought fully equal to his tra- 
gedy, able as that is; and the little humourous touches thrown into his 
part were given with great skill. Miss Tree, who has been lately rather 
languid, exhibited herself to remarkable advantage, and with the 
exception of her “ Christina” in the “ Little Queen,” which is as 
beautiful a sketch of youthful passion contending with royal pride, as 
we have known on the stage, we have not seen this very intelligent actress 
more triumphant. The play was received with very general applause. 
The Italian Opera has gone on with tolerable success—but we have 
not room for dilating on it now. Pisaroni is the leading singer ; and so 
far as power of voice and knowledge of her art go, she is a first-rate 
performer—beauty is not among her qualifications, but the world has 
been already sufficiently prepared on that point ; and as voice is the first 
qualification for the opera, we have no right to be discontented. The 
new contrivances of the stalls in the pit, are convenient, but the system 
is un-English, and we shall not object to M. Laporte’s feeling its effect 
in due season. 
SPECIMENS OF HOTTENTOT POPULAR POETRY 35 
TRANSLATED BY PETER BOREALL, M.P.R.S.T. 
Mr. Bowrrne has for a long time possessed the office of master of the 
ceremonies to the productions of the barbarous Muses. His specimens 
of the Russian, Dutch, Servian, and Polish poetry, have convinced an 
enlightened public that the charms of melody are equally dear to the 
slave of a despot, and the stern lord of himself—to the polished inha- 
bitant of the city, and the wild wanderer of the desart. His researches 
were, however, confined to Europe. The gentleman, whose translation 
forms the subject of the present article, has conducted us to the unex- 
plored regions of Southern Africa, and has shewn us that “ the stormy 
spirit of the Cape” has had worshippers as valuable as the “ dweller in 
Delphi’—that the Table Mountain has been as consecrated a haunt of 
the Muses as the summits of Parnassus. 
The greater part of these melodies have been written subsequent to the 
settlement of the Europeans, and consequently do not furnish us with 
a pertect view of the natural state of the Hottentots ; but Mr. Boreall 
states that some original poems, of great antiquity, are in his possession, 
though, from their obsolete style, he has not been yet able to overcome 
all the difficulties of translation. We were not a little amused by the 
application of magisterial titles to the wild animals of Africa: the buf- 
falo is designated “ his worship ;’ the lion, “ captain ;’ the hyena, “ a 
tax-gatherer ;”’ the cameleopard, “ a gentleman ;” the jackall, “a 
hanger-on at the Stadt-house ;” birds of prey are called “ merchants ;” 
"and a vulture, “ governor-general.”” Indeed, we were for some time 
afraid that we had picked up a political satire, in which the res geste 
of my Lord Somerset were enshrined in immortal verse. 
“ Complaints were made by all the crowd, 
But each request was disallowed ; 
The lordly vulture with disdain 
Survey’d the minor wretches’ pain, 
And swore that neither print nor press 
Should tell the tale of their distress.” 
