79^ 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



of Barbarossa again commenced, 

 but of the tirsf a.6t the performers 

 had ail the pleasure to themselves, 

 as not a word could be heard. In 

 the second act, when the Young 

 Roscius entered, the most tumultu- 

 ous applauFC greeted him, whicli he 

 xeceived with t!\e ntmoat coolnC'S 

 and presence of mind. His per- 

 formance, judging; by ifs effefts, 

 even exceeded at! promise ; the 

 town for weeks after his fust ap- 

 pearance was like the city of Ab- 

 dera, not a word but of " Cupid 

 prince of gods and men ;" and even 

 IMethodisni herself lent her pious vo- 

 taries to swell the list of his cap- 

 tives. Of his figure little at pre- 

 sent can be said, but that it is 

 straight and not ungraceful ; his 

 face oval and fiat, features small, 

 e^'cs grey and not lively, eyebrows 

 straight and thin. — At present his 

 lace possesses no great powers of 

 expression, nor, as far as can be 

 judged, are his muscles likely to 

 swell out into that grand, bold size 

 necessary for theatric circA. His 

 powers consist in expressing his 

 feelings rather by a general energy 

 of figure than of countenance, and 

 he has been so well schooled, that 

 this energy i» canfined to the princi- 

 pal passages he has to deliver. As 

 to his capability of depi(^iing all the 

 passions, and their variiid shades, 

 •H-ith all the retincnienls of delivery 



which abstraft sentiment assumes, 

 it is quite ridiculous to expe6t it. — • 

 Chara6ters suited to his years, such 

 as Frederick and Young Norvalj 

 he performs in general very well ; 

 though in parts of each of these, 

 (and it should seem his instructors 

 do not understand the sense of the 

 author,) wherever the expression of 

 a passion is demanded, of whatever be 

 its nature, that general energy which 

 characterizes his acting, is applied 

 to it, and it satisfies the audience. 

 In the business of the stage he is 

 extremely correct, and pays more 

 attention to the scene than is usual 

 with some even of the best perform- 

 ers. Of his voice it is said, that ou 

 his first appearance it was uncom- 

 monly strong, clear, and sweet: 

 at present it is husky, though not 

 disagreeably so ; but he possesses a 

 surprising distinctness of articula- 

 tion, and without the slightest ef- 

 forts can be understood tiiroughout ■ 

 ])rury-lanc theatre, to which lie 

 super-adds a perfect command of it. 

 On the whole, it may readily be 

 admitted, that he is a youth gifted 

 with extraordinary qualifications 

 from nature ; that his defects are 

 such as are accounted for by his age 

 alone, and, with prudent manage- 

 ment, Mho would probably in a few 

 years become one of the brightest 

 ornaments of the Britisli stage. 



NATURAL 



