nil AM A; DRAMATIC LITKRATURK. 



URAWB1UDOE. 



, .1 



i wa* not a mere 

 the removal at one great mark 



faahion. WM nothing IMS 

 for eighty years before, of 



lUgrrtotira, morally aad intelUotually. Had any uch actor 

 M Ouriok firirterl at tic rwtoratoo of Charles II.. he might probably 

 hT don* much to prevent UM wretched denationalisation of the 

 III atil which ww *o ranch favouml by that king's exotic and vitiated 



Bad* no 



U to u.i 



attempt in dramatic com- 

 i failure : one or two of hi* 



unall afteVpieees have kept poese*irtn of the *tage ; but hi* labour of 

 this kind most worthy of mention i* probably the share which he took 

 in the oompoaition of one of Colinan ' best oomedios, ' The Clandestine 

 MM i isfle ' Cumberland'* comic power* were respectable ; but in bin 

 mot* eooonsrfu) piece*, ' The West Indian,' brought out by Oarrick in 

 1771, and The Wheel of Fortune,' to which John Kemble's masterly 

 personation of the principal character gave ao decided a popularity, he 

 careely rise* above mediocrity. Horace Walpole'i tragedy, 'The 

 Mysterious Mother,' though it* subject necessarily excluded it from 

 r*|emttinn. set the first example of a vigorous attempt to return 

 to a natural and healthy tragic tone and style. A* for the ' Douglas ' of 

 Home, it ha* no such qualities to recommend it, but acquired and has 

 retained the public favour chiefly by dint of one truly and deeply 

 notion wherein the strongest domestic affections are pro- 



and permanently interested. Sheridan gave new life and 

 spirit to " genteel comedy," in which department he remains at the 

 head of the writers of the present era. Though perhaps his pieces are 

 leas perfectly finished than those of Congreve, already characterised 

 a* UM chief of thi* class of dramatists in the preceding period, and 

 ., I though, especially in ' The School for Scandal,' he is subject to the 

 same imputation a* his predecessor, of being too indiscriminately 

 lavish of epigrammatic wit, yet he has more truly comic wit, more 

 force of genome humour, than Congreve, a* is more particularly felt in 

 hi* play of ' The Rival*,' and should therefore, we conceive, be ranked 

 above him a* regards the more essential qualities of comedy, The 

 ilramatle merit* of Goldsmith were of a totally different oast : a 

 certain eccentric drollery of character and whimsical extravagance of 

 plot are the distinctive characteristics of his two comedies, one of 

 which, though by no means among the most excellent productions of 

 hi* pen, ha* kept an honourable place in the public favour. Of the 

 elder Column's piece*, two, ' The Jealous Wife ' and ' The Clandestine 

 Marriage,' are still deservedly esteemed ; and the latter in particular is 

 frequently acted : they combine much elegance of composition with 

 considerable comic power. Nor among the comic dramatists of the 

 latter half of the last century must we forget to mention the once 

 celebrated Samuel Foote, who has been more commonly than appro- 

 priately called the English Aristophanes, seeing that such a designation 

 conveys much too high a compliment to Foote, and a very imhtln , nt 

 one to the great master of the elder Grecian comedy. So little had 

 Foote's pieces of that burlesque ideality which constituted the essen- 

 tial character of the latter, that his exercise of the rii comica reduced 

 itself almost exclusively to a contemporary personal satire, amounting 

 to little more than a refined species of mimicry, which, from the 

 merest mercenary motives, he directed quite as readily against the 

 most innocent peculiarities of living individuals as against the most 

 injurious vice* or follies. Hence it is, that of the many farce* which 

 he wrote, chiefly to exhibit in them his own powers of satirical 

 mimicry as an actor, not more than one survives upon the stage. 



It was towards the close of the century that the sentimental comedy 

 of the German school of Kotzebue, with little but its novelty to 

 recommend it, acquired a footing in England. In this kind, among 

 the direct adaptations from the German, ' The Stranger ' has had the 

 most general success, and is the most perfect representative of the 

 I*ci. Among the native efforts in the same line, Holcroft's ' Road 

 :in' is still popular. The same writer has the credit also of 

 having first introduced on the English stage the melo-drama, which 

 ha* since filled so largo a place upon it. Mrs. Inchbald, among many 

 pleasing original pieces in the lighter comedy, has likewise given us an 

 adaptation from Kotzebue. Tobin's ' Honeymoon' still holds possession 

 of the stage. Morton, with too much of the German sentimentality 

 has considerable humour, and sketches character and manners with 

 frequent success. Kenny and O'Keefe also produced a few comedice 

 and farce* of more than average merit. M. O. Lewis, in his tragedies, 

 a* in hi* romances, drew from a very different German source, in hi 

 tacto, we might almost *ay his rage, for the marvellous an.l the 

 terrific. A kindred spirit is displayed in the late Charles Maturiu's 

 tragedy of ' Bertram.' As regards Lord Byron's tragedies, . 

 only to remind the reader that a* their author never designed tin -m 

 for representation, he is by no mean* chargeable with their dramatic 

 failure. 



We abstain from individual criticism of living English contempora- 

 ries. A* regard* modern effort* hi the Shak -,111, the Might 

 in thi* cue U *o lofty and so bold, that even to attempt it may 

 to require almost as vigorous and a* rare a genius a* to succeed. But 

 on the (round next in elevation, that of tragedy in the more limited 

 nease, aspirant*, if not very numerous, are still, from time (.. in,,,., 

 presenting themselves: however, wo have not v. t any' lung that 

 approaches In natural vigour or in poetic richmw, either to the master- 

 liillt-r, or even to the mart inccvo-ful effort 



romantic school of Franc*. In the higher comedy the experiment* 

 are yet more rare. Deosocy ha* long been thoroughly established in 

 thi* department ; but sine* Sheridan's time, we have very few comedies 

 < we may look for the racines* of humour, the brilliancy of 

 wit, r the happine** of invention which seasoned the licentiousness of 

 our earlier comic writers. Of the occasional piece* written to show off 

 the talent of particular actors, the numerous adaptation* 

 farce* and vaudevilles, and the many trifles that are continually mining 

 forth into an ephemeral popularity in the form of comic opera or 

 burletta, we shall merely remark that, with much that U lively and 

 amusing, they have little that indicates either vigour or originality of 

 dramatic talent. 



DHAMATIC LITEKARY PKOPERTY. [COPTBIOHT.] 



IWASTICS. [CATHARTICS.] 



UHAWHACK, in commerce, is a term used to signify i: 

 back by government on the re-exportation of goods, u|>on the in 

 tion of which an equal sum has already been paid as duty. Tin- 

 of thi* repayment is to enable the exporter to sell hi* goods in t 

 market* unburdened with duties; and it U cle.tr that if duties are 

 required to be paid on the first importation, no transit trade can be 

 possibly carried on unless drawback is allowed by the govern 

 Payment* of this nature, although they are sometimes confounded 

 with bounties, are in principle essentially different from them. 

 [BUI-NTT.] Previous to the establishing of the warehousing system 

 in this country in 1808, and when the payment of duties on all foreign 

 and colonial merchandise, with the exception of tobacco and East 

 India goods, was required on the first importation, drawbacks were in 

 all cases allowed upon re-exportation. This course was injurious, not 

 only to trade, but also to the revenue. Goods may now be wire- 

 housed, and the duty is only paid when withdrawn for home con- 

 sumption; but drawbacks are allowed on articles, such as paper 

 whether printed or plain, which have paid an excise duty. 



DHAWBRIDGB is a moveable description of bridge used in M 

 castles and in modern fortresses, the object being to obtain a secure 

 means of communication across a river, canal, or ditch, with the means 

 of cutting off that communication when necessary, in order to )u 

 the enemy using it to gain access to the place, and in the two former 

 instances to permit the passage of vessels. Drawbridges are ord 

 of one of the three following kinds : 1. Bascule, Balance, or Lifting ; 

 2. Turning or Swivel ; 8. Rolling. 



The first is the description of drawbridge that was commonly used 

 in old castles and fortresses, and in its simplest form consists of a 

 platform turning on a pivot or hinge in the escarp wall, and raised by 

 means of chains attached to the other end of the bridge, passing over 

 pulleys in the archway which gives access to the bridge. 



The swivel or turning bridge may be formed in either ono or 

 two leaves, each leaf turning horizontally on a pivot firmly fixed in 

 the bank, on which it rests when open ; the end of the bridge having 

 rollers to let it move more freely. 



The roller bridge consists of a platform which is pushed forw 

 withdrawn, by means of a pinion working in a rack on the un<l< 

 of the platform, with friction rollers to render the work easier. 



(For further particulars, see Aide Mtmoirt to the Military Scitncci, 

 from which the above has principally been taken.) 



In civil engineering, draw-bridge* are most frequently used upon 

 canals, riven, or in docks ; and their construction is mainly regulated 

 hy the character of the navigation they are intended to accommo- 

 date, even to a greater extent than by that of the traffic ov. 

 bridge itself. The conditions which draw-bridges should fulfil arc, 

 in fact, 1, that they should bo strong and steady; '2, tlu: 

 should be rapidly and easily opened : and 3, that they should not 

 fere with the passage of the boats, or other craft, they are designed to pan. 

 According, therefore, to the class of vessel BO passing, the machiu< iy 

 by which the bridge is raised may be either above or below the floor- 

 line; or the bridge may be either a (urnin'j, or n hatful'-, or a . 

 bridge. 



i canals, or rivers exclusively used for inland navigation by 

 means of barges, there can be little reason for adopting anything but 

 the old-fashioned Dutch lifting bridge, in which the cud of the. lilting 

 part of the floor is connected by means of chains to the extremity of a 

 system of levers and counterpoises, und bearing at the opposite end to 

 the bridge suspension-chains, a chain with handles, for the purpose of 

 pulling down the counU-i|*>i-e. This kind of lifting-bridge presents 

 the advantages of being easily opened, and, from the fact of it* : 



ing raised above the floor-line, of i 



above the water-way, and thus dispensing with the necessity for long 

 raited approaches. However, it is found to be objectionable in cases 

 v. li.'i.- masted craft pass, and even to cuUU some in m the. 



navigation of rivers by steam-boats. Lifting-bridges are il 

 exclusively reserved for canals, or for such rivers as those which 

 traverse the towns , HlUnd and Belgium. From tin t.ni 

 requiring only light foundations, these bridges are peculiarly applicable 

 ins. 



Turning-bridges are those most frequently used in docks, basins, or 

 canals resorted to by masted vessels; because they fold back out of 

 the way of the mast* and yards, and also interfere in the least dangerous 

 manner with the quay roads or walls. They arc, however, very costly 



.[-nsive foundation*. 



