Pr'ythee, then, your fears beguiling, The Beaux' Stratagem has been revived with effective success. The Archer of Mr. Charles Kemble and the Scrub of Keeley are such characteristic performances as the author, if he were now living, would witness with great pleasure; and the Cherry of Miss Forde is also an able personification. THE ENGLISH OPERA-HOUSE. Ar this house French plays are now in progress. A new comedy, styled Les Frères à l'Epreuve, has been acted with considerable applause.-Two brothers, who have been educated by a rich uncle, have quitted his roof, and have both married. One, named Gerval, has made choice of an amiable woman, the daughter of a meritorious officer. This union displeases the uncle, who threatens to disinherit him. The other brother has married more ambitiously, and his uncle, in consequence, publicly avows his intention of making this nephew his heir. The piece opens at the moment when the uncle and his friend M. D'Hermonville are engaged in conversation on the respective merits of the two nephews, on which a wager is offered and accepted, for the decision of which the uncle consents to its being made to appear, that he is dead, and that he has made a will in favor of M. Jauker, the fortunate nephew. The report of the death brings the whole party to the chateau, where M. Jauker and his wife, on learning the contents of the will, conduct themselves in a most insolent manner, while the conduct of Gerval and his wife forms a complete contrast, and wins the heart of the uncle himself, who, never having been known to either, contrives to have interviews with both in the character of the old intendant of the chateau. In the mean time the will is read. Gerval only expresses his regret that his marriage has offended his uncle, and acknowleges his gratitude for his education. M. D'Hermonville feelingly addresses M. Jauker on the excellence of brotherly love, and urges him to divide the succession, or to give a quarter or an eighth of the estate, or a small pension to his brother; but each request is rejected with disdain.The uncle, who has overheard every thing from an adjoining apartment, comes into the room, to the confusion of one brother, and surprise of both. The will is destroyed. Gerval is declared the heir amidst general joy, and generously requites his brother's unkindness, by promising to pay an old usurer, who had come to the chateau on the report of Jauker's good fortune, to claim a debt of 60,000 francs. The comedy is a pleasing production, and is likely to have a run. The performers exerted themselves with great spirit and effect, and were much applauded. Une Visite a Bedlam (the original of our Roland for an Oliver) exhibited M. Lafont's quiet humor, and Mademoiselle Colon's delightful archness, to great advantage. This young lady, beside being a most lively and pleasing actress, possesses considerable power of voice, and skill in its management, and a song which she gave was loudly encored. Le Mariage Impossible has also been played here. It is a vaudeville, in one act, representing a marriage between Catharine, a young peasant, and Augusta Polinski, who has assumed the disguise of a young man, in order to follow her fugitive lover, Ferdinand, and who, being a foreigner in France, is seised by the relations of Ferdinand and compelled to marry Catharine, under fear of a lettre de cachet. Ferdinand unexpectedly returns from the army-discovers his faithful Augusta on the night of her "impossible marriage," and obtains her hand. The acting of Mademoiselle Colon has ensured success to a trifle, which, but for her exquisite archness, could not be expected to exist beyond a single night. A song given by her in the course of the piece, is set to the music of a beautiful air in the opera of La Muette de Portici, and, we have no doubt, will become as popular in this country as it already is in France. THE SURREY THEATRE. A NEW pantomime, called the Golden Goose, or Harlequin and the Goblin of the Mine, has repeatedly filled this house. The incidents turn on the fortune of a young peasant lad, who, by the interposition of a good fairy or genius, is put into possession of the Golden Goose, which has the extraordinary magical property of causing all those who touch it improperly, to adhere to it and to each other. By means of this power, Dolph, the peasant (afterwards Harlequin), draws after him a whole village party, some of whom had attempted to steal his treasure. He gets into the court of Maximilian, the emperor of Oriano, the kingdom of the Gold Mines, just in time to avail himself of a proclamation issued by his majesty, that any person who succeeds in making his daughter (the princess Una) laugh, shall wed her, and inherit his kingdom. Several of the courtiers had, in vain, tried their best efforts; but the melancholy of the young lady is instantly changed to laughter at the sight of Dolph and his motley train, to whom several of her former suitors adhere, the moment they touch them. Dolph claims the lady; but the Goblin of the Mine enters, seises the magic goose, carries it off, and the lovers are condemned to wander until they shall regain it. They then set out en their perilous journey, and after the usual number of "hair-breadth 'scapes" succeed, and are made happy. There are in the course of the piece some very amusing tricks and changes, and a more than usual portion of feats of activity; but the greatest attraction of the piece is the scenery, which is of the first order. One scene, by Marshall, is particularly splendid. It is (to use the words of the bill) "a grand moving panorama of the theatre of the present war in the East, including the passage of the Danube, the bombardment of Braila, the Russian fleet, the fortress of Varna, a distant view of Shumla and the Balkan, leading to a grand expanse of Constantinople." It is decidedly one of the best of the panoramic views we have seen, and does great credit to the talents of the artist. The pantomime is, we understand, the production of Mr. Moncrieff. THE ADELPHI THEATRE. MR. MATHEWS continues to please the public at this house by his happy imitations of character; but the drolleries and tricks of a pantomime have, during this month, been still more attractive than even his versatile pleasantry. Harlequin and the Magic Marrowbone, or Taffy was a Welchman, has been received with great approbation. In the first scene a leg of beef, which acts a conspicuous part in the performance, is brought in for the celebration of the marriage of Llewelyn ap Looby ap Lolly ap Leek with Taffline, daughter of Goatsbeard, a conjurer; but Taffy (afterwards Harlequin) makes his. appearance in the midst of the revelers, in his ancient character of a cateran, and carries off the leg of beef, and, under the instructions of the sylph Goldenray, takes the celebrated marrow-bone also, which had been stolen from the sylph by Goatsbeard. The chase after Taffy begins; and, after his head has been well "beaten about," the harlequinade commences, exhibiting a detail of as well-devised tricks and transformations as, perhaps, ever shook the boards of a minor theatre or the sides of an audience. There are various clever points in the progress of the pantomime, including happy hits at prevailing fashions and peculiarities. A burletta has been produced with the name of Monsieur Mallet, or my Daughter, It will call to mind the character in Mr. Mathews' Trip to America, in which the old gentleman's anxiety about the expected letter from his daughter, his disappointment at not finding it at the Postoffice, and his indignation at the postmaster's mistake, are made to serve for the expression of sentiments the most tender, and even sublime. That episode now serves to form the subject of a drama, wrought up into three interesting acts. Monsieur Mallet, after many campaigns, is compelled, by the vicissitudes of war and fortune, to retire to the back settlements of America, where he remembers the deeds of his renown while he was instructing the Yankee generals in the drill. His only child follows, and, landing in Boston, under the care of a young Englishman, who went off from his parents, in love with the stage, she is received by a merchant of the name of Paterson. Oronooko, a black Roscius, having a sympathy of taste with the English truant, devotes himself to his purposes, and on all occasions declaims odds and ends of Shakspeare. There is another pair brought on the stage-a young Kentucky member of the Congress, eloping with the daughter and mare of a German settler, who laments the mare more than his daughter; the daughter herself, only because she was excellent in making rum punch. This old German is represented by Mr. T. P. Cooke, his daughter by Mrs. Hughes, and the lover by Mr. Buckstone. Mrs. Yates plays the part of Mallet's daughter, Mr. Yates that of Oronooko, and Mr. Butler the merchant. It is unnecessary to say that Monsieur Mallet was represented by Mr. Mathews. He considerably amplified the original character; and, though he might appear to some to act it with more of passion than is found in real life, he, in many parts, hit off nature most aptly, and touched the hearts of the spectators by action, situation, and language, most characteristic of high honor, affection, and tenderness. THE COBURG THEATRE. THIS house is now subjected to the able management of Mr. Thomas Dibdin, who has been induced to dramatise the story of Juck the Giant-Killer, for the amusement both of the old and the young. On this occasion, he has done his best (says a periodical writer) to render the hobgoblins of the children's romance as extravagant as possible. His giants are measureless; they talk in the clouds; their voices resemble thunder; their footsteps stretch like surveyors' lines; their huge faces, begirt with fearful hair, look like awful appearances in the heavens; and their whole deportment denotes the contempt and antipathy in which they hold all vulgar small-sized people. The giant of the pantomime enchants ladies, cuts off heads, &c. in the true spirit of necromantic bloody-mindedness; and he continues his licentious course with impunity, until Jack, armed with the cap of knowlege, the sword of sharpness, shoes of swiftness, and the girdle of invisibility, proceeds to encounter him. At this crisis, the giants are bereft of their vast proportions by a fairy, who transforms them into Clown, Pantaloon, and Lover-Jack being, of course, the Harlequin. Then the tricks and uproar begin. The changes are well managed, and, in some instances, display considerable ingenuity. The scenery, which has been expressly painted for the pantomime, reflects much credit on the pencil of Mr. Danson. The production of the gigantic head in the Hall of Chivalry is ludicrous beyond description, the head occupying the whole extent of the stage. Fashions. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENGRAVINGS. EVENING COSTUME. Tuis elegant attire consists of a dress of celestial-blue satin, with a broad hem, headed by a double row of Vandyck ornaments, falling over; these points are edged with narrow white blond. The corsage is à l'enfant, with a narrow falling tucker of blond. The hair is arranged in the Egyptian style; and the sacred serpent, which forms the bourrelet in front, is entwined with pearls; the braids on the head are crowned by a cluster of full-blown roses, both white and red. The ear-rings are long, and are generally of wrought gold and the necklace is formed of one row of large Oriental pearls. A Thibet shawl of the most delicate colors, and of exquisite workmanship, is thrown over this dress in the evening. Shoes of white satin complete this dress. WALKING DRESS. THIS appropriate costume for the promenade, is a pelisse of gros de Naples, of slate-color, with a bright tinge of lapis: it is surrounded at the border by a broad hem, headed by a zig-zag ornament of rouleau-trimming. This pelisse is fastened down the front of the skirt by double rosettes. The corsage is à la Roralane, and is surmounted by a collar-pelerine of fine lace, finished by a ruff at the throat of the same material. The sleeves en gigot are confined at the wrist by two bracelets; that which is next to the hand is of gold, clasped by a large ruby, set round with pearls. The hat is of black velvet, and under the brim is a bandeau of pink riband crossing the hair, and terminating in a bow on the right side. The hat is trimmed with blue riband, with hair-stripes of black. A shawl of sea-green, with black oriental figures, is thrown over this dress when the weather is chill. MONTHLY CALENDAR OF FASHION. WITHOUT professing ourselves to be politicians, we feel always sorry at the prorogation of parliament beyond Christmas. In spite of the bustle which usually attends the commencement of another year, there hangs a cloud, when the higher orders are absent from town, over the middle and inferior classes of the metropolitan population. Fashion, however, is seldom at a stand; and now, with smiling face, she prepares to welcome, early in the ensuing month, the most distinguished of her votaries. The silk pelisses, lately introduced, are fastened down the front of the skirt with straps in the form of crescents, in the centre of each of which is a small buckle of polished steel. We have seen a car. riage pelisse of satin, of a bright crimson hue; it was trimmed with the fur of the black Moscovy fox, and was fastened down the front of the skirt, by straps of four points, resembling foliage. For morning visits a pelisse of bright geranium, trimmed with ermine, is much admired. Many pelisses for the promenade are seen of black satin, trimmed with the fur of the light-grey American squirrel or chinchilla. Sometimes these pelisses are made plain, without fur, and over them is worn a large black velvet pelerine cape. Muffs of every species of fur are now in use. Thibet shawls are in great estimation. Mantles or clokes have become so general, that they are regarded as too vulgar for the promenade among the higher classes; with them, however, they sometimes are seen in carriages, and at the theatres. The hats and bonnets are chiefly of black velvet, though some have lately appeared of that material in holly green and in purple; the latter were seen in carriages, and were adorned with white marabout feathers. Dresses for the ball-room are most admired when of crape, either white or colored, and tastefully, but lightly trimmed with satin riband. A very elegant dress for demi-parure, is of fawn-colored satin, with a broad bias hem, at the head of which are double scalops formed of narrow rouleaux, and pointed like the arch of a Gothic window. The corsage is made with a stomacher; the sleeves are wide, but are confined at the wrist by a pointed gauntlet-cuff: a broad sash is generally worn with this dress. Embroidered tulle over white satin forms a favorite evening costume for young persons, who with this dress wear short sleeves, Dresses of light-colored crape,elegantly trimmed with black lace and white satin, are much in request for matronly ladies: the corsage displays horizontal stripes, formed of rouleaux of white satin; and the borders of the skirt have rouleaux of the same material as the dress. Spanish hats and toques, adorned with white feathers, are much worn at eveningparties; turbans of gauze, or of velvet, without either flowers or plumage, are in favor for half-dress, as are caps of blond, made with much taste, and elegantly ornamented with flowers. The hair is arranged in bows and braids on the summit of the head, and in thickly-clustered curls on each side of the face; and a few flowers, or strings of pearl, generally constitute all the ornaments. The most approved colors for turbans, dress-hats, and bonnets, are amber, purple, forester's-green, and celestial-blue; for pelisses, dresses, and mantles, crimson, pearl-grey, vermilion, pink, and fawn color. MODES PARISIENNES*. CACHEMIRE shawls prevail much, either worn over high dresses of velvet or merino, or with silk pelisses. The pelisses for the carriage and the public walks are of light-colored gros de Naples; they are often elegantly embroidered in small flowers. The clokes are of black satin for the morning promenade, with a large pelerine cape of black velvet, and Polish sleeves, which hang over the outside of the arms in a graceful form. Several pelisses are of purple or of green velvet, and are trimmed with marten-skin; they are fastened down the front with gold ornaments of various kinds. Hats of blue velvet, adorned with • See the annexed Engraving of French Fashions. plumage, half yellow, half blue, are much admired when worn with a yellow pelisse of gros de Naples. Hats of dark-colored silk are very general; they are lined with black velvet, and trimmed with very broad bows. Satin hats of various hues, ornamented with pine-leaves, are frequently worn. Russian satin, resembling figured velvet, is a favorite material for hats; they are trimmed with gauze-ribands. For the full-dress winter balls, young ladies wear gaze-brillante, with three sheaf-ornaments at the border of gold or silver, set at equal distances. On dresses of white or colored satin, there are three rouleaur of the same round the border. Velvet dresses for the same occasion, and those of watered gros de Naples, or of satin, are all bordered with two flounces of white Chantilly blond; one of which is set on straight, while the other is festooned, and has a very full and broad head. White cachemire dresses, with broad borders of palm-leaves, reaching as high as the knee, are much worn by women of fashion. Dresses of gros des Indes, finely embroidered, are in high estimation for the evening party: these dresses, as well as those for the ball-room, have short sleeves, finished by a frill of blond round the arm. At the public spectacles are seen many turbans of cachemire, the folds of which are very ample. Black velvet berets are often ornamented with rose-colored gauze ribands, and full-blown roses with their foliage. Colored satin dress-hats are generally adorned with a full plumage of the same hue as the hat; sometimes the feathers are divided into five or six bouquets, and dispersed over the crown. The caps are remarkable for their size, and for the elevated diadem of flowers placed in front; the lappets are long, and cut in large notches at the edges and ends. The red lilac now so fashionable is particularly admired in berets; one has appeared of that color in velvet, with five marabouts ornamenting the right side. The hair of a young lady, when in full dress, is often seen decorated with butterflies, formed of stones of various colors: these are placed on pins, and the butterfly vibrates on this kind of stalk, which has a splendid effect. Births, Marriages, and Deaths. BIRTHS. SONS to the lady Jemima Wykeham Martin and lady Carmichael Anstruther, and to the wives of the hon. R. Eden, the rev. T. H. Elwin, Mr. E. S. C. Pole, Mr. Archer Ryland, the rev. Mr. Griffith of Bisham, Mr. Griffith Jones, Mr. H. C. Vernon Graham, and captain John Molesworth of the navy. Daughters to the wives of Dr. MacMichael, the rev. W. S. Robinson, the hon. C. Law, Mr. Lefroy, Mr. E. Hodg son of Rickmansworth, Mr. S. Cohen the younger, Mr. Willement the heraldic artist, Mr. J. C. Stephens of Maidstone, and Mr. E. Dawson Leigh. MARRIAGES. In Jamaica, lieutenant-colonel Sutherland, to Miss Emily Forbes. Sir P. Bellow, of Barmeath in Ireland, to Miss Anna Fermina de Rios. Mr. W. Peters, of Betchworth-Castle, Surrey, to Miss Marianna Jane Bon ham. Mr. T. Davidson, of Worcester-College, Oxford, to Miss Anne Grace of Horsham. The youngest son of the late Sir David Dundas, to Miss Caroline Jeffreys of Barnes. Mr. John Jones, of Heston, to Miss Pawson. Mr. J. Turner, of Crowle in Yorkshire, to Miss Barber of Baldock. Mr. Edward Roffey, to Miss Mary Trail of Paisley. DEATHS. Dr. Stanser, bishop of Nova-Scotia. The rev. C. Pilkington, canon of Chichester. The viscount Kilcoursie. The rev. J. Wallace, cousin to lord Wallace. |