Allegranti of the dance. The house itself, too, had been enlarged, and rendered splendid beyond everything known. His present Majesty, then Prince of Wales, graced it frequently by his presence, with other branches of his illustrious family, and the principal nobility had boxes; and yet, from the hard and dogged vulgarity of one man, who had got into the property, nothing but disgrace and ruin attended the concern. The 'little manager' as he delighted to style himself,1 but who occupied no small space in the eye of taste, was this season induced to beautify his pigmy palace. The friendly journals celebrated his balustrades and his pillars, his paper and his paint, not forgetting his frontispiece, with its new motto, of which the ominous word serpentem was omitted, and the spectator read only: 'Spectas, et tu spectabere.' Our recent encampments all over the country suggested a military allusion on his opening. As an article, certainly from Colman, it merits preservation. He begins with his triumph in the recent publication of the Art of Poetry. INTELLIGENCE EXTRAORDINARY. (From the Camp just forming in the Haymarket.) Town Major Colman, who has just given the public a very elegant Theory of his Art, will reduce it into practice by opening the summer campaign with some of the best troops that can be mustered from the two garrisons which have been on duty during the course of the winter, as well as others from country cantonments. The following is the disposition of the encampment : Major General Palmer is to head the principal division, in which he is to be supported by Colonels Aickin, Bensley, Bannister, jun. etc. The Hah! hah! Pioneers to consist of Captains Edwin, Parsons, Wewitzer, Baddeley, Massey, and R. Palmer. This corps will likewise be joined by Captain Wilson, who, in consequence of many gallant engagements had received a violent 1 'Small though his talents, smaller than his size, Beneath your smiles his little Lares rise.' Prol. at opening. contusion in his leg, but is now so well recovered as to be able to stand to his duty. The heavy cavalry will be led by the Webbes, two officers of as much personal weight as any in the field. The light troops by Mrs. Bulkeley, Mrs. Wilson, Mrs. Wells, Miss Hale, etc. Necessary woman to the Buskin and Sock Heroines, Mrs. Poussin. The band of music to be composed of Messrs. Bannister, Brett, Wood, Mrs. Bannister and Miss George from the pipe office, Oxford. Besides the above band, several outdoor trumpeters will occasionally entertain the town with the celebrated anthem of 'Te dominum theatri laudamus.' Chasseurs and Light Infantry, Master and Miss Byrne, etc. etc. For an account of the names of the Artillery, that is to say, thunder and lightning men, rain-showerers, camp-shifters, etc. vide the orderly books of the company. N.B. The site of the old Camp is considerably enlarged, by removing the pallisados, etc. The tents are all new painted; and the whole encampment, under the direction of the able engineer Rooker, cuts a very brilliant and soldier-like appearance.' And thus, in those days, a manager could show his company before and behind the curtain that he had the right of wit to entertain them, and affirm his judgment as to the efforts of other authors by his own powers of performance. Colman knew how contemptible the new theatrical disease was, of altering boxes and avenues, and calling the thing a new theatre. Though he felt himself, according to the laws of proportion, bound to vie with his antagonists in this vanity of the art, he yet taught his own audiences to laugh at it on his first night of opening : 'What tho' our house be three-score years of age, While on each post the flaming bill displays, The Miss George alluded to proved a very pleasing singer and very respectable actress. One of the earliest novelties produced by the manager was a comedy called A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed!-a first and only dramatic attempt by Mr. D. O'Brien, so well known as the zealous friend of Charles Fox. It produced some public altercation between Mr. Colman and the author, and eight nights' performance but slightly connected with each other. A ninth night was at length yielded by the manager, to verify the title, and then this rara avis suddenly disappeared. O'micron Brien yielded to O'mega Keefe. The Young Quaker of the latter, the loves of Reuben Sadboy and Dinah Primrose, amused the town and seem to have strongly interested the manager, for he wrote both prologue and epilogue himself. O'Keefe wrote a trifle in two acts for the birthday of the Prince of Wales (our present most gracious sovereign) called The Prince of Arragon; and the compliment paid is that, the royalty about him undeclared, he is preferred to the presumed Prince. The great personage to whom this tribute was paid always announced his rank in his appear ance. On the 19th of August a comedy in two acts was brought out for Mrs. Bulkeley's benefit, called The Lawyer; who, as a critic of the day said, with as much naïveté as truth, drew tears from all present. I cannot allow this season to close without stating the very singular pleasure I received from seeing, on the 12th of September, that masterwork of Jonson, The Fox, acted under the auspices of Mr. Colman. Bensley and Parsons were by Nature fitted for Mosca and Corbaccio, and Palmer took, I thought, very kindly to Volpone. Bannister gave to Voltore more of the modern than the ancient advocate; but he excited a laugh at some well-known excesses of our bar-affectations rendering oratorical imperfection violent absurdity. Mr. Gifford, the matchless editor of Jonson, remembers the representation to which I allude, and thus expresses himself (see his 3rd vol., p. 160): Its last appearance, I believe, was at the Haymarket, some time before the death of the elder Colman, who made some trifling alterations in the disposition of the scenes. That it was not successful, cannot be wondered at; the age of dramatic imbecility was rapidly advancing upon us, and the stage already looked to jointed-dolls, water-spaniels, and peacock's-tails for its main credit and support.' |