her station, and, in the course of the quillity, usually employed every year season, thus renews four or five different freights. "The cod-fish is dried on the island, and larger vessels arrive from England, to convey it from thence to the European markets. In packing the fish in bulk, in the hold of the vessel, much care and attention are requisite; and the greatest precautions are used in loading, to preserve them from exposure to the moisture of the atmosphere, by spreading sails and cloths over the boats in which they are contained, and over those fish already in the vessel, if the smallest degree of dampness in the air be observable. A person, denominated culler or inspector, attends the loading of each vessel, in order to see that no fish which is not perfectly cured, be introduced into the cargo, which otherwise might soon become damaged. "The price of fish cured at Newfoundland, is generally fifteen shillings the quintal, and it neats in Europe about twenty shillings. The expence of its freight to the coast of Spain, is two shillings and sixpence, and to Leghorn three shillings, the quintal. The dried fish, sent to the West Indies, is packed in casks, and is inferior in quality to that carried to Eu. rope. The fish which is salted without being dried, is termed Core-fish, or green cod. A vessel, with twelve men, from the middle of April to July, must catch, salt, and bring into port, ten thousand fish, otherwise the owners will be excluded from all claim to the established bounty. The same crew, however, usually procures, during the season, more than double that quantity. "The merchants of England, who are concerned in these fisheries, supply the fishermen upon credit with every article of which they may be in want, and are repaid at the fall of the year, with the produce of their industry. Several hundred thousand pounds are thus annually advanced in speculation, on an object of commerce, before it is extracted from the bosom of the ocean. "About four hundred ships, amounting to thirty-six thousand tons burthen; two thousand fishing shallops, of twenty thousand tons, and twenty thousand men, are, in times of tran in this fishery. About six hundred thousand quintals of fish are annually taken, which, upon an average of seven years, are worth, at the island, fifteen shillings per quintal. These, with other amounts, consisting of salmon, cod-oil, sea-oil, and furs, exceed annually half a million' sterling. Of twenty thousand men from Great Britain and Ireland, employed in that fishery, eight thousand necessarily continued, when their country was not at war, on the island all the winter. Several thousand still remain there during that season, and are occupied in repairing or building boats and small vessels, or in erecting the scaf folds for drying fish. These are not properly seafaring men, and are distinguished by the denomination of planters," After this we have an interesting account of Newfoundland, its inhabitants, &c. for which we refer our reader to p.388 of the present number of the Magazine. Our voyager next arrived in the Gulph of St. Lawrence; and chapter III. contains an account of the vari ous objects in its immediate vicinity; and here we first discovered what occasioned us abundant vexation in the progress of the work, viz. that in the map which is given at the end of the volume, it is just a mere chance if you find the name you are looking for. This is a serious error. Neither are any of the mountains, promontories, capes, &c. marked upon the map, though abundantly mentioned in the body of the work. The length of the course of St. Lawrence is 150 miles; its breadth generally near three miles, except near its mouth, where it contracts to one third of that extent. An attempt has been made in the centre of its mouth, to sound the depth with five hundred fathoms of line, but no bottom was found. A mile and a half higher up the depth has been ascertained at 138 fathoms; and sixty miles further, in ascending the course of the river the depth is nearly sixty fathoms. At p. 58 is a view of Quebec, which has but one fault: not a bit of Quebec is to be distinguished. We were never fond of the aqua-tinta mode of engraving; but we never "An awful and solemn effect is saw worse specimens than those now produced by the incessant sound and before us. They are a mere confused rapid motion of the ever-swelling daub, and are a disgrace to the artist's waves, which, covered with effulgent name. The large plate in front of whiteness, drive along with irresistithe volume, by a different artist, is ble fury," p. 120.-Double double toil much better executed, and has a very and trouble! pretty effect. Lake Ontario is in length 160 miles, Chapter IV. is occupied with a de- and in circumference about 450. The scription of Quebec, its strength, depth, in many places, remains unassurrounding scenery, and other cor- certained. The centre has been rolative subjects. The origin of the sounded with a line of 350 fathoms, name is thus accounted for by Mr. without finding bottom. It contains Heriot: Samuel de Champlain, a upwards of twenty-two islands. The man of enterprize and talent, actuated land on the north-east is low, and in by liberal sentiments, having survey- some situations marshy. ed the borders of the St. Lawrence, "The falls of Niagara surpass in for the choice of a situation which sublimity every description which the might present the greatest conveni- powers of language can afford of that ences for a settlement, gave the pre- celebrated scene, the most wonderful ference to an elevated promontory and awful which the habitable world between the St. Lawrence and the presents. Nor can any drawing consmall river St. Charles. It is asserted vey an adequate idea of the magnitude that tome of his attendants having pro- and depth of the precipitating waters. nounced at first view of this point of By the interposition of two islands, land" Quel Bec! Champlain be- the river is separated into three falls, stowed that name on his projected that of the Great Horse-shoe on the town. The inhabitants comprehend- west or British side, so denominated ed in Quebec, and in the suburbs of from its form, and those of Fort SlausSt. John and St. Roe, are computed at about 15,000. ser and Montmorenci, on the eastern or American side. The larger island Chapters V. VI. VII. and VIII. is about four hundred yards in width, consist of Mr. Heriot's descriptions and the small island about ten yards. of the scenery of the St. Lawrence, The three falls, with the islands, deas far as the falls of Niagara, and be- scribe a crescent, and the river beyond them to Lake Superior. These neath becomes considerably contractdescriptions, as we have already said, ed. The breadth of the whole, at the form the least interesting part of the pitch of the waters, including the curvolume, for Mr. Heriot's manner is vatures which the violence of the cureither so tame, so verbose, so inflated, rent has produced in the Horse-shoe, or so ludicrous, that the reader is al- and in the American falls, may be esways disgusted, and never pleased. timated at a mile and a quarter, and In addition to these faults of language, the altitude of the Table Rock, from must be added one of method. In whence the precipitation commences, ascending the St. Lawrence, from is one hundred and fifty feet." Quebec, Mr. Heriot becomes a sort Mr. Heriot seems to be so transof prating guide that can pass nothing ported with the grandeur of the without some observation or other, scenery he is describing, that he tohowever unimportant the thing itself tally loses sight of common sense. may be. Thus he goes on from Had he lived in the age of Pope, place to place, calling this beautiful Swift, and Arbuthnot, they would and the other charming, till the rea- almost have adored him for furnishder is wearied with a dull repetition of ing them with so complete a speciunmeaning words. He should, on men of the true bathos as the folthe contrary, have given a general lowing incomprehensible passage. idea of the country, and confined his Describing the various beauties of the individual remarks to the most parti- falls, he bursts forth: Cobjects. Let the following sentence be taken for one of many: "Here nature, agitated by the struggles of contending elements, as sumes a majestic and tremendous what may take place previous to the wildness of form. Here terror seems general consummation of this terresto hold his habitation. Here brilli- trial scene, when ancient monuments ancy, profundity, motion, sound, and of marble, under which princes of tumultuous fury, mingie throughout the earth have for ages slept, shall be the scene!" And to finish the cli- burst asunder, and torn up from their max, he adds, "the huge fragments foundations!!!" of rock, which have been thrown from the summit of the precipice, by the irresistible strength of the torrent, and which have fallen upon each other in towering heaps beneath, suggest to the imagination an idea of With this we shall take our leave for the present, of Mr. Heriot, and resume the conclusion of his volume in our next number. (To be continued.) THEATRICAL RECORDER.. E shall commence our labours,ance of the following passage, called current month: nor do we believe, that by thus excluding a retrospective view, we shall omit any thing very important or very interesting. COVENT GARDEN. Monday, Nov. 2. Coriolanus, or the Roman Matron.-Harlequin and Mother Goose. The strong attractions of this evening drew a crowded audience. The Coriolanus of Mr. Kemble must certainly be ranked among the most finished of his performances. In this character nature, art, and genius, all combine to stamp perfection. In the noble contour of his countenance, and in the piercing expression of his eye, we behold what fancy has often pictured to our mind when reading the pages of Livy; the haughty, commanding, inflexible Roman. In the arrangement of his dress too, and in the temperate elegance of his action, Mr. Kemble seemed conscious that he was representing a nation noted for its marked attention to the most minute consideration of personal embellishment. Throughout the whole character we were delighted with his conception of it. In his scene with the citizens, where he begged their voices, there appeared such a struggle between innate dignity and compliance with popular custom, as few could attain, but the prime feature, perhaps, of this night's performance, was the last speech, where Aufidius taunts him with the name of boy. The burst of indignation, the mingled rage, pride, and contempt, betrayed in his utter "Measureless liar! thou has made my heart Too great for what contains it. Boy? Stain all your edges in me. Boy? Fluttered your Volscians, in Corioli, Mrs. Siddons, in Volumnia, did every thing which her great powers could, but the character is not enough for her. Yet in the last scene, and in that where she reproves her son for his unbending haughtiness, she was very impressive. Munden is totally unfit for Menenius. Shakspeare meant him for a humorist; Munden makes him a buffoon. In the after-piece, Grimaldi delighted the galleries, aye, and the boxes too, by his grimaces, contortions, and humour. Thursday, Nov. 5. Count of Narbonne-Harlequin and Mother Goose. This was the revival of a dull and heavy play, founded by Mr. Jephson, with a servility of imitation, upon the Castle of Otranto of Horace Walpole. Without any incident to interest the spectator, the piece is languidly extended through five acts, by a monotonous reciprocation of dialogue, the language of which rarely rises above mediocrity. In our opinion, Mr. kemble never acted with less effect than on this evening, in the character of "Raymond." We perceived, in deed, that he was labouring under a theatre, under the direction of Mr. severe cold, but his powers also seem- Kemble. There can be no doubt that ed to be benumbed by the cold apathy the liberal exertious of the managers of the character. Mrs. Siddons, in will ineet its due reward from the pub86 Hortensia," was all that could be lic, for certainly nothing can exceed expected, though it was in nothing the magnificence with which Henry calculated to shew her to advantage. the Eighth, Coriolanus, and the WinYet her exclamation, in the last sene, ter's Tale, have been presented; and "Oh God? she is dead!" will not while the eye is delighted, the mind easily be forgotten. is no less so in observing that propriety of costume which increases so greatly the illusion. Miss Norton gave considerable interest to the character of Adelaide, and in the dying scene displayed great Mr. Kemble performed the characpowers of pathos. C. Kemble, who ter of Wolsey with great judgment; is, in fact, the hero of the piece, was he was particularly fine in the delivery extremely well in the youthful Theo- of that beautiful monologue, "Faredore, but Pope was wretched in well! a long farewell," &c, and in the "Austin." His tonsure had some- subsequent scene. Mrs. Siddons perthing irresistibly ludicrous about it; formed Katherine in her accustomed and his manner was as pert as a waiting gentlewoman, instead of that holy sanctity and pious meekness which a monk possesses, or is supposed to possess. dignified and impressive manner. Nor must we refuse our approbation to Pope, who pleased us much in the bluff, stormy, and amorous Harry. In the afterpiece, a Mr. Oxberry assumed the part of Robin Roughhead. His appearance was extremely ju venile, and his manner was that of ideotical silliness, rather than of rustic simplicity. He wanted spirit and animation; nor do we think that he would be any acquisition to the theatre. This dull play has not since been repeated, nor do we think that it would be adviseable so to do. Mere dialogue, however excellent in itself, is quite unsuited to an English taste; on the French stage, where the moral collo quies of Racine yet find admirers, they might succeed. However, we cannot in this instance, assert this excellence Wednesday, Nov. 11. The Winter's of the dialogue of the Count of Nar- Tale (revived).—The Flitch of Bacon. bonne: both in the closet, and on the This charming play has been revived stage, we have ever regarded it as tame at a great expense, and with unusual and nerveless; the laboured effusion of splendour. All the characters too study, not the prompt and fiery elo- were well cast, so that there was noquence of genius. In the last act thing to detract from the pleasure prothere is an expression, which not duced by its representation. Liston, even the solemnity of Mr. Kemble, Blanchard, and Munden, were entinor the interest of the scene, can make tled respectively to much commendarespectable. Raymond, finding that tion. Mrs. Siddons, as Hermione, he has stabbed his own daughter, ex- was, as usual, excellent; and in the claims with horror, "Ha! lightning statue scene the effect produced by shiver me!" It were impossible for her fine figure, and immoveable posithe mind to hear this, and not imme- tion, was truly excellent. Mrs. C. diately revert to the blunt oath of a Kemble, in Paulina, was dressed with weather-beaten sailor, "shiver my great taste, but her conception of the timbers." character did not appear to us to be corSaturday, Nov. 7. King Henry the rect; she threw too much of the termaEighth.-Fortune's Frolic.-This busy gant into it. In the characters of play, notwithstanding its violation of Perdita and Florizel, Miss Norton and dramatic propriety, preserves a great Mr. C. Kemble did as much as their interest in the representation. Much, unimportant parts afforded room for; no doubt, is to be attributed to the the same may be said of Pope in Posplendid manner in which it is got up, lixenes. and to that strict attention to costume Of Mr. Kemble's acting in Leontes which so eminently distinguishes this we are at a loss to express ourselves UNIVERSAL MAG. VOL. VIII. 2 H Tuesday, Nov. 17. Two Faces under adequately; yet we will venture to whither we may carry our wives and say, that it stands at the very head of daughters. that gentleman's performances, and is certainly one of the finest pieces of a Hood.-Mistake upon Mistake, acting that the present stage can boast Appearance is against them.-Of this of. Jealousy was never more admi- Opera we need not say much. In plot rably pourtrayed; nor were the work- and dialogue it is wretchedly deficient; ings of nature ever more forcibly ex- but some delightful music from the pressed than in that speech where he scientific pen of Mr. Shield, aided by addresses himself to his child Ma- the vocal powers of Incledon, Taylor, millius; the sudden changes of voice, Mrs. Dickons, Miss Bolton, Mrs. C. the restless inquietude, the marked Kemble, and Mrs. Liston, enabled it suspicion, the affection for the child to pass through with very great ap and the dawning jealousy towards the plause. To the lovers of music, it will mother, were all expressed with sur- no doubt continue long to be a gratifiprising effect by Mr. Kemble: nor cation. The trio, in the first scene, can we omit to advert to the manner between Miss Bolton, Mrs. Dickons, in which he performed the subsequent and Mrs. Liston, was very sweet: many scene with Camillo: the bursting agi- of the songs were deservedly encored. tation which was betrayed in his forced Why was Mr. Jones thrust into a singutterance, the eagerness of his action ing character? It is rendering the man and look, and above all, the varied ridiculous without any necessity. We intonations of voice and gesture with did not think the overture so good as which he accompanied the following many similar compositions of Mr. speech, can never be exceeded, and Shield. It was somewhat heavy and they drew down bursts of applause monotonous. from every part of the house. With the pin and web, but theirs, theirs only, That would, unseen, be wicked? Is this nothing? Why then the world, and all that's in't is nothing; The covering sky is nothing; Bohemia nothing; My wife is nothing; nor nothing have these nothings, If this be nothing." In the after-piece, Mr. Munden, Emery, and Mrs. Mattocks, exerted themselves with their usual certainty of success. We cannot help noticing the numerous grammatical errors which so constantly occur in the stage dialogue: they should be amended, and let the stage become what it ought to be. The theatre, the senate, and the pul pit, should be the three standard authorities for pronounciation; and at infinitely greater numbers attend the former than either of the latter, it is so much the more to be desired that it should be perfect. It is nothing to say that this is the case with regard to Mr. Kemble and Mrs. Siddons: it should, and might very easily, be the case with all. It is a disgrace to a national theatre to hear the very head performers speaking of “acquaintances,” We were surprised, however, to find and answering such interrogatories as that this play had not been weeded of "who is there?" by "me;" and persome impurities, that are unfit for a petually offending the ears by you modern audience. We allude to the was,” and “was you there," &c. &c. speech of the old shepherd (Blanchard) We conceive that such errors might when he finds the child: we will not easily be corrected, without giving repeat it here, for we should think it personal offence; and, individually too gross; and surely such language speaking, we assure Messrs. Fawcett, should be hooted off the stage if Munden, Jones, &c. &c. and even we wish the theatre to be a place the ladies of the theatre, that they |