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Covent Garden were seated at the top of a horse-shoe table, which was filled by the troop of equestrians. Several deputies from the provincial booths were also present: the Hottentot Venus was at a side-table, as the smell of meat affects her, being accustomed to live chiefly on train-oil. The dinner abounded in all the delicacies of the season. The only novelties were a roasted haunch of a two-year old filly, which Mr. Harris declared in his opinion to be equal to venison, and a fricassee of horse-beans, of which it was observed Mr. Kemble ate a prodigious quantity, upou the principle that they greatly improve the wind. The wines were excellent and in profusion, and the utmost hilarity prevailed. Among the toasts we noticed, with particular pleasure, some highly anti-dramatic and appropriate." Confusion to Shakspeare" was drank with three times three; "The Four-in-Hand Club, and success to them;"—" May Riding flourish and Plays decay;"-" The Veterinaria, breaking, backing, and bitting ;""The Cause of still-vaulting all over the world," &c. &c.-Two or three very genious sentiments were added by a fire-eater, whose name we could not learn-" Monopolizing Patentees, and the Spaniards;" and " You may bring a Horse to the water, but you can't make him drink;" and inany others equally good, which memory failed us to record. Upon Mr. Harris's health being drank, that Gentleman got up and returned thanks, but in so low a voice we could with difficulty ascertain what he said. He adverted with great feeling to the O. P. war, which had considerably embarrassed him. He confessed he had long balanced between tumblers and horses, as a stimulus to public curiosity, but decided on the latter as the greatest and most monstrous novelty. At this period of Mr. H.'s speech Mr. Sheridan came into the room, dinner being as usual completely over; and his health being proposed to be

in

given, he begged for a short delay, till he had taken a snack, which was immediately procured: during his repast he conversed with his usual affability with the Hottentot Venus on various topics-the modes of making love and war, and hasty-pudding, in Africa; -the size of their Theatres; the merits of their dramatic writers; and the amount of their national debt. To all which she answered in a way which astonished and delighted him. In return, she expatiated on his transcendant abilities, and put into his hands a manuscript Melo-Drama, founded on the story of Aningait and Ajut, which he, according to immemorial custom, put into his pocket, and promised to read the earliest possible opportunity. Mr. Kemble's health being now given, he rose, and in a speech, to which it is impossible to do adequate justice, embraced and eluci dated a variety of topics.-He treated, with merited contempt, the squibs and crackers which had exploded against him in the newspapers-they called him Marshal Neigh, and sneered at his having confessed that he derived benefit from breathing a horsedung atmosphere on the principles of the immortal Beddoes; but supported, as he was, by the good opinion of the respectable society (hear! hear!) then present, and particularly distinguished by the countenance of one man, whose praise was fame, he suffered the clamours of the public to pass by him like the idle wind, unregarded-"Yes," said he, "scandal had gone so far as to insinuate that my predilection for Horses was such, that, like Lord Monboddo's original man, I had determined to let my tail grow, and go on all fours-what then was the conduct of my dear, my highly-endowed friend?-he got up in the great, -Council of the Nation, and openly declared the report -unfounded, and that I had all my life acted, and still -intended to act, on my two legs. What he further >mentioned there on the subject of the depravity of

taste,

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taste, and the vitiation of the minds of the higher orders, and their absolutely calling for equestrian mummery as a Supplement to the Drama, I can bear ample testimony to, having letters in my possession from no less than five Duchesses, eighteen Countesses, six Bishops' wives, and a great majority of the Ladies of the lower House, insisting upon the introduction of Horses." Under these circumstances, and so sanctioned, he declared his determination to persevere, and concluded a most animated speech by proposing the health of Mr. S. who rose amidst the most rapturous acclamations. The particulars of this address neither our limits, nor indeed our talents, allow us to detail, the wing of genius has sometimes such a rapid flight; at one moment skimming the surface like the swallow, and darting with inconceivable quickness at the minutest objects; at another, soaring like the eagle, and drinking intelligence from the fountain of brightness; that labouring attention toils after it in vain. Suffice it to say, that he proved to demonstration, that the public taste was perverted, but that no blame on that account was attached to the Patentees, who could not avoid producing what the public called for-the depravation proceeded not from the deficiency or the size of the Theatres, but from the degeneracy of the day, from the vice and debasement and dissipation which grew with the increase of wealth, and so vitiated the minds of the higher orders, that they had no relish for more refined amusements. It was under this impression that Tobin's charming play of The Honey-moon had been so long kept back from the degenerate public, and the production of an ingenious female writer recently taken out of the hands of the Acting Manager. After passing some observations on the nature and propriety of dramatic monopolies, he sat down amidst a thunder of applause. At this moment a deputation arrived from the Lyceum, re

VOL. XV.

questing

questing permission for the Proprietors and Performers to walk round the table, to prove that they had not, by an alleged but unfounded report of the desertion of their Theatre, been reduced to a state of great debility by starvation. This interesting procession was immediately admitted, on the motion of Mr. Parker ; and we are happy to say, that, from the plumpness of the Company, they appear to have lived, during the whole season, under a regimen of very good houses. They all received half a glass of wine and a pinch of snuff apiece from the hands of Mr. Kemble, the Chairman, who congratulated them in very handsome terms on their good looks, and their recent escape from damnation in their animated defence of The Americans, against whom the public had nearly voted a non-intercourse bill. Mr. Astley, senior, was greatly amused at the admirable imitation, by Mr. Mathews, of the Tailor riding to Brentford; and Mrs. Bland gave universal satisfaction in the song of the Horse and his Rider. The President now retired, and the Chair was taken by Mr. Makeen; nor did the Company disperse till a late hour in the morning. There was a good deal of talk respecting the formation of a Club for the perpetuation of Horse exhibitions at the regular Theatres, and some resolutions were proposed; but the plan has not yet assumed a tangible shape: as soon as it does, the particulars shall be communicated.

COMMON SENSE VERSUS MUMMERY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE MORNING CHRONICLE.

[May 16.]

SIR,

THE maiden modesty and sweet compliance with which Mr. Kemble, High Priest of Shakspeare, &c. &c. &c. yields to the Equitation of his colleague.

Mr.

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Mr. Harris, should not have extorted a single serious remark-such coquetting only deserves a cracker to be tied to its tail; but Mr. Sheridan's opinion must always have weight, and, if unfounded, as I sincerely think, and hope to prove it, must be proportionably .mischievous.

His first position is, that the public taste is vitiated with respect to dramatic amusement, and that this proceeds from the vice and debasement and dissipation growing from the increase of wealth, which have destroyed all relish in the minds of the higher orders for more refined amusements, and induced them to call for these equestrian gambols. The latter part of this assertion is utterly groundless-the public never called for such exhibitions; they frequented the Theatre during the last and the preceding seasons, and neither expected nor demanded such disgusting mummery.— As to the former part of the charge, of disrelish in the minds of the higher orders towards more refined amuse ments, I cannot believe it by any means true in the unqualified extent attributed to it. At the representation of an affecting tragedy, when I look from the stage towards the audience, I see my fair countrywomen, of all classes, paying the sweet and accustomed tribute of their pity to the sorrows of Constance, and the dignified resignation of Katharine. I can neither trace vice nor dissipation, nor that har dened levity, which, only to be gratified by pageantry, would betray the usual symptoms of ennui at the performance of an interesting play: instead of that, all is attention and sympathy-nor will Mrs. Siddons, at least, join in this general charge of debasement, while she can call up that tear in the eye of loveliness, which only dims its lustre for a moment, to render it more lastingly interesting.

Mr. Sheridan next proceeds to say, "that for this alleged depravation the Patentees are not in fault."

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