:

gustus of Prussia) and Agrippina. 10. Va-
lentinian (Prince Charles) and Eudoxia.
11. Otto (Duke Charles of Mecklenburg)
and Adelaide (Princess William.) 12. The

greater was the general eagerness, the fol- | Thusnelda. 9. Germanicus (Prince Au-
lowing year, to celebrate the return of the
day. The 12th of March 1804 was fixed
upon for the purpose, and the Royal Theatre
was elegantly fitted up for a grand masque-
rade, with quadrilles, the first and principal
of which represented the return of Alex-
ander the Great from India, and his mar-
riage with the Princess Statira, daughter of
Darius.

The succession of important events that filled the succeeding years, the almost total ruin of the Prussian monarchy, and the death of the Queen in particular, left neither time nor inclination for these gay scenes; the toga gave place to arms, and the sportive muses Euterpe and Terpsichore to their austere sister Clio.

It was therefore long before an opportunity offered for a third fête of the same kind, which was afforded by the recent marriage of His Royal Highness Prince Frederick of Prussia, nephew to His Majesty the King, with Princess Louisa of Anhalt-Bemburg, which was solemnized at Ballenstaedt, and in honour of which a series of fêtes were given at Berlin, of which the masquerade on the 8th of February far exceeded all the rest in splendour. ndour.

On that evening, His Majesty the King allowed above three thousand masks to receive cards of invitation or admission to

the Royal Palace. In the splendour of innum erable wax-lights, the gay throng float ed in expectation of the moment when the procession was to pass before them. The door opened. The beautiful allegory proceeded slowly and majestically through a long suite of apartments, representing

Cid and Chimene. 13. Huon and Amanda.
14. Ruggiero and Bradamante. 15. Peter
of Provence and Magelone. 16. Louis XII.
and Anne of Bretagne.

The white Saloon, which was fitted up
and appropriated to the representation, and
diversified Tableaur and groupings off the
Quadrille, was peculiarly adapted by its at
once simple and grand decorations, by its
antique form and spaciousness, for the fes-
tal occasion. The lofty hall, the architec-
tural unity of which was not interrupted by
any modern additions, contained about 400
spectators on the Estrades (running along
the walls,) covered with scarlet cloth, and
divided from the centre space by Thyrsus
staves with garlands. The wall opposite the
entrance was occupied by the royal band on
a raised stage, covered with scarlet cloth.
The King, with the members of the Royal
family, who remained as spectators, and the
new married couple, sat upon elevated seats
on the left of the orchestra, the latter in the
ancient German dress, wearing the colours
of Hohenzollern and Anhalt.

The work, of which we have spoke above, represents, on 13 copper plates, of which 12 are coloured, the principal characters and groups of this festival. The faithfulness of the representation, and the beauty of the colouring, leave nothing to be desired. It is a monument of taste, which perhaps could not have been produced except by the concurrence of so many favourable cir

the union of two hearts, and consecrating cumstances. The first requisite of such a

this union by the mystical rites of antiquity, and by chosen examples of heroic, romantic, chivalrous, and princely love.

The white saloon, the most simply elegant in the palace, received the train of seventy-nine persons, without the Cupids. It entered, prece led by two Temple Heralds, and by Comus the god of mirth. Two elegant triumphal cars broke the uniformity of the procession. In the first stood Psyche and Eros Uranios; behind them Hymen with his torch and garland. In the second car was Hera Teleia, consecrating the union of hearts. A throng of male and female attendants of Eros, Psyche, and Juno, partly drew, partly accompanied and surrounded the cars of the Divinities, of whose train the Graces formed as necessary a part as the graver Priestesses of Jano.

After the mysterious symbols of Life and Love, there advanced, preceded by Cupids, and issuing from the "Gate of the Past," Life and Love, represented by sixteen couple of heroic lovers in the following

order:

1. Cadmus (Prince George of Hesse) and Hermione. 2. Hector and Andromache. 3. Ulysses and Penelope. 4. Abradates (the Crown Prince) and Panthea (Princess Frederica.) 5. Mausolus and Artemisia. 6. Alexander (Prince William, the King's brother) and Roxana (Princess Alexandrina.) 7. Antiochus and Stratonice. 8. Arminius and

pantomimic fête, viz. unity of the leading
idea, was afforded by the object of the day,
to celebrate a marriage in the Royal family.
Thus all is connected with a procession
(Pompa in the ancient sense) to the honour
of the great Patroness of Marriege, Juno

Pronuba, or Hera Teleia. It thus becomes,
as the Greeks named it, a sacred marriage.
Hieroduloi and Hierokerykoi attend the
festival. Priestesses consecrate it. The
whole procession, as above described, is
finely represented on the 13th plate. Two
men, well versed in the customs of all ages,
gave all the requisite directions for the cos-
tumes; the Aulic Counsellor Hirt, so dis-
tinguished for his researches into antiquity,
for all relative to the antique, and the judi-
cious and active intendant of the Royal
Theatre, Count Bruhl, for every thing rela-
tive to the middle ages and more modern
times. The first four coloured plates repre-
sent Cupid and Psyche (very differently
indeed from what we see them in the well
known groups, or on the celebrated Cameo
of the Duke of Marlborough, by Tryphon,)
but much must be placed to the account of
the veil, which is here hardly visible. Hymen;
the Three Graces, with garlands of flowers;
Hera Teleia, with her Priestesses; the He-
rald; Comus and Momus; and, lastly, two
male and two female Hieroduloi. Then
follow, in 8 plates, the 16 couple, two upon

structive introduction, in order to pl ourselves in the point of view from wh the two inventors and directors of antique and the modern romantic costu desire to be judged of in their endeavo to reconcile the National and characteri with the agreeable and theatrical. I only thus that it is possible to avoid dantry on the one hand, and fantasti ness on the other. Nay, we may asst what is said in this introduction pr nearly as the rule, according to which things now are, we may procced in all theatrical and masquerade costumes. must be also remembered, that in choice and mixture of the colours, it was cessary to have regard to the nocturna lumination, and that on this account must not be surprised to see Hymen, instance, not in yellow, but in bright drapery; further, that it was necessary aim at striking contrasts, and that the fore many costumes, particularly in ancient Asiatic and old German taste, ceived many ornaments not properly longing to them. If we make due alic ance for all this, we shall not be offen at some trifling deviations from the st costume, especially because, if we w called upon to contrive it better, we sho certainly be very much embarrassed. Ev where, in the costume of the figures of heroic ages, we see the profound antiq rian. In the same manner, the costum arranged by Count Bruhl, from the time Byzantine magnificence down to Louis and Anne of Bretagne, are well chosen, with a view to the greatest magnificer which was here indispensable. The s hints which the judicious tasteful c triver of these characters has scattered the explanations, shew how much he co say on the subject in a proper place. were much to be wished that in his leist time, upon which, indeed, there are many claims, he might be able to disp to us the Christian romantic world, in express work on the costume, as it beg from the Dalmatica and Lábarum, down the modern Spanish at the beginning the 16th century, with accurate drawin which are indispensable, and also quot the authorities. Perhaps lithography attain every where the high degree of F fection which it has acquired in Muni and thus render it possible to represent genuine metallic costumes at a smaller pence.

We would address the same request M. Hirt, in respect to the Asiatic, Egypti Scythian, and Greek Etruscan (of wh the Roman is only a branch.) The indef gable Millin at Paris had been engaged ma years in collecting rare and chosen inateri on the subject, and published a small, E important work, on theatrical costume, p paratory to a large work with numero plates. The unfortunate fire, which duri his three years' tour in Italy threw in disorder, if it did not consume, all b papers and collections, together with t unpropitious times, caused the executi

each plate. It is necessary to read the in- of this plan to be indefinitely delayed. E

:

however, to collect and to arrange 7. And what means had he at his com, in the situation he was placed in at But his death, by which his friends the sciences are equal sufferers, for destroyed this plan. Let Hirt then, mythological picture-book has already of so much use, no longer delay to e this merit. How much would we if we had such a book of costumes Lang from the brilliant times of classic For the plastic monuments, where aiming at the naked, are d on conventional laws, very differfrom the picturesque rules of our Erol costumes, and they lead the imat greatly astray. One source for ue costume is, however, by no means sted: viz. the vases, of which more ally discovered and published. People length be tired of the mere Bacda, which have been multiplied to and only really new and interesting swill be copied, as has been lately much judgment by James Mil,collected from the vases of Sir Coghill.

ace printing this account, we observe that Boosey have imported copies of this

German work. See Advertisement.

THE HERMIT IN LONDON.
very extraordinary sensation excited by the Essays
der the above title, have been inserted in our

1.8, renders it necessary that we should exreasons for not extending the series beyond y before the public. The fact is, they conaporion of a work in the possession of Mr. 25. by whom we were favoured with such spewe have given in the Gazette,) intended to be

The Volumes, and announced for publiducuntee of the ensuing season. Under such

then, we could not, in common justice,

frage apon private right, by anticipating hrthrt the appearance, in a distinct and collected

the furabrations of that sprightly and ingenious T, whose playful and elegant satire has thrown strial interest and variety into our pages. We pleasure, however, to add, that we have the of several able contributors in this particular t of our journal, whose exertions and talents

undertaken as a thing capable of displaying | a short existence. But all these adjuncts
great ingenuity, fancy, and imagination, were also wanting; instead of wit or hu-
by any man of genius. Yet we think that
soine fame might be gathered even by high
literary talent, in this new line, dumb and
dancing as its representatives are. On the
contrary, in ancient Rome the Pantomimi
were the greatest actors of Tragedy by
looks and gestures; and in modern Italy,
the learned have not disdained to rack their
invention for their Sannio, (our Clown),
while Princes have made the most famous
of them their companions. It was an im-
provement of later times, though two cen-
turies and a half ago, to change the dotards
of Terence and Plautus into the Venetian
Pantaloon; and the Lover was necessarily
added, to complete a dramatis personæ
capable of being involved in plot or intrigue.
These four characters, with Scaramouch,
have now become the essentials of Panto-
mime: all the rest, such as Braggards,
Doctors, Pimps, Scapins, Fops, &c. being
either identified with one or other of them,
or entirely incidental to the particular
piece in which they appear.

Some of the finest acting in the world, both tragic and comic, was wont to be exhibited in Pantomiune, but now nothing is attempted by the actors beyond activity in the Harlequin and Columbine, decrepitude in the Pantaloon, and gri grimace in the Clown. Any of these would as soon think of setting fire to the scenery, as of venturing at expression in look or action, yet this is very excellent, and would be a great improvement; of the practicability of which we need no other proof than Grimaldi's performances as the servant of Don Juan. Scaramuccia non parla, e dica gran cosa," said a great Prince: We wish we had more occasions to say the same of our Pantomimic performers, but in truth the scenery-shifting and transformations, and the latter not very frequent, have become the principal, almost the sole features of these representations.

* "

DRURY LANE.- This house has been pe

curselves will afford a constant and varied culiarly unfortunate in its holiday spectacle,

Amusement to our subscribers and friends.

entitled Harlequin and the Dandy Club,
or 1818. The penurious and economical
plan adopted by its Managers, was calcu-
lated to be fatally felt in such a dramatic
work as a Pantomime, where splendid
scenery, richdresses, complicatedmachinery,
and other extravagances are indispensable.
Debarred from these accessories, Harlequin
and the Dandy Club was one of the most
mean and meagre things which has for
many years been attempted on the London
boards, even in a minor theatre. Perhaps
if there had been any wit or humour in
the construction of the piece, any singular
feats or dexterity in its acting, any ability
or beauty in its changes, the poverty of its
decorations might have been overlooked,
and it might have been allowed to drag on
* "He speaks not, but he says many great

things" This was observed of a Scaramouch,

and produce surprising metamor sand. With us the composition of dime has always been left to some (sutriver about the theatre, and never | going remarks.

mour, there were only the most miserable and tasteless common-places; instead of feats and dexterity, clumsy tricks and vulgarity; instead of ability or beauty, heaviness and want of invention. To add to these calamities, the Clown, a Mr. Bradbury, got wrangling with a madman in the boxes, and misconducted himself so grossly as to give general offence to the audience. This increased the storm, which would have been sufficient to overwhelm the Pantomime, without the supernatural aid of either the Fool or the idiot, the Zany or the maniac. Suffice it to state that the design was altogether so silly, the exhibition so beggarly, and the acting so bad, that we have had the rare example of a Pantomime being so loudly condemned by the public voice, in three nights, as to be driven off the stage, notwithstanding the assurances of the bills that it had excited roars of laughter throughout, and should do the same again every evening!! We shall not waste our columns with any details of the disgusting tumults which led to this catastrophe, nor with comments on the unseemly sight of the Clown soliciting forgiveness, on his knees, from a British audience, and a theatre being made the arena for disputants, headed on the one side by the impertinent, and on the other by the insane.

COVENT GARDEN. -Here, though in some respects inferior, as in others superior, to former seasons, a Pantomime founded on the adventures of the redoubted Baron Munchausen, and called by his name, has been successful. Its claims, however, to this distinction rest almost entirely upon its fine and gorgeous scenery, its perfect mechanism, its showy decorations, and the intrinsic merits of the story, which could not be acted without producing a good effect, though as little as possible has been made of its incidents/

It would be a long tale to tell how this pantomime is conducted. It commences with the Baron asleep on the snow, and his horse tied to the steeple; the snow melts, owing to a volcanic eruption of no great fervour, and the Baron descends, but his steed remains in suspense. In the village below Sir Hilary Frosticos wishes to force his daughter to wed Lord HumpyDandy, whom she rejects for the bold Baron. The lovers fly to Vulcan's cave and obtain the favour of Venus, but offend her limping husband; and, of course, the former supports while the latter persecutes them, in the new pantomimic characters into which they are changed. The usual running about, hauling, leaping, and escaping, ensues; the chief scenes of which are the Moon and Lunar Palace, whose inhabitants carry their heads in their hands; the Bay of Constantinople; the Deck of an English Man of War; the Bottom of the Sea; Dublin Egypt, with Pompey's Pillar; and Fountain Love. all of these there is much splendour or able delineation, and in some of them very considerable ingenuity and novelty. The

a

change of Pompey's pillar into a magnificent tent, was capitally managed. What was most wanted was drollery. With the exception of the Clown's imitation of seasickness, the heaving of Pantaloon and him overboard, and his being baked red-hot cinder, in the oven, with a shoulder of mutton, at Mr. Chaubert, the fireeater's exhibition room, we do not remember a laughable hit in the whole performance. Probably a few will be thrown in after the anxiety of the first night to see if all works well. We have to complain a little of Harlequin, whom we can no more excuse for not whirling about his head, than we could pardon Hamlet who omitted all the soliloquies. Indeed Mr. Ellar was very sparing of the attributes so invariably annexed to his character, and gave us none of those curious movements which display the genuine and classical Harlequin, qui ore, vultu, imitandis motibus, voce, denique corpore ridetur ipso. We beg to refer him to Cicero de Oratore, which we presume he has not sufficiently studied. Columbine, Clown, and Pantaloon, were all highly commendable for their exertions; and though not equal to the incomparable Mother Goose, or even to Gulliver, this production is entitled to as much of the season as of right belongs to its genus. It will undoubtedly fill the treasury of Covent Garden, in proportion as the other house must suffer; since it has no rival, and at this time of the year the grand majority of play-goers are the vota

ries of Pantomime.

The tragedies of Isabella and Douglas, and the Romance of Barmecide, have been played at Drury Lane, with such alterations or novelties as to entitle them to notice. In the first, Mrs. West performed the heroine most torpidly, with two or three bursts; a Mr. Hamblin tried his hand at Carlos, and failed; and the other principal characters were sustained (we need say no more) by Messrs. H. Kemble, Bengough, Powell, &c. &c.!! In the second, Mrs. Glover made Lady Randolph, like Niobe,

all tears.' This lady is very lachrymose in tragedy, though agreeable and often excellent in genteel comedy, which, if she consulted the indication of her nose, she would never forsake. In the third, which was hissed with Kean in it, they contrived to have it hissed without him.

rally do on the first night, and especially as a fact, that one Publisher, Mr. Murray,
if written by Managers, and was announced
for repetition.

THE SURREY THEATRE has re-opened,
with three new pieces of the burletta and

melo-dramatic species. We observe that
several new and good performers are en-
gaged, of whom, and of the dramas, we
shall render an account as soon as possible.

VARIETIES.

Sir T. Lawrence, who is gone to Vienna
to paint the portrait of Prince Schwartzen-
burg, for the Prince Regent of England,
will, it is said, afterwards go to Rome to
paint a portrait of his Holiness the Pope,
for his Hoyal Highness.-Times.

The extraordinary fog experienced in
this country, on Tuesday, 22d ult. has, we
observe from the foreign journals, prevailed
time.
over Holland and Belgium at the same

a

friend, whom he

ANECDOTE. One of our most celebrated
living Poets, occasionally a little absent of
mind, was invited by
met in the street, to dine with him next
Sunday, at a country lodging he had taken
for the summer months. The address was
"Near the Green Man, at Dulwich,"
which, not to put his inviter to the trouble
of pencilling down, our bard promised
faithfully to remember. But when Sunday
came, he, fully late enough, made his way
to Greenwich, and began inquiring for the
sign of the Dull Man! No such sign was
to be found; and, after losing an hour, a
person guessed that though there was no
Dull Man at Greenwich, there was a Green
Man at Dulwich, which the gentleman
might possibly mean! This remark con-
nected the broken chain, and our Poet took
his chop by himself.

There is only one tree at Hilla, the ruins
of Babylon, which is called by the natives
Athelt. They maintain that it flourished
in the ancient city, and that God purposely
preserved it for Ali to tie up his horse after
the battle of Hilla. It is an evergreen re-
sembling the lignum vitæ, and so uncom-
mon in the country that there is said to be
only one other of the same kind at Bassora.
Rich's Memoir.

Some time ago a large lion came every evening frcan the banks of the Euphrates, and took his stand on a bridge over a canal near Bagdat, to the terror of travellers. He was at last shot by a Zobeide Arab.

LITERARY INTELLIGENCE.

Ibid.

has works announced for 1819 which cost him 40,000/.

Mr. Buckingham, an intelligent traveller in the East, is, it is stated by Mr. Rich, preparing to publish an account of his

travels through countries of great interest.

A report, circulated in London and Edinburgh, that Mr. Jeffrey was about to retire from the Editorship of the Edinburgh Review, has been authoritatively contra dicted, by The Scotsman, an Edinburgh Newspaper connected with the Opposition Party; which adds, that the circulation of the Review has greatly increased within the last twelve months, and is now greater than at any former period.

Mr. Crabbe has, we believe, closed his poetical career with a final Poem, entitled "Recollections." This new work has been purchased by one of our principal publishers, with the intention of editing a complete collection of Mr. Crabbe's writ ings. The excellent Bard has received the liberal price of 3000l. for the copyright.

The last number of the Weekly Reper tory, an English Sunday paper published in Paris by Gagliani, Rue Vivienne, con tains, among other articles, a very inte resting extract from Captain Light's Travel in Egypt and Palestine, in the year 1814 Besides this extract, there is a no less in teresting account of the Discoveries mad in Egypt, by M. Belzoni, in the grea Pyramid, and the Catacombs of Thebe La Quotidienne.

• A Paris Paper translated from the Litera

Gazette.

METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL.

DECEMBER.

Thursday, 17-Thermometer from 16 to 35.
Barometer from 30, 31 to 30, 17

Wind SW. 0. The day very fine and clear, the evening it became cloudy.

Friday, 18-Thermometer from 18 to 36.

Barometer from 30, 03 to 30, 09
Wind SbW. 0. and SW. 2.-The morning fi
at noon it became cloudy, and rained incessanm
all the afternoon.
Saturday, 19-Thermometer from 21 to 35.
Barometer from 30, 37 to 30,

Wind N. and SW. 0.- Generally clear.
Rain fallen, 075 of an inch.-Ice 2 inches th
Sunday, 20-Thermometer from 30 to 48.
Barometer from 30, 31 to 30, 2
Wind S. 3. Generally cloudy; in the even
it cleared a little.
Monday, 21-Thermometer from 48 to 35.
Barometer from 30, 31 to 30,
Wind SW. and NbW. 0-Generally cl
except the beginning of the morning.
Tuesday, 22-Thermometer from 24 to 33.
Barometer from 30, 67 to 30.

A new dramatic romance, called Flodden Field, was performed on Thursday night, at Drury Lane. It is taken from Walter Scott's Marmion, and said to be the production of Mr. S. Kemble. It commences with the condemnation of Constance, for a breach of her Monastic vows, and goes through the principal incidents in the Poem, relating to De Wilton, Marmion, the Spectre Knight, &c. We can at present only allude to it as too deficient in action, and containing no character prominent enough to keep alive interest, though some of the the scenery was effective, and the processions were not badly managed. It received a good share of approbation, as pieces gene- | lishing Trade in this country, we may state | thick during the evening.

Mr. Rogers has a Poem immediately forthcoming; the title is "Human Life," and we are assured that the production is worthy of the Author of the "Pleasures of Memory."

As a proof of the vast extent of the Pub

Wind NbW. 0.-A thick fog in the morn
and very hazy most of the day.
Wednesday, 23-Thermometer from 23 to 3
Barometer from 30, 59 to 30

Wind NbE. 0.-Generally clear.
Thursday 24-Thermometer from 21 to 29.
Barometer from 30, 42 to 30
Wind S. 0. Generally misty. At five in
afternoon the fog began to increase, and was

Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, vereign, and a connected narration of the Domestic
London; and A. Constable and Co. Edinburgh.

THE OFFICIAL NAVY LIST for Jannary 1819. HORE BRITANNICE; or Studies on Ancient