THE WEST INDIAN :

A COMEDY, BY RICHARD CUMBERLAND.

THE author of this admired drama states, that he studied in a place which offered as little distraction to the sight as possible; and that the present piece was written during a visit to his father in 1770, in a little closet, at the back of the Bishop's palace at Clonfert, having no prospect but a single turf-stack. He then engaged Garrick to produce it, and availed himself of some of his suggestions for it's improvement; especially in Scenes 1 and 2, where Belcour's character is announced to the audience: for, said Garrick, they will then say 'here he comes, with his colours flying;' never let me see a hero step upon the stage without his trumpeters of some sort or other." The West Indian was first acted at Drury-Lane, January 19th, 1771, and succeeded so well as to be performed 33 nights the first season, and 28 without the support of an afterpiece; which was then the custom with all new plays. A misconception of it's nature occasioned some little hostility at the opening of the prologue, which was begun twice; but as the characters were described, all opposition was lost in applause. Some contemporary eritiques, however, gave but an unfavourable report, particularly one in The St. James's Evening Post, from which Cumberland was defended by Garrick. It applauded the sentiments and language of the play, but condemned the dialogue as burlesque heroic in the serious parts, and coarse in all the rest. The moral was considered good, but the manners very censurable, since the females court the men throughout the piece; and Major O'Flaherty, with all his honour, forcibly seizes Sir Oliver's will, places himself secretly to overhear a conversation, and openly avows, when he is courting Lady Rusport, that he has married five wives already, who are all living. The author afterwards inserted that "a good soldier must sometimes fight in ambush, as well as open field ;" and that the marriages were all "en militaire.”

Barry was desirous of acting O'Flaherty, though Garrick preferred Moody, who played it excellently, but the name of Johnstone is immortal in this character. King was an admirable Belcour, and Elliston and Jones have been his worthiest successors. Mrs. Abington was the first Charlotte Rusport, with some affectation of condescension, as she considered the part a mere sketch, though she exalted it to a character by her acting; and Mrs. Davison and Mrs. C. Kemble were certainly her best modern followers.

In The Gentleman's Magazine for July and August, 1786, will be found some anecdotes of a Colonel O'Burne, of Bruxelles, an Irishman in the Prussian army, said to have been the original of Major O'Flaherty.

The West Indian.

Miss Rusport. Hey day! right, sir! Why these are not my diamonds; these are quite different; and, as it should seem, of much greater value. Belcour. Upon my life, I'm glad on't; for then I hope you value them more than your own.

Act 3. Sc. 3.

Louisa.

Coming from Miss Rusport's, I met a young gen

tleman in the streets, who has beset me in the strangest manner.
Charles. Insufferable! was he rude to you?
Louisa. I cannot say he was absolutely rude to me, but he was very
importunate to speak to me, and once or twice attempted to lift up my
veil; he followed me to the corner of the street, and there I gave him
the slip.

Act 2. Sc. 1.

THE GRECIAN DAUGHTER :

A TRAGEDY, BY ARTHUR MURPHY.

As the gay and graceful Barry advanced in life, he suffered greatly from hereditary gout, which frequently confined him with extreme pain, and at length so much weakened his powers of exertion, that he was no longer capable of personifying the impassioned lover or the enthusiastic hero. It therefore became desirable that he should be provided with a character adapted to his declining strength, in which even the fading graces of his figure, and the breaking music of his voice, might yet be exhibited to advantage; and he requested Murphy to turn his thoughts to some Tragedy of this description, upon which the present drama was written in 1769. The fable was derived from some anecdotes related by Valerius Maximus, in his Memorable Acts and Speeches of the Romans, book v. chapter 4., "Concerning piety towards Parents," section 7. Following the Roman examples, are some which occurred in other countries, and that related of the Athenian General Cimon and his daughter Pero, was the one selected by Murphy. He also appears to have been directed to it by seeing a picture of it, wherein the guard is bursting into tears on beholding the daughter relieving her dying father from her own breast. Cimon was really slain at the Siege of Citium, in Cyprus, B. C. 449; but the period of the present Tragedy is in the reign of the Younger Dionysius, when Timoleon laid siege to Syracuse, B. C. 343. The Scene is Syracuse, and the time of action is about thirty-six hours.

The Grecian Daughter was originally performed at Drury-Lane, February 26th, 1772, with great applause, arising chiefly from the admirable acting of Barry and Mrs. Barry, as Evander and Euphrasia; and though it's run was only nine nights, the author's three benefits produced him £789:16s: and it may be curious to notice that his expenses for the house were £73: 10s. It was in this Tragedy that Barry took leave of the stage, November 28th, 1776; soon after which he was confined entirely to his bed, and died Jauuary 10th, 1777.

Whilst it is allowed that the interview between Euphrasia and her father, in Act ii. Scene 2, and the catastrophe, are extremely beautiful, it is acknowledged that the great defect of this drama is the interest not keeping pace with the action, and that it is generally somewhat heavy. It nevertheless excited both interest and applause when Mrs. Siddons first performed the principal part at Drury-Lane, October 30th, 1782, and when Miss Fanny Kemble and her father revived the piece at Covent-Garden, January 18th, 1830.

Philotas. Oh! I can hold no more; at such a sight
Even the hard heart of tyranny would melt
To infant softness. Arcas, go, behold

The pious fraud of charity and love!

Behold that unexampled goodness!

See the expedient sharp necessity has taught her;

Thy heart will burn, will melt, will yearn, to view
A child like her.

Arcas. Ha!-Say what mystery

Wakes these emotions!

Philotas. Wonder-working virtue!

The father foster'd at his daughter's breast!

Oh, filial piety!-The milk design'd
For her own offspring, on the parent's lip
Allays the parching fever. All her laws
Inverted quite, great Nature triumphs still.

Act 2. Sc. 2.

THE IRISH WIDOW:

A FARCE, BY DAVID GARRICK.

MOLIERE'S Comedy of La Marriage Forcée contains the original plot of this entertaining little piece, which was first acted at Drury-Lane, October 23rd, 1772, for the benefit of Mrs. Barry, whom it was intended to introduce in a novel style of character, and to recompense for the uncommon ability displayed by her in The Grecian Daughter. At this time Moody acted Sir Patrick O'Neale, Parsons Old Whittle, Cautherley his Nephew, Baddeley Bates, Dodd Kecksey, and Weston Thomas. Mrs. Barry's excellent Widow Brady, with a few temporary allusions scattered throughout the piece, procured it to be favourably received: but, as she was not a vocalist, her delivery of the original singing Epilogue caused it to be observed at the time, that it's novel humour "atoned for bad words and an indifferent voice." The remark, however, was perhaps as much excited by the concluding speech of the Farce,— I will add an Irish tune, that may carry off a bad voice and bad matter,” -as by her want of vocal ability, or the real demerit of the address itself.

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The Irish Widow is not often seen upon the modern stage, but she was excellently personified by Mrs. Jordan at Drury-Lane, July 28th, 1786, at her first London benefit; when that admirable actress attracted an audience very seldom seen, and drew from the Whig Club a very handsome present as a tribute to her merit. Mrs. Litchfield also played the part with great ability at Covent-Garden, in 1807; and June 14th, 1816, the Farce was revived at Drury-Lane for Mrs. Mardyn. The other principal modern performers have been R. Palmer and Waddy as Sir Patrick, Emery as Old Whittle, Lovegrove and Simmons as Kecksey, and Knight and Blanchard as Thomas.

Although The Irish Widow was performed 17 nights the first season, it's general character is not of a very high standard; and Murphy remarks that it may be said of the dialogue, as Cibber said of Congreve's Comedies, something very like wit is to be found in it. The situations are humourous, and some of the characters natural and lively; but a contemporary critique condemns the latter as having been drawn from the common dramatic stock, without originality, variety, or taste; the Elder Whittle is censured as “a wretch whose likeness is to be found no where," and the nephew as "one of those canting mad inamorati who are to be found every where." The moral of the whole is, however, both well-imagined and useful; since it holds up a glass wherein those who have declined into the vale of years may see the absurdity of pretending to the passions of youth, and of professing themselves to be still in the very bloom of life.