derful plays from the stories of Scott;-Scott could have written the most excellent stage directions to the plays of Shakspeare.-Monthly Chronicle. NOTICES. A LOVER OF THE DRAMA, BRIXTON.-We thank our worthy Correspondent for his obliging favor, and feel pleased at his expressed opinion of our candid and honest Theatrical criticisms. He is wrong, however, in his judgment on the critique alluded to, which appeared in our last number. We had good reason for what we said, and might have been far more severe, had we not inclined to the side of mercy. We regret to be obliged to use the lash where we formerly hoped all would be praise. There is however, a needs-be for it. We have (as our Correspondent will find, on referring to our early numbers) always "rendered unto Caesar the things which were Caesar's", and shall continue so to do, fearlessly and honestly. THE THEATRE "See that the Players be well used."-Hamlet. "Nothing extenuate, nor set down aught in malice." Othello. THE ITALIAN OPERA.-This season has hitherto been exceedingly barren of novelty and variety-more so, indeed, than any previous season that we can remember. With the exception of PERSIANI's two or three appearances in Lucia di Lammermoor, we have had nothing but repetitions of the eternal Puritani, occasion ally relieved by the equally hackneyed Sonnambula and Norma. When we complain of the want of novelty, it is not that we desire a succession of pieces that are literally new ; on the contrary, in the present state of the Italian musical stage, the fewer such pieces the better. We have no desire that the admirers of BELLINI and DONIZETTI should be deprived of the gratification of hearing the chefs-d'œuvre of these great masters; but there are other masters, greater still, whose works ought not to be laid aside for the sake of two or three pieces which are worn threadbare by being repeated night after night, during the whole season. wearisome monotony, however, was somewhat varied by the performance of Don Giovanni, performed for TAMBURINI'S benefit on Thursday, and in which GRISI and PERSIANI appeared together. It received ample justice from the admirable performers, and the superb orchestra; and such attention was paid to the decorations, costumes, and general mise en scene, as rendered the whole performance worthy of the greatest work of the first of dramatic musicians. This COVENT GARDEN.-On Saturday last was revived Shakspeare's comedy of As you like it; and considering it was performed to a house very nearly empty, it was creditably got through. The only characters worth notice were those of Rosalind (Miss TAYLOR), and Jacques (Mr. MACREADY). The former played with considerable spirit; but with the recollection of Miss M. TREE before us, she failed to please us in the part. Why will this young lady stoop so much? It makes her look deformed. MACREADY evinced his usual unevenness, and though he received much applause in the delivery of the "seven ages," yet it was a sad ANDERSON mouthing performance altogether. in Orlando, was very mawkish and effeminate. No woman could, by possibility, fall in love with such an animal. HARLEY'S Touchstone was amusing, but greatly overdone. Grimace is not humor. Of Romeo and Juliet, again performed on Monday, we can say little that is favorable. ANDERSON is far too superficial and precise to play the character of Romeo, and Miss H. FAUCIT not at all adapted for the love-sick Juliet. Friar Lawrence, strange to say, was played by MACREADY, who has been studying it ever since last October! Why it was taken from WARDE, who is the very man to sustain it properly, we know not. At all events, Mr. MACREADY made but little impression in it. On Tuesday the house was again closed, and the performers were again defrauded of their salaries. The remainder of the week has been devoted to benefits; and, about the 20th instant, it is expected the house will close altogether. From what has lately transpired there, we think the sooner the better. DRURY LANE.-The public having been long nightly without any alteration, the little gendisgusted with BUNN's bill of fare, put forth tleman (!) has been "inviting " them to come in "at his own expense," or the house would have been literally empty. Except on "benefit " nights, the receipts of the house have not averaged £40 during the last fortnight. On KEAN, made his re-appearance in Hamlet; but Wednesday the "strolling mountebank," Charles we did not go to see him. It would have been is said, most heartily repents having engaged a waste both of time and money, Mr. BUNN, it him for sixty nights instead of forty; having engaged him, he vows he will "make him work it out!" This theatre will, also, shortly close. but NEW STRAND.-An addition was made, on Monday night, to the stock pieces of this establishment, in the shape of a very broad extravaganza, called the Cannibal. It is a little affair that will not bear criticism, being of the most common-place and silly description, and miserably put together. The acting, however, of HAMMOND as the Cannibal, his songs, his dress, and his grotesque dances, are worthy of the most honorable mention. He extorted roars of laughter from all present. It really is a pity that so little attention is paid to the composition of the various burlettas produced here. Their own merit never recommends them; their success is always owing to the actors. This circumstance imposes a double weight of toil on HAMMOND, whose exertions are almost superhuman. The Tobit's Dog, and Sam Weller, have been repeated every evening during the week. We have our eye on the "doings at this establishment, and warn the proprietor to be careful what he is about. As censors of the press, we shall do our duty, come what may. VICTORIA. We have, in courtesy, always noticed the performances at this theatre, from time to time; and should have continued to do so, but for an act of impudence and ruffianism committed, a few evenings since, on a gentleman we sent in to report for us. On presenting our card, signed by Mr. LEVY, the proprietor, ADVERTISING. Advertising is an expedient for obtaining business by no means generally practised. Many tradesmen are deterred by the expence; some have no faith in its efficacy; others think it a mark of second-rate status in business, and, therefore, more apt to be injurious than otherCITY OF LONDON.-This theatre is reduced wise. On the other hand, some tradesmen to the lowest scale of infamy, and is very make a system of advertising, planting every miserably attended. One appropriate piece, at kind of periodical, from the daily newspaper all events, has been produced here. It is ento the Quarterly Review, with specifications of titled The Vagrant, his Wife, and Family !—a their anxiety to serve the public, and of the "domestic group "that will be readily recog- merits of the articles in which they deal, and nised without the aid of spectacles, or an opera- evidently spending a considerable sum of money glass. The last play-bill we saw, was headed-yearly in this way. The unconcerned reader, "Immense !! !!" and immediately under this and the less acute tradesman, struck by the important word, was, "William Tell by Mr. frequency of these appeals for business, are apt OSBALDISTON !" This truly is "immense." to suppose that he who makes them must be less To what a degraded level has the drama sunk! under the influence of wisdom than of folly, and a good deal of a pretender or a quack into the bargain. There may even be a class who make a principle of disbelieving and disregarding all such appeals, and, like the Irishmen, when much entreated to come, the more they won't come. Yet the regular discharge of advertisements keeps up nevertheless, and the trader must evidently find it serviceable upon municate to young tradesmen the ideas of an the whole. It may be worth while to comold one upon this subject: they are simply and The first utility of frequent briefly as follow:is at all times a large class of persons, both and regular advertising consists in this, there in country and town, who have no fixed places for the purchase of necessary articles, and are ready to be swayed and drawn to any particular place which is earnestly brought under their notice. Indifferent to all, they yield without hesitation to the first who asks. Then, in the country, a considerable number of persons, who wish a supply of the article advertised, and do not know any particular place where it is to be got, being thus furnished with the name naturally open a communication with that adand address of a person who can supply them, dress, which, perhaps, leads to much ulterior business. People in the country are also liable to be favorably impressed by the frequent sight of a name in the newspapers. The advertising party acquires distinction in their eyes, and thus they are led, in making a choice, to prefer him. But by far the most important effect of advertising, is one of an indirect nature. It conveys the impression that the party-pretending or not pretending, quackish or not quackish-is anxious for business. One who is anxious for business is unavoidably supposed to be an industrious, attentive, civil person, who keeps the best of articles at the cheapest rate, does every thing in the neatest and most tradesman-like manner, and in general uses every expedient to gratify and attach customers. People, of course, like to buy under those circumstances, and the system of advertising assuring them that such can which has never before been refused, it was We ad There has been nothing at any other of the theatres deserving a separate notice. Those which are thriving most are Astley's, the Surrey, and the Olympic. FATHER TOM'S RECIPE FOR MAKING WHISKEY PUNCH. "Put in the spirit first," says his Riv'rence, "and then put in the sugar; and, remember, any dhrop of water you put in after that, spoils the punch."-Blackwood. circumstances exist at this particular shop, they select it accordingly. Such are the opinions of the old tradesman alluded to, and they are certainly supported by fact; for wherever an extensive and regular system of advertising is practised, and no back drawing or unconquerable circumstances exist, it is usually seen to be attended with a considerable share of success. One feature in the philosophy of the subject must be carefully attended to. A faint and infrequent system of advertising does not succeed, not even in proportion. "Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring."-Chambers's Edinburgh Journal. [We can personally attest the truth of the concluding sentences in the above. Advertising is a SCIENCE, -a perfect knowledge of which, cannot be too sedulously cultivated.-Ed. I.] OUR NOTE-BOOK; ORIGINAL AND SELECTED. A CUNNING LAWYER.-A lawyer in Ireland, who was pleading the cause of an infant plaintiff, took the child up in his arms, and presented it to the jury, suffused with tears. This had a great effect, till the opposite lawyer asked, what made him cry? "He pinched me," answered the little innocent. The whole court was convulsed with laughter. THE ASPHALTIC PAVEMENT.-The small portion of pavement laid down in Whitehall, on the asphaltic system, is now finished, and attracts considerable attention. To a person walking over it, it appears rough and gritty, just as if coarse gravel were spread over the usual stone flags. It is by no means so pleasant to tread upon as the common footpaths, and to ladies and others wearing thin-soled shoes must be particularly disagreeable. There is no doubt it will prove, if generally introduced, highly popular with the shoe-makers and leather-sellers, who may, perhaps, at their annual dinners, drink the healths of its inventors, as it is said they now drink those of a celebrated blackingmaking firm in the metropolis. JOKE OVER WINE.-It is said that the late Chief Baron Thompson was a very facetious companion over the bottle, which he much enjoyed. At one of the judge's dinners during the assizes, there was present a certain dignitary of the church. When the cloth was removed, 'I always think," said the very reverend guest, "I always think, my lord, that a certain quantity of wine does a man no harm after a good dinner." "Oh no, Sir, by no means," replied the Chief Baron; it is the uncertain quantity that does all the mischief, HOW TO MAKE A TOUR.-Take your carriage -stuff it well-add four horses, or, if not to be had, a pair may do. Select two or three agreeable friends-stir them up, and put them all into a good humor. Throw in a light wardrobe, a large sketch-book, and a heavy purse. Keep your purse open at both ends-oil your wheels-put them in rapid motion, and add as many accidents and adventures as can be got. Boil up the whole with plenty of enthusiasm-pour it out to cool in three large volumes-let the scum run off till it be reduced to one-slit it up into chapters, and put it into the press. THEATRICAL CHIT-CHAT MR. WILSON'S BENEFIT.-We beg to call especial attention to the benefit of our worthy friend Wilson, which is announced for Tuesday next, at Covent Garden. The entertainments he has selected are most judicious. They will consist of the opera of Rob Roy, and the musical farce of the Quaker; in both which, Mr. Wilson will introduce a variety of his favorite airs. All lovers of true melody should make a point of attending, and marking their respect for this public favorite. In the course of the evening, we should observe, there will be a musical melange, in which all the principal singers of the establishment will take a part. A NEW THEATRE, entitled the Royal Victoria, has just been opened in Cooke Street, Cork. The company engaged is a very efficient one, and a succession of "stars are announced as forthcoming. ROSSINI will, it is said, be the director of the new Italian Opera House at Paris. He is composing a new opera for its opening in October next. Mdle. Louisa TAGLIONI (a younger cousin of the inimitable Sylphide), a beautiful and graceful girl of 15, is to make her debut this season at the Theatre San Carlo, at Naples, as premiere danseuse. Her two eldest sisters, Mdlles. Mariette and Ermenia, are singing with great success at the Royal Theatre de Fondo. PHILHARMONIC.-The Subscribers this season amount to 589, including four of the Royal Family; to which may be added 37 members, 48 associates, 19 female professors, and seven honorary members, making a total of 700. The directors have placed Mr. Strauss's name on the free list for the remainder of the concerts, in compliment to his musical talent. It is in contemplation to establish a Kent Zoological and Botanical Gardens Company, near Gravesend, with a capital of £30,000. Among the patrons of this undertaking are Sir W. Geary, T. L. Hodges, Esq., M. P., Sir John Beresford, and T. T. Hodges, Esq. ground already taken is picturesque, and consists of about twelve acres. It is intended to open the gardens this summer. The Printed by J. Eames, 7, Tavistock St., Covent Garden. Published for the Proprietor by GEORGE DENNEY, at the Office, 7, Tavistock St. Covent Garden: sold also by W.M.Clark, 19, Warwick Lane; Strange, 21, & Steill, 20, Paternoster Row; G. Mann, 39, Cornhill; J. Norris 58, Fetter Lane, Holborn; and James Pattie, 4, Brydges Street, Covent Garden. A NEW AND FASHIONABLE WEBELY JOURNAL OF LITERATURE, FINE ARTS, MUSIC, AMUSEMENT, EXHIBITIONS, VARIETIES, SATIRE, AND THE STAGE. "THE OBJECT OF OUR WORK IS TO MAKE MEN WISER, WITHOUT OBLIGING THEM TO TURN OVER FOLIOS AND QUARTOS,-TO FURNISH MATTER FOR THINKING, AS WELL AS READING."- --EVELYN. CONFESSIONS OF A TOAD-EATER. I have been a toad-eater for nearly five and thirty years, and I am more and more astonished at the ridiculous folly of mankind in laughing at and despising one of the best trades going. Indeed, when I see so many promising young men of ability seeking for employment, and at a loss for something to do, I cannot help asking them why they do not take up the trade, for toad-eating is surely better than not eating at all. Besides, it is a trade that requires no capital, either of money or of wit. If you would establish a newspaper or a magazine, you must have something in cash to begin with; or if you would be a penny-a-liner, you must have ability to write a line worth a penny;-I don't say that every line you write must be worth a penny; that would be expecting too much; but you must be able to write one line that is actually worth a penny, and then on the reputation of that one line you may write thousands not worth a farthing, and get a penny a piece for them. But it is not every body that has cash enough to establish a paper, nor is it every one who has wit enough to write a line worth a penny; whereas toad-eating is easy to the meanest capacity; and I will give you the benefit of my experience. I first learned the noble science when I was at school. I had been taught to reverence my superiors, and I had heard something about the benefit of forming good connexions; I had art enough to know that good connexions are not to be had for nothing, and that the only way to make myself acceptable was to make myself agreeable. I first practised on my schoolmaster; for as I did not like the trouble of learning my lessons, I endeavored to render myself agreeable without that trouble. I soon discovered who among the boys were favorites, and who were not; and then I set myself diligently to find out all the faults, failings, sins, and peccadilloes of the unfavored, and to report them to my master: and as people are never more pleased than VOL. II-No. 20. [PRICE TWO PENCE. when they are supplied with reasons for disliking those whom they hate from caprice, I thus made myself mightily agreeable to him. In all the letters which I wrote home, I praised the school and its management, literary and domestic; and I took care that all my letters should by some accident or other be seen by my master. Amongst the boys, I paid homage to the big and the blustering, that I might have their fistic protection; I flattered the good scholars, that I might have the benefit of their assistance in my lessons; I stuck close to the rich, that I might experience the benefit of their purses. In short, I became an universal favorite, except amongst a very few whose good-will was not worth cultivating. All those to whom I played toady, said that I was the nicest fellow that ever lived; I managed to flatter so very dexterously. Dexterously did I say? Nonsense-flattery requires no dexterity, because the very attempt to flatter shows that the person whom you assail is worth courting, and that is of itself gratifying to a man's vanity. I will tell you a story which I know to be true. A certain Earl, who has large possessions and great infiuence in one of the northern counties, was one day shooting in company with one of his toad-eaters, and by way of making an experiment on the elasticity of the man's complaisance, his lordship said, "What a beautiful view we have from this hill of the town of A!"-"Beautiful, my lordbeautiful," said the captain. "On second thoughts, captain, the town is not visible from this part of the hill." "Clearly not, my lord," replied the captain. "But let me see," said his lordship again, pointing to a furze-bush, "surely that must be the church tower.""No doubt of it, my lord," responded the captain. lordship laughed, and the rest of the party laughedbut the captain was right-he got promotion, but not for that, certainly not for that. I heard this story when I was at college, and profited by it; it was told to me by a young lord. My inference was, that it is impossible to lay on flattery too thick. His The benefits of toad-eating are numerous ;-there is the physical and substantial benefit of eating and drink ing, and that, let me tell you, is no mean consideration; and how much easier and pleasanter it is to smile and lie for a dinner than to work for one. Besides, those dinners which one gets by smiling and lying are much better than such as are to be had for work. And then a toad-eater is generally considered so agreeable a person -he never contradicts any one except those whom his feeders contradict, and then if he is bid he will contradict himself. A toad-eater (though I say it that should not say it,) is something like a dog: he will fawn on his master and his master's friends, but he will snarl at and snap at his master's enemies; and the great comfort of the matter is, that he has always powerful backers, and is sure never to be wrong, for he has only to wait for his master's signal, and then he may attack any one safely. There is another great benefit which the toad-eater enjoys; he has no occasion to trouble himself about the formation of any opinions on any subject whatever; he has nothing to do but to take his master's opinion, and to re-echo and corroborate that. It is a great pleasure to be saved the trouble of thinking-at least, I think it is-not that I ever did think, only I think thinking must be very troublesome. Now a toad-eater need have no opinions,-indeed, he is much safer without, for if by any accident he should lose his occupation, he is in a most miserable condition, and nothing so endangers a toad-eater's situation as daring to have an opinion. It is true that a patron will often ask his opinion; but if he have the slightest sagacity, he may easily know his patron's, and that of course becomes his. There may, perhaps, be some little ingenuity required here, and therefore, for the benefit of those who wish to pursue the high and honorable occupation of toad-eating, I will state my own practice. He asks my opinion, say, for instance, of some bill before Parliament, of which perhaps till that moment I have not even heard the name; but if my patron seems interested about it, I would not for the world seem to be indifferent; so, without saying that I really know nothing about the bill, its merits or demerits, I merely shake my head and look wise, giving a certain smile, as much as to say, "Ah, all the world save you and me, are fools." "You think it will be carried?" says he interrogatively, but yet doubtfully as to the expression of his own wish; then I can only repeat the word "carried!" Then he says, "Ay, carried." By his tone in repeating my repetition of his word, I immediately understand what his opinion is, and that of course becomes mine. Thereupon the bill becomes in my estimation the wisest or wickedest measure that can be brought before the House.-Sometimes it may be necessary to back out of an opinion, because your patron may change his; you may perhaps think that there is some difficulty in this,-no, none at all: if your master can change his mind a dozen times in an hour, why should not you? A good toad-eater ought never to be wiser or better in any respect than his master; and it is positively a great piece of presumption to suppose that a toady can lose reputation by any changes which his feeder may dictate. But now methinks I hear you say, "Might not a toady's feeder be a little flattered by some appearance of independence, so that agreement with his opinion should seem to be the result of judgment rather than of assentation?" Ay, to be sure-you must pretend to be independent and to be sincere; you would be a great donkey if you let slip any intimation that your agreement arose from mere complaisance, and was only verbal. Let me illustrate this by a reference to the story of the captain who mistook the furze-bush for a church tower. He did not say it was, without looking at it, but he looked earnestly in order to be convinced. All then that you have to do, in fitting your opinion to that of your patron, is not to make the matter too broad a caricature; there must be something of an appearance of conviction, otherwise it is a mockery; still I must be permitted to say, that those great people who feed toad-eaters are not always cunning enough to see the hypocrisy of their dependents. A man may go a great way in humoring his patron's caprice, and very few patrons have so much wit as the noble lord above alluded to, who endeavored to make trial of the servility of his hanger on; but if that said captain had been foolish enough to discern the joke, he might have gained a loss. by his sagacity. A toad-eater, without being a con juror, may be able to see through his patron, but he must not let his patron know that,-if he does, he loses his place immediately. The captain let the laugh be turned against him either from craft or stupidity, and so he kept his place and gained promotion. Now when I tell you that flattery cannot be too gross, I do not tell you that you may at the moment of administering it say point blank, that it is mere gross flattery, and that you do not mean what you say. No, but if you would play the toady's part well and successfully, you must have no opinion of your own, and be ready to say and think whatever your patron tells you. You must watch his looks, and read every intimation of his thoughts, and in the course of a short time you may easily understand him; and you will have nothing to do but to reflect his looks, to adopt his opinions, and make him pleased with himself, and you are provided for. The Monthly Chronicle. No. 3. Longman & Co. This is, by far, the best and most readable number that has yet appeared. As we eschew politics, we offer an extract from the article entitled the "Life and Writings of Scott." It is well and forcibly written: If the more cautious tendencies in Scott's character, partly the effect of Scottish prudence, principally, perhaps, of a habit that a nature too ardent and fervid had felt the necessity of forming as a check to its own impulses, sometimes diminished his activity for objects remote from individual interests,-so, on the other hand, they unquestionably restrained him from a thousand errors of zeal and judgment, and served to maintain for him the respect of the public, which is the usual concomitant rather of discretion than of ardor. Nor could they ever contract to the coldness and formality of worldly scruples the beautiful yearnings of his disposition. They did not, as they did to Goethe, who sought the same philosophy with more rigid system, and in the chilling atmosphere of court favor, reduce the living man to the frigid grandeur of an intellectual machine, indifferent to human interests and actions, and regarding vice or virtue, principles or affections, with the hard eyes of a mortal aspiring to the calmness of a God. No, whatever the rules by which he curbed his affections and aspirations, they might limit the waters of the fountain, but they still left the waves as deep and pure, as open to the warmth of the heavens above, and as fair an asylum if not as wide a realm for the spirit that dwelt below. In all things, in his genius, his principles, his emotions, Scott was emphatically a man-with all man's strength, and with all his softness; one, if to the highest, inimitable in his powers, may yet, to the meanest, in many of the best moral qualities, be a cheering example, while simplicity of manners, goodness of heart, and integrity of purpose, can excite emulation and engender love. Those peculiarities to which Mr. Lockhart alludes in a tone of candid but high apology,-such as the pride of Scott, his worldly ambition, and his respect for the adventitious quality of birth,-do not seem to us to have amounted even to faults. His worldly ambition was mainly that of a dreaming poet. If his halls were to excite the admiration of the traveller, and his lands to be the heritage of his race, stil! Abbotsford was but the realisation of the same visions of the feudal splendor of old, which called forth the more shadowy creations of |